“What’s all this commotion!?”
Numerous footsteps echoed, growing louder.
The Imperial Court guards, alerted by the noise, seemed to be swarming into the Rose Garden.
“Damn, we need to retreat immediately. Astoria, you guys too, get going.”
“Y-yes, sir…!”
We hastily decided to return to the Prison Tower.
Astoria and his badly injured subordinates also had to make a run for it.
Those battered guys wouldn’t be able to explain their defeat if someone saw them.
“Ah, Lord Luke!”
“Princess Olivia!?”
On the way, we ran into Princess Olivia, who was panting for breath.
She looked like she had been running in quite a hurry.
“Hmph, that thieving cat of a princess!”
Diana tried to pounce on Princess Olivia.
“What do you think you’re doing, sending a letter like that to my Brother Luke!?”
“…Master Gaine, please take Diana back first.”
“Roger that! Come on, Princess Diana, it’s bedtime for good girls!”
“Hey, Ms. Dandelion, what are you doing!?”
Diana, hoisted up by Master Gaine, flailed her arms and legs, trying to resist.
“[Dispel Sword]”
“Mmph!?”
Before Diana could use magic, I stabbed her foot with a [Dispel Sword] that had zero attack power.
This would prevent Diana from using magic for about three minutes, the duration the [Dispel Sword] could maintain its physical form.
“Brother Lukeee!”
Diana was carried away by Master Gaine, unable to do anything about it.
Phew, that’s settled.
I felt bad for Diana, but this was also to avoid the future where Diana would fall to darkness and be killed.
“Lord Luke, please allow me to apologize first. I am truly sorry for summoning you and not being on time!”
Princess Olivia bowed deeply and apologized.
“Please raise your head. There’s no need to apologize. I met Brother Astoria earlier and heard what happened.”
“Oh, w-was that so? Thank you!”
Princess Olivia, looking flustered, paused to catch her breath.
“S-so, the reason I troubled Lord Luke to come here is…!”
She finally seemed to steel herself and offered me a single rose she was holding.
“T-this is it. Do you know the meaning of a red rose?”
“…I heard it means ‘I love you.'”
“Y-yes!”
Princess Olivia, her face completely red, raised her voice.
“That is my true and unwavering feeling towards Lord Luke.”
“Are you serious? Why do you feel that way about me…?”
I’ve only met her for about four days.
“I heard that Lord Luke is aiming to become Emperor. The reason is to protect your mother and younger sister, who are in unfortunate positions.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I had declared this in front of the Emperor and his Imperial Guards, so it was a well-known fact in the Imperial Court.
“However, Lord Luke recently saved not only me but also Lord Astoria’s life. If you hadn’t pushed him away, you would have undoubtedly reduced one of your rivals for the throne, which would have been advantageous for you. Why didn’t you do that?”
“…It’s because my mother taught me not to become someone who takes people’s lives. If I had let Brother Astoria die, it would have been the same as me killing him. That would have saddened my mother.”
That’s why I helped him on the spur of the moment.
The reason I aim to become Emperor is to make my mother and Diana happy.
I had no intention of rising to power through inhumane means that would sadden my mother.
“A-after all, Lord Luke is a noble person who, despite harboring ambitions, possesses a noble heart that cares for others…! I also heard that you are spreading attack magic that doesn’t kill soldiers throughout the Imperial Army!”
Princess Olivia clasped her hands together, looking at me with admiration.
“I sincerely respect Lord Luke for that!”
“Attack magic that doesn’t kill soldiers? Are you talking about [Thanatos]? No, I think that’s actually an inhumane magic…”
What I came up with to prevent Diana, who would eventually be on the battlefield, from killing people was an incomplete version of [Thanatos], a tactic to incapacitate enemy soldiers by putting them in a comatose state and spreading it throughout the Imperial Army.
The effectiveness of this tactic was already being proven in the Imperial Army.
Wizards who can use [Dispel] to release the comatose state are rare.
But if you ask if this is humane, I don’t think it is.
The upper echelons of the enemy country are struggling with how to handle the comatose soldiers. Abandoning them would lower morale, and trying to help them would be a huge burden.
The damage to the enemy army’s logistics, as well as their psychology, was enormous.
I considered this the ultimate harassment.
But for me, the top priority was to prevent Diana from committing inhumane acts, so I didn’t care how much the enemy country suffered.
Obtaining a happy future where Diana doesn’t fall to darkness and my mother isn’t saddened is the most important thing.
“I am hopelessly drawn to Lord Luke, who possesses such a noble heart!”
“Noble? Is that so?”
“Yes!”
Princess Olivia nodded strongly.
“…Well, if they don’t want to be hit with [Thanatos], they can just surrender, so the war itself will end sooner, I think.”
“Ah, indeed, Lord Luke is the one who will end this prolonged war! The effectiveness of [Thanatos], which you brought about, has been a topic of discussion even in Macedonia.”
I-is that so?
“Since I was born in a turbulent era, I am prepared to dedicate myself to my homeland. However, if I am to dedicate myself, it must be to someone who will truly benefit my homeland of Macedonia. It must be someone who can become Emperor and survive the turbulent times. I am convinced that Lord Luke is the next ruler—the one who will succeed Emperor Alvaise and achieve the pacification of the continent.”
That’s a lot of high praise.
“…I’m a failure who can’t even use magic properly, though?”
“You jest. That movement when you saved me and Lord Astoria from the collapsing tower cannot be explained simply by saying you practice some martial art. Even I have undergone considerable magical training.”
Princess Olivia smiled.
Could it be that she saw through my abilities in that one instant…?
“The [Dark Edge] you used against Diana earlier was also extraordinary, wasn’t it?”
“Were you able to tell…?”
She had quite the eye for observation.
It seems I had underestimated Princess Olivia a little.
“Yes. Would you please accept my feelings? I wish to support Lord Luke’s path to supremacy from nearby.”
I decided to respond to her feelings with sincerity.
“…I aim to become Emperor to protect my mother and my sister, Diana. To that end, I came here to become Princess Olivia’s fiancé. I like you, but… I’m not sure if this is romantic love, to be honest. Is that alright with you?”
“You are honest. If I can be of assistance to your great ambition, there is no greater joy for me. If I could ask for just one thing…”
Princess Olivia looked up at me with tearful eyes.
“Would you kiss me? A kiss is a sacred act for the royalty and nobility of Macedonia, a vow of eternal love. A princess must spend her life with the first person she kisses.”
“A kiss!? A k-kiss…!?”
I was surprised by this.
A kiss between eight-year-olds might be like playing house, but…
I’ve never kissed a girl in my life, including my previous life.
“…Yes. Please, vow your love to me here and now.”
Princess Olivia closed her eyes and waited for a kiss.
My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would jump out of my chest.
However, I can’t become Emperor if I run away here.
Unlike the other princes, I don’t have the backing of a great noble family. To rise to power, I need the support of the powerful western nation of Macedonia.
I steeled myself and gave Princess Olivia a light kiss.
“Ah, I-I’m so happy, Lord Luke!”
Princess Olivia showed a radiant smile that made me involuntarily feel a flutter in my heart.
“I really wanted to vow our love in front of the red rose garden in the Rose Garden… but I want to save that for our dream wedding.”
Wedding… Marriage is allowed from the age of 18.
But Princess Olivia will likely die before that, before the game’s main story even begins.
“I swear, no matter what happens from now on, I will protect Princess Olivia.”
So, I thought I wanted to protect her too.
“Thank you very much! … Then, from now on, when it’s just the two of us, please call me Olivia. Since we’re going to be engaged, honorifics are unnecessary.”
Eh, that, that’s just like lovers.
“O-Okay, Olivia.”
“For Lord Luke to call me Olivia! Nothing could make me happier. Today is the best day of my life!”
Olivia rejoiced.
Seeing such a smile makes me happy too.
“I will return to my country in five days. There, I will obtain my father’s permission for my engagement to Lord Luke and a promise of an alliance between our two countries. Until then, please keep this a secret… It would be terrible if Astoria-sama or someone found out.”
“Understood. That would certainly be best.”
If it came out that I had stolen the position of the princess’s fiancé, the Imperial Court would be in an uproar.
I warned Astoria, but there’s no telling what kind of interference the Duke of Orleans family behind him might try. The First Prince and Second Prince factions, who are currently taking a wait-and-see approach, thinking I’m not worth their attention, will all try to interfere with my engagement to Olivia.
It’s better to proceed with this secretly.
“Yes. Then, would you like to have a dance lesson with me tomorrow?”
“Um, sorry. I stepped on Olivia’s foot last time.”
That was a bitter memory.
I regretted not practicing social dancing with Diana beforehand.
“Fufu, please don’t worry about it. The memory of my first dance with Lord Luke is a treasure for my entire life.”
Olivia said dreamily.
I thought she was truly adorable.
And so, I secretly became lovers with Olivia.
For me, who had been without a girlfriend for 37 years, including my previous life, it was a shocking night.