It was almost time for the noon bell to ring. Droves of soldiers had already formed a ring in the plaza. Snow had been falling to such an extent since the early morning that, if the wind picked up, they would surely have a blizzard on their hands.
But neither side showed any intention of postponing for the weather.
Regis dropped by Altina’s room.
There were no happenings as there had been the other day. On the contrary, she sat calmly and quietly as she waited for the promised hour.
She wore arm guards, leg guards, and a breastplate over her dress, and perched on the edge of an extravagant chair.
An attentively laid out tea set rested on the table, untouched.
“You’re not looking too good, Regis.”
“If I collapse from a panic attack, you’re the one to blame. I hope you know that.”
“You’re not the one dueling, so how about you kick back a little?”
“Do you really believe you can win? Against the Hero of Erstein?”
“Of course! I don’t know how many times I have to say it, but if I don’t prove to everyone I can win, I’ll never earn their trust.”
“This is a terrible gamble...”
She stood. Even though she was a head shorter than Regis, her aura was so grand he felt he should be looking up at her.
“Could I become empress from my peaceful perch, having not lifted a finger of my own?”
“Probably not... But there’s something called risk management, and—”
“There are many battles in life that must be won alone.”
“You’re being too impatient.”
“...So you won’t believe I can win unless I prove it.”
Altina could only offer a sad smile.
Regis was at a loss for words. Can I really put my faith in her, even if no one else believes she can win?
“If you let your emotions carry you to the wrong decision, you’ll lose what can never be replaced. I’m not going to repeat the same mistake,” Regis said, his voice tinged with remorse.
He remembered Marquis Thènezay. His decision not to press his warning a third time was one that would surely haunt him forever—his failure to perceive the pride of a noble.
The possession of knowledge was meaningless without the expertise needed to put it to use. Expertise that he didn’t have. That disparaging fact had seeped into his very being.
“Are you going to stop me? Don’t tell me you’re going to ask me to run away with you. Why, that’s a little romantic, wouldn’t you say?”
“I could never do that. I considered it, believe me, but you’re skilled enough to make Sir Jerome wary. It’d be impossible to sneak you out without raising a ruckus. If you were willing to flee of your own volition, you would have stopped the duel by now.”
“Yeah. Reality never pans out quite so romantic.”
“Though I have considered what to do if you lose.”
Altina frowned.
“And what would that be?”
“I’ll draw Sir Jerome’s attention, giving you enough time to leave the fort with a certain knight. I can’t disclose his name just yet—”
He thought she might fly into a rage upon learning he had arbitrarily made preparations to escape should she lose.
But, to his surprise, she burst into laughter. She held her stomach and laughed, and laughed, and laughed.
“Oh, oh my... Ahahah... Re-Regis... You-You’re too much!! Ahahahah! For you to be that sure I’m going to lose... I never realized it was that bad!”
“I do feel bad for doing this. However, my personal sentiment and objective evaluation are separate matters. Preparing as much as you can to avoid the worst outcome is—”
“Ahahah, you’re right! You’re that sort of guy, and that’s why I need you. This is the levelheaded decision of a strategist.”
“This has nothing to do with strategists. I’m... Er... What even am I anymore?”
He had deviated so far from the duties of a fifth-grade administrative officer.
A dear friend? No, when exactly had he become such good friends with his commander, the imperial princess, Altina? It was foolish for him to misread their rapport as friendship, just because he was allowed to address her by a nickname.
Regis mulled over the idea and fell silent.
Altina had laughed so hard her shoulders were now lifting and falling with each breath. There were gasps for air mixed into her voice.
“Hah, hah... I thought I was going to die... hah... from laughter before the duel. To think you even prepared an escape route for after my loss... Aha... This is terrible.”
“I won’t make any excuses. I can’t find a reason to believe you’ll come out victorious.”
Regis spoke frankly, this time divulging his true feelings.
Altina showed no signs of anger. She simply nodded.
“I know. I already have someone who believes in my victory unconditionally.”
“Ms. Clarisse...?”
“Yes. But I also need someone who doesn’t trust me so blindly. To reach where I’ve set my sights on.”
“...Me?”
“I’m growing increasingly convinced. And in order to earn your trust, I cannot lose this duel.”
Altina had challenged Jerome to gain the trust of the regiment. That included Regis.
“...Could this duel have been avoided had I acted differently?”
“Hmm, perhaps?”
“Urgh...”
His anxiety had spiked by a good thirty percent.
Altina’s hand reached out. She touched the left side of Regis’s chest, her fingertips resting over his heart.
“Mn?”
“I will become empress... Should that dream become unattainable, my life is as good as over. But on this venture, I’ll also be risking the one acting as my tactician.”
No matter what precautions Altina took, should she fail, there was no doubt she wouldn’t be the only one to bear the consequences.
His heart pulsed noticeably faster under her palm, but she continued on regardless.
“To ask you to be my tactician is to ask you to put your very life on the line for me.”
“Yeah...”
Regis understood that as well.
That was precisely why he couldn’t afford to hesitate.
“But, since I’m asking you to risk your life for me, it’s only natural that I wager my own as well. I refuse to become a ruler so foolish she believes loyalty is earned simply by sitting on the throne.”
Altina’s fingers traced up his chest, fleetingly passing along his neck before coming to rest on his cheek.
Her hand was cold to the touch.
“Watch with these eyes. I’ll make you believe in me... And then things will be just as we said that night.”
“...You’ll put as much trust in me as I refuse to put in myself. So I have to believe in you.”
She nodded and slowly pulled back her hand, reaching it toward the large treasured sword leaning against the wall.
She gripped it firmly by the hilt.
“It’s time.”
✧ ✧ ✧
Altina faced Jerome at the center of a circular crowd. They stood ten paces apart.