"Ha, those gloomy creatures dare to do such things without knowing their place?"
Ailliet stepped forward and dismissed the matter entirely.
"If they dare to act like that... we simply do not have to hand it over. After all, it is they who will be left wanting, not us."
"Of course, of course. If that is truly Your Highness's will...... subcontracting, I believe that is a very fitting expression indeed."
Minister Joseph forced a smile.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Joseph]
[Status: Utterly bewildered, not knowing how on earth to prepare.]
Foreign Minister Joseph was in a dizzy state due to the upcoming diplomatic negotiations with the United Kingdom.
Well, that was none of my business.
Diplomacy is, by nature, an elegant war waged atop desks. Firing guns and spilling blood is the work of a field commander like me; wracking one's brains over piles of paperwork is that gentleman's job.
"Very well. Let us end today's meeting here."
Clink.
Ailliet set down her teacup. The cup had been neatly emptied all the way to the bottom.
"Colonel Jaeger."
She rose from her seat. Then she tapped my chest with a red fan.
"I like you. To a promising beast, one must throw a bone or two......."
Perhaps in a good mood, she hummed a tune as she looked out the window.
"We have time to spare, and the weather is pleasant. Where is the most beautiful night view in Ellansia? Was it Montmartre Hill?"
"Yes, Your Highness. It was called a mecca for lovers during the Republic era."
"Splendid. Let us go there."
She commanded with a bright smile.
"As a reward, I shall grant you the honor of escorting me for the day. Here are the car keys. My knight."
"......."
Me, the chauffeur again?
Though weariness washed over me inwardly, I bowed my head courteously.
"I shall obey your command, Your Highness."
Let's see how long you can work me like this. Damn woman.
*
The road leading to Montmartre Hill.
I was in the driver's seat of a luxury open-top car bearing a three-pointed star, with Ailliet in the passenger seat, as we sped through the empty streets of Ellansia.
Vrooom-!
As the car climbed the hill, a refreshing wind surged into the cabin.
"Hehe......."
Ailliet narrowed her eyes as she faced the wind. Her golden hair fluttered splendidly in the breeze.
"Seeing it like this, this city is not so bad."
She hummed.
"With all the filthy, stinking bugs out of sight, does it not look quite like a proper painting?"
Despite being a sadistic tyrant overflowing with a desire to dominate, in the end, she was merely a young lady who had just passed her twentieth year.
While looking at the terrace cafes with their doors closed along the street, her eyes sparkled just like those of a girl her age.
"If it were not for the war, I would have bought a crepe to eat over there. Such a pity. Colonel, do you like crepes?"
"Sweets do not suit a soldier's palate, Your Highness."
"What a boring answer. The next time we come, I shall force-feed you one if I must, so be prepared."
Ailliet laughed lightly and tapped my shoulder. She had a subtly cute side to her.
If one only looked at that exterior, who would think she was a woman who smiled as she uttered brutal words like erecting equestrian statues upon guillotines or putting collars on enemy nations?
Screech.
Before long, the car stopped in the wide square in front of the famous cathedral at the hill's summit.
A perfect viewpoint overlooking the city of Ellansia at a glance. The sun was beginning to set, dyeing the entire city in a red, romantic light.
"Ah......."
Ailliet stepped out of the car and approached the railing, looking down at the city with a gasp of admiration.
As if wanting to capture it in her eyes from even a little closer, she leaned over the railing until it became precarious.
As her usually rigid posture loosened, graceful curves were revealed beyond her gorgeous dress.
Her profile, shining golden in the sunset light, was like a masterpiece. If not for that damnable personality, she possessed a beauty that could enchant every man in the world.
I watched her for a moment before approaching her side.
"The wind is cold, Your Highness. I suggest you stop sightseeing around here."
"Tch, a man without even a speck of romantic sense."
Ailliet glanced at me with a slight pout.
"Very well. Now I shall go meet those boring old men. If my face were missing from the signing ceremony or whatever, the Prime Minister might collapse."
I silently opened the car door and seated her.
*
The car's destination was the Ellansia Presidential Palace.
A place that had once been a symbol of Ellansia, it had now transformed into a stage preparing for a new signing ceremony beneath the Empire's flag.
"VIP vehicle arriving! Present arms to Her Highness!"
Clack! Clack!
Receiving the sentries' disciplined salute, we stepped out of the car. Ailliet walked unhesitatingly along the red carpet.
"You have worked hard, Colonel Jaeger. I shall drop a word to Parliament regarding the subcontracting treaty."
"I am unworthy of such grace, Your Highness."
I walked behind her by a few paces as if guarding her, habitually checking the translucent map in one corner of my vision.
[Minimap (Lv.2)]
It was a routine check. The interior of the Presidential Palace was filled with green dots indicating allies. However.
'......Huh?'
In the terrain of the 3D-rendered minimap, right above the corridor we were walking in, and within the garden bushes.
Blink, blink.
Red dots were blinking in unison. It was not just one or two. Over twenty red dots were rapidly tightening their encirclement toward the Imperial Princess's path.
'Status Analysis.'
Without slowing my pace, I cast my gaze toward the bushes.
[Name: Martiz]
[Affiliation: Republican People's Liberation Front]
[Status: Extreme tension, murderous intent, catching their breath]
[Hidden Desire: To blow off the Imperial Princess's head and rekindle the flame of the Republic.]
These crazy bastards.
They were revolutionary army scum. Remnants who had burrowed underground like rats after the city fell.
They had infiltrated all the way to the Presidential Palace after breaking through the Empire's security net. No matter how exhausted the field army was, to be breached this sloppily... Either there was a traitor who had opened the way from the inside, or these bastards had broken through even the sewers, prepared to die.
Clack, clack.
I looked at the back of the Imperial Princess walking ahead, unaware of the situation.
'What should I do...'
The calculator in my head began to turn coldly. [Indomitable Spirit] suppressed unnecessary confusion and demanded cold judgment.
What if the Imperial Princess is assassinated here?
The Empire would be completely overturned. The old Emperor would shed bloody tears and attempt to massacre all of Ellansia, and the diplomatic scene, which had been leisurely spouting nonsense about 'subcontracting' treaties, would collapse at once.
To survive, I could run away alone......
'No.'
The calculator's result pointed in a different direction.
Let's think in reverse.
The Empire's absolute successor. If I were to save her life at the perfect moment of assassination that even her guards failed to notice?
Imperial Princess Ailliet fundamentally possessed a sadistic nature that treated others as toys and liked holding their leashes, yet at the same time, she was also the epitome of imperial nobility who lived on arrogance and could not stand owing debts.
If I could imprint upon the woman who would become the next Empress an astronomical debt of gratitude along with the title of 'lifesaver'?
'There is no way the cost-benefit analysis doesn't add up.'
The risk is great, but the windfall is a blank check from the Empire.
The calculation ended in one second.
"Your Highness!"
Ta-aaang-!
At the same time as my shout, a gunshot rang out from the second-floor terrace.
"Eek?!"
A bullet struck at Ailliet's feet, sending marble fragments flying.
Kwa-boom-!
Immediately after, an improvised explosive detonated from the garden bushes. Flames and dust engulfed the corridor, and two sentries standing guard collapsed, covered in blood.
"Enemy attack! Protect Her Highness!"
Security troops urgently shouted and drew their guns.
Without hesitation, I threw my body toward Ailliet.
[Skill 'Indomitable Spirit' is now active.]
[Suppresses unnecessary emotional agitation and induces the most efficient thought processes.]
Slam!
"Kyaaack!"
I scooped her up, snatching her by the slender waist. The red feather fan she was holding fell to the floor and rolled away. For the first time, bewilderment flashed across her always composed and arrogant expression.
"Wh-what do you think you're doing...!"
"Shut your mouth and lie down!"
Bang! Bang!
I drew my pistol and rolled. Precise holes were drilled between the brows of the two men with red armbands who had leaned their bodies over the terrace railing.
"Death to the Empire!"
"Long live the revolution!"
Men wearing red armbands burst out from all directions, spraying submachine gun fire.
"Damn, too many."
The security troops were returning fire, but their formation was a mess trying to block the offensive of suicide commandos prepared to die. It would take at least two minutes for reinforcements to run from the main force stationed at the main gate.
I pressed down on Ailliet's shoulder and took cover behind a corridor pillar.
Ratatatat-!
A hail of bullets turned the marble pillar into a honeycomb. Stone dust poured down like snowflakes.
"Your Highness, we must run. Underground."
I checked the minimap and quickly scanned the escape route. A narrow emergency staircase used by servants was the closest.
"Y-you're telling me to run?! In these shoes?!"
"If you do not run, lead bullets will be lodged from your ankles to your head, but if that is to your taste, I will not stop you."
Without waiting for her permission, I grabbed her wrist and pulled.
"Ow! You brute...!"
Though screaming, Ailliet stuck close behind my back and began to run. Her usual dignity was nowhere to be seen; the sight of her gasping as she clutched her skirt hem was a spectacle.
Bang! Bang!
Using the [Minimap], I moved by picking out their blind spots as best as possible and turned the corner.
"This way."
I kicked down the locked iron door of the emergency staircase and pushed Ailliet inside. A narrow, steep spiral staircase thickly covered in dust.
Clatter-!
We descended like madmen through the darkness, to the deepest part of the Presidential Palace. We hid in a wide, chilly underground room that appeared to have been used as a wine cellar long ago.