A Special Guest (2)
When was the last time I felt truly at a loss? It had been so long that the memory was hopelessly faint.
...I need to stay calm.
On the surface, the outfit Roderick and I had assembled wore the guise of a mercenary band, but in truth, most of our members were an assortment of wretches scraped from the empire's lowest gutters. I was used to old habits dying hard, to the occasional subordinate stirring up trouble. Bringing in the empire's one and only imperial princess as a captive, however, was an entirely different league of catastrophe.
I can guess how this happened.
She must have slipped out incognito, cloaked in shabby garments and a careful wig. Recklessly shaking off her royal escort, she would have wandered the streets alone. Yet no disguise could completely mask such exquisite features, leaving her an easy mark for abduction. The culprits were undoubtedly low-level grunts from our ranks, likely assuming that procuring a pretty girl for their leader would curry favor.
As I studied the princess closely, Roderick returned, keeping his voice to a hushed rasp.
"*Haa*... Dammit. From now on, I'm not taking in anyone who looks guilty just by the whites of their eyes."
"So my guess was right."
"Whatever you're guessing, you've hit the nail on the head."
The crimson, metallic fruit of disposing of every scoundrel responsible was drying across the back of Roderick's hand. When my gaze lingered on the blood, he dipped his hands into a basin and began scrubbing them clean.
"Play along with me, Roderick."
"Hm? Hey, what the hell are you—"
I walked straight up to the princess. With every distinct thud of my boots, her body shrank further into itself. Just as her terror reached its peak, I sank onto one knee and gently removed the stifling blindfold from her eyes.
"Uh...?"
A soft gasp escaped her lips at the unexpected kindness. Roderick stared in sheer horror before clamping his eyes shut in resignation. Emboldened, I offered my gentlest, most even-toned greeting.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady. We have dealt with your captors, so you may rest easy now."
"Pardon...?"
It was an act worthy of a well-meaning stranger who had not the faintest clue of her true identity. Yet her reaction was visibly uncomfortable. Only after a beat of silence did the reason dawn on me.
"Ha, haha! You'll have to excuse him, miss! This fellow's face is a bit unsightly...! It's his sore spot, which is why he walks around wearing a mask. Totally understandable if he frightened you, yes ma'am!"
"I-I see... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you self-conscious about it..."
Judging by her answer, she had no intention of revealing her imperial status either. It was prudent of her. Her lips held the power to sway affairs of state with a single word; a person of her station could not afford to carelessly incur debts of gratitude.
"Pardon the inquiry, but about how long has it been since you were taken? Prin... Miss?" Roderick asked.
"It has probably been about nine days."
"Aha..."
Roderick shot me a meaningful glance. Catching his drift, I gave a faint nod.
So they haven't made her disappearance public.
An earth-shattering crisis capable of rocking the empire could never have escaped the mercenary network's ears. If it had been a day or two, perhaps, but after nine days, it meant the imperial court had chosen to conduct a covert search under absolute secrecy. At this point, one had to marvel at the sheer, twisted competence of those kidnappers who managed to slip past the imperial dragnet.
"Crazy bastards had to be talented in the worst possible way..." Roderick muttered under his breath, grinding his teeth.
If there was a silver lining, it was the palace's discreet handling. From our perspective, it was an undeniable stroke of luck. On the surface, nothing had happened in the eyes of the world. There was still a window to put everything back where it belonged.
I addressed the princess as the tension began to drain from her frame.
"My lady."
"Yes?"
"If it pleases you, I would like to escort you back to your home... Would you grant me permission?"
Her voice trembled faintly at the offer. A pure, untainted joy soared within her, as though she had been pulled back from the very edge of the abyss.
"I would be so grateful...! Truly... thank you so much..."
"Hey, wa—!"
"However, there is one issue."
"Hey...!"
"An issue?"
"...!"
"It may be uncomfortable for you, but... it will have to be just the two of us traveling together."
"That's... Ah?"
The princess's reply was cut short with unceremonious insolence as Roderick seized me by the scruff of the neck and hauled me to my feet.
"Whooooopsie daisy! Pardon the rude interruption while you were speaking such precious words, miss, but an urgent matter requiring immediate executive judgment just came up, so please excuse us for a moment!"
Firing off words like a rapid-fire volley, he dragged me around a blind corner. I wouldn't have minded the sudden retreat so much, but his hot, ragged breaths puffed uncomfortably close against my ear.
"What urgent matter requires immediate judgment?" I asked.
"Like hell there's one! Why is it that a smart bastard like you turns into a total blockhead whenever it counts?!"
My hands trembled slightly at Roderick's blatant, shocking fabrication. Ignoring my bewilderment, he pressed on.
"You're not having any funny ideas, are you?"
"Funny ideas?"
"Escorting the imperial princess in person! Do you even know where her home... Ah, hell's bells, of course you know. You couldn't possibly not know. Anyway, what's your game here? What if you get caught...?"
"If I do?"
"..."
Roderick weighed his words for a long moment before answering.
"I'll be out of a job."
"And I might finally be able to take off this mask."
"Dammit!"
Roderick spat a foul curse and clutched his temples. A storm of frantic calculations was clearly churning behind his eyes. After agonizing over it for what felt like an eternity, he finally voiced the secret that bound the two of us.
"I won't beat around the bush. You're the Child of the Deposed Emperor, and I'm terrified you're going to do something atrocious to the reigning emperor's daughter. Why the hell are you insisting on doing this yourself when we could just assign a subordinate?"
"I see."
"'I see'?! That's all you have to say?!"
It was a reasonable suspicion, so I took no offense. Understanding his perspective, however, did not mean sharing it.
Now and then, Roderick would ask if I resented the people who stole my birthright. Every single time, my answer was an unwavering denial. I had never possessed a throne to be stolen from me in the first place, and the things I could truly call my own in this life could be counted on one hand. Moreover, while I hadn't known it as a child, I was well aware now of the unspeakable atrocities my parents had committed. There was zero incentive for me to waste my life chasing vengeance and bloodshed.
"No jokes. Give me a reason that actually makes sense."
"Because I want to know."
"Know what?"
"A world that sparkles every single day. I want to see what kind of person grows up in the paradise my mother obsessed over—someone of my own age. I want to know that."
What kind of man was my father trying to become that compelled him to torment so many lives?
For what purpose did my mother find joy in hurting others?
I felt that traveling alongside a girl who had found peace and relief in that very paradise might offer a clue to the questions that had haunted me for years.
He stared at me with wide, bewildered eyes before letting out a deflated sigh.
"Damn it all... Is that it? Now I feel like a petty, paranoid bastard."
Well, you are.
I swallowed the honest evaluation before it could escape my mouth.
"*Haa*... Then are you genuinely fine with this?"
"Yes."
"In a way... no, scratch that. She is undeniably the daughter of the man who destroyed your parents. Can you honestly stomach watching her giggle and smile without a care in the world? Right in front of your face, you'd just swallow it?"
"I thought you were worried I might kill her."
"I am worried."
"Yet right now, it sounds as if you're egging me on."
"Bloody hell..."
Roderick dragged his palms down his face, groaning in grim frustration. It was an indirect admission, plain as day. A faint curiosity stirred within me at his contradictory behavior.
"...It's fine," he muttered.
"What is?"
"Even if you do snap and do something. I'll find a way to cover it up."
"Your tune changed rather quickly."
"Dammit, I may be ruthless, but I'm not cold-blooded enough to force you to stay your blade against your mortal enemy's spawn! If we get caught, I'll just pack our gold and we'll flee across the border."
"Quite the humanitarian stance for a former criminal."
"Most of our people come from that kind of dirt."
He wasn't wrong. That was the kind of group we were—a pitch-black well where those cast out and pointed at by society congregated. Precisely because of that, I, of all people, could not afford to invite any more accusing fingers pointed at our throats.
"I understand your concern, Roderick. Even if you're wrong on every count."
"If you're truly that detached, then good for us."
Resting his hands on his hips, he let out a long exhalation. For all his gruff posturing, he must have been sick with worry beneath the surface. As the years wore on, he had grown strangely soft-hearted.
"Ah, and separate from that, about that mortal enemy of my parents."
"Huh?"
I spoke casually to his blank, unfocused gaze.
"If Roderick were ever killed, I think I would develop one of those mortal enemies of my own."
"Wh-what? Wait... Huh? Eh......?"
Leaving behind his choking, flustered stammering, I walked back over to the princess. Having grown somewhat accustomed to the unfamiliar room, she was now looking around with keen curiosity.
"Ah, is your business all finished?"
"Most likely."
Roderick remained holed up in the adjoining room where we had just spoken, showing no sign of stepping out. It was a relief, as it afforded me a quiet moment alone with the princess.
"Are you accustomed to long journeys, my lady?"
"Embarrassingly enough... no."
"Can you ride a horse?"
"Ah, yes! At least at a basic level. To be honest, I never really enjoyed riding horses."
"What a coincidence. Truth be told, neither do I."
Mentioning personal preferences regarding equestrian riding while disguised in commoner's rags. Her clumsy masquerade was already showing its seams, but I saw no need to point it out.
"More importantly... would you mind not calling me 'my lady'? It feels a little burdensome..."
"What should I call you instead?"
"Mmm! Please call me Serin."
"Understood. Serin."
"Thank you," she answered brightly.
Not nearly enough time had passed for her to shake off the trauma of abduction, yet Serin smiled with an innocent harmlessness, as if all her worries had melted away. I supposed that growing up in that sparkling world my parents had coveted so desperately made one naive to the harsh realities of life. Much like I had once been as a young child.
"If you are not overly fatigued, Serin, I see no reason to delay our departure. What do you think?"
"I'm completely fine. I make sure to keep up my stamina regularly. Though before that, I think there's one last preparation we missed."
"I am listening."
When I nodded, Serin stepped lightly toward me and offered her hand.
"I haven't heard your name yet."
"Rian. That is my name."
An alias, naturally. Just a name I plucked from memory.
"That's a lovely name."
"Thank you."
And just like that, she paid a compliment to some nameless mercenary she had never even met.
We clasped hands, almost as if sealing a mutual pact of exchanged lies. Though it had begun with deceit from start to finish, a curious anticipation stirred in my chest. That was how our brief journey began.
What kind of child was this denizen of paradise, a place I had only ever vaguely imagined? How had she grown up in the very realm my parents had clung to, even as the whole world turned against them in contempt?
Hoping that this journey might grant me some answers, I stepped out into the blazing sunlight.
...Not even a day had passed since harboring that wish.
"*Woooow*, the more I look at him, the more he's total Male Lead Material, isn't he?"
Every now and then, she would mutter to herself, reciting baffling phrases that made no sense at all.