The More Cornered You Are, the Bolder You Become
The More Cornered You Are, the Bolder You Become
While a large-scale search operation was underway in Bellanos, Princess Celvia was spending time in the vast indoor garden of the detached palace.
"......"
Celvia walked the path planted with red and white poinsettias, but there was no strength in her steps.
Her normally spirited blue eyes were utterly lifeless. Though she gazed down at the poinsettias, her eyes remained unfocused.
Watching the princess, lost in thought from a distance, the maids whispered among themselves with worried hearts.
"She's going to collapse at this rate, isn't she?"
"I'm worried sick. I heard she hasn't been eating lately because she has no appetite...."
"It's not just the meals. Today, when the head maid advised Her Highness to retire to her bedchamber since she'd been attending to state affairs all day, she stubbornly insisted on going to the detached palace, saying she wasn't sleepy."
One of the maids let out a deep sigh and said,
"It must be because of Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner, right? Ever since the diplomatic vessel sinking incident, she's been completely drained."
"You think so too, don't you? I just hope she recovers her spirits soon...."
The maid stopped mid-sentence and shut her mouth.
Because the Empire's Foreign Minister, Yovenf, was approaching.
When the maids hurriedly bowed their heads, Yovenf spoke in his characteristically polite tone.
"Ladies. Where might Her Imperial Highness be?"
"Her Highness is on the path where the poinsettias are planted."
Hearing the maid's reply, Yovenf turned his head.
There, he saw Celvia staring down at the poinsettias, deep in contemplation.
Yovenf gave a slight nod of thanks to the maids and approached Celvia.
"Your Imperial Highness."
At the voice from beside her, Celvia turned her head.
Confirming it was Yovenf, she blinked dazedly.
"......What brings you at this hour? I was under the impression the meeting was tomorrow."
"Forgive me, but I have come to convey news from Bellanos."
"Bellanos. I see. Did the fleet arrive safely?"
Yovenf nodded.
"The Prime Minister of Bellanos has accepted the Empire's demand to open the borders. It was an unavoidable choice; refusing would not only worsen diplomatic relations with the Empire but also invite accusations of supporting terrorists."
A smile appeared at the corner of Yovenf's lips.
"Thanks to that, the Imperial fleet arrived safely at the port city of Tentarbahém in Bellanos at eight o'clock this afternoon. The disembarked troops are carrying out a large-scale search as per Your Highness's orders, and the Bellanos government has also stepped forward to cooperate with the Empire's investigation."
Despite this favorable turn of events, Celvia's expression remained unmoved.
She had expected as much, and what mattered to her now was not the process but the outcome.
Knowing this well, Yovenf cleared his throat before continuing.
"In that regard, I believe I can deliver some happy news to Your Highness."
"......Happy news?"
"Yes. A telegram has arrived from Lieutenant Colonel Hartmann, the senior bodyguard of the Imperial Guard who was participating in the search. It states that the likelihood of Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner being alive is very high."
Celvia's eyes, which had been utterly lifeless the entire time, widened.
After a deep breath, the visibly shaken Celvia spoke.
"What do you mean? Please speak more precisely."
"Understood. By order of the fleet commander, the disembarked forces first searched the coastline. That was the top priority, as there was a chance Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner could have survived after being swept away by the currents."
"And?"
"There, Lieutenant Colonel Hartmann reportedly found Daniel Steiner's military uniform. It is conjectured that he changed clothes in a nearby hut to hide his identity and left the uniform behind."
Swallowing dryly, Celvia asked urgently.
"Injuries? Was he injured?"
"No, the uniform was not torn and bore no bloodstains, so he is presumed unharmed. Furthermore, since it is estimated that he changed clothes and walked to Tentarbahém, it appears he sustained no physical defects from the accident."
In short, the probability was high that he was active in Tentarbahém, wholly intact and uninjured.
'Thank goodness.'
Life returned to Celvia's eyes.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she placed her hand over her heart as though a weight had been lifted.
'Truly, thank goodness....'
Unconsciously, moisture welled in her eyes.
At the thought that she might see Daniel again, her heart overflowed of its own accord.
Controlling her trembling with deep breaths, Celvia suddenly thought of something odd.
Why had he discarded his uniform and changed clothes?
He could have received assistance simply by going to the Tentarbahém city hall in uniform.
After thinking it over, Celvia arrived at a quiet realization.
'Daniel must have judged that there was a traitor inside Tentarbahém colluding with the enemy.'
That would explain why he had tried to hide his identity, unable to trust even the Tentarbahém city hall.
'Poor man....'
In Celvia's eyes, Daniel Steiner was fighting alone in a distant foreign land, unable to tell friend from foe.
'Even now, he must be wandering the streets, trembling with fear.'
At that thought, tears welled up.
Lifting her arm to wipe the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand, Celvia turned to face Yovenf.
"Relay the following to the fleet commander who landed at Tentarbahém."
Having regained her imperial bearing, Celvia narrowed her eyes sharply.
"He is to secure the person of Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner, no matter what."
*
"Hahaha! Is that true?"
Making Celvia's worries seem unwarranted, Daniel was chatting merrily at Ref's mansion.
He had been flustered when he learned that Ref's father was the Prime Minister, but what did that matter now?
In any case, he would never meet Ref again after today, so there would be no entanglement, and it made little difference.
So, having been invited, Daniel told various stories to entertain Ref, and Ref, pleased by his stories, freely opened up about her own past.
"It's true! How else would I escape this godforsaken mansion? I'm telling you, training enough to leap over the walls is the basics, and you have to bribe the servants watching over me to turn them into your allies."
Having listened to Ref's 'Great Escape from the Mansion' to the end, Daniel waved his hand dismissively and suppressed his laughter.
"I doubt I could have gone that far. I might have just adapted and lived on in resignation."
"You shouldn't adapt. I think that's losing."
"That's good advice, depending on how you take it. But now, the time is...."
Glancing at the wall clock, Daniel put on an awkward smile.
"It's gotten quite late. At this rate, we'll end up talking until dawn."
"......I'm fine with that. Seems like you and I get along well. Hey, you. Want to just sleep over at my mansion? There are plenty of empty rooms. Or, come work at our mansion. I'll not only create an identity for you but also give you a high salary. How about it?"
The offer was decent, but from Daniel's perspective, he had no choice but to decline.
Because an anxious feeling rushed over him that if he loitered in the mansion and ran into the prime minister, something bad would happen.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm afraid I must decline both."
At the polite refusal, Ref's eyes half-opened.
"Right. So unlike me, imprisoned in this mansion, you're a free spirit, is that it?"
"That might be misleading. I would think the young lady who regularly escapes the mansion is the one closer to freedom. Freedom, after all, fundamentally originates from resistance against oppression."
At Daniel's words, Ref let out a scoff.
He was a man one could never truly hate, because he even managed to spin disagreeable things so pleasingly.
"Fine. I'll stop holding you. There'll be another chance later."
When Ref clapped twice, the dining room door opened and the butler Vanbresh entered.
In his hands was the blindfold Daniel had worn on the way here.
"I shall escort you to your lodgings."
Daniel nodded and rose from his seat.
Just as he was about to follow Vanbresh out, Ref grabbed Daniel's sleeve.
"Wait. One last thing. Got anything you want to say to my damn father? He may be a damn father, but he's the prime minister, you know? It's an opportunity for advancement."
Advancement? Daniel's life had been far too eventful to be dazzled by such a shallow word.
For Daniel, who simply wanted to open a bakery somewhere in a quiet countryside, this was an unnecessary opportunity.
But since she didn't seem likely to let him go without an answer, Daniel just said the first thing that came to mind.
"Please tell him to practice proper politics."
"What. That's so bland...."
Clicking her tongue, Ref nodded.
She instinctively realized that she could not hold him any longer.
"It was a good time. If the chance comes, let's meet again."
"Yes. If the chance comes, that is."
Daniel gave a polite reply and bowed his head.
Of course, he had not the slightest intention of ever seeing the Bellanos Prime Minister's daughter again.
*
After traveling for about an hour, blindfolded and led by Vanbresh's hand, Daniel arrived at the inn.
"You may remove the blindfold now."
Daniel nodded and took off the blindfold.
Outside the window, he saw the familiar shape of the inn.
Vanbresh opened the car door, and Daniel stepped out naturally.
Once outside, Vanbresh bowed deeply.
"Thank you."
His excessive politeness was laden with gratitude.
"It has been a long time since the young lady laughed so much. It is all thanks to you, Master Rivelard."
Flustered, Daniel waved his hands in denial.
"Not at all. It was a meaningful time for me as well, receiving such fine cuisine. And the young lady, quite unlike a typical noble, is an excellent conversationalist, so I was never bored."
"It is an honor to be spoken of so kindly. Well then...."
Straightening up, Vanbresh gave one final bow before boarding the vehicle.
Watching the car start and gradually disappear down the alley, Daniel put on the sunglasses that had been hanging on his vest and moved his feet.
'Now....'
Judging it would be dangerous to stay in Tentarbahém any longer, Daniel opened the inn's entrance door.
At the same time, an overwhelming sense of dread washed over him.
Because there, in the inn lobby, stood an Imperial officer accompanied by soldiers.
The officer was having a dispute with the innkeeper at the counter.
"Have you seen this man?"
"I told you no. Why would a big shot like that come to an inn like this in the first place?"
"Take another look, slowly. You might...."
The officer was holding a flyer with a portrait drawn on it.
'That's....'
Confirming that it was unmistakably himself, Daniel broke into a cold sweat.
He had roughly guessed the Empire would send troops, but this was far too fast.
Realizing he absolutely must not be caught, Daniel was just about to quietly step backward when—
"Huh?"
Sensing his presence, the officer turned around.
As a result, Daniel halted his attempt to retreat and instead walked naturally into the inn.
As he tried to head straight toward his room, several gazes clung to him.
'Please....'
He desperately begged from the bottom of his heart for them to just let him pass, but no miracle occurred.
"Hey, you."
When the officer called out, Daniel stopped walking.
The officer looked back and forth between the portrait and Daniel with a meaningful gaze, then slowly approached.
"A massive search operation is currently underway. Could you cooperate? Do you happen to know a person named Daniel Steiner?"
Daniel quietly gritted his teeth.
The moment he was discovered here, he would be semi-forcibly dragged back to the Empire.
Back to an Empire ruled by an emperor wary of him, a princess who took after his temperament, an adjutant spy targeting his life, and a crazy subordinate steeped in nationalism.
He absolutely did not want to go back.
There was no way he could squander an opportunity that had come like this.
After taking a deep breath and turning to face the officer, Daniel spoke as calmly as he could.
"Hmm. Daniel Steiner...."
The deliberation was deep, but the decision was quick.
"Who is that?"
Now that it had come to this, he simply decided to brazen it out.