Chapter 175

“I know it still sounds unbelievable, but I really do have a way to prove this.”

Unaware that Leon had already verified the truth of her words through another method, in order to prove her identity to the Clearing Bureau, the princess who spent all night thinking yesterday raised her hand and took off an old shawl, placing it on the table and introducing it seriously: “This wool shawl uses wool produced in Merino County, which comes from the unique Merino White Rock Sheep there. This wool is extremely fine, stain-resistant, and has pure coloration making it easy to dye, so it’s highly sought after by nobles.

“But because the Merino White Rock Sheep grow slowly and live on rocky cliffs, harvesting their wool is very difficult, leading to extremely low yields, so the price is exceptionally high. Even among the nobility, few can afford it, and most clothing made from it is blended.

“This shawl was a gift from my father when I turned twelve. It’s made entirely of Merino White Rock Sheep wool, with a completely different texture than those blended wool fabrics. The print on it is also the red-breasted robin of the royal family, and the tassel net was personally woven by my lady-in-waiting. There won’t be another shawl like this in the entire capital city.”

“But in the end, it’s just a wool shawl. Isn’t it pretty easy to forge? And we don’t understand wool, so we can’t judge whether what you’re saying is true or false.”

After patiently listening to the princess explain the origins of the wool shawl, Jerry furrowed his eyebrows and countered, “Do you know how hard it is to forcibly erase the existence of a princess from everyone’s memory? That kind of ability is almost godlike.

“Not just in the whole world, even if the scope is limited to the kingdom, or even further reduced to the entire capital, finding such an… um… thing isn’t something easily done.

“So rather than believing that a princess has been forgotten, I’d rather believe this is the rambling of a madman. After all, compared to erasing the existence of a princess, it’s more realistic to think someone forged a shawl.”

“Your doubts are completely reasonable, but please don’t rush. I haven’t finished speaking yet.”

In order to reclaim everything about herself, Princess Veronica had made quite adequate preparations. Despite being questioned by Jerry, she didn’t get flustered but instead gently pushed the shawl on the table towards Leon, maintaining a calm expression as she said:

“Mr. Leon, you have a magical broom that can fly into the sky, right?”

The hangover from last night’s binge drinking, the news of his early marriage, plus the discrepancy between memory and reality, were almost crashing Leon’s brain. But due to trust in the badge system, he still hummed lightly in agreement, then rubbed his temples and looked at the princess, hoping she could provide sufficiently strong evidence.

“That’s correct. Yesterday, I was held by you and rode on that broom.”

Under the gaze of Leon and Jerry, Princess Veronica unfolded the shawl on the table, pointed to the intricately woven fringe, and said with a slightly relieved look in her eyes:

“At the time, my personal lady-in-waiting thought my outfit was a bit too… um, anyway, she temporarily wove a net out of the shawl’s fringe. When I got on your broom, the fringe of the shawl got caught on your broom, and a little part was torn off.

“So if you haven’t used that broom since noon yesterday, it’s likely that there’s still a strand of white-with-a-tint-of-red wool hanging from it — wool from the only pure-spun Merino wool shawl in the entire capital.”

“Huh?! After hearing Princess Veronica’s words, Leon momentarily froze, then immediately retrieved the Witch’s Broom and checked the twigs at the end of the broom.

To the surprise of both Leon and Jerry, although some seemed to have been blown away by the wind, there were indeed some strands of wool hanging from the tail of the broom. In terms of texture, color, and thickness, they matched the wool of the shawl on the table perfectly.

“Phew… I think this evidence should prove something, right?”

After Leon and Jerry compared the wool, the princess, who had been holding her breath, let go of her clenched hands and calmly stated: “Regarding the situation with Merino wool, you can ask people knowledgeable about textiles to see if I’m lying. If what I said is true, then it proves that yesterday I did indeed meet Mr. Leon and rode on his broom.

“Although it might sound a bit self-aggrandizing, I believe Mr. Leon wouldn’t forget having someone like me sitting behind him. So the only explanation is that besides me, the victim, everyone else’s memories have issues. Do you agree?”

Agree… this should be considered thoroughly proven! “Go find the bureau director!”

Realizing that there’s a nine-out-of-ten chance this woman claiming to be a princess is telling the truth, Jerry couldn’t help but take a deep breath, his expression serious as he looked at Leon and whispered telepathically: ‘If it’s confirmed that someone used an anomalous item against a princess of a kingdom, then things will get serious. According to the agreement between the bureau and the Twelve Kingdoms, matters of this level must be reported to the General Bureau immediately, then handed over to the director of the local branch for investigation. From now on, this is no longer our responsibility!’

…

“So… even though next week is the year-end review, the princess was attacked by an entity-level anomaly?”

With blurry eyes from intoxication, after listening to Leon and Jerry’s report, the red-haired bureau director, dragged back from sleep, couldn’t help but let out a deeply helpless sigh.

That’s not happening!

Before the year-end review, a situation like this arose, and no matter how well it’s resolved afterward, an evaluation of inadequate supervision is unavoidable. The Virgo Bureau’s rating this year will probably hit an unprecedented low, directly becoming the worst among the eighty-seven branches.

What? Since the Leon Blood Night, our bureau has already been locked in last place, and the four big characters “Olivia” have already been engraved on this year’s Pillar of Shame?

Hahaha, then it’s fine, then it’s fine…

Leaning back with a somewhat desperate gaze after clearing the residual alcohol from her body with a wave of her hand, the red-haired bureau director began pondering how to quickly resolve this life-threatening issue.

First, definitely find that anomalous item, or the person using it!

“Excuse me… um… may I ask your name?”

Upon hearing the red-haired bureau director’s question, Princess Veronica, who was observing her lips, blinked and nodded slightly:

“Veronica. Just call me Veronica, sir.”

“Alright, Princess Veronica.”

The red-haired bureau director, entering “work mode,” swept away the despondency from her earlier drunken state and solemnly promised:

“I swear on my position as the director of the Clearing Bureau’s Virgo Branch that from now until this matter concludes, you will be absolutely safe. No one will be able to harm you.

“Additionally, I hope you will fully cooperate with our investigation. Our Virgo Bureau will spare no effort to restore everything to normal in the shortest possible time!”

(End of Chapter)