“That’s why I’m asking you, who did write it?” Eugene continued to confront Sienna.

“...I don’t know,” Sienna insisted.

“Isn’t it embarrassing and shameful to keep saying ‘I don’t know’ over and over again?”

“...Shut up.”

“If Anise was the one who wrote it, could you be trying to protect Anise’s reputation by insisting that you don’t know who it is? Even though you know that the suspicion will turn on you if you keep clinging to the same denial?” Eugene began sounding out his reasoning with a serious expression on his face. “Are you really going to prioritize protecting Anise’s honor over having to bear such an insult yourself? But I don’t think you’re that type of person. You’re not upright enough to take the blame for something that you haven’t done.”

“...Wh-what do you know?” Sienna stammered.

“Although I might not be as insightful as you, I think I have a pretty good idea of the depth of your character,” said Eugene.

These words caused Sienna to blush all the way up to her earlobes. She was unable to look at Eugene directly, and she awkwardly lowered her gaze to the floor as she fiddled with her fingers.

“...It’s-it’s really not me,” Sienna attempted to deny it one more time.

“Why don’t you look me in the eye and say that,” Eugene challenged her.

Sensing she was about to be boxed in, Sienna tried to change tracks, “This all happened three hundred years ago… so… it’s not really a big deal, isn’t it? M-Molon also really enjoyed the fairy tale. He liked it so much that he even tried to pass a law requiring the memorization of the fairy tale as his kingdom’s first ever edict.”

“...Was that bastard really a good king like they say he was? Couldn’t he have just been a mad dictator and a tyrant?” Eugene muttered to himself with a look of utter disbelief on his face. Then, his expression...