After the Fourth Prince arrived at the annex,
Hela’s relationships changed once again.
“Ain! Zeleon is coming to visit the palace today!”
“I went to the market with Zeleon today, and there were so many fascinating things.”
“Leon gave me a necklace as a birthday present! Ain, what do you think? …You think it’s really pretty? Hehe… Thank you.”
She had now started calling him “Leon”.
They had become very close.
Watching from the sidelines in silence, I felt a surge of frustration, but I made sure not to show it.
I did it for the sake of preserving the happiness she was feeling at that moment.
Hela had always been alone.
Aside from Melena and me, this was the first time she had interacted with someone like this.
And for the first time, that person was someone considered family.
Because it’s the first time she’s gotten close to a family member.
She had never once spoken to her older siblings.
Her mother had passed away right after giving birth to her.
Her father had abandoned her without a second thought.
At an age when she should have been receiving love from her family, she had received nothing at all.
With that in mind,
Her bond with the Fourth Prince Zeleon Leonherit who was the same age as her was incredibly precious.
He was family, a possible friend, someone she could go out with and share joyful conversations.
She had finally gained a real family member.
…No, that wasn’t true. It wasn’t just one person.
“Ain… Melena… You both are truly precious to me too! You’re no different from family…!”
“It’s an honor. And I’m not upset, so you don’t have to be so anxious.”
“…R-Really…?”
Had I been having trouble controlling my expressions lately?
She must have thought that I felt hurt or jealous because she had grown so close to Zeleon.
Watching her stammer for the first time in a while as she tried to gauge my mood was rather funny.
Our dear princess. Your head is truly filled with flowers, isn’t it?
I hadn’t meant it as an insult or mockery.
That was simply how she was by nature, and honestly, I preferred that about her.
She was a decent person.
But—
What about as a princess?
A den of foxes, filled with endless schemes and bloodthirsty ambition.
There was no such thing as sincerity.
Only false words and constant plotting, each waiting for the right moment to strike.
And the Fourth Prince was no different.
***
These attacks have become more frequent lately.
Thud!
“Arghhh!”
Attempts to assassinate the princess.
Mistakes that weren’t mistakes.
Coincidences that weren’t coincidences.
“Wh-Who the hell is this bastard?!”
“Take him down, all at once!”
“Guh…!”
Crunch.
Crack!
Splat!
Along with the previous poisoning attempt,
Hela’s life had been targeted in all sorts of ways.
And there was no doubt that someone was behind these changes.
“Now they’ve stooped so low as to hire scum like this.”
“P-Please… spare me—”
Slash!
Thud.
The man who had been begging for his life lost his head in an instant.
He died without even managing to let out a proper final scream.
I took a deep breath and shook the blood from my sword.
Just another routine task as her guard.
I glanced around with weary eyes.
Blood, corpses, blood, corpses.
That was all that remained.
A fitting end for those who dared to go after the princess.
Of course, these fools probably hadn’t even been told that their target was the imperial princess.
This is getting exhausting… How long will this go on?
Two years had passed.
Two years since I had taken on the role of her butler and bodyguard.
During that time, countless threats had been aimed at her, and I had snuffed out every single one before they could reach her.
But lately, things had escalated far too much.
The frequency and intensity of the attacks had increased drastically.
It hadn’t been hard to figure out why.
This is exactly why you can’t leave any room for mercy. The moment you do, they pounce like starving beasts…
Mercy.
In other words, these dead mercenaries were just the continuation of that mistake.
There was no way people like them could openly run rampant within the imperial palace.
In the end, if they wanted to pose a direct threat, the princess had to step outside first.
Zeleon Leonherit.
Every time that bastard lured the princess out of the annex, daggers would come flying as if they’d been waiting for the opportunity.
It had been a constant cycle.
For a miserable two years.
Still, it’s fine for now.
It was still manageable.
At the very least, I could handle things on my own, even with this pitiful and inadequate body.
The imperial family seemed to know that the time wasn’t right yet, so they weren’t pushing too hard.
If they had been serious about killing Hela, to be honest, there wouldn’t have been a thing I could do.
The threats they posed were just enough that I could cover them up without anyone noticing when incidents occurred.
Of course, that didn’t make it any less grueling.
…These mercenary bastards were low Expert-rank, weren’t they?
Just at the level where I could barely hold my own.
My aura mastery was still at the high Sword User level.
A pathetic rank, but one I could make up for with other abilities and years of combat experience.
Step. Step.
With weary steps, I made my way through the corpses.
I hid my weapon in my coat and used magic to cover the smell of blood.
With that, there was no trace of me left behind.
.
.
.
“…Ah! Ain! Where have you been?”
“Haha… I just had some urgent business to take care of.”
“Urgent business?”
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you the details.”
“…Ain, that’s so mean!”
The princess puffed out her cheeks in a sulky display of disappointment.
He smoothed over her reaction with an awkward smile and glanced away.
“Hela, don’t be like that.”
For two years.
I had heard that phrase more times than I could count.
And yet, that voice still grated on my ears.
The owner of that voice spoke to Hela with his red hair fluttering.
“Ain always helps you so much, doesn’t he? Couldn’t you just pretend not to notice something like this?”
“Uh… Y-You’re right. I’m sorry, Ain.”
“It’s fine.”
“A-are you really sure…? You’re not mad, are you?”
As Hela hesitantly asked again, afraid she had upset me, I waved a hand dismissively.
But my gaze was still fixed beyond her.
Zeleon Leonherit.
Our eyes met.
A moment later, the man responded with a subtle knowing smile.
…I truly wanted to kill him.
***
That day, they went outside the capital once again. They wandered through various places and enjoyed a leisurely outing.
…Or rather, only Hela had truly enjoyed it.
“Thanks for making time for me again today, Hela.”
“Oh, no, not at all! I had so much fun today…!”
“If you have time next time, let’s visit Pelican Lake. The scenery there is absolutely breathtaking.”
“Mhmm, I’ll look forward to it!”
After that, they arrived at the palace annex.
The two exchanged their farewells.
As I watched from the side, Zeleon approached me as well and spoke.
“Ain, see you next time.”
“…Yes, have a safe trip back.”
“Oh, right! Here—”
Thud.
He slipped something into my pocket.
At a glance, it looked like a small note with something written on it.
When he did so, he leaned in close and spoke in a voice only I could hear.
“Tonight. I’ll be waiting there. You have to come, okay?”
“…….”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
That damned bastard said this with a bright smile before stepping back.
His sudden action was so unexpected that it was difficult to keep my expression in check.
What the hell is this crazy bastard scheming all of a sudden?
Despite my confusion, he simply said what he wanted and left without another word.
All I could do was glare at the door he had walked out of.
“…Mm. I’m feeling a bit tired.”
“Let’s head to your room, then.”
“Yes, sounds good~”
Of course, what mattered most to me was Hela’s safety.
Setting aside my questions for now, I had to fulfill my duty as a butler.
As always, we made our way to her room together.
With movements that had long since become second nature, I helped her change into her nightwear.
Hela who looked exhausted let out a yawn before diving straight into bed.
“Mmm~ So soft….”
“You must be tired from today’s outing. Please get some rest.”
Click.
I turned off the lights in the room and bid her goodnight.
Then, a voice called out from the bed.
“Ain, are you still there?”
“Yes, I am.”
“You must be tired too. Go and get some rest now.”
“But I am your guard. As always, I will remain here until you fall asleep.”
“…Guard.”
Her voice suddenly lost its energy.
I wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t seem pleased.
“…Your Highness?”
“I always think this, but… whenever you call yourself my guard, it feels like we’re growing more distant.”
“…I don’t believe that to be the case.”
“Even so. I would rather have you by my side as my butler, not my guard.”
“…….”
“Mmm… That way… we could be… a little closer….”
Her drowsy voice gradually faded into silence.
Before long, only the sound of her soft, steady breathing filled the room.
And just like that, our conversation came to an end.
Click.
Carefully, I closed the door behind me as I stepped out.
And like I did every night, I cast a protective spell over her room.
It was a security measure in case of a surprise attack.
With this, today’s duties are over. Now, the only thing left is….
Rustle—
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the note that bastard had given me earlier.
I unfolded it and examined its contents. It contained the location of a building within the capital.
So he wants me to come here.
Haah.
A weary breath escaped me.
Partly because I was exhausted, but mostly because I found this situation far from agreeable.
Fwoosh!
As I burned the note, my expression turned cold.
…I don’t know what he’s scheming
But as Hela’s guard,
If he tries anything foolish, I’ll put a stop to it.
Muttering words that Hela would surely find upsetting if she ever heard them, I made my way toward where that bastard was waiting.
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