Alistor weakened his hold as he slowly let go, perhaps also shocked by what he was seeing. “Sorry…”

That was all he could say. At the same time, the princess moved back away, slipping from his grasp. When she was multiple steps away, with a tear brimmed face, she turned her back on him. She meekly rubbed her eyes with audible sniffing.

Alistor didn’t know what to say. He didn’t expect she would react this way. He was too rash.

“Princess, I… I sincerely apologize for my actions. I didn’t mean to be so rude.”

She turned her head and looked at Alistor from the corner of her eyes. They were anything but receiving. She looked away and rubbed the tears still coming out.

Alistor was growing increasingly concerned of what he had done. It would have been different if she accepted his advances and didn’t resist. But she was distraught. If anyone else heard of this, everything would be over. The consequences for him here would be dire. If this was the Empire, perhaps it would be easier to handle the aftermath.

Then the Princess finally spoke.

“Please don’t do that… ever again.”

“... Yes.”

She lowered her head, placing a hand on her chest, her back still facing him. “Everything happened so fast…”

“Yes… It’s my fault.” Perhaps that was his mistake, he moved too fast.

“You overstepped your bounds, Prince Alistor…”

Alistor couldn’t see her face. “Yes, I did. That is why I ask for forgiveness.”

“... I will not tell anyone what happened here today.”

Surprising. Alistor had expected she would tell her parents of the terrible thing he did. And that would have spelled the end. However, to keep his affront a secret to everyone? She was just being too kind.

“Thank you, Princess.”

“... We should end the tour for today. I’ll be going ahead. Perhaps you should take a rest, Prince Alistor.”

Without waiting for his response, the Princess walked away with rushed steps.

Alistor clicked his tongue as he placed a hand on the back of his head, feeling frustrated. He looked at the view, for there was nothing else to see and do.

I’ve really done it now.

But that didn’t mean it was over. The princess was still being considerate. There was still light at the end of the tunnel. He had to win her over, he had to have her. He’ll have her, eventually. That was a promise.

***

Rogan was leaning his back on one column of the gazebo. In front of him were his fellow servants of the Princess. He was waiting for his charge to return as she walked around the garden with that prince.

“Will she be alright?” asked Mera in concern. “I don’t like that man.”

“I don’t think any of us even like him,” Rogan replied. “But, she ordered it. So there’s nothing we can do.”

“We just have to have faith she’ll be alright,” Vernon said. “She is not one to underestimate.”

Mera placed a hand on her arm. “It’s just… I don’t like the feeling I get from him.”

Mera has been quite protective of her lady lately. She would even often glare at Prince Alistor from a distance. Either Rogan and Vernon had to tell her off. She even pleaded to her lady once to keep her distance from the man, but the princess merely said it would be alright.

If Rogan had to be honest, he felt the same way. He didn’t want her anywhere close to that prince. But the princess wanted to. So there was nothing he could do about it. Right now, she was alone with that man, and no one else was anywhere in the garden. Rogan wanted to catch up and watch from a hidden place, but she would be displeased.

“You should sit down, Mera. It’s getting through your nerves.”

She frowned. “I hate him.”

Rogan smirked. “You have not even talked with the guy.”

“We can’t hate someone we don’t know?”

“Uuh… Maybe…? Ask the old man what he thinks.”

Vernon sighed. “I think it’s not kind to hate someone without getting to know them first.”

“See Mera?”

Mera crossed her arms, showing her displeasure. “You don’t understand.”

“What? Is it something only women can sense or something?”

“... Maybe.”

“Alright... As I said, sit down and calm down. You’re only agitating yourself.”

“... I would have been more at ease if you’re with her.”

“Thank you for the trust.”

Mera pouted as she followed his suggestion and sat down.

“Any opinions on the matter?” Rogan asked Vernon.

“Nothing much. I just don’t understand why she puts herself through all this. I expected she would avoid contact with the envoys as much as possible.”

“... I get what you mean.”

“It is especially dangerous meeting men from other lands. You understand, don’t you? It won’t be surprising if someone from the outside demands her hand for marriage.”

“Their majesties wouldn’t like that.”

“Of course. It’s part of the reason they didn't show her off in the past. In normal cases, the princess wouldn’t even show herself during greetings or in the throne room.”

“She wouldn’t usually show at any aristocratic assembly in the palace.” At least, she was nowhere to be seen on such occasions when Rogan was present.

“Her parents never wanted to, nor did she.”

“Of course… But I guess situations bring a change in all of us, eh?”

“... Yes.”

Oh, this is a good time for some backward story time.

With a smile, Rogan faced Mera. “What about you, Mera? Any early time Princess Estelia stories you can share?”

She slightly tilted her head. “Do you want to know the time before I became her personal maid?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“... Well, I was merely one of her rotational maids.”

“What did she usually do?”

“Nothing much. Mainly looking outside, or doing nothing.”

“Wow.”

Mera smiled, reminiscent. “She was not too hard to serve. And she is so soft-spoken when she requests something. Although, she was… distant.”

“And now, look at you.” Rogan chuckled.

“Yes… To be honest, I never imagined someone like you would become her personal knight, Sir Rogan.”

“Oh, really?”

“I thought it would be Sir Alan, or Sir Elson. They were the knights she interacted with first with interest. At least, to what I know.”

“Alan? Wait, doesn’t that mean I got in his way?!”

Rogan thought back.

Dang, sorry Alan.

“Perhaps,” Mera added, which served only to add a tiny more guilt inside Rogan.

“I doubt it would be allowed. The young knight Alan is not strong enough to be found reliable,” said Vernon.

“Doesn’t help with the guilt, Vernon.”

“You shouldn’t even feel bad.”

“Well, I do!”

The kid wanted to serve the Princess directly, you know.

Just then, they heard sounds of steps coming for them. Rogan and the two turned towards the sound to see the Princess rushing towards them with lowered head, her hair covering her face. Instantly, Rogan sensed something was wrong.

When she got close, she briefly said, “Let’s go.”

The three servants looked at each other in utter concern and confusion.

Before she could walk away, Rogan asked her. “Are you alright, Princess?”

“Let’s just go.”

Her voice was weaker than usual. Rogan narrowed his eyes, trying to guess what could have happened.

“What happened?” Rogan asked again.

“Stop it.” She kept her head lowered, preventing everyone from looking at her face.

She took a step forward. But Rogan grabbed her by the shoulders. Rude it may be, he needed to know if something bad happened. And thus, he overstepped his bounds, and forced the Princess to turn towards him.

And then he saw her face, her eyes. The other two saw as well.

Her face was distressed. Both of her eyes were bloodshot. And there were faint signs of tears on her cheeks.

“What…? What did he do?” Rogan asked in a low and grim tone, frowning in anger.

He realized she cried. The Princess cried.

“Y-You don’t have to know.”

“Princess, what did he do?”

“Let go of me.”

The moment she said so, Rogan let her go. She lowered her head again.

He observed the Princess in her entirety. Still, he couldn’t tell what happened exactly. But when she placed a hand on her dress as if to prevent them from going off, he had an idea.

“I’ll kill him.”

Rage fired in his heart. With clenched teeth, he gripped his sword. His hands trembled in his intense emotion, his vision was darkening.

“Don’t, my knight,” she softly said.

“This is unforgivable.”

“W-What happened?” Mera stepped forward, looking worriedly at the Princess, and waited for a confirmation.

“Is it?” Vernon narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“You will do nothing. All of you.”

“Why not?!” Rogan couldn’t help but raise his voice.

“Just don’t do anything. L-Let’s just leave.”

“But—”

“Speak no more. Do nothing.” She raised her eyes, moist at the corners. “That is an order.”

While his face was still twitching in anger, Rogan removed his hand from his sword. “... Understood.”

“All of you, do not speak to anyone about what happened today.”

“... Yes, Your Highness.”

“Y-Yes, milady…”

Rogan and Vernon’s eyes met, both fierce in their raging emotion. But they couldn’t do anything about it.

Vernon placed a hand on Mera’s shoulder. “Tend to the Princess. I’ll carry the plates.”

“Uh? Y-Yes.”

Mera quickly approached the Princess and slowly placed a hand on her back. “Milady, let’s go.”

As they went, Rogan followed behind them. He turned his head towards the garden with a powerful glare. That prince was there somewhere. What he did was utterly criminal, unforgivable, blasphemous, deplorable.

If the Princess didn’t try to stop him, Rogan would have cut off his head with no hesitation. This fight he would never lose.

***

The night later, Cilas entered his older brother’s room at the latter’s beckon. With a frowning face, he approached Alistor who moved a chair by the window, staring intently at the dark view. He seemed to be in deep thought.

“Brother, what is it?”

“I discovered an opportunity for us to strike.”

“Really?”

“The king of Wisteria leaves the safe confines of his palace when powerful monsters attack the city or show its presence in the surroundings.”

Cilas nodded. “I see. Where did you learn of this?”

“... From the princess herself.”

“I see…”

It must be from during their time together in the garden earlier.

The Princess offered a little tea party in the garden to make up for not coming with the tour. However, she invited them both. Only that Cilas didn’t get to join in, or rather, he couldn’t. His brother warned him not to come. That was fine, he didn’t want to force himself in there, anyway.

“So, your plan is to draw out the king and kill him outside?”

“Not exactly. We drive him out of the palace and while he’s gone, we clean out the palace. Once he returns to find out all that he values are gone, we kill him.”

“... And how exactly are we going to get the monster we need?”

“We have the means. We’ll let our men outside take care of it.”

“And what about the plan here? How should we execute it?”

“Just send our forces here and begin extermination.”

Cilas frowned at the sheer simplicity and straightforwardness of his brother’s plan.

“Brother, we should have a fully laid out plan. Make our methods clear.”

Alistor turned his head to look at Cilas from the corner of his eyes. He seemed displeased.

“There’s no need. We will overpower them.”

Cilas shook his head. “A clear and laid out plan is essential. We need to do this carefully. The palace is full of guards, of knights.”

“The number of knights will be reduced once they go hunt the monster. With our existing knights, along with the others that are to join, we can win this easily.”

Again with his confidence.

That kind of thinking, to overpower the enemy, without considering other possibilities, could be their undoing. It was annoying whenever Alistor gets this simple-minded. He was smart in his own way, but he just wouldn’t take the time to use it and be patient.

“I’m against this. Again, we need to think of this carefully. We can’t just send our men here and tell them to go wild.”

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do. There’s no need to complicate everything if we can win either way. The fastest and most efficient way.”

“I don’t like it.”

Alistor rose from his seat and stepped closer to Cilas, he towered over his little brother. “You have always liked to overthink everything.”

“What?”

“Don’t question me, little brother.”

Cilas clenched his teeth as he glared up at him. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I’m finishing our objective.”

“Fine. Do whatever the hell you want. I don’t care anymore. But you better make sure we succeed.”

There was no reasoning with him, it was pointless. So Cilas just gave up. All just to get the hell out of the same room as him and be spared seeing his face and being treated this way.

“Of course, little brother.”

“You send the bird and contact the agents then. This is your magnificent plan, after all.”

“You don’t have to tell me. All you have to do is stay put and get ready. Let me handle this. We are running out of time.”

“Whatever. Just don’t drag us to our deaths. And your plan for the princess? Let her die amidst the chaos?”

“Don’t think about her. Leave her to me.”

Cilas clicked his tongue in irritation and left the room without waiting for a word. His older brother has never been more condescending. But he had to bear it until the mission was over and so he could come back home.

But then he was reminded of another person. One of the victims in all of this.

What am I gonna do?

Cilas was hesitating. He didn’t want her to die.