🌹💘🌹
I was watching the battle unfold from headquarters. The enemy’s knights yelled while lighting up the curtain of night with flare magic.
“Our opponent is a lone whelp! Don’t be afraid! Charge!”
With that war cry, Kophe’s knights charged down the bridge connecting Viscount Telestraza’s castle and rampart. The water in the moat below rippled. A single black-haired knight stood in the middle of the bridge.
He unsheathed his sword smoothly then shouted.
“I am Darius Sye, the knight of wrath! Burst under my sight!”
The explosion lit up the dead of night like daylight. The bridge collapsed, and both Darius, our decoy, and the enemy holy knights fell. I knew he would return safely.
The situation wasn’t terrible. We were steadily whittling their numbers down, so the longer the battle continued, the greater our advantage as the side with the holy women.
Strange. It looks like they’re stalling for time…
At that moment, one of our mages shouted.
“Th-They launched a magical lure light!”
“What?”
Eyes glowing with magical detection, the mage pointed to the top of a castle spire.
“There’s a lot of smoke up there. At this rate, the monsters in the vicinity will be attracted to the castle…!”
So the enemy had in fact been stalling for time. They must have released the lure light while we were distracted by the intense volley of magical attacks.
“How can we destroy it?”
“We need one First Class mage or two or more Third Class mages.”
I mulled it over while staring at the spire. I couldn’t afford to split up the magical squadron. It also might be too late if we waited for Darius to come back.
But then, unexpectedly, the problem was solved shortly thereafter. It almost felt anticlimactic.
Fwish. Projectiles of some sort flew from the enemy’s side straight toward the top of the spire. The lure light exploded. Our mages’ unit cheered in excitement.
“It was destroyed! How strange though… Why did the enemy destroy their own gambit?”
“This is…Miss Monica’s work.”
“Huh?”
I spoke confidently. She was the only one on our side capable of using magic on a First Class level. I also understood why the agents of destruction came from the Kophe side.
“We end this quickly. I’m worried about her.” I smoothly unsheathed my sword. “I’m going in too. Watch my back.”
“Yes, sir!”
And before dawn even broke, every single individual on the enemy’s side surrendered.
✦ ✦ ✦
🌹💘🌹
THE next morning, the ringleaders of the night attack and their subjects were being held in the castle’s courtyard under the sun’s brilliant, invigorating rays. They were forced to sit on the lawn and I stared at them wide-eyed. Because one of them was someone I had never expected to meet here.
“Prince Medaikonar… Why would you do this?”
His golden hair always impeccably styled, he now slumped on the ground, bound and battered. By chance, we ended up in this situation where I looked down on him, so he glared up at me, his face twisted bitterly.
“You arrogant arousing priestess…!”
Even his insults felt nostalgic. To think the day would come when the man responsible for that moniker would hurl it at me again. His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Medaikonar Kophe. And in a situation like this, no less.
When I tried to bend a knee in greeting out of habit, Richard stopped me, his voice cold as he stood next to me.
“Don’t. You can remain standing.”
“But—”
“I’ve already contacted the royal palace. By the joint authority of the king and grand chancellor, I’ve been entrusted with judging Medaikonar’s crimes.”
“Wha—” Medaikonar mumbled the word. But Richard ignored him.
“So don’t kneel, Miss Monica. He’s no longer the crown prince or a noble. He’s nothing. He disregarded the will of his king and parliament to turn his blade against not only the Empire but his own people. For all intents and purposes, he is a true criminal.”
“You call me…a criminal…? To hell with you!” Trembling with fury, His Highness Medaikonar started shouting, his blood-stained, cracked lips twisted. “Arousing Priestess Monica Regulus! After humiliating me, you dare to seduce the emperor’s brother?! Have you forgotten your obligations to your homeland?! You treasonous tramp of a saint!”
Treasonous tramp of a saint. I wasn’t sure how I felt about being upgraded from an arousing priestess.
Faced with my former fiancé’s unsightly state, I experienced a complicated mix of emotions. Exasperation, pity, resignation. I knelt down in front of him, our gazes level.
“Miss Monica.” Richard tried to stop me, but I shook my head.
“Please. Just this once.”
“…All right.” Instead of nodding, he casually unsheathed his sword. Obviously a threat to curb any attempt on Medaikonar’s part to hurt me. His Royal Highness twitched, his shoulders tense.
I looked into his blue eyes and posed a question. “Your Highness…why would you do something like this? To think you would launch a night raid on a place filled with so many of Kophe’s people, your precious subjects.”
“Oh, spare me. Those who betrayed me are no longer my subjects but traitors! It’s the duty of a country’s rulers to demonstrate their wisdom and judgment by wielding their weapons against traitors!” Spit flew from his mouth as he shouted. Then he looked up at Richard. “And you, you bastard! I don’t care how angelic you seem on the surface because I see through you! I know exactly what you’re thinking! You plan to devour Kophe with this invasion!”
Richard merely stared down at him apathetically, not saying a single word.
I stood up and dusted off my skirt. “Richard. I’m done now.”
“I see. Then…will you let me handle the rest?”
“Please and thank you.”
I spun around on my heel without looking back once. I thought he continued hurling swears at my back, but none of them filtered through my mind, so I wasn’t sure. It was almost like hearing a language I didn’t know.
“Your Highness…”
Those were the only words I could muster at what had become of the crown prince of my homeland. I just felt empty.