The duke's muttered words came to an end, and Ar replied quietly.
The distant voices that had sounded muffled at first grew clearer the harder I concentrated.
"Her Imperial Highness the Princess said she had no need for the throne of a puppet emperor."
Not a trace of hesitation colored his voice as he addressed the duke.
"So that's why you left her to die instead of dragging her out of this Cold Palace?"
"...That wasn't the only reason."
A mocking smile tugged at Ar's lips.
At the same moment, the duke spoke in a voice that trembled ever so slightly.
"Voltaire found out."
"...?"
"The House of Croizen will soon meet its end as well. Ha! Treason we never even committed... When the real traitor is someone else!"
A harsh grinding of teeth echoed from the duke's mouth.
"As you requested, I made sure the princess's body was handled properly so Voltaire couldn't lay a hand on it. If it had been that monster, he wouldn't have stopped at simply killing her. He would have torn his own niece's corpse apart, piece by piece, just to disgrace her."
"...Thank you."
"The maids all testified that they saw the princess die, so he'll probably convince himself he doesn't need to search everywhere for the body. But..." The duke let out a bitter laugh. "He'll be desperate to cut off the head of the bastard who smuggled her corpse away."
Then... Uncle had never been shown my body after I drank the poison?
The duke stared into the distance and released a long, weary sigh.
"Haa... So what will you do now? Will you flee to the Continent of Sahaim with Lloyd?"
He extended the sword in his hand toward Ar.
Ar gazed silently at the weapon before him for a long while before finally opening his mouth.
"...Kill me."
"What?"
"I killed my lord. A knight who survives after his master dies deserves no life. Grant me death."
His eyes lifted to meet the duke's.
"Or... would you rather leave me for Voltaire to kill?"
Even in the darkness, his eyes shone with startling brilliance.
Thump.
My heart dropped.
The duke's hand, still gripping the sword, trembled violently.
"...You're right. Voltaire wouldn't grant you a merciful death."
"Then kill me now. Didn't you already know what my answer would be? Telling me to take nothing but a sword and flee to Sahaim..." A faint, bitter smile crossed his lips. "Not even a stray dog would believe such nonsense."
He gestured toward the sword with his chin.
The duke slowly raised the weapon he had offered Ar, holding it horizontally before his chest.
Then—
Shrring.
The blade slid free from its scabbard.
Pure silver flashed in the darkness as the heavy ring of steel reverberated through the cramped underground chamber.
The sharp scent of iron filled the air.
The duke slowly lifted the sword above his head.
No!
I lunged forward, stretching both hands toward them.
I ran.
I reached.
But no matter how desperately I moved my legs or extended my arms, I couldn't close the distance by even a single step.
Instead, they seemed farther and farther away, as though I were staring at a painting—trapped in an entirely different world.
Ar...!
A brilliant silver arc sliced through the empty air.
Slash!
Red flooded my vision.
And then—
Like ashes scattered after a fire had burned itself out...
Ar disappeared.
The duke disappeared.
Both of them crumbled into fine dust before my eyes.
Only I remained, standing alone in the empty underground chamber.
Then, in the place where Ar had stood...
A faint white light flickered.
I knew it.
That dagger.
The very same dagger I had seen in my last dream.
The one that had once held a blue gemstone at the end of its hilt...
No.
The jewel was gone now.
Only a hollow indentation remained, leaving the dagger bathed entirely in cold silver.
Its icy gleam was as frigid as the underground chamber beneath the Cold Palace.
"Gasp!"
My breath caught in my throat.
Clutching my solar plexus, I jerked awake.
Thankfully, a familiar sight greeted me.
The embroidered canopy hanging above my bed.
I'd almost forgotten about it...
That dream again.
Only after waking did relief wash over me as I realized it had all been a dream.
The tension drained from my body.
A chill immediately followed.
Cold sweat soaked my back, and as it dried, my whole body shivered uncontrollably.
Perhaps she had heard my cry from the adjoining room, because my nanny quietly opened the door and hurried inside.
Her footsteps across the rug were cautious and gentle.
"Oh dear... Another nightmare?"
She sat beside me and softly patted my back.
"It's all right. Children often have nightmares. They say every nightmare means you'll grow a little taller."
She dismissed it as though it were nothing.
Without a word, I wrapped my arms around her.
Burying my face against her warm embrace, I took a deep breath.
She smelled like freshly baked cornbread.
"...Nanny."
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"I was scared..."
"It's all right. I'm here. I'll stay beside you until you fall asleep again."
Five years had passed since I returned to the past.
The future had changed considerably.
Although Mintia had ultimately been returned to the Empress, I had gained something in exchange.
I had spent these five years living in Lavender Palace, surrounded by the traces my late parents had left behind.
Grandmother still ruled with absolute imperial authority.
My aunt had firmly secured her position as Crown Princess under Grandmother's protection.
As for me...
I had eaten well.
Played well.
And grown up well.
Every time I realized the future had changed...
And every time the eve of another major change in fate arrived...
I dreamed that dream.
As though it were a prophetic vision.
And every single time...
It ended with that dagger.
The very dagger that had once pierced my throat.
Quietly, I called out to my nanny.
"Nanny."
"Yes?"
"What day... what day is today?"
If I had dreamed it again...
Then my subconscious was warning me that today was another turning point.
On this day in my previous life—
My past.
My future.
What had happened?
She smiled gently before answering.
"Today is the Imperial Hunting Festival."
That's right.
The hunting festival.
Before winter settled over the land, hunting festivals were held throughout the Empire.
The first hunt of the season was always hosted by the imperial family.
Afterward, nobles across every province organized hunts within their own territories.
The festivities continued across the nation for nearly an entire month.
There was a reason for it.
As winter stripped the mountains bare, monsters descended from their habitats in search of food, attacking villages, livestock, and people alike.
That rarely happened near the Imperial Capital.
But in countless rural territories, monster attacks were an unfortunate fact of life.
The imperial hunt held in the capital was largely ceremonial.
Its true purpose was to remind the people of the dangers monsters posed.
However, under imperial law, every territory bordering monster habitats was required to conduct these hunts.
The hunting festival...
I desperately searched my memories for what had happened during this year's hunt in my previous life.
Nothing came.
Besides, all my memories of hunting festivals before I turned ten were hopelessly tangled together.
Werewolf pelts had been among the trophies, hadn't they?
I'd made a coat from one...
No.
That had happened when I was nine.
And Grandmother hadn't hunted it herself.
The knights of House Croizen had presented it to her.
...Wait.
When I was nine...
Grandmother...
Ah.
She was already gone.
She had passed away when I was eight.
The hunting festival...
When I was eight—
"Ah! Aaaah!"
Good heavens!
How could I have forgotten something so important?!
I cried out loud enough that my nanny jumped in alarm.
"Your Highness! What's wrong?"
"N-Nothing..."
I shook my head frantically.
"I just forgot today was the hunting festival."
"Oh, dear."
She chuckled.
"You'll simply sit inside the royal pavilion and enjoy yourself. There's nothing to worry about."
I nodded obediently.
She tucked me back into bed and gently kissed my forehead.
Smack.
"Go back to sleep. I'll stay with you."
"I'm okay."
I smiled weakly.
"I can sleep alone. You should get some rest too."
"Very well."
She quietly returned to the next room.
Silence settled over the chamber.
Only the thunderous pounding of my own heartbeat remained.
If events unfolded as they had before...
Grandmother would die today.
A wyvern attack during the hunt.
She would encounter a flock of wyverns, suffer grievous injuries, and linger in illness for a month...
before finally passing away.
No.
I couldn't let Grandmother go to the hunting grounds today.
No matter what it took...
I had to stop her.
"...Ugh."
I rolled over beneath the blankets.
The rustling of the sheets echoed loudly through the still room.
I spent the entire night worrying.
By dawn, I still hadn't figured out how to stop her.
As a result, when morning finally came...
I could barely force my eyes open.
"Please wake up, Your Highness."
The maids tried to rouse me.
Half asleep, I attempted to move my arms and legs.
My body refused to cooperate.
Before my return, I could stay awake all night without any trouble.
Now, if I missed even a little sleep, I was useless the following day.
It was yet another painful reminder of the physical limitations of an eight-year-old body.
After flailing uselessly beneath the blankets, my nanny finally hauled me upright.
Even then, I hung limply from her arm, my head lolling backward in utter exhaustion.
A moment later, the maids brought over a basin filled with cool water.
"Washing your face should help wake you up."
Jeanne gently wiped my face with a chilled cloth.
The cold against my skin finally cleared the fog from my mind.
I staggered to my feet under my own power and promptly dunked my entire face into the basin.
Splash.
"Pwah!"
Ah...
That's much better.
I had to wake up.
How else was I supposed to save Grandmother?
Clinging desperately to my fading consciousness, I dragged myself fully awake.
After breakfast, I dressed in my ceremonial gown, had my hair brushed, and immediately departed for the hunting grounds.
Most of the nobles had already arrived.
They stood in small groups around enormous outdoor braziers, warming themselves by the fire.
As soon as I appeared, greetings came from every direction.
It seemed Grandmother—the Emperor—and my aunt, the Crown Princess, had not yet arrived.
Instead, the Duke of Croizen approached with his two sons.
(Not the duke from five years ago. The former duke had retired and was apparently traveling the continent on a fishing expedition.)
He was accompanied by his eldest son, the heir to House Croizen...
And his second son, Lloyd.
"We greet Your Highness, the Imperial Granddaughter."
"Your Highness."
"Good morning, Your Grace... and Young Masters."
After exchanging greetings with the duke and his eldest son, Lloyd smiled at me with the corners of his eyes.
"It's been a while."
His smile deepened.
"I've missed you."
...Excuse me?
Did he just say he'd missed me?
Honestly.
This man always knew how to strike when you least expected it.
In my previous life, I would have panicked over such an unusual, provocative greeting.
I would have spent days replaying those words in my head until my face burned red.
But not anymore.
I'd already suffered through enough misunderstandings in my last life.
And I'd personally dragged countless noble ladies back to reality after they'd spun elaborate fantasies over lines exactly like that.
Besides...
I was eight.
Lloyd was fifteen.
There was absolutely no way I've missed you was meant to flirt with me.
If it were...
That would be an entirely different—and deeply disturbing—problem.
No.
This was simply one of those greetings that rolled naturally off the tongue of a free spirit like him.
So I answered without the slightest reaction.
"Did you?"
My voice remained perfectly steady.
Lloyd merely smiled brighter.
"Yes."
He truly was someone who never lost a battle of words.
Just then, a chamberlain announced the arrival of His Majesty the Emperor and Her Highness the Crown Princess.
Perfect timing.
Using that as an excuse, I quickly tried to slip away.
Or rather...
I intended to.
Grandmother...
Why are you walking this way?
If you come over here now, I won't be able to make my escape naturally at all.
...Oh no.
