Chapter 2 - An Inescapable Grasp
"Are you alright?"
"I-I'm… fine. Ahem, I must have shown an unsightly side in my panic."
Unsightly? Where? If anything, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
Silver, white, pink.
The harmony of those three colors created a miracle that would likely stay etched in my memory for a lifetime.
"…"
"…"
And then, silence.
A suffocating silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity. The situation was far too bizarre for casual conversation.
*At least it's something.*
At the very least… the worst-case scenario had been avoided.
The princess, perhaps overwhelmed by the shock of being seen naked by a stranger, had stumbled back in fright and fallen onto the grass.
As for me, I was utterly thrown by witnessing a suspected spy transform into a woman with audacious tastes—and then into the empire's princess, no less.
According to her own wishes, Princess Alicia, who had yet to be engaged or married despite turning twenty, was now at the center of this mess. Regardless of how it happened, the mere fact that I'd seen her bare body was already a grave sin.
After agonizing over what to do, I reached out to help her up, only for her to squeeze her eyes shut in fear, making me think it was all over.
But for some reason, instead of calling for her guards, she stayed silent for a long moment, blinking and blushing furiously.
Eventually, she took my hand and stood without a word, but there had been no progress since.
*What am I supposed to do in a situation like this?*
The frustration was palpable.
I've lived a life largely devoid of connections with women.
When I was just coming of age, my family dragged me to the battlefield, where I spent five grueling years before finally being freed. It's only natural.
Not that I'm completely clueless—my limited experiences were fleeting, purely physical encounters.
But for someone like me, dealing with not just any woman but the *princess* herself in this situation was overwhelmingly daunting.
I'd rather be back on the battlefield fighting.
At this point, I seriously considered just blurting out anything to break the ice.
"…Achoo!"
The silence shattered in an unexpected way, and I was forced to reflect deeply.
*Damn it. What an idiot!*
How could I have been lost in pointless thoughts while leaving someone standing naked in front of me? I must really be out of my mind.
I hurriedly took off my shirt and draped it over the shivering princess.
I knew it was terribly rude, but catching a cold would be worse, wouldn't it?
"W-what?"
She seemed startled by the sudden gesture but soon realized my intent and accepted it quietly.
The oversized shirt covered her body down to her lower half, and though I felt a twinge of regret, it created an atmosphere where conversation was at least possible.
I bowed deeply to her and said, "I sincerely apologize. In the chaos of the moment, I failed to properly attend to Your Highness. Please, have me executed."
Even if she'd inadvertently shown me her body, she was royalty.
A mere knight commander-in-waiting like me had no business being involved with her.
Thankfully, the princess, known for her benevolence, carefully adjusted the shirt's hem and accepted my apology.
"No, it's fine. You may raise your head."
"I am deeply moved by your boundless mercy."
"And… please refrain from using such formal speech. It makes me uncomfortable."
"Yes, understood."
As the conversation began to flow somewhat peacefully, a wave of relief washed over me.
If things continued like this, I might be able to pretend this never happened.
"Judging by your manners, you seem to be a noble. What's your name?"
"I am Wolfgang of the Schwartz Count family."
Whatever hobby the princess had—wandering around at midnight in nothing but a hood—I had no desire to interfere.
I just wanted to bury this incident quietly, keeping only the memory of her bare form.
From her perspective, she'd surely want to keep this a secret from everyone, so our goals aligned perfectly.
"Alright, Sir Wolfgang. Listen carefully. About what happened today…"
I could guess what was coming. She'd ask to keep it quiet, right?
"Yes. I swear I'll never speak of this to anyone."
Answering preemptively, the princess nodded slowly, her face flushing again.
She must have been revisiting the shame of the incident.
"Y-yes… don't tell anyone. That's only natural."
"Of course. This was merely an accident. Let's pretend nothing happened today."
"Hmm…"
I emphasized my words to reassure her, but she seemed unconvinced.
It made sense—she had no reason to fully trust me.
We'd only just met.
She couldn't even be sure if my name was real. My overly eager response might have raised her suspicions instead.
Even with her peculiar habit of enjoying midnight exposure, a princess is still a princess.
If she decided to investigate me later, it could get messy. I wanted to earn her trust, but I had no idea how.
As a subtle tension began to creep back between us—
"Hm. Sir Wolfgang? Your name sounds familiar. Could you be… Eek?!"
"Shh, quiet!"
I cut off her words and quickly pulled her toward me.
The motion caused her to lean into me, practically embracing me, but there was no helping it.
"Y-you've finally shown your vile true colors! I-I'm the empire's princess! I'll never succumb to pleasure… Mmph?!"
As she started spouting nonsense, I covered her mouth with my hand and whispered in her ear, "Someone's coming. Two people."
"!!"
Hearing that, she stopped struggling and went still in my arms.
*Step, step…*
The sound of approaching footsteps grew closer.
I should've been focusing, but the intoxicating scent of her hair and skin in my arms was dizzying.
Suppressing the urge to bury my face in her neck and hair, I waved my free hand toward the approaching figures.
Two guards, one holding a torch and the other a drawn sword, cautiously approached but relaxed upon seeing me.
"Well, well! Young Master Wolfgang! Out for another night stroll, eh? Looks like you're not alone tonight!"
Thankfully, it was someone I knew. That made silencing them much easier.
"Yeah, I was in the middle of a heated rendezvous. This one's a newbie, huh?"
"Yessir! Just started three days ago!"
The problem was the rookie beside him. His eyes burned with the zealous sense of duty typical of a newcomer.
"You two. You've violated the midnight curfew, so you'll need to come with us to the station."
As expected. I let out a sigh.
If I were alone, I'd have happily gone along, amused by the station chief's panic upon seeing me and scolding the rookie.
*Shiver, shiver…*
But today, I wasn't alone.
Perhaps out of fear of being caught, the princess began trembling violently.
"Hey! You wanna make a mess again? That's a noble you're talking to!"
"A noble?! Well, at least let us verify their identity…"
"Ugh, this guy… You already caused a ruckus today! Wanna die?"
The senior guard, berating his junior, shot me an apologetic look, clearly annoyed.
This wasn't good.
"Sorry, Young Master Wolfgang. Could we just see your companion's face? It's procedure, you know, even for nobles…"
If I dodged clumsily, it'd only invite more scrutiny. I had to be firm.
I took a deep breath against the princess's hair and muttered low, "I'd rather not."
The atmosphere turned icy in an instant.
The senior guard backed away, pale, while the rookie's legs gave out, and he collapsed, trembling.
I felt bad for intimidating dutiful soldiers, but it couldn't be helped.
"I'm a bit possessive, you see. Hope you understand."
"Y-yes… W-we've committed a grave sin, Sir Wolfgang!"
"No, no sin. I'm clearly the one in the wrong here, aren't I?"
I spoke earnestly, giving the rookie a warm look.
"H-hiiik…"
But as the pleasant scent of the princess mixed with the stench of the rookie's fear, I just wanted to get out of there.
"Sorry about this. I don't want to show my woman's face, so how about we settle it with this?"
I slipped two gold coins into the senior guard's breast pocket as he looked at me with trembling eyes.
"Curfew violation fine is six silver each. That's twelve silver for two. I've paid up, so we're good to go, right?"
The senior guard, who'd been frozen in fear, immediately reverted to his earlier cheerful demeanor.
"Yes, sir! Twelve silver, confirmed! Heh, I'll make sure to train this rookie properly, Young Master Wolfgang."
"Good work."
The senior guard hauled up the rookie, who was still dazed with wet trousers, and they scurried off.
After watching them leave, I realized the princess couldn't walk in her current state. With no choice, I scooped her up and quickly left the scene.
---
*Phew.* Mission accomplished.
Honestly, I was on edge the whole time, worried things might go south, but the princess was far more cooperative than I'd expected.
It couldn't have been easy for her to cling to a stranger like a lover, but as the empire's princess, her mental fortitude was impressive.
"Your Highness, it's over now. We've shaken off those guards, and there don't seem to be any others nearby, so I'll set you down."
"…"
No response? Did she faint?
"Your Highness?"
I hurriedly checked her condition. Thankfully, she hadn't passed out.
But she was clearly furious about my reckless actions, her face flushed bright red.
Her silence was likely due to her anger.
"Your Highness?"
Still no response. This was bad.
I'd managed to smooth things over earlier, but this time, I was truly cornered.
Acting without her consent under the excuse of urgency was entirely my fault.
As I stood there, panicking—
"…Don't."
Her trembling voice, laced with anger, reached my ears faintly.
I asked nervously, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"
"I said don't put me down! I don't have shoes—how am I supposed to walk?! Just keep me like this!"
Oh no. In our rush to escape, I'd forgotten her shoes and hood.
She wouldn't even meet my eyes, as if she couldn't stand the sight of me.
At this point, it seemed better to shut up and keep walking. They say doing nothing gets you halfway there, right?
"…Turn right at the fork."
I silently obeyed the princess's directions as she began guiding me from my arms.
As we continued, I sensed a distinct martial presence in the distance.
A knight. A skilled one, at that. Probably her personal guard.
But if they were this far from their charge, what was the point?
*Oh.*
The question crossed my mind, but remembering what the princess had been doing in that secluded spot, it made sense.
She'd deliberately sent them far away to enjoy her time alone, undisturbed.
Realizing this, I couldn't help but look at her with a cold gaze.
As one of the empire's most vital figures, this was utterly irresponsible. Did she not realize what could've happened? It nearly did.
If someone else had found her, it could've led to an irreversible disaster.
With that thought, I continued toward the knight, who, sensing my presence, began rushing toward us.
Poor guy. It's always the underlings who suffer because of their superiors.
"Your Highness! What is this indecent state?! You! What have you done to her?!"
"I swear I haven't harmed her, so rest easy."
I tried to explain, but no suitable response came to mind, so I brushed it off vaguely.
"…Ask Her Highness directly. I'm exhausted, so I'll take my leave."
"Wait! You think you can get away with that?! Hey!"
I ignored the shrill voice of the female knight shouting behind me. I didn't want to get further entangled.
With the princess's safety now assured, my duty was done.
*The inauguration tomorrow… will I make it through?*
Once misfortune starts, it tends to snowball. I couldn't help but worry about how this would affect tomorrow's important event.
As I turned toward my estate, trying to soothe my weary mind—
"Wait!"
The princess's voice stopped me in my tracks.
I couldn't ignore her the way I did the knight, so I turned around. Her face, still flushed, stared at me.
*Damn. I tried to slip away quietly.*
Now I was truly trapped. I hoped she was at least a little less angry than before.
"You said you're Wolfgang of the Schwartz Count family, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Don't ever forget what happened today. That's all. Let's go, Liz."
As expected, the princess, carried on the knight's back, left with a chilling remark.
Damn it. Of course, it wouldn't just end.
Earning the resentment of royalty was practically a death sentence.
A heavy weight settled in my chest, and a sigh escaped me.
"Haa…"
It seems I've gotten myself into some serious trouble.