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While it was natural for the royal family to embark on an expedition, it didn’t proceed the same way as the Emperor’s.

Unlike the Emperor freely traveling to the forefront of the Lemea Valley, the princesses and princes were only allowed to venture within restricted areas.

As it was for their safety, no one objected, and there were no additional requests from the royal family for further excursions.

Thus, as the first day of the expedition came to a close, night fell.

At the royal villa located outside the border gate, guided by a royal knight, Alice arrived at a door after a short while.

*Knock, knock*

She wasn’t overly nervous, but neither was she entirely relaxed, so she let out a small sigh as she knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Came the response from inside.

With permission granted, Alice entered without hesitation.

“Welcome, Alice!”

Welcoming her with a joyful smile was none other than Princess Violet Sevellerus, the Second Princess of the Ushif Empire, who had invited Alice here.

“You’ve become even more splendid since we last met? You’re so dazzling that I can’t even look at you directly,”

Princess Violet remarked.

“Thank you for your kind words.”

It was a casual exchange, like greeting an old friend.

Although they were of the same age and had graduated from the Royal Academy together, they weren’t particularly close enough to share personal stories.

To be precise, the Second Princess herself wasn’t one to easily bond with anyone.

Unlike the First Prince, she was incredibly introverted, even to the extent of disliking revealing her face to others, which made her less inclined to engage in external activities.

However, she was by no means an incompetent princess.

She was known to have inherited the Emperor’s magical abilities, ranking at the 8th level among the Emperor’s five children.

In fact, she was the only one besides Alice to achieve a 6th level ranking upon graduating from the Royal Academy.

“I’m sorry for making such a fuss. I feel much more secure with Alice by my side…”

It was none other than Princess Violet who had asked Alice for personal protection.

Given the personal duty of safeguarding the royal family, Alice had no reason to refuse.

“No need to apologize. It would be my honor to assist you, Your Highness.”

Alice replied in a thoroughly respectful tone.

“It’s truly reassuring to be protected by the Duke’s family members like you…”

Despite the kind gesture, Alice couldn’t bring herself to smile.

Her lips, usually drawn in a straight line, curved slightly upward, but that was all.

Having concluded their conversation, Alice promptly left the villa and made her way to the Knights’ quarters.

Under the brightly lit night sky, with the round moon shining even brighter than the sun, Alice found Aschel waiting for her.

“Thank you for granting my request, Alice,”

Aschel said with a smile.

“You’re welcome. After all, my duty from the Light Knights was also to guard the royal family. I’m grateful to be able to fulfill that duty faithfully,” Alice replied.

“I feel much more secure knowing it’s you who’s protecting the princess, rather than any other knight,” Aschel remarked.

At first glance, it might seem like Aschel and Princess Violet had a very close relationship.

However, knowing the truth, Alice couldn’t help but ask, ”

Why did you volunteer to be the princess’s attendant?”

“Because of a request from the prince,” Aschel replied with a knowing smile.

“The Crown Prince, you mean?”

“Yes. He asked me to ensure her safety in his place, so she could complete her expedition safely. It was also what the princess wished for.”

“Were you close to Princess Violet… before?”

Aschel shook his head.

“Actually, this is the first time we’ve met during this expedition. I thought you, being her academy peer, would be closer to her. But apparently not?”

“No. She’s so introverted that even I haven’t seen her face many times.”

He nodded in understanding.

As the conversation lapsed into silence, a quiet tension hung in the air.

Alice still seemed to want to say something more.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

Aschel asked.

“Is that all?”

For a moment, Aschel’s pupils seemed to flicker slightly.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Why did you volunteer to be the princess’s attendant? Is that really all?”

Alice’s eyes were filled with seriousness.

“What’s your intention behind asking? Do you suspect me of having ulterior motives?” His playful tone shifted to a more serious one.

As if responding to each other’s energy, an invisible tension began to build between them.

“Just curious.”

Alice smiled aloofly as if nothing had happened.

“If it’s my brother…… I thought he might have something more impressive than this.”

Alice replied casually, though the underlying meaning was anything but light.

“Curious about what? What do you mean by ‘something more impressive’?”

Aschel’s gaze turned slightly icy.

“I don’t know. I just thought if it was you, there might be something more remarkable.”

Her tone was light, but the meaning behind it was not.

Aschel’s eyes momentarily grew cold, although he continued to smile outwardly.

It was a face that seemed pleasant to anyone, yet there was an underlying tension.

Trying not to acknowledge it, Alice instinctively looked away.

“Then, good night, Brother,”

Alice said, not once turning back to look at Aschel until she completely disappeared from his sight.

Unseen by each other, yet brimming with emotions for one another, they maintained their intense gaze, ready to act at a moment’s notice.

* * *

The second day of the royal procession arrived.

The designated area for today’s excursion was the desolate forest to the west.

While it didn’t extend to areas where beasts roamed freely, the atmosphere of the forest, with its eerie dryness, was palpable.

“Indeed, the desolate and eerie atmosphere stimulates my senses. I feel like I can’t let my guard down for even a moment while I’m here,”

Remarked Prince Fabian about the forest.

His brother, Prince Nerobian, echoed his sentiment.

“I also think the same way. I would like to applaud the hard work of the frontline workers who work hard every day to protect this place.”

Just like the previous day, the overall coordination of the procession was led by Prince Fabian and Prince Nerobian.

Princess Violet, who was the overall supervisor of the procession, seemed more interested in the surrounding scenery and leisurely followed in the middle of the procession.

Standing guard behind the princess as her personal protector was Alice.

“Our younger brother is so amazing. He seems like a passionate and inquisitive student.”

The princess observed her younger siblings expressing their thoughts openly and couldn’t help but smile, knowing well that their display was merely superficial.

Alice’s answer was straightforward, yet it carried a weighty significance.

“Alice, you mentioned you have a younger sibling?”

Princess Violet inquired.

“Yes, I have a younger sibling attending the Royal Academy,” Alice replied.

“How are they?”

The question seemed simple, but to Alice, it sounded significant.

“I see him as adorable a sibling. Therefore, I always strive to show them a good example,” Alice responded.

“Showing a good example… That sounds like a wonderful thing to do.”

Princess Violet’s steps began to slow unexpectedly.

Sensing this, Alice adjusted her pace to match the princess’s.

“As the princess representing the empire and as an older sister who should set an example for her siblings, we always have to show only the best side of ourselves. Sometimes, we have to hide even our true selves thoroughly…”

However, before Alice could finish her thought, a sudden flash of yellow light shot up from the eastern sky – a signal of demonic beast activity.

Fortunately, the distance seemed far enough that direct confrontation with the beasts was unlikely.

“Escort the princess and princes!”

Duke Vert immediately issued the evacuation order.

The princes, who had been striding confidently at the forefront, immediately sought refuge in the arms of their knights.

“Princess, please evacuate quickly…!”

At that moment when Alice hurried to protect Princess Violet, she saw it.

A shimmering, iridescent magic circle was drawn directly beneath Princess Violet’s feet.

Additionally, a faint blue mana light was emanating from her fingertips, concealed by her thigh.

Alice immediately thought, if what she was seeing wasn’t a mistake, then that must be ‘teleportation magic’…

0 seconds and 1 second.

In that fleeting moment when even normal thought processes seemed impossible, Alice desperately hoped that she was mistaken.

But contrary to her wishes…

*Whoosh!*

Princess Violet vanished before everyone’s eyes in an instant.

“The, the Princess has disappeared!!”

The knights were engulfed in panic.

Both the royal guards and experienced frontline knights were affected.

Facing a phenomenon where someone vanished suddenly without any warning, some couldn’t even react.

Alice was no exception.

“Pull yourself together, Alice!”

Approaching her was none other than Aschel.

“Calm down and tell me what you saw. How did the Princess suddenly disappear?”

Alice replied in a daze,

“Th-the Princess… it seemed like she used magic.”

“Magic?”

Aschel’s brow furrowed deeply.

“Yes! There was definitely a magic circle drawn beneath her just before she vanished, and although I’m not entirely sure, mana was manifesting from her hands…”

Even as Alice spoke, she couldn’t comprehend it herself.

Was she implying that the Princess had intentionally orchestrated her disappearance from her current location?

“…..!”

Suddenly, Alice saw it.

The distinctly predatory look between Aschel’s parted lips.

It was clear to anyone that he was gritting his teeth.

“Everyone! Disperse immediately and search for the Princess! Even if it means scouring every corner of the Lemea Valley, we must find her!”

As soon as the Duke’s command echoed, the momentarily frozen knights snapped out of it.

They quickly organized search teams and began to penetrate into the valley.