Hmmm.........

　I turned over.

　By that time, I was somewhat awake and conscious.

　But I'm not a good sleeper. I usually stick around a bit longer, trying to coax myself to sleep.

　Since it's a holiday, no one complains if I sleep until about noon or so. So. Except for Saria.

　She always wakes me up at the same time, whether it's a weekday or a holiday.

　That habit has never changed. Ever since I came to Saria's care, it has continued every day.

''Ummm........what?''

　Suddenly, I looked at the clock hanging on the wall.

　It was past nine o'clock now.

　That's strange. Saria will definitely come to wake you up at exactly 7am. If she doesn't wake up even though I call out to her, she will also take the bedding from me.

　Fighting Saria like that is the start of my day.

　And yet........for the first time Saria did not come.

''........What's going on?

　The sheer discomfort of it all wakes me up.

'Salyer?　Sallya!

　Walking around in the castle.

　It's strange. There are usually a lot of people, but today there's no one there.

'Why...?　Why isn't anyone here?

　I am stunned.

　Even though the royal castle is usually full of people, right now there is no one there.

　It's completely deserted.

　After that, I continued to run inside the royal castle. I looked for signs of people, wondering if anyone was there.

　But no matter how much I looked for someone, I couldn't find it.

''Saria?''　Saria!

　Look hard.

　Salia.

　I couldn't wait to see her.

　I wanted to spend the morning talking shit like I always did.

　But no matter how far I looked, this royal castle was deserted.

　It was as if this place was the only one that felt cut off from the world.

''If you go outside...''

　He blurts out.

　Yes.

　I'm sure he'll be fine once he gets outside.

　I should just ask someone to talk to. With that thought in mind, I start to walk out of the royal castle....

''Warding?''

　Yes. What was strung up there was a ward.

　I've never actually seen one, but it was definitely a type of warding. It's something I've heard about in my teacher's class.

　So that means I can't leave this royal castle?

Why, why, why is this happening?

　Even if you say so, no one will answer that question.

　Just one person.

　I was now trapped in the royal castle in solitude.

''Yes ... if you go underground.

　As I recall, there was an underground space in this royal castle as an emergency exit. My memory isn't clear, but right now I have no choice but to go there.

　So I tried to run out of there but................................but he appeared in front of me.

'Hi. Alice. What's up?　So fast.
Brother Oscar?

　Normally, I should be happy to have met someone here.

　But I did not approach them.

　It was because I sensed that Brother Oscar's mood was too foreign to me.

'Alice. I have a place for you to go.

　I would do so, and I would confront him.