Chapter 23

This was the first time Captain Daniel Steiner had been separated from the Imperial Guard, yet Princess Selvia remained composed, making him want to commend her poise.

However, this wasn’t the time for leisurely chit-chat; the situation was far too urgent.

The enemies were so close now that their footsteps could be heard without straining.

“Her Highness the Princess. Those guys will be here any moment.”

Princess Selvia nodded, looking at the door.

“Yeah. I’m aware.”

“In that case, when they open the door, could you shoot twice at the ceiling?”

“…The ceiling?”

Not foes, but Princess Selvia turned back with a puzzled look, only to find me quite serious.

“It doesn’t have to be the ceiling specifically. The purpose is just to make gunshots.”

“Wait… oh, I get it.”

It seemed Princess Selvia also understood the urgency and didn’t argue with my suggestion.

Tap-tap-tap—

At that moment, the sound of hurried steps rang in our ears.

Waiting silently, we hear the hinges of the door creak.

“I’ll start.”

Realizing the door was open, Princess Selvia pulled the trigger twice as instructed.

In the dim living room, a flash of light accompanied an ear-splitting gunshot that made those about to enter retreat hastily.

Afterward, silence reigned.

They were probably pressed against the corridor walls, discussing via hand signals how to handle the situation.

‘More precisely, they’re discussing how to kill us.’

After causing such a ruckus at the banquet hall, escape from the Empire was impossible for them.

That meant their mission wasn’t kidnapping the princess but eliminating her.

But from the agents’ perspective, they had no idea where exactly the princess was hiding.

Startled by the gunfire upon opening the door, they’d likely retreat, speculating—sofa behind? Bookshelf? Under the desk? Or did someone open another door and fire?

All sorts of guesses would abound. And typically, such speculation ends with grenades.

Throwing one toward wherever they suspect the enemy might be and observing the reaction is standard procedure.

I was banking on that exact moment.

Just as I swallowed hard and focused my senses…

Click—

The sound of a pin being pulled teased my ears.

Reacting instantly, I stood up, drew my revolver, and saw through slow-motion the agent on the other side of the door about to throw the grenade.

Failure wasn’t an option. Holding my breath, I carefully aimed at the grenade and pulled the trigger.

As the powder exploded, the bullet flew, and the world returned to normal speed.

BOOM!

The grenade detonated upon impact, its fragments scattering everywhere.

“Aaah!”

“Ugh!”

Agents hit by shrapnel screamed, breaking the silence.

Having just ended my heightened focus, I felt like throwing up, but there was no time to miss such an opportunity.

“Her Highness.”

“I understand!”

Together with Princess Selvia, we stepped into the corridor, where an agent still alive was pulling out a pistol.

Before I could react, Princess Selvia fired first.

Bang!

The agent, with a bullet lodged in his forehead, let out a final gasp and obediently bowed his head.

Relieved, I looked around, finding all other agents sprawled lifelessly.

We had eliminated eight agents in the blink of an eye, but it wasn’t time to relax yet.

“Your Majesty. Other agents will rush here after hearing the gunshots. There’s no way only eight men were deployed for such a mission.”

“So, we should leave this place as soon as possible…”

No. It was too late. Footsteps were already echoing from the central staircase.

— Upstairs! The Empire’s princess is upstairs!

— Gather everyone! Kill on sight!

— This is the top floor! Block them from escaping!

My breathing grew rough with tension. Annoyingly, the only reliable ally left was Princess Selvia.

“Over here!”

Grabbing Princess Selvia’s wrist, I bolted recklessly toward the end of the corridor.

Confused but following, she shouted loudly.

“Daniel! That’s a dead-end!”

“It’s not a dead-end! The wall is made of full-length glass, isn’t it?”

“What… what do you mean by that!?”

Realizing my intention, Princess Selvia widened her eyes in shock.

“You’re suggesting we jump through that?”

“Yes! The stairs and elevators must be occupied by them, so there’s no other way!”

“What nonsense… Suicide isn’t an option!”

Frustrating. I turned to Princess Selvia and said,

“Can’t Your Highness use spatial teleportation magic?”

“How… No! It’s imperfect! Only within line of sight!”

“Good! Fortunately, this is the top floor of the hotel!”

Whether the situation was absurd or if I was insane was unclear, but laughter escaped me.

Raising my revolver while running, I fired without hesitation.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three bullets struck the reinforced glass, creating cracks.

Simultaneously, agents from the central staircase shouted.

“There!”

“Fire! Upper command authorized killing!”

Kicking off the ground, I hurled myself at the glass wall.

Crash! The glass shattered into pieces flying everywhere.

With my hand, Princess Selvia soared gracefully among the shards.

However, our flight through the air was brief.

“Kyeeek!”

Defeated by gravity, we began plummeting toward the ground.

While the wind whipped through our hair and uniforms, Princess Selvia’s white dress fluttered like a flag.

“Your Majesty!”

Regaining her senses at my shout, Princess Selvia took a deep breath and nodded.

Seeing the old town rapidly approaching, she recited a short spell.

Immediately, Princess Selvia and I were enveloped in a bright white light.

*

When I opened my eyes, Princess Selvia and I were still airborne.

But the ground was near.

Pulling her close, I landed shoulder-first on the ground.

“…”

A jolt of pain rippled through my body but was bearable.

Checking our surroundings before the pain subsided, I sighed in relief seeing no one around.

All that was visible were broken records and shattered furniture—it appeared to be a place for discarded household items.

Perhaps we’d randomly chosen somewhere safe in haste.

“Oof…”

Stirring in my arms, Princess Selvia sat up.

Apparently disoriented from using spatial teleportation magic, she soon regained her composure and looked at me.

“Are you alright?”

Surprisingly, she asked about my well-being before checking if we’d successfully escaped.

“Yes. Perfectly fine.”

Using my hands to push off the ground, I stood up.

Looking down at Princess Selvia sitting on the floor, her appearance was a mess.

Her neatly combed hair was tousled, and her elegant evening gown was dirtied and stained with blood—but ironically, her sapphire-encrusted earrings and necklace sparkled under the moonlight.

…Huh? Moonlight?

Looking up, I saw the ceiling had collapsed, revealing a vast expanse of stars.

Had we randomly picked such a spot?

Thinking we’d done well to choose such a place, I extended my hand toward Princess Selvia.

“Let’s stand. The ground is cold.”

Nodding, Princess Selvia grabbed my hand and stood up.

Checking her condition, I slightly bent over.

“Are you injured anywhere?”

“Yes. Luckily, there are no injuries… wait.”

Blushing, Princess Selvia pushed my upper body away.

Her tightly closed eyes conveyed subtle irritation.

“Don’t you think you sometimes get too close?”

“…I merely worried about Your Highness’s safety.”

“I know. I do… sigh. Never mind. Is it safe now?”

“It should be. They can’t track us through space teleportation.”

Even if they could, the Royal Family’s Imperial Guard would arrive sooner.

The Imperial Guard must’ve mobilized immediately after the Ethelium conversion round explosion and should’ve entered the old town by now.

Princess Selvia seemed to agree, nodding once and stepping away from me.

An awkward atmosphere settled between us.

During tense moments, we exchanged jokes and conversed freely, but now that things had calmed down, an inexplicable awkwardness filled the gap between us.

Moreover, an unconscious thought lingered in my mind: “The closer I get to Princess Selvia, the farther I drift from discharge.”

Besides, I couldn’t casually approach someone as noble as the princess of the Empire.

So, while waiting for the Imperial Guard, I idly passed the time until Princess Selvia cautiously spoke.

“…Daniel. Do you know how to dance?”

“Dance?” I shook my head.

“I’ve only watched over people’s shoulders. I’ve never danced properly. As you know, being an orphan, I don’t know much about social skills. Why ask all of a sudden?”

“Just thinking… Dancing is better than idly passing time. The ball hasn’t ended yet either.”

True enough.

The ball concludes at midnight.

“Your Highness. Though I wish to oblige, my skills are insufficient…”

“I’ll teach you. It’s not that difficult.”

Hmm. With her persistence, rejection wasn’t an option.

“In that case, I shall humbly receive your instruction.”

“Good.”

Approaching, Princess Selvia grabbed my hand.

“Follow closely.”

Saying that, Princess Selvia lifted my hand diagonally and stepped forward.

Though considerate toward my beginner status, her pace was still fairly slow, but even keeping up with that was challenging for me.

Twisting my feet a few times and stumbling awkwardly, Princess Selvia burst into laughter.

Embarrassment washed over me.

“I already said I don’t know how.”

“You’ll improve with practice. Again.”

Princess Selvia moved her feet again, and mine followed hers.

Repeating this process several times, I eventually managed to mimic Princess Selvia somewhat.

Though clumsy, something resembling dancing started taking shape.

Dancing under the moonlight as our spotlight, a distant helicopter roar reached our ears.

“Your Highness. The Imperial Guard…”

“Don’t stop.”

I hesitated to say it wasn’t the time for childish behavior, but paused.

Princess Selvia wore a gentle smile, enjoying herself—a stark contrast to her expressionless demeanor during formal dances at the banquet hall.

For some reason, I didn’t want to ruin her joy.

So, I awkwardly shuffled my feet, completing the waltz with her.

Feeling dazed after finishing the waltz, Princess Selvia released my hands and looked at me.

“Remember this. Knowing how to dance this much will prevent disrespect wherever you go.”

Before I could respond, the distant helicopter noise gradually approached until the propeller sounds echoed directly above.

“Her Highness the Princess!”

Looking up at the sudden shout, a senior officer nearing sixty stood armed at the helicopter boarding gate.

The veteran quickly pulled out the radio slung over his shoulder and pressed the transmit button.

“Headquarters! This is Old Town Alter Markt Street 87 Waste Collection Area! We’ve located Her Highness the Princess and Captain Daniel Steiner! Both are unharmed except for minor injuries! Immediate reinforcements requested! Repeat! This is Old Town…”

Now, truly, we were saved.

Exhaling a relieved breath, Princess Selvia and I’s gazes naturally met in mid-air.

For a moment, we stayed silent, then both spontaneously shared a silly laugh.

It was late spring.