[No title provided]
It wasn't until dawn that the imperial troops finally arrived, and they stood there dumbfounded for a moment at the sight of the Grand Duchy looking utterly peaceful, with no signs of trouble anywhere. Fortunately, the traces of battle scattered here and there confirmed they hadn't come all this way for nothing. But after rushing over without so much as a sip of water—let alone any rest—on the emperor's urgent orders, this was the last thing they expected. The soldiers and laborers were busy repairing the collapsed barriers, while healers darted around inside treating the wounded. It wasn't exactly serene, but it was far from the worst-case scenario they'd imagined, which brought some relief.
The injured had only minor wounds like gashes on their thighs or arms—no one teetering on the brink of death. The citizens' homes inside the barriers seemed largely unscathed too. No bodies in sight, but it wasn't a situation anyone could view optimistically either. The dispatched imperial troops hurried toward the entrance of the grand ducal castle to secure the safety of the princess and the academy students. Even from afar, one of the castle's pillars was visibly crumbled, exposing its innards in a total wreck. It was impossible to guess what kind of battle had raged here. Taking deep breaths amid the chaotic scene, this is what the imperial troops encountered—
"Hm? You're here. Guess it's time to go."
"……?"
The academy students and the grand duke's family, casually gathered and eating dinner.
Once everything was wrapped up, we all gathered for the dinner we'd barely touched during the fighting. That's when the soldiers, dark circles hanging down to their chins, poured into the dining hall. Judging by their uniforms, they were from our empire—probably dispatched here after hearing Lillia's urgent message, at the emperor's command to protect the princess's life.
I sat the exhausted soldiers in the remaining seats and ladled out the leftover soup for them. They accepted it awkwardly at first, but it was clear they hadn't eaten properly; they devoured it bowl and all, licking their hands clean in seconds.
"Ahem... By His Majesty's orders. He commands us to escort you all back to the empire at once."
Loyal bunch. Racing to this distant land without rest on the emperor's word. But heading out in this state wasn't wise, so we decided to rest one day at the grand ducal castle before departing. We sent a separate letter to His Majesty explaining that the war had ended swiftly and early, with no casualties among our group. We added that both we and the dispatched soldiers could rest comfortably under the grand duke's command.
After a good sleep and recovering our condition, we set off from the Grand Duchy as planned. The students felt a bit regretful about leaving after less than three days, but the grand duke's promise of a warm welcome anytime lifted their spirits visibly.
"Young Lord Noctus. Thank you so much. If not for you..."
The grand duchess showered me with gratitude right up to the moment we left. She'd witnessed my exploits firsthand and kept thanking me profusely, trying to load me up with gifts. I broke into a sweat refusing them all. I already had the important promise from the grand duke himself—no need for more. Still, watching her fuss over us academy folk like a parent sending off a child home for the holidays filled me with genuine appreciation. To avoid hindering the repairs, we exchanged brief farewells and headed back to the academy.
"......Why are you coming along?"
"Got permission."
Prazia had somehow slipped into our group naturally and stuck with us all the way back to the academy.
"No, shouldn't you just stay home since you're already there?"
"Dad said it's fine to stay by your side."
Letting his wayward daughter go just like that? Shouldn't he grab her and keep her close? Handing her off entirely to another guy? Not that I had any funny ideas about her, but being trusted so completely by a parent with a daughter felt kinda weird.
Back at the academy, we spent half the day fielding questions from all directions. And who could blame them? From the students' perspective, fighting the grand duke—a Master nearing Lord rank—was impressive enough. But taking down a Heaven God Cult executive and rescuing Princess Prazia? That was more than enough to spark curiosity.
The professors checked us over carefully too, relieved no one was hurt or dead—it would've been a mess otherwise.
We might've brushed it off as a mere incident, but the problem was Princess Prazia's attitude. She'd shown interest in me after the martial festival, but since she kept begging for spars, everyone saw her as a battle nut. Plenty were shocked that a foreign princess was tailing me just because she was strong. But once they learned the truth, their looks turned to ones reserved for a loyal puppy.
No one expected romantic feelings from a girl who followed you around all day asking for a fight.
It started at lunch when she plunked a bento box in front of me.
"Eat."
"......What's this?"
"Food."
I know that. What I'm asking is why you made it and brought it to me.
Meeting my demanding gaze, Prazia stared back defiantly.
"Mom said it. To capture a man, grab his stomach first."
Well... not wrong, technically. Before leaving the academy, she'd had a private chat with her mom—turns out it wasn't just goodbyes; she'd gotten life lessons like this.
If it'd been just us, no issue. But this was lunchtime. Students who hadn't left the classroom yet froze mid-step at her words, turning to stare.
Even Polo and the princess from our class gawked at the bento box, eyes wide enough to bore holes through it.
The creepy atmosphere made me politely try to refuse.
"Princess Prazia."
"Prea."
"......Princess Prea."
"Prea."
"......Prea, sorry, but this—"
"Won't eat? I'll write Dad. Say Mars threw out my bento. With tear stains. Special delivery."
"Thanks, I'll dig in."
Yeah. Survive first, deal with it later. I quietly opened the lid.
"......Meat?"
"Yeah. Meat."
Fine. The bento itself was decent—good color, nice smell.
"But why's it all meat?"
"I like meat."
"No thought for the eater, huh."
The box was packed solid with meat. Roasted, fried, steamed, boiled. Variety in prep, sure, but all one ingredient. More nausea than appetite.
"Not eating?"
"......Thanks, I'll dig in."
I'm not one to waste food, and she made it thinking of me—couldn't complain or refuse without feeling bad. So I choked down every greasy dish right there. Felt like 5% of my blood turned to meat fat.
Rumors spread fast: her packing my lunch meant she wanted to be my main wife. No legs on those words? This broke the sound barrier, mutating into something Cthulhu-level. I just sighed.
Already stressed from the grand duke's offhand comment last time, and now Prazia acting like this? Headache incoming.
After class, rushing to the dorm, the princess—who'd been hiding—grabbed me and crooked her finger: follow.
Like Pavlov's dog, my body obeyed. She dragged me to an empty classroom, then demanded straight-up:
"......How was it?"
"Pardon?"
"The bento! Was the one she made by hand tasty?!"
Her voice pitched up at the end; I could tell she was pissed. No reason to lie, so I answered honestly.
"Taste wasn't bad, but all meat made it heavy. If it's the same next time, might not finish. Still bloated..."
"R-Really?"
Sensing my sincerity, her eyes softened, peeking at my reaction. But she shook her head, then glared fiercely like she'd made up her mind.
"Mars! Even so, how could you just accept it like that?! You gotta learn to firmly refuse unreasonable requests! Th-Think of the chefs in the school cafeteria who prepared lunch for the students—you made them waste it!"
Her cat-like merchant eyes arched sky-high as she scolded me like a child. Not sure what part warranted this, but I stood quietly, letting her vent until she calmed.
About ten minutes of nonstop ranting later, her throat dry, she paused and pulled a water bottle from her usual lesson-prep bag, gulping it down. Watching her Adam's apple bob, I casually asked the question I'd been harboring.
"Princess. Do you like me?"