Epilogue
“Your Highness, you must be tired.”
“Yes. And you as well.”
The Provisional Elite Corps began its withdrawal from Marquis Rigel’s territory. Princess Valtrune and I were also heading to our carriage to return to the Imperial capital, Aldan. Unusually, it was just the two of us for the journey. She had refused to let any other soldiers ride with us.
“It was a difficult day. You must be exhausted.”
“No. This was nothing.”
—Compared to the battlefields of my past, a fight like this was child’s play. The memories of that accursed war came flooding back.
“Aldia…?”
“My apologies. I was just lost in thought.”
“Lost in thought?”
“Yes… about the past. About the war between the Kingdom and the Empire.”
As I murmured that, her gaze seemed to fix on something far away.
“That’s right. You were fighting on that battlefield for so long, weren’t you…”
Her blue eyes, tinged with sorrow, looked as if they were reflecting those old battlefields. There were far greater battles to come. Thinking about that, it was difficult to let my guard down.
“Are you… anxious?”
“Can you see right through me, Your Highness?”
I looked down with a bitter smile, and she gripped my hand tightly.
“It’s not that. It’s because I’m the same as you. …Every time I think I might lose what’s important to me, my heart feels like it’s going to tear apart.”
The war with the Kingdom was inevitable. It would spill far more blood and claim far more lives than this battle.
“Your Highness…”
I squeezed her hand back tightly. In response, her cheeks flushed bright red, and she leaned in close to my ear.
“But… when you’re by my side, I’m not afraid of anything.”
“——!”
“Fufu!”
There was no way I could remain calm. I felt my pulse quicken.
“…Your Highness. Aren’t you… a little too close?”
“I suppose so. But…!”
She pressed herself even closer, clinging to my arm.
“—Your Highness!?”
“It’s fine, just for today, isn’t it?”
With those words, she rested her head against my chest. I couldn’t comprehend her actions. Why was she so close? My mind went hot, and I couldn’t think. But she just smiled mischievously and tightened her grip on my arm.
“If you’re my Personal Knight, this is the part where you’re supposed to quietly pat my head.”
“Pat your… head?”
I did as she asked, slowly raising my hand to her head. The instant my fingers touched her silky white hair, she made a small, satisfied sound.
“That’s enough. Thank you.”
“Yes…”
And just like that, as if flipping a switch, she moved away.
“Aldia, the hard battles will continue.”
“Yes, they will…”
“But I won’t lose. This time, I will protect everything that’s important to me.”
“Yes…”
She stared resolutely into the distance.
“…I’m not stopping anymore! To forge the future of this Empire, I will keep moving forward!”
—She truly was stronger and nobler than anyone.
“Next, we prepare for war with the Kingdom. I will absolutely not surrender the Dyrst region, the Empire’s precious territory!”
She would, I knew, continue to charge ahead toward her lofty ideals. No matter how much she was hurt, no matter how much she suffered, her conviction would never waver. And I would be right by her side, supporting her.
“The war with the Kingdom will begin in two months, correct?”
“That’s right. We don’t have much time… Aldia. Cooperate closely with the main Imperial army and prepare for their assault.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Her expression was completely different from a moment ago. This was not the face of a gentle girl; it was the face of the brave Imperial Princess herself, bearing the weight of a great nation.
“Today’s battle was just the beginning of my path to supremacy. Everything starts now…”
“I will be with you, wherever that path leads.”
She laughed innocently. “Are you sure you can say that? If you keep walking beside me, you’ll end up covered in scars, you know.”
I knew she was joking, which is precisely why I took her hand again.
“I am well aware of that. It’s because I understood that, that I became your Personal Knight.”
“…You’re right.”
From the day I became her knight, I had decided that the place I would die is at her side.
“I have no intention of giving my place beside you to anyone else.”
“That almost sounds like a love confession.”
“Yes… Perhaps it is.”
“——!?”
She was so flustered she couldn’t speak, her face bright red. She was more precious than anyone, the one person I wanted to keep protecting. And that’s exactly why I felt the urge to tease her.
“…Just kidding, of course.”
“Wh—!?”
“Society would never forgive a Personal Knight for falling in love with his Princess.”
No, this wasn’t love. This was a bond far deeper and heavier than mere love.
“Aldia… you… you were teasing me, weren’t you!”
“It’s not my fault Your Highness is so cute.”
“Is that a joke, too?”
“What are you saying? Of course I mean it.”
“—Mph! That’s… that’s an even more cowardly cheap shot!”
“My apologies. It just… slipped out.”
“You idiot… As punishment, you’re not allowed to leave my side until I fall asleep tonight.”
Pouting, she tugged on my hand.
“Your Highness…”
“Hm?”
“Please… don’t ever let go of this hand.”
Through the warmth in my hand, I could clearly feel her presence. It was proof that the gentle princess I had once lost was alive. It felt like that warmth was pleading with me, ‘Be strong.’ That is why, in this ‘Empire route,’ I will stand beside her and continue to eliminate every enemy that blocks her path.
So that her happiness will never, ever be extinguished—for all eternity.
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