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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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A blizzard raged through the night.
A young girl, gazing out the window, began to walk.
Slowly, step by step, she descended the stairs towards the chaos below.
“Apply pressure! Apply pressure!”
“Is there anyone here who can use healing magic?”
“It’s hopeless. The internal injuries are too severe. He’s hemorrhaging…”
“Call a physician! Quickly!”
The acrid smell… something she couldn’t have identified back then, but something she recognized now. The unmistakable scent of blood permeated the hallway.
The girl’s small shoes splashed in a puddle of blood. Her shoes turned crimson, her socks soaked through, but she didn’t care.
Her focus was on the cluster of knights ahead. She couldn’t see what was happening inside, but even at such a young age, she could sense it.
“Your Highness?”
“What?! Your Highness! This is too dangerous! You must take shelter!”
“Unhand me!”
The girl’s voice echoed through the hallway as a knight tried to pick her up.
“But you must—”
“Get out of my way, or I’ll have you charged with insubordination!”
“Your Highness…”
No one dared to defy the young girl’s authority. The knights stepped aside as she approached.
Finally, she saw past the crowd, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Father!”
“Ah…”
Her father lay on the floor, his hands clutching a bloodied wound to his abdomen. His face was pale, like a corpse.
He smiled weakly at the sound of her voice.
The girl ran towards him, tears streaming down her face. She took his hand. It was cold. So unlike her father’s warm hands.
“Father! Who did this to you! Who?!”
“My dear… come closer, my dear.”
“Father…”
She stopped screaming. Her father’s gaze wasn’t focused on her. His arms were flailing about.
She realized he couldn’t see her. She bit back her sobs and knelt before him, bringing her ear close to his mouth.
“I don’t have much time left.”
“Don’t say that, Father.”
“Listen carefully.”
“Sob… yes…”
“Trust no one. Trust no one but yourself…”
“Father?”
His voice stopped.
His hand slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor with a thud.
She touched his cold cheek, her mind numb, when—
“What are you doing? Get the princess out of here!”
“But she told us not to touch her…”
“You fools! Move!”
“Huh?”
She was suddenly lifted into the air.
As she was pulled away from her father, she watched him disappear over the man’s broad shoulder.
“Let me go! I said let me go! I’ll have you charged with insubordination! Let me down!”
“I cannot, Your Highness.”
She clung to the man’s shoulder, crying until her voice was hoarse.
“Ugh…”
She finally woke up from her dream. Sweat beaded on her forehead. She threw off the covers and sat up.
“Haa…”
She picked up a cup from her bedside table and drank the water. It was a dream she hadn’t had in a long time.
The day her father had died. It all felt so vivid.
Her hand trembled as she raised the cup to her lips, spilling water onto her chin.
“Your Highness, are you— Kyaaah!”
The door burst open, and the princess instinctively reacted. She grabbed the dagger from under her pillow and threw it towards the door.
The dagger stopped inches from the attendant’s face.
The guard, who had stopped the dagger, merely stared at the trembling attendant. The guard, who had grabbed the blade with his bare hand, was expressionless.
“You dare to enter the princess’s chambers without permission? You’re dismissed. Pack your belongings and leave the palace by nightfall.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Do I need to say it twice?”
“N-No, sir…”
The attendant ran away.
The guard, whose hand was bleeding, wrapped a bandage around it and peered into the room. The princess was sitting on the bed, panting.
“Your Highness. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine… just get out of here.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The guard bowed and closed the door. Now alone, the princess sat down and hugged her knees.
“Trust no one… no one…”
She repeated her father’s last words, biting her lip.
Why had he said those words? Was the enemy closer than she thought? Her eyes widened as the thought occurred to her.
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A letter arrived from the South.
I recognized the handwriting immediately. It was from Pelaine.
The letter was filled with rambling and disorganized thoughts, but it boiled down to this.
First, Kane von Sturmgaard had been appointed the Duke of the Southern Colonies.
He had been relieved of his duties as the Imperial Knights Commander the day after I had refused the position. He had no choice in the matter.
I had created quite a mess, but I supposed it was time for Kane to clean up his own mess.
Second, the number of applicants to the Holy Knights had increased dramatically. She was requesting my approval for their expansion.
I had no reason to refuse.
With my approval, Pelaine would select good people and provide them with good equipment and intense training. All I had to do was invest the necessary funds.
Something was wrong.
I had invested in the Holy Knights to make money. But it felt like I was only spending.
‘New businesses always operate at a loss.’
I decided to let it go.
Once the Holy Knights reached a certain size, the dividends alone would be enormous.
Although it had grown considerably since then, it was nothing compared to its peak strength.
“And…”
Finally, she wrote that she could send me what I had asked for.
A smile spread across my face.
I had thought I had lost it, so this was a welcome surprise.
“What’s so funny? Is it something in Pelaine’s letter?”
“…”
Emilia poked my cheek. She was leaning over my shoulder.
“Yes. There was a lot of good news.”
“Hmm… It seems like Pelaine has changed a lot?”
“What do you mean?”
“She used to write short, dry reports, and her writing style was very formal. But now, she’s writing about stray cats in the barracks, and her writing is so much softer.”
“Really?”
I hadn’t noticed a change in her writing. But her letters had definitely grown longer.
She used to fill only half a page, but now, she was filling both sides. But maybe she just had more to report.
“What made Pelaine change so much? What do you think, oppa?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she had a change of heart.”
“Hmm…”
The arms around my neck tightened. She was squeezing.
She had become unusually sensitive whenever Pelaine was mentioned. She was taking her character acting too far. She was more than capable of delivering a variety of performances.
Ding-dong…
“Ah. It must be the delivery.”
“Delivery? Stay here. I’ll get it.”
“No. I don’t think you can.”
“Huh…?”
It seemed my request had finally arrived.
I pushed Emilia away and went to the front door. I could smell it already.
I opened the door, excitement bubbling within.
“Are you Schlus Hainkel?”
“Yes. I am.”
“This is from the Imperial Knights. Please take it.”
The delivery man, a knight, handed me a long leather rope.
The rope was connected to a black horse. I raised my head and met the horse’s gaze.
It was the black horse from the South.
“Whoa… what is that?”
“My horse. I met him in the South.”
“A horse that hates you?”
“…”
The horse, taking advantage of my distraction, bit my hand. It didn’t bite too hard. It seemed to be playing with me.
“S-Surely you’re not going to make me take care of it?”
“Hmm… The yard is big, right? You can build a stable and take care of it. I—”
“No way! I refuse! I quit!”
Emilia vehemently declared a strike.
It was not acting. She was being serious. She was already overworked taking care of the mansion. Adding a horse to the mix was physically impossible.
“I was joking.”
“You scared me… Please don’t make jokes like that.”
“There’s no need to be scared. I wouldn’t make you do that kind of hard labor.”
“You gave me a salary of 3000 Tirions and still overworked me.”
I fell silent.
It seemed she harbored a considerable amount of resentment towards me.
“I’ll have to find a stable to board it at.”
I didn’t really need it. I wasn’t much of a rider. But as a knight, I thought I should have a personal horse. I would have to make time to visit it and forge a bond with it.
“By the way, brother…”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“It’s about Ms. Trie. Maybe… Ah, it’s nothing.”
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing.”
Emilia hesitated, then suddenly turned away.
It was unnerving.
I had to know.
“What is it?”
Emilia was starting to act quite strangely.
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MC is in self denial