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Three-Sister War—Alice’s Tantrum

Nebulis Sovereignty. Central state.

Snowy vales stretched into the distant horizon in the woody countryside.

…It’s been three hours.

…We’ve been driving nonstop since she forced us into the car at the terminal.

The metallic luxury car carried Iska’s three colleagues from his Imperial unit and Sisbell. Elletear was in front, driving. The sky was starting to turn red. It wouldn’t be long until nightfall.

Were they really making the right choice here? Iska wasn’t the only one asking himself that question. He imagined Jhin, Nene, and Commander Mismis were all mulling it over in their heads.

“We’re almost there.” Sisbell, who had been persistently silent, lifted her head up.

They went past an old stone wall to a field with two parked cars.

Commander Mismis got out of the vehicle, twirling around. “Huh? This isn’t a field. Is this…?”

“Our garden.”

“A garden?! B-but…it could easily be a sports ground!”

“It’s nothing impressive.” Sisbell stood in the middle of the extensive lawn, looking blasé. “A century ago, this was all undeveloped land discovered by our ancestor. There’s more land here than one could want.”

“…I-I see,” Mismis stuttered. The commander had no idea how to respond.

After all, the Imperial forces were the ones who had persecuted and cast out the astral mages from Imperial territory.

“And this beautiful castle…?”

“That’s our villa.”

An old white fortress was encircled by a sprawling lawn—too small to be a real castle, but absurdly large for a vacation home.

“…It’s like a hundred times bigger than my room,” Iska said.

“Hmm? Maybe your room is just tiny. I would like to see it.” Sisbell broke into a smile for the first time in a while.

The emerald-haired princess turned around. “I’m sure you are all tired from your long journey. Welcome to the Lou Erz mansion.”

Her long hair and dress blew in the wind, which smelled faintly of grass. As she smiled with the crimson expanse of sky behind her, she seemed as if she could upstage a movie star.

“This mansion will be your home. Feel free to ask for anything during your stay.”

“I have a question,” Jhin immediately said. “Do you own this place?”

“That would be my mother,” the eldest princess replied without a moment’s delay. “She is also an envoy, though she is absent. Sisbell and I will give you all a warm reception with the rest of the staff.”

Elletear stood in front of the door.

Iska almost yelped in surprise when the door opened automatically as soon as she rang the bell.

…So it’s mechanical.

…It looks like an old castle, but the inside might be all automated.

He’d thought there hadn’t been much security, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. State-of-the-art surveillance cameras and defense devices had to be set up all over the place.

“Come on in,” Elletear urged, herding them inside.

Two colossal stone statues waited for them in the hall. As soon as Iska stepped onto the floor—polished to shine like a mirror—a melodious male voice bounced off the ceiling, which glittered from the light of the chandelier.

“Imperial soldiers. To think you’d step into this trap on your own.”

“Prepare yourselves.”

Lord Mask?!

He was the one who had kicked Mismis into the vortex. If Lord Mask hadn’t been in Alsamira, Sisbell would have never been in her current predicament. He was an old enemy, someone who had history with Iska, second only to Alice.

“So this was an ambush?!” shouted Iska, immediately leaping up.

Jhin, who had come in behind everyone else, kicked open the door behind them. Nene and Commander Mismis peered into the garden.

Meanwhile, Iska’s eyes darted around the hall, searching for the masked man.

Except…no one was there.

Other than the two stone statues, the hallway was entirely empty. They caught sight of neither Lord Mask nor one of his cronies.

“N-no one’s…in the garden!” shouted Nene, observing the grounds outside.

They were convinced they’d been surrounded from the outside…but there were just two cars out on the lawn.

…What’s going on?

…I thought I heard his voice, but I don’t get the feeling that anyone’s going to attack.

Heavy silence settled over them. The strawberry-blond witch snapped open her eyes.

“I’m guessing you produced that voice with your astral power…,” Sisbell accused her sister.

“Hee-hee. I suppose I took it too far.” Elletear let out peals of laughter as though the situation were comical.

All eyes focused on her.

What was going on?

“Forgive me, Imperial soldiers. That was just a one-woman show. It’s simple… A terrible habit of mine.” The witch seemed rapt with amusement. “I bet you were all wondering about my astral powers, seeing that you’re going to spend a considerable amount of time in a mansion with a ‘witch.’ You never know if I’ll try to pull a fast one on you in your sleep.”

“…” The members of Unit 907 were silent.

They couldn’t get a clear read on Elletear’s intentions. Was

this witch willingly exposing the secrets of her own astral power?

“So that voice just now was all you?” Jhin asked.

“Very observant. Think of my power like a parrot. I imagine it’s themost useless powerin all the royal family.” Elletear nodded. “It’s a cheap parlor trick. So sleep easy. I won’t scheme behind your backs during this vacation. My astral power couldn’t even harm a baby.”

“…Deprecating yourself?”

“Hmm, I have never thought of it that way before. I genuinely feelgratefulfor my powers.”

Elletear rang a bell in the hall. Before it stopped ringing, the servant girls quickly filed down from the stairs in the back. Five of them in total. Each wore a housekeeping uniform just like Rin’s.

“Relax. These are just the servants of the Lou,” whispered Sisbell to Iska when she saw the look on his face. “Yumilecia, Ashe, Noel, Sistia, and Nami. All astral mages, but they can’t use attack magic.”

“You mean the servants don’t act as guards?”

“If you’re thinking of Rin, she’s a special case. It’s unusual for one to simultaneously serve as an attendant and guard.”

Speaking of Rin…Iska hadn’t seen her since they’d hopped on the same train to the central state.

…Is she hiding somewhere?

…I imagine Rin could have followed us here without any problems.

Alice must have been filled in on the latest.

“…What if Alice came with her? Oh, she would never…”

“Oh, nothing!” Iska snapped to his senses.

He’d been off his A game lately. Why was his head in the clouds whenever Alice came into the equation? He never intended to lower his guard.

…Get a grip, dude. I’m way too obviously interested in Alice.

…I need to focus my energy being careful in this mansion!

Even if Elletear and the five servants couldn’t use attack spells, there had to be some hidden guards…or the mansion itself had to have some secret security mechanism embedded into it.

In the end, Iska’s unit was comprised of soldiers from an enemy nation. They couldn’t forget where they stood.

“We have prepared rooms for our honored guests.”

The servants bowed.

“We will entertain you as guests only to oblige Lady Elletear’s orders, cursed soldiers. Come this way.”

That sounded like a thinly veiled threat. The five girls seemed ready to drive knives into their enemies’ hearts as soon as they lowered their guard.

“I’m so sorry, Iska,” Elletear trilled. “It seems it’s been too long since we’ve had guests. Our servants must be nervous.”

“Nervous? Sure…”

“Ashe, these are our guests. I won’t stand for your behavior. Especially if you mix mud into their coffee.”

“You’re basically instigating it!”

“At most, you may spike it with detergent.”

“That’s worse!”

“—This way, please.”

Four of the servants lined up next to Iska, Jhin, Nene, and Commander Mismis, guiding them up the steps of the great hall. Elletear watched them venture farther into the mansion with a smile.

In the palace courtyard was a grove of thick trees with dewy leaves and fresh flowers dotting the garden. Cadillac One was parked.

Bulletproof glass. Armored plating. A sealed cabin to protect against poisonous gas. It was a custom car built to handle any surprise attack.

“Rin, let’s go!”

“P-please wait for me, Lady Alice! I only just returned to the palace!”

Alice wore her dress reserved for outings.

Rin was struggling, balancing two enormous bags, desperately trying to keep up with her lady.

“Lady Alice, I’m terribly sorry to bring this up, but did you know Lady Elletear was up to this?”

“Not a clue. I mean, she shut herself away in her room, claiming she wasn’t feeling well. My mother and I were preoccupied with other things, like Vichyssoise.”

“I hate to say it, but that sounds…”

“In hindsight, it definitely seems suspicious.”

There was a big chance that she made up her illness as an excuse.

Upon pulling a fast one on the queen and Alice, Elletear had sneaked to the terminal to wait for Sisbell, which meant…

“Just to confirm, Rin: Was Elletear the only one at the station?”

Alice hopped into the car with Rin. The driver was a family attendant. They didn’t have to censor themselves in this barricaded space.

“…What could my sister be thinking?”

Cadillac One lurched forward. Alice bit her lip, watching the scene change beyond the bulletproof glass.

“And Iska is at the villa with Sisbell, right?”

“Right. I can see you find it totally detestable that Imperial soldiers are staying at your vacation home.”

“…Uh-huh.” Alice was mostly just thinking of her own room.

What was she going to do? Her secret underwear stash was tucked deep in her closet… Adult goods that she wouldn’t be caught dead wearing in the palace.

Call it girlish curiosity. Even a sheltered maiden had her rebellious phase.

“…No one can know about this.” Alice stealthily balled her hand into a fist.

The Lou Erz mansion. Eastern wing. Second floor.

“This was the Salon of the Archers, was it?”

It was as if they were in a five-star hotel. Iska cautiously inspected a perfectly made bed.

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“What if they sprinkled shards of glass on the pillows or something? I just hope there’s no poison in the water pots. No use thinking too much about it. I mean, they already know I’m an Imperial soldier…”

It had been barely under an hour since they had shown him

to his room. He hadn’t found anything strange up to this point, but he couldn’t completely trust his room was safe.

“Jhin will be fine on his own, but I wonder if the commander and Nene will be okay. My communicator…oh, right. We had to forfeit those.”

They had handed over all their equipment—their communicators, Jhin’s gun, even Iska’s astral swords. Elletear claimed she would return them on the final day of their “vacation.”

A quaint townscape was visible from the window. He couldn’t see anything that looked even remotely like the palace, but he could make out the indistinct buildings of the central state ahead on the horizon.

…If I want to escape, I’d be able to easily get out from the window.

…It’s like we’re birds in an open cage.

Even if they made a break for it, they were in enemy territory. Plus, everything would be over if word got out to the Imperial headquarters that they’d guarded a witch.

If you would like to escape, be my guest.Elletear’s smile seemed to float into his mind, even when he closed his eyes.

“Iska,” someone whispered from outside the door. “Are you all right?”

“These are our guest rooms. I don’t think they would do anything disrespectful…”

The strawberry blonde quickly slipped into the room. Like Iska, she scrupulously inspected the pillows and bed.

“Nothing in the living room,” she observed.

“…Like no traps?”

“I mean, listening devices.”

“What’s gotten into you? It’s strange to see you let your jaw hang open.”

“…I just never thought I’d hear you say that, Sisbell. I took a look earlier, but nothing turned up.”

Iska had been cautious about that. He’d conducted a thorough search for bugs and surveillance cameras upon entry. An

hour later, he still came up empty.

…Sisbell is a princess, so this villa is practically hers.

…I thought my unit would be the only ones on guard.

“If anyone were to use them, it would be my sister. I also don’t trust her.”

The princess sat on the sofa.

Iska was surprised by her claim. “Even though she’s family?”

“Yes. At present, she is at the top of the suspect list for leaking my location to Lord Mask. Next would be my older sister Alice… But I would rate Elletear a seven or eight, and Alice a three or four on my suspicion scale.”

“As your guard, what should we keep an eye out for?”

“Listening devices first. Then surveillance cameras. Lucky for us, it seems there are none here.”

Sisbell traced over the ceiling with her eyes. If there was even a tiny pinprick somewhere, there was a chance that a camera was set up on the other side.

“She’s trying to create proof that a princess is colluding with Imperial forces. In short, she’s hoping to capture the moment I divulge national secrets to you—or the opposite.”

“You mean she wants to catch me giving you ours?”

“We need to stay vigilant. Assume my sister has betrayed my family.”

Sisbell did have a point.

The eldest princess must have had some motive for bringing her sister and her guards to this mansion using blackmail.

“I don’t know if it’s right for an Imperial subject to ask this, but…is her astral power like a recording device that can reproduce sounds?”

“More like she can mimic voices,” Sisbell told him without hesitation. “I think I can tell you, since she’s already revealed it herself. My sister can create voices she’s heard in the past. Like the voice of Lord Mask. It’s just an impersonation, so she can make them say anything.”

“So she can say things that have been said and things that haven’t?”

“Yes. But because she can manipulate speech, nothing ever serves as concrete evidence.”

“Oh…I see.”

The power of Illumination could re-create events of the past, and because Sisbell couldn’t change history, she was trusted by the royal family in investigations.

The eldest sister’s ability did not have that advantage.

…So it really is just an imitation.

…That’s no different from the street performers in neutral cities doing impersonations.

It served noutility.

“Had she been an ordinary citizen, that would have been perfectly fine. But my sister is the eldest princess. No one is impressed by a copycat.”

“So it’s a power that’s unfitting for a princess?”

To put it frankly, it didn’t seem like a power that would be held by one of the Founder’s descendants.

…I thought all purebreds were powerful without exception.

…It’s not just me. The Imperial headquarters have been cautious of them because of that.

In battle, the powers of the Ice Calamity Witch Aliceliese and the Witch of Thorns Kissing were devastating. Nothing was as terrifying as Lord Mask’s ability to travel through space. Even Sisbell’s Illumination had the potential to obtain information that could change the course of the war.

…But there’s an exception, it seems.

…Of all people, the eldest princess wound up with her skill.

Elletear must have revealed her powers partly because she hated her skill. There was no merit in concealing it.

“She said it herself: ‘I imagine it’s themost useless powerin all the royal family.’”

“Yes,” Sisbell said. “And that’s the truth. I cannot expose the powers of other members in our family, but even the retainers gossip that her powers are pointless.” Sisbell put on a forced smile. “It’s ironic. My sister has it all—as a conversationalist, a scholar, a debutante, a jaw-dropping beauty. If she only had a better astral power. She would have been the next queen.”

“…Is she that amazing?”

“Yes. As princesses, Alice and I will never reach her level. Even the Zoa and Hydra would have surrendered with their tails between their legs.”

Heaven had bequeathed her two gifts: exceptional looks and

intellect.

But the planet had robbed her of an astral gift; for the power that dwelled in her was too weak for her to become the queen.

“You must know as an Imperial soldier that the first condition to become queen is to be a formidable astral mage.”

“Actually, I assumed all the Founder’s descendants were great.”

“In that sense, my sister is an exception. But she makes up for it by being frightfully shrewd. I have no idea what she’s scheming…” Sisbell forced herself to stand up with a sigh. “Let’s go, Iska!”

“Hmm? Go where?”

“That should be obvious. If you’re here on vacation, it’s my duty to give you a tour of the place. I’ll show you every nook and cranny—”

The youngest princess pointed beyond the door.

“—and we shall uncover the surveillance cameras and bugs on the royal tour. My sister must be plotting something. First, we shall expose her goal.”

The unfurled carpet was aged but featured an elegant geometric pattern. Enormous flower vases adorned the corners of the halls like an art gallery.

“I see this place is huge. Do you have enough servants? I haven’t seen anybody since we started walking down the hall,” Jhin mumbled.

“Well, this is a villa, after all.” Sisbell stopped and turned back to face him. “It serves as a place to relax, to take a break from official duties. Since solitude is better for mental fatigue, we keep the number of servants here to a minimum.”

“So you’ve only got those five?”

“Yes. And a few gardeners and chefs. It’s rare to run into someone walking through the mansion.”

It felt strange for an Imperial unit to boldly saunter through such a manor.

“As I’ve explained, I need you to run into the servants on purpose. Distract them,” Sisbell spoke in a hushed voice.

“Are you sure we can go around exploring anywhere we

like?” Commander Mismis asked.

“Obviously. You’re on vacation. Naturally, you would explore the place. Just make sure you’re spotted and buy me some time, please,” Sisbell quietly whispered into Mismis’s ear. “Just do everything as planned. Be sure to make your way around the first floor and draw attention to yourselves.”

The operation was now in motion.

Jhin, Nene, and Commander Mismis tiptoed down the stairs. Iska and Sisbell watched them go before making eye contact.

“Let’s go, Iska.”

They were heading to the opposite side of the mansion—to the western wing, which was far from the guest rooms on the east side. There were no special steps to get there, and their intended destination was accessible via the central hall.

…We’re on the lookout for surveillance cameras and listening devices.

…I need to discreetly check for bugs as Sisbell pretends to give me a tour.

From the edges of the hallway to behind the flower vases…

Sisbell had surmised Elletear had set something up.

“My room is in the western wing. I will show you at night.”

“You make it sound so weird…”

“And you’re just imagining things. Make sure you’re on the lookout as planned. I’m sure you’ve trained for this as an Imperial soldier.”

“You make it sound so easy…”

He looked down the passageway. Iska gave a cursory check of this corridor and failed to find anything, but he couldn’t exactly declare the place was bug-free.

…It’ll be tough if their listening devices or cameras are different from Imperial ones.

…Even I might miss those.

“Well, this is hard. I guess I’ll start with the most suspicious places.”

He knocked on the hallway walls once before walking forward a few more steps and repeating the process.

“What are you doing?”

“You can tell if the wall is hollow from the sound.”

Listening devices could be installed in gouged walls or

concealed in holes in thin walls. An intelligence unit from the Imperial forces could set one up in an afternoon.

“Another spot is under the carpet. A bug that’s just a fraction of an inch won’t stand out.”

“…Are you confident you could find them?”

“If I see them or step on them. It takes focus, though, which is tiring.”

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“That is amazing!” Sisbell took his left hand in hers as though she had been waiting for the moment to strike. Her soft fingers tangled into Iska’s hand, fastening them to his. “I knew my subordinates could do it! I’m counting on you!”

“Like I said, let me concentrate! Also, I’m just a guard…”

That said, he couldn’t find anything.

Based on the automatic door, Iska had assumed the interior had been configured with mechanical mysteries, but he kept coming up empty.

…I guess she might have bugged the rooms?

…There weren’t any in my room. Or in Jhin’s, Nene’s, or Commander Mismis’s.

“It’s impractical to try to search this entire mansion. We’ll reduce the area we cover and limit our important conversations to there.”

“In that case…” Sisbell folded her arms, looking into space as she mulled it over. “There is something I’d like to check. Do you think something might be set up and embedded in the roomnextto mine?”

“You mean to eavesdrop? Yeah, that’s possible.”

Luckily, the members of Unit 907 had been housed next to one another.

Iska’s room was next to Jhin’s, and Jhin had already done a thorough sweep of his room. In which case, the only one left would be…

“The two rooms next to mine are questionable. To the third floor!” Sisbell ran up the stairs.

He could tell at a single glance that the rooms were different from the guest rooms. After all, a huge portrait of Sisbell decorated one of the doors.

“I can tell this is your room,” he said sarcastically.

“This oil painting is a self-portrait. I painted it two years

ago.”

“What do you mean?”

“What…? I totally thought you commissioned an artist.”

Iska knew some things about art. Even he had mistaken her use of light and color for the touch of a professional.

“If you painted this two years ago, I think you’re crazy talented.”

“

” The princess tugged on Iska’s sleeve with an expression that implied something. They went to a room a few yards away from Sisbell’s. She pointed at a portrait hung on that door.

“This is Elletear’s self-portrait.”

“Huh? Are you sure that’s not a photo…?”

How old was she in the painting? Fourteen? Thirteen? Elletear certainly looked younger than Sisbell was now.

It was a hyperrealistic portrait down to her every hair, even on her arms. Had this portrait really been created by a person? He would have had an easier time believing it if someone had told him that a high-resolution image had been pasted onto the canvas.

…It’s incredible.

…Just how much concentration and skill did this take?

Elletear Lou Nebulis IX.

This was the crystallized embodiment of the eldest princess’s genius, the one born with it all…except astral power.

“It’s locked.” Sisbell attempted to gently push on the door to Elletear’s room, but it did not show any sign of budging. “But this is pretty far from my own room. The problem is Alice’s.”

“Alice’s room is here, too?” Iska asked reflexively, but it made sense. This place was owned by the queen’s family. Naturally, Alice would have her own room.

“It’s to the right of my own room.”

They backtracked down the hall.

A portrait hung on the door. Iska looked up at it, blinking in surprise.

“This is my sister’s self-portrait, painted two years ago.”

“Remind me… Did Alice always have three eyes?”

“No. I think I remember her disliking the first eye she painted, so she added another one.”

Iska was looking up at the portrait, which didn’t depict a sweet blonde but…something inhuman that even a two-year-old could draw.

“There’s like ten arms there.”

“Those are locks of hair.”

“And why does her mouth open up to her ears…?”

“She wanted to add lipstick and overdid it.”

“…An appreciator of surrealism, I see. She’s trying not to express her outward appearance but to break free from ideals within her mind to—”

“It’s nothing that difficult. She’s just a terrible painter.” Sisbell laughed. “My sister loves the arts, but she has no talent for them herself. She’s what you would call a connoisseur. She has a sensitive palate but can’t cook for her life.”

“When you put it that way…”

“We should look inside her room. She’s even left it open so generously.” Sisbell beckoned him in.

She had already opened the door and slipped inside.

“Uh, um. Should I go inside Alice’s room…?”

“Why of course. Otherwise, you won’t be able to search for bugs…” The strawberry blonde stared up at him, blocking the doorway. “Or do you actually have a relationship with my sister that is not strictly superficial…?”

“Nope! You’re wrong! There’s nothing between us! We met for the first time in Alsamira!”

“…I figured. You’re a former Saint Disciple from the Empire, and my sister is the sovereign princess. There is no way that adversaries would be working with each other.”

“T-totally.”

“In that case, there should be no issue. Look, Iska, over here.” She yanked him inside.

He’d been wondering what extravagances awaited them, but he realized it wasn’t all that different from the guest rooms. The main difference was that the table and sofa were in a more childish colorway, but the sitting room was on the frugal side.

“I haven’t gone into a lot of girls’ rooms. I don’t really feel comfortable…”

“Which girls’ rooms have you entered?”

“Nene’s and Commander Mismis’s. It’s tradition to help them

with end-of-the-year cleaning. I don’t think this room would need much of that…”

The bookshelves, table, and sofa were all ordinary furnishings. It looked like searching for bugs would be easy.

“To eavesdrop on your room, I guess the devices would be installed along the living room wall.”

If the goal was to listen in on the sounds of the adjoining room, that would naturally limit the potential locations of such a device.

“Hmm… As for the wall and ceiling… Sisbell, what’s on the other side of the clock? Maybe there’s a weird mechanism affixed to it.”

“I see no sign of one.”

“And I don’t see anything out of place around the window or the curtains, either… Maybe we were wrong.”

“No, I’m sure of it. I have a hunch!” Sisbell called out as she turned over the carpet. “Elletear brought us here. She must be scheming something. We need to check for bugs!”

“But we haven’t found any so far…”

“We haven’t searched everything. For example, here!”

She headed to the opposite side, running toward Alice’s bedroom.

“Iska, over here!”

“But that’s her bedroom!”

“We need to investigate. Even her bathroom. If I were planting something, I would absolutely hide something in this room!”

Sisbell jumped onto her older sister’s bed. She overturned the beautifully made bed, tossing away pillows and sheets. Her eyes zeroed in on the closet in the corner of the room.

“This must be it. There is no doubt about it. That is what my instincts are telling me.”

“…A-are you sure?”

“Just watch. I’m sure we will make an astonishing discovery.”

She threw open the closet and blinked at the contents.

“Wh-what do we have here?! I cannot believe she would be hiding these…!”

“What’s wrong, Sisbell?!”

“It seems I’ve opened Pandora’s box. Look at this.”

Sisbell turned to him, holding a black…string?

No, this was no ordinary string. It was a thin fabric…

“M-my word…! I’ve never seen underwear made from such delicate material in my life.”

“What did you just find?!”

“Eureka!” The youngest princess hoisted the underwear up high in both her hands.

If this was in her older sister’s closet, it had to belong to Alice.

…To think Alice was wearing those.

…Wait! What am I imagining?!

Iska violently shook his head from side to side as though he were trying to dispel his own thoughts.

Sisbell continued her excavation. “They’re like thin cords made from slightly stretchy material. The fabric feels luxe. Iska, what do you make of these?!”

“Ahhh?! Don’t bring those near me! Why do you have to show me?!”

“I-I wonder if this is what the world refers to as a step into adulthood…” Sisbell gasped, eyes glued onto these very adult things. “H-how indecent. I cannot believe my own sister would sneak around hiding such things. This is alarming! I must continue the investigation!”

“What about the bugs?!”

“This is a family emergency! …Hmm? What are these?!” Sisbell pulled out another scrap of fabric from the back of the closet, this time a pearly color.

Even Iska knew what it was—an undergarment for busts. The issue was the texture of the material and the translucent lace that was see-through enough to show Sisbell’s fingers behind it.

For whatever reason, she brought that thing up to her own chest.

“…Ugh. I expected it from Elletear, but to think that Alice has matured so much… Not that I care. I’m still growing!”

She was clearly measuringsomething, ruefully biting her lip.

“A-anyway, these are very suspicious, indeed! …I sniff a plot! What is my sister up to?”

“What exactly are you sniffing?!”

“Iska, please secure these as evidence. I must resume my

search!”

“I really wish you would stop handing these over to me!”

He timidly caught in midair the two undergarments that had been thrown to him.

When he felt the fabric, featherlight and soft in his hands, Iska squeezed his eyes shut so he wouldn’t catch the faintest sight of them up close.

…Focus, dude! Focus! Wait! Do the opposite of focusing!

…I can’t keep holding on to these. I’ve got to put them somewhere else.

“I’ll take those from you.”

“Thank heavens! Take them!”

“…You were really gripping onto my underwear… Did these really feel that good?”

“N-no! They’re made from such soft material, I was tryingnotto crumple them—,” Iska explained, then suddenly snapped to his senses.

Wait? Who had he been talking to until just now?

It was a gentle and sweet voice. Something counterpoised and resounding with force.

“…” He slowly cracked open his eyes.

There he found…a blond girl, brows furrowed and shoulders quivering. She hid the underwear behind her back, face flushing red as though she was embarrassed.

“Wait!Alice?!”

“What do you think you’re doing in my rooooooom?!” she shrieked.

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The windows rattled. Sisbell turned around, registering her sister’s voice, ghost pale.

“S-Sister?!”

“Sisbeeeeeeeell!”

“Ahhhhhhhhh?!”

With a look in her eyes that she would seldom even show to enemies, the middle daughter pounced on the youngest sibling. She chased her escaping prey to the back of the bed.

She was as quick as a cat going after a mouse.

“…You saw something, didn’t you?”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh?! S-stop! Anything but the ice…! I-I know! Iska ordered me to do this!”

With her back turned to Iska, Alice loomed over Sisbell.

He didn’t even want to imagine the look on her face. In fact, he was ready to book it out of there.

“Y-yes, sister?!” She looked up in tears at Alice.

“You saw nothing. You didn’t see a glimpse into the adult world that I dabbled in out of pure curiosity. Do you understand me? The only things in here were decent articles of clothing.”

“…Uh…ahhh…”

“I can’t hear you.”

“Fiiiineee!”

“And, Iska, that goes for you, too! You speak about this to no one!”

“R-roger…!”

“All right. Let’s just say there were no witnesses.” Alice wiped the sweat off her brow.

Rin stumbled into the room, hauling suitcases.

“Lady Alice, I asked you to not hurry off without me… It’s hard enough catching up to you. Hmm? The Imperial swordsman!”

“Don’t worry about him. We must find my older sister. She must be somewhere in this mansion.” Alice took a deep breath to calm down…and immediately looked down at her younger sister. “Sisbell, we’re returning to the palace. The queen is worried, and there is important work waiting for you.”

“…I can’t,” she managed, sounding strained as if her mouth were full of blood. “I used an Imperial troop as my guards. I don’t think I made a mistake with that choice. Vichyssoise was after my life… And I had to fight fire with fire.”

“I know. I also know what happened after,” Alice answered, looking serious. “Rin saw Elletear use that information against you to take you to the villa, and the queen has been informed of this matter. That is why I have two roles: protecting you and bringing our sister back to the palace.”

“We shall have our sister return to the palace immediately. Then you will be under my protection.”

“—Oh, that will be a problem.”

Kchak.The doorknob rattled, and another figure entered Alice’s room.

“It seems I’ve intruded on something.” The eldest princess smiled kindly upon them.

After looking at Alice, Sisbell, Rin, then Iska in turn, the emerald-haired beauty blushed. “Three girls and a boy gathering in a room? How romantic.”

“Please don’t dodge the issue.” Alice turned around and glared at her older sister, who was fanning her cheek.

This sounded almost like an interrogation.

“Return to the palace immediately. Those were the queen’s royal orders.”

“Oh? Aren’t you going to ask why I brought our sister here?”

“You can explain everything the queen. That has nothing to do with me.” Alice wouldn’t put up with idle chitchat. She took a step forward. “Let’s go home!”

“All right.”

“I knew you wouldn’t cooperate! In that case, I think that… Huh?”

“All right. Let’s go home, Alice.”

“Uh…um?” Alice blinked at her blankly.

Alice had squared her shoulders, ready to close in on her sister, but Elletear was so obedient that she was thrown for a loop.

“On one condition…” Elletear wagged a finger in front of Alice’s nose. “We’ll return tomorrow. Dinner is underway, and the chefs have already purchased ingredients for breakfast. The servants have even gone to all the trouble of making the beds. We can’t just let that go to waste.”

“…Tomorrow?”

“Yes. I pledge that on my dignity. Tomorrow morning, I shall go back to the palace. Isn’t that what you want?”

Alice scowled, thinking to herself. In place of her lady, Rin gave a small bow.

“If I may be so forward, Lady Elletear…”

“What is it?”

“We have not discussed Lady Sisbell yet. When you make your way home, will Lady Sisbell join you?”

“That wasn’t part of the agreement.” The eldest daughter

firmly shook her head. “Sisbell made a promise to me… Right, Sisbell?

Elletear was not budging on this matter.

If Sisbell attempted to return to the palace before then, Elletear would expose her secret.

…But I don’t get it.

…Why would the eldest princess want to lock her sister up in this villa?

Iska and Sisbell hadn’t been able to turn up any listening devices or surveillance cameras. There had to be a reason why Elletear would fixate on keeping her in this specific place. All Iska could think was that she would send another assassin like Vichyssoise.

…Well, that seems less likely now that Alice is here.

…Any assassin that tries to fight Alice will be given a taste of their own medicine.

That was why this situation felt so strange to him.

What was the eldest princess planning by leaving Sisbell here?

“Alice, please send word to the palace. I will return to the palace tomorrow, and you can stay by Sisbell’s side.”

“…Understood. Rin, my communications device.” Alice took it from her attendant.

“Also, Alice, once you’re finished informing the queen, come to the reception room.”

“? I think it’s too early for dinner.”

“Not for dinner. If you’re staying the night, we need to do something before then.”

Elletear winked playfully at her.

“We haven’t all introduced each other, now have we?”

The Lou Erz mansion. Sunset Chamber, the reception room.

Unit 907 had been called to the banquet hall. Elletear was the one to greet them. The sudden intruder—Alice—was in the room,

too.

“Let me introduce you. This is my younger sister Aliceliese. You may call her Alice.”

“I…I am the middle sister, Aliceliese.Nice to meet you…”

What a stiff greeting.

As expected. After all, she was talking to Iska and Commander Mismis, who were acquainted with Alice.

“Alice works as a manager for famous idols in the neutral cities. She is pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“…What? I’ve never worked as a manager!”

“But that’s an assumed appearance. On her days off, she transforms into a mysterious model with a hundred thousand fans.”

“What?!” Alice tried to stop her sister.

From a third-party perspective, it looked like an inside joke between siblings, but it wasn’t clear whether that was Elletear’s true intention.

Iska’s concern was how his unit would react.

…I think Jhin is meeting Alice for the first time.

…Nene seems like she’s lost, but I don’t think she’s ever seen Alice’s face.

Then there was Commander Mismis. Never in her dreams had she expected to reunite with the Ice Calamity Witch—the greatest threat to the Imperial forces.

And sure enough…

“Huh? I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere… Aaaaaah!” Commander Mismis shrieked, pointing her finger at Alice in front of the servants. “Y-you’re the Ice Ca—”

“Oh, pardon me.”

With a blow from behind delivered by Rin, Commander Mismis crumpled to the ground.

“I think our guest is tired. Yumilecia, Nami, please take her to her room.”

“…Uh…uhhhh.” Commander Mismis was hauled away.

You owe me one, Imperial swordsman, for my quick reflexes.Rin stared at him.

Ice Calamity Witch was an offensive moniker circulated in the Empire. If Mismis had blurted that out in the villa, things would have gotten ugly. Even if Alice had let it slide, the servants and the

chef would have flown off the handle at the mere mention of that name.

“Hey, Iska, did you catch what the boss said?” Jhin whispered.

“…Not really. I don’t think it’s a big deal.” Iska feigned ignorance, gazing at someone in his periphery.

“This is so fun. I’m so excited.”

…Elletear was clapping her hands together in satisfaction.

“It tickles me pink to have all three sisters sleeping under one roof.”

The white steam filling the bathroom smelled faintly of soap.

The tub, which was overflowing with cloudy water, could accommodate over ten people with their legs stretched. Flower blossoms and herbs floated on the surface, freshly plucked from the garden. Their floral scent mixed perfectly with the bath salts, creating the most serene mood.

…Or so it should have.

A commotion was coming from the changing room next to the bath.

“Are you trying to kidnap me?! H-help! Iska! Jhin!”

“It’s no use. This is the women’s bath. They wouldn’t come here even by mistake.”

“Um… Help! Nene!”

“Your little minion stuffed herself to sleep.”

“Neneeeeeeeee?!”

Mismis had been dragged into the changing room. Sisbell and Rin had surrounded her.

“What are you planning to do to me?!”

“Keep your voice down. Don’t make a scene. Do what we say, and we won’t hurt you.” Rin had a firm grip on Mismis’s shoulder, refusing to let go.

“Wh-what do you want?”

“Simple. You know Alice is a princess. You cannot tell your subordinates. Or any other Imperial-force members, obviously.”

“…You mean Jhin and Nene?”

“That’s right. We do not want her identity to be known to the Imperial forces.”

The Ice Calamity Witch was a mysterious figure who kept her face hidden behind a veil on the battlefield. The Imperial forces knew she was blond, but none of them knew the details of her face or that she was the daughter of the queen.

“You and Iska are the only ones who know. We cannot have more people figuring this out.”

“Wh-what will you do to Iska…?”

“The same goes for that swordsman, but you seemed more likely to slip up. We are taking preventative measures. Are you satisfied, Lady Sisbell?”

“Yes. Do you understand us, Commander?” Sisbell crossed her arms. “I imagine you can piece together that you need to keep silent that I’m a princess, too. If you say anything, I will know immediately. With my astral power, there is nothing you can hide from me.”

“…Wait. What?”

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