Arrrgh! This Wasn't My Intention!
“...Victoria. Where on earth have you been?”
As she returned to her seat, the Emperor asked with a puzzled look.
“...Oh, I just stepped out for a bit of fresh air, Father.”
Victoria put on an innocent face and flashed a bright smile.
“The festival is about to begin. Where did you wander off to? As an imperial princess, you should carry yourself with more dignity.”
“...Hehe. My apologies. I won't do it again.”
She breezily brushed off the Emperor's gentle scolding with light chatter.
But in her mind, the scene from moments ago kept replaying.
Those cool, unwavering eyes without a flicker of doubt.
The sharp, decisive hand that subdued the assassin in an instant.
And that firm voice commanding her to return to her seat.
...The more she thought back on it, the faster her heart raced.
...Hmph. How dare he give orders to me. Is there any other man in the world so insolent?
Victoria huffed inwardly with feigned indignation.
Yet her flushed cheeks refused to cool down.
...But those eyes of his, they were truly──
She couldn't bring herself to finish the thought.
Instead, she fidgeted absentmindedly with the hem of her dress.
Recalling that reliable back as he dragged the assassin away into the distance, she blushed to herself in secret.
I could see Kyle slinging a man over his shoulder and heading away from the crowd to a secluded spot.
Celine hurried after him.
She had sensed something ominous had just happened.
“Captain. What on earth──”
“...Shh. This way.”
Kyle led Celine into the shadow of a pillar where no one was around.
Then he unceremoniously dropped the man he was carrying onto the ground.
The man was dressed as a servant.
He showed no sign of life, not even a twitch.
“...Who is this? Wasn't he just a servant?”
Celine furrowed her brow, utterly baffled.
...He looked like an ordinary servant at a glance.
So why had Kyle dragged him away so secretly?
“...Servant? Take a good look.”
Kyle rolled up the man's sleeve.
There, on the inner wrist, was a dark red mark etched clearly.
“...This is.”
Celine's eyes narrowed.
...A familiar symbol.
The Rebel Mark of the traitors who harbored grudges against the Empire and lurked in the borderlands.
“...A rebel. But how did someone like this get into the Imperial Festival...”
“That's not all.”
Kyle pointed to the back of the man's hand this time.
A long, old knife scar ran across it.
“...That scar. And that disguise. No doubt about it. This is Thousand Faces.”
“...Thousand Faces?”
“A guy who can disguise himself perfectly as anyone—an old man, a woman, whatever. No one knows his true face because of it. He's slit the throats of countless VIPs and slipped away every time. But even this ruthless assassin has one tell he can't hide: that knife scar on the back of his hand.”
Celine just stared blankly, absorbing Kyle's explanation.
...It was astonishing.
How did Kyle know the identity of this infamous assassin so thoroughly?
“...But Captain, how did you know all this?”
When Celine asked, Kyle seemed momentarily at a loss for words.
He averted his gaze and cleared his throat awkwardly.
“...Ahem. Well, just something I picked up somewhere. He's got quite the reputation, after all.”
...Just picked it up?
Celine inwardly admired him with a soft sigh.
...To have even casual street rumors etched so clearly in his mind.
And then, right in the heart of this heavily guarded Imperial Festival, spot a perfectly disguised assassin and take him down in one go.
...As expected.
A swell of emotion rose in Celine's chest.
...He was so dependable.
Unshaken by any crisis, seeing through everything.
Quietly doing his duty...
“...Captain, you're truly...”
Celine started to speak without thinking, then quickly caught herself.
“...No, I just mean... you're really amazing.”
“...Aw, come on. It was just luck.”
Kyle scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
...But in Celine's eyes, this man was no mere lucky fool.
He was someone who silently shouldered his burdens with unmatched strength and reliability.
...Yes. I knew I was right.
Celine gazed quietly at Kyle's profile as he handled the dead assassin.
In her heart, she reaffirmed her resolve once more.
...To protect Kyle to the end.
No matter what.
The festival mercifully concluded without incident.
The assassin's body was disposed of in secret.
The event proceeded flawlessly to the end.
No one had any inkling that, right in the middle of the plaza, the princess's life had hung in the balance.
...Phew. It's over.
I let out a long sigh of relief.
...Honestly, it had scared the hell out of me.
Victoria had nearly been stabbed by that assassin.
If that happened, I'd have been done for as the head of security.
Anyway, it ended without a hitch, so that's what matters.
Now I could focus on plotting my escape from this damn palace...
“Captain! Where is the Captain?!”
Just as I was starting to relax, an ominous call rang out from nearby.
“His Majesty summons you! Come at once!”
...H-His Majesty?
I was dragged before the Emperor, clueless as ever.
The moment I knelt, a chill ran down my spine.
...W-Wait. Did he find out about something? Was secretly handling the assassin a problem──
“...Kyle Lowenheim.”
“...Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I have heard all about it.”
...Huh? Heard what?
“Today, our Victoria said that during the event, you threw yourself in harm's way to save her from grave danger. And you quietly dealt with an enemy targeting the imperial family.”
...Ah.
Only then did my mind go blank.
...That rotten princess Victoria had blabbed everything to the Emperor.
“A truly heroic deed! Had it become public, the festival would have been stained with blood, and the imperial prestige tarnished. But you handled it all without a sound!”
The Emperor nodded repeatedly, his face beaming with satisfaction.
...No, that's not it. I just stumbled into──
“How could we let such merit go unrewarded? You deserve a grand prize!”
...W-Wait, Your Majesty. Prize? I don't need that. I just want to live quietly──
“Thus, I bestow upon you a title! And I shall prepare new quarters for you within the Imperial Palace. Henceforth, serve the imperial family even more closely!”
...A t-title? Quarters in the palace...?
At that moment, my head spun.
...Wait. This can't be right.
...My dream was to flee this wretched palace and run off to some remote countryside.
But a title and palace quarters?
This was the opposite of escape—it was rooting me even deeper here!
...My dream was so simple.
A little restaurant on the quiet edge of a rural village.
Cooking hot stews with seasonal ingredients, free from anyone's scrutiny, living leisurely.
That was all I wanted.
...But now titles and palace residences. My humble dream felt impossibly distant, lost beyond the clouds.
...Arrrgh! This wasn't my intention at all!
I screamed internally, shedding bloody tears.
I only stopped the assassin because I was scared I'd lose my head if the princess died.
How did that turn into this massive reward?
...I should've just ignored it. No, then she'd have died and it'd be worse.
But stopping it led to this. What the hell am I supposed to do?!
“...I-I merely did my duty, Your Majesty. Your boundless grace is too much—please withdraw it──”
“So humble too! Enough. A subject who earns merit deserves reward. Don't refuse!”
...No, seriously. I really don't want it.
My desperate plea drowned in the Emperor's hearty, pleased laughter.
...And right then.
I felt a prickling gaze from behind the Emperor and looked up instinctively.
...It was Victoria.
The princess was staring straight at me over the Emperor's shoulder.
Our eyes met, and she slowly curled up the corners of her mouth.
...A smug grin.
So pleased and triumphant.
As if whispering, 'Now you'll never escape this place.'
Sweeter and more wicked than ever.
...The moment I saw that smile, a shiver ran down my spine.
She had known from the start.
That reporting it to the Emperor would earn me this reward.
And that this reward would bind me to the palace.
──Argh, arrrgh!!
...I'd been played in the palm of that wicked princess's hand all along.