I placed the warm soup in front of Hela.
Her tearful gaze shifted toward the food.
“Please, have something to eat first.”
“…Sniff… Alright.”
Perhaps she really was hungry, as the emotions she had been spilling out came to a temporary halt.
Without hesitation, she picked up her spoon and began eating the soup.
Clatter.
Clatter.
The sound of utensils moving filled the room.
I waited quietly by her side until she finished her meal.
A short while later, she placed her spoon down, signaling that she was done.
Matching her timing, I finally spoke.
“Your Highness, no one is guilty simply for being born into this world.”
“…B-But… everyone keeps telling me otherwise….”
“You don’t need to pay so much attention to the version of yourself that others define. What matters is that you carry yourself with confidence.”
“……”
No one should be blamed just for existing.
At least, that was what I believed.
Even the Demon King, the very symbol of disaster, was no exception.
…The first Demon King wasn’t a bad person, after all.
The more I recalled memories from a thousand years ago, the more certain I became.
I wanted to soothe the wounds she carried.
With that resolve, I turned my gaze to the magical tool lying in front of her.
When she noticed my gaze, the princess hurriedly covered the modified magical tool with her hands.
It was a rather disrespectful gesture, but even so, I gently pushed her hands aside and brought the tool into view.
“…Ah! P-Please don’t look…!”
“Is this what Your Highness called a worthless piece of junk?”
“Ugh… I knew it, things like this—”
“It’s quite impressive.”
“…Huh?”
It was a genuine expression of admiration, free from any pretense.
Even in the game, I had clearly recognized it. Hela’s talent in crafting magical tools was unparalleled.
The magic circuits are far more streamlined compared to conventional magical tools.
It seemed she had even modified the embedded magic formation, adapting the light spell specifically for the device.
It was a magical tool that maximized performance in relation to efficiency.
She modified this all on her own? At fifteen?
Considering the treatment she received in the royal family, she likely never had the chance to learn under a proper mentor.
As expected… Her talent was already beginning to shine.
“With such an incredible gift, how could you call this useless?”
“…H-Huh? I, um…”
“Your Highness, this talent of yours is extraordinary. It is by no means worthless.”
I spoke to her with genuine sincerity.
I wanted her to recognize her own abilities, to have confidence in herself.
That was why I continued to praise her.
“Your Highness, you should have more confidence in yourself. Please, cherish who you are.”
You are not useless.
You have talent.
Believe in yourself.
I emphasized these words over and over again as I passionately encouraged her.
I caught my breath from my impassioned speech and looked at the princess to see her reaction.
….. Huh?
Drip—
A single tear rolled down her cheek.
Moments later, another fell, then another…..until a steady stream began to pour.
“…Hic… H-Heuk…”
“Y-Your Highness…? Are you alri—”
Suddenly.
With her head lowered, she clutched onto my sleeve.
Her trembling hands spoke volumes about her emotions.
“Sniff… Do you… do you truly mean that?”
“…Yes. I mean it.”
“‥‥.”
Slowly—
She lifted her head and met my gaze.
Her red eyes, still brimming with tears, shimmered brightly.
“Since Melena, you’re the first person who has ever said that to me.”
“Uh… well, I guess I should be honored?”
“Your name is Sir Ain, right?”
“I’d really appreciate it if you dropped the formalities.”
“…Alright, Ain. Hehe~ I’ll be in your care from now on, Ain.”
She wiped away her tears and smiled at me. It was a bright and sincere smile.
***
From that day on, a small but noticeable change occurred between us.
“Ain! Good morning!”
The girl who had always spoken to me so formally had finally changed the way she spoke.
She had begun addressing me in a much more familiar, casual manner.
She didn’t even stutter anymore when talking to me.
“Ain! The weather’s nice today. Let’s go for a walk!”
“You know, Ain, we’re the same age, but you seem way more mature than me!”
“Ain, what do you think of this magical tool? I modified it to be more convenient. If you press this—”
Day by day, I could feel our bond growing stronger.
Yet, no matter how much she changed, I always treated her the same as I always had.
Whenever she greeted me, I made sure to respond.
Whenever she went out, I would stay close by and keep her company.
Whenever she came to show off a new magical tool, I would sincerely rejoice with her and praise her efforts.
I’m glad to see she’s become so much brighter.
As I spent more and more time by her side, assisting her, I gradually realized that a smile had naturally settled on my own lips as well.
I wish this small happiness could last forever.
.
.
.
Of course, such hopeful thoughts were nothing more than wishful thinking.
From the moment a month had passed since I became the princess’s butler, an incident occurred.
Drip, drip—
Sizzle…!!
“A-Ain! What in the world is this…?!”
“…Even I find this quite the shocking sight.”
The tea spilled from the cup, soaking the floor.
At the same time, its color turned pitch black, and the wooden floorboards began to melt away.
Melena clamped her hands over her mouth.
Remaining calm, I knelt down and reached out with my magic toward the smoke rising from the affected area.
…This sensation. It’s basilisk venom, isn’t it?
A basilisk.
Depending on the individual specimen, its threat level varied, but the Adventurers’ Guild classified it as at least an A-rank danger. It was a venomous serpent-headed creature.
Even the slightest trace of its venom carried the potential to wipe out an entire small territory in an instant.
Only the females possessed venom sacs, but their numbers were extremely scarce to begin with.
It was a poison that, if obtained, could be sold for an exorbitant price on the black market.
Who in the world put this here?
That tea was meant for Hella, the Third Princess.
Had I failed to notice the presence of the poison, what would have happened next was painfully obvious.
“…Miss Melena. Who prepared this tea?”
“Uh… I did, but… I-I swear, I didn’t do anything…!”
“……”
As Melena pleaded her innocence, I slowly nodded my head, signaling her to calm down.
I didn’t believe that Melena was capable of something like this, either.
This happened in the game as well, didn’t it?
An attempt to poison Hella.
If the player failed to notice it, Hella would die and the game would end in an instant.
I had once chosen the option to avoid this fate and interrogate the most likely suspect, which was Melena.
But every time, Melena was never the culprit.
That meant only a few possibilities remained.
…So this is the beginning. The assassination attempts on the Third Princess.
Reaching that conclusion, I let out a deep sigh.
The malice aimed at Hella had finally surfaced.
“Miss Melena. Did you notice anything unusual while brewing the tea?”
“No, nothing at all…! That’s always something I make sure to check before serving it to Her Highness!”
“In that case, did you happen to leave the tea unattended at any point?”
“…Now that you mention it, I did step away for a moment to use the restroom while the tea was boiling….”
Was it then?
It seemed someone had been waiting for the right opportunity.
I recalled the various people I had encountered in the annex earlier that day.
Now that I thought about it, there had been an unusually high number of visitors coming and going compared to usual.
“Then it must have been one of them….”
“We can’t just let this go! We need to find the culprit immediately and hold them accountable!”
“That will be difficult.”
I shook my head, stopping Melena as she fumed with anger.
“Why not?!”
“…There’s too little evidence.”
“But if we launch an investigation—”
“That likely won’t even be possible.”
The culprit was probably a pawn of the royal family.
They wouldn’t have left any traces behind, and more importantly, considering the Third Princess’s position…
“…There’s a high chance this incident will simply be ignored without any investigation.”
“That’s ridiculous! No matter what, Her Highness’s life was put in danger…!”
“Miss Melena, you know just as well as I do what kind of situation our princess is in right now.”
“……”
Even if she had died here, it would have passed without consequence. Just as if nothing had happened.
That was exactly how it had played out in the game.
The Third Princess’s existence was practically meaningless among the empire’s citizens, so even if she died now, it wouldn’t cause much of a stir.
…And in the end, it would just be buried under the bloodshed of the other imperial family members anyway.
Ultimately, there was no way to catch the culprit at the moment.
We would probably have to find the evidence ourselves and capture them personally.
…Until then, I had to do everything I could to keep her safe.
“Miss Melena, let’s keep this a secret from Her Highness.”
“…Understood.”
There was no need to tell her and create unnecessary fear.
Melena and I exchanged glances and nodded.
Not that it matters. I’ll stop all this ridiculous nonsense myself anyway.
That was precisely why I had taken it upon myself to be her guard.
I gripped the sword hanging from my waist and steeled my resolve.
***
But the problem ended up coming from a different direction.
“His Highness, the Fourth Prince Zeleon Leonherit has arrived!”
At the booming voice from outside, everyone in the secluded palace immediately bowed their heads.
A red-haired boy stepped through the main gate and into the palace.
…That son of a bitch.
I clenched my teeth as I glared at him.
Zeleon Leonherit.
The Third Princess’s archenemy and the main culprit behind most of the events that led to her death.
And now, the very man himself had entered the palace with a bright and beaming smile.
Leave a Reply