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Story Fragment

*

Evelyn Equestria

===

“Someone..”

A hoarse voice faded into the dark, reaching no one. The small, frightened girl rolled up into a ball inside a cage called, distant eyes gazing nowhere. Her tears had long dried, the smell of ammonia coming from the moist sack pushed to the corner of the enclosure. 

Her dress was soiled, long silver hair had lost its luster, unkempt and dirty. Her olfactory senses numbed to the astringent smell of urea and iron throughout the chamber outside the cage. 

She sat up painfully, reaching out her arms, she generated a small ball of water. Carefully, she leaned forward and gulped it down. She wiped the corner of her mouth and shivered.

Cold.

She looked around in the dark, her hand trembled knowing what it was that laid beyond the bars enshrouding her.

It had been an unknown number of days since she had been brought here. Her memories were hazy, but she remembered drinking a cup of water that had apparently been drugged before being brought here. For what reason she couldn’t tell.

Either way, since she was still alive, her priority here should’ve been to escape however..

She touched the black crest on her neck, a grimacing frown showed on her face.

A slave crest.

The second imperial princess of Equestria, kidnapped and enslaved. 

What had she ever done? Who did this? Why did they need to do something like this? What would they gain by doing this? When will her guards arrive? What would happen to her now?

She had already simulated these questions countless times– but no answers came out of them, she knew too little.

As a princess that had no interest in politics, she didn’t understand why anyone would think of her as a threat. She, who had no other talent except playing the role of the family flower– why would anyone think of doing something like this to her?

She didn’t understand. What had she ever done wrong to offend anyone?

Creak.

A looming dread clutched her heart tight as the door opposite slowly opened, her body jolted in fear. The leaky light pouring in revealed the dark recess of the chamber.

Chains and shackles connected to the gray brick wall. Torture devices like scissors and gags hung on racks. Tables with various bloodied items and a few bottles of mysterious pills. Jars filled to the brim with perseverance liquid, and floating within were various organ parts.

This was the first time in a while she had met anyone. A part of her wanted to ask whoever it was about why she was here. The other part of her strongly warned against it. 

Fear won out, she crawled into the darkest corner of the cage– but of course, there was no place to hide.

The silhouette of the man over a pure white backdrop. She tried to discern who it was that entered, gauging the contours of the face she froze.

“Your Highness, are you hungry?” his husky voice was tempting, yet jestingly creepy. She didn’t know how to respond. She pressed herself harder into the corner.

Her heart was thumping, as if it were going to jump out of her chest. Her dull amethyst irises shook, conveying the fears that shook her being. 

“Answer me, Your Highness,” he chuckled.

The burning sensation of the crest on the neck– it was obvious to her now that this person in front of her was– her master.

“N-No,” she quickly replied, knowing that if she delayed, she might be hit with the pain of disobeying.

“Is that so? I see.. I see. You still have the energy left to hold yourself. In that case, how about we have some fun?”The door behind him shut, shrouding the room back into darkness. She panicked and tried to readjust her eyes to discern his location when torches came to life. 

He was one of her classmates.

Licking his lips he stared at her with his crimson red eyes. She could feel the maniacal lust of the man towards her body.

“P-Please..”

“I’ve been ordered to discipline you as I wish. Which means..” a cunning smile flashed across his face.

“W-Why are you doing this?”

“Lie down on the ground and open up your legs, this is an order.”

“U-Uh, n-no..”

The searing sensation on her neck grew more intense. She could already tell what was going to happen. She just didn’t think her friend would be the one to do this..

“Your siblings must’ve been really jealous. You’re such a beauty– open up wide.”

“No! Trevor, please!” She struggled.

Trevor Loid, the son of a marquis. She had known him since 10 years old, and he was one of her closer friends– until she rejected his confession. Though she knew he liked her, she made it a point to treat him with courtesy.

“Your Highness, shh–”

The crest burned, she screamed, only to feel the pain intensify. 

With tears dripping from the corner of her eyes, she laid in a dorsal position with her fair legs peeking out of the cage. She realized then that she had to bite her tongue if she wanted the pain to stop.

Trevor came nearer and ran his fingers across her skin. She shivered.

“I’ve always wanted to do this, m-my apologies your Highness..” he stuttered.

“N-No.. Nm..” She couldn’t speak. The moment she did, the crest would flare up, causing the cycle of pain to start over.

Endure.. endure..

This pain and humiliation. His inexperience caresses and disordered breathing. She moaned and writhed, he found her resistance stimulating. Wanting to see her struggle more, he reached towards the sacred place under her dress.

‘No. N-No d-don’t touch there!!’

She gritted her teeth and spilled tears.

He rubbed his fingers all around, feeling the sticky sensation of it all.

“You’re wet already..” he pulled his hands out and licked his fingers. She trembled at the sight.

He got up and walked towards the table. There, he grabbed a key and inserted it into the cage’s keyhole. 

Click. 

It was unlocked.

“Your Highness.. I’m coming..” he entered the cage with a delirious expression.

She shook her head wildly, wishing she could deny his existence, wishing that this was but a mere dream.

“Be a good girl and let me play with you. No hitting or biting, okay? This is an order,” his whisper was so soft, delicate– the sound of a devil’s voice.

With the order set in stone, the only resistance she could put up now was to writhe and shake. She couldn’t speak, move, nor fight..

No wait, she still had one chance.

He picked up her hair and smelled it. 

“Smells so good.. “

Secretly, she began condensing mana around her finger. She had only one shot at this– if she failed then it would be.. 

He pulled up her dress, revealing her inner wear. He straddled her and leaned into her face.

“Your Highness, do you like me?” he asked with a silly expression. 

“...”

“Oh right. Your Highness can’t talk. In that case, I’ll just assume Your Highness really likes me...”

She didn’t know why he became like this. The Trevor she knew was a kind, respectful person. Even after she had rejected him, he had always treated her like a friend– 

No. It was an act. All this time, he had been enduring for this chance.

A mask behind his true emotions.

She should’ve noticed it.. the black aura she saw around him during the party..

She summoned an ice spike and without any delay, fired it towards him.

The ice dispersed into mist upon contact. Her eyes widened in shock.

“No hurting me in any way, this is an order,” he grinned.

She looked at him in horror. The thought of suicide crossed her mind. But she was afraid. She didn’t want to die. 

She hated pain. She didn’t want to go anywhere near that–

He licked her lips. She trembled.

“S-Salty– I can’t believe it, I really can’t believe it.. Your Highness is mine.. you’re really mine. I can do whatever I want,” Trevor’s gaze clouded over as his pent up desires burst forth.

She tried to turn her head, she wanted to resist–

Her attempts only aroused him further. His tongue invaded her’s, she stammered. His saliva pouring into her, the sticky sensation and sloshing of their mucus caused a seed of trauma in her heart to blossom.

She was being defiled.

She, the second imperial princess, was being defiled by the Marquis’ son.

He gasped in heat, leaving a silver string between their lips. She wanted to spit out the accumulated saliva–

“Swallow it, it’s an order.”

She had no choice. The rancid mucus went down her throat, falling into a daze. He began taking off her dress from the shoulder. 

In the midst of it, he leaned in and licked her tears.

“I love you so much, Your Highness. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to take care of you well. We will enjoy our time together lots and lots.. okay?”Her hollow eyes peered into his. 

‘It’s over..’

Whatever resistance by this point would be nothing but a lewd act in front of the assaulter. Her fate had been decided ever since she took that drink. She could do nothing more but accept him.

‘Why..’

Why was the world so cruel to her?

She felt his hand slip into her clothes. He began rubbing himself all over, feeling for every part of her skin while she imagined her world crumbled before her.

‘Why..’

It didn’t matter that she was once a princess. As a slave, all were equal in the light of the dark realities of human nature. Nothing more, nothing less. 

‘Why..’

She didn’t even care that he had begun to take off her corset. Whatever that would come, she just had to accept it. Having been here for an unknown period of time had robbed her of her willpower. It would be better that he got it over with so that she could find something to eat later..

‘Ah.. I see..’

As the spoiled princess. She never did have much of a desire. She wasn’t one to fight for her needs, nor a person who forced her ideals upon anyone. If anything, she didn’t suit the image of royalty at all. And that of course, her lack of action was what led to her demise..

‘It’s my fault..’

She closed her eyes, feeling the disgusting warmth envelop her body.

“Geh?!”

A loud crash could be heard, she felt the weight against her body disappear.

“Your Highness. Did he order anything like kill yourself if he dies?”

A calm voice resounded, he touched her shoulders. She opened her eyes.

He was looking at with an expression riddled in concern. This familiar boy with brilliant blue eyes, auburn hair and the blazing golden aura which surrounded him. 

“You are..” her voice choked out weakly. Her mind was too fuzzy to discern who this was– but one thing was for sure.

She was saved.

“Your Highness, did he order you to self-destruct if he dies?”

She shook her head weakly.

“Close your eyes.”

She obeyed. The moments that followed, she heard the sounds of crushing bone and the splattering of blood.

“Keep your eyes closed.”

She felt his hand around her back, he cradled her his arms.

“Let’s get out of here.”

…

..

.

“Second Imperial Princess, Her Highness Evelyn!”

The master of ceremony recited the names of each and every member of the royal family. Every time a new member went up to sit on their designated throne, a zealous applause would run through the crowd of nobles.

Today, at the imperial ballroom, the royal family was holding a party to celebrate the first prince, His Highness Wilson Equestria’s birthday. He was garbed in a white suit adorned with well endowed ornaments. A gold lanyard hung from one epaulet, crossing to the pin located at the pocket of the opposite side. A oriental sword hung on his waist, the insignia of Equestria royalty etched into the dark blue sheath gleaming in the light.

His eyelids were always lowered, giving the impression that he had small eyes. A gentle smile on his face, he exuded a warm demeanor which many people were fond of. His dazzling blonde hair riveted the ladies, making him the eye candy for many charming women.

“He’s so cool.”

The 13 years old Sequencee whispered. Anna who stood beside him chuckled.

They were wearing formal attire in attendance of this celebratory occasion as invited guests. Sequencee in a dark blue suit topped with a nice tie, Anna in a puffy black dress which gave a touch of cuteness to her typically domineering aura.

“We’ll get to the food soon, don’t worry,” Anna said.

“I can’t wait. Yum,” Sequencee, being the person who wasn’t all that interested in the happenings of the royal family looked around the humongous hall.

The place was crowded with nobles. Towards the food aisle, long stretches of food had already been laid out across the table. The orchestral players at the corner stage stood with their instruments in hand as they waited for the royals to finish whatever speech they had. There were also kids like himself attending, many of which, like himself, were busy looking around instead of paying attention to the words of the prince.

Sequencee saw Leticia Estia amongst the people in the crowd. She was the daughter of the barony which he and his mom stayed in. For this occasion, she had styled her platinum blonde hair into beautiful braids, her dress was long and drapery, reminiscent of those worn by elves.

‘She’s the daughter of a human and a half-elf so it makes sense..’ 

Their eyes met. Sequencee turned away.

“We’re so disrespectful..” he turned back to the stage and scratched his cheeks. Better listen to the prince, otherwise someone might just quiz him on what he said later.

“.. I thank all once more for traveling so far to attend this party. I’m honored to be the celebrated guest for the day, and I hope everyone will continue to maintain good relations with the royal family as we continue to pursue the development of the empire. Please help yourselves with the food, enjoy the wine, dance with your loved ones. On behalf of everyone here, I wish all a great evening. ”

The loudest applause since their arrival rang out, the mages that have been commissioned fired off mini fireworks inside the hall with the aid of magic. Particles of sparkly snow drifted down from the ceiling, creating an enchanting scene.

“It’s time to eat,” Anna said with a blooming smile.

Sequencee couldn’t agree more.

The two headed to the food station and began to stuff their plates with dishes they found appetizing. Sequencee was a little disappointed that there weren’t many Hero inspired dishes here. That said, the buffet options for the party were still the best he had encountered so far. 

‘As expected of royalty.’

Sequencee bit into the gold goose meat seared in hot gravy made from a mixture of chives, spices and sturgeon eggs. Flavors exploded in his mouth as he allowed the taste to take him to cloud nine. Anna was no different, caring more for the food than she did about networking with the other nobles. After all, she was herself a mercenary through and through.

The first prince was busy shaking hands with the nobles in the room, so much so that a long line had formed with him standing at the tails end. The other members of royalty had either gone to meet their faction supporters or come to enjoy the wine and food.

“Miss Anna,” a voice boomed behind.

“Hm??” She turned around to meet a brawny man wearing a tight black suit. The red handkerchief in his pocket and sword by his belt created an incongruence of authority and style.

Dark brown hair, deep green eyes. This man here was Aaron Smite.

“Sir Aaron. Nice to see that you’re here! Long time so shea—” Anna said with her mouth still stuffed with food.

He loosened a sigh and smiled wryly.

“Good evening Sir Aaron,” Sequencee greeted out of respect. He made sure to swallow his food before speaking of course.

“Good evening to you. This is your son, Anna?” he reached out and patted Sequencee by the shoulder.

“Yes. This is my dear son Sequencee. Looks just like me doesn’t he? Fufu.”

“Sure does. How has it been the..”

And so the two settled into a deep conversation talking about the latest adventure they’ve been through. As SS-rank adventurers respectively (though one of them denied the promotion), they had a deep sense of camaraderie with one another. If Sequencee remembered correctly, his mom did tell him once that this Aaron guy was her companion during a big mission they had in the past.

Sequencee tried to locate the other SS-rank adventurers in the room. However, due to the lack of familiarity, it was likely he wouldn’t be able to tell them apart from the rest. In the first place, he didn’t know if the royal family invited all SS-rank mercenaries here.

“Should I shake hands with the prince?” Sequencee muttered to himself, seeing how his mom was busy and the line had grown a little shorter.

He then looked towards the lounge area designed especially for young nobles. There were a bunch of people surrounding the second princess and fourth prince. Fortunately, there wasn’t anything like a boundary system in place for this celeration where some locations were restricted to upper nobles, others restricted to the lower nobles. Sequencee was free to roam and meet whoever he wished.

‘Yeah, let’s go shake hands with the prince.’

“Mom, I’m going to go line up. Can you help me take care of my plate for a bit.”

“Sure dear, be careful.”

He made sure to make himself presentable before settling himself into the queue. There were many adult nobles here, so he found it a little discomforting being the only kid around. If anything, Sequencee thought maybe by doing this, he might be tarnishing his mother’s image. At the same time, he knew his mother didn’t care about that.

‘Yup. I need to become strong like her so I don’t need to keep impressions.’

Sequencee was glad he wasn’t the child of some noble. He disliked having to act in a set ‘role’ corresponding to his ‘status’ in front of everyone.

‘Actually, just by standing here, I am acting out my status as a free and wild person, aren’t I?’

Nobody was free from the judgment of status. It was just a matter of high or low, Sequencee wanting to keep his lower status to avoid trouble.

A few minutes passed when his turn arrived.

“Happy birthday, Your Highness Wilson,” Sequencee greeted crudely as he accepted his handshake.

His Highness Wilson couldn’t contain his laughter, “Thank you young sir. Where are your parents? Did you come here alone?”

“No Your Highness. My mom is there talking with Sir Aaron.”

“Oh? So you are Miss Anna’s son?”

“Yes.”

He chuckled.

“What an unexpected chance to speak to the son of a renowned adventurer. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope you enjoy the evening party.”

“Yes Your Highness, thank you,” Sequencee bowed and left. He couldn’t take up too much time as there were many new people behind him.

‘It must be difficult to handle so many people like this.. I wonder if he’s hungry?’

He looked at his hands, amazed that he had really just shook hands with the potential future king.

Sequencee made his way over to his mom. She was still talking to Aaron, and their exchange had grown heated, laughs leaked in between every few exchanges.

“Mom, I shook hands with the prince,” Sequencee showed his hand.

“Oh, congratulations.”“Oh boy, you should really look out for your son. What if His Highness thinks you’re neglecting him?”

“Nah. I don’t think they’d go so far as to think as such. His Highness has so much on his plate that if he cared about every little thing, he would be crushed.”

“You better not let him hear that,” Aaron shook his head.

“Dear, sorry but you mom wants to go meet with some people so is it alright if you go there and try to make some new friends?” Anna passed Sequencee’s plate back to him and point to the young noble’s lounge with her thumb.

“After that, get a few more crusted crab patties.”

“Yes, yes,” Anna giggled.

Sequencee stocked up his plate and felt that his throat was parched. He used magic to keep the plate in the air as he asked for a glass of juice. The bartender who saw how the plate was levitating couldn’t help but admire this genius in front of him. He poured him a glass of sweet gold-dew fruit juice and sent him on his way.

Sequencee dabbed his mouth with his handkerchief after wetting his throat and walked to the lounge. He was trying to find Leticia. Though they weren’t that close of friends, they were at least somewhat acquainted with one another.

He circled around the lounge but couldn’t find her. He looked towards the crowd of adult nobles and mused to himself.

‘She’s probably with her family or something.. oh well.’

There was no way he would be able to make friends knowing that these people had a higher standing than himself. It would be better to just find a corner of a hall, or veranda, and wait for the party to be over or..

“Maybe I should sneak out into the garden.”

Sequencee had read many stories about mercenaries who felt uncomfortable being in the banquet hall and would go to the garden to pass time. There they would stubble upon trouble and save the day– that kind of trope.

“Is that magic?”

“The plate is floating.. he must be really skilled.”

“Which house is he from? Have you seen him before?”

“Probably some low commoner. I’ve never seen him in the academy.”

To these whispers, Sequencee glanced at the young nobles and made a trouble expression. Confused as to what they should do, they stared back at him.

‘I probably should find some odd corner of the hall to stand at.’

Sequencee found a nice veranda to veer off into. He lowered his plate and cup to the ledge and looked out towards the night scene of the city. With the fork, he sliced the patty of the crusted crab meat and enjoyed the flavor as he took in the night air.

“Oh dear, it seems I’m not the only one who doesn’t fit in.”

Sequencee turned around to find a noble lady wearing a pink dress. Her hair was black, eyes were bright crimson. Sequencee didn’t really know how to react so he said nothing and assumed she wasn’t talking to him.

The noble lady smiled wryly, finding this chap a little funny. She didn’t try to bother him and stood at the other side of the veranda as she looked towards the sky.

“Were you talking to me earlier? My apologies,” Sequencee spoke after a while.

“Ah. No, no. It isn't anything to be shameful about. I’m merely intruding on your space, that’s all.”

“Intruding in my space? Since when did I claim a domain of my own?” Sequencee found her reasoning funny.

“This is your space since you got here first, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think so?” Sequencee laughed.

“First daughter of the Marquis House, Flona Loid. It’s a pleasure to meet you. May I know your name?”

“Me? I’m a commoner, Sequencee. Nice to meet you Miss Flona.”

“Oh my? Are you a big shot perhaps?”

“Big shot? I’m merely a commoner.”

“No, no. Unless you have some background, you wouldn’t be here. Where are your parents?”

“My mom is talking to the other mercenaries around.”

“Ah.. then you’re the rumored mystery child?”

He had been getting it a lot. For some reason this story about him had been circulating around the circle of nobility.

“I suppose so..”

“I see.. then you don’t know who your father is?”

“Not at all.”

“Hm.. interesting, interesting.”

There was silence for a few beats. Sequencee drank his glass of juice, he heard a sigh. He peeked at her and noticed how her brows were deeply furrowed in worry.

“Speaking of which, are you trying to avoid something?”

“Ah? You could tell?”

“A random guess since I’ve met other nobles like you.”

“I see.. it seems you’re a lot more experienced in regards to myself. I should be ashamed..” 

“Flona, you’re here!” a sticky voice boomed behind them.

Sequencee turned around at the same time as she did and met a pot belly man. He had numerous gold ornaments decorating his figure, over a dozen rings on his fingers, many jewels dangling on his neck– Sequencee found it disgusting.

“My fiance, what’s wrong?” Seeing Flona’s expression, he asked in a consoling voice.

She smiled bitterly, “It’s nothing. I came out to have some fresh air.

“I see.. the sky is beautiful tonight, isn’t it?” he gazed towards the moon.

“S-Sure is..” Flona stuttered.

‘To think this sort of thing can happen.. she's a Marquis' daughter? Just what is the Marquis thinking?’

It was clear to Sequencee that Flona wasn’t just fleeing the party. She was trying to flee this hog. It wasn’t like he was unfamiliar with political marriage, but this was the first time Sequencee had seen such an extreme case.

‘Normally I shouldn’t interfere but..’

“Um, my apologies,” Sequencee coughed.

“Oh. Sorry for interfering. I shall take my leave with my fiance..”

“Ah, it’s not that. My name is Sequencee, son of Anna. May I know the name to this lady’s fiance?” Sequencee introduce himself. Flona found it a little odd.

“Oh? Anna of the Rending? I had heard she had a son, I didn’t think you’d be the one. The name is Boltt Euincing from Trading House Euincing. It is truly a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.. my apologies Boltt. Earlier I was talking to your fiance about helping me to bridge the gap between me and the other nobles. I’m not quite comfortable mixing around you see..”

“Is that so? ”

“Could I borrow her for time? I want to meet the princess with her help.”

Flona showed a conflicted expression mixed in with shock.

“I see..” Boltt showed a contemplative nod.

‘It’s a lie, whatever.’

“Have you met the first prince?”

“The first prince? No. I have not.”

“Your fiance has already shaken hands with him once, isn’t it appropriate that you do the same? If you don’t grasp the opportunity now it’s likely it won't happen again.”

“Hah? You have?” Boltt turned to Flona with an incredulous gaze.

“I have.. you should go too,” Flona didn’t know how Sequencee knew. It might’ve been a random guess, nevertheless, it seemed he was trying to pry her out of this situation.

“Hm. In that case, I should introduce myself. Don’t go too far,” Boltt turned around and left for the line.

Watching his leaving figure, Sequencee heaved a sigh.

“Sorry to ask, is your family situation that desperate?”

“...”

‘Yeah.. maybe I should’ve just shut up.’

“Sorry for interfering,” Sequencee picked up his plate and glass.

“Wait. I’ll help you.”

“It’s alright. I only did what I did on a whim,” he levitated the glass and grabbed his plate, planning to leave, “besides, it’s not like I can solve your family situation as an outsider.”

“Earlier– you said you were Anna’s son, right?”

“Yes?”

“Then.. could I possibly issue a request here, right now?”

“Request?”

Flona looked around warily. She then walked up to Sequencee and leaned over to whisper.

“Something is going to happen to the princess.”“Hm?”

“I don’t know the details, but I wish for you and Anna to investigate the case. I believe it has to do with the succession war, which my family is involved in..” Flona gritted her teeth.

‘I just raised a flag didn’t I? Why all of a sudden?’

“I didn’t think I’d meet you so I don’t know what to prepare, but will a hundred gold suffice?”

“Hold on. Could you talk to my mom about this instead? This is beyond me.”

“Please,” Flona bowed.

She didn’t think she would encounter someone like Sequencee. Should she have attended the party as normal, there was no chance for her to share her concerns with anyone else. Even if they did, the likelihood of them supporting her was extremely low.

It just happened that Sequencee here was the son of an unofficial SS-rank adventurer. Seeing his skills at deception, it came to her suddenly that she had found a ray of hope.

“Got it..”

‘Not again..’

===

“My apologies. I can’t take this request,” Anna lowered her head.

“I.. see..” Flona stuttered. She tried her best to hide her disappointment.

“The second princess is at threat, is what you mentioned? We should warn the royal guards if that’s the case,” Aaron suggested.

“Mn, I think that’s a good precaution. Dear Flona, though I may not be able to help you in this, I commend your bravery in relaying this crucial information. We can only do the minimal for the situation, the rest will be up to those directly involved,” Anna said.

“I understand. Thank you for the advice,” Flona bowed.

“Sequencee, dear. Could you check if Her Highness is aware of the matter?” 

“Me?”

“Yes. It would be conspicuous if I got too close. It’s a mission appropriate for someone your age, yes?” Anna’s eyes were sparkling.

‘Ah.. crap. Mom, why are you doing this to me..’

This isn’t the first time he’d seen this face form her. It only happens when she’s up to no good. Sequencee heaved a deep sigh.

“Understood.”

“I could help,” Flona said.

“No, no. My son should be able to handle it. He wouldn’t be a man otherwise,” Anna quipped. 

‘Damn it mom!’

Boltt was still in line waiting to shake the prince’s hand. He didn’t try to interfere when seeing Flona with Anna and Aaron. Though, Sequencee sensed that there was something amiss with his actions.

Trotting away from the discussion, Sequencee recounted the information from Flona’s disclaimer.

Flona is the eldest in her family. She was the product of a maid (who would later become the concubine) and the Marquis; her childhood had been a rough one. She has a younger half-brother named Trevor, the son of the legal wife. The Marchioness passed away during her second delivery, whereby both the mother and baby died. It was for this reason which led the Marquis to dote on Trevor more than he did Flona. If anything, Flona was the child he didn’t wish to have, thus why she was regarded as no more than a tool in the family.

After becoming engaged to Boltt, Flona began noticing the change in the air around the family. Boltt seemed to have grown closer to Trevor, which Flona found to be a distressing sign as they didn’t have a good sibling relationship with each other. Boltt began teaching him things like prostituion and drinking behind the Marquis’ back, a worry which she had expressed to the Marquis but was ignored.

One day, as she was passing through the corridor, she overheard a casual conversation between Boltt and Trevor regarding his love– Her Highness Evelyn, the second imperial princess. Initially, she didn’t think so much about it. But when the conversation twisted in the direction of slavery and kidnap, she began to suspect that something was wrong. 

She might be overthinking, and her claims sounded very much like slander towards her own family. Nevertheless, she needed to share it because her intuition was telling her that there was something much more sinister.

“Her Highness Evelyn..”

Sequencee found the princess seated around a group of nobles at the lounge sofa. Leticia was among the girls.

‘How in the world I’m I going to approach her?’

Sequencee was pondering about the matter, thinking that he should brazenly force himself in using Leticia as the bridge when the fourth prince approached him.

“Um, excuse me, could it be that you’re Miss Anna’s son?” 

“A-Ah.. Your Highness. Yes, I’m Anna’s son, Sequencee.”

‘The hell? Why all of a sudden..’

“Sequencee?”

“I mean, my name is Sequencee.”

“What a peculiar name. You have incredible magic, I quite admire it. Could you teach me how you come to learn something so advanced? You see, I’ve always been an admirer of mages, but I could never do magic well,” the fourth prince said with a bitter smile.

“I-I see,” Sequencee realized how he kept his plate floating all the while. It was the unexpected conduct that led to the prince’s query.

‘I should use this but..’

“I can show you a little? Though, magic is really about practicing over and over again.”

“Is that so? How do you normally practice magic?” The fourth prince guided him into his clique. 

“I do this,” Sequencee revealed an elemental bead. A pale green one related to wind.

“What is.. “

“Could it be that this is wind magic?”

“How come it’s so small?”

Some had misgivings, others snickered in disdain. Sequencee found himself surrounded by young nobles around his age commenting about a simple bead. It was quite a silly sight.

“Instead of casting wind magic over and over, what I do is I condense the magic into the simplest form and keep it there. For this, I just take the wind and then compress it. That way, I can use a very small amount of mana to practice my control. Master the fundamentals and everything else will take care of itself, is what my mom often said.”

Sequencee conjured a small spinning ball of wind. It would've been almost invisible if not for the white fog around it. The ball of wind then quickly shrank to the size of a pebble when a faint glow began to emanate from within. Compressing it further, it became a bead. Now, there were two identical beads in front of Sequencee.

“Wow.. I’ll try,” the fourth prince wasn’t swept away by the rest and trusted Sequencee’s teachings.

He began by conjuring a wind ball in his hands. The gust brought about by the magic swept some of the girl’s skirt up, they quickly pushed it down

“S-Sorry.” 

He stuttered and quickly tried to repress the wind. He grimaced. No matter how he tried, he just couldn’t.

“Try to reduce the output gradually. It’s difficult to shrink it when there’s too much mana.”

“Is that so..?”

Trying his advice, the magic snuffed out instead. Too much mana, you can shrink it. Too little mana, the spell crumbles.

Seeing how the prince had failed, the other nobles began trying. The outcome was similar.

“It’s hard.”

“How did you say you did it?”

“How does this relate to the floating plate? My teacher never told me about this exercise?”

Sequencee was bombarded with questions from the many interested nobles. He could only answer them patiently one by one. Even so, they soon lost interest and returned to some topic which Sequencee couldn’t quite relate to.

‘Looks like we don’t mesh after all.’

The fire dies down into amber as soon as the wood is burnt up. Not that the prince had changed the topic on purpose, simply, the novelty had worn out. It was over for Sequencee.

“Sequencee,” a sweet voice called out to him.

“Hm? Yes, what is Miss Leticia?”He turned around to meet her crimson eyes. It complemented the slightly rosy cheeks she had. Sequencee found her rather adorable.

“Her Highness wants to talk to you..”

‘Jackpot.’

“Lead the way,” Sequencee said amusingly.

===

“So what happened after that? Did the spear wolves die? Or could it be that the spear wolves killed them before you reached?”

“Well.. we weren’t able to save one of the warriors. The other three were able to recover after we got out of the dungeon. We encountered a lot of other monsters along the way, and the marshfield really made it difficult to move around. We were literally soaked when we reached the exit. The warrior that died actually died from the infection, not in the dungeon.”

“That’s quite unfortunate..”

It began with the floating plate, then it shifted to the topic of the elemental beads, then about Sequencee’s relationship with Leticia, and now they were talking about Sequencee’s adventure with his mom. The two hit it off in an instant.

Apparently, this princess is fond of adventurer. She’s kind, easy to get along with, and really– innocent.

“Can’t you have used some healing magic? Like restoration magic?”

“We did do that. It just wasn’t enough.”

“Really? Then the blood, was it scary to see?”

“No. Once you get used to it, it’s quite tolerable– but it depends on person to person. I’ve met people that can’t get used to blood no matter how they try.”

“Oh, then I’m the fortunate one then,” Evelyn giggled.

“You’re not afraid of blood?”

“Nope. Not at all, but it’s creepy though. Makes me shiver.”The two were like in their own little bubble. The nobles around her couldn’t help but feel jealous at how close they were. 

Her Highness Evelyn and Sequencee. One was a royal, the other a commoner. It was like the budding of a love story.

“U-Um, your highness, if you’re shivering, doesn’t that make you afraid?” One of the nobles tried to argue.“Hm.. you are right about this point. Perhaps I am afraid, though, not to the extent which Sequencee had mentioned,” she smiled.Again, another argument shot down.

“Oh right, just recently my mom and I actually encountered a lesser leviathan.”

The crowd of young nobles gasped.

“A leviathan?! Isn’t that only found in the Taboo Sea?” Evelyn jumped.

“No, no. A leviathan is an SSS-rank creature. The lesser leviathan is only S-rank. It’s found in the underwater cave connecting the Black Ravine.”

“Only, S-rank?” Evelyn found that statement a little iffy. It was said that even SS-rank mercenaries would struggle to take down an S-rank creature.

“My bad.. it was still quite a difficult fight. We didn’t try to attack it, we just ran away..” Sequencee corrected.

“M-Miss Anna,” Leticia’s voice trembled.

“Miss Anna?”

“Miss Anna!”

“Hm?”

“Oh dear, what are you doing here? Talking about my dark history?” Anna harumph. The young nobles made way for her entrance.

“Dark history?” Sequencee furrowed his brow.

‘Why is she here all of a sudden? I thought she left it to me.. oh wait. It totally slipped my mind..’

“It’s a privilege to meet you, Miss Anna. Your son has been sharing the wonderful stories of your adventures together. Nothing about your dark history has been disclosed, though I would be interested in hearing those if possible,” Evelyn chuckled.“Oh dear. I can’t let a princess know my deepest darkest secret can I now?”

“Of course you can. I swear by my name as princess I won’t tell anyone else.”

“Now, now. Let’s not get too far ahead. Your Highness, could I talk with you in private?” 

“Is anything the matter?”

“We’ll discuss the matter when it’s only between us. Sequencee.”

“S-Sorry. I forgot,” he dropped his head.

“Ai.. this son of mine. Come on, let’s go,” Anna said with a sigh.

Evelyn couldn’t help but be confused by the sudden call for a private exchange.

===

“Who the hell does he think he is..” Watching them leave, Trevor Loid growled in a low voice. 

As the princess left the scene, the young nobles also began to disperse into their own little cliques.

“Trevor, I wish you the best of luck,” a friend of his, patted his shoulders in show of pity.

“I don’t need your sympathy,” Trevor snapped at him with a frown.

“Honestly, I didn’t think a mercenary’s son could be such a formidable person. I don’t even understand why Her Highness is so interested in him. Stories? We’ve shared our adventures with her haven’t we?” his friend mumbled.

Trevor left the lounge and searched for ‘that’ person. He found the guy swirling a glass of wine leaning against one of the supporting pillars. 

He raised his head to meet Trevor. His spectacle caught light.

“Tonight. You better get it done tonight,” Trevor said in a seething tone.

“Sir, while I understand how you’re feeling, I sincerely hope you stop causing interferences to ruin our plans. They’ve caught wind of our movements because of your mouth.”

“What?” Trevor trembled.

“We’ll have to kill your sister.”

“...”

“Just kidding. That decision is pending. Stop trying to run your mouth over everything, stop trying to make things obvious, otherwise we might need to take drastic measures.”

“Understood.”

Trevor got the hint and left without a second thought. Just this action of meeting him had already altered their plans.

The man poured mana into the gem on his tie.

“Plans have changed. We’ll need to kidnap both Miss Flona and Her Highness tonight.”

===

“So you’re asking that I increase the number of guards around me?”

“That’s simply the rudiments. What you need to do is be careful of everything else, though, this is something you should’ve begun prioritizing since your inauguration,” Anna advised.

“What do you mean?” Evelyn titled her head.

“As the princess, your life is in constant danger. You have to find loyal people that you can trust in times of darkness,” Anna warned sternly.

“Um..” Evelyn lowered her head.

It wasn’t the first time she had heard this. Her brothers had also warned her about this time after time. Despite so, she had yet to take any measures to reinforce her own safety, thinking that she should wait until she finds the right person for the job.

“Well, that’s just from my view. I hope what I had mentioned is simply a ruse, not the beginning of an incident. While the viability of the information is unascertained, it’s wise to be cautious.”

“I understand Miss Anna. Thank you.”

“Good. I’ll soon be leaving with my son. Enjoy the rest of the evening.”

“We’re going already?” Sequencee asked.

“Do you have anything else?”

“No.. wait, I haven’t passed the plate back.”

“Go, go do that and come back here.”

“Okay–” Sequencee rushed back into the ballroom. Anna and Evelyn continued to stand outside the hall.

Evelyn gazed towards the direction Sequencee went. A conflicted expression on her face.

‘What should I do then?’

She looked around at the other nobles that were having their own little private conversations at the open hall.

‘I need a loyal aide.’

It had been two years since she was inaugurated to the public, Evelyn only knew her maid as the closest person she could trust. Beyond that, she hadn’t met anyone that had the sort of time to act by her side all the time.

Perhaps her teachers? No, they have other responsibilities to attend to. Her guards? They were already taken by her elder siblings. Her friends? Did she have someone she could put her faith in?

“Miss Anna,” Evelyn finally turned to the auburn haired woman puffing out her cheeks.

“Hm? Yes?”

“If something does happen, can I ask that you help me?”

“Oh,” Anna’s eyes glinted. A calculative smile formed on her face. Evelyn suddenly felt like she was a prey in the sight of the predator. “You learn fast, Your Highness. I shall accept your request. But of course, I can’t be sure. After all, my son and I would be leaving for Rika Nation in a week's time. Someone more dependable would be Aaron. If you have me in mind, maybe it would be wise to try to win over an acquaintance like him?” 

“Thank you for the advice. I will try.”

“Aaron huh? Mom, he’s an SS-rank adventurer like you right? So who’s stronger?” Sequencee interjected, having just returned.

“Me.”

“Right..”

“Then till next time Your Highness. Thank you so much for your hospitality,” Anna curtsied. 

“Thank you for today your Highness. Send my last regards to you brother, His Highness Wilson,” Sequencee bowed, then the two headed off.

Watching them as they leave, Evelyn thought she had learned something crucial today.

‘A loyal aide.. Sequencee would be a splendid candidate wouldn’t he now?’

She didn’t realize how her ears were tinted a little red.

===

A night with the moon in full bloom. Evelyn cleaned herself and changed into her nightgown. Her personal room resembled a large suite, the lonely canopy bed in the middle with empty spaces all around. She was lying prone atop the bed with one hand propping against her chin.

“They will be leaving for Rika Nation.. maybe I should ask permission to go with them?”

That would require the approval of her father, the emperor and the secretary of her education.

“It’s not like I’m going to become the empress of this empire anyways..”

‘Why do I want to go anyways?’

Evelyn thought about it a little deeper, her finger tapping against the novel spread out in front of her.

“Adventure. I’m sick of being locked up here. It’s boring.”

As Evelyn was quite literally the last in line in the royal family when it came to the throne, most of her siblings simply disregarded her as a threat. If anything, she was their little sweet puppy sister who’d often brighten the mood of any room she entered. It was almost a sort of authority that whenever she was around, the stiff air in the palace would ease up.

She was the second child of the empress, so it wasn’t like she was being ostracized by the family, unlike her more unfortunate siblings. Though said, she did try to make it up for them by being kind.

“Right. Let’s do that. I’ll tell father that I want to take in Sequencee as my loyal knight. But to do that I’ll have to win his heart..?”

Evelyn hummed away as she continued reading the love story in front of her.

Knock. Knock.

“Come in.”

“Your water, Your Highness.”

“Thank you.”

The maid bowed and placed the glass cup by the bedside table as routine would have it.

“Miss Selina, I’m thinking of going on a trip. Do you think it’s a wise decision?” Evelyn tilted her head to the maid, her silver hair curled over her shoulder.

“A trip? What kind of trip would that be?” Selina asked back.

“Just earlier I had a talk with Miss Anna. She told me that I need loyal people to protect me. She said that there’s something out for my neck, I’m a little scared. So I’m thinking maybe I should join them on their adventure, after all, I’m not needed in the castle.”

“Hm.. that is a justifiable concern. Hm? Someone out for your neck?”

“I don’t know. It’s a rumor,” Evelyn closed her novel shut and swapped the book for the glass of water. She took a sip and then placed it back down. “So, I’m thinking of trying to seduce her son!”

“U-Uh.. Your Highness, that isn’t the right way to earn the loyalty of someone,” Selina found this princess quite silly at times.

“I don’t know why.. it’s the first time I feel like this. I want to get closer to him for some reason..” Evelyn hugged her pillow and hid her hot cheeks behind it.

“Ah, spring has come for Your Highness.”

“R-Really?”

“It’s a possibility. It’s not odd for someone your age to begin holding feelings for another. Of course, you must be careful who it is that you choose. There is a high probability that the first won’t work out due to compatibility and immaturity.”

“I’m I really that immature..” Evelyn mumbled.

‘So this is love? How queer.’

“My apologies for being blunt, Your Highness. I too was immature at your age. However, not to worry, you’ll accrue wisdom in time. I’m sure you’ll find a wonderful man wherever you are.”

“Mnn.. I understand. Then I’ll ask father tomorrow. Good night Selina,” Evelyn plopped down to the side of the bed, feeling the drowsiness begin to take her to dreamland.

“Should I shut off the light when I leave?”

“No, I’ll do it myself. You may leave mn..” Evelyn pressed her pillow against her face and shook her head. Seline couldn't help but smile wryly at the sight. Never would she have imagined that Her Highness would talk about seducing a man at this sort of age.

“Good night Your Highness.”

“Un.”

When Selina left, Evelyn slowly got up.

“Spring has come.. really? We only met once though..” Evelyn cursed her beating heart. Why was it that she felt so itchy whenever she thought about him?

She took a gulp of water and walked to the light switch. She planned to quickly go to bed to wake up tomorrow so she can get her plan started when her vision blurred suddenly.

‘Huh? What’s this?’

A loud buzzing noise fell upon her ears, everything looked wavy, the room tilted.

‘Did I fall? What’s going on..’

Her vision blurred, she caught sight of a vague silhouette approaching her.

– Enjoy your last peaceful sleep, Your Highness.

To the distorting voice, her eyes shut.

…

..

.

Sequencee shook the blood from his black dragon spear. His eyes had a murky glow as he stared down at the numerous corpses on the ground. Some were guards plated with armor, others were assassins wrapped in black cloth.

“Assuming he went there, there should be other people around.”

Muttering so, Sequence walked into the dark stairwell.

It had been two days since Her Highness’ disappearance. It happened right after the party, with no one noticing how she went missing. Of course, as someone who had a clue, Anna had no choice but to step up in this case. Aaron also got himself involved, a relief that she wouldn’t be acting alone.

The most suspected suspect at the current moment was Marquis Loid’s family and the Trade House Euincing.

Anna and Aaron took care of the investigations on the Marquis’ home and the people of Euincing Trade House respectively. In the midst of it, Anna noticed how only Trevor remained in the home, while Flona and the Marquis were nowhere to be found. 

Sequencee was told to keep tabs on Trevor while she went to find hints.

And it was during this time when the assassins attacked, thinking that Sequencee was a brat or someone on that level. It was a shame that he had been tempered by one of the strongest mercenaries around.

He made it to the dim alley. There were no guards around and crude mana torches lit the scene.

‘Smells like.. it’s a like a torture chamber.’

Sequencee masked his presence and advanced. He pressed his head against each metal door to assess for anything on the other side. He kept his spatial magic at its heightened state to detect any presence of movements in the surroundings. He wasn’t sure if Trevor deliberately came here to set a trap for him.

‘Hm?’

“S-Salty– I can’t believe it, I really can’t believe it.. Your Highness is mine.. you’re really mine. I can do whatever I want.” 

A snorty voice could be heard through one of the doors; spatial magic picking up slight movements of wiggling. Sequencee tried the handle.

‘This is.. not locked.’

“Swallow it, it’s an order.”

He cushioned the low creak with magic and peered in.

‘This is a torture room, no doubt about it.’

It had basically everything a maniac would want. Chains, whips, torture devices, aphrodisiac medicine, animal cage.. what Sequencee couldn't understand was why there were dismembered body parts in large jars.

“I love you so much, Your Highness. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to take care of you well. We will enjoy our time together lots and lots.. okay?”Sequencee slipped in and silently made his way towards the skinny pig.

The pig was just about to lean in when he grabbed the back of neck and tossed him out of the cage. 

‘What?’

Sequencee felt his heart turn cold at the sight of her disorderly figure.

“Geh?!”

Sequencee commanded the rocky ground to restrain the pig. His mouth was gagged by rock.

He turned to the princess who had her eyes squinted with tears and sweat smeared all over her face. He noticed the black mark on her neck.“Your Highness. Did he order anything like kill yourself if he dies?” Sequencee entered the cage and tapped on Evelyn’s shoulders. She slowly opened her eyes.

“You are..” her hazy eyes seemed to regain themselves.

“Your Highness, did he order you to self-destruct if he dies?” Sequencee repeated.

She shook her head weakly.

It was then his spatial magic began to buzz.

“Close your eyes.”

She obeyed. He commanded the earth to crush Trevor, a skull cracking noise echoed with a few wild convulsions to his body.

An incorporeal pale blue mass sublimated from the corpse– the human soul.

“Keep your eyes closed,” Sequencee repeated, putting his hands over to her shoulders and back ankle, holding her close. To Sequencee, it didn’t really matter that her clothes were already torn and that she was very close to being naked, the priority here was escape.

“Let’s get out of here.”

Sequencee cradled Evelyn and swiped Trevors’ ectoplasm.

He casually pushed the door open and stepped back, a black object flew past the corridor. Likely a throwing knife.

‘Dig my way out?’

The assassin had weapons enchanted with anti-magic, which rendered magic barriers mostly ineffective. Trying to create physical barriers by transmuting the walls was a no-go as it would only block Sequencee’s path. 

With these considerations, digging up with magic would be much safer, but it would also require a lot of mana.

‘No. I have to fight. I can’t miss this chance to obtain more souls.’

Evelyn wrapped her arms around him.

‘Yeah, don’t fall.’

Sequencee manifested a fake image of a ice sphere in the corridor. The moment the throwing knife collided with the illusion, a blinding white light exploded into the surroundings.

Sequencee made his move.

‘Around four people.’

He lowered his stance and dodged past the blinded four assassins, pushing through the hall. 

Sequencee felt something grab his leg, he forcefully tore the black vine which had grown out of the ground away and fired explosive magic.

A black knife grazed his hair and stuck itself into the wall behind him. He could hear the sounds of splattering blood. Soon, four ephemeral balls of blue-gray light rose from the corpse.

He had his magic touch the souls as his hand was occupied with Evelyn when another glint swept past his vision. A rock shield was quickly formed to intercept the attack.

The dark figure rushed at him.

‘Yeah right. There’s this sort of system ability.’

Sequencee felt the ground tilt as his blade drew close. He twisted his body and left fake afterimages to disoriend the assailant. A gust of epheremal wind blew; the assassin spat a dart from his mouth. It was warded off by the wind coat around Sequencee.

Sequencee pushed himself back and had the walls skewer the assailant. It was a brutal sight, Evelyn’s hands were felt clinging to him tighter, afraid that she would fall off. Sequencee turned around and ran up the spiral stairs.

‘Wait.. this is..’

Sequencee noticed red gems placed along the foundation of the stairs.

This, including rumbling of the whole underground structure made for a bad premonition.

“Your Highness hold tight–”

Explosions began ringing out above as Sequencee reached the middle point of the ascent. He quickly transmuted the wall to create an alcove enough to fit a few people. He entered with the princess and closed off the two sides.

‘We’ll hold up here for a bit. I’ll create a vent.’

Sequencee extended three small breathing holes to the surface in a Z-pattern and created a light orb to light the dark space they were in.

Sequencee reinforced the wall between them and the stairwell with magic. The rumbling kept ringing out as the sounds of crumbling were heard. 

The rumbling soon stopped.

He heaved a relieved sigh.

‘It’s probably a few meters up. But I think I should wait a while first.’

Sequencee then looked down at the girl in his arms. She was looking right at him. They stared at each other for a long while when her face grew increasingly wary.

“Sorry. Bear with this for a bit.”

Sequencee laid her down and took off his mantle, wrapping it over her. She gripped it over her body tightly, not saying a word.

“We’ll get out of here once I confirm that they’re gone.. yeah, wait,” Sequencee took out a red pendant hidden underneath his clothes, he poured mana into the device. “Mom, I found Her Highness.”

There was a short pause.

[“Where are you now?”]

“There’s a hidden torture chamber somewhere inside the Marquis’s house further below the basement winery. They just blew up our escape route, I’m waiting for them to pass before I dig my way out.”

[“Oh dear. So how’s the princess?”]

“She’s.. alright, though it’s likely she hasn’t eaten well the past few days. I killed Trevor and some of the knights, sorry.”

[“How many times did I remind you to not kill a noble!? How are we going to deal with this.. ah! Are you sure you’re alright, do you need assistance?”]

“I’m sorry..  as for our current situation, we’re fine. What should I do after I get the princess out?”

“Listen closely. I’m still running around trying to find clues, so you have to become her temporary escort. Don’t bring her to the castle, find an inn and stay there. The most recent piece of information found is that the incident is connected to the succession war. The Marquis and her daughter are still missing.”

‘Darn.. what kind of mess is this..’

Now Sequencee seriously wondered if this unknown third party planned to destroy this torture chamber along with the princess and the last heir of the Marquis to begin with. The guards around the mansion were colluding with the assassins and didn’t look like they were concerned about the Marquis’ disappearance at all.

Sequencee focused his attention back on the princess. Her silver hair was a scattered mess, her amethyst eyes studied him in caution. With her hands wrapped around his mantle to cover her small body, he couldn’t help but think she had been through a lot these past two days.

‘What should I say at this moment?’

“.. Your Highness. Once we get out of this place, we’ll need to keep away from the royal castle for a while.”

“U-Un..” She nodded.

“Um.. and sorry I came late.”

“Nn..” She shook her head.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Nn,” She shook her head.

“We’ll get you a change of clothes once we get out.. and also a meal. Hm..”

‘Won’t people recognize that she’s the princess? Silver hair, amethyst eyes.. it’s not a common colour. She’ll definitely stand out. What to do..’

Sequencee was pondering the question and his plans as he waited for time to pass. When he thought that the moment was ripe, he got up.

“Your Highness, I’ll have to carry you again. Would you prefer I do it as I did earlier or.. maybe you want me to piggyback you?”

“W-Why..?”

“Well, we need to get out of here fast. I don’t know if you have the energy to run.”

“...” She looked at him as if he was a stone statue.

“If you’re not saying anything, I’ll assume you prefer the princess-carry.”

“...”

‘Her mental state is not sound.’

Sequencee narrowed the extension of his spatial magic upwards and could sense the presence of two moving things, likely people.

‘Looks like I’ll have to dig.’

His initial plan was to use the vertical shaft and build a makeshift stairway up to the surface (since the stairs had been blown into pieces), but he would encounter more enemies that way. He opted for the next idea, which was to simply dig diagonally upwards to arrive right outside the manor. It made for a much easier escape.

Squeezing his mana, Sequencee began slowly carving out the earth. The consumption was rather large, so he found himself light-headed after a few meters. When he reached loose dirt, he turned to Evelyn who had been following close to him and cradled her. She yelped.

“Sorry,” Sequencee blasted through the last portion of the earth and ran out. 

The outside exposed a green garden which no enemies thought to secure. Crudely fixing the hole in the ground, he masked his presence and headed towards the edge of the mansion ground where he lept towards the outside.

===

“I’m not sure if these would fit but you should try them on. Here’s some warm water and a towel to clean yourself. The food is there, but I suggest that you wash up first before handling it. I’ll be sitting over there, tell me when you’re done cleaning yourself.”

Sequencee, having prepared everything, went to the corner of the room and sat facing the wall. 

It was a room with two beds. Sequencee had bought her a set of new clothes, ordered a wash kit and a bowl of congee. 

Evelyn looked at the items silently.

Her mind didn’t know what to think of it, conflicted. Should she be scared or relieved? Logically, she recognized that this person was Sequencee. Emotionally, she was still on guard, fearing that he may do something to her.

She peeked at him sitting at the corner of the room. It was unlikely he would do anything. After all, he had already seen her naked, yet, didn’t fall into those embarrassing tropes found in novels she read.

‘This is reality, not a novel.’

Reminding herself as so, she took off the coat and removed her gown which had already been torn to strips. She grabbed the towel and dipped it in the warm water– just to quickly pull out her hands.

‘Hot!’

Normally, she would simply take a shower in the bath. The last time she ever tried to wash herself like this, it was Selina who did most of the squeezing and scrubbing.

Evelyn nibbled on her sore hand as she carefully dipped the towel in the scalding hot water once more. She barely managed to twist out the water before bringing it to wipe her body.

She kept looking in Sequencee’s direction, afraid he might change his mind and push her down..

Was she afraid of it.. or was she expecting it? All sort of delusions sprung from her mind as she slowly, but carefully cleaned away the dirt, sweat, and mucus which clung to her. She made sure to thoroughly remove the stain on her lower body.

‘Is he.. really not?’

Evelyn finished washing herself after much trouble. Though it wasn’t perfect, she felt much better with the grime gone. 

She reached over to grab the new clothes he bought. It was a simple dress with pins which allowed adjustment and a mantle she thought was for the sake of disguise. She was just about to try on the dress when a tingly feeling pinched her heart.

She felt defeated for some reason. So many people called her the prettiest person in the world, and many had confessed to her, even the adults. If not for the emperor’s doting attitude towards her, she may have really been sent to become some noble’s wife.

‘Why is he so indifferent..’

She had just been kidnapped, nearly defiled, her first kiss stolen and experienced a near death encounter. Her mind should be in shambles yet of all the things she could be thinking about now, she was trying to figure out why her savior wasn’t made embarrassed by her? Was she out of her mind?

‘W-What’s wrong with me..’

“Sequencee..”

“Yes?”

“I’m done.”

Evelyn realized just then what she had just said. ‘I’m done’, to signal to him that he should turn around. She was still sitting on the ground naked, so if only turned his head he would be in full view of..

“Then have you put on your clothes?”

“...”

She heard the sound of a page being flipped.

Should she feel angry or disappointed?

Did he have eyes on the back or was he using some voodoo trick?

Asking about it would give it away, Evelyn simply put on the dress and found that it was the right fit. His estimate of her size was just right. It’s just.. he hadn’t bought any panties. The one she wore previously was already soiled, she didn’t wish to use those anymore.

Was it on purpose that he wanted to leave her feeling airy?

“Sequencee.. about my inner wear..”

“I couldn’t gauge the proper size so I thought maybe we’ll go get those in the next few days. You’ll have to bear with it for now. Sorry.”

‘He’s apologizing an awful lot.’

Evelyn pushed the bucket of water and soiled clothes to one side and walked to the table to get the food. It was congee. Delicious, plain congee.

“U-Um.. I’ll be eating now.”

“Sure.”

Evelyn didn’t know why he was still sitting at the corner. She had already donned her clothes, he didn’t need to continue sitting there.

Whatever it was, her hungry stomach mattered first. She ate the food in glee, wiping the tears as she savored the balanced taste of the porridge. It didn’t take a lot of time to finish the entire bowl. By then, her shrunken stomach had already reached its current max capacity.

She placed the bowl to the side and wiped her mouth with her wrist.

He was still sitting in the corner.

‘Had he eaten?’

“Sequencee.”

“Done? Alright.”

Finally, he shut the book. He stood up and stretched, then he turned around.

“Do you still need those clothes? Otherwise I’ll throw them away.”

“Yes, please discard them.”

“Here,” Sequencee pointed to his cheeks.

“Here?”

“Oh right. There’s no clean towel around. Then.. just use this then,” Sequencee took out a random cloth from his pocket and passed it to Evelyn.

She found it odd that it smelled like blood even though it was perfectly clean.

“I'll bring this back to the counter. Stay here and shout if anything,” Sequencee carried the bucket her soiled clothes outside as if the most natural thing to do. He also levitated the empty bowl along with the utensils.

When he left for the second time, Evelyn couldn’t help but feel a chill in her heart.

‘Ah..’

The fears that have been suppressed came bubbling up once more, her body began to tremble.

She fell to the ground and quickly crawled to the door, wanting to quickly seek his presence when a dread ate her whole.

Beyond this room is a world where she could lose her life. 

Stay here, don’t go out.

“No.. come back.. Sequencee.. come back.. come back, I’m scared, I’m scared.. Sequencee..”

She kept banging on the door, tears spilt as her chest tightened to the point of asphyxiation. She could sense the dark recess of the night view through the window extending their feelers, shadows crawling towards her, wanting to reach out and ingest her whole.

“AAAHHHHH!!!!”

She screamed in hysteria.

===

“Jeez..” Sequencee voiced.

His hands were tightly held by the princess as she slept. The moment he removed his hands, her brows would tightened and she would begin to wince.

“Do I need to stay up like this..” Sequencee yawned.

Earlier, when he heard Evelyn’s shout, he thought something had happened. He rushed back to the room to find her sobbing at the door. Apparently, she had developed some trauma that made her afraid of being left alone.

She struggled to sleep, saying that she was scared. So being the gentleman he was, Sequencee decided to watch over her until she went to dreamland. Just, unexpectedly, she requested for his hand, and so was how this situation came about.

“I need to sleep too..” Sequencee knew it wasn’t quite a good idea to sleep on the same bed as her, so the best he could do is sit on the ground and lean against it like a table.

With her hands interlaced with his, he shut his eyes.

===

Aroused by the sound of something shifting, Evelyn opened her eyes. It was still dark, her vision remained fuzzy. For some reason, she thought that she had woken up in a strange place after a strange dream.

‘Mn.. is this an inn?’

She wanted to move her hands when she noticed a feeling of warmth enveloping it. She realized then.

‘Ah.. this.. isn’t a dream, he’s still holding onto my hands?’

The thought of it made Evelyn swoon.

She sat up to look at the boy leaning on her bed with his hands interlaced with his.

“This isn’t a dream,” she said, feeling the frog in her throat.

Under the dim light of the moon, she studied his features. She had never gotten a chance to do so until now.

Why did he save her? Who was he? Why was she so scared when he left? Why did he continue to hold her hand? Why did she trust her? Why did her world look more colourful with him? Why would the world become dark as soon as he left? What was this feeling of loneliness in her? What was this fear?

She hesitated for a while before deciding to reach out to touch his hair. His sleeping figure was so cute, his brown hair looked shiny under the glow of the moonlight. He didn’t have any pronounced features that made him stand out, but he certainly did have the looks. She thought he had the perfect balance of gentle coolness.

“What should I do to keep you..” Evelyn ran her fingers through his silky hair.

She was scared to die, but she found the prospect of him leaving her side much more terrifying. In his presence, everything felt alright, as if what had happened wasn’t that much of a big deal. But the moment he left, the world seemed to crumble before her. 

A single traumatic incident had implanted an irreplaceable attachment inside her. She wasn’t sure if she could live her life normally without him anymore.

She thought it was scary how he would soon treat him as if some distant stranger. Was it because of their standings? Because he thought of her as some untouchable flower?

In that case, what should she do? It wouldn't be easy to break down this wall between them would it now? She needed time, or, some insight to his wishes to rope him in.

“Hm?”

She felt something jagged.

There was a little distortion where her fingers were.

“This is..”

===

A week had passed since her rescue. Anna dropped by once to look over the situation and passed an artifact to Evelyn and Sequencee to disguise themselves. It was something like a pendant from the royal vault which allowed the person to alter their appearance.

After that short visit, Anna had to leave to settle other issues. Evelyn was to remain by Sequencee’s side for the time being until everything was sorted out. In short, Sequencee would become Evelyn’s temporary guardian.

“This is delicious,” Evelyn’s expression slackened at the taste of the cake.

“Right? My mom said this is one of the best cake house in the capital. Too bad they don’t have it where I live,” Sequencee sliced the cake with the metal fork and brought it up to his mouth.

“Where do you live again?”

“Estia barony.”

“That is.. quite far from here isn’t it?”

“Yeah. To the southwest of the capital.”

“Hm..” Evelyn nibbled on her fork as she glanced down at the entrance from the first floor.The cake house wasn’t super crowded as the items here were tailored for the rich. The design of the place gave off a cozy feel, with various cake options to choose from at the counter. 

Ding.

The door opened, hitting the gold bell. A new customer had entered, Evelyn watched as the merry couple took to the glass display of cakes to make their selection.

“Where do you want to go after this? I’ve basically told you everything I know about the capital, though it’s my first time here.”“We’ll just hang out here then. There’s nothing to do either way but wait..”

There were a lot of proverbial fireworks going off in the circle of upper nobility and royalty. The Marquis had been found dead while her daughter was still missing. Euincing Trading had been shut down in suspicion of cooperating with the underworld to stage a kidnap incident in plans to create an opportunity to stage some revolt.

Boltt Euincing was also missing, which could be suspected as a successful escapism. It’s likely that Flona was taken away with him, so there was still a large-scale search party ongoing, though the prognosis wasn’t that great for the last member of the Loid Marquis household.

As for the possibility of this being some powermove to shift the tide of the succession war, it was slim but not impossible. There was certainly no way anyone could’ve drugged Her Highness without someone opening a gap in the security of the castle.

As for Her Highness Evelyn’s maid, Selena who brought her the drugged laced water, Evelyn had raised a pardon which would be delivered through Anna.

“Sequencee, are you still going to Rika Nation after this?” Evelyn asked, swirling her tea.

“That, I’m not sure. It depends on my mom.”

“Then, if you’re going, can I join too?”

“Aren’t you royalty though? We’re going to get our necks cut off if you accidentally die in some adventure.”

“...”

“I’m being serious. The kind of places we go aren’t for beginner explorers.”

“Then why are you able to go then? How old are you?”

“13. I’ve been training since I was young, so I have the knack for it.”

“I’ve been training since I was young too. So much so that it’s become boring. Can’t I go and explore instead?”

“It’s dangerous, Emily.”

“It’s dangerous in the castle too. It’s much safer being by your side.”

“You’re just making excuses. Well, you have to get through my mom, not me. She’s the party leader, I have no say.”

“Hmpph. Then I’ll just tell her that I want you to become mine.”

Sequencee dropped his cake.

He placed his fork down.

“You know, that’s not possible..” Sequencee drawled.

“W-Why not?” Evelyn exclaimed, blushing furiously.

“Uh, have you seen demons?”

“Demons?”

“Yeah. Demons. Demonic beasts or monsters of that sort.”

“No.”

“Then you wouldn’t understand even if I told you..”

“Because you’re a demon.”

“No, It’s something..”

“You’re lying.”

“...”

“I saw it. Your horns.”

“What? Do I have horns?” Sequencee tilted his head, feigning ignorance.

‘How the hell does she know? Did I slip?’

“I felt it.”

“???”

‘Felt it? Since when..’

“What do you even mean by that?”

“Sit still,” Evelyn got up from her seat.

“H-Hey.”

Sequencee back up against his chair, Evelyn bold reached out to hold his face in place. She slid her hands just over his ears. Sequencee froze, not knowing what he should do.

Her delicate fingers went round the base of his horn.

“And you’re still trying to lie to me?”

“How did you..”

She leaned to his ears.

“How could I not?” she whispered.

“.. Your Highness. I hope this isn’t a declaration of war. I don’t mean any harm to the human race.”

“Did you think I would?” she frowned, “Even if the whole world turns against you, I’ll be the one who stands by your side–”

Evelyn pulled back a little with their noses no more than a few inches apart. Her bright purple eyes slanted in appeal.

“-- So can you promise that you’ll stay by my side too?”

“Your Highness. Have you heard of the suspension bridge effect?” Sequencee asked awkwardly.

“Suspension bridge effect?”

“It is the illusion of fondness towards someone because they were saved from a near death experience.”

“Where did you hear that from?” Evelyn pouted.

“I heard it from my mom, she said it was coined by Hero Rika. So.. I’m sure you’ll recover in time.”

“How dare you..” Evelyn groaned in vexation.

“I’m not saying anything inappropriate aren’t I? That’s how I see it.”

“Can’t you be more sensitive around topics like this!”

“I should be asking you the same. As the princess, you shouldn’t just touch people without prior warning.”

“Hah? You’re saying you weren’t warned?”

“This is getting nowhere..” 

Sequence held his head and looked around. Lucky for them, the first floor of the cake house was quiet. And even if it wasn’t, their conversation would look nothing like a pair of engaged nobles squabbling with one another. Though, their clothes were of the commoners so it may be fair to say they look like a pair of normal lovebirds.

“Emily, let’s stop this. We’re making ourselves suspicious,” he said.

“Fine,” Evelyn stomped back to her seat and gulped her tea down.

===

“Do you have novels lying around? I’m really bored..”

“Your Highness, are you always like this?”

“Of course. Why would I be otherwise? Or do you not like it?”

“That’s not what I mean..”

“Booring..” Evelyn stretched out her body on her bed and stared up at the ceiling.

This inn was much more elegant than the one they stayed at previously. Nevertheless, it’s still a room with a double bed. The additional convenience being that there was a private bathroom attached.

“We don’t have a choice. How about we go to the library tomorrow? Do you know any libraries around here?” Sequence tore his eyes away from the grimoire to look at her.

“...”

“Your Highness.”

“Why is it that you can call me by my fake name Emily, but not Evelyn?”

“I dare not Your Highness.”

“Call me Evelyn.”

“Your Highness. Should we go to the library tomorrow?”

“I have a name!!” Evelyn flailed on the bed.

“I know you have a name.”

Evelyn stopped moving and laid still as a rock. Silence ruled over the room.

Sequencee thought to let her settle her emotions before asking again, so he returned to reading his grimoire. Of course, beneath the simple act of reading, he was adjusting the invisible elemental beads floating around him in conjunction.

It was yet another awkward evening.

===

‘I don’t get it. Is he doing it on purpose..’

Evelyn sat beside Sequencee with a novel opened up in front while he remained focused on manuscripts related to magic-craft.

Flip.

‘Is that what he is? Those indifferent male leads that the female lead has to fall into a desperate situation to win his love.. hadn’t that happened already..’

Evelyn shuddered at the thought. She definitely did not want to have that sort of experience ever again. 

Flip.

‘There must be a reason why he’s avoiding me. Perhaps he thinks that he’s my guard? Or perhaps he doesn’t see me as an interest? Or it’s likely that he does not wish to be shackled by the responsibilities of associating himself with the royal family?’

“Sequencee, what don’t you like about the royal family?” Evelyn asked.

“If I told you that, I would lose my neck.”

Evelyn almost spat at him. What a rude response!

“In my name as the imperial princess, I will make sure nothing will happen to threaten your life if you tell me the truth.”

“Then I would say it’s.. troublesome. Yeah.”

“Troublesome?”

“Politics, conflicts, wars. I imagine all kinds of national things are handled inside the royal family. There’s no peace.. well, maybe I just like freedom. Just like my mom. Yup.”

“...”

Evelyn wondered what she could do to prevent this ‘troublesome’ aspect of the royal family from affecting him. To make him her vassal, she would have to be able to guarantee this minimum wish of his– except that this wish was more than impossible to grant.

Troublesome is subjective to the individual. Wasn’t exploring different regions of the world troublesome? Fighting monsters and conquering dungeons, were those not troublesome? The need to worry about money, the annoyance of bad inn service– those were all troublesome, weren’t they? So what is it exactly that Sequencee had in mind when saying this?

“Sequencee. What should I do so I can appoint you as my liege?”

“Ah.. so that’s why huh.. give it up.”

“Ehh?!”

“Your voice.”

They were in the library. Evelyn covered her mouth.

“...”

“I’m not going to, no matter what you try. You must be insane to take a demon in as your vassal. If I was found out, you’d be deemed a traitor of the human race.”

“You’re just making excuses!”

“Yeah. Glad you’re aware of that Your Highness. I’ll have to decline,” Sequencee heaved a deep sigh, finally realizing why this girl was trying so hard to butter him up.

Evelyn gritted her teeth. 

What exactly does he want or don’t want? 

===

Evelyn couldn’t sleep.

For she knew that one day her time with him would end.

He will go, they will part.

And then, her world would cease to function.

She was scared, really scared.

She got up gripping the hem of the blanket as she turned to Sequencee who laid with his back facing her on his bed.

‘Desperate times call for desperate measures.’

Evelyn herself found it inconceivable that she would resort to something like this, but in spite of that, the fear of losing him overwhelmed her pride. 

She grabbed her pillow and made her way over to his bed.

‘It’s forbidden for a girl to sleep in the same bed as a man unless they’re engaged. In that case..’

Somehow Evelyn had this thought that Sequencee would have no choice to accept her once the deed is done.

She carefully placed her pillow beside his, and lifted up the blanket. She was about to slip underneath when she heard his voice.

“What are you doing?”

Her entire being froze.

“Your Highness, what are you trying to do?” Sequencee turned to face her, he hadn’t slept. The stone cold tone of his voice made her feel ever more guilty.

What should she say? That she couldn’t sleep? She needed someone to cuddle? She was scared? 

Someone like Sequencee should be aware of what her actions implied, it was something no excuse could cover up. As the imperial princess, this was not just about her dignity, it was a choice which would affect the entire royal family as a whole.

“Your Highness. Could it be that you’re still having nightmares?” Sequencee sat up and asked.

She nodded quickly.

“Look, even if that was the case, trying to sneak into my bed is quite extreme. It’s unlikely that sleeping together would abate your nightmare, and even if it does, the implications of doing so would be really heavy.”

“...”

“Your Highness. Stay strong.”

“Why..”

“???”

“Why are you so dumb..” tears chocked her voice, trailing her cheeks.

“Of course I would be dumb.”

“I order you. Don’t leave me!” she peered into his bright blue eyes, not knowing what she should do.

Was it out of habit, reflex, or learning that she came to use such a heavy word? The slave mark was still there despite there no longer being a master. It would take some time for it to fade naturally. So during this period of time, she was vulnerable to becoming a slave again.

“Look. I’m not leaving you alright?”

“You.. you will..”

“It’s been a week now. I’m still here right?”

“In the future.. don’t leave me after..”

Sequencee rolled his eyes. To think that there was an imperial princess who’d act like a spoiled kid. He wasn’t her nappy blanket, he couldn’t accompany her forever.

“Your Highness. There’s no way I can always be by your side, the best I can do is come to visit you.”

“No, don’t.. leave me,” Evelyn grabbed Sequencee hand and held it tight, her trembling fingers transmitted to him.

Was it wrong to be honest? Should he lie?

Sequencee didn’t know how to approach a delicate situation like this. The trauma she must’ve experienced back then, the black memories down in the dark, rising to the surface in bits and pieces..

Sequencee said nothing, couldn’t say anything. He merely allowed her to hold him.

===

Another week had passed. Sequencee received news that the issue was in its resolution stage; the princess may return to the castle. Many things remained undisclosed to Sequencee, so he could only make a generalized assumption to what had happened.

Anna came to the inn to retrieve them. Hand and in, the three of them made their way to the castle on food.

And by hand in hand, Sequencee was in the center of the two ladies. One side of Anna’s lips curled up. 

“My dear, what about Schwii?” Anna tampered with the air just enough that the soundwaves could only be heard Sequencee.

“Mom..” He groaned.

“Fufu..”

Anna squeezed his hands twice and stuck out his tongue.

Sequencee wasn’t even sure if Schwii meant what she said. It had been almost 3 years since she stopped coming to visit him.

Meanwhile, Evelyn kept her head casted downwards, knowing that their time together was soon going to end. The past week has been wonderful despite the boring stay. Peaceful and calm without needing to concern herself about her classes, etiquette and magic studies.

It was a painful walk to the castle for someone as poised as the imperial princess. Returning home was something Evelyn would’ve opted against if not for Sequencee’s offer to hold his hand through the journey.

Passing through several checkpoints, they made their way into the castle where an arranged luncheon was taking place. Sequencee let go of her hands, the maids ushered her in, she trembled.

“Don’t go..” she tried to reach him.

“Your Highness, if something happens again, I’ll definitely come save you. So don’t worry, “ Sequencee said with a wry smile. There was no way he could enter a dinner with royalty, not even Anna had the guts.

Several painful debates later, Evelyn said, “You are to not leave the capital until I permit it.” After which she followed the maids to the dinning hall.

The butler bowed respectfully to the two, “Thank you for taking care of Her Highness. It would’ve been a disaster if not for your great deeds.”

“Oh no. It was simply a whim, Sir Aaron is the one that deserves greater credit,” Anna made it a point to not come to any of next year’s birthday banquet.

“Even so, your contribution will not be forgotten.”

The butler bowed again before leaving. Sequencee found it odd how there wasn’t anyone supervising them, as if they were free to explore the castle.. he turned to his mother.

“Mom, was.. Miss Flona found?”

“Sorry dear. She.. she was found dead,” a bitter smile formed on her face.

“I see..” Sequencee muttered, looking towards the ceiling. Then he looked at the closed door which Her Highness Evelyn had walked into.

“So, what happened? Something must’ve happened right? Fufu..”

“She’s traumatized. And apparently, I’ve become something like her mental support. I don’t know what I should do, really..”

“You’ve become an incredibly dear existence to her I see.. were you tickled?” Anna chuckled. They turned around and made their way down the corridor.

“Mom, what would happen to her now? Is the situation really resolved?”

“Now, the royal family is having a meal to discuss issues regarding the succession war. It seems His Imperial Majesty was not happy about the incident, so he’ll be taking things into his hands. As for Her Highness’ safety, you need not to worry. I’ve brought the matter up to His Imperial Majesty, Aaron will be appointed as her temporary knight until further notice.”

“Sir Aaron will?”

“He agreed. Even I found it surprising.”

“That’s relieving to hear.”

“Good job not dying,” Anna tousled his hair with a grin.

“Thank you mom,” Sequencee smiled in relief.

The trouble in the capital– another curtain was closed; yet a new adventure etched into the library of their memories.

===

“...”

“Well, this means goodbye,” Sequencee smiled.

“Thank you for the audience, Your Majesty,” Anna lowered her head.

“I should be thanking you for taking care of my daughter,” the emperor smiled wryly.

“...”

“Evelyn,” His Majesty called out.

“...”

The throne room endowed with gold, jade and quartz. The emperor and Evelyn standing before Sequencee and Anna as if equals– as parents. 

“Your Highness,” Sequencee began, “We’ll come back for a visit, alright?”

“...”

“Um..” 

“Promise.”

“Uh, yeah. Promise.”

“My birthday. Next year, you better come,” Evelyn pouted.Sequencee looked at his mom who had a crack in her expression. He apologized in his heart.

“Alright, we’ll be sure to make it for your birthday.”

“I’ll send long letters.”

“Uh.. okay..”

“So you send letters too.”

“Right..”

Saying that Evelyn hid behind the emperor. With a troubled smile, he patted his daughter's head.

“Once more, I express my gratitude for saving my daughter. It would be a pleasure if you would drop by the capital more often.”“It’s an honor Your Majesty,” Anna said, knowing well the deeper connotation to his words.

“Then.. see you next year, Your Highness.”

“Un..” She gripped His Majesty’s coat tighter.

Sequencee and Anna bowed, about to leave when a sense of dread, and fear began to take over Evelyn’s mind. This moment in time which she had expected but never wanted to happen.

He would be leaving, she would be alone.

It didn’t matter that there were more guards around her, without him she felt insecure. Just being in bed at night frightened her, she had trouble sleeping last night. Even the glass of water she would always ask for would now have to be tested for poison.

“W-Wait..”

“Hm?”

Evelyn stepped out of her father’s shadow. He smiled slightly, a twinge of pride as a father could be seen on his face.

She took slow strides over, her beautiful dress trailing the red carpet ground behind her.

Evelyn and Sequencee stood before one another.

She grabbed both of his hands, leaned in, and kissed his cheeks.

Sequencee froze up.

“Sequencee.. I never got to say this properly but.. thank you. Thank you for saving me,” tears were glistening in the corner of her eyes.

“Y-Yeah..”

“I-I love you,” she quickly let go of his hands and turned around.

She wasn’t sure how long she waited, but there was no reply coming back. By the time she came to, she realized that left in this hall was her and her father. Sequencee and his mother had left..

She fell to the ground, tears dripping from her face.

A deep pain swelled up inside her, it felt like her heart was going to burst. 

And to this scene, the emperor simply said,

“Pursue him.”

Evelyn’s tears stopped at those words. 

“If he is who you want. Pursue him, relentlessly,” a fierce tone full of determination.

Light seemed to return to her dull eyes. Evelyn knitted her brows and wiped her tears. She got back up on her two feet, meeting the eyes of her father with swollen eyes.

“This is your test,” a scheming glint flashed across his eyes. “I am in full support of your marriage, however, you must show that you are deserving of him.”

A burning determination took form, washing away the fear and dread that had long plagued her heart. The blossoming of a new hope, casting new light on old shadows.

“Dear daughter. Take him home.”

“Yes father,” a new motivation had taken root inside her heart.

===

About half a year had passed since the incident. Evelyn had announced that she will take no part in the succession wars as decided during the dinner the day she returned to the castle after her kidnap.

As big of a news it was for the royal family to lose their daughter, it trickled into the public as rumors. Measures had been taken to prevent concrete information from leaking as it would tarnish the honor of the royal family.

The transference of rights to Marquis’ Loid’s title was null as there were no more members of the family alive. Even Flona’s mother and the other concubines had died at the hands of the unknown perpetrator.

Euincing Trading House has been blacklisted from doing business in the capital, which led to the blacklist of many supporting kingdoms and domains nearby, thus rendering them inept.

Evelyn was back to the academy, this time with more springness to her gait. It was rumored that Evelyn had fallen in love with the person who had saved her from the clutches of the evildoers. As she was likely not to be involved in the politics of her family, she had decided to pursue medicine– she was going to become a priestess. 

She guessed that Sequencee was going to continue exploring the world, and from an objective standpoint, his party lacked one thing: A healer.

She aced her tests and focused on growing as a healing magician. She planned to enroll into Riestallia Academy in Rika Nation once she comes of age. For now at least, she was being tutored by private high priests, thus gaining a leg up in advance before enrollment.

If possible, she would like if Sequencee could be allowed a normal academy life with her. It was a must-try experience mentioned in the many novels she had read throughout the years. In that, Anna’s approval is a must.

“S-rank adventurer, Miss Anna had died.”

“Huh?” Evelyn’s mind blanked.

“What did.. you say?” Aaron’s voice cracked.

“Estia barony was overrun with demons. Miss Anna died, along with the majority of the populace,” the shaggy guy in a clock down another chug of beer.

“T-That can’t be true..” the staff in Evelyn’s hands began to tremble.

“It’s the truth. News was already confirmed by the guild master, you can ask him if you want. You see those red papers there? Those are emergency quests to go investigate the region. It’s a matter of time before the matter becomes public, pweh..” the man spat on his plate.

Why would Evelyn and Aaron be at a tavern at this sort of time? Well, simply, it was to teach Her Highness to get used to mercenary life. Every so often Aaron would take her out to experience the gritty harsh reality of being an explorer. It just happened that today, they stumbled upon a world shattering news.

The demons had begun their advance.

“S-Survivors. There are survivors r-right..” Evelyn croaked. She wished it was all a lie.

“Yea. That’s what the quest is for. Missy, you got an acquaintance there? Then you better go ASAP before something happens.”

“Sir Aaron,” Evelyn gripped her staff tight.

“Let’s go,” Aaron got up from the table and headed to the quest board. He tore one paper and headed straight to the guild master’s office with Evelyn following behind. The intensity of his actions sparked gossip among the mercenaries.

SS-rank adventurer Aaron Smite actually took on a quest by his own volition. 

…

..

.

“Hello, can I ask if Her Highness is around?” There was a short Mage wearing a striking purple robe and large hat at the hospital counter.

Evelyn was walking by, having just finished attending to a patient when she looked over.

The staff at the counter noticed her and beckoned her over.

“Who may you be?” Evelyn asked.

“Your Highness! I’m an Judy, Third Grade Mage of the Arcane Magic Ensemble, it’s an honor to meet you.”

“Oh my, so you were one of the mages that have contributed to the hero’s summoning. My honor to meet you likewise.”

“Hm, what was it again– oh yes, could I ask permission to allow one of my students to be assessed by the hero? He wishes to join the party desperately, and I’ll vouch for his skill.”

“Hm? A student of your’s?”

“Yes, yes. He wants to kill The Sovereign, so he thought it would be a good idea to cooperate with the hero.”

Evelyn had her suspicions. It wasn’t the first time she had heard students wanting to become an official member of the hero’s party. At the current time, there were only 3 members. She, Risa Takashi and Shiro Takashi. Shiro said Risa was growing fond of a half-elf in their class who has powerful nature magic. Said person might become the 4th member, a sage. Of course, that was a pending case.

Which meant that the spot was likely already filled. What they needed was a tank, or an assassin.

“I’m sure you’ll be surprised, give it a chance? Could you help pass this message to the hero?”

“When does he plan to meet?”

“Any time. He’s waiting for confirmation on the hero’s side.”

“I see.. in that case, how about next Monday?”

“A Monday should be alright. I’ll tell him about it when I meet him. Ah, yes, I’m very honored by this grace of your’s, Your Highness,” Judy bowed. It was a cute gesture considering her statue– and oversized witch hat.

“It’s the least I could do to show my sincerity to a grand mage like yourself,” Evelyn smiled wryly.

…

..

.

Evelyn came to the function room as arranged with Judy. She didn’t want to bother the heroes with unnecessary work, so she decided that she would first assess the person before deciding if he was worthy of meeting them.

She knocked on the door, knowing that they had arrived.

It slid open, Evelyn had to look down to meet the gaze of this mage named Judy.

‘She’s so short, so cute.’

“Her highness will take the place of the hero for today it seems..” Judy said, a little awkward. She gave way for Evelyn to enter.

And when she did she had the shock of her life.

“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”

This voice, this treatment. 

She thought it was a lie, but she knew it couldn’t be. This man was too familiar to her, there was no way she could’ve forgotten. 

The past 3 years of guilt bursted like a dam. Going to the remains of the Estia barony, querying every person who was ushered into the temporary campsite, but to no avail.

She even searched around the neighboring territories, coming short of– nothing. No trace, no tail, no evidence. For a while, Aaron even arranged a personal quest in the guild to find traces of this person.

So why did he only appear now? Why did all the searching not produce any result? 

“Your Highness?” Judy called out to her in panic.

“Sequencee.. that’s you.. right?”

“Yeah?”

His nonchalant voice sounded befuddling to her. The suffering he must have been through– why wasn’t she seeing any of it? Why did he sound alright? What happened those years after his mother’s death..?

She approached him with trembling steps. He took a few steps back, not knowing what exactly to do.

“M-May I..”

“???”

Before he could answer, she had wrapped her arms around him. Reuniting in the comfort of his warmth– this nostalgic feeling of ease from three years ago. He was here– he wasn’t dead. The weight in her heart finally fell off as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“I thought.. you were gone..” her arms coiled around him tighter as she squirted her eyes bitterly.

“...”

Sequencee looked in a way that called for help at Judy who had her mouth agape.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t find you.. I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything..”

“It’s alright Your Highness..” 

Only Sequencee would know why it was that he vanished. With his skill, he should've become a mercenary in another region– so why didn’t he?

“No. It’s my fault, I should’ve tried harder should I have known you were still alive. It’s my failure–” Evelyn quickly regained herself and wiped the tears off with the loose sleeve of her uniform. Her enchanting amethyst eyes stared at him resolutely. “Having heard a part of it from Miss Judy, I want to hear the full story directly from you. I’ll help anyway I can.”

“I..”

Evelyn stared at him.

“.. I want to take revenge.”

Like a cold knife pressed against her heart, she could feel the bitter pain rooted deep in soul.

…

..

.

“Sequencee.”

‘Don’t die.’