An Ambush in the Grand Duchy

The carriage came to an abrupt halt amid the commotion outside, followed immediately by the sharp sounds of battle. Rian, experiencing an ambush for the first time in his life, couldn't hide his panic. In contrast, Cynthia maintained a calm expression, as if the situation were all too familiar.

"It's probably the anti-imperial faction," she said.

"You mean the rebels?"

"Yes. Lately, those fools who don't value their own lives have been particularly active. It's surprisingly common in the Grand Duchy."

An ambush is common...?

This was the territory of the Rebellion Grand Duchy. Entering without permission was tantamount to abandoning one's life. Yet even as those madmen charged forward, Cynthia's face remained utterly emotionless.

Does that mean she's been attacked enough times to grow used to it...?

Come to think of it, he had heard rumors like this before. That the anti-imperial faction, plotting rebellion, had once ambushed a carriage carrying imperial blood. He didn't know their exact goal, but Cynthia undeniably carried the blood of the imperial family. If the rumors he'd heard were all true and she was part of them, her current reaction made perfect sense.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. The suppression should be over soon, so if we just wait quietly..."

"That's not what I meant. I was asking about the young lady of Rebellion."

"What do you mean?"

"You seem accustomed to situations like this. It must have been terrifying..."

"That was when I was young. I'm used to it now."

"...Even so..."

"You're a strange person."

"Pardon?"

"You're worried about me, aren't you?"

"...? Isn't that only natural?"

Though their engagement was far from ordinary, it was only natural to worry if one's fiancée was being threatened by terrorists. Of course, he knew she wasn't a weak person, but trust and concern were entirely different matters.

"For now, I am your fiancé."

"That's true... but I'm not an ordinary fiancée, am I?"

Jingle~

"......"

The ruby necklace hanging around Cynthia's neck. It was the very one that Lord Reiner had thrown away in front of him just days ago. When she deliberately showed it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to him, Rian's face hardened. She continued speaking.

"Does it suit me?"

"......"

"You have something you want to say to me, don't you? Go ahead. I'll quietly listen, whether it's curses or anything else."

"...It's fine."

"?"

Contrary to what she had expected, Rian quietly averted his gaze from the necklace. She had assumed he would at least hurl a few insults, but instead of getting angry, he continued in a calm voice.

"That necklace is already yours. Whether you use it, throw it away somewhere, or do anything else with it is entirely up to you, its owner."

"...Do you have no pride at all?"

"Right now, we should be paying attention to our surroundings rather than a necklace. I don't doubt the knights of the Grand Duchy, but there could always be unforeseen circumstances, so please stay alert."

"......"

Why?

Even when she deliberately provoked him as if daring him to get angry, Rian didn't rise to the bait. His expression looked like one of resignation, as if he had given up on something. Cynthia found his reaction deeply unpleasant. She couldn't quite put it into words, but she wished he would stop hiding his resentment toward her and just say it outright.

KWAGAGAANG!!

KWAGAGAGAGANG!!!

"......"

"......"

Even at this moment, the battle raged outside. The clash of weapons, someone's screams, and what sounded like explosions from magic spells continued without pause. Cynthia might have grown used to it, but Rian certainly hadn't. The increasingly clear sounds of combat kept his nerves on edge.

What if their true target is the young lady of Rebellion...?

Click!

He loaded the crossbow he had borrowed from Cynthia earlier. Since he wasn't confident in his swordsmanship, he had to be prepared to respond with the crossbow if necessary.

"...Mr. Rian. It'll be over soon, so please put the crossbow down."

"But, just in case..."

"Listen carefully. The sounds outside are getting quieter."

"?"

As she said, the noisy sounds of battle that had filled the air just moments ago had vanished without a trace. The voices of knights could be heard sporadically from outside, and the atmosphere suggested the fight was already over.

Thank goodness. I was worrying over nothing...

At that moment.

Hwaaaaak—!

"!?""

"What the hell?!"

"Don't panic! Protect the carriage!"

An intense flash of light burst in from outside the window. For a split second, Rian lost ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his vision and instinctively moved toward Cynthia.

"Young lady! Get out!"

"!"

If their target was truly Cynthia, they would never miss this opening. It was only natural they would break through the knights' defense and attack the carriage. Realizing this instantly, Rian shouted at her, and Cynthia belatedly understood, stepping out of the carriage.

The moment the two of them emerged—

KWAAAAAANG!!!

"Huk?!"

"My lady!!!"

Something falling from the sky smashed through the carriage roof and plunged inside. Fortunately, since Rian and Cynthia were already outside, they avoided harm.

It's coming.

Cynthia saw it clearly. Whatever had entered the carriage was now staring directly at her.

Should I handle this myself...!?

"N-no!"

If Cynthia could see it, then Rian, who was in the same position, could confirm the intruder's appearance as well. The figure held a sword, crouched low as if ready to spring forward at any moment. Though his body trembled from experiencing real combat for the first time, Rian raised the crossbow to protect Cynthia.

"What are you—!"

"Run, young lady!"

"Krrgh!"

PAAAAANG!!!

Ah, this is...!

The intruder's body shot forward like an arrow. The speed was far faster than Rian had anticipated, and he instinctively sensed the end. His combat ability was simply too lacking to respond to the attack.

I'm going to die!

"May!"

KWAAAAAANG!!!

"Keek!"

A short time later, the suppression of the attackers finally ended.

"Hey~ Cynthia. You okay?"

"I'm fine."

As expected, these people were far from ordinary. Unknown assailants had just swarmed them in a coordinated attack, yet Cynthia's friends looked around with casual expressions, as if it were no big deal.

"Whoa, I got a real shock when your carriage got wrecked."

"Are these bastards actually insane? Who throws their lives away for a surprise attack like this?"

"Still, it's a relief that Cynthia wasn't hurt anywhere."

"Yeah... though..."

When Cynthia trailed off while looking somewhere, the nobles' gazes followed hers. There, sitting on a nearby rock and receiving treatment from the knights, was a blue-haired man. It was Rian Veilburg, her fiancé.

"Hm? Young master Rian, are you injured?"

"Ah, yes. A little."

"Heh heh, someone who can't even fight properly—what were you thinking? You should have been more careful."

Max looked at Rian, who was the only one hurt, with clear disdain. Seeing this, Cynthia felt a surge of intense displeasure and spoke up instead.

"Rian got hurt trying to protect me."

"Huh? Protect you?"

"That's right."

"How could someone weaker than you protect you? If he hadn't gotten in the way..."

At that moment, a crossbow entered Max's field of vision. It was a weapon useful for hunting animals but utterly useless against mana-trained warriors. A sneer began to form on Max's lips as he spotted it.

"Pfft! Young master Rian, what is that?"

"...It's a crossbow."

"Don't tell me you tried to protect Cynthia with that? Against assassins?"

"......Yes."

"Kkh... Damn, pffft!"

Max's laughter burst out without restraint. And he wasn't the only one. The other nobles who had overheard the conversation joined in, mocking him. Rian felt both shame and humiliation at once, his face burning as he tried to hide it.

They're probably thinking, 'How dare a guy who hasn't even trained his mana act so recklessly?'

In truth, they weren't wrong. Cynthia probably could have handled the assassins on her own. By foolishly intervening, he had only brought unnecessary danger. His attempt to help her had instead become a burden that put her in an awkward position.

How embarrassing...

"Heh heh heh. You look like you're in a lot of pain. You should head back quickly. At this rate you'll start cryi—"

"Hey, Max. Shut your mouth."

"...Huh?"

"I said shut it. Can't you hear me?"

"???""

Cynthia sharply cut off Max as he continued to mock Rian. Taken aback by her sudden irritation, Max looked slightly dazed as he replied.

"What the hell? Why are you getting mad all of a sudden?"

"Why are you laughing so obnoxiously? Does it make you that happy that my fiancé got hurt?"

"No... Ha. Is that what you think I meant?"

"Then why are you laughing like an idiot?"

"Ugh, why are you acting like this out of nowhere?"

When Cynthia began to show genuine anger, Max's bravado faded slightly and he took a step back. Though they were friends, as nobles, they could not completely disregard each other's status. When Cynthia got seriously angry, it was only natural for her friends to back down.

"This is my last warning. Do not disrespect my fiancé. If you do it one more time, I'll make sure you never laugh again in your life."

"Ah... I got it. Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing to me? Didn't you pick the wrong person to apologize to?"

"Ahem... Young master Rian. I apologize."

"......"

In the end, Max was forced to apologize under Cynthia's pressure, but Rian couldn't even lift his head. He merely nodded. Instead of protecting his fiancée, he was the one being protected by her. Rian found his current self utterly pathetic.

...How pathetic I am.

One month after Cynthia and Rian were ambushed, the Yumariel Empire entered an emergency situation for the first time in a long while. The reason, as previously mentioned, was the ambush incident from a month ago. The forces of the anti-imperial faction had only grown stronger with time, becoming bold enough to target the Grand Duchess's daughter within the Grand Duchy's own lands.

In response, the Emperor issued orders across the empire for all nobles and warriors to search for and eliminate members of the anti-imperial faction. He even placed enormous bounties on several individuals suspected of being high-ranking officers to accelerate the operation.

While the world moved busily under these tense circumstances, at the Veilburg County—

"Young master! Young master! Young master! Young master!"

"Ah... Again?"

"Yes! It's here!"

Unlike the grim atmosphere gripping the empire, Anna the maid was bouncing around energetically by herself. Shaking her brown ponytail cheerfully, she raised the letter in her hand high and shouted.

"It's a date request from Lady Cynthia Rebellion!"

"......"

"This is already the sixth one this month! Kyaa~!"

Since the birthday party, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this was the sixth letter from Cynthia ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that had arrived first. Seeing her suddenly become so proactive, Rian could only feel awkward. He had no idea what she was thinking by sending these.

'......'

Bihar's voice pierced him like an awl. Rian remained unable to say anything. Only thoughts swirled in his head, and because he found himself agreeing with Bihar's words, he couldn't offer any rebuttal.

...I'm so tired...