The Unknown Princess

Tap. Tap.

Only the elf's footsteps echoed through the wide corridors of Pelgaroin Castle.

She walked slowly, almost without purpose. The weakness in her steps matched the uneasy weight in her heart.

You…

Ashley de Pelgaroin. The count's second daughter.

Even when she knew she stood before someone she could never defeat, Ashley had refused to show fear. She had held her ground, suppressing the knowledge that defying the elf might cost her life.

In all her long years, the elf had met only a handful of humans like her.

Some people refused to surrender no matter how desperate their circumstances became. Even when defeat seemed inevitable, they stood before others and became a light for them to follow. The world called such people heroes. They were willing to burn away their own lives for the sake of others, for society, for a better world.

But Ashley was different.

The cause she had chosen was not a nation or a people. It was one person.

I love Theorad!

Love was the only revolution Ashley wanted.

I'll save Theorad from you, no matter what!

She had decided that, for the man she loved, she would give even her life. Like a flower bud bursting open beneath the sun, an unyielding resolve had blossomed in Ashley's heart as she confronted the elf.

The elf could sense what would follow.

Ashley would no longer retreat. Even at the cost of her life, she would try to rescue Theorad from what she believed to be evil.

And that evil, naturally, was the elf herself.

As though you know anything about me…

Ashley might have been ignorant of the elf's side of the story, but she was not blind to the danger she faced. That made her determination harder to dismiss.

The elf's chest tightened. Emotions she had no name for tangled her thoughts, clouding convictions that had once seemed beyond question.

Before she realized it, she had stopped outside Theorad's room.

She put a hand on the doorknob, then hesitated.

Originally, she had meant to warn Ashley and then confront Theorad for leaving her behind. She could no longer bring herself to do it.

You're disgusting.

Ashley's words pierced her like a dagger.

Her thoughts would not settle. If she faced Theorad in this state, she doubted she would be able to say a word.

She had lived so long that a human might have passed through three lifetimes in the same span. Yet the condemnation of someone who hated her could still hurt.

At last, she released the handle.

…Not today.

She would see Theorad another time. There was no shortage of time. What harm could there be in keeping away from him for a day?

She had almost convinced herself of that and was about to return to the stable where she had been assigned to sleep.

Click.

The doorknob moved.

The elf recoiled. Before she could turn away, the door swung open and Theorad stepped into the corridor.

“...”

He was dressed with his usual immaculate care. Looking down at her, he narrowed his light-brown eyes.

His gaze seemed cold enough to be a reprimand.

The elf lowered her head without speaking.

---

Why are you here…?

I had only opened the door to fetch something to drink.

Finding the elf standing outside was enough to make my heart nearly stop.

I tried to look down at her calmly, but the hand gripping the doorknob was trembling against my will.

Of course it was. I had deliberately sent the elf away from the castle garden and spent time alone with Ashley.

She must have been furious. Why else would she come all the way here from the stable where she was supposed to spend the night?

This is bad…!

If an angry elf entered my room, there was a very real chance I would meet my second death.

I didn't know whether it would work, but surely the best course was to order her away before that happened.

“What are you doing loitering here? Get out of my sight this instant—”

The words died in my throat.

Something was wrong with her.

She wasn't whining as she usually did, nor was she acting high-handed and furious. Her half-lidded eyes were fixed on the floor, and she seemed lost in some unhappy thought.

What's going on?

I couldn't understand it. Even knowing what she was capable of, I found myself worried by how unlike herself she seemed.

After an awkward pause, I took hold of her chin and lifted her face.

There was a faint wetness in her red eyes. She looked at me once, then deliberately turned her gaze away.

I've never seen her like this.

She had pretended to be helpless countless times to coax insults from me, but there had always been something theatrical about it. This was different.

Unless she was acting even now?

I considered the possibility briefly and rejected it.

“Tell me. Is someone bullying you?”

She remained silent for a long time. At last, she answered on a quiet breath.

“…No.”

“Then why are you—”

“No… I…”

Her sharp glance made my shoulders jump. I let go of her chin at once.

Well, of course. Who in this castle could possibly bully her?

To stand any chance of challenging the elf, someone would at least need recognition as a Sword Master from the imperial swordsmen's certifying body, the so-called Hawk of Unspoken.

Even Hildes Froheim, commander of the county's knights and supposedly its finest swordsman, had only reached the rank of Provost Meister, one step below a Sword Master. He was hardly likely to defeat her.

And why would a swordsman of that stature go out of his way to challenge someone who looks like an ordinary enslaved elf?

At least she wasn't quarreling with anyone. If people had mistreated her because they saw only a slave, I would have been the one to suffer for it.

But then…

Why did she look so miserable?

I glanced at her again. Something had stained her maid's uniform, though I couldn't tell what. There was also a faint, appetizing smell about her.

Had she been helping in the kitchens? Perhaps the dirty clothes were what had spoiled her mood.

If that was all, the problem was easy enough to solve.

“Come inside.”

“I don't like it.”

“Don't be insolent.”

I gave her a sharp look. My tone was commanding, but I had every intention of letting her go if she refused a second time.

She didn't refuse. Nor did she agree. She simply stared ahead, unreadable.

I couldn't bear to demand an answer again.

With a sigh, I turned and went into the room. A moment later, the elf followed me like a duckling trailing its mother.

“First, sit on the bed.”

I wanted her to stay in one place while I thought. I worried she might refuse again, but she went over and sat without resistance.

Relieved, I crossed the spacious room and opened the wardrobe.

Guest robes and casual clothes hung on one side. On the other was a maid's uniform belonging to House Pelgaroin.

There had been too few guest rooms after the sudden arrival of so many members of the imperial entourage—particularly knights who expected the better accommodations.

Ashley had hurriedly converted the head maid's room into a guest chamber for me.

If I'd known, I would have asked for an ordinary room.

I would have been perfectly comfortable there. It was the inconvenience to the head maid that troubled me.

I made a mental note to give her some gold coins later in thanks.

For now, I took the Pelgaroin maid's uniform from the wardrobe and inspected it.

It was much like the clothing worn by the servants at Deharem Mansion, though the fabric and finish were more elegant. Perhaps that was because it belonged to the head maid.

There was nothing wrong with it. The elf could change into this.

I shut the wardrobe, carried the uniform to the bed and, after a deliberate cough, tossed it beside her.

“Change your clothes. You smell dreadful. Walking around in a filthy uniform reflects badly on House Deharem.”

The elf didn't move. She merely looked up at me with a vacant expression.

“…And it's unhygienic. If you fall ill, I'll be the one responsible for the trouble.”

Still no answer.

She kept looking at me with those empty eyes. My mouth grew dry.

I didn't know what she wanted, and I was afraid that doing nothing might be worse than getting it wrong.

Think, Theorad. What would an elf with tastes like hers expect in this situation?

An answer occurred to me.

Perhaps she wanted me to take her clothes off.

“Fine. I'll do it myself, you careless bitch.”

I went down on one knee beside her and reached around her back to loosen the knot of her apron.

Then I removed her hairband and set it aside. I untied the fastening at the neck of the uniform, the one that kept the garment from slipping off her shoulders.

All that remained was to lower the top along her shoulders.

I was just about to do so when a terrible thought made me stop.

What if she isn't wearing underwear again?

Then I would have to see her bare chest. And if she chose that moment to seduce me, I might be dragged into another sexual encounter before I knew it.

Had she planned all of this?

My hands began to shake. I couldn't bring myself to pull the garment down.

Click.

Someone turned the doorknob.

The door flew open.

“So this is Theorad Deharem's room…”

The visitor broke off.

I turned toward the voice, dread crawling up my spine.

A woman with long gray-black hair stood in the doorway, dressed in a military uniform embroidered with the white lion of the imperial family.

I knew at once who she must be: the princess who had arrived in the county.

There could be no mistaking it. Behind her stood two armed knights and Roylen, the senior professor of the Imperial Mage Tower.

I was finished.

From where they stood, I must have looked like a brute in the middle of stripping an enslaved woman in his private room.

None of them was looking at me kindly.

“I see.”

Before I could explain, the princess nodded.

“Were you about to have intercourse?”

I was too stunned to answer.

Without waiting for either a denial or an explanation, the princess entered the room, took a chair from the nearby table and sat down.

“I've always wanted to see it for myself. Think of me as a student observing a lesson. Please, carry on.”

“Y-Your Highness…?”

Roylen stared, aghast.

The princess raised one elegant hand, cutting the professor off.

“What unexpected luck. Young people these days would call this a live-viewing jackpot.”

A cold silence filled the room.

Everyone stared at her. She looked faintly puzzled by their reaction, then seemed to reach a conclusion.

“Oh, haven't you heard the expression? It simply means that I'm very grateful for the chance to see something in person.”

I understood then that the princess was not an ordinary woman.