On High Alert
One side of the travel bag was neatly packed with clothes, including my maid uniforms, ordinary shirts, undergarments, socks, a cloak, and a mask.
The other side, however, held a deadly assortment: an array of daggers, various concealed weapons, components for rigging traps, and vials of lethal poison. And, of course, a generous supply of blood packs.
"Plenty. There are more than enough blood packs left, too."
After double-checking my fully loaded bag, I snapped it shut and flipped a small, discreet toggle on the side. When I opened it again, every last item that shouldn't be seen had vanished from view. All that remained was a tidy stack of everyday clothing. It was an exceptionally well-crafted piece of gear, exactly what you would expect from the Assassins' Guild headquarters. No magic was involved—just clever mechanical craftsmanship—but it was more than enough for my needs.
Having finished packing and running through one final inspection, I headed straight to Cecilia's chambers.
"Your Highness, may I come in?"
A casual grant of permission came from inside, as expected. I asked the same question every time I visited her room, but she had never once turned me away. Her prickly personality aside, she never gave me grief when it came time to actually get things done.
"Are you all packed and ready?"
"How am I supposed to get ready by myself? Come over here, quickly."
"......"
"I told you not to look at me with those strange eyes."
"Yes, yes, understood. Please come sit at the vanity, Your Highness."
Well, calling her a saint would have been a massive lie. While I had been bustling about my room getting everything packed, she had clearly been lounging around doing absolutely nothing. I assumed she would at least change her clothes or brush her hair on her own, but she had done none of that. She was simply lying idle on her bed, still wearing the plain white one-piece dress she always wore around the palace.
"Phew..." she sighed softly.
"Are you tired?"
"Just annoyed. I don't even understand why I have to attend the Academy. The only reason I'm going is because His Majesty commanded it, which makes it all the more irritating."
"Is that so?"
"I don't want to go to a place like that."
"Hmm... And yet you're going along with it quite obediently."
The Emperor—her father—had ordered her to enroll. Couldn't she have found a way to refuse? I didn't know the exact family dynamics, but frankly, it didn't seem impossible. Given that the Emperor had granted her the lavish Hwanggeum-ok so she could live in comfort, it felt like he indulged her quite a bit. If she had told him she hated the idea of the Academy, wouldn't he have let it slide?
"You wouldn't understand, but that's just how the Imperial Family works."
"Pardon?"
"We may share blood, but the hierarchy is absolute. It functions much like a bureaucracy; when an order comes from the top, you generally have to obey."
Cecilia spoke with her usual heavy, exhausted gaze. Standing behind her chair in front of the vanity mirror, I listened to her words, though I couldn't entirely relate. We came from entirely different worlds, after all. Even if an imperial household wasn't like a modern family, at the end of the day, family was still family, wasn't it? They shared blood, so I thought there would be at least some warmth or leeway. Still, I supposed Cecilia had her own circumstances.
"How would you like your hair done?"
"Just brush it out. We're getting straight into a carriage anyway. There's no need to dress up."
"Mm... Understood."
The mood was growing a bit heavy, so I deliberately steered the conversation elsewhere. Besides, the venom creeping into Cecilia's sharp eyes was genuinely intimidating. She was sitting down right now, but if she stood up and glared down at me like she had before, that would be terrifying.
"I'll just brush it, then. Is there anything else you need me to take care of?"
"No. I'll just travel in the dress I'm wearing now."
"...Didn't you sleep in that last night? I could have sworn you were wearing the exact same thing yesterday evening."
"I have three copies of the same dress."
"Ah."
So she had made some effort to prepare for the journey. A small pang of guilt pricked at me for judging her unfairly when I first walked in. Of course, that guilt evaporated a moment later when Cecilia resumed spouting her usual eccentric remarks as I brushed her hair.
"Safe travels, Imperial Princess."
"Yes. Keep the Detached Palace well maintained while I'm away, Head Maid."
"I shall devote myself to it entirely."
"Then let us depart immediately. Tell the coachman to keep the carriage steady and not rush just to arrive sooner."
Their exchange was brief. Without any further parting words for the Head Maid, Cecilia gave her direct order to the driver. With that, a procession consisting of one lavish carriage and two smaller ones began to roll forward.
While Cecilia had settled demurely into her seat long before the wheels started turning, I couldn't bring myself to do the same. Leaning my upper body out through the carriage window, I vigorously waved my arm at the Head Maid, who remained standing by the main gates of the Detached Palace.
Even though an imperial princess was departing for the Academy, the Head Maid was the only person outside to see her off. Cecilia never once looked back, but the Head Maid kept her eyes fixed on the ornate carriage carrying the Third Princess. Even while speaking to Cecilia moments earlier, deep concern had been written all over her face. From the moment I first arrived, she had clearly struck me as someone who cared deeply for Cecilia.
"We'll be back safe and sound! Don't you worry—!"
I shouted at the top of my lungs, loud enough for my voice to reach the Head Maid as her figure steadily shrank in the distance. She probably would have preferred hearing those words from Cecilia rather than me, but there was no way our ill-tempered princess would ever utter such a sentiment. So, I waved my hand with everything I had, seeing her off properly in Cecilia's stead.
"...Serena, you're being noisy. Sit down."
"It's such a touching moment, and you're just cutting it short? The Head Maid is still watching us right now."
"Whether we say goodbye or not, she'll stand there until we're completely out of sight. Stop making a scene and sit down."
"I was only doing it because Your Highness was sitting there like a statue."
I had waved on her behalf, but the haughty princess seemed thoroughly unimpressed. Since I had no intention of provoking her temper further, I followed her orders and sat quietly in my seat.
"By the way, Your Highness, may I ask how long the journey to the Academy takes?"
"About two days. You won't have anything to do anyway, so feel free to sleep, or read a book if you're bored."
"Hmm..."
Two days. Cecilia didn't seem to pay it any mind, but I couldn't shake my growing suspicion about our current situation. A woman of royal blood—the Third Imperial Princess—was leaving the capital for the Academy, embarking on a journey that would take two full days. Why on earth were there only three carriages in total?
There was the carriage carrying Cecilia and me, another loaded with her luggage, and a final one for our escort to the Academy. Two days might not sound like an eternity, but by any reasonable standard, an escort packed into a single small carriage was absurdly inadequate. Unlike the opulent coach Cecilia and I occupied, the other two were noticeably compact. One carried her personal belongings, which made sense, but the other held our protective detail. It looked far too small to house a proper contingent of knights.
To my eyes, this was anything but safe. If anything, it felt downright perilous. It was practically an open invitation for an "accident."
"Will we be staying at an inn tonight, then?"
"We will travel until evening and spend the night at Baron Stupido's estate."
"Baron Stupido?"
"Yes. Not that I expected you to know of him. Just keep in mind that it's a small territory situated midway between the Imperial Capital and the Academy."
"A halfway point, essentially."
"Yes. We're only staying for a single night, so there's no reason to fret over it. Now, be quiet. The rocking is starting to make me dizzy."
"Understood."
Having gotten answers to my questions, I heeded Cecilia's command, closed my mouth, and gazed out the window.
A cramped carriage that couldn't possibly house an adequate guard. A modest fief to stop by along the way. And an imperial princess. The bad feeling in my gut was mounting from every angle. I couldn't be entirely certain, but something smelled rotten.
Ever since I became Serena, my heightened assassin senses had a way of flaring up—and right now, they were beginning to prickle. Unlike when the Guild Master announced his special training, or when Sylvia sparred with me, or when Cecilia leveled her terrifying threats, this was still a faint, subtle intuition.
"......"
I glanced over at Cecilia. Her eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling in quiet, measured breaths. She looked entirely at ease, drifting toward sleep without a care in the world. Even with her eyelids shut, however, the faint dark circles and the lingering fatigue around her features were impossible to miss.
I recalled the theory I had pieced together during my conversation with the Guild Master about the game's original storyline: an unknown organization, entirely off the radar of both the Assassins' Guild and the Imperial Family, kicking off the plot by assassinating the Third Princess on her way to the Academy. It had been nothing more than a passing hypothesis concocted in my head—something closer to idle nonsense than an actual narrative.
Tap... Tap...
Yet, for some reason, that nonsense was starting to feel disturbingly plausible. It had only been a stray thought during our discussion, but as my instincts continued to nag at me, my fingers drifted beneath my skirt, lightly tapping the dagger strapped against my thigh.
It didn't take long for me to become convinced that whoever was plotting something would make their move tonight, at Baron Stupido's estate. Their target would undeniably be Cecilia.
My senses sharpened to a razor's edge. Naturally, I couldn't sense anyone approaching just yet, but the tension was already coiling tight in my chest.
"......"
It seemed my first real combat engagement was going to arrive much sooner than I had anticipated. A wave of concern washed over me, naturally—but strange as it was, I wasn't afraid.