The Princess Maker (2)

“...Hmph. Nonsense.”

After reading the entire letter, Deyla tore ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it to shreds on the spot. It was a letter from the First Prince, Ian Pildoor. To an outside observer it would appear to be an exceedingly affectionate message, yet to her his pitch-black intentions were plain as day.

“He’s already planted countless eyes and ears throughout the banquet hall, yet he’s telling me to stay away?”

It was a de facto restraint. By claiming he himself would not attend, he was preventing her participation. If she did appear, the letter carried an insidious warning that he would check her in some manner. Meanwhile, he would gather every scrap of information through the nobles while isolating her within the political arena.

“No chance. I will never let things go the way you want.”

Of course she had no intention of obeying. She would forge a connection with the hero by any means necessary. For a princess politically isolated like herself, that was the only path available. She needed to create a card she could play, whatever it took.

So she forced herself to attend the banquet. She endured the nobles’ cold stares and remained wary of the restraints that could come flying from any direction. It was frightening and nerve-racking, but for the sake of her future she could overcome it.

Time passed, the banquet began, and when she finally met the hero she had longed to see… she could only feel disappointment. The hero’s first impression was, quite literally, the worst.

“Bring the alcohol!”

He kept spitting out crude words as he demanded more drinks. The man she encountered at the banquet was a perfect scoundrel. A rude brute with no sense of etiquette or shame, and a brainless fool on top of it. She was honestly amazed that someone like him could have become the hero.

Realizing it would be difficult to build any normal connection, she instinctively concluded inside.

I suppose I’ll have to give up on making connections…

A sigh slipped from her lips before she could stop it.

The Pildoor Empire. The imperial family led by the current emperor Maurice Pildoor had five children in total. First Prince Ian, Second Prince Aiden, First Princess Aila, Second Princess Elvira, and Third Princess Deyla. Every one of them was a shining star of the empire.

Moreover, Maurice was not a particularly patriarchal figure. In other words, anyone with sufficient ability could challenge for the imperial throne.

At this point, one thing could be predicted: a bloody storm would sweep through the imperial family. After all, whoever won could place every soul in the empire beneath them—who would not fight for that?

Unfortunately, we never got to witness that gory struggle.

Because it was already almost settled.

The first princess was dead. The second prince was imprisoned. Second Princess Elvira had joined the first prince’s faction, and most nobles supported him as well. The first prince’s ascension was virtually confirmed.

Deyla had entered the race as a latecomer in that situation. Naturally, her position was terrible. On top of that, the first prince’s temperament was violently ruthless, so the pressure against her grew harsher by the day. One only had to look at what happened to the first ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠princess and second prince to understand.

In truth, her own life was like a candle flame before the wind—liable to be snuffed out at any moment.

Yet precisely because of that, she needed connections.

There could be no better conditions. She was in no position to be picky. She had to seize any lifeline, even if it looked like a rotten rope.

The problem is how to create the opportunity…

It was clearly going to be difficult here. With so many people around, how could she approach first? Both she, under constant restraint from every side, and I, who had drawn wide-area aggro, found movement equally difficult.

Still, it was fine. Opportunities always came eventually.

For now, let’s just watch.

Thinking that, I carefully activated a skill without being noticed.

A violet light briefly spread across my palm, and a small insect appeared. It was the one-eyed bug we had been especially careful to eliminate inside the Insect King’s castle. Its grotesque eye would serve as an excellent scouting tool.

Stick to her.

I secretly attached one of the one-eyed bugs to her. Done. Now I would know where she went no matter what. All that remained was to watch comfortably.

Although she had given up on a direct meeting with the hero, Deyla did not remain idle. Unlike the hero, his party members all appeared normal. With the mindset of taking whatever she could get, she approached them instead.

Of course, it was not easy to get close… While they were not as bad as the hero, they still drew considerable attention. Surrounded by numerous nobles and chatting amiably, they looked like the very center of high society. Well, for today at least, calling them the center was not an exaggeration. After all, they had slain the Four Heavenly Kings.

She watched them for a moment with a hint of envy, then stepped forward and introduced herself.

“Hello. I am Deyla von Pildoor.”

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠party members’ reactions varied.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Kamilla offered a disciplined bow befitting her prestigious knightly house, while Yulise greeted her with a benevolent smile worthy of a saintess. Lily bowed at a perfect ninety degrees as if flustered, and Adel gave a light, expressionless nod. Though their reactions differed, each carried a degree of respect and courtesy.

Receiving such respect ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠after so long lifted her mood slightly. She tried to continue the conversation right away—had someone not grabbed her shoulder.

“Haha, Your Highness, was I not speaking with them first?”

It was a noble holding the rank of baron. A mere baron had placed his hand on a princess’s shoulder without permission and was telling her to step back. Under normal circumstances such disrespect would warrant the extermination of three generations of his family, yet…

“Haha… I see.”

She could only withdraw. The baron was undoubtedly part of the first prince’s faction. In fact, everyone present was. Besides, she lacked the power to punish even a baron. The only forces granted to her—someone with virtually no supporters—were a handful of apprentice escort knights and a demoted court maid. That was her current reality.

A princess in name only, stripped of any real power. Thinking about her situation brought a surge of bitterness, but as always she calmed her heart.

It’s all right.

She had grown used to it. Was she not working even now to escape this situation?

After that she continued to be rebuffed in similar ways. Whenever she tried to speak with the hero’s party, nobles would insert themselves and subtly push her back. It was their way of denying her any chance to build connections.

Before she knew it, the banquet had ended. The nobles, drunk beyond reason, began drifting back to their mansions. The hero himself had fallen sound asleep on the table, while the servants moved about with tired faces to clean up.

“......”

Deyla could only leave with a bitter heart. She had gained absolutely nothing from the banquet. As she stepped outside, her escort knight greeted her.

“You have returned, Your Highness.”

“...Let’s go.”

She muttered gloomily and fell into step beside him. The knight, who had guessed her feelings from that alone, quickly offered comfort. Though his skill was only at the apprentice level, his devotion to serving her was sincere.

“It seems things did not go well. Still, please do not worry, Your Highness. The day when everyone recognizes your true character will surely come.”

“It needs to come soon…”

Deyla smiled weakly. It had already been over a year since she entered the race as a latecomer and stood against the first prince. So many things had happened in that time. Her once-close older sister Elvira had gone over to the first prince, and the knights and nobles who had once greeted her warmly now kept their distance. They had all been coaxed or threatened by the first prince, she knew. Yet there was nothing she could do. No one would side with a certain loser.

She knew that, but she could not give up. Otherwise, the death of her eldest sister Aila would feel far too unfair.

She walked on with that gloomy expression for some time.

“Didn’t His Highness the First Prince clearly warn you not to attend the banquet?”

“?”

A voice suddenly came from ahead. When she looked up, she saw about a dozen figures wearing hoods.

“Despite the warning, you ignored it and came anyway. In that case, we have no choice but to act roughly…”

“Who are you…? No, before that—only I should know about the letter I received. How do you know about it?”

For a moment, confusion flashed in the princess’s eyes.

“Ah, don’t tell me…!”

But the confusion lasted only a second. Her eyes widened as she realized something.

“The imperial extermination squad?”

The extermination squad. Similar to a royal guard, yet operating in far darker places. Their main duties were assassination, threats, cleanup—everything too dirty to be done in the open. The fact that they had come for her meant she was their target this time. The client was obviously the first prince.

She growled in a voice tight with tension.

“You dare lay a hand on an imperial princess? No matter whose orders you follow, do you really think you will walk away unscathed?”

“Haha, do you think we would actually kill you, Your Highness?”

The man beneath the hood laughed lightly.

“We will simply detain you for a while. You will have been kidnapped by ruffians while returning to the palace. Those ruffians will be eliminated by the royal guard in a few days, and you will be rescued. We have already prepared a scapegoat.”

“What if I return and reveal everything?”

“Haha, who would believe the words of a powerless princess…? Besides, we would not simply send you back. We would ensure your silence to a certain degree.”

Suddenly the man’s eyes beneath the hood glittered.

“And of course… some ‘persuasion’ will be necessary as well.”

A chill ran down her spine. He had said “persuasion,” but anyone familiar with the extermination squad knew the true meaning behind that word. It included every kind of threat and brainwashing imaginable.

Looking behind him, she saw another hooded figure gathering black mana. Proof of a dark mage. The squad had brought a black magician to brainwash and threaten her through curses. The things she would suffer under those curses… were beyond anything she dared imagine.

Her body began to tremble as she pictured a grim future. Her escort knight drew his sword.

“Stand back, Your Highness.”

“Ha, a half-baked knight dares to…”

But his small act of resistance was crushed in seconds. The lead hooded man flicked his hand once, and the knight was slammed into the wall.

BANG!

The man did not stop there. He lifted the knight several times and hurled him to the ground. Deyla watched in horror.

A psychokinetic!

Psychokinesis. An ability similar to yet distinctly different from magic. A unique power no one else could replicate. Among those she knew, there was only one person who used psychokinesis.

Kyle, vice-captain of the extermination squad. A top-tier expert within the empire and a swordsman who wielded psychokinesis. That very man had come to capture her.

She tried to flee immediately, but even that was blocked by a barrier.

Thump. Thump.

Her heart pounded violently with tension.

“It’s useless. We have already finished preparing the entire area. No matter how much you scream or cry for help, no one will come. No one will know what happens here today.”

“...I see.”

“Wow, he’s right.”

It was then. A voice came from a place where neither the hooded group nor the princess’s side had anyone standing.

“Man, this barrier is so tight not even an ant could slip through. No sound or smell will leak either. I don’t know who made it, but it’s well done.”

“Who’s there!”

The startled extermination squad members whipped their heads toward the voice. Deyla’s gaze followed naturally.

And there stood…

“Hello~ I’m the hero.”

The hero was waving his hand with a gentle smile. His atmosphere was completely different from what she had seen at the banquet. The face that had been flushed with alcohol was now clear and calm. The half-lidded eyes were sharp as they regarded the extermination squad. Even his strangely polite tone made him seem like an entirely different person.

The situation was so bizarre that Deyla could only ask herself one thing.

...What is this?