My name is Amber White, a knight who offers her sword and heart for the great empire.
Until recently, I had served supporting Princess Victoria on the empire's southern battlefield, and now that the war has ended, I have returned peacefully to the capital, where I am tasked with acting as both escort and monitor for Prince Ian, whom we captured in the south.
At first, it was a mission requiring me to watch the prince all day, five days a week, excluding weekends. But as the noble imperial family members began to show interest in Prince Ian, my workload decreased.
The First Princess, the Second Princess, the Second Prince, and even His Majesty the Emperor—quite unexpectedly.
Thanks to that, my days off increased to four per week, including weekends.
I'm receiving the same salary, but my work has been cut in half.
Thanks to that, I've been quite happy lately, but honestly, I'm happier when I go to work.
Because Prince Ian is fun to be around.
He's handsome, strikes up conversations easily, and knows all too well how to treat a woman.
'He's twenty this year, right... What a shame.'
To be honest, it's a shame he's too young.
If I were just three or four years younger, I'd have snatched him up already.
A second prince of a defeated kingdom and a high-ranking imperial knight—isn't this much of a status difference acceptable?
Ahem, anyway... Yes, well, I shall set aside my ulterior motives.
Anyway, today is a sweet, official day off that has finally come around after a long time.
On days like this, you have to live it up. It's a drinking day.
(Anyone who asks whether I don't drink on unofficial days off shall be treated as a traitor.)
Instead of my armor, I wear comfortable casual clothes, and with one hand, I swing a bottle of strong imperial whiskey as I make my way to Princess Victoria's villa.
Her Highness and I are close and comfortable enough that I can visit her carrying a bottle of alcohol without reservation.
If you ask how we got that way... it's a rather long story.
It has been exactly sixteen years since I enlisted in the army this year.
At sixteen, because of my family's poor circumstances, where we could barely put food on the table, I lied about my age to eighteen and enlisted, hoping to spare at least one mouth to feed—that was the beginning.
A commoner with nothing to my name could only grit my teeth and endure in the army. Starting as a lowly spearman, I frantically fought through all of the empire's grueling wars of conquest.
Rolling in mud, drenched in blood and guts, clenching my teeth to survive even as the comrades I trained and marched with died around me.
After several years like that, racking up achievements and promotion after promotion, I had made sergeant by the age of twenty.
Then, fortunately, I saved the life of a high-ranking noble in a fierce battle, and for that feat, I was recommended for officer training—a most exceptional case for a commoner.
After bone-breaking effort, I received my officer commission and was finally appointed a knight; it truly felt as if I had the world.
And in the year I turned twenty-six—
"Glad to meet you! Are you the aide who will be joining me in this war? My name is Victoria von Eisenheim, the first daughter of His Majesty the Emperor! I look forward to working with you!"
At last, I had met the liege lord of my life.
I came to serve Princess Victoria, who had set out for her first battlefield at the tender age of eighteen.
Since it was the imperial family's first deployment, honestly, I hadn't expected much.
We had set out for a desert kingdom in the southwest of the continent, and the war there was so fierce that I thought she would be unable to accomplish anything.
Being of imperial blood, I thought it would be fortunate enough if she simply watched from the rear.
But my expectations were completely shattered in the very first battle.
"Is that man the notorious General Abdulla?"
"Yes, Your Highness. He is the one called the Butcher of the Desert, who has massacred imperial troops without number."
"Good! He is more than worthy to be my first opponent!"
"Y-Your Highness, you mustn't!"
The young Princess Victoria, at the age of eighteen, charged alone at that notorious General Abdulla, who was called the strongest of the Desert Kingdom and had struck terror into the imperial army.
"Hey, you there with the mustache! Are you that so-called famous Abdulla? Come out at once and receive my blade!"
"...What the hell is that girl?"
"My name is Victoria von Eisenheim! I am the first daughter of His Majesty the Emperor, the blade of the Empire that shall cut you down!"
"Hahahaha! Go back home, little princess! The battlefield is no place for a brat lik—kuaaaack!"
"How dare you mock me! Next, I shall sever your neck!"
"T-that brat dares! I'll kill her!"
In less than five exchanges, that fearsome General Abdulla had his neck cut by the princess's blade.
Her overwhelming figure laughing arrogantly while covered in blood was enough to captivate me in an instant.
The princess returning while holding the severed head, laughing as if the world were ending—she made it all too clear that she had inherited the blood of the great conqueror Uzarat.
From that day on, I crossed countless lines of death with Her Highness and built a camaraderie thicker than blood.
When appointed as a knight, one swears to make the great empire and His Majesty the Emperor one's liege and offer one's loyalty.
And I am well aware that as long as there is an outstanding eldest son, Princess Victoria can absolutely never become the next Emperor.
Even so, I chose Princess Victoria as the liege lord enshrined in my heart.
...However.
These days, my great liege has been acting a little strange.
Not a little—perhaps very much so.
"Your Highness, it's Amber. I've come for a drink since it's my day o—"
"..."
Entering the training grounds of the villa, I trailed off mid-sentence, whiskey bottle in hand.
Princess Victoria was standing in the middle of the training grounds again today, gripping a wooden sword and staring blankly into the air.
On a normal day, dozens of training dummies would have been smashed to pieces by now, yet only three or four were broken, and the princess was giggling to herself while staring into space like someone who had lost her soul.
"...Your Highness?"
"O-oh! You're here!"
Truthfully, that wasn't the only strange sign.
"Your Highness, I may not know much about makeup, but I know that's not how it's done. Cosmetics are not camouflage cream..."
Just the other evening, she had been caught clumsily applying makeup.
"Oh, is this a new type of combat ration? This hardtack is very well made."
"...It's a cake I made."
"This is what you call a cake? Ugh."
"...I said it's this!!!"
Last week, she suddenly went to the imperial kitchen and produced several rock-hard lumps that could crack a person's skull.
Of course, they weren't fit for human consumption.
Recalling all these memories, I deliberately made loud noises as I approached the training grounds.
"Your Highness!!!!!"
"You startled me! Amber, would it kill you to call out quietly?"
"I already called out quietly several times, but you didn't answer, Your Highness."
"...Really? Sorry."
"Just kidding. That was only the second time."
"You want a beating—no, never mind."
"Would you like to drink first?"
"Mhm, give it here."
Seeing the bottle I had brought, the princess cleared her throat and set down her wooden sword.
She plopped down on the training ground bench, took a swig from the whiskey bottle, let out a deep sigh, and buried her head between her knees.
"...Just how did that bastard Arthur do it?"
It was a statement with no context, but it was obvious who she was talking about.
"...Amber."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Can I ask you for some love advice?"
"Love advice from a thirty-two-year-old spinster?"
"...Let's not talk."
"Hah, now I'm suddenly angry. Give me some alcohol."
After downing half the bottle in one shot, I gave the princess the most common-sensical advice I could.
"First, increase the time you spend together. You can't develop feelings if you only barely have tea time once a week. Isn't it human nature that out of sight means out of mind?"
"I suppose so, but... that boy Ian is busier than I am these days. He has to practice dancing with Chloe, hang out with Arthur, and when the social season ends, my brother will take him and put him to work. How am I supposed to increase the time?"
"Aah, if you drink it all at once, what am I supposed to drink?"
Princess Victoria snatched the bottle from my hand, downed the remaining whiskey in one go, and pouted sullenly.
"How frustrating, Your Highness. Why do you think the Second Prince meets with Prince Ian twice a week?"
"Well... under the excuse of teaching him exercise."
"Exactly. You just have to do the same."
"...Copy Arthur? No way."
"Then you can remain stuck forever without making any progress."
"...Hah, I don't want that. Fine, let's say I copy him. Then what should I teach?"
"Think carefully about what Your Highness is most confident in."
"What I'm most confident in..."
After a moment of thought, Princess Victoria suddenly sprang up from the bench like a spring.
"The sword!!! Yes, swordsmanship! I, the empire's greatest blade, shall personally offer to teach Ian my swordsmanship!"
"That's exactly it, Your Highness. Go and tell him just like that."