Acrid smoke began seeping through the gaps of the closed windows. The maidservant flinched repeatedly at the distant roar of voices, her face drained white, sensing the future that was coming.

“…Go, quickly.”

A gentle hand wrapped around the back of the young maidservant’s hand. It was the hand of Belina Chellurea, mistress of the Markovhar count’s estate and imperial princess of Elvoren.

Belina’s face held the soft smile she always wore around the servants, but her fingertips had gone cold, betraying her tension plainly. The maidservant hesitated for a moment, then, seeming to feel guilty even for that hesitation, quickly shook her head.

“How can I leave Your Highness behind?”

“At least you should survive.”

The Tarnovale rebels had pushed all the way to the capital of Elvoren. They seized the imperial palace in an instant and captured the fleeing members of the imperial family. Then they turned their horses toward the Markovhar count’s estate, where Belina was.

After hearing news of the rebels’ advance, the first thing Belina did was gather the servants who had not yet fled. She willingly distributed her jewelry among them as they trembled with fear, and exchanged reluctant farewells. But one person remained at her side without leaving: Lottie, the maidservant she had taken in from the streets.

“You’re too young to die alongside a half-princess, Lottie.”

“What does it matter whether it’s half or a quarter?”

Lottie pouted and sniffled. The scrawny girl who used to steal on the streets always treated the princess whom others pointed at for her lowborn blood like the most precious person in the world.

“It’s not like I have anywhere to go even if I leave. You know I have no family. So…”

She would stay by her side until the end. If anything, this place might be safer than outside. Lottie added between sobs. Belina listened to her voice crumbling apart and fell into thought.

In truth, Belina herself had been wondering whether it was right to send the young maidservant out into the chaos. A young woman with no one to rely on was bound to get caught up in something terrible in times like these. It would have been a relief if she had left with the others when they went…

Bang! Bang!

Someone pounded hard on the door. Lottie startled and began to hiccup, and Belina, who had been trying to appear composed in front of the maidservant, instinctively shrank back as well. The one who appeared through the door that flew open was, thankfully, a familiar face: the old butler.

“…Edwin?”

“Your Highness, the Princess.”

Before she could scold him for not having fled yet, Edwin dropped to his knees right where he stood. The monocle he always wore with such flair clattered and rolled across the floor.

“His Majesty the Emperor has passed.”

“……”

“Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince as well, and all other members of the direct imperial line have reportedly been executed. You must flee now, truly.”

All of them, dead. Belina squeezed her eyes shut. It seemed there was truly not a shred of mercy. Given what Elvoren had done to Tarnovale, and to its last prince, perhaps that was only to be expected.

“And the Count?”

Belina asked without thinking. The head butler, who had been trying to persuade her, fell silent at that brief question. Belina watched him quietly for a moment, then turned her head away with an air of having expected nothing.

“Well… he must have gotten himself out of harm’s way. You can still hear news from a brothel, after all.”

“Your Highness.”

Edwin opened his mouth again, seeming to want to offer some defense on the Count’s behalf, but it was pointless. The young Count of Markovhar frequenting brothels while leaving the princess behind was an open secret even among the servants. And this time, they had parted after a particularly bitter quarrel, so it was no wonder.

Rather than adding any comment about the Count, the old butler held out the clothes he had brought. The worn shirt and trousers looked, at a glance, far too large for Belina to wear.

“This is no time for hesitation, Your Highness. Please change quickly. Lottie, hurry and help Her Highness the Princess…”

The head butler’s words never reached their end. Footsteps echoed down the corridor. The head butler, who had just been rising to his feet, the princess caught in her indecision, and the maidservant who had been wiping her tears to attend to her all froze in place. The sound of clashing metal drew closer and closer, and long shadows fell across the room first.

“Y-Your Highness…”

At the sound of the frightened maidservant’s voice, Belina snapped back to her senses. Her heart seemed to pound in time with the approaching footsteps. But looking at the people standing by her side, her mind grew strangely calm.

She could not let them die.

They had served her without a hint of reluctance, even though she was nothing more than an illegitimate child despite her imperial blood. Whatever the state of her marriage, had she not been able to endure life at the Markovhar count’s estate entirely because of them?

“Step back, both of you.”

Belina rose to her feet as she made out the soldiers. She took trembling steps forward, toward the unfamiliar soldiers. A deep, composed voice came from within the helmet of the one at the front.

“Are you Her Highness, Princess Belina?”

When she nodded, the man turned his head and jerked his chin. Another soldier, who appeared to be of lower rank, rushed out into the corridor.

“We’ve found Her Highness the Princess!”

The soldier’s shout rang out and echoed through the corridor. The fact that they kept using honorifics suggested they intended to treat her with the courtesy due to a member of the imperial family, at least until the moment they killed her.

Belina straightened her back as she listened to the heavy footsteps. She had been told that all the others had been executed. The Emperor, who had acted as though acknowledging her as his own blood was a tremendous act of grace, and her half-siblings, who had always been eager to find fault whenever she came anywhere near the main palace.

She did not feel any particular resentment at sharing their fate. The truth was that she had enjoyed many privileges as a princess of Elvoren, one way or another. She only hoped that their blades would not reach those who were innocent.

Before long, a man swept into the room, his blue cape billowing behind him. Even among the knights around him whose armor made them look bulky, he stood out as noticeably tall. Belina stared blankly at the man approaching her. The helmet adorned with a mane obscured his face entirely, making it impossible to read his expression.

“Princess Belina?”

The sound of clanking metal stopped directly in front of her. Belina glanced at the maidservant and the head butler, then slowly nodded.

“That’s right.”

The maidservant who had boldly declared she would stay was trembling so hard she could not even lift her head. The head butler, with his years of experience, managed to stand with some composure, though he also looked, in a way, like a man who had made his peace.

“These people have done nothing wrong. So…”

Belina’s words never reached their end. The man stepped abruptly forward and seized her chin, lifting it upward. The cold metal against her jaw sent a chill down her spine.

“A match. Belina Chellurea.”

The man’s voice, resonating like an echo in a cave through his helmet, carried a strange undercurrent of excitement. Belina held her breath for a brief moment without realizing it, then forced herself to speak calmly.

“Now that you’ve confirmed it, there’s no need to shed any unnecessary blood.”

“True enough. Provided the Princess makes her decision.”

Belina nodded in silence. She was not without fear, but… if one life could save two others, was that not a rather decent trade?

“I’ll do whatever you want.”

“And how do you know what I’m going to ask?”

The man taunted her. Perhaps he wanted her to grovel at his feet and beg for her life. Whatever the case, being compliant was something she did rather well. If the other party wanted something, she simply had to give it.

“Whatever it is, I know I’m in no position to refuse.”

“Well, then. That makes things quick.”

The man replied with what seemed like satisfaction and turned his head to give an order.

“Bring it.”

“Yes, sir!”

The fact that he had weapons yet was not using them suggested he at least had no intention of drawing blood. Belina looked at the maidservant and the head butler, their faces drained white, and gave a small smile meant to reassure them.

“Then, these two, if you could let them outside…”

Belina had been about to say, let them go, but the returning soldier left her flustered and she fell silent. What he held in his hands was not poison, nor a blade, nor even rope to bind her, but a bouquet of flowers.

“Take it, Princess.”

The man turned the large bouquet over in his hands and held it out to Belina just like that. Her bewilderment was only natural.

“Why are you giving me this…?”

“It’s a proposal, after all. There ought to be at least one bouquet of flowers.”

“A proposal… to me?”

“I can hardly propose to a young child or an old man, can I?”

The man shot back with considerable amusement. It took her a moment to realize it was a joke. His urging voice reached her as she hesitated.

“You said you’d do anything. Does that not extend to marriage?”