A Happy Life in the Empire - The Princess Once Called a “Failure” Becomes the “Most Important Person” as a Hostage in the Empire - Chapter 11

Beyond the castle gate, a vast city stretched out before me, far larger than I had imagined.

Carriages and traveling merchants moved along the main street, and the market stalls were lined with all kinds of goods.

Even without straining my ears, I could hear the lively chatter of the people.

The energy was incredible.

It was so intense that it seemed to reach even the back alleys.

This was Grandfell, the empire’s greatest trading city.

Its reputation was well-earned, and I was completely overwhelmed by its sheer liveliness.

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Duke Edward’s castle stood in a quiet area, away from the city center.

To my surprise, its outer walls were made of pure white marble, reflecting the sunlight like a mirror.

The courtyard was carefully maintained, giving the estate the dignity befitting a duke’s residence.

I was told to wait in a guest room on the second floor.

Alto and Duke Edward were going to speak alone.

(This room is bigger than my bedroom back home…)

I looked around the guest room.

A thick carpet covered the floor, and the walls were decorated with finely woven tapestries.

Through the window, I could see the beautifully kept courtyard.

Everything was perfect.

Yet, I couldn’t relax.

Rather than feeling happy, it was painful.

Being in such an elegant place always reminded me.

Of my days in the kingdom.

Now that I think about it, my life in the kingdom was nothing but suffering.

My own family called me a “failure” and treated me with disdain.

I was constantly compared to my older brothers and sisters, insulted, and neglected.

Compared to that, my life in the empire was pure happiness.

That’s why, whenever I remember the past, my chest tightens unbearably.

I never want to return to the kingdom.

“By His Highness’s order, I will be standing by your side, Lady Sophia.”

With a knock, the door opened, and Gerald entered.

“Thank you, Gerald.”

“It’s nothing.”

That was all he said in reply.

(Ugh… This is so awkward…!)

Now, it was just me and Gerald in the room.

Waiting in silence for Alto to return felt impossible.

So, I decided to try talking to Gerald.

“Hey, Gerald. Why don’t we chat, like we do at meals?”

Gerald was a man who strictly separated work and personal matters.

The only time he let his guard down was during dinner.

During those times, he was like a kind uncle.

“I’m on duty right now…”

Gerald frowned slightly in discomfort.

I gave a small, helpless smile and shrugged.

“Come on, please! If we stay like this, it’s going to be so awkward that I’ll suffocate!”

I clasped my hands together in front of my face, pleading.

“…Fine, if that’s what you want. But don’t tell Alto or anyone else, alright?”

Gerald scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

It seemed he wasn’t comfortable talking casually while on duty.

Still, he was kind enough to go along with it.

“Thank you! You’re the best, Gerald!”

“I’m a man, after all. I can’t say no to a pretty lady’s request.”

“Haha.”

“So, what do you want to talk about?”

Gerald asked gently.

“Um…”

I thought for a moment, then clapped my hands.

“Oh! Can you tell me more about your relationship with Alto?”

“My relationship with Alto?”

“Yes! In private, you call him by his name without any formalities, and he allows it. I can tell that you two have a strong bond. So, I’d love to know how that came to be!”

“I see…”

Gerald paused, thinking for a few seconds.

Then, he slowly began to speak.

“The empire has several knight orders, and as you know, I am the leader of one of them. Our order’s duty is to protect Alto. That has been our mission ever since he was a child.”

“So, you’ve been serving Alto since he was little?”

“That’s right. Because of that, we’ve grown close. I wasn’t just his guard—I did a lot for him. I even taught him swordsmanship.”

“You did?!”

“Well, I only taught him the basics. He’s incredibly talented. He improved so quickly that he surpassed me and the other knights in no time.”

“Alto is really strong.”

I could still clearly remember the time he protected me from the bandits.

He had taken down dozens of them in an instant.

“But you know, Alto used to be a crybaby.”

“What?! Alto? A crybaby?! That’s impossible!”

I couldn’t picture it at all.

The Alto I knew was fearless, the very definition of strength.

Imagining him crying was almost too funny.

“Back when His Majesty hadn’t allowed him to carry weapons yet, he used to read books a lot. And he really wanted to act like an adult. You know those kids who try too hard to drink black coffee even though they hate it?”

“I know exactly what you mean!”

I nodded firmly.

I was one of those kids who forced themselves to drink black coffee.

“For Alto, that meant reading scary books. Not children’s books, but gruesome horror novels that even I found disturbing.”

“Whoa…”

I gave a strained smile.

“And, of course, those books scared him. He didn’t just cry—he wet the bed.”

“He even wet the bed?! That has to be a joke!”

“I wish it was. But it’s true. And guess who had to clean up after him?”

“Why you? Shouldn’t that have been the servants’ job…?”

“If the servants handled it, His Majesty would find out. If they didn’t report it, it would cause problems later. But Alto was too embarrassed to tell the other knights. So, he relied on me.”

“I see…”

It was such a cute story, so different from the Alto I knew.

Just imagining little Alto crying to Gerald made me grin.

“Don’t tell anyone. If Alto finds out, I might lose my head. And if that happens, you’re going down with me.”

“I-I won’t tell! I swear!”

Gerald laughed and said, “Good.”

“But still, Alto is so confident now… People really do change.”

“I’m not so sure. To me, Alto hasn’t changed at all. He just grew up and took on the responsibilities of a crown prince. He acts strong in front of others, but deep down, he’s still the same kid.”

“I see…”

“To me, Alto is like the son I raised. Of course, saying that is completely disrespectful.”

“I think it’s wonderful to have that kind of bond.”

Alto had become who he was today because of the people who supported him.

I was happy to learn more about that.

“Well, now you understand my relationship with Alto.”

“Yes! I understand very well!”

“Do you have any other questions? You don’t get opportunities like this often, so ask anything.”

“In that case…”

I decided to ask my next question.

“Can you tell me about the war?”

“The war?”

“The conflict between the Kingdom of Luminar and the Elysion Empire.”

“You should already know about that, being a princess of the kingdom.”

“Actually, I don’t know anything about it. No one in the kingdom paid attention to me, so I never had a chance to hear about it. And as a princess, I was never allowed to leave the palace. I spent most of my life in my room or nearby. I don’t even know how the war started.”

After saying that, I added, “I know it’s hard to believe.”

“No, actually, that makes perfect sense. During the peace negotiations, when the kingdom agreed to submit, it was King Julius himself who suggested offering you as a hostage. Our empire—especially Alto—refused at first, but King Julius insisted it was a ‘sign of goodwill.’ Back then, I didn’t think much of it, but hearing your story now, I understand.”

I nodded silently.

I couldn’t think of the right words to say.

Still, Gerald didn’t mind and continued speaking.

“The cause and reason for the war depend on each country’s interpretation. Since I am a soldier of the empire, I would have to explain it as a necessary and justified invasion by the empire. But that might give you a biased impression, Sophia. So, can I skip that part and just tell you about the war itself?”

“I understand. That’s fine. Please go ahead.”

“Alright. First, let’s talk about the situation at the beginning of the war. At first, both sides were evenly matched. No, actually, you could even say the kingdom had the advantage.”

“Really?”

“The Kingdom’s army—meaning the Luminar people—have high magic power, especially the royal family. They excel in battles using magic. That’s why they prefer open battlefields where they can unleash powerful spells from a distance.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

“On the other hand, Elysion people generally have low magic power. You say your magic is ‘extremely low,’ but even that level is considered high within the empire. In fact, you have more magic power than I do.”

I nodded in understanding.

The people of Rockwell Town also mostly had no magic power.

That would be unthinkable in the Kingdom of Luminar.

“Because of that, the empire relies on close combat—swords and spears—for battle. In other words, hand-to-hand combat. However, since the empire was the one invading the Kingdom of Luminar, the battlefield was chosen by the enemy.”

“Why does the defending side get to choose the battlefield?”

“It’s simple. The defending side just needs to build their base where they want to fight. That’s why most of the Kingdom’s defense bases were in open fields.”

“I see!”

It was a very clear explanation.

“Because of that, at the start of the war, the empire struggled. We couldn’t get close due to the Kingdom’s powerful magic attacks.”

“Then how did the situation turn around?”

“Because Alto came up with an unbelievable strategy.”

“An unbelievable strategy!?”

“To put it simply, it was an invasion from two locations at the same time. But it wouldn’t work if we did it normally. The royal family—most likely your older brother and sister—were overwhelming the battlefield.”

He meant Clarissa and Leopold.

I nodded silently.

“So, Alto said he would be the decoy.”

“Alto as a decoy!?”

I widened my eyes in shock.

“Yes. Alto suggested that one of the two forces should consist of only himself and my knight order. But if it was just us, the enemy would notice how few we were. So, we prepared a huge number of straw dummies, dressed them in armor, and made them look like real soldiers. From a distance, it seemed like a massive army, allowing us to focus our real forces elsewhere.”

“That’s an amazing strategy…!”

“The Kingdom’s army never imagined that the Crown Prince would be used as a decoy. They completely fell for it and focused most of their forces on our side.”

“Which gave the empire the chance to attack the defense bases.”

“Exactly. No matter how favorable a battlefield is for the Kingdom, if their defenses are weak, they can’t hold out. The empire’s forces overwhelmed them, taking over their defense bases one by one. Eventually, the Kingdom’s frontlines collapsed.”

“That really is an incredible strategy…! But didn’t anyone try to stop him? It worked in the end, but if the Kingdom’s army had attacked Alto’s side, they would have seen through the trick, right?”

“That’s right. That’s why everyone was against it at first. They said it was too dangerous and tried to stop him. Even His Majesty opposed it. But Alto refused to listen. Well, in the end, since it worked, no one could complain.”

Gerald laughed as he spoke.

His eyes showed deep respect for Alto.

“Alto is really amazing.”

“I think so too. He does things that ordinary people wouldn’t even think of. As his bodyguard, he gives me a lot of anxiety, though.”

“Haha. I can imagine how stressful it must be for you and the other knights!”

Once again, I realized just how remarkable Alto was.

“Alright, next—”

I still wanted to hear more.

As I leaned forward, eager to continue, there was a light knock at the door, and it opened.

“Sophia, sorry to keep you waiting. The duke has decided to host a dinner party for us.”

Alto had returned.

It seemed his meeting with the duke was over.

“Alto…!”

At first, I looked at him with admiration.

But then, a different image flashed in my mind.

A young Alto, crying after wetting the bed, troubling Gerald.

“Pfft.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hm? What’s wrong, Sophia?”

“N-No, it’s nothing…!”

I desperately tried to hide my grin as I stood up.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t completely hold back my laughter.

“Sophia, you look really happy. Are you that excited about the dinner party?”

“Huh? Ah, no, that’s not it…”

“Then what is it?”

Alto narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

I gave him a playful smile.

“It’s a secret! It’s between me and Gerald!”

Gerald immediately straightened his posture in alarm.

“Hmm? Gerald, what did you talk about with Sophia while I was gone?”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. It’s a secret, so I can’t tell you.”

Gerald looked away and saluted.

“W-What!? Gerald, that’s an order! Tell me!”

“I must refuse that order, Your Highness!”

“You what!?”

“Hahaha.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at their exchange.

Gerald also smiled along with me.

“Ugh! Now I’m really curious! Damn it!”

Alto pouted in frustration.

His reaction was so funny that I burst out laughing again.