“How did you get into a confrontation?”

“Well, I was searching everywhere when suddenly someone shoved me. Then they started picking a fight, so I just dealt with them all.”

“Hah.”

“Anyway, don’t do such reckless things anymore. Not if you don’t want to worry the people around you.”

This time I kept my mouth shut. When I didn’t respond, Hasis ruffled my hair vigorously.

“Shouldn’t you just say you understand at times like this?”

“Are you asking me to lie?”

“Since when have you been so honest?”

“…”

“You’re such a kid, really.”

“You…!”

I bit my lip hard and stomped on Hasis’s foot. However, this time he quickly pulled his foot away and walked off with an irritating expression.

“Well, I’m going to bed now. You should too.”

“Hah. Unbelievable.”

“I know, right? Master probably feels just as exasperated with you.”

Hasis’s words left me feeling conflicted. I honestly still couldn’t understand what I had done wrong.

I had always done everything by myself, even before I became Emperor. As Emperor, I carried the weight of countless lives on my shoulders. And now they’re saying I acted recklessly?

I snorted at the thought. ‘That’s absurd.’

I wasn’t wrong.

I stubbornly muttered to myself.

* * *

The next morning.

“Waaaaaah. Your Highness. I’m so sorry. I, I shouldn’t have looked at the doll.”

I patted Evelyn’s back as she ran to me with tears and snot streaming down her face.

When did we become this close?

While I was wondering this to myself, Evelyn continued sobbing. “Y-yesterday, suddenly, sniff, suddenly Your Highness disappeared, sniff.”

“Ah, yes. Right.”

“And then. Hiccup. Suddenly I was told to go home. I wanted to ask why, but your brother was scary.”

I sighed as I felt my shoulder becoming damp. Everyone was making such a fuss.

But I didn’t particularly mind. I continued patting Evelyn’s back gently.

She cried for quite a while. Finally, I frowned and handed her a tissue.

“Wipe your face first.”

“Sniff, yes.”

“Blow your nose too.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Now, blow.”

“Blow!”

“…Don’t make the sound with your mouth, blow your nose.”

Soon Evelyn seemed to calm down after wiping away her tears and snot. After a while, Sela brought in refreshments, and I picked up a teacup.

“So, you spent all night worrying after you went home yesterday?”

“Yes…”

“I see. The Marquis must have been worried too. His daughter not sleeping all night.”

I casually remarked to Evelyn. Apparently missing the hidden meaning in my words, Evelyn shook her head.

“No. Father came home late yesterday, so I didn’t see him.”

“But you met him this morning?”

“Yes. He just asked if I had a pleasant time with Your Highness, and reminded me not to upset Your Highness in any way.”

“I see.”

I calmly sipped my tea. Just then, Evelyn, who was crunching on a cookie, glanced at me and spoke.

“You really weren’t hurt at all?”

“No. I’m perfectly fine, as you can see.”

“That’s such a relief.”

“Were you that worried?”

I asked with a slight smile. Of course, from Evelyn’s perspective, it might be concerning when a newly made ‘friend’ disappears. After all, if something happened to me, she would lose her protection and might face bullying from Margrit again.

That’s probably how a child would worry.

However, contrary to my assumptions, Evelyn’s next words made me pause.

“I was extremely worried. I want to be Your Highness’s friend forever.”

“…”

“Your Highness is such a good person. That’s why I always want to be your friend.”

“You can make friends if you just set your mind to it.”

“But still, Your Highness is… Your Highness.”

“…”

“Even if I make other friends, I like Your Highness the most.”

My gaze lowered slightly. How should I interpret this child’s words? It was like she was saying I was some irreplaceable existence to her, which gave me mixed feelings.

I glanced at Evelyn. With a slightly flushed face, she continued munching on her cookies. I took another sip of tea, noticing the tear stains around her eyes that hadn’t been completely wiped away.

Perhaps because of this, or maybe because of Lerrhagen’s expression last night or Ilian’s words, or even Hasis’s urgency and Sela’s fussing—suddenly, without realizing why, I felt a tightness in my chest.

* * *

That afternoon, Rigan knocked on my office door with an exhausted face. Having already been harassed by everyone since last night, I quickly spoke up, fearing another lecture.

“Just so you know, if you’re going to say the words ‘mistake’ or ‘worry,’ say it all outside. I don’t want to hear it.”

“I have just one question. Were you kidnapped, or did you allow yourself to be kidnapped?”

“What do you think? Don’t you know my abilities?”

“I think it’s the latter.”

“Correct.”

“As I thought. I knew it.”

Rigan’s reproachful expression pierced me. Soon, he lightly touched his brow and spoke.

“As you ordered yesterday, I went to the guards and handled everything. I paid a certain amount of compensation to the hostages in exchange for their absolute silence about what they saw today.”

“And the guards?”

“I ordered them to conclude this as a simple kidnapping case. Naturally, Your Highness’s name will be erased. However…”

“However?”

“However, since Lord Lerrhagen destroyed the place so spectacularly, it will be impossible to catch the culprits.”

I pressed my forehead, having expected as much. While I had prioritized the hostages’ lives over catching the culprits, it was still frustrating to have no clues whatsoever.

But I quickly shook off my disappointment and straightened my back. “Well, there’s no point in lamenting over evidence that’s already been destroyed.”

Rigan seemed somewhat surprised by how cleanly I was letting this go. But soon, he adjusted his glasses slightly, seeming to realize something.

“Someone who entered a place by allowing themselves to be kidnapped, yet found no clues, wouldn’t have such an expression.”

“Hmm.”

“You did obtain some other evidence, didn’t you?”

At Rigan’s question, I curled up the corners of my mouth slightly. Rigan sighed, as if he had expected this. But soon, he asked with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

“What is it?”

“There were a tremendous number of magical beasts there.”

“Magical beasts?”

“Yes, and considering they were capturing humans to kill them, they’re likely involved in black magic.”

“Then…”

“And crucially, they mentioned ‘Your Excellency.'”

“…Pardon?”

“The two culprits who kidnapped me used the term ‘Your Excellency.’ Well, they probably didn’t know I was a princess.”

“Wait, if they said ‘Your Excellency’…”

“Rigan, send invitations to all houses of Marquis rank and above. And let them know.”

I rested my chin slightly on the desk. Then, in a low voice, I murmured:

“That I’m going hunting.”