At the center of the capital, which itself was at the center of the Jade Kingdom, stood the royal palace, where the royal family lived, and where the nobles and servants worked. And currently in the garden of the royal palace, where seasonal flowers were in full bloom, was a certain pair who looked like they didn’t belong.
“I feel so out of place...” said a boy in butler’s attire, unable to bear it anymore. He was Luzton, an apprentice butler serving House Halsberg.
Luzton had been working inside the royal palace for the past half a month. He hadn’t exactly wanted to do so, but one thing had led to another, and somehow he had ended up here.
It had all started when Arnette Halserg, the lady Luzton served, had kind of forced him to accompany her in her search for her brother. After multiple tribulations, they had finally arrived at the royal capital, but in a twist of fate the fifth prince of the kingdom, Roussel Jade, had fallen in love with Arnette at first sight. The pair had then been invited to the royal palace.
As the prince’s object of affection, Arnette was treated as a guest of honor. She ate luxurious food every day, and she was even allowed to bathe in the large bath reserved for the royal family.
On the other hand, Luzton, who had come with her, didn’t enjoy the same privileges. He was both a commoner and a servant, so naturally, the royal family didn’t treat him like a guest. While they hadn’t driven him out, they were working him to the bone.
“Well, I don’t mind working, but it’s uncomfortable being around so many people of higher status all the time! Someone like me shouldn’t be here!” Luzton shouted.
The servants working in the royal palace were mostly nobles. There were a few commoners, but they were all elites who had passed an extremely difficult test to get their jobs. In other words, they all practically lived in a different world from Luzton. As an intruder into the royal palace, they looked at him like he was a stray dog, not even bothering to conceal their disdain.
“All the servants of House Halsberg were commoners. Nobody had any education or status, but they were all kind and warm people. Here, everyone’s harsh and cold. I can’t even make some small talk! I want to go back home! Tell me I can, please!”
“You can’t! You’re my butler, so you must stay with me!” Arnette rejected Luzton’s tearful plea, then folded her arms glumly. “But to be fair, it’s the same for me. I’m forced to wear dresses, and I can’t even train. How am I supposed to find Caim like this?”
Sitting on a chair, Arnette spread her arms and looked at her attire. She was wearing a red dress of high quality, adorned with ribbons and frills. It reached all the way to her ankles and suited her well, but for a lively and sporty girl like Arnette, it was quite restricting. She was also under a lot of stress, being unable to do her daily practice of the Toukishin Style.
“The prince said he would search for Caim in my stead, but I want to move and run. Just let me punch someone...”
“Whoa...” Luzton let out, exasperated by his lady’s dangerous words as she stomped on the ground in frustration. At this rate, he felt like all the frustration she was bottling up was going to burst out in one big fit of violence.
Th-This is bad... Please save me, Master... Luzton prayed to his master, Kevin Halsberg—but naturally, being far away from here, there was no way he would rescue the young butler, who could only fearfully watch Arnette as she groaned like a beast.
“My, my! No wonder it smells so dreadful—there is a filthy stray cat here!”
“Huh?”
Someone joined the conversation. Luzton and Arnette turned toward the shrill voice. In front of a flower bed stood a noble lady wearing a gaudy dress. Her makeup was done perfectly, and her hair was set in drill curls. She laughed haughtily, surrounded by her servants and guards.
“The presence of that thieving cat who’s trying to approach Prince Roussel ruins the whole atmosphere of the garden! She’s such an eyesore!”
“Err... Who is she?” Luzton whispered to Arnette.
“She’s a girl who’s been talking to me recently. I think her name’s...Ammonia?”
“It’s Sammonia! Millissa Sammonia. Remember people’s names correctly!” yelled the girl with the drill curls, her face completely flushed. “Honestly! Why is Prince Roussel keeping such an unmannered, vulgar, and downright ugly stray cat around?! This is unbelievable!”
“Umm... Lady Arnette, could it be that she...you know...Prince Roussel?”
“I don’t know. I barely know her. Every time we meet, her face turns entirely red, and she starts yelling at me for some reason.” Arnette cocked her head, puzzled. “Also, she’s always talking about a stray cat or a thieving cat—which is weird, as I don’t see any cats around. I wonder if she’s hallucinating.”
“I am not! How rude can you be?!” Lady Sammonia flew into a rage, swinging the folding fan in her hand. “I am trying to make you understand that a mere rural noble like you should not approach Prince Roussel! We were supposed to be engaged, but ever since you showed up, he’s been ignoring me! So stop getting in the way of our relationship!”
“So I was right...” Contrary to Arnette, who was clueless, Luzton understood the situation immediately. Lady Sammonia had feelings for Prince Roussel, and she was jealous of Arnette, whom the prince had invited to the royal palace and devoted all his attention to.
Lady Sammonia gritted her teeth in anger. “If you will not leave the royal palace on your own, then I will make you!” The brawny guards behind her stepped forward. “These are elite soldiers serving the marquisate of Sammonia! If you don’t want to obey me, then I shall use force!”
“Yes! Thank you!” Arnette beamed at Lady Sammonia’s ultimatum. “I’ve been wanting to punch someone! How nice of you to grant my wish, Ammonia!”
“Excuse me...?”
“Let’s get started... But first, this is in the way!” Arnette tore the skirt of her dress, revealing her legs. It had been a present from the prince, and yet she hadn’t hesitated even a single second.
“What?!” Lady Sammonia exclaimed in shock.
“Say, Luzton. This is legitimate self-defense, right? So it’s okay to fight, right? I’m not in the wrong, right?!”
“Um... Please, someone! We need a soldier!” Luzton called out for a guard, tears forming in his eyes as he watched his lady prepare to go on a rampage. But for some reason, none of the soldiers protecting the royal palace were present in the garden right now. “Wait... Did she clear the area?! This is bad, at this rate...!” Luzton paled.
Lady Sammonia had likely cleared the guards out of the garden herself—but unfortunately for her, that had been a bad idea. Now, there was nothing stopping this rabid dog from going on a rampage.
“H-Help!” Luzton started running to find help, but Arnette moved before he could.
“If you’re not coming at me, then I’ll come to you!” Arnette threw a kick at one of Lady Sammonia’s guards that was so fast no one could react to it. The man spun like a top before collapsing.
“What?!”
“That’s impossible!”
Lady Sammonia’s guards were shocked to see a noble lady move so fast. They hurriedly tried to assume a fighting stance, but they were too late.
“I’m not done yet! Seiryuu!” Arnette cut the men’s clothes and armor with a blade of condensed mana. They didn’t bleed, which proved she wasn’t completely out of her mind, but Luzton was on pins and needles as he watched her.
“Eek! Violence in the royal palace?!” The servants who were present panicked, only for them to be knocked down like the guards. Finally, only Lady Sammonia was left.
“You’re last. Anything you want to say?” Arnette asked.
“H-How could you defeat my family’s elite warriors so easily...?”
“If you let me hit you without resisting, I promise not to go for your face.”
“Eek!” Lady Sammonia yelped as Arnette approached her, punching the air. “D-Do you think you can get away with this?! I am the daughter of Marquis—”
“Kirin.”
“—Sammonia... Yikes?!” A bullet of compressed mana grazed her cheek. Just a little closer and she wouldn’t have been able to show her face in public ever again.
“I won’t miss next time.”
“No... Please... Forgive me...” Lady Sammonia pleaded, falling on her rear and starting to cry.
“I won’t,” Arnette said with a gruesome smile. “All of this is your fault, so it’d be unfair to everyone else if you were spared. As their mistress, you need to be punched too.”
“B-But...”
“Just stay put. Won’t be my fault if you move and I hit the wrong place.”
“Nooooo!” Lady Sammonia shrieked.
Arnette raised her fist but stopped midway. “Ah...” She looked at Lady Sammonia—or to be more precise, the ground between her legs. She had wet herself from fear. A puddle of warm water that smelled of ammonia spread on the ground.
Arnette’s smile faded. Her desire for violence fled and was replaced by sympathy.
“Um... Well... I’m sorry. I didn’t think you would...” Arnette apologized awkwardly and tried to help Lady Sammonia to stand up, but someone appeared before she could.
“What are you doing, Arnette?!” someone called out from behind them. They’d come after hearing the commotion, and If they had arrived in time, they would have been a savior. Now, though, their late arrival was only going to create a new tragedy. “Were you the one who did this? Just what— Gah!”
When the person who was yelling at her grabbed her shoulder from behind, Arnette’s body moved reflexively, and she punched the person in the face.
“Wh-Why...? My lady of the red rose...”
“Ah...”
“Oh no...”
Arnette let out a dumbfounded gasp, and Luzton looked deathly pale from witnessing his lady’s barbaric act.
The blond man who’d just been struck in the face, ruining his good looks, was none other than Roussel Jade, the kingdom’s fifth prince and the one who had invited Arnette to the royal palace.
A member of the royal family—someone who should never be punched—now lay unconscious on the ground in a pitiful state.