The hunt began without a hitch.
The nobles freely formed and dissolved groups, sometimes cooperating, sometimes competing, enthusiastically piling up their quarry. When lunchtime arrived and a rest break was called, dozens of servants returned one after another, each hauling game over their shoulders.
"The Margrave of Westphalen presents his quarry to Her Highness Johanna von Habsburg."
"Baron Richthofen offers his quarry to Her Highness Elisabeth von Habsburg!"
"The Margrave of Rosenberg humbly presents his quarry to Her Highness Johanna von Habsburg."
This hunt had two imperial ladies in attendance — Her Highness Johanna and Her Highness Elisabeth. The nobles each offered their game to whichever lady they wished to court. Before the two ladies, fine quarry piled up neatly — deer, wild boar, and other magnificent trophies.
"Heh."
"Ho."
The two ladies watched the proceedings with interest. Interestingly, the nobles and margraves aligned with the Crown Prince's faction presented their game to Her Highness Johanna. Those aligned with the Imperial Princess's faction, meanwhile, offered theirs to Princess Elisabeth.
Her Highness Johanna flashed a grin.
"What do you think, Elisabeth? Looks like I'm today's top mademoiselle."
There was no trace of the trembling, threatened demeanor Elisabeth had displayed earlier. A playful, innocent imp stood in its place. Of course, Princess Elisabeth was a seasoned player. She never once let her composed smile slip.
"For the moment, perhaps. But the hunt is far from over, sister."
"Mmm. True, there's still plenty of the event left. But isn't waiting until then awfully tedious?"
"If you find it tedious?"
Her Highness Johanna glanced over in my direction. I caught the signal and bowed politely, all while wearing a cold smile to myself.
It was time to unveil the "grand highlight" of this hunt.
Well then — shall we begin the game, Your Highness Crown Prince Rudolf? Your Highness Princess Elisabeth?
The two of them had declared war on our Her Highness Johanna. One directly, the other indirectly.
Both of them were arrogant, high-and-mighty heirs to the throne. Just as expected. They had the audacity to act rudely toward Her Highness Johanna, the designated host of His Imperial Majesty himself. We had predicted from the start that they would take exactly this kind of attitude.
"Hrrg, ugh."
I ordered the servants temporarily assigned to my entourage to bring in a large crate. They groaned under its weight as they hauled it in. It landed on the floor with a heavy thud. Nobles who had been lightly picking at their lunch turned to see what was happening.
"My dear warriors! You've all worked so hard."
Her Highness Johanna rose to her feet and began clapping. Every pair of eyes in the hall turned toward her.
"Still, courting a granddaughter-aged girl this passionately does raise some serious questions about your tastes. The future of the Habsburg Empire is more worrying than you'd think."
"Hahahaha."
The nobles raised their drinking horns and roared, "For Her Highness the Princess!" Disorderly toasts erupted from every corner of the hall. The cacophony of haphazard cheer somehow blended into a strange harmony, raising the energy of the banquet even further. Only Crown Prince Rudolf wore a sullen expression.
"Thank you, my dear warriors. I've prepared a little gift for all of you."
"Oh my. What might that be, Your Highness?"
The Margrave of Westphalen asked. His voice was exceptionally booming — even though he had simply posed a question, everyone in the hall heard it.
"It's a catch, of course. You've all gone to such lengths to hunt and present so many beasts for me — would it be right for me, the host, not to bag at least one decent animal myself?"
"Hmm? You mean Her Highness the Princess went hunting as well?"
"That's right. A rather enormous catch."
Her Highness Johanna flashed a bold smile.
"I'm sorry to be blunt, but I have to confess — it's at least one tier above the quarry you've all gifted me."
"Oh ho, now that sounds intriguing."
The nobles' eyes lit up. They had already figured out that Her Highness Johanna was not the type to make empty boasts. If she said something like that, it either meant a truly spectacular catch, or some delightfully witty joke.
"Lorita."
"Yes, Your Highness."
I opened the door to a coffin-sized box. Once the box opened and the so-called "quarry" was revealed, the nobles could do nothing but look utterly baffled.
Because inside was a woman of marriageable age.
"Is that young lady Your Highness's quarry?"
The Count of Westphalia tilted his head. He was enormous, built like a gorilla, so the awkward gesture looked quite out of place. Her Highness Johanna smiled and spoke.
"Oh, yes. She is a traitor."
"I—I beg your pardon? Forgive me, Your Highness. I must have misheard."
"I said she is a traitor. Count of Westphalia."
Traitor.
The nobles murmured among themselves, exchanging suspicious glances or staring at the woman.
I paid them no mind and quickly assessed the expressions of Crown Prince Rudolf and Princess Elisabeth. The Crown Prince had quietly furrowed his brows, while the Princess wore a placid smile. That was all it took for me to realize.
'Princess Elisabeth, so it was you.'
I quietly clenched my right fist.
For the past several weeks, Sebastian and I had been drawing up plans. Ever since His Majesty the Emperor entrusted the Grand Hunt to us, we had anticipated that Her Highness Johanna would become a target for the imperial succession candidates.
The First Princess, the Third Prince, and the Fourth Prince — three of Her Highnesses' ranks had met suspicious deaths. Unless one was impossibly naive, it was obvious there was a conspiracy behind their passing. We had concluded that "the threat of assassination would come for Her Highness Johanna as well," and that it would arrive "very quickly."
"Oh, come now. Aren't you overthinking this?"
Having heard our concerns, Her Highness Johanna was half-skeptical.
"It's only been a few days. Would Rudolf and Elisabeth really move that fast?"
"Life is swift as an arrow, Your Highness, but death is swifter still. I humbly ask that you take this into consideration."
"But how would they kill me?"
Her Highness Johanna pouted her lips.
"I'm in the imperial palace. This is the safest place in the whole world. There's no way an assassin could get in here."
"Your Highness, the imperial palace is already teeming with countless would-be assassins."
"Huh? Who?"
"The maids and attendants. What guarantee is there that they won't be swayed by a bribe?"
At these words, Her Highness Johanna jumped up in anger.
"That's impossible, you idiots!"
Johanna had spent her entire life within the imperial palace since childhood. Thanks to that, she was close with the maids and attendants. In truth, everyone in the palace adored this cute second princess. But conspiracies are born precisely where the other party believes "that could never happen"……
Sebastian and I pooled our efforts and finally managed to persuade Her Highness. The princess huffed and shouted:
"Fine! Do whatever you want. But if it turns out there was no assassination plot, both of you are going to bare your backsides and take a spanking from me!"
When the princess said she would spank your backside, she truly meant it. We broke into a sweat and assured her we would keep it in mind, thanking her profusely.
The plan was simple.
"If anyone is plotting to assassinate Her Highness Johanna, they will certainly try to do so through the servants. The problem is that Her Highness Johanna has only the two of us as direct attendants."
I said to Sebastian.
"Most likely, the assassin won't try to use you, Sebastian."
"Why is that?"
"Because you are far too seasoned a courtier. Your loyalty to Her Highness Johanna is beyond question, and besides, having spent decades in the palace, you would not be easy to use for an assassination."
"Hmm."
Sebastian stroked his mustache.
"I see what you mean. They will surely conspire to carry out the assassination through you, then……"
"Exactly. Most likely, right about now, Her Highness Rudolf or Her Highness Elisabeth have already mobilized all their subordinates to keep me under surveillance."
I smiled.
"As proof, there are already twenty-three maids who have requested a discreet night with me."
"Ho ho ho."
Sebastian let out a helpless chuckle.
"You've become the most popular servant in Imperial history. Congratulations, Lolita. I'm rather jealous, actually."
"That's exactly why being a popular man is troublesome. Now, some of them may have approached me purely with the intention of enjoying my company……but I turned them all down."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow with a hum?
"Why is that? You ought to reel them in — that's how you can prepare for assassination in advance."
"Did I not tell you? Among them, there could be someone who genuinely approached me just to sleep with me. I still lack definitive proof that they're assassins."
Therefore, I proposed.
"Spread a rumor that I will personally take charge of all of Her Highness's snacks."
"……Aren't you already doing that in practice?"
"The important thing is the *rumor*, Sebastian."
I met his gaze with a serious look.
"Up until now, I've been obtaining refreshments through your connections, Sebastian. That changes from here on out. I will go to and from the kitchen alone to procure pastries."
"But……if you do that, you'll have to stoop to begging the kitchen servants in a most undignified manner."
"That is precisely the goal."
Sebastian still wore a puzzled expression. Can't be helped. I explained further.
"Imagine a rumor spreads that I'm struggling to obtain pastries that will go directly into Her Highness's mouth. What would those plotting assassination think?"
"……!"
Sebastian's eyes widened as if something had finally clicked.
"So that's it — they'd try to exploit your sorry situation!"
"Yes. Someone will offer to introduce me to a confectioner or a pastry shop."
I smiled faintly.
"If they offer to reconcile me with the kitchen servants, the chances of them being an assassin are slim. But if they introduce me to a craftsman or a shop outside the palace instead of the imperial kitchen… then it's almost certain. That person is the assassin."
We calmly cast our fishing line into the water.
Sure enough, a few days before the hunt was set to begin, one of the maids approached me.
Ariel.
The fourth daughter of a declining court noble, born to a concubine, she was essentially a woman cast out by her own family. There could hardly be a more suitable maid to use as an assassin.
It was a shock to Her Highness Johanna.
Among her own maids, there was someone who had been targeting her life. For an imperial princess who had never felt even a shred of familial affection, her real family had been none other than her servants… and one of them had betrayed her.
To make matters worse, the mastermind behind the assassination was either Crown Prince Rudolf or Elisabeth, the Third Princess. Her own brother and her own sister. There was no better expression for it than "the height of absurdity."
Her Highness Johanna let out a heavy sigh.
"Yes, I knew the court was like this. But it still hurts. In the end, I really have no family…."
"Your Highness."
"Lolita. Advise me on what I should do."
The light in Her Highness Johanna's eyes darkened to a stillness that ached. My chest tightened seeing it. And yet, at the same time, there was a part of me that believed this was necessary…
"She has already confessed to being an assassin. But despite her loyalty, she refused to reveal who hired her to the very end."
Her Highness Johanna spoke with a smile. The nobles stared at her, their faces pale with horror.
A few days prior, I had played along with Ariel's seduction to lure her in. Ariel followed me eagerly, unaware of the fate that awaited her.
The brutal torture continued. Cuts that no woman could endure were inflicted upon her. She barely lasted two hours before she broke. However, some manner of magic seemed to be at work—she could not reveal who had hired her.
Her Highness Johanna picked up a sword and hurled it down at Ariel's feet.
"Go on, pick it up. Assassin."
"……."
Ariel, trembling uncontrollably, stared at the ground before her.
Though hidden beneath her clothes, her body was already a wreck from the torture. It had been carried out right before Her Highness Johanna's own eyes. Ariel was clearly shaking with terror. Her Highness Johanna smiled—a cruel smile.
"What's the matter? You tried to kill me, didn't you? The blood of the Empire. Me, Johanna von Habsburg, the second imperial princess—you tried to take my life. I'm giving you that chance."
"Ugh, uh……."
"I'm warning you—the duel begins whether you pick up the sword or not."
With trembling hands, Ariel lifted the longsword. A serving woman's slender wrists, and a body further weakened by torture—she could barely hold the sword steady, let alone aim it.
Seeing this, Her Highness Johanna nodded. Her Highness also drew her fine sword. The duel had begun.
"Graaagh!"
Ariel screamed and lunged at Her Highness. Her footwork was a mess by anyone's reckoning. Yet the mere sight of that blade tip drawing near the imperial princess's body horrified the surrounding nobles. They rushed forward.
"Your Highness, it's dangerous!"
But in that instant, Her Highness Johanna moved a step ahead.
She turned her body gracefully and easily dodged Ariel's strike. In the same motion, she swung her fine sword. The blade swept clean across Ariel's throat. Ariel, unable to control her own momentum, collapsed to the ground. The serving woman drove her face into the dirt and never rose again.
"……."
The room fell silent. The nobles stared at Her Highness, struck speechless. Only she stood with her back straight and her posture regal. With a sharp flick, she drove her sword downward. Blood splattered across the floor.
"Esteemed warriors of Habsburg. Great margraves, the guests of honor of this hunt—you must be aware that unsavory rumors and dark tidings have been striking our imperial household one after another."
She was referring to the mysterious deaths of the imperial princesses and princes.
"But remember this. Habsburg has not forgotten its honor. No matter what illegal means threaten the imperial family, no matter how a depraved faction disgraces the name of the imperial household—I, Johanna von Habsburg, will show you all that I shall uphold a warrior's honor until the very moment of my death."
"……."
"So do not worry about the imperial household. Return to your domains. Return to your front lines. Tend your territories and defend your borders as duty demands, and while you stand as the walls of Habsburg, I, Johanna von Habsburg, shall serve the imperial palace with unwavering loyalty."
Her Highness smiled.
"This is the quarry I present to you."
The Grand Hunt was adjourned.
Lunch ended and the hunt continued, but not a single noble paid it any mind. They had realized that the Second Imperial Princess, who had been in self-imposed seclusion until now, had officially entered the succession contest. And she had done so through the sacred method of a "duel," a tradition handed down since ancient times.
The nobles of refined taste considered it barbaric, but the majority—the nobles who harbored a romantic reverence for chivalry—found themselves deeply impressed by Her Highness. The margraves, who were soldiers to the bone, were especially moved, personally audienceing with Her Highness even after the hunt concluded to offer their tacit support.
The day drew to a close, and night deepened.
Her Highness could not bring herself to lie down. She drank wine ceaselessly. I stood beside her, quietly pouring wine into her glass whenever she wished.
"Lorita. I never once thought I would be competing with Rudolf or Elisabeth."
Her Highness murmured.
It felt less like she was speaking to me and more like she was addressing something beyond the window. I kept silent.
"I would have been content to live happily like this and die. But even the servants I considered friends tried to assassinate me without a second thought. I suppose one day I would have been assassinated without a trace……"
"……."
No. A far more wretched death had been prepared for you. But I could not bring myself to say it. I simply couldn't.
"This is the first time I've killed someone. Will this keep happening from now on? Brother Rudolf, Elisabeth……how many times have they already done something like this? Why……the throne, it's not worth anything……"
Her Highness's shoulders trembled bit by bit.
I turned my head away. A servant should not witness her master weeping. But even while turning away, I could still gently place both hands on this young princess's shoulders.
Yes, Your Highness. We will endure this again and again—dozens of times, hundreds of times, thousands of times. Because the one who has her sights set on our lives is none other than the woman who will become the supreme ruler of the continent.
But rest assured. I will never leave Your Highness alone. I will support you so that you are never consumed by loneliness. Just as you saved my life, I will protect yours.
Even if it means death, I will die alongside you. Even someone like me, who is nothing more than a servant, can do that at the very least……
The night deepened. Not knowing how much deeper it would grow, we quietly held each other up……
============================ Author's Afterword ============================
- IF Route <Princess Defense> END.
From here on, Imperial Princess Johanna von Habsburg, Lorita, and Sebastian would rely on one another to navigate through the crisis. How they would survive against the future Hegemon King—that story, I will leave out here.