Yeah, It Really Was Incredible
I had received a title.
I had been given quarters inside the Imperial Palace.
I was, in name at least, the Commander of the Imperial Guard.
To anyone watching, I was racing down the road to success.
And yet I felt not the slightest joy.
No. Not yet… It isn't over yet.
Buried in the chair of my office, I clenched both fists tight.
What good was a title? What good were private quarters?
All of it was nothing more than a set of shackles meant to bind me to this palace.
Still, it was too early for despair.
The path was not completely closed off.
Someday—without fail—I would escape this wretched place… and flee all the way to some distant countryside.
What mattered was a heart that refused to break.
…Yes. Someday. Without fail.
I shoved the mountain of documents awaiting my seal far to one side and, with a furtive little smile, began sketching something in the corner of a scrap of paper.
A quiet country village.
A little restaurant by the road.
Smoke curling lazily from the chimney. And standing before it, apron tied around my waist, unhurriedly stirring a pot of soup… my happy self.
…Heh. Yes. This is it. Exactly this kind of life.
The me in the doodle looked so peaceful, so content, that I gazed at the little drawing with pure fondness and, for a moment, forgot every worry.
Right then—
"…Commander. It seemed the paperwork had piled up, so I came."
…Hup!
I nearly jumped out of my skin and hastily covered the doodle with my arm. Celine had already stepped into the office.
"Ah— V-Vice Commander. What brings you here?"
"…You have been away from your post rather often of late. In that time, unfinished work seems to have accumulated, so I thought I might assist."
So saying, Celine swept her gaze across my desk.
Then, with practiced hands, she began sorting the documents one by one.
"…This matter should be handled like so. And this one will require coordination with the security detail first."
As expected of the former Commander.
Tasks I had groaned over for days, Celine unraveled with effortless ease—click, click, done.
Her hands were meticulous beyond measure, and every word of her guidance was so gentle, so considerate…
It was like an older sister tenderly looking after a clumsy younger brother.
Thanks to her, I felt a great weight lift from my shoulders.
Ahh. Thank goodness she's here.
And yet, for some reason, right at that moment—
Something cold seemed to brush down my spine.
…Huh?
Without meaning to, I stole a sidelong glance at Celine beside me.
She was still reviewing the papers with that same gentle face.
A faint smile even graced her lips. In every respect, she looked the picture of warmth.
…And yet.
Deep within those kindly downcast eyes, something icy flickered for an instant and vanished.
…It was something like this.
She would smile sweetly as she handed me a document—and then, without warning, her gaze would sink as cold as a sheet of ice.
She would explain something with every appearance of care—and yet, now and then, a hair-raising chill seemed to cling to the end of her voice.
As if spring sunshine and a flesh-cutting winter wind occupied the same body at once.
That strange dissonance sent a shiver crawling over my skin.
W-what is this. D-don't tell me… killing intent…?
I swallowed dryly without realizing it.
No. That couldn't be.
Why on earth would someone like Celine harbor killing intent toward me?
She was simply being kind, helping me like this.
But no matter how many times I told myself that, the chill that had once brushed my spine refused to fade.
Then, abruptly, a thought crossed my mind.
…W-wait. Could it be.
I stealthily shifted my gaze to the stack of papers she had just organized—and promptly went light-headed.
…That mountain of work I had wrestled with for days and still failed to finish.
Celine had cleared it in the blink of an eye.
…R-right. A man who calls himself Commander, and he can't even wrap up this much work properly—letting it pile up like this…
Only then did I think I understood the nature of that chill.
…It had to be that.
In the eyes of that capable former Commander, how pathetic must I have looked—so slow, so unreliable.
That frustration, that displeasure… must have seeped out as this icy aura.
…I-I'm ashamed.
My shoulders hunched of their own accord.
…Yes. This coldness was nothing other than a silent reprimand.
Thinking so only made my spine crawl all the more.
I-I understand. From now on… I'll try harder…
So I told myself, and forced my attention back to the work, following Celine's guidance as best I could.
From the day she had witnessed that scene a few days prior, Celine's heart had known no peace.
The face she had seen at Kyle's residence—Victoria's face.
Cheeks puffed out like a squirrel's, smiling with such pure innocence… that unfamiliar expression kept rising before her eyes.
…No. I must not let my guard down.
Celine shook her head again and again.
Whether that smile had been genuine or not did not matter.
What mattered was one fact alone: in the previous life, that woman had taken Kyle's life.
…And now that same woman was circling so close to his side.
There was no telling when, or how, she might bare her claws.
…In this life, I will never allow it to happen again.
A cold resolve settled in Celine's eyes.
…In the last life, she had failed to protect Kyle.
She could not repeat that regret, that anguish, a second time.
And so she made her decision.
…To never take her eyes off Kyle's side for even a moment.
And if Victoria so much as attempted some scheme—to stop her at once, even if it cost Celine her life.
Victoria sat before a mountain of documents, her brow deeply furrowed.
The position of imperial princess was never a leisurely one.
Affairs of state to settle, councils to attend, social functions at which she was expected to show her face…
The days passed in such a blur of busyness she scarcely knew where they went.
…Ugh. How tedious. How utterly tedious.
Victoria set down her quill and let out a quiet sigh.
These dull, dreary papers.
Once, she would have disposed of them without a second thought.
But of late, for some reason, all of it felt unusually bothersome and trivial.
Why?
Victoria knew the reason all too well.
…Come to think of it, what is that man doing right about now?
A face rose unbidden in her mind. And at once, the frown that had been so tightly drawn began to smooth away of its own accord.
Kyle.
That somewhat bumbling yet somehow solidly reliable man.
What had he called the dish he made a few days ago?
Ah, yes—roast chicken, was it?
That golden form, perfectly browned.
The way the skin shattered with a crisp crack under her teeth, and the warm juices that surged forth from within.
The mere memory of that taste filled Victoria's mouth with saliva.
…Heh. Yes. It really was an incredible taste.
Without meaning to, the corners of her lips curved upward.
And that was not all.
Sitting across from him, chatting quietly as they shared an evening meal… that warm little stretch of time.
Just recalling it made a soft, melting warmth bloom in one corner of her chest.
Then, abruptly, Victoria touched her own face.
Oh.
A silly, goofy smile had already spread across her lips without her noticing.
…Ugh. What is wrong with me. Smiling like a fool over the mere thought of some man…
Victoria hastily composed her expression. But the smile that had once bloomed refused to fade so easily.
In the end, she halfheartedly shoved the remaining papers aside and rose from her seat in one abrupt motion.
…This will not do. I need a breath of air.
So she soothed herself, and began to wander the Imperial Palace without any particular destination.
And yet, somehow, her feet kept turning in one direction.
Toward the quarters of the Imperial Guard.
…W-what. Why am I headed this way…
Victoria tried to play dumb, but she knew perfectly well where her feet were taking her.
And right then—
A familiar figure appeared some distance ahead.
It was Kyle.
…!
For an instant, Victoria's heart plummeted. She nearly broke into a run toward him without thinking.
But just in time, she reined in her steps.
…N-no. An imperial princess, bolting like a puppy the moment she spots a man. What manner of undignified behavior is that?
Victoria steeled herself. Then, with a deliberately elegant, haughty gait, she approached him at a measured pace.
Of course, behind that proud exterior, her heart was already hammering wildly.
"…Ahem. Ahem."
Victoria cleared her throat theatrically behind his back.
"…Y-Your Highness!"
Kyle whirled around in alarm and hurriedly made to bow.
"…Enough. There is no need for such fuss."
Victoria cast a quick look around. Fortunately, no one nearby was watching them.
The moment she confirmed it, her heart began to pound even harder. She took one step closer—right up to him.
"…So. That is… I mean…"
Victoria lowered her voice without meaning to. Then, quietly, almost in a whisper against his ear, she continued.
"…T-tonight. At the market… meet me."
The instant the words left her mouth, both of her cheeks blazed hot.
"…Pardon? Ah— this evening, at the market, you mean? Th-that is—"
Kyle began to answer. But Victoria had no confidence she could bear to hear him out to the end.
"…N-no arguments! Just—just know that!"
She snapped it out and spun on her heel. Before he could say another word, she swept past him with a deliberately lofty stride and hurried away.
Yet beneath that graceful exterior, Victoria's heart still raced beyond all control. From that single brief whisper, it felt as though every drop of blood in her body had rushed straight to her face.
…Ahh. How in the world did I come to this…
Covering her flushed face with both hands, Victoria scurried down the corridor in short, quick steps.
And still, at the corners of her mouth, a smile she could not hide bloomed soft and warm once more.
At the mere thought that she would be with that man again this evening, Victoria's entire day was dyeing itself in pure, giddy anticipation.
And right after she vanished down the corridor with her cheeks still pink—
From the far edge of the eaves, something gave a soft flutter of wings.
A single pure-white dove.