Vandel’s Armor had crashed into the middle of a forest. It had lost all its appendages, but Vandel was unscathed. He jammed his foot against the cockpit hatch, ripping it off its hinges before lifting himself out of the opening. His eyes focused on the skies above, where the enemy was dancing circles around Fanoss’s knights.
Vandel clenched his fists at his sides. Part of his anger was directed toward his own countrymen, but the person he resented most right now was himself.
“The way that pilot moved suggests he was taught his skills somewhere. Could he be a Holfortian knight?”
The Armor that the enemy piloted wasn’t one Vandel had ever seen before, but the young man’s piloting reminded Vandel of the knights of Holfort.
The thought that he’d lost to Holfortian scum was the most vexing of all. Vandel’s nails bit into his skin. A thin tendril of blood trickled between his fingers and dripped to the ground. His eyes were bloodshot and wide with rage as he watched his enemy flee.
“I won’t lose the next time we meet, brat. That I swear. I will bring you down.”
✦ ✦ ✦
The next day, a large crowd congregated inside Hertrauda’s—or Rauda, as Hertrude called her—room. Specialized investigators had arrived and were using magic and other tools to search for traces of the intruders. Thus far, they were coming up frustratingly empty-handed.
“Who in the world could they have been?”
“Holfortians, perhaps?”
“What’s most shameful is that neither the knights nor maids noticed anything.”
Rauda watched the group discuss the situation. An earl by the name of Gelatt stood beside her. His opulent clothes spoke to the enormous authority he wielded within Fanoss, yet the way he gazed at Rauda was visibly cold and uncaring.
Gelatt’s fingers traced gently over his beloved mustache. “You failed us, Princess Hertrauda,” he said curtly. “How could you let the enemy take your Magic Flute?”
“It was inexcusable,” Rauda agreed, gritting her teeth.
That seemed to give Gelatt some sort of sadistic satisfaction. “Of course it was,” he said. “That flute isn’t only a national treasure but also our secret weapon. It was only due to your capacity to wield it that you were even in the line of succession. I simply can’t understand how, knowing its deep significance, you allowed this to happen. Without the flute, your very reason for existing is gone as well.”
Gelatt was technically a retainer of the royal family, but the way he spoke was arrogant and condescending. It wasn’t at all the attitude a servant to the crown should have had.
Unable to stand by and watch this exchange any longer, Hertrude interjected, “How could you expect Rauda to withstand them when even our own knights were powerless? Gelatt, you need to let Rauda rest. Immediately.”
Gelatt frowned. He apparently had enough shame to realize Hertrude had a point, but even that didn’t discourage his belligerent attitude. “I cannot. We must collect as much information about these ruffians as we can, and as quickly as possible. Princess Hertrauda is our one and only eyewitness. She can rest once we conclude our investigation here.”
“I am ordering you to let her rest,” Hertrude said.
“This incident was disastrous, Your Highness. I understand that you’re both royalty, but I must request your cooperation nonetheless.” In saying this, Gelatt was openly ignoring her order, but no one else in the room dared to admonish him for that. They watched from a distance without involving themselves at all.
“Gelatt!” Hertrude snapped, losing her temper.
A moment later, a bear of a man—Vandel—marched into the room.
“I-It’s you, Black Knight!” Gelatt squeaked, suddenly sounding deferential. “Have you recovered from your injuries?”
Vandel glared at the cowering Gelatt. “Those injuries were minor and inconsequential. I am more concerned about how exhausted Princess Hertrauda looks. We’ll let her rest. I assume you take no issue with that.”
“What? N-no! Of course I don’t.” Gelatt’s face strained with reluctance, but Vandel was so intimidating that the earl didn’t dare argue the point. Once again, no one else in the room tried to intervene.
This whole exchange illustrated something very clearly to Hertrauda: Our only ally in the entire castle is Vandel. The others weren’t openly hostile to Hertrauda and her sister, but they also wouldn’t stick their necks out for the two princesses.
The situation made her recall something one of the intruders had told her. “You’re nothing but a convenient puppet to them.” That hadn’t been all. He mentioned something about the truth—that I should ask the old man in the archives about it. Maybe there really is something I’m not aware of.
It vexed her to feel that even the intruder was pulling her strings, yet she couldn’t help her growing curiosity.