Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 

AFTER DEPARTING from the port where the slave traders’ ship was docked, Rishe and Arnold’s carriage entered a small alley in the seaside city of Bezzetoria. Though they’d made sure they weren’t being followed, they wound through the alleyways and changed carriages a few times just to be safe.

Arnold left all this to Rishe. When he was being tailed, he usually handled things in a more…direct manner, so he watched Rishe give instructions to the coachman with great amusement.

Once they finally arrived at the royal villa, Rishe turned to Arnold and asked, “Are you really going to grant my request, Your Highness?”

Arnold shot her a sour look as he shook off his jacket and handed it to Oliver. “I will. However…” He bent down to whisper in her ear, and she squeaked. “You will keep you-know-what a secret, as you promised. Can you do that for me?”

Rishe squirmed at the ticklish sensation of his voice in her ear. She covered her mouth, nodding frantically. She was aware of her face turning crimson, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Arnold withdrew from Rishe, silent, though it seemed like he still had something to say.

After watching the exchange, Oliver said, “You really shouldn’t tease your poor fiancée, my lord.”

“I’m not teasing her. If I don’t make my expectations absolutely clear, she’ll put herself in danger like it’s the rational thing to do.”

Ugh! He knows exactly what he’s doing!

Oliver was right on the money. Arnold was well aware of his effect on Rishe; he liked to tease her.

“I-I’m taking a bath! Good night to both of you!” Rishe yelled, scurrying up the stairs. Meanwhile, Arnold would likely tell Oliver what she’d asked of him.

Anyway, I have preparations tomorrow morning before the dress fitting. I can’t wait to meet the specialist Oliver arranged for… Oh!

On her way to third-floor bathroom, she sensed someone approaching her. When she reached the landing of the staircase, she found the two people she’d been expecting waiting for her.

“Hello, Raul. Sir Joel.”

Standing behind Joel, Raul flashed her a roguish smile. “Hey, Princess. You’re back late.”

Joel was as sleepy as ever, barely keeping his eyes open.

“How are you feeling, Sir Joel? The drug should be almost out of your system at this point, but please don’t push yourself.”

“Mm…”

“The swordsman just awoke, Your Highness. As we discussed, I explained the undercover operation to him.”

“You did? Thank you, Raul.”

“It was the least I could do. I heard the two of you arriving just now, so I was on my way to meet you.”

Joel watched blankly as Raul dipped into a sweeping bow. Raul was accompanying the Siargan knight on Arnold’s orders.

“That swordsman has information from Siarga and has likely seen some of the faces of the men running the slave trade. There’s no need to work separately if it’s more efficient to make use of him.” Nevertheless, the prince had instructed Raul to stay at Joel’s side.

Prince Arnold can’t judge Joel’s trustworthiness right now. Raul is the perfect person to keep an eye on him.

As the leader of an organization of “hunters,” Raul specialized in tracking and locating people. Rishe had learned everything she knew about intelligence gathering from him in her fifth life.

Still, she was somewhat suspicious of this situation despite everything. Prince Arnold makes use of Raul like he’s a convenient tool. It’s hard for me to believe how easily he trusts him.

Raul obeyed Arnold because the prince had extended a helping hand to his homeland of Siguel. His service was out of appreciation for Galkhein and Siguel’s joint venture into minting paper currency.

I know Prince Arnold is the type to make use of anything he finds convenient without hesitating…and maybe he’s just applying the most fitting tool for the job, but still…

He used Raul a little too readily, didn’t he?

I can’t think about this in front of Raul. He’ll catch on right away.

Rishe interacted with the two men as she always did. If Raul did notice, he didn’t show it.

“You never cease to amaze me. To make the crown prince play servant and to offer yourself up despite being crown princess…” Raul teased her with mock exasperation.

“I-I keep telling you, we’re not married yet!”

That was when Joel, who’d been drowsily observing them, stepped toward Rishe. “Hey.” He peered into her face from just a little too close.

“Um… Yes, Sir Joel?”

“It just doesn’t make sense. Prince Arnold is definitely stronger if he fights on his own.” Joel’s eyes, which seemed to hold limitless light within, honed in on Rishe. “What does he need you for?”

“Huh?” Rishe blinked rapidly, unable to process what he’d just said.

Joel studied Rishe and muttered, “If he really needed you for something, I guess it would make sense, but I just don’t see what use you could possibly be to him.”

“Come now, Sir Joel…”

“Well, aren’t I right? He’s stronger than me, I can tell that much. Yet he’s playing along with your silly little strategy, protecting you. It’s strange that he’s taking such a roundabout way to handle things. It only makes sense if he’s just doing this to humor the whims of his wife…” Joel cocked his head, sincere confusion in his eyes. “Why does your husband humor you so?”

Rishe was thrown by the question. I can’t believe Joel’s actually taking an interest! The Joel she knew from her sixth life only focused on others’ bladework, yet here and now, he seemed genuinely interested in Arnold as a person. She had an inkling as to where this curiosity stemmed from, though.

“Do you feel a certain kinship with Prince Arnold, Sir Joel?”

Joel’s eyes went wide in surprise.

A genius with the sword. Someone overwhelmingly stronger than anyone else around him… Prince Arnold must be the first person Joel’s ever met who seems so similar to him.

“How can you tell?” Joel asked, a little annoyed.

“I just got that sense from seeing your face.”

In her sixth life, she’d been completely lost trying to figure out how to interact with him when they first met. But Joel is a really straightforward person.

If she paid close enough attention, she could see the emotions behind his expressionless visage. She’d grown to know him well enough to tell when he was excited by a strong swordsman or when he was unbearably hungry. She could tell the difference between when he truly was tired and when he merely slept because there was nothing better to do.

She also knew that when he went with her somewhere “as her mentor,” it was because he was worried about her. She’d also noticed him smiling more the stronger she grew, and the pride with which he gazed at her.

Seeing her peculiar smile, Joel muttered, “You’re strange too, you know that? Really strange… Maybe you’re stronger than average, but you’re obviously not as strong as me. I just don’t see what Prince Arnold sees in you.”

“Oh? Who’s to say I won’t grow stronger with time?”

“Sure, I guess, but you’re weak now.” One of Joel’s pale, bony hands reached for Rishe. “I mean, you’re so small and dainty and soft… You’re just a girl.”

Raul had been observing them without a word, but his hand snapped out and grabbed Joel’s wrist.

“Oh,” Joel said in dull surprise.

“Raul…?” Startled, Rishe peered into Raul’s narrowed red eyes.

After a brief silence, Raul released Joel’s arm. “Whoops! That was close. His Highness never ordered me to protect his wife. I almost did work I’m not being paid for!”

Rishe groaned. Still, she gave him a wry smile. He was cracking jokes about it, but it was obvious that he’d stepped in because he was worried about her. “Thank you, though.”

“Yeah, you’re welcome,” he said with a shrug, his gaze landing on Joel. “Anyway, Sir Swordsman, I would suggest not touching the princess so carelessly if you don’t want His Dreadful Highness murdering you. I can personally vouch for the danger.”

“Mm. I can tell from how Prince Arnold protected Rishe. Maybe if I can’t get him to have a match with me, I’ll just pick Rishe up in front of him.”

Raul burst out laughing. “I really wouldn’t, if I were you.”

Listening to them, Rishe suddenly remembered something Joel had told her when they’d first met in her sixth life.

“I’ll only get weaker if I do something like that. You should be alone when you fight. If you spend too much time worrying about other people, you’ll die too easily when you’re finally in a real battle.”

At the time, Rishe hadn’t accepted those words. But it was just as he said. In return for looking out for me on the battlefield, he…

What had been on Joel’s mind in his final moments protecting Rishe from being cut down by Arnold? Rishe had died herself a moment later, so she’d never had a chance to think about it.

Masters of the sword like him are stronger when they fight alone. And that goes not just for Joel but for Prince Arnold too.

Worry prickled deep in her heart.

 

---

 

The next day, Rishe was holed up in the bathroom after breakfast.

“Mm…”

A sweet, comforting scent wafted from the bathwater as it lapped against her. The water was slightly cool, but hot water was added frequently to prevent her from getting too cold.

It’s so warm… It feels nice.

Rishe soaked in the milky bath, eyes half-lidded.

“How is the water, Madam Bride?” a woman behind her asked.

“It’s so relaxing!”

“I’m glad to hear it. Just let us know if anything’s uncomfortable, all right?”

The woman was washing her hair. And it wasn’t just her; there was another woman washing her skin, and one massaging her shoulders as well. There was even one moisturizing her face and another tending to her fingertips and nails. All Rishe had to do was lie back and let them work.

One of the women smiled and said, “We have to get you all dolled up before your wedding, after all.”

This treat Oliver arranged for me. Could it be…? Under the women’s careful treatment to make her look her best in her wedding dress tonight, Rishe wondered, Is this the first step toward the life of utter sloth I’ve dreamt of?!

For some reason, Arnold sometimes asked her, “You still haven’t given up on that?”

The question made no sense to her. In her mind, every one of her actions was leading up to that carefree life she so craved.

The women tended to Rishe in the bath, giving her every beauty treatment she could ever conceive of.

“You have such nice, smooth hair. I’ve finished applying the treatment, so I’ll work it in with a warm towel now, okay?”

“Let’s give you a scalp and facial massage too. You do a lot of reading, don’t you? Let’s get those muscles nice and relaxed.”

“The water has warmed you up as well, so your circulation should be better.”

Wow… Rishe let her eyes shut in bliss at the gentle but thorough services the women provided. Now this is the work of professionals!

The water wasn’t even that warm, yet her whole body felt perfectly toasty. She’d had plenty of cream rubbed into her skin, and when it was wiped away with a special, finely woven cloth, her complexion became so clear, it was almost translucent. In fact, the sunlight shining into the bathroom made her skin appear almost luminescent.

I’ve only ever done my own beauty treatments in all my lives thus far. Being able to leave everything to other people is so new to me…

These maids worked primarily on cleaning, laundry, and ­academic pursuits to prepare them for any employer they might have. Rishe usually bathed alone, so she’d never experienced anything like this before.

There’s even a cool, delicious drink nearby. I don’t have to lift a finger, and I’m getting all dolled up for my wedding… This is the life! A life of total relaxation!

She sighed dreamily as another beauty cream was applied to her face.

“Feel free to have a little nap if you’d like.”

“That’s a very appealing suggestion, but first…” Rishe opened her eyes and asked the woman applying the cream, “Judging by the scent, does this cream use peach nectar petals?”

“My, you could tell?”

“Yes! They’re so valuable! I can’t believe you can use so many of them like this!”

The woman blinked in surprise, and Rishe piled on her questions.

“The buds must’ve been plucked an hour before the petals opened as well! Am I right?! They’re so rare, and it’s incredibly difficult to ascertain the right season to pick them, so they hardly ever show up on the market, right?!”

“I-It’s exactly as you say. How did you know?”

“The cream has a faint citrus aroma. It’s a particular scent peach nectar buds only give off when they’re plucked just before blooming, and the petals have amazing restorative powers at this stage…”

Rishe had done plenty of research using these flowers in her lives as an apothecary and an alchemist. She was never able to get very far because they were so difficult to obtain, but she remembered their distinctive smell well.

“There’s also honeyberry orange in the cream as well, yes? Plus honey and…?”

“Y-yogurt. There’s also mashed cielito fruit and shoots of olhuveli grass…”

“Olhuveli grass! I use it in a sunscreen I make. It’s very moisturizing, isn’t it?”

“A sunscreen you make, Madam Bride?!”

The women’s eyes sparkled, and they leaned toward Rishe.

“I did think you had wonderful skin well defended against the sun. Could you share your regimen with us later?!”

“Of course! I’d love to hear more about your own techniques as well. Each one is so amazing—I can just see these treatments gaining in popularity!”

Plans started to form in Rishe’s mind, her heart leaping with the possibilities.

In this life, I use the knowledge I gathered in my lives as an apothecary and an alchemist to craft my own makeup and lotions. I never had the confidence to put them on the market, since you need to follow certain usage rules—but if I joined hands with skilled specialists in the field, I could solve the problem! First, I would market it to nobles. Once women with the ability to hire specialists saw the benefits of their use, then I could… Oh!

She finally came back to her senses when she realized what she was using all this brain power on.

“Madam Bride?”

“I-It’s nothing! Please continue!”

She’d sat up without thinking, but she sank back into the water. This won’t do. I need to relax and not think about work! Even medicine works better when your mind and body are at ease. Come to think of it, there’s a region in the east where they use hot springs to treat wounds, isn’t there? What if you could use lotions in a bath in a similar manner for skincare? Cost-effectiveness is what first comes to mind, but in this case—wait, no!

Rishe desperately shook off the thoughts. “Thank you all, really. I’m so excited to wear my wedding dress after all of your careful treatments.”

“Oh, Madam Bride? It’s not just about the wedding dress, though, is it?”

“Hmm?” Rishe tilted her head, and the woman grinned at her.

“We need to make your skin nice and smooth to catch your husband’s eye!”

“What?!”

“Aah! Madam Bride?!”

Rishe slipped against the bath and her head plunged into the water. She shot back up with a cough, but her heart was pounding.

“My husband?! His eye?! Huh?!”

“Well, isn’t that only natural? As the crown princess, you’ll have certain…bridal duties.”

A strangled sound escaped her throat as Rishe’s face burned. C-calm down! It’s fine! That’s not going to happen! I mean… She took a deep breath, sucking in the sweet-smelling air in the bathroom. Prince Arnold has already declared this a mariage blanc…

When they’d visited the Grand Basilica, Arnold had mussed her hair and told her, “Even after we’re married, I won’t take advantage of you.”

The words served as an echo of another promise he’d made her: “You don’t need to be resolute to become my wife.”

Rishe hung her head, chest aching something fierce. The reason those words had stung so much must have been because she was already in love with him then.

His Highness even said he hated his father’s methods but that he’d used those same methods to wed me. From another angle, that meant he had some reason to marry her that would drive him to such lengths. But how can I blame him for hiding things when I’m doing the same to him? I have so many secrets and have told so many lies to stop his war. I must finish things if I’m ever to tell him how I feel…

When she got that far, she realized something strange about her thoughts. “Hmm?”

“Is something the matter, Madam Bride?”

Rishe’s head snapped up. “I-I’m sorry. It’s nothing,” she said, making a vow in her heart.

Even if I don’t know what Prince Arnold is thinking…if it’s not the role of a wife or an empress that he desires of me, I can still stay by his side as myself.

And if that was the case, there was only one thing she could do.

When Rishe lapsed into thought, the women murmured among themselves and exchanged glances.

“There are all sorts of things to worry about before a wedding, so it can be easy to fall into a low mood. But please cheer up, Madam Bride!”

“Yes! You have your dress fitting tonight, don’t you?”

The women spoke kindly to Rishe, attempting to lift her spirits.

“Once we’re finished here, how about taking it easy till evening? You have something fun to look forward to, so I’m sure your mood will improve in no time!”

“Th-thank you, ladies…” Rishe accepted their feelings with gratitude, stuffing down her shame.

I’m thankful, but it hurts at the same time. I am going to my dress fitting tonight, but…

Once Rishe was all prettied up and ready, she left the villa. Those women could never have guessed where she was headed.

 

---

 

“Please inspect the state of our security to your heart’s content, Your Highness,” Bezzetoria’s guard captain told Arnold.

Standing behind the prince, Rishe observed the captain. She had a good idea of the state of things from his pallor when Arnold appeared.

This captain must be in some sort of opposition to Prince Arnold. Either this inspection is simply inconvenient for him or he’s taking orders from His Highness’s father.

According to Arnold’s brother, Theodore, the crown prince had a lot of enemies.

Rishe renewed her focus and asked Arnold, “Where shall we start, Your Highness? I know you said you wished to see as much of the port town as you could since this inspection provided the opportunity.”

He merely looked at her, too full of possible responses to choose just one.

Fully aware of his gaze, Rishe nevertheless puffed out her chest. “Your humble Imperial Guard trainee Lucius Alcott will accompany you wherever you wish, Your Highness!”

Arnold could only sigh.

An Imperial Guard uniform worn over her freshly polished skin, Rishe grinned up at him.

 

---

 

“There’s something I’d like to ask of you,” Rishe had begun in the carriage the night before. “I’d like to confirm the state of security in town before my dress fitting tomorrow.”

Even though she knew no one else was listening, she put her hand to Arnold’s ear and whispered, “Do you suppose I could accompany you as a trainee knight?”

Arnold pulled back and cocked his head, frowning. “Why?”

“One factor that the traffickers are using to their benefit is insufficient inspection of ship cargo. At least one of the officials in charge of the area must be in on the operation. You suspect the same thing, I’m sure.” She assumed he’d already asked Oliver to investigate it.

“Our presence here must have put those officials on edge, don’t you think? It’s possible their caution will throw a wrench into our plan.”

“Criminals tend to be most brazen when suspicion is rising and they’re afraid they’re about to be caught.”

“Conversely, they’re most at ease when they think, ‘I’ve gotten away with it. I’m smarter than my enemies.’”

If the royal couple lulled them into a false sense of security, they wouldn’t feel threatened. Still, that same sour expression lingered on Arnold’s face.

“That’s not what I was asking. Why do you have to play the part of a knight?”

“Well, because your Imperial Guard’s entirely too competent, Prince Arnold. It would be unnatural for one of them to miss something that was obviously suspicious.”

Conversely, it was almost a given that a “trainee” would fail to pick up on some shady activity. Rishe and Joel had used their less-than-imposing appearances to keep a low profile in her sixth life. She’d gained plenty of experience investigating and apprehending criminals this way.

“I brought a short wig and shoes with me just in case I needed to go into town in disguise. As for the size, I can just take in someone’s uniform temporarily to fit me… I suppose it would be a bother to the actual knights, so I’ll borrow Raul’s!”

“…”

“Let’s say I’m a talentless son of an influential noble, so you had no choice but to take me into your Imperial Guard. How do you like that backstory?”

Arnold narrowed his eyes, closing in on Rishe. “Is this revenge for my performance as your attendant?”

“Ah ha ha, of course not! I’m certainly not thinking that you seemed to be greatly amused by the part you were playing or that you were maybe a little mean!” Rishe said with a brilliant smile.

Arnold sighed deeply.

The very fact that he’d assumed she wanted “revenge” meant that he was aware of how he’d made her feel by having his fun.

 

---

 

“Your Highness, I’m finished going over the port entrance records!” Rishe reported crisply.

Her disguise consisted of a brown wig and makeup to make her appear more masculine, and she’d adjusted her bearing to be more like that of a boy’s. She also wore a leather vest under her shirt and thick-soled boots to change her height and build. No one really knew Rishe in this town, and the merchants she’d met on the ship last night were unlikely to recognize her.

While Arnold himself may have stood out, few people could interact closely with the crown prince. As a result, no one looked too hard at Rishe’s disguise, so she was able to walk around the docks’ brick warehouses without suspicion.

“Captain, sir, may I see the items you’ve seized too?” Rishe asked with stars in her eyes. She was playing the part of the overexcited young knight on his first mission very well.

The knight captain who oversaw security in Bezzetoria nodded in return, smiling warmly at Rishe. “Yes, of course. Whatever you need.”

“Thank you, sir! Please leave it to me, Your Highness!” Rishe chirped, then carefully surveyed the area.

If I were a hunter who had to lie low and hide my prey… She spotted several different places in the beautiful warehouse district that would serve such a purpose. It was human nature to seek safety in hiding places, but the average person might be surprised at how few and far between those places were.

And if I were a knight who had to expose such criminal activity… Rishe swept her eyes around the building and settled on a wooden crate. There.

She trotted over to a pile of them carelessly stacked outside the warehouse. Arnold kept an eye on her and observed the knight captain at the same time. Feeling his gaze, she paid attention to the presences around her.

The captain just sighed—out of relief, if I had to guess. That proved there was nothing suspect in the crate she’d approached. His reaction would signify failure if they were really trying to find something here today, but it was acceptable for their current objective.

What I’m really looking for is the trap you’ve set for us.

The captain had no way of knowing that everything was going just as Rishe and Arnold planned. He’d never hide something he wouldn’t want found. Still, it’s not too obvious, so it’s the perfect place for the rookie knight to latch on to.

She rifled through the crate with gloved hands, careful not to let her thoughts show.

Watching her, the knight captain grinned wryly. “Quite a naive young lad, isn’t he? A son who won’t be inheriting his house foisted upon you by an influential noble, I hear. You do have a lot to deal with, don’t you, Your Highness?” he said in a conspiratorial manner, not intending for Rishe to hear him.

Arnold had no reaction whatsoever.

His Highness is the same as always. Efficiency above all else.

Rishe chuckled to herself as she examined the contents of the crate. The dusty assortment of items within didn’t seem terribly worth taking.

A shell lamp Halil Rasha forbids exporting…or at least, a fake made to seem like one. The surface is supposed to shine in rainbow colors when it’s lit, but the border between yellow and orange here is too sloppy.

She held the item up and closed one eye, carefully appraising the seam. She knew exactly how to spot a counterfeit, as she’d handled these items in her first life.

Now why would they create fake contraband for their stores?

She lifted her head above the crate and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Turning around, she held up the lamp to show it to the captain. “Captain, sir! This is a lamp from Halil Rasha, if I’m not mistaken!” she said, pretending to believe it was genuine. “I don’t think many people know about this, but export of these shells is actually prohibited! Was this cargo from a ship that docked here?!”

“Ah, good catch, Sir Lucius.” The captain nodded, holding up his hands in appeasement. “You’re absolutely right. The distribution of these lamps could become a diplomatic issue between our country and Halil Rasha. I discovered the item personally on an inspection, and the rest of the items aboard the ship are under thorough investigation.”

I thought so. It’s a prop to make it seem like the captain and his men are doing their jobs. That said, it was a very well-made fake. It would be difficult to identify as fake without summoning a merchant to appraise it.

There weren’t too many people familiar with goods from Halil Rasha in Galkhein. I just happen to have experience as such a merchant due to my loops, Rishe thought as she set the lamp back inside the crate and faced the captain once again.

He appears a lot more relaxed than he was earlier. He’s still blinking quite a bit and staring at Prince Arnold too much, but otherwise, he seems to be returning to normal.

Rishe was sure Arnold had picked up on the same things she had. Their eyes met, so she told him, “I’d like to check that warehouse next, Your Highness!”

“Is the door unlocked?”

“I’ll call someone to unlock it immediately, if you would just give me a moment.”

Arnold turned to the knight captain. “You mean to tell me that the captain doesn’t know where his own keys are kept?”

The captain snapped to attention before Arnold could press the issue. “O-of course not, Your Highness! I will go and get them myself at once! One moment, please!”

He sped off, only a tad bit hesitant, leaving Rishe and Arnold alone in the brick alleyway.

“Judging by how flustered he was, I’d say it will be some time before he arrives with the key,” Rishe said, jogging over to Arnold.

He sighed, reaching for her face. “Your cheek is dirty.” With his gloved thumb, he gingerly wiped her face. “I can’t believe you’re out here doing actual dirty work of your own volition just before your wedding dress fitting.”

“I-I’ll take another bath before the fitting. It’s fine!” Rishe let him wipe her cheek, flashing back to another time he’d done this. Compared to then, she was far more flustered by it.

When she squeezed her eyes shut, Arnold seemed to notice something. He bent down and brought his nose closer to Rishe’s neck.

“Wh-what is it, Your Highness?”

They might have been alone, but this was an inappropriate closeness for a knight and his lord. Arnold’s breath tickled Rishe’s skin as he murmured, “I smell something sweet.”

Ack!

His voice was as flat as ever, but for some reason, that only made Rishe more embarrassed. He must have smelled the various lotions that had been scrubbed into her skin during her beauty treatments earlier.

Rishe hastily backed up, covering her mouth with heated hands. “I-I didn’t think it would hamper my disguise!”

“I imagine it won’t. You’d have to be pretty close to notice it.”

She whimpered at the thought that Arnold had been that close to her. She needed to stop dwelling on it, so she straightened up and donned her knight’s demeanor.

“I-In any case, what matters most is rescuing the abducted women and preventing further victims!” Rishe strode forward, keeping up her investigative pretense as she and Arnold entered a narrow alleyway. “I think it’s safe to say we’re putting the captain at ease with our little sham. I know we already rescued some of the women on the day we arrived, but hopefully this will make the slave traders lower their guard…”

“We don’t want them escaping. We have no way to catch them with our own vessels.”

As I thought, he’s aware of Galkhein’s inferiority when it comes to naval warfare.

A ship with large sails glided by the alleyway. Rishe’s eyes darted toward it, and she noticed the script on the crates aboard the vessel.

“Oh! Look, Your Highness—that ship is from Ceutena!”

Ceutena was a port town in northern Galkhein. Rishe thought of her friend as her eyes glimmered at the sight of the familiar location. I wonder how Fritz is doing? Last I heard, he’d gone back to Ceutena with Lord Lawvine.

Rishe had disguised herself as a boy and participated in Lawvine’s knight candidate training with Fritz about a month and a half ago. The dizzying number of happenings between then and now made it feel like she’d done it in a different lifetime.

It’s hard for me to visit him since I was disguising myself when we first met, she lamented as she turned back to Arnold.

“I wonder how Lord Lawvine is doing. He must be busy keeping things running in Ceutena.”

“Who knows.”

“My, you sound so disinterested. And yet you value him so highly when it comes to training your knights!”

“I admit he’s a skilled instructor.” Arnold’s tone had grown colder than it was a moment ago. “But I’ve never once considered him my vassal.”

The words were all too convincing coming from the man who would ruthlessly slaughter him in the future.

Rishe clutched at the sleeve of her uniform, which was still a little big on her despite her quick needlework. “Is that…because he serves your father?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Arnold smirked, challenging her. “You realized that long ago, didn’t you?”

Rishe could only pray Arnold didn’t notice the way her chest pounded in response to his question. Calm down… It’s not like he’s saying he knows I know the future, she told herself, taking a quiet breath.

She let her head droop, then strolled forward. The air of an excited trainee knight on his first mission returned. “It has been bothering me for some time. Lord Lawvine was the one who was trying to apprehend Professor Michel in the gunpowder incident, right?”

Rishe recalled the incident Michel had attempted to instigate while she was participating in the knight candidate training.

“Lord Lawvine behaved as if he was acting under the emperor’s orders, but didn’t it seem like he was trying to hide Professor Michel’s existence from His Majesty?”

Arnold narrowed his eyes in place of a nod of confirmation. She wasn’t sure why she had thought so, but she clearly remembered the warning he’d given Lawvine.

“I have nothing more to say. Withdraw immediately. If this escalates, I can’t promise my father won’t hear of it.”

The rumors Rishe had heard of Lawvine in her previous lives painted him as a loyal retainer to the imperial family, and her impression of him after meeting him in this life aligned with that. Still, there were some things about the way he acted that bothered her.

Lord Lawvine spoke out about the future Emperor Arnold Hein’s misdeeds and was heinously murdered for it. But that just doesn’t line up with what I know about Prince Arnold now.

Rishe’s lips thinned at the theory that brought to mind. Maybe what Prince Arnold really eliminated in the future was—

A loud bell rang just as she turned a corner in the warehouse district. She flinched, turning her attention to a church on the water’s edge. A golden bell swayed from the steeple towering in the blue sky, and at the very top was a beautiful marble statue of the goddess.

A Crusade goddess statue… Rishe blinked slowly, staring up at the goddess. The goddess Prince Arnold despises. The goddess whose blood his royal priestess mother inherited.

Rishe gasped. Arnold had reached out from behind her and covered her eyes, pulling her toward him.

His voice was at her ear, the world dark around her. “It’s something I have no need for.”

She didn’t respond. Was he talking about the goddess? She only realized he wasn’t when he continued.

“Thus, I have no reason to keep Lawvine by my side in the future.”

Rishe stood still in Arnold’s hold. She gulped, unable to understand his actions. Did he do that to stop me from looking up at the goddess statue?

In a way, stealing her vision like this was stealing her freedom, yet Arnold had never forced anything on her outside of matters relating to her safety up until now. He’d never even forbidden her from anything aside from putting herself in danger.

Arnold’s hand slipped away from her face as he took a step back. Rishe turned around, hearing footsteps coming from where they’d just been. These were the footsteps of someone who normally walked silently announcing their presence.

“Your Hiiighness. Oh, and Lucius the newbie knight is there too, isn’t he?”

It’s Raul.

Dressed in a knight’s uniform, Raul approached them, toying with a key in his hand. Rishe ran over to him, playing her part.

“Good work, sir!”

“It is good, isn’t it? And how’s your investigation with His Highness going?”

“We’re just waiting for the captain to return with a key so we can check the next warehouse, sir!” She shared their status, treating him like he was a knight of a higher ranking.

Raul smirked and tossed the key in his hand to Rishe. “I’d guess His Highness is going to be firing that captain before he returns. Losing a key like this is a rather serious mishap, wouldn’t you say?”

“I wouldn’t do something so tiresome. I have more than enough evidence of wrongdoing to fire him already.”

Rishe held the key up to eye level as they spoke. The knight captain frantically searching for this key right now probably had yet to realize his fate.

“I have two messages for you as well. The first is from the artisan in charge of Lady Rishe’s wedding dress. He would like to postpone the fitting.”

Rishe almost cried out in surprise, but “Lucius” managed to hold his tongue. Though there was still no sign of anyone else around them, she wanted to be careful just in case.

“And why is that?”

“It seems he happened to see Your Highness and Lady Rishe on your stroll through town yesterday and realized the dress’s current embroidery did not nearly serve to complement the lady’s beauty enough. He wishes to improve on the design.”

The poor dressmaker is just making more work for himself! He must have decided the dress he envisioned didn’t suit its wearer after seeing her in person. Rishe appreciated his enthusiasm, but she felt bad for making him feel he had to go to extra effort.

“D-do you suppose the dressmaker will have time to finish?” she asked.

“Well, he did request the postponement himself. It all depends on whether Lady Rishe approves of the delay.”

“Why, of course—is what I’m sure she’d say…”

Naturally, Rishe wanted her dress to be as beautiful as it could be, and since she’d requested the embroidery specifically to complement the ring Arnold had given her, she was very much anticipating trying on the two items together.

I suppose it’s a little disappointing that I won’t be able to wear it today…but that just means I’ll be able to savor my excitement for that much longer.

“As for the other message, Prince Arnold, Mr. Oliver wishes for you to return. So if you would be so kind as to wrap up your part in this investigation…”

She was sure that Raul’s playful tone was one hundred percent calculated. Aside from that, though, he behaved far too perfectly as Arnold’s loyal servant.

“Little Lucius, Sir Joel, and I will finish up here,” he added.

Without changing his expression, Arnold told Raul, “Don’t let up on your observation of him, then.”

“Yes, yes. I’ll go and fetch him.”

Rishe’s mind reeled as she watched Raul retreat back the way he’d come.

“Is Raul someone you wish to keep at your side, Prince Arnold?”

“Not particularly. I just use what I find to be useful. There’s nothing more to it.”

He says that, but there’s a clear difference in the way he thinks about Raul versus Lord Lawvine.

Was he really just being pragmatic, or was there some other reason for his dislike of the northern lord?

Rishe faced Arnold directly and asked another question. “Am I proving useful to you, Your Highness?”

She’d asked him over and over again why he’d proposed to her, but she didn’t think she’d be able to ask again. She was too afraid of the answer now.

“There have been…” Arnold began, dropping his gaze to the ground, “…several things I could not have achieved without your presence.”

Rishe gasped at the unexpected revelation.

Arnold’s eyes were bluer and more beautiful than the sea. The sunlight filtering through his long lashes had shadows dancing atop the ocean of his eyes.

“And I’m sure there will be many more in the future.”

“Oh, Your Highness…”

“I guarantee it.”

Arnold disliked uncertainties, so his assurance was a surprise, to say the least. Rishe was overwhelmed by the manner of his response. She couldn’t say anything, lest her voice quiver with emotion.

No… She hurriedly looked down at the ground as well, unable to meet his gaze.

“I suppose I’ll have to make it up to you,” he murmured.

“Pardon?”

“You said you were fine with it, but you were also disappointed, weren’t you? I’ll just have to show you something else I think you’ll like tonight.”

Rishe’s head snapped up. He ran a thumb under her eye, though there were no tears. “In exchange for the fitting being postponed…will that do?”

Rishe didn’t know how to express the emotions welling up within her. “Thank you,” was all she managed.

She’d learned something new today: When you got too full of happiness, you didn’t know what to do with your face. Even so, she wanted to express what she was feeling somehow, so she squeaked out, “That makes me happy…really, very happy…”

“Good,” Arnold said after a pause. Rishe didn’t feel like she’d gotten her feelings across at all, but he must have picked up on something. Unfortunately, the soft tone with which he’d replied only made her feel more embarrassed.

“Um, you’ll be returning to Mr. Oliver then, Your Highness?! If you’ll excuse me, I shall go and assist Sir Raul!” She ran off to help Raul, who was no doubt struggling to wrangle Joel.

Naturally, there was no way for her to see the gaze Arnold fixed her with as she left.

 

---

 

Rishe jogged through the narrow alleyways of the warehouse district, calling out to Raul when she caught up with him.

“Ra—I mean, Sir Raul!”

Raul spun around, grinning as Rishe stopped to catch her breath. “Ha ha. I do love you saying my name with such respect.”

“Well, I am just a trainee.”

While Rishe was still putting on the act, Raul was behaving as he normally would. This was a sign that there was no need to put on a performance for anyone. Raul was a flippant man at first glance, but he was the head of an intelligence organization. He was able to switch modes in an instant, so he didn’t feel the need to keep the ruse up indefinitely like Rishe did.

Rishe glanced around, her eyes landing on an alleyway ahead of them. “Sir Joel is over there, is he? I can sense him slumped against the wall, sleeping…”

“As always, those senses of yours are on par with someone in my line of work or a real knight.”

“Ah ha ha, I’m flattered you think so, sir! Still just a rookie knight here, though. That being said…” Rishe met Raul’s eyes, smiling with a finger held over her lips. “I don’t suppose I can ask a favor of you as well, Sir Raul?”

“Oh? And a mere rookie’s in a position to ask me a favor?” Raul asked with an exasperated scowl. He must’ve seen something like this coming.

“I won’t force you, of course. If you don’t think you can do it, I’ll just have to do it myself, and I know I wouldn’t be able to do it as well as you…”

“Ugh, I get it already! I can never pay you two back for what you’ve done for me, so just tell me what you want.”

“Thank you!”

Rishe’s face lit up, and she listed her requests for Raul. On the inside, however, she was observing him carefully.

He’ll do what I ask of him too. It could be that he follows Prince Arnold’s orders simply out of the sense of obligation he feels—and maybe there’s nothing more to it, but…

From what Rishe knew of Raul in her fifth life, he was a deeply loyal person when he felt he owed it to someone.

If Raul is working with Prince Arnold for a reason other than obligation or loyalty, it would be because their interests align in some way. There’s no way for me to know right now, though. Besides, Raul would notice immediately if she studied him too much.

“I’ll leave it to you then, Sir Raul! Just one left…” Rishe jogged over to the alleyway, peering around the corner. “Sir Joel!”

“Mm…”

Seated on the ground was Joel, dressed in the same knight’s uniform as Rishe. He was dozing, his slighter-than-average frame curled in on itself.

Raul caught up with her and shrugged. “His Highness told me to stick close and keep an eye on him, but what am I supposed to do when he just plops down and goes to sleep? He’s like this ’cause he was drugged, right? I thought I should just get you to examine him, so that’s why I left him here.”

“Sir Joel, if I may…” Rishe took hold of his wrist and checked his pulse, but every simple examination she performed led to the same result.

“Zzz…”

It’s just his usual sleepiness!

Rishe sighed and backed up a few steps.

“What do you want to do? The captain might suspect that he’s not a real knight when he gets back. Ha ha, wanna just leave him here?”

“His Highness wouldn’t like that, now would he?” Rishe said, then eyed one of Raul’s belongings. “I don’t suppose I could borrow that?”

Raul blinked in surprise before sighing pointedly. “I think His Highness would be more upset about that, personally.”

“It’s fine! His Highness is never angry with me unless I do something dangerous.”

“I get the feeling you have a slightly different definition of the word ‘dangerous’ than most…but here!” Raul unclasped the object and tossed it to Rishe.

She caught it in one hand, then tossed it to Joel. Watching it spin through the air, Rishe reached for her own hip and shouted, “Joel!”

She called the genius swordsman’s name the same way she once would have, drawing the thin blade she kept at her waist as part of her knight’s disguise.

This is the only way to wake him.

What she’d thrown was Raul’s sword. The moment the sword entered Joel’s reach, Rishe held her own blade up and called, “May I request a match?!”

Joel’s eyes opened, light gleaming in his brownish irises. He blinked once, revealing their true golden color, and an instant later…

“Ngh!” Rishe grunted as Joel’s sword struck hers from above. Its blade reflected the sun’s light, the tip trailing through the air like a shooting star. Rishe leapt backward to dodge, then charged forward, swinging her own sword.

There was a high-pitched clang as their swords met.

“Good morning…Joel…”

“You fight like a swordsman, a mercenary, and a bowman all at once. The way you move, it seems like you’re relying on things other than your sword, but your technique is like mine too…”

With his face a hair’s breadth from hers and only their swords between them, she could see the fierce light blazing in his eyes.

“You are weaker than me, and Prince Arnold’s who I’d be most excited to fight—but it’s fun fighting you too. Dunno why, though.”

“Argh!”

Their swords pushed against one another, Rishe’s arms trembling with the exertion of matching Joel’s strength.

Joel licked his lips and grinned in amusement. “Yeah, I like you too.”

“Ugh!” Rishe leapt back reflexively as Joel’s eyes brimmed with bloodlust. She kept a careful distance from him as he switched his grip, calculating the best way to approach her.

Just like in my last life, he’s like a cat playfully extending his claws to toy with a mouse every time we have a match…

There was a clear difference between the way he’d acted then and how he acted now, though. In this life, he displayed none of the consideration he’d had for Rishe as the younger knight he mentored. It had taken her ages to coax out his caring side, but now it was nowhere to be seen.

“Come on. Hurry up, Rishe.” He had the demeanor of an ­enemy who was thinking only of how to fight the person in front of him—where to cut to take her down. “If you’re not gonna come to me, I’ll come to you.”

He rushed into her range, slashing at her.

Oh no! This was not the speed one used in a friendly match. Joel’s sword whooshed toward her, and if she didn’t do anything, she would take a clean hit. Instinctively, she realized, I can’t block it with my sword!

“Hey, will you settle down already?”

She spotted Raul drawing a throwing knife out of the corner of her eye. But she had an idea, so she left her sword in place to shield her and lifted her leg without hesitation.

If I can’t beat him with swordplay, I’ll have to resort to other methods!

Joel’s eyes opened wide. There was a loud whunk as the sword left his grip. “Wha…?”

Rishe had aimed a kick at Joel’s sword grip, impacting his knuckles and sending the sword upward. The blade flew from his grip and embedded itself into the pavement a short distance away.

Joel was speechless.

“Thank you for the match, Sir Joel.” Rishe sighed in relief, then bowed. She was out of breath, perhaps because of how quickly and intensely she’d needed to focus.

Raul gaped at them in shock. Joel stood before Rishe, looking like he’d made a major miscalculation.

“The girl who’s gonna marry the crown prince kicked me…”

It’s a bit strange hearing Joel call me a girl. Especially considering she was dressed as a boy right now.

Still somewhat out of breath, Rishe apologized to Joel. “I’m sorry for not sticking to swordplay, but there’s someone who worries terribly when I’m hurt, so I was forced to defend myself…”

She hadn’t been expecting Joel to be so aggressive in a simple match. He must have only gone easy on her in her last life because he was her mentor then.

Joel glanced over at the sword sticking out of the ground, his expression complicated. “Not even experienced knights mix martial arts with swordplay all that often. Especially not so seamlessly.”

It’s just as he says. Most knights value chivalry too much to dirty their sword technique.

But Rishe had learned a different sort of swordplay in Galkhein.

“You should fight for your own survival without worrying about how you look. The one who worries for me believes that’s the strongest way to fight.”

Raul said nothing.

Rishe thought back to the first match she’d had with Arnold, and how she’d snuck into the knights’ training dressed as a boy some two months ago. Ever since, Rishe had practiced the training methods she’d learned whenever she had free time. Arnold instructed her himself every so often, even sparring with her when he felt he could teach her something.

“You’re more suited to leading an opponent on than a more orthodox approach,” Arnold had told her once as he carried her back from their match. As always, she was so worn out afterward that she couldn’t stand.

“Leading them on? Really?”

“You’re swift, with a strong core that allows for quick reactions. Not only do you know each of the weak points of the human body, but you can use a bow and a sword at the same level… Plus there’s your penchant for ‘creativity.’”

“Is it just me or were you implying something with that last one?!”

From then on, Rishe had trained using the knowledge she’d gained since coming to Galkhein, without getting too caught up in form or chivalry.

I’m thrilled to know that some of the things Prince Arnold taught me are starting to stick. She felt herself smiling as she studied her hands.

Joel just watched her and muttered, “Prince Arnold Hein, eh?”

“Is something the matter?” Rishe moved to peer into his face, but Raul grabbed her collar from behind and yanked her toward him.

“Okay, okay. Lucius, Joel, wrap it up. We’re done slacking!”

“But, Ra—Sir Raul…”

“If you go any further, I’ll get chewed out by the prince. You’ve done what you came here for, right? Let’s go finish fooling the captain and move on already.”

Rishe nodded. She couldn’t argue with that. Since she had free time now that her dress fitting had been postponed, she wanted to use it on something productive.

It doesn’t seem like Joel wants to kill me quite as much anymore, at least.

Joel leaned against one of the brick warehouses, still dazed with sleep. “Move on where? You know I’m no good at anything except fighting, right? Do I still have to go with you two?”

“At least pretend you can do other things!”

“Just call me when we need to fight someone. An enemy base where we can cut down everyone inside would be great…” He punctuated this with a huge yawn.

Smiling at Joel’s usual antics, Rishe focused on the task at hand.

 

---

 

Elsewhere, a tall man reclined on a couch. Beside him was a hearth, burning bright despite the summer season. The man directed a bored gaze at a bundle of documents he was leafing through. With each page he turned, he tossed what he’d already read into the fireplace. His hand stretched out languidly, casting the pages into the fire.

Eventually, he muttered, “Arnold Hein…”

Lights danced on the water outside the man’s window like shining stars. Without sparing a glance outside, the man let go of the last sheet of paper.

“I suppose it’s time to request an audience with that foul-blooded crown prince.”

 

---

 

When Rishe reflected on her sixth life, most of her memories were of Joel. After all, he’d been her bunkmate, her mentor, and the genius who taught her swordsmanship.

“Lucius… Hey, Lu, over here. C’mere.”

Eventually, as they’d gotten closer, Joel began to call Rishe by a nickname and baby her like a little brother.

“Joel! I know your bedhead is a regular occurrence, but you can’t possibly appear in front of His Majesty like that! More importantly, the commander will chew you out!”

“If it bothers you, then you do something about it. I’m gonna sleep until we have to leave… Haahm…”

“Ugh, Joel!”

Joel’s catlike behavior had always thrown Rishe for a loop. Comb in hand, she’d tried utilizing the skills she’d honed in her fourth life, only for Joel to smile in satisfaction.

“A junior should listen to his senior. Yup.” Having been the youngest until Rishe’s arrival, he’d said to his first junior, “In exchange, your senior will protect you.”

“Joel…”

She only ever heard the same things about Joel. He was always sleepy and slacking off. He never tried to fit in and didn’t care one bit about chivalry. Yet he was such a genius swordsman that it made up for his many flaws. He never worked with anyone else and always fought on his own, but he was able to exhibit his full potential regardless.

“Joel never teams up with anyone. There’s no one who can match his swordplay, after all,” their commander had glumly told her once. “You’re probably the only person in the world he would ever help out on the battlefield, Lucius.”

Sure enough, Joel had helped Rishe. In the end, he’d protected her and lost his life to the sword of Emperor Arnold Hein.

Rishe thought about all that as Arnold guided her through the port town in this, her seventh life. Joel died that day because he was fighting alongside me. If that’s true, then will the same thing happen to Prince Arnold?

Holding a lantern out in town at night, Rishe watched Arnold as he walked in front of her. She pictured what she feared most, listening to the flow of the waterways under the starry sky. I could put him in danger fighting by his side…

“Rishe,” came Arnold’s voice.

She lifted her head to see that Arnold had turned around. Her heart leapt into her throat. The timing made it seem as if he’d read her mind.

Arnold gazed at her with his blue eyes. “Lost in thought?”

“Oh, no! I’m sorry, I was going slow, wasn’t I?”

He could see right through her. She knew in her gut she’d never be a match for him. Still, she shook off her thoughts as she hurried to catch up to him.

“You don’t need to hurry.”

“B-but I—”

“Rishe.”

The promenade on the water’s edge was paved with reddish-brown stone. Arnold must have been worried about her running in high heels.

“C’mere,” he said, offering her his large hand. She took it timidly.

He’d started calling out to her like this a week or two ago, imitating the way Rishe had beckoned a cat. He never spoke this way to anyone else, let alone so softly. It always flustered Rishe to hear such gentleness in the voice usually devoid of emotion. Just the tender way he held her hand made her fingers twitch with unease.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing! I’m just a little nervous about you escorting me, Your Highness…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He gave her a suspicious scowl, but it wasn’t as if she could admit it was because of her feelings for him.

Rishe scanned the surroundings, hoping he would take her nerves as simply a product of playing the parts of “lady and attendant” the night before and “crown prince and rookie knight” this afternoon.

“It really is beautiful, isn’t it?” Rishe said, gazing out at the waterway beside them. The dancing waves reflected the lights of the town like an aquatic meteor shower. Rishe smiled, deeply appreciative of his feelings. “I’m touched that you wished to show this to me, Your Highness…”

Arnold’s eyes softened for a moment. “What I really want to show you is up ahead.”

“Really?” It was already so beautiful. Was there really something better? Rishe’s eyes shimmered with excitement.

“Can you make it a bit farther?” Arnold asked.

“Of course!” she answered, hardly able to hold her enthusiasm back. Arnold laughed, and when they resumed walking, she hastily asked, “I-I’m like an excited little child, aren’t I?”

A pause. “No?”

You can’t fool me! I know what that smile means!

Rishe pursed her lips, scanning her surroundings once more. I don’t sense anyone nearby. The knights must be keeping watch so no one interrupts our little stroll.

Trying not to focus too much on Arnold’s hand in hers, Rishe told him, “I have a report on our progress.”

“Let’s hear it.”

Rishe nodded, pride in her heart for her second and sixth lives. “After removing my disguise, I examined the abducted women one more time. I believe the drugs administered by the pirates have fully left their systems.”

“I heard the same in a report. Looks like your medicine did the trick.”

“Yep, I’m no longer worried about their conditions. What’s more, since we’ve proven that an antidote is effective…”

Arnold sighed, guessing at what she wished to say. “You know you can nullify the pirates’ sleeping drug.”

“Precisely. I’m even more confident we’ll be able to pull off our plan if I act as bait.”

The most important part of their plan was having the pirates abduct “Lady Rize.” This step was essential to determine the location of the remaining abductees—but it would be meaningless if Rishe were powerless to act after being kidnapped.

“…”

“What’s wrong, Your Highness?”

For whatever reason, Arnold seemed confounded by Rishe’s remark.

“I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but you need to prioritize your own safety over the success of the plan.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Rishe admonished herself for worrying Arnold, seeing him with his brow furrowed. Still, this was a human trafficking operation spanning multiple nations. If Rishe didn’t pull everything off satisfactorily, they wouldn’t be able to keep the damage to a minimum.

It’s the same as his war. Even chided by the person she cared most for, Rishe couldn’t let her determination falter.

“We’ll make sure we’re fully prepared when we carry out the plan. Fortunately, the Aria Trading Company just opened a branch in Bezzetoria, so I imagine we’ll be able to obtain anything we might need easily enough.”

“Do you have enough hands to make your medicine? It’s not just a matter of having enough ingredients, right?”

“There shouldn’t be any problems in theory, but if it appears I won’t have enough, I’ll let you know right away. I learned my lesson at the Grand Basilica, don’t worry.”

“Good.”

Several months ago, Rishe’s neck had been grazed by a poisoned arrow just after she’d sent all of her antidotes away, including one spare dose. She had intended to be prepared for any trouble plaguing the delivery, but as a result, it had taken time to procure her own antidote.

The truth is that I came with a large amount of antidote at the ready. But I mustn’t let His Highness find out, or he’ll discover that I knew what would happen before coming here.

Rishe collected herself, then informed Arnold of something troubling her. “The women seem to have regained their composure. It’s almost impressive that they even have the wherewithal to appreciate our assistance. They weren’t harmed excessively, but their ordeal must have been terrifying.”

Each one of them had thanked Rishe with grace during her examination.

“Thank you so much for saving us, Lady Rishe. To think the crown prince’s fiancée herself would personally lend us a helping hand… I can’t thank you enough.”

“Please don’t let it trouble you. All I ask in return is that you relax and focus on your own recovery.”

As someone who had served as a Siargan knight in her sixth life, Rishe felt Siargans were her charges to protect. She’d often guarded noblewomen just like them, and being near them brought back memories of her working to the bone to safeguard their smiles.

“If there’s anything else I can do, please do let me know. I’ll do whatever it takes to bring you peace of mind.” Rishe took the hand of a woman sitting in her bed and told her firmly, “I would give anything for your smile to return.”

“My word…” The woman gaped at her, wide-eyed. “You sound almost like a real knight.”

“Oh! I-I’m sorry about that.” Chivalric devotion to the fairer sex had been drilled into her in her sixth life. She searched for more appropriate words of comfort, embarrassed that her old habit had reared its head. “You may be uneasy in this foreign land, but we’ve already sent word to Siarga. You should be able to go home soon, so please rest until we can see you returned safely.”

The woman had a faraway look in her eyes as she murmured, “I suppose I’ll really have to get married, then.”

“Hmm?” Rishe blinked, and the woman offered her a sad smile.

“It’s a match my parents arranged for me. The man I’m to wed is said to be strict on himself and others, so…I find myself a bit afraid.”

“I see…”

“Still, I suppose he’s not nearly as frightening as pirates.”

Though strained, the woman’s smile brightened, so all Rishe could do was awkwardly return it.

“The abducted women…” Rishe began, her head drooping as she walked beside Arnold. “Well, they seem to be dealing with some profound loneliness, even though they were all brides-to-be approaching their wedding day.” Asking any more would have been an intrusion Rishe wasn’t comfortable making.

“…”

“I imagine the pirates fell for our ploy because there was similar precedent in place. The ladies all seemed to come from similar backgrounds to the unloved Lady Rize.” Rishe’s heart ached when she thought of their circumstances.

Meanwhile, Arnold picked up on her low spirits. He had already slowed his pace to match hers, and now he eased up even more. “Falling victim to a malignant marriage of convenience isn’t so different from becoming a slave.”

Rishe’s heart throbbed, but not just because their own marriage was also one of convenience. Prince Arnold’s mother was victim to just such a marriage…

Arnold’s mother, the royal priestess with the goddess’s blood running through her veins, had been offered up to Arnold’s father by the Church in a bid to prevent an invasion from Galkhein. His mother was dead now—killed by Arnold’s own hands, if the stories were to be believed.

Arnold glanced down at Rishe and huffed a sigh. “Close your eyes,” he said. Rishe tilted her head, and Arnold stopped. “We’re almost to our destination. I’ll carry you the rest of the way, so don’t open your eyes until I say so.”

“Carry me?! Wh-why?!”

“I’m picking you up.”

“Aaaah!”

He scooped her up, snuffing out her chances to protest, and Rishe reflexively clasped his neck. She squeezed her eyes shut on impulse and did her best to keep them closed as Arnold cradled her.

“Prince Arnold! Wh-what do you think you’re—”

“I didn’t bring you here to put that expression on your face. If you’re going to look so sad, you might as well just keep your eyes closed.”

“And you’re carrying me because you don’t trust me to walk with my eyes closed?!”

She was aware that she abused his good nature on a regular basis, but it still flustered her to no end when he was the one imposing his will.

“I-I’m sorry for bringing the mood down when you brought me here to cheer me up! I can walk by myself, so put me—”

“I imagine you’re holding yourself back from getting too involved with those girls, and you think it isn’t your place to interfere. But I think you should follow through on your convictions like you always do.”

Rishe gawped at him, and Arnold continued, “Don’t forget that your husband will fulfill any wish you have so long as it’s in his power to do so.”

His gentle sincerity made her chest tighten.

“I’ll say it one more time. Close your eyes.”

“Oh! Right!” Rishe squeezed her eyelids shut once more. She thought she heard Arnold chuckle.

“Give me your best, just as you always have. It’s what you’re best at, isn’t it?”

“I would hardly say that! And how long are we supposed to keep this up for, anyway?!”

“We just arrived,” Arnold said, setting her down.

Her feet landed on the same stone pavement, so they must have still been at the water’s edge.

“You can open your eyes.”

“Okay…” She was strangely nervous as she took a peek, her heart thrumming away. When she saw the view spread out before her, her breath caught in her throat. “Wow!”

Countless paper lanterns floated on the waterway. Candles burned within, their light dancing beautifully atop the water’s surface. The sight was magical. They resembled stars twinkling overhead. From above, the sight was something out of a dream.

“It’s like we’re standing on a river made of a starry sky…”

Arnold had spun around to watch her. This vibrant scenery was what he had wanted to show her.

“Just what are those lanterns?” Rishe couldn’t contain her ­curiosity at the breathtaking scene before her. She wandered closer to the water, and Arnold took her hand attentively.

“It’s my understanding that they’re a sort of prayer offering.”

“An offering…”

Arnold cast his gaze to the ground, careful of Rishe’s footing as he told her, “Sailors set them out before long voyages to pray for safe travels.”

“Oh!” Rishe stepped forward, relying on Arnold’s ­guidance. Her eyes shone brightly enough to rival the lantern lights. “There’s Crusade scripture about star fragments on the water guiding ships to calm seas, isn’t there? I think I’ve heard about this! The lanterns are made to imitate the stars!”

“I’m sure it’s more for them to follow the flow of the tides at night than that sort of superstition, though.” Arnold’s gaze was pointed toward the sea. They couldn’t see it from where they were, but they could smell the faint scent of salt on the breeze. “They have to seek permission before performing this rite, as the canal has to be closed for public transit to carry it out.”

“I see. So that’s how you knew it would happen tonight.”

It was hard for her to imagine that Arnold normally paid much attention to applications for religious rites, but she could believe that it had stuck in the corner of his mind somewhere if he was aware of it.

“The woman who taught me medicine told me about this. It was so long ago now…” Rishe looked out over the glittering waterway, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “She said that in another land, people prayed by sending lanterns out on the canal and that their light filling the waterway was such a fantastical sight. She said she couldn’t remember the exact name of the place, which disappointed me to no end.”

That happened in her second life. The woman in question had been Hakurei, her apothecary master. Rishe had searched for the match to her description on her travels throughout all her lives afterward. It was no wonder she was never able to find it.

“She was talking about Galkhein…”

The floating lanterns were in a country Rishe had never visited in all her previous lives.

“Ooh! Look there, Your Highness!” Rishe squeezed Arnold’s hand without meaning to and pointed out at the waterway. “That lantern! It’s almost the same blue as your eyes!”

“You’re right.”

“That blue is the prettiest color there is…”

The light was weak, however, because the blue paper was close to black. She figured these lanterns were dyed, but a deep blue like that wouldn’t let much light through.

“Maybe experimenting with dyes would make a good alchemy project. There’s a country on another continent where blue dye is priced higher than gold, you know.”

“True. Demand for it might just go up in this country too. The whole country will likely be after this town’s needlework techniques because of the embroidery you requested on your wedding dress.”

“Ha ha! Thinking of a nation’s economic ripple effects from a grand imperial wedding is fun, isn’t it?”

There was even more she wanted to do now after seeing this beautiful view. But as excited as she was, Rishe found herself ­worrying yet again that she was coming off as a giddy little girl.

Even so, Arnold seemed to have eyes only for her. Rishe cocked her head, finding it strange. “What is it, Your Highness?”

“You were happy just seeing the town’s streets on the first day you arrived in Galkhein. Back then, I couldn’t understand what you saw in such scenery, but…”

He must have meant the conversation they’d had on the detached palace’s balcony, back when Rishe had just started cleaning it.

Eager to hear his opinion, Rishe asked, “Are you any closer to understanding it now?”

“No.” After this simple denial, Arnold’s tone softened. “But I understand that you cherish it.”

Rishe’s breath hitched.

But this rite comes directly from Crusade scripture… Arnold couldn’t have had any fond feelings for it, since he loathed the Church. And he still brought me to see it.

Just as the flickering flames of mock starlight guided the departing ships, they lit a warm fire inside Rishe’s heart.

“Thank you, Prince Arnold.” Rishe smiled, and Arnold squinted back at her like she was too bright to look at directly. “It’s so, so beautiful…”

The prince must have realized that she was on the verge of tears. He brought his free hand up to her cheek and brushed the corner of her eye, sweeping away the teardrops that had yet to fall. There was no emotion in his eyes as he lowered them, but his voice was gentle as he said, “I know nothing as beautiful as you.”

Rishe’s breath caught once more. She could see the lantern lights reflected in his sea-blue eyes. His gaze and the brushing of his finger against her eyelashes comforted her deeply.

“I… Well…” Rishe hung her head, at a loss for words. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and her cheeks felt like they were on fire.

But he’s more beautiful than anything else…

Still, Arnold had finally found something he considered beautiful, and he’d even shared it with her. She wanted to celebrate, but the feeling was wrapped up in embarrassment that threatened to overwhelm her—because what he considered beautiful was her.

“Rishe.”

Arnold seemed to think it strange that Rishe could no longer raise her head. He likely hadn’t intended to make her feel so flustered. She covered one ear with her free hand, desperate to hide how they were burning.

“My face is red, so you can’t look at it…” she managed to say at length, determined to impress upon him that her current state was his fault. Yet there was no sign of Arnold taking his eyes off her. Of all the things he could’ve done, he pressed a finger to her cheek.

She balked. “Eep!” If she didn’t want him seeing her reddened face, then he should have realized that temperature checking her cheek was also off-limits. “Ugh, Prince Arnold!”

Rishe looked up to protest but found herself staring wide-eyed at him instead.

After checking the heat of Rishe’s cheek, Arnold laughed with genuine amusement. The grin that lit up his face made him look years younger. Then, his voice slightly teasing, he touched Rishe’s cheek again. “It is red.”

Rishe let out a strangled yelp as a vise clamped down around her heart. She hardly ever saw Arnold smile this way, and this time, she really couldn’t meet his eyes. Speech failed her as her heart pounded against her rib cage. Her thoughts were turning to mush. She couldn’t breathe with Arnold touching her, yet she didn’t want his hand to leave hers.

She almost turned her back on him, but she couldn’t flee with his fingers entwined with hers, and she certainly couldn’t shake off his grip.

How does anyone deal with being in love?!

Rishe squeezed her eyes shut, lost for what to do. Arnold patted her head.

Nevertheless, a sobering thought had been made all too clear to her. I need to stifle this feeling for now, she told herself, taking a shaky breath. If I want to stop him…and if I want to fulfill my vow…

She placed a hand on her chest. The heart Arnold had once run through with his sword yearned for him now.

The world is changing, little by little. And the changes in Prince Arnold will surely lead to a different future.

She slowly opened her eyes and tightened her grip on Arnold’s hand. “Can we do things like this every so often?” Her face burned, but she mustered her courage and peered up at him. “Can you keep showing me things you want me to see?” she asked.

Arnold gazed at her with the most beautiful blue eyes in the world. “Yes,” he promised.

Rishe had no words to express her happiness. She kept quiet, knowing that if she said anything, her voice would tremble. She smiled while doing her best not to cry.

A distinct hope bloomed in her heart. Maybe now Prince Arnold will choose a path other than war.

When she’d first become engaged to him, her task had seemed almost ludicrously daunting—but so much had changed since then.

No matter what his goal is, I’m certain he’ll come to understand that he doesn’t have to kill his father and start a war to change the world!

Rishe admired the lanterns anew, Arnold’s hand secure in hers. “I hope these beautiful prayers float on forever,” she murmured in a prayer of her own.

A strange sensation came over her, and she caught a glimpse of Arnold’s profile. His gaze was trained somewhere over the water. “I see,” he muttered.

Rishe’s heart froze.

His eyes are…so cold.

She wanted to believe there was nothing to read into his reply. He was merely acknowledging Rishe’s wish; on the surface, that was it. But he had chosen not to agree with her—and that, combined with the bloodlust in his eyes, led Rishe to a realization.

In all my past lives, Arnold restructured Galkhein’s largest canal to launch his invasion.

Having once been the knight of an enemy nation, Rishe knew exactly what Arnold had done to start his war.

Just before killing his father, he made sure he’d have a port from which he could invade any country he desired.

Prince Arnold’s will… A conviction strong enough to squash her hopes took root in Rishe’s heart. It hasn’t changed. He’s still just as determined to kill his father and wage war on the world.

She didn’t want to regret holding his hand, but she knew how sharp he was. Can he tell how scared I am from holding my hand?

Rishe studied her shoes, unable to look his way. She had heard the same thing over and over again in her sixth life.

“He shut down the country’s borders immediately after usurping the throne, and he allowed no leaks of his canal restructuring plan.”

It was news that had come too late from another country while Rishe and the other Siargan knights desperately fought back against the onslaught of Galkhein’s warships.

“He killed as many people as needed to make sure no information got out.”

Rishe had just wished for an alternative future. She’d wished for the beautiful prayers of the departing sailors to remain unchanged. Was Arnold’s faithfulness the only reason he didn’t promise her that would be the case?

I’ve seen all the documents regarding recent public works projects. There are no publicly available records of plans to restructure Bezzetoria’s canal. If I never see the floating lights on the water again, it’s because Prince Arnold is secretly enacting his plans.

Her heart pounded for an entirely different reason.

His words might not have meant anything at all. They only bothered me because I know his future actions. She wished she could laugh it off as her being too sensitive.

Could he be keeping Raul around for his coup d’état?

The moment she hit on an explanation for what had been bothering her, Arnold quietly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Once more, his voice was soft and tender, so much so that Rishe felt new tears pricking at her eyes. But that just made her more certain that the reason he went down the bloody path in the future was because of some unshakable conviction in his heart.

Deeply aware of her own selfishness, Rishe squeezed Arnold’s hand tighter. Prince Arnold will kill his father. And he’ll invade the rest of the world. He’s still preparing to do so even after I came to Galkhein!

Rishe had to stop him from committing violence. She admired his beautiful visage; his eyes stared straight back at her.

Prince Arnold… My dear husband. He was the only person Rishe had ever yearned for in this way. No matter what I do, I will always be his enemy.

“Rishe…”

And just after she’d realized…

“Ah!” She caught sight of something upstream, and her eyes focused on a large sailing vessel.

“That ship…”

It was slowly headed toward the sea. Perhaps it was about to depart on a voyage?

Arnold spotted it at the same time, pulling his hand away from Rishe’s. The light of a lantern swayed atop the ship, held in a woman’s hand.

“Prince Arnold!”

It wasn’t impossible for a woman to be aboard a vessel departing so late at night, but Rishe recognized her.

“That’s one of the women we saved from the pirates!”

A moment later, Arnold yanked Rishe close. At the same time, an arrow zipped past them from the shore. From Arnold’s protective embrace, Rishe immediately identified the arrow’s trajectory. Like a white bird cutting across the night sky, the arrow was flying straight toward the woman.

“Ah!” Rishe cried as the arrow struck the woman’s glass lamp. It shattered, and the woman screamed.

No!

The deck was immediately engulfed in flames.

Rishe whirled around, but she couldn’t see the archer who loosed the arrow. Apprehending the culprit could come later; the safety of the passengers on the ship had to come first.

Military boots stomped across the pavement as several Imperial Guards rushed over. The talented men had been on watch, so they must’ve sensed something was afoot.

“Your Highness! What’s going on?!”

I can leave putting out the fire and contacting the relevant authorities to Prince Arnold. What’s left is…

A rope ending in a sharp hook caught her eye—the kind sailors used to pull small ships toward shore by tossing them at a dock. She grabbed the rope and sprinted off.

“What are you doing, Lady Rishe?!”

As she ran, she ignored the knights’ surprised cries ringing in the air.

Arnold frowned, but he didn’t stop her. “A large-scale fire could break out. Everyone form squads—one to put the fire out, one to evacuate the citizenry, and one to aid the sailors. Someone contact Oliver immediately and summon more guards.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Round up some sailors who can help from the nearby residences. I’ll take command.”

I’m sorry! And thank you for letting me do as I please, Prince Arnold!

She was sure he was worried about her. She apologized to him in her heart as she ran alongside the ship.

Even with the oil from the lamp, that fire is spreading far too quickly!

Sailors were racing up the deck and turning back upon seeing the speed at which the flames were spreading, likely headed belowdecks to retrieve barrels of water on board.

That woman… She was just standing there absentmindedly, staring into the flames. It was the woman Rishe had spoken to earlier.

“I suppose I’ll really have to get married, then.”

“It’s a match my parents arranged for me. The man I’m to wed is said to be strict on himself and others, so…I find myself a bit afraid.”

She hadn’t pried into the woman’s circumstances, but that had been a mistake.

I don’t know what she’s doing aboard that ship, but for now, I just have to make sure she’s safe.

Rishe found a bucket lying nearby, scooped water from the canal, and splashed it over her head. Then she jammed her heels into the pavement cracks and snapped them off. Using the dagger she kept strapped to her thigh, she cut a slit in her dress. When she had wrapped cloth around both of her hands, she took the grappling hook she’d found and whirled it around to generate momentum.

She’d learned this trick in her fifth life. It was a technique she’d used many times to catch prey and to scale walls. She hooked a nearby roof and clambered up. By the time she’d reached the roof, the burning ship was right in front of her.

One more time!

She unhooked the rope, spun it again, and tossed it at the ship’s mast. Once she made sure it was adequately attached, she gripped the rope with her wrapped hands and swung over to the boat like a pendulum.

The watching Imperial Guards cried her name as she shimmied onto the boat. Her underdeveloped muscles were already quivering, but she knew she would make it using the protrusions on the ship’s side for footholds and handholds.

I was once a knight of Siarga, you know. Naval battles, shipboard skirmishes, and protecting civilians were all drilled into me!

She scrambled onto the deck and got a sense of the sailors’ movements.

“Hurry and put out the fire!” crew members were shouting, carrying water barrels onto the deck.

In turn, Rishe told them, “Give up on putting it out!”

They were shocked by her sudden appearance. Regardless of their efforts, the fire on the ship’s deck was only spreading.

“The deck’s been soaked with an accelerant! Water won’t put it out! Use the water to protect yourselves instead!”

“Who are you?! And what do you mean ‘an accelerant’?!”

“Lower your anchor and bring the ship closer to land! Prince Arnold Hein is already taking command of relief efforts on the shore!”

At the sound of Arnold’s name, the sailors were shocked. They agreed with her quickly enough when they saw what she meant about the fire.

“The girl’s right! Get closer to land and we can use a ladder to get ashore! We can put out the fire then!”

“Evacuating’s the first priority! Look, the wind’s already blowing toward the shore! Somebody unfurl the sails, and then we can drop anchor!”

The ship hadn’t made it out to sea yet, so its sails were still furled shut. Rishe was already climbing the mast by the time the sailor got the order out. She got to the lowermost mast easily enough using the rope she’d thrown over. Having no time to carefully untie the ropes holding them shut, Rishe’s dagger slashed through them instead.

“Augh!” She slid down the rope so that the sail didn’t knock her in the head as it burst open. She felt the heat of the friction through the tattered dress scraps around her hands, but she didn’t burn herself.

“Nice going, girlie! We should make it to shore before the sail burns up with this wind!”

“Everybody up from belowdecks?! Nobody jump into the water—not from this height!”

Rishe scanned the deck quickly as the sailors ran about, but she didn’t spot her target. “Did you see a woman?! She was standing on deck before the fire started!”

“A woman?! This is a trading ship, we ain’t got no passengers aboard!” a sailor shouted and then headed toward the flames. Before she helped them deal with the fire, she had to make sure that woman was safe.

She didn’t jump into the water, did she? From this height, it was very difficult to land safely in the water if you weren’t used to doing so. Rishe paled before she spotted a fluttering skirt on the other side of the flames.

Oh, thank goodness! She breathed a sigh of relief. There was no time to figure out what she was doing on this ship right now, though.

“There you are! Please wait, I’ll be right along to help you—”

“Stay away!”

Rishe gasped at the rejection. The woman stood there on high alert, almost frightened of Rishe.

“I’m sorry, Lady Rishe…”

“Please calm down… I just want to bring you somewhere safe.”

The flames spewed dark smoke, the sails and rigging beginning to burn. Still, she could tell that the ship was steadily approaching the shore, where sailors and knights waited with ladders and water to put out the fire.

“Please step away from the flames. I beg of you, come this way.” Rishe held out her hand.

The woman shook her head, tears spilling from her eyes. “No… I can no longer return…”

“That’s not true. Everything will be fine. I promise you!”

Yet the woman hugged herself tight and shouted, “I was the one who arranged for everyone to be abducted by the slave traders!”

Rishe’s eyes went wide at the unexpected confession.

“I thought that by doing so, I could be free!”

“You did it…?”

“I’ve been nothing more than a tool for my family since I was born, with no worth but as a pawn to be married off. My only path in life was to submit to whichever man my parents decided on, just because I was born a noble!”

The woman’s shoulders shook as she grappled with the terrible weight of her burden.

“I told myself so many times that I was fortunate just to be able to live without worrying about my next meal. I was determined to endure it. I worked so hard!”

Her words stung.

The sea breeze stoked the flames. They leaped even higher between Rishe and the woman, like a fiery wall.

I can’t simply pull her to safety. It’s too dangerous to knock her out and carry her through these flames too! Not to mention, there was nothing but the edge of the ship behind her, and it would be just as bad if she jumped off. To make matters worse, her all-too-familiar words cut deep.

“I know…I know it’s just an excuse, that I brought this all on myself! But they wanted to run too! We all got together, girls in the same circumstances, intending to flee as a group. I didn’t know it was a slave trader’s ship… I didn’t know all this would happen…” She backed up slowly, tears staining her cheeks, and said hollowly, “He just told us that he would take us away on his ship…”

They just wanted to be free. Rishe understood so much, it hurt. They thought they were choosing freedom, seduced by the sweet promises of someone taking advantage of their desperation.

Those men didn’t just kidnap innocent noblewomen they were supposed to do business with. They lured them into slavery with promises of freedom. It was a horrible betrayal of their trust.

Rishe knew well the pain of living as a tool and the joy of finding a future beyond it. It was easy to imagine the woman’s despair after having it all ripped out from under her, not to mention the guilt over getting the other women wrapped up in it.

“That’s why I tried to run. It’s only natural that he wouldn’t meet me here…”

Someone told her to flee on this ship! Rishe needed more information, but now wasn’t the best time to coax it from her. First, she had to calm her down and get her off this burning ship.

“I’m sorry, Lady Rishe. I can’t leave… I cannot leave this ship!”

She’s full of guilt, terror, and panic over having done something she can’t take back! And the fire isn’t helping!

“There’s nowhere for me to go now anyway. I should just—”

Willing her words to reach the woman’s ears, Rishe said firmly, “Then let’s think of a way to die here, together.”

The woman’s eyes went wide, but Rishe didn’t mean a real death.

“I want you to imagine it. What if you died here and went back to the worst moment in your life thus far?” Rishe spoke loudly enough that the woman could hear her over the roaring flames. “Would you make the same choices? Live your life the same way you did the first time?”

The woman blinked again and again. She shook her head—first hesitantly, then firmly. “N-no!”

Sparks flew, and the ship listed as if tugged. It must have finally been moored on the bank.

“I don’t want to…do it all over again.”

Her voice was quiet. She hugged herself, digging her nails into her shoulders.

“If I could go back, I would do it differently…”

Rishe smiled, pleased by the firm will in the woman’s voice. “Then you should pivot here instead of the past. There are things you can do differently, starting right here and now.”

“I can’t possibly—”

“Did you know you were making a choice you would regret in the past? It’s only recalling it now that you realize you made the wrong one.”

The woman’s face crumpled, tears still gushing from her eyes. She was caught between a desire to cling to Rishe’s words and the inability to permit herself to do so.

“It might be difficult to do on your own, but I’ll help you.”

“I can’t make up for what I’ve done… My mistakes can’t be forgiven!”

“Still, you must try! You must find the path you truly wish to take forward!”

Rishe knew other people couldn’t do the things she’d done, but that was all the more reason she felt like she had to convince them to try.

“You still have the freedom to choose what to do differently.”

“Freedom…?”

“Please, don’t just let the flames take you… Don’t let someone promise you they’ll take you away!” Rishe prayed, believing in the woman’s inner courage. “Choose the path that you want to take deep in your heart.”

The woman took one shaky step toward Rishe. There were still flames between them, but if she came closer, Rishe could take her hand and pull her to safety. They were so close.

“Boy, you two can talk.”

Rishe spun around at the unnaturally jovial voice.

Who is that?!

A tall man stood there clad in a black cloak with a hood pulled low over his face. Rishe could tell in an instant that the cloak was made of fireproof material.

“I knew you’d talk too much if I let you live.”

“Ah…” The woman’s voice shook as the man grinned and rushed toward her.

He has a blade!

It was obvious what the man intended, and from where she stood, Rishe had no way to stop him.

She surged forward, protecting the woman’s body with her own. Her mind wrenched back to the day she’d protected the lady she used to serve, when she’d been hit by that poisoned arrow.

I don’t want him to look at me like that again. She knew there was someone who cared about her well-being from the bottom of his heart, so she abandoned any idea of counterattacking and focused solely on preventing herself from taking a fatal wound. But just then, she felt someone grab her.

Rishe gasped and lifted her head, realizing someone had protected her. When she saw him there, she called his name in a daze. “Prince Arnold…”

Arnold’s expression was unfazed, but he was bleeding from his side. He’d protected her. Rishe’s blood went cold.

His Highness is bleeding…

Memories of her sixth life scrambled for purchase in her mind. The knight Rishe had been had taken up her sword and pointed her blade at Arnold Hein. She’d fought with all she had and was finally able to land a single, grazing blow to his cheek. His blood had dripped from the wound then too.

Compared to back then, Rishe was filled with a terror far greater now.

A moment later, Arnold chopped the man’s wrist with his hand, not in the least bit shaken by the blood trickling from his side.

The cloaked interloper dropped his blade with a hiss. The force of Arnold’s blow reverberated through the air.

Once the red-slicked blade fell to the deck with a clang, the woman screamed and the man leapt backward. The commotion broke Rishe out of her trance.

What I need to do right now is…

“Rishe.” Arnold tossed his sword to her. Protect yourself with this, was how Rishe interpreted the gesture. But as soon as she caught the sword, she drew away from the woman behind her.

The man was trying to recover for another attack when Arnold grabbed him by the collar. He drew his leg back and rammed his knee into the man’s gut.

“Ugh!”

Rishe heard bone cracking, but it wasn’t a rib. The man had swiftly defended himself with his arms.

Eyes still covered by the hood low over his face, the man smiled with amusement. “Arnold Hein…”

He must have had a sword underneath his cloak. He drew a second blade—but before he could charge at the crown prince, another sharp clang rang out, the blade flying from his grasp. Rishe had unexpectedly appeared from his blind spot. Arnold’s cold yet powerful bloodlust and the flames had hidden her from his view.

“Your Highness!”

Arnold swung his leg again, and the man dodged by a hair. His foot grazed the man’s hood, but all that was revealed beneath it was a mask.

“Whoops!” After he dodged Arnold’s kick, Rishe brought the sword’s sheath down on him. Every bit of her strength was behind the blow, yet the man caught the sheath easily in one hand.

He reached for her with his free hand. Arnold sent another heavy kick his way, knocking him away from her. Still, they hadn’t done him any serious harm. The man laughed, regaining his balance atop the burning ship. He wasn’t giving them an opportunity to close the distance and deal him a decisive blow.

He’s strong!

Arnold’s expression was still cool as ever, but the sweat on his brow and the blood spattering the deck proved that he wasn’t in top form.

I must stop him!

Rishe made to charge again when the man produced yet another blade, but this one he threw toward the woman still trembling on the other side of the flames.

Arnold caught it, his voice clearly carrying over the din. “Rishe.”

“Ngh…”

With the woman still near, they couldn’t give all they had. Arnold knew that and so he’d called Rishe’s name, forcing her to fall back and protect the woman instead of going after the man. He always knew how to get her to do what he wanted.

Rishe knocked away another blade with Arnold’s sword, then threw it back to him as he traded places with her. She stepped toward the woman and Arnold toward the man, their backs to one another.

She grabbed the woman’s hand and tugged before the inferno of burning sails above them came crashing down. “This way!”

“O-okay!”

By the time Rishe turned back to Arnold, he was swinging his sword. He’d driven the man to the edge of the deck, where his black blade unmistakably pierced the man’s stomach. Rishe watched his display of swordsmanship wide-eyed.

His bladework is amazing even in this situation!

The man took a hacking breath. Then his hand closed around Arnold’s, which gripped the hilt of his sword. As blood dribbled from the man’s mouth, he smiled.

“You can’t…fight your blood…can you?”

Arnold’s brow furrowed. Rishe stared at him as she held the woman close to shield her from the flames.

Someone who knows Prince Arnold’s father?

That was surprising enough, but she never expected the man’s next words.

“That striking visage of yours is just like your mother’s.”

The ship lurched, and the woman screamed in Rishe’s arms.

Rishe did her best to comfort her. “It’s all right! It’s going to be fine!”

The man grinned again and took a big step back. The sword slid out of his gut, and blood gushed out in torrents. Just before Arnold could grab him by his collar again, he toppled backward into the canal.

“Oh no!”

“Rishe.” Arnold calmly flicked the blood from his sword, stopping her when she tried to stand. “You don’t need to go after him.”

She pursed her lips, unable to go against his soft voice. She heard the loud splash as their foe hit the water. Knights darted toward them from the other side of the blaze.

“Your Highness, Lady Rishe! The fire can no longer be stopped! Hurry and escape!” one called, unaware of Arnold’s wound.

“Set up a perimeter around the canal. If you find a man with a wounded stomach and arm, apprehend him.”

“Wha—?! Yes, sir! Understood!” The knight nodded. Arnold had behaved so in character that the knight couldn’t have noticed the blood pouring from his side.

He’s hiding his injury. I can’t make a scene about it if he doesn’t want anyone to know…

The ship would collapse soon. The knights were busy procuring an escape route for Arnold and Rishe using the water barrels.

“Lady Rishe, please leave this woman to us. We’ll make sure she’s safe!”

“Thank you,” Rishe managed, gripping Arnold’s sleeve. She’d seen countless injuries as an apothecary, as a hunter, as a knight—yet her fingers couldn’t stop trembling.

Arnold glanced down and placed his hand over hers, stroking it. All that was left for them to do was escape the floating fireball the ship had become.