She said she was going to unearth the grave, but...
...for what?
What's this?!
Her head's been cut off.
What?
Her hands—
The body seems to have been treated with preservatives.
She died from being stabbed in the chest.
After she was treated with preservatives,
her head was cut off.
Why is only the head rotten?
Go talk to the caretaker.
Is the cemetery caretaker the culprit?!
I'm telling you to go ask who brought the corpse here.
I-I knew that!
Hey, what are you doing?
He's casting an Asian curse.
It's a prayer!
This is...
So this is where you were.
About that corpse...
Apparently, it was brought here by some well-dressed officials.
I thought so.
Let's return to the theatre.
What do you mean?
It's almost showtime.
Episode 21
The Bells of Christmas Eve Toll at the Heels of Time
Coco!
In 1887,
Coco Rose came from France to marry the King of Saubure, His Majesty Rupert de Gille.
Until her mysterious death in 1914,
this is the tale of her tragic fate.
I wonder if Victorica and the others are all right.
You're going to talk about it here?
I will explain everything as we watch the performance from our box seats.
That's why I was invited, right?
Now...
...the curtain rises.
We've been waiting for you, Coco!
Tomorrow, I will arrive in Saubure.
Will His Majesty love me?
What's the matter?
I'm feeling anxious, so I can't sleep.
Kujou,
do you remember the Leviathan case?
Of course.
I know
the true visage hiding under your mask.
What's about to be revealed is another story not written in that memoir.
Another one...
How beautiful...
Madame Coco was a quiet and gentle lady.
She came from a faraway land with only a maid
and felt lonely and helpless...
...but His Majesty Rupert welcomed her with lots of love.
Rupert accepted someone like me...
For you, I... I also...
There he is!
The Alchemist, Leviathan!
By provoking His Majesty,
the evil villain sought to separate the two lovers!
Demon!
Stay away from Madame Coco!
That's right!
Stay away!
In the memoir, wasn't it the queen who called for Leviathan?
History isn't always the truth.
But their love prevailed!
After defeating Leviathan,
it finally looked like they could live happily ever after, but...
Poor Madame Coco...
The following year, the couple had a baby that...
...due to a difficult delivery, died soon after birth.
Now.
What is it?
Queen Coco died.
The failed birth was in 1900.
She was murdered in 1914.
My, my. I'm disappointed you missed that little detail, my little sister.
Shut it, narwhal.
What was that?!
This is where the two stories diverge:
There's the fabricated story that citizens of Saubure and you people know so well, and...
the story of the hidden truth.
A lie and the truth?
At this point, Coco had already been killed.
It was most likely a crime of passion.
However, this incident was covered up.
And then...
the search for the queen's replacement began.
Replacement?
The secretary recruitment!
The requirements were blond hair and blue eyes!
Just like the queen!
That's right.
The missing Nicole Lulu was set up as a replacement for the late Coco Rose.
This feels so great!
The country house Madame Coco was a changed person
with a bright and cheerful personality.
I guess life in the Royal Palace didn't suit her.
She was literally a different person, so that's expected.
Even the rumor about her using a magical stone's power to go out into town was
undoubtedly born from Nicole's actions.
For the people who knew the real Coco,
it seemed like magic.
For the people who knew Nicole,
it appeared as if she had become the lover of a noble.
And then, in 1914...
At last, that fateful day...
A messenger from France came to see the queen.
At the Royal Palace,
I'll get to meet His Majesty!
Even if they had gotten away with it until now, meeting an old friend would surely expose the substitution.
Coco!
Don't go!
You mustn't go!
You mustn't, Coco!
I can't look!
But...
What's happening on stage actually occurred.
The second queen, Nicole Lulu,
was decapitated.
What appeared in the country house...
In the unlikely event that it was needed, it was the preserved head of
the real Coco Rose.
However,
closer examination would reveal its age.
And so...
Nicole's severed head and Coco's body were laid to rest in Nicole's grave.
Furthermore, Queen Coco's grave...
should be where Coco's burnt head and Nicole's body are sealed.
This is the truth behind the murder of Coco Rose.
So who is the culprit?!
How was Nicole's severed head carried outside?!
Even I...
...don't know.
That's ridiculous!
There's nothing a Grey Wolf can't figure out.
There aren't enough fragments.
Too much time has passed.
I'll ask Father...
...the Marquis, for his decision.
You two stay here.
Yes, sir!
I'm glad I came.
There you are!
Cécile, why are you—?
What about you, why didn't you invite me?!
But you're already here!
That's not the point!
Sophie, you came on a bike!
I came here in a trunk.
A trunk, I say!
Huh? A trunk?
You...
traitor!
So there are mysteries that even you can't solve, Victorica.
Ouch!
What was that for?!
I noticed that you were listening in...
Jupiter Roger.
Jupiter Roger?
So this person is the Chief of the Science Academy?
Not to mention, he's also a Grey Wolf.
How'd you know it was me?
The Ministry of the Occult set this act up to show him.
He would definitely come.
And obviously, you'd be at his side.
I see.
That's sound reasoning.
And...
to verify that thing, you would undoubtedly contact me.
What thing?
So you noticed...
What's this all about?
His weakness was inside his box of mementos.
Weakness?
The items inside it were...
I still hold the trump card.
You also wanted to ask about Coco Rose's case, correct?
Are you saying you've solved the mystery completely?
At Nicole Lulu's grave I obtained a certain item...
...Coco Rose's will.
That piece of paper?
I've already hidden it at a certain place...
...for our own safety.
The will had the following written:
"My beloved sorcerer,
God has judged me for my sins with you.
I have given birth to the Devil's child.
In the near future, I'll likely repent with my life."
What does this mean?
Coco Rose gave birth to the child of Leviathan the alchemist.
Leviathan was African.
Naturally, the child was...
It was the culprit who saw.
Then,
in the spur of the moment...
W-Wait a moment!
The person who saw the queen's child...
Don't tell me—
But there was someone who offered a helping hand,
promising to shroud the case in darkness.
He then found a replacement for Coco
and wrote up this ridiculous scenario.
The only problem was...
there was only one entrance...
...and he had been seen entering and leaving.
But apparently, he didn't have anything suspicious on him.
He was wearing something like a large hat.
A very large one...
But all he did was play his role.
The one who wrote the scenario and made him play his part was...
If the truth was exposed, the country would descend into chaos.
With that in mind, we agreed to do what we could to keep it a secret.
It appears you're not slow-witted.
You live up to your reputation.
Oh, Roger.
So this is where you were.
I was looking for you.
My apologies.
Did something happen?
No. Let's go.
Wait a moment.
What is it?
Did you enjoy the play?
Coco...
The queen...
...must have truly loved His Majesty.
Through her death,
their pure love has been preserved for all eternity.
Give your father my regards.
She said she doesn't know who the culprit is?
Return her to the academy.
I don't care.
The ritual is over.
Where are His Majesty and Jupiter Roger?
They've left.
To the Grey Wolf
and the Monstre Charmant...
It was a good ending!
Come to think of it, I wonder if Professeur Cécile is all right.
No!
By the way, why were you in Saubreme?
You said that you came with Sophie.
Oh, about that...
Um, basically... That's...
Ouch!
What was that for?!
We're really sorry about this.
Don't worry about it.
Were you out to town?
"The Blue Rose of Saubreme."
We went to see the Coco Rose play.
Is that so?
Are you students of Marguerite Academy?
Yes.
You two seem to be close friends.
Marguerite Academy...
...seems to have lost the clock tower.
Do you feel sad?
Why?
Wasn't it a place that reminded you of Father?
Mother, you always looked up at the clock tower...
...thinking of Father.
I have many memories right here.
And I have you.
My life now is what's most precious to me.
In this incident, there are two people who disappeared:
The child that was born
and the maid that came along from France.
Apparently, she also resembled Coco.
Whether she was just a double or
close friend, I'm not sure.
But just before she was killed,
they switched places.
The one who was killed in the first murder was
the maid who sacrificed herself.
Coco and her son survived.
This is another tale not in the memoir.
The quiet, remaining years of Coco Rose's life.
We're back.
Yeah, back to days of reading books.
You say it's boring, yet...
It certainly is boring.
But...
...it's a lot better than putting you in danger.
Cordelia,
what are you thinking about?
Is it about your adorable Victorica?
Or is it...
...about my detestable Victorica?
What's the matter?
Mama...
A miracle occurs on Christmas.
A night when everyone is equal, including the hated Reaper and Grey Wolf.
Hey, Victorica, it's about to start!
Next Episode
A Christmas Carol Decorates the Windowsill's Happiness
Hurry up!
Okay.