"My dear sister. I'm writing this letter to discuss today's banquet. I imagine both you and I are busy caring for our citizens. I can see you're troubled by the scheduled banquet, especially since it's the Hero's return ceremony after defeating the Four Heavenly Kings.
It must be awkward to miss during such busy times.
However, don't worry. Our father, His Majesty the Emperor, has decided to attend personally. There's no need for us to go and put on airs. I won't be attending either, so Dayla, please rest easy.
-Your loving brother, Ian Fildoor-"
"...Hmph, nonsense."
After reading the letter, Dayla tore it to pieces.
It was a letter from the First Prince Ian Fildoor. While it might appear affectionate to others, she could see right through his dark intentions.
"You've already planted your eyes and ears all over the banquet hall, yet you tell me to stay away?"
It was essentially a check on her power. Using the pretext that he wouldn't attend either, he was preventing her from participating. If she did attend, it was a sinister warning that he would oppose her in some way.
Meanwhile, he would use the nobles to gather all sorts of information, further isolating her from political circles.
"Not a chance. I won't let things go your way."
Of course, she had no intention of listening to him.
She would somehow build a connection with the Hero. For someone isolated from politics like her, that was the only path available. She needed to create a card she could play.
So she forced herself to attend the banquet, enduring the nobles' glares and carefully watching for opposition that could come from anywhere.
Honestly, she was scared and nervous, but she could overcome it for the sake of her future.
As time passed and the banquet began, when she finally met the long-awaited Hero... she couldn't help but feel disappointed.
The Hero's first impression was absolutely terrible.
"Bring me more alcohol!"
Constantly shouting crude words while looking for drinks.
The Hero she met at the banquet was a complete degenerate.
A ruffian with no manners or shame, and seemingly unintelligent too.
She was amazed at how someone like that had become the Hero.
Feeling it would be difficult to build a normal relationship, she instinctively realized:
*I should give up on making connections...*
Haah.
A sigh escaped her lips involuntarily.
*
The Fildoor Empire.
The imperial family led by the current Emperor Maurice Fildoor had a total of five children.
First Prince Ian, Second Prince Aiden,
First Princess Ayla, Second Princess Elvira, and Third Princess Dayla.
All were shining stars of the Empire.
Additionally, Maurice wasn't particularly patriarchal.
Meaning that anyone with sufficient ability could challenge for the throne.
At this point, we could predict one thing:
That a bloody storm would blow through the imperial family.
Who wouldn't compete for the chance to bring everyone in the Empire under their authority?
Unfortunately, we wouldn't get to see that bloody battle.
*That's because it's already been mostly settled.*
First Princess deceased, Second Prince confined.
Second Princess Elvira had sided with the First Prince, and most nobles supported him as well.
The First Prince's victory was practically confirmed.
And Dayla was a latecomer who joined in such circumstances. Naturally, her situation couldn't be good.
Additionally, the First Prince's temperament was extremely violent, so the opposition against her was intensifying daily.
Just look at what happened to the First Princess and Second Prince. Her life was like a candle in the wind, uncertain when or where it might be extinguished.
But because of that...
*I need to make connections.*
There couldn't be a better condition than this.
She wasn't in a position to be picky. She needed to grab any lifeline she could, even if it seemed like a rotten one.
*The question is how to seize the opportunity...*
It would clearly be difficult here. With so many people around, how could she approach first?
Both she, who was being checked from all sides, and the Hero, who was drawing attention from everywhere, would find it equally difficult to move.
Still, it was fine. Opportunities would come eventually.
*For now, let's just observe.*
Thinking that, I carefully used a skill without being noticed.
["Insect Arts" activated!]
Whoosh!
For a moment, a purple light spread across my palm, and a small insect appeared.
It was a one-eyed bug that we had carefully caught in the Insect King's castle.
Its creepy eye would certainly make an excellent reconnaissance tool.
*Attach to her.*
I secretly attached a one-eyed bug to her.
Good. Now I could track her wherever she went.
All I needed to do now was watch patiently.
*
Though she had given up on meeting the Hero, Dayla wasn't just sitting idle. Unlike the Hero, his party members all seemed normal.
With a "if not a pheasant, then a chicken" mindset, Dayla approached his party members. Of course, that wasn't easy either...
Though not as much as the Hero, they were also receiving considerable attention. Surrounded by numerous nobles and engaged in pleasant conversation, they looked like the center of social circles.
Well, it wouldn't be wrong to call them the center today. After all, they had defeated the Four Heavenly Kings.
After watching the party members with a somewhat envious expression, she approached and introduced herself.
"Hello. I am Dayla von Fildoor."
The party members' reactions to her introduction varied.
"It's an honor to meet you, Princess."
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
Camilla, befitting a knight from a prestigious family, showed her respect with disciplined movements, while Yulice welcomed her with a benevolent smile worthy of a Saintess.
Lily bowed at a 90-degree angle as if flustered, and Adel slightly lowered her head with an expressionless face.
Though their reactions varied, they all contained a degree of respect and courtesy. Her mood improved slightly at receiving respect after so long.
She was about to continue the conversation from there.
Grip.
That is, if someone hadn't grabbed her shoulder.
"Haha, Princess, wasn't I speaking with them first?"
It was a noble with the rank of Baron.
Just a Baron.
A mere Baron-ranked noble freely placing his hand on a Princess's shoulder and telling her to step back.
Normally, this would be an offense punishable by the extermination of three generations for disrespect, but...
"Haha, I see..."
She could only step back.
The Baron was surely part of the First Prince's faction. No, not just him, but everyone here.
And she didn't even have enough power to punish a Baron.
The only support assigned to her was a knight who was close to an apprentice and a demoted court maid.
This was her current situation.
A Princess with only her title remaining, without a shred of power.
For a moment, thinking about her circumstances made her feel sorrowful... but as always, she composed herself.
*...It's okay.*
She was already used to it.
Wasn't she working hard even now to escape this situation?
After that, she continued to face similar rejections.
Whenever she tried to talk with the Hero's party, nobles would somehow intervene and subtly push her back.
It was the nobles' way of preventing her from creating connections.
As time passed like this, the banquet eventually ended. Nobles who were thoroughly drunk began to return to their mansions.
The Hero was sound asleep on the table, while the servants moved about with tired faces to clean up.
"..."
Dayla could only leave with a bitter feeling. She had gained nothing from the banquet.
As she exited the hall, her knight guard welcomed her.
"You've returned."
"...Let's go."
She muttered gloomily as she joined him.
Just from that, the knight guard quickly comforted her, sensing her mood.
Though his skills were only at an apprentice level, his heart to serve her was sincere.
"Things didn't go well, I see, Princess. But don't worry. The day will surely come when everyone recognizes your character."
"I hope that day comes soon..."
Dayla smiled with difficulty.
It had been over a year since she joined as a latecomer and confronted the First Prince. So much had happened during that time.
Her once-friendly sister Elvira had switched to the First Prince's side, and the knights and nobles who used to welcome her warmly all distanced themselves from her.
They had clearly all been either persuaded or threatened by the First Prince.
She knew this, but... there was nothing she could do.
No one would side with someone who was clearly going to lose.
She knew this, but... she couldn't give up.
Otherwise, wouldn't her eldest sister Ayla's death be too unjust...?
Walking with a gloomy expression for a while.
"Didn't the Prince clearly warn you not to attend the banquet?"
"?"
Suddenly, a voice came from ahead.
Looking up, she saw about a dozen hooded figures.
"Despite the clear warning, you ignored it and came out, so we have no choice but to be rough..."
"Who are you... No, before that, only I know about the letter, so how do you know about it?"
For a moment, confusion appeared in the Princess's eyes.
"Ah, could it be...!"
But that was brief; soon her eyes widened as if she had realized something.
"The Imperial Execution Squad?"
The Execution Squad.
Similar to the Imperial Guard but working in darker places. Their main tasks include assassination, intimidation, cleanup, and other dirty work that can't be done openly.
And the fact that they had come for her meant... she was their target this time. The client was obviously the First Prince.
She growled with a tense voice.
"You dare... lay hands on a Princess? Even with brother Ian's orders, do you think you'll remain unscathed?"
"Haha, as if we would kill the Princess!"
The hooded man laughed lightly.
"We'll just hold you for a while. The Princess was simply returning to the palace when she encountered bandits and was briefly kidnapped. And those bandits will be eliminated by the Imperial Guard a few days later, who will retrieve the Princess. We've already decided on the scapegoat."
"What if I go back and reveal everything?"
"Haha, who would believe a powerless Princess... And do you think we'd just let you go back? We'll have to silence you to some extent."
At that moment, the hooded man's eyes gleamed.
"Well... some 'persuasion' will be necessary during that time."
A chill ran down the Princess's spine.
Though he said 'persuasion,' anyone familiar with the Execution Squad would know the true meaning behind that word.
That persuasion included various threats and brainwashing. Looking behind him, she saw another hooded figure drawing black magical power.
Evidence of a Dark Mage. The Execution Squad had Dark Mages, and they intended to use curses for brainwashing and intimidation.
Of course, what she would endure through those curses... was something she couldn't even imagine.
The Princess's body trembled as she imagined the ominous future.
Seeing this, her knight guard drew his sword.
"Step back, Princess."
"Ha, a mere apprentice knight dares..."
But his minor rebellion could only be suppressed within seconds. With just a flick of the hand from the hooded figure at the front, the knight was slammed against the wall.
Bang! Bang!
The man didn't stop there and repeatedly lifted the knight guard and threw him to the ground. Dayla was shocked at the sight.
*An Ability user!*
Ability.
Similar to magic but clearly different. A unique power that others cannot replicate.
And among those she knew, there was only one person who could use telekinesis like this.
Vice Commander Kyle of the Execution Squad.
One of the top fighters in the Empire and a swordsman who used telekinesis.
Such a person had now come to capture her.
She quickly tried to escape, but even that was already prevented by a barrier.
Thump! Thump!
Dayla's heart pounded with tension.
"It's useless. We've already completed operations in this area. No matter how much you scream or cry, no one will come to find you."
"...No way."
"Yeah, that's right."
It was then. A voice came from a place that was neither where the hooded group was nor where the Princess was.
"Wow, at this level even an ant would have trouble getting in. No sound or smell would leak out either. I don't know who made it, but it's well-made."
"Who's there!"
The startled Execution Squad members turned their heads toward the sound. Dayla naturally turned her head as well. And there...
"Hello~ I'm the Hero."
The Hero was there, waving his hand with a gentle smile.
A completely different atmosphere from what she had seen at the banquet.
His face, which had been drunk, now had a healthy color and was extremely calm.
His half-closed eyes were now clearly observing the Execution Squad.
Also, his strangely polite tone made him seem like a different person.
Such a discordant situation.
In such a situation, Dayla could only ask herself:
*...What's going on?*