The first of the royal family to be captured was the Second Prince, who had boldly taken his place at the vanguard.
When word arrived that the prince had been taken by the enemy, the royal palace fell into chaos. The enemy pressed their advantage and marched on the capital. In the beginning, when they invaded the coast, they had laid waste to village after village; but by the time they reached the midway point, they advanced without even bothering with such efforts.
Cities already paralyzed with fear yielded passage, and those that resisted could not hold out for long. Opinions were divided over whether to abandon the capital and flee. Countless nobles had already run away.
The king wished to defend the capital, while the First Prince argued that they should retreat for now and plan for the future. The lights in the Central Conference Room of the royal palace never went out, and indecisive debate dragged on.
"Your Majesty, will they truly come this far?"
To the princess's question, the queen silently stroked the child's head. The door to the Central Conference Room was shut tight, so she could not speak with her older brother. The princess felt suffocated, but no one offered her a proper explanation. Though no one spoke of it, their faces were grim.
"Do not worry, Your Highness the Princess. Brave knights and soldiers are defending the capital."
That was all she was permitted to hear. The princess was no fool; she knew the mood was dire, but she pretended to believe them. In truth, there was nothing else she could do but believe. And perhaps the situation was not truly as hopeless as she imagined.
She forced herself to take comfort in that. Out there, tens and hundreds of common folk were placing all their trust in this royal family alone. As the royalty who ruled this nation, she must never reveal her anxiety to the outside.
The princess remained dignified in her place. Whatever the outcome, as a member of the royal family, she was prepared to face it with composure.
In the meantime, the Hisvia army drew near. Another half of the nobles abandoned their estates and fled in secret. Those who remained came with their private soldiers, seeking to defend the capital. The door to the Central Conference Room opened, and at last a conclusion was reached.
The Impel royal family decided to defend the capital and fight. The First Prince sighed, but quickly found what he needed to do. He went first to find the princess. It seemed he wished to save his adorable younger sister. Unlike his father, who stubbornly insisted on defending the royal palace, the prince was fully aware of their inferior position. Because of this, keeping the possibility of defeat in mind, he urged the princess:
"If by chance the situation heads toward the worst, let us meet at the royal palace's secret passage. If all the royals perish, that will truly be the complete ruin of Impel."
The princess nodded, but in truth his words did not readily sink in. She felt the grave atmosphere, but she could not truly grasp that it held their very lives in the balance. It was complacency. Looking back, that was exactly what it was.
It was not long before the princess lamented her own foolishness and complacency.