“…So it’s something related to the gods.”
“Mhmm. Without a doubt.”
“…….”
Above the human realm.
If it was someone capable of evading her gaze, then naturally, it could only be someone from up there.
And chances were, it was a god of high rank.
Doesn’t seem like the war god, though.
That guy’s just a battle maniac. He’s not the type to scheme like this with a clever plan.
But it was hard to completely rule him out.
It didn’t feel like just one or two people were behind this.
That was the impression he got.
“Who could it be?”
“We’ll have to find out properly starting now. There’s no way they’d show up themselves, so whether it’s an avatar or a puppet… we’ll uncover something if we keep investigating.”
“…I see.”
“It’ll take some time. But I’ll catch them as soon as I can.”
“Thank you.”
“Sure~ Keep thanking me~ You’re gonna have lots more reasons to thank me in the future~”
The headmistress cracked a joke with a yawn.
Truly someone who never changes. No, as expected of a dragonkin.
“By the way, Headmist—”
“Lily.”
“…Huh?”
“Just call me Lily. That title’s way too long.”
“Ah, yes. Then, Lady Lily.”
“Drop the ‘lady’ too.”
“…Alright. Lily.”
Only then did Lily bite into a new piece of candy while looking satisfied.
The sudden change in how she was addressed… felt incredibly awkward.
“So. Why did you call me?”
“Ah, well… I have a favor to ask. If Hela happens to wake up…”
“She already woke up.”
“What?”
Whip.
I turned my head.
And then, a pair of red eyes came into view.
When our eyes met, those eyes began to well up with tears.
“Uh, Hela—”
“A-Ain…!”
Thud!
Hela came over to the sofa where I was sitting.
She rushed straight into my arms and embraced me tightly.
I felt a faint tremble in the arms that held me.
Her whole body was shaking. And then, she began to sob.
“Huuk… Ain… I-I’m sorry…!”
“Y-Your Highness?”
“Really… hic… I’m really sorry!”
“First, please calm down.”
“I was so naïve! So stupid! I didn’t know anything… and I made things so hard for you…!”
“……”
The things she was blurting out so incoherently—
Every single one felt like a thorn stabbing into herself.
Seeing her like that, as if she were only half-conscious, I quietly placed a hand on her head.
…This just got complicated.
Just what had she seen, and how much of it?
I couldn’t begin to fathom what she must have been feeling at that moment.
That was why, for the time being, I simply waited until she calmed down.
While gently stroking her, drawing on memories of the past.
***
She had a dream.
Memories from a time so dark they were almost unbearable.
She had been a princess.
The Third Princess, Hela Leonherit.
A figure unknown even to the citizens of the Empire.
And that was only natural.
A member of the imperial family was not officially announced until the year they entered the Imperial Palace at the age of fifteen.
Until then, they were educated elsewhere, learning the basic knowledge required of royalty.
She had been no exception.
But even as a child, she had known.
She had sensed that there was something different about her compared to her older sisters and brothers.
That she had been born inherently “different”.
And she had understood.
That she was someone unfit to bear the title of princess.
That it was impossible for her to stand above others and exude charisma.
It was in her nature. She was the kind of person who lacked even the slightest qualities of a ruler.
What had captured the attention of such a person was a single book.
A book on magical tools. The complex circuits and mechanical drawings had captivated her from the moment she laid eyes on them as a child.
As if she had found a missing puzzle piece.
Her heart had raced.
That had been the beginning.
She had become immersed in magic engineering instead of imperial studies.
While her brothers and sisters studied politics, she had dismantled magical tools.
Many looked upon her with disapproval.
People whispered that she was just like a child of lowly blood, that she didn’t belong in the royal family.
Wounded by the constant murmurs, she became even more withdrawn.
She grew afraid of facing others and eventually found herself unable to speak properly.
In the end, she shut herself away in her room, fiddling only with magical tools.
And yet, no one interfered.
After all, no one expected anything from her to begin with.
Though she accepted it all as if it were natural, in the end, the young girl still shed tears.
“…Hic… Sniffle…! I… I…”
Was it a mistake to be born as a member of the imperial family?
Would she have been happier if she’d just been born into a normal, commoner household?
To some, that might have sounded like a privileged wish.
But at the very least, that was how she truly felt.
Mom…
Without realizing it, she began to cry as she longed for her parents.
But she didn’t even know what her mother looked like.
They said her mother had passed away when she was born.
The reason was unknown.
…Dad.
Her father. The Emperor.
She knew his face, but she had never seen it in person.
Not even once. He had never come to see her.
I’m so lonely.
She had always been alone.
The people who took care of her constantly changed.
There was never anyone with whom she could share real affection.
She wondered if she would be alone like this forever.
And then one day, after countless nights spent soaking her pillow in tears of loneliness—
Someone finally approached this insignificant, forgotten girl.
“Hello, Princess! My name is Melena, and starting today, I’ll be your personal maid!”
Melena who looked after even someone like her with sincere care.
She had become like a mother to her.
And then—
“…I greet the small future of the Empire. How do you do, Third Princess?”
A sweet memory, like a single ray of light.
Meeting Ain had truly felt like fate.
“Your Highness. No one is a sinner just for being born into this world.”
It was the first time.
Even though he wasn’t someone closely tied to her, like Melena—
He didn’t deny her existence. He was someone who told her she wasn’t to blame.
“You don’t need to care so much about the version of yourself that others have defined. What truly matters is becoming confident in who you are.”
“With such amazing talent, how could anyone call it useless?”
“The gift you possess, Your Highness, is something special. It’s never something without value.”
“You have every right to be more confident. Please cherish yourself.”
Tears fell.
All the emotions she had suppressed and held back alone.
She had been afraid Melena would worry, so she never expressed them properly….but the dam finally broke.
“Hrk… Are you really… truly saying this from the heart…?”
“…Yes. I mean every word.”
Everything felt different.
Everything was new.
She was no longer lonely or desolate.
That was why this connection meant so much to her.
.
.
.
Maybe that was why.
Maybe it was because she was afraid of this bond breaking.
When she heard the news that the Fourth Prince had died.
Leon… Zeleon Leonherit. When she realized that a family member by blood and a friend had died.
And when Ain confessed that it was he who had killed him.
“I did kill him. Your Highness.”
“Th-That’s a lie… isn’t it?”
It had been such a sudden change.
All at once, Ain’s cold attitude toward her felt more unfamiliar than anything.
He no longer smiled at her. He no longer responded to her words.
He no longer… stayed by her side.
Back then, all she felt toward Ain was a vague sense of resentment. Simply because it was easier.
Young, naïve, and foolish… she had no idea what Ain was sacrificing or struggling with for her sake.
She had simply assumed he would always stay by her side as her butler.
…Like a fool, that was what she believed.
Please, just stop… stop showing me this…!
It was no longer some sweet dream.
It was a nightmare. A nightmare bitter beyond measure. A tragic story that only revealed her own ignorance.
The plot by her older sisters and brothers to kill her.
The shock that Zeleon had been one of them.
And the truth that… Ain wasn’t the one who had killed Zeleon.
That her father, the Emperor, denied her very existence and loathed her.
Everything was tragic. Everything was unbearable.
…And Ain had taken it all upon himself and vanished.
It was only now that she had come to understand that.
And that realization… made her feel the deepest disgust toward herself.
Ain.
…Why had he gone so far to protect her?
Someone like her, who had lived without ever realizing the grace he had given her.
Why had he sheltered her?
“I am your guard, Lady Hela.”
A guard.
So that was why…?
Had he protected her not as a butler, but as a guard?
Was someone like her even worth protecting? Worth his sacrifice?
It felt like her heart was collapsing.
No, it had already collapsed. Torn apart until there wasn’t even a handful left.
When he had finished everything and stepped out of the imperial palace.
When he had tried to leave alone, bearing all the jealousy and hatred.
What had she done?
Hadn’t she just been sleeping peacefully in the annex, ignorant of everything?
Hadn’t she lived on, clueless, until all hell broke loose?
The fact that Ain had been the one who had brought that peace.
The fact that it was thanks to Ain that she could now live at the academy without a single worry.
She had only realized it far too late.
I… I’m sorry…
I’m sorry.
I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
I’m sorry… Ain.
I’m sorry for making you suffer because of a foolish princess like me.
I’m sorry for giving you wounds you never should’ve received.
I’m sorry for living in ignorance. I was too naïve, too foolish.
…Those kinds of words.
She had screamed them in countless nightmares, but they had never reached Ain.
And then, when all the dream ended and she met Ain’s eyes in reality—
—drip.
The tears wouldn’t stop.
Even though she didn’t have the courage to face him properly, she was terrified he might disappear from her side again.
She was at a loss, overwhelmed by a vague, paralyzing fear.
She cried in his arms.
There was nothing else she could do.
“Hhic… Ain… I-I’m sorry…!”
Really… she was sorry.
I wouldn’t do it again.
So please… don’t get hurt anymore. Ain…
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