Lord Hilbert froze in shock for a moment, then went back to climbing the stairs at a great speed. His hand shot out as he tried to grab the princess.
“Wh-What?! Don’t touch me!” she screeched.
I frantically tried to jump between them to stop him, but he shoved me away with his elbow, causing me to stagger.
“Mrs. Marielle!” Her Highness’s voice was dripping with panic.
“Ouch...” I rubbed my side. “Ah, I’m fine. I only bumped into him a little bit.”
Lord Hilbert hadn’t intentionally hit me—his elbow had accidentally collided with me when he tried to maneuver around me. The man himself paid me no mind and forcefully gripped the princess’s arm.
“Stop being so violent!” she yelled shrilly. “Apologize to her!”
“Be quiet!” he shouted back. “You’re the one trying to kill me!”
“Excuse me?!” Her voice hiked up yet again at being accused of something ridiculous. I was also shocked—what did he mean? “What are you saying?! Have you finally gone mad?!”
She didn’t try to hide her disdain, but Lord Hilbert’s face was nothing but serious. Anger and fear blended together on his features as he drew ever closer to her. “Those men are your underlings, aren’t they?! I knew it—you destroyed the bridge and pretended like it was terrorism so that you could assassinate me in a place where no one could get in the way!”
“Who, exactly?! Agh, you, calm down already! What in the world are you blabbing about?! It would certainly be a godsend for me if you died, but I wouldn’t try to assassinate you!”
“No use lying, Mira! I was just attacked!”
“Huh?”
That was when another person came up from below, behind Lord Hilbert—the sole Visselian soldier who’d been stranded with us. Lord Hilbert was wary when he whipped around, but he released the tension in his shoulders when he saw it was the soldier. The person who’d attacked him must have been someone else.
“Men with weapons appeared out of the blue and tried to harm me! I can only guess that they were already waiting on this island. It has to be your doing!”
“Wait.” Her arm still caught in Lord Hilbert’s grasp, she looked toward the soldier. “Is that the truth?”
The man nodded and confirmed Lord Hilbert’s story. “Yes, Your Highness. An unknown group of people appeared and launched their attack without a word. Ambassador Shannon fought back, but I had to prioritize protecting Lord Hilbert.”
“What about Prince Severin?!”
“I don’t know. I believe he was still unharmed when we escaped, but...”
The attackers are a group? Of how many? Even Lord Nigel won’t be able to handle them all if their numbers are too great. I tried to run down the stairs, but the soldier spread his arms to block my path.
“You mustn’t! It’s too dangerous!”
“But His Highness is—!”
“Will you be able to save him if you go down there?!”
I couldn’t argue with that logic. I’d only get in the way. That’s true...but isn’t there anything I can do?
“Then why don’t you go back?” Princess Mira asked the soldier. “Hilbert has escaped, as you can see. You don’t have to be near him anymore, right? Please go support Prince Severin and the others.”
“Uh...”
Lord Hilbert was fully against this plan. “Don’t joke around! You’re just trying to tear my guard away from me so you can have me attacked again!”
The princess’s eyes glinted. “I have nothing to do with this! Why would I involve Prince Severin and Ambassador Shannon if I were only trying to kill you? I’d focus solely on you if that were the case!”
Wh-What a statement... But she was right. No matter how you looked at it, the target was most likely Prince Severin. Lord Hilbert was probably of no concern to the attackers, which was why they’d let him run.
That being said, one thing Lord Hilbert had claimed was correct: The goal of the bridge bomb had been to trap Their Highnesses on this island and kill them before Lord Simeon and the others could come to their rescue. The assassins had already been lying in wait within this castle, scanning for their chance. Your Highness...!
The soldier spoke up nervously. “My apologies, but I don’t believe I’d be of any help by myself. I cannot follow your orders, as they would only lead me to suicide.”
Princess Mira couldn’t argue back—she couldn’t possibly order someone to their death, especially if doing so wouldn’t change the outcomes for His Highness and the others.
My mind was racing. “How many people were among the attackers?”
The soldier tilted his head. “About...ten, as far as I could see.”
My vision darkened. That wasn’t a number Lord Nigel could take on by himself while also protecting His Highness. Agh, if only Arthur and Ms. Eva were with us! Those two were also Knights of the Rose, and they would’ve added more than enough fighting power to turn the tables. Why were they not here today, of all days?!
What should we do...? What should we do?! Save us, Lord Simeon! Save His Highness and Lord Nigel! Lord Simeooon!
As I panicked and shook with fear, Princess Mira began to scream. “Stop that, Hilbert!”
He was yanking on her arm, trying to force her back up the stairs.
“Don’t go up there, Lord Hilbert!” I tried to stop him. “Towers are susceptible to lightning, and you won’t have anywhere to run if you’re attacked!”
“Lightning doesn’t strike that often!” he spewed. “This castle has been around for hundreds of years. It will be better for us to hide than flee to a worse place. The attackers can’t come in through the windows up there. We’ll be able to wait for help if we block the entrance.”
Even the soldier agreed—he began pulling my arm as well. “Th-That’s right! Let’s go up!”
I couldn’t resist. I was already using all my energy to not slip while being forcibly pulled by a man’s strong hand. Princess Mira and I were then dragged back up the stairs like prisoners. We passed by the room from before—Lord Hilbert took us higher. The fifth floor had a sturdy-looking metal door, so he most likely thought that one would be best. He panted, his breath heaving, as he pushed it open.
“Wha...?”
We only made it one step inside before we all stopped and stared with wide eyes. Many different tools had been left in this room: a small round chair, some kind of stand, ropes, chains, and baskets by the walls. Judging by the looks of things, these weren’t items from centuries ago—they were relatively new. One could tell that they’d been used up until just recently.
But the one thing that really drew our eyes was the large machine set in the center of the room.
It was imposing—a rectangular wooden frame held up by a solid base. Jutting up from the base was a set of long, thin boards, and from these hung a huge, slanted blade.
Princess Mira let out a scream. It was horrifying to see this tool in a situation like this. Even I, who’d known that this object would be in this room, couldn’t help but quiver at the sight of the real thing.
“Wh-What...? Why is there a guillotine here?” Lord Hilbert was the most frightened among us. He didn’t even realize that he’d let go of the princess’s arm.
I struggled to catch my breath. “Because this place was also an execution site.”
“Th-This place? They did it in this room?!”
“That’s what I’ve heard.”
“Why here?! Wouldn’t they do that underground or in a corner of the building?!”
“The main building was used as a living space and workspace, so naturally, they’d want something like this to be kept separate. I heard that’s why they used this tower.”
It seemed even someone like Lord Hilbert didn’t enjoy the thought of executions. Or perhaps seeing a guillotine up close was just that frightening. His knees looked like they could buckle any second. He backed up toward the wall.
I checked the door. Sure enough, there was no lock, since there wouldn’t have been a need to lock it from the inside. If we were to hide in here, we’d have to find something to brace against the door. The guillotine could be useful for that, but I wasn’t sure we’d be able to move it. The structure seemed very heavy, and I was scared of the blade falling if we shifted it the wrong way. The tool hadn’t been used in years, but the blade still seemed sharp enough, and the rope it hung from didn’t look secure. As far as I could see, it had aged, and it could drop the blade given the slightest bit of vibration. Maybe if we release the blade before we move it? But...
I kept quiet as I mulled over potential plans. The two men said nothing. No one seemed to be chasing after us, but I shut the door just in case. We didn’t talk to one another, just sat down on the floor to rest. Anxiety enveloped us—the unrelenting sounds of rain, the fiercely roaring lightning...and then the execution tool in front of us. We all sat quietly with fear in our eyes.
I wondered if I could softly check outside. I hadn’t given up on the others just yet. Or perhaps could I send a signal to the other coast? My mind argued with itself, saying that any signal would most certainly get lost in this rain. But wouldn’t the rain and noise actually hide me better? I may be able to move without the attackers noticing me. I could suppress my presence. Going unnoticed is my talent.
I simply couldn’t give up without trying. I pushed myself up off the ground, planning to act alone. Princess Mira noticed and looked at me—when she did, her beautiful face tensed up. I quickly realized why: Footsteps were approaching. Someone was coming up the stairwell.