Toward The Kingdom

After leaving the royal palace, the four of us walked side by side along the main street of the Imperial Capital. It was Rebecca who broke the silence that had naturally settled over us.

“Luca, what should we do from here?”

“Let’s see… the Empire probably won’t settle down for a while, so maybe we should just greet Ivan and the others and then leave the Imperial Capital. We’d only get in the way as outsiders. After that… shall we return to the Albanell Kingdom?”

When I turned my gaze to Ann and asked, she smiled and immediately nodded.

“Of course. I’ll return to the country and formally withdraw from the royal family.”

“Understood. Then our destination will be the Royal Capital of the Albanell Kingdom. What about you, Hubert?”

“I…”

Hubert showed signs of hesitation at the question, and Ann leaned in slightly to look at his face while speaking to him.

“If you don’t come with us, is there anywhere else you plan to go?”

“No, not particularly. However, I feared it might trouble you if I were to intrude among you all…”

“Oh? You’re worrying about that now? Luca, Rebecca, would it trouble you if Hubert joined us?”

“No, not at all.”

“I think it’d be more fun with more people!”

After hearing our replies, Ann turned her gaze back to Hubert.

“You heard them.”

“…Is it really alright?”

Hubert spoke as if seeking confirmation from us, and when we nodded, he turned his gaze back to Ann and slowly nodded as well.

“Then I shall accompany you. I look forward to your company from now on.”

Hearing those words, Ann smiled happily. Seeing her smile, Hubert’s expression softened as well. Hubert had come all the way here alone to find Ann, so the bond between them must be very strong.

“Yes, I look forward to it too. By the way, why have you gone back to speaking formally again?”

“…At the moment, no one is listening to our conversation, and since the place you were supposed to marry into no longer exists and you will return to the kingdom, I thought there was no longer a strong need to conceal your identity.”

“That’s true, but… well, that’s fine. For now I am still a princess. But once I leave the royal family, we’ll be equal companions, alright?”

Saying that, Ann winked, and Hubert gave a wry smile.

“Understood. However, I cannot change immediately, so I will make an effort to gradually correct my manner of speaking.”

“…That phrasing sounds suspicious.”

“No, no, nothing of the sort.”

“Is that so?”

Ann stared intently at Hubert as if trying to read his true intentions, but suddenly her expression softened, and that caused Hubert—and the rest of us—to smile as well.

We had defeated Caesar, the Servant of the God of Destruction, and signs had appeared that the Empire might move in a better direction. For the first time in a while, it felt like I could truly laugh from the heart.

After that, we said our farewells to Ivan and the others and left the Imperial Capital, traveling toward the kingdom while enjoying the journey together.

Some time after departing the Imperial Capital, we finally arrived at the border between the Empire and the Kingdom. Ann’s true identity would be revealed here, and the royal palace would be informed of her safe return.

Incidentally, the story we decided on was that Ann had been miraculously saved from the carriage she fell from, and that Hubert—who later joined up with us—and we had searched for her and taken her into protection.

As for the coup that occurred in the Empire, to avoid unnecessary trouble we would not reveal that we had participated, and would report only the facts.

“At present, entry from the Empire is being strictly inspected! First, place all of your belongings over there—”

“Hey, wait!”

One gate guard called out to us, but another guard saw Ann and hurriedly stopped him. After staring intently at Ann’s face and then confirming the faces of Hubert and us, he suddenly knelt down on the spot.

“Princess, we are delighted at your safe return!!”

“P-Princess? Huh… m-my deepest apologies!”

Hearing the words “Princess,” the other guard seemed to realize Ann’s identity and immediately knelt down as well, bowing deeply.

“Thank you. It seems the kingdom was informed that I had died, but thanks to these three, my life was saved. Could you inform the royal palace of that?”

“Of course…! P-please, come this way first!”

After that, we were guided inside the fortress where the border gate was located and received the utmost hospitality.

The highest-ranking person stationed there hurried over to Ann, and before we knew it, separate rooms had been prepared for each of us.

Right now, all four of us were relaxing in what seemed like a lounge room that had been prepared in addition to our private rooms, enjoying tea and sweets. Only the four of us were in the room.