“Look here. People who hold grudges against the Emperor and the Princess are all gathered here. Did you know such a place existed?”

He slowly shook his head.

“Everyone hates the Emperor and Princess for different reasons.”

It was an unimaginable sight when staying in the imperial palace. That’s because she thought everyone supported and followed the Princess. Those who didn’t were treated like mutants.

“Yet everyone lives well. Though some people seem to ruin their future with hatred and resentment, they still build families, get married, and talk about their future together every evening.”

Though she only stayed for a short time, not everyone was depressed and obsessed with revenge.

There were people living happily, relying on each other.

“We can be like that too.”

That future didn’t feel far away.

“We’re laughing even now.”

Even though you have to go to the battlefield and I have to return to the imperial palace to continue as a food taster under the Princess, as long as we have a future to hope for, we can still laugh.

“Let’s be happy, Calyx.”

“……Yes, let’s be happy.”

Following Reibella’s smile, a bright smile like a flower bloomed on Calyx’s face as well.

Giggling. The boy and girl laughed again and held hands tightly. Happiness felt like it was within reach.

And the next morning at dawn, they arrived at the imperial palace. 

 * * *

 “Reibella!”

As soon as they arrived at the Princess’s palace, a blonde girl rushed forward and hugged her. Reibella pushed her away with a startled look.

“Your Highness! I’m terribly dirty right now!”

“Waaah, Reibella!”

Reibella quickly looked around, asking someone to take her away, but everyone just wore sad expressions while watching the crying Princess.

This is driving me crazy.

“I, I thought you had died from being hit by the stone……”

She had such a misunderstanding?

Come to think of it, such a misunderstanding was possible. When she collapsed after being hit by the stone the Princess threw, blood had been flowing from her forehead.

‘……Come to think of it, what happened to that wound?’

It was definitely a big wound that bled, but when she woke up in the box, it was already healed. When she looked in a mirror in the village, there wasn’t even a trace of it.

‘Strange. Did someone heal it with healing magic?’

Who could it have been?

“Sniff, Reibella. Are you okay? Does it still hurt?”

“Yes, I’m fine. How about you, Your Highness?”

“Of course I’m fine. You protected me after all, Reibella.”

She seemed to know. How much she had burned herself protecting her.

If you know, won’t you protect me from the Emperor’s wrath?

Thinking of the Emperor made her sigh again.

‘I want to run away……’

What nonsense that madman would spout while punishing her.

If it weren’t for Calyx, she wouldn’t have returned to this cursed imperial palace.

‘Should we run away together?’

Before returning here, Calyx had asked her that.

It was truly an attractive proposal. She had been planning to go to the port alone and escape anyway. But that was premised on the Emperor thinking she was dead.

‘Since you came, Calyx, the Emperor might think I’m not dead. Someone might be watching this situation right now.’

There was no way the Emperor would have allowed Calyx to leave the palace with just Ilius Eden as escort. There would be invisible watchers, and they would report to the Emperor that she was alive.

‘I don’t know why they left me alone, but one thing is certain — trying to escape now won’t let us get away from the Emperor.’

Having been chased by the Emperor for some time, she knew how arrogant the thought ‘we can escape’ was.

‘I have to return on my own feet. That’s how you and I will live.’

If she returns to the imperial palace, Calyx will be driven to the battlefield, and Reibella will return to her daily life as a food taster risking her life.

‘Even if we return, it will definitely be different from before. Because we promised to live with all our might. Right?’

They came back holding hands, promising that when they safely become adults, they would ride a ship together and go out to sea.

With that promise, she couldn’t die by the Emperor’s hand like this.

After organizing her thoughts, Reibella suddenly dropped to her knees with a thud and pressed her head to the floor. Like a dog submitting to its master.

“Re, Reibella?”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I failed to protect you.”

Having decided to return, she wasn’t going to be helplessly swept along by the situation.

For that, she first needed to reveal everything she had done during the kidnapping incident to everyone and receive treatment befitting those merits.

Reibella sacrificed her knees generously for achieving her goal.

“What do you mean you failed to protect me?”

“I lost consciousness after being hit in the head and couldn’t help. I should have helped Your Highness escape……”

“No! You took the hit for me. Because that bastard was trying to kill me!”

The Princess’s words immediately caused a stir around them.

“What? They dared try to kill our Princess?”

“That son of a b*tch. Right now, I’ll……”

“Making our Princess’s eyes tear up. Who do they think she is.”

“But to think that child took the hit for Her Highness….. Come to think of it, Her Highness didn’t seem to have any major injuries.”

“And she’s still so young……”

“Her devotion to the Princess is truly admirable.”

Reibella inwardly rejoiced while hearing the maids’ whispers, but she called herself a sinner and bowed her head even more like a criminal. The Princess forcefully raised Reibella up.

“Never, never think that way. No matter what anyone says, you protected me, Reibella. You’re the savior of my life.”

See that! Emperor, the Princess says so.

“Your Highness……”

“Thank you, Reibella.”

The Princess hugged Reibella again. Leaning into that embrace, Reibella inwardly smiled a victorious smile.

Having spread such a scene, she wouldn’t face strange suspicions about being in league with the Princess’s kidnappers or instigating the kidnapping.

Now that things were settled, back to being a food taster…..

“Now that a new food taster has arrived, Reibella can rest.”

“……What?”

What happens if I’m not a food taster?

“Your Highness, have you finished your conversation?”

While she was in shock, five knights from the Imperial First Knight Order had gathered around. The closest one was Cain Ashley, the vice commander of the First Knight Order.

“Then may we take her?”

The Princess nodded without a moment’s hesitation at his question.

“……Your Highness?”

You were just calling me your lifesaver, and now you’re abandoning me so coldly?

She looked at the Princess with a desperate expression, but she just wiped her tears and smiled brightly. 

 * * *

 Haah.

Coming out after closing the large door, Reibella let out a long sigh.

Then someone came up beside her and asked.

“Are you alright?”

Ilius Eden. Sir Eden.

“Yes, thank you, Sir Knight.”

When she was being dragged away by the knights in front of the Princess, she thought she was definitely going to die. Whether she had saved the Princess or not, she thought the Emperor would kill her by pinning the crime of the Princess’s kidnapping on her.

If by any chance she was given an opportunity to defend herself, she had carefully thought about what to say and how to say it while steeling her resolve.

‘We have no intention of being discourteous to the benefactor who saved Her Highness the Princess.’

With that one statement from Dominic Carlson, the commander of the First Knight Order, her sharply raised emotions completely deflated.

‘This is just a witness interview, so you only need to answer the questions asked.’

As promised, he consistently worked to maintain a gentle atmosphere. Not only providing snacks and drinks, but also readily accepting her vague answers when there were many parts she couldn’t remember clearly.

The Knight Order had already finished analyzing the forces that kidnapped the Princess. This investigation was just a formality, and they had already reached the conclusion that there was no problem with ‘Reibella Felicity’ and rather she should receive a reward for protecting the Princess.

Sir Eden was said to be at the forefront of leading to that conclusion.

“You went through a lot because of me.”

According to what she heard during the investigation, Sir Eden had not come to the cabin when she was kidnapped with the Princess.

Instead, he had spared no effort in preventing the spread of false rumors about Reibella not returning, such as ‘she’s in league with the kidnappers’ or ‘she hired the kidnappers for family revenge.’

“Thank you so much.”

On top of that, he even came to rescue her along with Calyx.

Reibella was sincerely grateful to him. But Sir Eden shook his head.