The News the Crow Brought
Charlene rose from the narrow round wooden bathtub and carefully opened the bathroom door. Sure enough, Princess Mage stood there, her body barely covered by a towel.
“Hello, Miss Charlene? Shall we bathe together?”
Tsk. What scheme is this princess cooking up now?
With that thought, Charlene sat back down in the tub with a displeased expression. In the meantime, Princess Mage splashed cold water over herself and slipped into the tub completely naked.
Charlene was startled by the sight of Princess Mage’s skin. It was so white. Did she manage it so thoroughly because she was a princess?
Princess Mage lightly scooped warm water onto her beautiful collarbone with both hands and asked, “Miss Charlene? You have quite a nice figure yourself. Though aren’t your shoulders a bit too broad for a woman? I doubt Kailon would like that kind of build.”
When Princess Mage delivered the light provocation, Charlene gave an awkward smile and shot back, “I usually wear maid uniforms, so it doesn’t bother me. By the way, with breasts that small, can you even satisfy a man, Princess? Guys don’t like flat chests—”
“F-flat chest? Who are you calling flat-chested? Yours just look saggy and ugly, Miss Charlene.”
A vein bulged on Charlene’s forehead. “What did you just say? Did you come here to pick a fight in the bath?”
“O-of course not! I simply haven’t been able to wash all day, so I came to bathe.”
Even as she said it, Princess Mage felt a flicker of anxiety. Now that she had seen Miss Charlene’s naked body… it really was attractive. A glamorous figure with just the right hint of abs. Her skin had a healthy, sun-kissed glow too. A woman with a body like that launching a full physical assault would probably make Kailon surrender in seconds.
Charlene crossed her legs, leaned back against the tub, and spoke with confidence. “Men prefer women who are healthy and beautiful. Who would want someone pale and frail like soft tofu? Right?”
“I could tan my skin for a healthy look anytime I wanted. A princess is simply expected to maintain fair skin—that’s why I take special care of it.”
“Really? My master doesn’t particularly like pale skin, though.”
“R-really?”
When Princess Mage reacted with clear panic, Charlene seized the opening and leaned in until their faces were inches apart. “As I thought. Princess? You aren’t harboring any strange feelings toward my master, are you?”
“T-t-that’s ridiculous! I am a princess of this empire. Why would I ever develop feelings for a mere commoner? How absurd. Truly.”
Princess Mage’s awkward attempt at anger only made Charlene scoop more hot water onto her shoulders as she replied, “I don’t tolerate anyone touching what’s mine. Even if you’re a princess, you’d better not cross the line.”
“Wh-who said I crossed any line?”
“Princess? You said you were curious about my true identity, didn’t you?”
Charlene leaned close to Princess Mage’s ear and whispered softly, “I am a grim reaper. Right now, I can see exactly how much life you have left. So don’t do anything foolish and shorten what little time remains. Understood?”
Grim… reaper? The words made Princess Mage flinch backward. Charlene’s crimson eyes sparkled with unusual intensity.
“Hohoho.” Charlene laughed brightly as she stood up from the tub. “Just kidding. How could a grim reaper possibly work as a maid? Well then, I’ll wash up now.”
Even in that moment, Princess Mage found herself thinking, Miss Charlene’s backside is prettier than mine.
She was genuinely surprised. For the first time, she had met someone who surpassed her in nearly every category—appearance, confidence, strength, ability. A bitter feeling surged up from deep in her chest. Was this… inferiority?
I’m a princess of this empire too. I won’t lose.
She stared at Charlene’s beautiful retreating figure and made that silent vow.
By the way, a grim reaper? Was it a joke? Or was she serious?
Princess Mage couldn’t tear her eyes away from that lovely backside.
That night. Maybe it was because I had driven the carriage for so long, but I felt strangely exhausted. I lay in bed and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
While I was out cold, someone shook me awake.
Mmm… Nngh… Wh-who is it?
Two red eyes gazed down at me in the darkness. What the—? Geez, you scared me. It was Charlene.
“What is it, Charlene? What’s going on?” I asked in a groggy, hoarse voice.
She answered in a low whisper. “Master? It feels like someone is watching us.”
Watching us? What was she talking about? I glanced over at the other bed where Princess Mage was sleeping soundly.
“Watching? Where did that come from? Did you have a nightmare or something?”
“No. I’m quite sensitive to these things. Someone is definitely—”
Charlene turned her gaze toward the window on the far side.
Who could be watching us? I followed her line of sight to the same window, then bolted upright. I strode over and threw it wide open.
As expected, there was no one there. Only the chirping of crickets filled the night.
“Charlene, you were just being overly sensitive. Who would be watching us?”
When I responded like that, she came over and poked her head out the window. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath of the outside air, and answered calmly, “Was it my imagination after all?”
Oh. Charlene was wearing nothing but a loose pajama top. Her bottoms were nowhere to be seen. I swallowed hard, my eyes tracing her long, shapely legs before I quickly looked away.
“Sorry for waking you, Master. Go back to sleep.”
With that murmur, she returned to her bed and lay down.
Hmm. She really was sensitive about things like this. Just to be safe, I locked every window from the inside, checked the door, and crawled back into bed.
Damn it. Once I’m awake, falling asleep again is always a pain. We had to set out early tomorrow morning too.
I grumbled to myself and forced my eyes shut once more.
A short while later, in a deep forest nearby. Five figures sat gathered around a quietly burning campfire.
“Whew. That was close. The maid is unnecessarily sharp.”
The man who had just arrived at the campfire wiped sweat from his brow as he spoke. The man who appeared to be their leader responded calmly.
“What was the opponent like? Does he live up to the rumors?”
“Yeah. He’s no ordinary foe. Looked strong at first glance. Fits the profile of the mage who defeated Sephirot.”
At those words, a young woman shoved her hands into her pockets, gave a short laugh, and replied, “Sephirot was just weak. That idiot always acts like he’s hot stuff—that’s his whole problem.”
A brief silence fell. The man who had returned from surveilling Kailon’s group asked, “What’s the plan, Boss?”
The middle-aged leader stared into the flames for a moment before answering calmly, “We took the money and accepted the request. We eliminate the targets. We move in earnest starting tomorrow.”
“Whew. Boss?” The young woman looked at him. “This target looks pretty tough. Are we walking into a loss?”
“Don’t worry. I was planning to squeeze out extra payment anyway. Since Duke Lucas Eisenvelt made the request, he’ll throw in a nice bonus.”
“That’s what I like to hear. It’s been a while since we’ve all gathered like this.”
The young woman tossed another piece of firewood into the flames. The campfire roared upward with a sudden burst of sparks.
The next morning. Damn it. In the end I never managed to fall back asleep. Was it really because Charlene woke me up for no reason last night?
I grumbled about it, but… I couldn’t actually complain to her. Because Charlene was a maid down to her very bones—ridiculously diligent. She had risen at dawn, gone to the nearby market, bought ingredients, and finished preparing breakfast.
This inn didn’t offer meals, after all. I sat at the table rubbing my bloodshot eyes.
Princess Mage, who had woken slightly earlier than me, took a seat as well.
“Miss Charlene? Why did you prepare breakfast all by yourself? I could have helped.”
When the princess spoke through a yawn, Charlene—who had already tossed aside her apron—answered, “Because I don’t trust your cooking skills, Princess. I made a light soup and pancakes, so please eat modestly.”
Mmm… It tasted great. As expected of Charlene. No one could criticize her housekeeping abilities.
Right at that moment, a crow flew in through the open window and perched on the sill.
What the hell? Why did a crow have to show up first thing in the morning? It was bad luck.
When I moved to shoo it away, the princess jumped up from her seat and approached the bird. “Don’t chase it off. It’s a messenger crow from the imperial palace.”
“A messenger crow?”
“Yes. Crows are very intelligent. Could you cut that pancake into small pieces? And put some water in a small bowl. It flew all the way here, so we should at least offer it a meal.”
Hmm… They did say crows were the smartest birds. It had somehow managed to find this exact inn. It must have been one raised in the palace by the princess.
While I served the finely chopped pancake and water to the crow, Princess Mage unfolded the small note it had carried and read it.
“Oh my… Just as I thought.”
At her quiet murmur, Charlene—who had been spooning up soup—looked up. “What is it? Did something happen at the palace?”
“Before I left, I asked my brother to keep a close eye on Duke Eisenvelt and everyone around him. Sure enough, we’ve already received a signal.”
“What kind of signal?”
“It seems Elder, one of Duke Eisenvelt’s closest aides, secretly contacted an assassination group.”
An assassination group? I had been watching the crow devour its food when I looked up at the princess in shock.
“Why would someone like Elder contact an assassination group?”
The princess set down her spoon and answered gravely, “Elder moves like an extension of Duke Eisenvelt himself. If he reached out to assassins, it can only be on the duke’s orders. The reason Duke Eisenvelt would hire them is…”
Charlene swallowed a mouthful of soup and answered, “He’s targeting the emperor, isn’t he?”
“No. If he hired assassins to harm Father right now, the person who would suffer the most is Duke Eisenvelt. Public sentiment hasn’t turned against Father yet.”
Tsk. Charlene really was something. Talking about the emperor so casually in front of the princess without using any honorifics.
If things had reached this point, then the person Duke Eisenvelt was after…
My eyes, Charlene’s, and Princess Mage’s all met at the same time. It seemed everyone in the room had reached the same conclusion.
A brief silence fell. Charlene broke it first with a small chuckle. “I’m not the kind of maid who’d lose to some assassination group. Don’t worry too much.”
But Princess Mage’s expression remained deadly serious. “No. If Duke Eisenvelt has hired that particular group, even you might have a difficult time this round, Miss Charlene.”
That assassination group?