kscans

Chapter 9 - Promise

The journey back to the hidden village was terribly slow and terribly quiet, a stark contrast to the way there.

The silence was broken only when they arrived, and the girl knelt for her final moments.

"Is there not something, anything you wish for before you die?! Anything at all, just say it!" the boy yelled, his face on the verge of tears like a cornered puppy. Seeing his distress, one of the knights rushed to his side.

"Your Highness, if this is too painful, allow me to take your place…"

"Silence! Do you presume to scorn me as one who lacks the resolve of a royal heir?!"

"M-my apologies!" The knight, stunned by the prince's outburst, apologized and retreated.

The boy took a deep breath and, in a voice slightly calmer than before, asked again.

"…Not as a princess, but is there a wish you have as your own self, as just a plain, scrawny little girl?"

Just a plain, scrawny little girl. The words were harsh, but the boy's sentiment made the girl’s eyes flicker with uncertainty.

The evening comes more quickly in the forest than on the plains. While the town of Regis was likely still bathed in the sunset, the hidden village was already enveloped in the silence of night. A melody from a harp trembled through that silence. It was a classical piece, a song based on an ancient hymn praising the gods. It was as beautiful as the twinkling of the stars, yet held a touch of sorrow.

The girl’s expression was not the one molded by the conventions of a princess, but that of an ordinary girl who loved and enjoyed playing the harp from the bottom of her heart. The music that flowed from her slender fingertips moved the boy more than any performance he had ever heard. For the girl, the harp was the only part of the education forced upon her by her nursemaid that she truly enjoyed and loved.

The harp’s melody was the girl’s heart itself. With her only free soul, in a world where nothing else was her own, the girl played one beloved song after another.

With all her heart, as her spirit moved her.

The boy had never imagined that such a brilliant and wonderful soul was hidden within the destitute body trapped in a gloomy mourning dress.

A girl with a faint expression, like a doll. A pitiful girl whose heart had been killed by her tragic environment. That is what the boy had thought. That was why he had been tormented by guilt, wanting to do something for her. His desperation to do something, anything, to make her state a wish, had been to lighten his own guilt.

But the girl’s heart had never died. On the contrary, beneath the princess mask forced upon her, she had nurtured a soul more vibrant and rich than anyone's.

The boy was ashamed of how he had dragged the girl around simply to alleviate his own guilt. He finally understood that the girl was a "princess" by her own will.

Even after the performance ended, no one spoke for a while—not the girl, not the boy, not the knights.

To break the lingering echo of the magnificent performance felt like a terrible sacrilege. Or perhaps they wished to spare the life of this miraculous harp virtuoso.

But they could not prolong the moment forever.

The boy dismissed the reluctant knights, leaving him alone with the girl.

"At the end… I am content to have been able to play my heart out. Thank you."

"…Is there truly no other wish?" the boy asked again, as if at a loss.

The girl’s brow furrowed in slight distress.

"Then… please tell me your name."

"…Ebalt. It is Ebalt Seneca Dindrion."

Only now did the boy realize he had never introduced himself. His face twisted with self-loathing. What am I doing?

"Thank you, Ebalt-sama. You were the first to ever call me by my name. Everyone else called me ‘Your Highness,’ but never my name."

What kind of life is it, to never be called by one’s name? The boy didn't know how to respond and fell silent. He no longer knew what to do. He didn’t want to lose this girl. He didn’t want to take her life. But for the sake of the country, he could not let her live. Conflicting emotions swirled in his chest, paralyzing him.

Before him, the girl quietly knelt.

"Come now, the knights must be growing anxious."

"You… you are a magnificent princess. I do not want to kill you."

The boy’s choked voice made the girl’s eyes widen. Then she slowly shook her head.

"In this small cage, I have lived my whole life just being swept along. I wasn't truly living as a ‘princess.’ But now, it is different. Because you came. You, who called my name and breathed life into my soul. You, who gave me meaning. You, gentle one, who grieved for my life and felt pain for me."

"I… I have done nothing. I cannot even save one girl made into a puppet by those possessed by obsession and greed."

He had only met the girl last night. And yet, she had already taken firm root in his heart. A single tear escaped the boy’s eye and fell to the floor.

"No, you have saved me. You showed me the people of the town, their faces so much brighter than those in the village. A town where girls enjoy fashion, where children buy sweet treats with their own money, a town filled with laughter. I will disappear to protect that precious happiness. Even if no one else knows, you will remember. You have given me the happiness of knowing that my life will not vanish into meaninglessness."

"Don’t be a fool. When you die, that’s the end. There is no meaning."

The girl herself would die without ever knowing even a fragment of the happiness the common people were now enjoying. That fact was something the boy could not forgive. Drip, drip. Tears streamed down his cheeks, falling from his chin to the floor.

"No, there is meaning. Souls are reborn. In my next life, I am sure I will be born as a commoner in some corner of this country."

"A commoner?"

"Yes, I’ve had enough of being a princess. Being a noble seems like a hassle, too. After a short rest, by the time I am reborn, I think the reign of the next king, Ebalt-sama, is a high possibility."

Her expression breaking, the girl offered a clumsy smile. The boy, in turn, managed a twisted smile of his own.

"My younger brother is smarter than I am. He may be the next king."

"I would prefer you, Ebalt-sama. The colorful cotton dresses, the sweet baked goods, the grilled mutton skewers… truthfully, I wanted them all. Please become a Wise King, so that the me in my next life can have all her wishes granted."

"What, so you were just putting on a brave face after all."

The smile the girl wore was awkward. She probably meant it as a joke, but it was so desperate that it was terribly comical. Tears were welling in her eyes now, too. The boy, fighting back a voice that threatened to become a sob, returned her joke with a lighthearted retort.

Then, he roughly wiped his tears with the back of his hand.

"Alright, I promise. You must, you must be reborn during my reign."

"Yes, I will."

There was no saving the girl's life now. Nor did she wish for it. The boy resolved himself to bear the weight of her life.

Still, he did not reach for his sword. Instead, he pulled a thin gold chain from the collar of his shirt. At its end hung a pendant in the shape of a small golden urn. He removed the urn and handed it to the girl.

"…It’s poison."

"Could it be… ‘Angel’s Mercy’?"

It was the poison used by royalty for suicide. A single drop ensured a painless death, like falling asleep. His father had instructed him to use it if the time ever came. A poison to protect the dignity of a royal and to fulfill their duty. His younger sister had been given one as well.

"You are a magnificent princess. Beheading is not a fitting end."

Beheading was the execution method for criminals.

"Thank you."

The girl quietly pulled out the stopper. Without a moment’s hesitation, she drank its contents and collapsed to the floor.

The small golden urn fell, striking the floor with a clear, high-pitched sound.