Ending Conditions of the Princess and the Knight

“Aah–”

Uh-oh, he said something. Zed brushed off his chest as if he had almost expected something extraordinary from a stone-like human.

“Come to think of it, you said you met the princess yesterday. If I wasn’t working a shift, I would have gone with you……. What did she say?”

What had she said. Claude rubbed his chin, remembering the rough, intense feel of the tablecloth.

“Do I seem like a good person?”

“Yes?”

“Tell me. Am I a good person?”

What a random and strange question. However, Zed sincerely answered with utmost honesty.

“The Captain is simply an outstanding person.”

“I asked if I’m a good person.”

“Well, that’s not really… It doesn’t seem like it… No, I don’t think so.”

“Yeah, it’s offensive, but you’re right. I’m not a nice person, not usually, and certainly not here, but the princess said I’m nicer than I thought.”

“Eehh?”

“So let’s help each other and live well.”

“Are you in your right mind?”

“Instead of insisting that I’ve lost my mind, she was like a fluent bird, speaking confidently. She even called me by a friendly name, and before I knew it, I ended up revealing where I live.”

“No, why did you just let that happen!”

Tricked? Yes, I think that’s the right word, I was tricked.

She promptly responded to every question asked, and though it was partly my fault, she quickly calmed my gloomy face and obediently wiped the wet clothes as instructed.

Come to think of it, she was unexpectedly difficult to deal with. It’s a different feeling than just being formidable.

“How can you tell if she was scared or not? Maybe she was just putting on a front.”

“No, she definitely seemed confident.”

The kind of confidence she had was the belief that she could defeat her opponents. She had the confidence that she could defeat anyone right in front of her if she wanted to.

At that time, I didn’t consciously realize it, but I might have been secretly taken aback by the princess’s attitude. Typically, most people feel overwhelmed by the strong aura he exuded.

“I wish I knew where she had been and what she had been doing all this time. A clear analysis of that princess is necessary.”

The instruction was to gather all possible information, but Zed felt that Claude’s reaction to it was excessive.

“Do you have to be so sensitive? What can she do in her current state? Wouldn’t it be better to crack down on the mages who are causing unnecessary commotions?”

“No, just focus all available manpower on the princess.”

She was not just unusual, she was extraordinary. And in moments when such a feeling arises, it is best to act cautiously.

“Even if we wanted to, we cannot be defeated with our current forces.”

“We haven’t properly fought against the wizards yet. We don’t know how strong they are.”

A people with innate magical powers had always been feared by an empire full of ordinary humans.

Be it beings of darkness, minions of the devils, their infamous reputation within the empire has reached unprecedented heights. That is the reason why they could not stand without being accused.

‘But to overturn that overnight?’

It was only a few years ago when they could stop a crying child by scaring them that a mage was coming to eat them. Now, they had become a wounded beast with broken claws, so it shouldn’t be a big deal.

Claude couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of the knights and his greedy aunt thinking so easily.

If you want to devour someone else’s land, you should have the appropriate dignity and decency without looking down on your opponent. How could they think so lightly?

His intuition foretold that wizards were by no means easy opponents.

And the returned princess, she would be no different.

“Anyway, didn’t we plant our flag there first?”

“If there were no owners, that would make sense. But the owner has returned. Everyone said she went somewhere and died, but she was perfectly alive. She has an unpredictable personality and even more difficult-to-measure power. Just know. If you observe, you’ll understand.”

If that’s the case, then what will happen next is obvious.

In the normal course of events, the princess will naturally demand the return of her property. The right to rule, the power to tax, the administrative authority, the defense authority—everything. It originally belonged to her, and that was right.

“It’s unreasonable. The Captain received the delegation of command from His Majesty.”

“You’re quite stubborn, Zed. Even if you’re the emperor of the empire, you have no authority to interfere in the succession rights of another country. This is not Valoran, but Izarith.”

“No, wait!”

Someone may not know that right now, but still, bending the elbow inward1suggests that the person is easily influenced, easily swayed, or lacks assertiveness in their actions or decisions doesn’t make everything morally resolved in land-grabbing.

Even if it’s the noble Valoran that values morality and chivalry.

‘Are you our commander? Which country are you from?!’

Claude leaned against the window without responding and twirled his sword, amused by the thought of his emperor.

“The princess we thought was dead has returned, which throws a wrench into our future plans. This is the misfortune brought upon by His Majesty’s greed. To enjoy such a vast territory and still covet this much, punishment awaits. Seeing that, I guess God is fair after all.”

This person is truly audacious. Audacious and lacking in courtesy.

Even when Zed tried to glare at him, demanding an apology, Claude treated him like he was no more important than a passing dog.

“From now on, make sure I hear everything about where the princess is, what she’s doing, and who she’s with, without missing a single detail. Keep at it until I command otherwise.”

“No, isn’t it more important to show respect to His Majesty, the emperor, rather than worrying about that princess?!”

“Why, the princess is the most important thing to me, and I never think of anything else.”

And his straightforward and resolute statement was enough to create misunderstandings, causing his subordinates’ eyes to widen in a triangular shape.

“Please be honest with me.”

“What?”

“Just wondering.”

“What are you wondering about.”

“Is it, by any chance, that you fell in love at first sight or something like that?”

“What?”

“I mean, did you genuinely fall in love and that’s why you’re behaving like this? People say the princess is incredibly beautiful, so… Is she really that beautiful? To the point where you can’t think of anything else and think about her all day long?”

Claude let out a frustrated sigh, trying to give a meaningful glance.

When did I ever say I spent the whole day thinking about the princess… Uh, is that so?

And that momentary pause, that change in expression, sucked Zed into a swamp of misunderstanding.

Why can’t you answer? Why?

He asked desperately, but in a way that showed he had expected it.

“Ah, was she really that beautiful?”

“It’s not like that—”

“Captain, I’m genuinely concerned. Falling in love at first sight is very dangerous. It’s a poisonous love. Moreover, she’s the princess of an enemy nation. This is a forbidden love!”

Zed spoke in an excited tone, like an old woman warning you to be careful with apples that are too red.

Bang bang bang!

Claude was about to elaborate further, but was interrupted by an urgent knock at the door, and another one rushed in.

“Your Excellency, I have a telegram for you!”

The color of the telegram was yellow, which meant it’s semi-urgent.

And right now, the only thing on Claude’s semi-urgent list is the Princess of Izarith.

He tossed the holy sword he’d been playing with like a toy onto his desk.

The sender was a guard on patrol near the hotel, and the message said that a carriage had left the hotel early in the morning.

“Are you sure this is the one with the princess on board?”

“Circumstantial evidence suggests so, sir. They witnessed the steward personally calling for a carriage and sending her off.”

“If that’s the case, then the likelihood is high.”

I thought we would have some time for preparation, but the princess wasted no time and immediately took action within 24 hours. We haven’t made any arrangements or countermeasures yet.

As I quickly absorbed the remaining words with my eyes, it was written that the carriage had crossed the bridge.

If she crossed the bridge from the hotel…

“It says she’s coming this way.”

Why here…

“To see me?”

It was a casual thought, but it was a reasonable inference for someone who had just had their address ripped off, and hearing it sent Zed into another fit of panic.

To think that a princess would want to visit him, that’s just plain crazy!

Fortunately, the subordinate who brought the urgent report clarified the situation.

“In my opinion, the destination is most likely a wine bar or a teahouse.”

“A wine bar? A teahouse?”

Claude frowned, as both places immediately came to mind.

They were both terrible places.

First, the wine bar.

The social center, which was meant to be an imperial salon, was to Claude nothing more than a place where groups of people with nothing better to do sat and milled about.

At every opportunity, the idlers pestered him, asking him to do this, to do that. To dine with them, to go out with them.

He was annoyed and dismissed them as intrusive, but the dam of humanity knows no bounds, so he didn’t even pass in front of it.

And the teahouse. A teahouse……

“Why.”

“Excuse me?”

“Why. There must be a reason you thought that way.”

“Oh, well……”

“Just say it. Even if you say it, I don’t like either of them anyway.”

“Well, it’s because I speculated who the owner of the carriage might be. It’s not someone the commander is particularly fond of……”

The subordinate hesitated and cautiously spoke, citing it as a clue derived from the mention of the owner personally attending to it.

“Well, you know. The one making strange noises.”

“The whiner… Damn it.”

Okay, considering the connection, it wasn’t an unreasonable combination.

But if my companion is at that level, it’s a bit problematic.

Actually, it’s quite problematic.

Claude, who stood up abruptly, quickly grabbed his coat and bounced out that way.

“Captain?! What about the meal? What about the sword?”

Seeing the discarded sword and food, Zed sighed, ‘Oh my, oh my.’

“He really fell head over heels, head over heels. He didn’t even eat, and he threw away the Holy Sword!”

* * *

“I can see why this place is doing so well.”

Taeri said as soon as we entered the wine bar.

This place is the hottest place in town.

Even though it was just past lunchtime, the bar was bustling with customers who had come in for after-lunch drinks.

People who had dressed up to the nines gathered under luxurious lighting, holding glasses and freely engaging in conversations.

“Who wants a refill? Hurry up and join us.”

Bridget, who glared with her eyes, grabbed Taeri’s elbow, and together they delved into a secluded spot where the bartender was mixing cocktails.

While occasionally catching glimpses of passing individuals, no one noticed that she might be the princess, thanks to the disguise magic cast on her beret.