A Happy Life in the Empire - The Princess Once Called a “Failure” Becomes the “Most Important Person” as a Hostage in the Empire - Chapter 15

Assassinate Crown Prince Alto.

The method does not matter.

If you do, you will receive the highest honor.

That was what was written in the letter.

The handwriting was unmistakably my father’s—Julius.

“Ah…”

As soon as I finished reading, the letter was engulfed in blue flames and disappeared.

A mechanism to leave no trace.

(Father… wants to kill Alto…?)

My whole body trembled in shock.

I couldn’t move my hands or feet.

I stood frozen at the edge of the street.

Even though the city was lively, I couldn’t hear a single sound.

“What should I do…?”

Normally, there would be nothing to hesitate about.

I could just report this to Alto.

Considering how the royal family and nobles treated me, it was the obvious choice.

The people of the Empire had taught me what “happiness” was.

Among them, Alto was special—more important to me than anything else.

The thought of assassinating him was unthinkable.

However, I had a reason why I couldn’t simply report it.

If I told Alto, two problems would arise.

The first was that the relationship between the Empire and the Kingdom would become irreversibly worse.

Even if this assassination order was made without the approval of the royal family or nobles, it wouldn’t matter.

As punishment, the Kingdom would be subjected to harsher conditions than before.

At worst, the Empire might restart its invasion.

If that happened, not just the royal family, but the innocent citizens of the Kingdom would suffer greatly.

I couldn’t bear to bring disaster upon innocent people.

The second problem was the Kingdom’s traditional belief in the “Bl00d Oath.”

Even if you despise each other, you must never betray your bl00d relatives—

This belief, called the “Bl00d Oath,” was a fundamental value of the Kingdom.

Even my parents and siblings, who called me a “failure,” strictly followed this rule.

This belief was deeply rooted in the people.

If I broke the “Bl00d Oath,” the entire Kingdom would turn against me.

I would never be able to return to my homeland again.

(What should I do…?)

Countless thoughts swirled in my head.

Time passed.

The sun began to set, and dusk covered the city.

Yet, I remained in the same spot, unable to move.

(What if I neither report it nor carry it out? Father wrote, “The method does not matter,” so the assassination method is up to me. If I pretend to always be “in the process of carrying out the mission,” wouldn’t that solve everything?)

That idea crossed my mind.

But I quickly realized, “That won’t work.”

If I didn’t act, my father would eventually pressure me.

Next time, he would specify the exact method and deadline.

If I disobeyed, I would be seen as breaking the “Bl00d Oath.”

By that point, I wouldn’t be able to tell Alto either.

He would definitely ask, “Why did you stay silent until now?”

If that happened, my relationship with Alto and others would be ruined.

Not only in the Kingdom—I’d lose my place in the Empire too.

(Delaying will only make things worse. I have to decide…!)

Should I sacrifice myself and obey the royal family’s order?

Or should I sacrifice the Kingdom and choose my own happiness?

I struggled for hours, torn between my choices.

And then—

“I have no choice… do I?”

I finally made my decision.

◇

Having made up my mind, I immediately returned to the Duke’s castle.

Suppressing my turmoil, I hurried down the hallway.

Alto was in Duke Edward’s room.

Even without seeing him, I knew—because Gerald was standing in front of the door.

I wasn’t sure if they had taken a break, but it seemed the discussion was still ongoing.

“Gerald.”

I stood before him.

“Lady Sophia, what brings you here?”

“I need to speak with Alto right now. It’s important.”

“…Understood.”

Gerald agreed without questioning me.

He must have sensed something was wrong just by looking at my face.

He knocked on the door and stepped inside.

Shortly after, the door opened, and Alto appeared.

“Sophia, you said it was important. What happened?”

Alto asked with a serious expression.

I took a deep breath, trying to stay as calm as possible.

“I want to talk alone. I don’t want anyone else to hear this…”

“Alright. My room, then?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll inform the Duke that I’ll be stepping out.”

Alto closed the door.

◇

Alto and I went to his room.

It was larger than mine, with a more luxurious interior.

“So, what happened?”

Alto sat down in a chair.

He gestured for me to sit across from him.

But I remained standing, looking straight into his eyes.

Then, I spoke.

“Today, I received an order from my father—King Julius—to assassinate you.”

I had chosen to prioritize my own happiness.

Thinking of the people of the Kingdom hurt my heart, but I couldn’t give this up.

Even if I was called selfish, I didn’t want to lose it—

The happiness I had found in the Empire.

“What…!?”

Alto’s eyes widened for a brief moment.

But it truly was just a moment.

The next instant, his face returned to its usual calm expression.

“I see…”

Alto quietly stood up and walked toward me.

Then—

“Thank you for telling me.”

He placed his hands on my shoulders and gently pulled me into an embrace.

“Alto…?”

“I understand your situation. You must have been faced with an impossible choice. It must have been painful.”

Alto placed a hand on my head, gently stroking it.

His voice and touch were so kind that my emotions burst.

The pain I had been holding in came rushing out all at once.

“…Hic… Ugh… Waaahhh…!”

As a result, I started crying.

I buried my face in Alto’s chest and sobbed loudly.

“Alto…! Alto…!”

“I understand. I understand, Sophia.”

Alto gently stroked my head.

The warmth from his chest supported my fragile heart.

For a while, I just kept crying.

◇

“Sit down, Sophia. Let’s talk calmly.”

After I stopped crying, Alto gently pulled away from my shoulders.

He urged me to sit back down on a chair.

“Yes… I’m sorry…”

I wiped my tears and sat in the chair he indicated.

Alto sat in the seat across from me and crossed his legs.

“Regarding the assassination order on King Julius, do you have any proof?”

“No, I don’t… The instructions were given in a letter written in my father’s handwriting, but it was enchanted. It disappeared the moment I finished reading it…”

“I figured.”

It seemed Alto had expected there would be no evidence.

“I’m sorry… I don’t have any proof…”

“Don’t worry about it. If they were careless enough to leave evidence, they wouldn’t be much of a threat in the first place.”

Alto gave a small smile.

“Alto, I don’t care what happens to the royal family or the nobles. Since they plotted an assassination, they brought this upon themselves. But the citizens of the kingdom are innocent. Please, if possible, spare only the people.”

When I pleaded with him, Alto’s lips curled slightly.

“Rest assured. I won’t do anything. Not just to the citizens but also to the royal family and the nobles.”

“Huh? You’re going to let the royal family and the nobles go? Even after an assassination attempt?”

I asked without thinking.

If I were in his position, I would be furious.

“It’s infuriating, of course, but without proof, the Elysion Empire has no grounds for punishment. Even though the kingdom is a vassal state, punishing them based on uncertain circumstances would harm our reputation with other nations.”

“I suppose that’s true, but…”

“Besides, things like this happen all the time. The empire rules this continent and has many vassal states besides the kingdom. While few are foolish enough to target my life directly, it’s common for rebel groups to receive secret support or for riots and sabotage to be incited in various cities.”

“I see…”

“Of course, the empire does the same to other countries. That’s just how international relations work. So, don’t let it bother you.”

Saying this, Alto bowed his head slightly while still seated.

“If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I’m sorry for putting this burden on you.”

“N-no, not at all!”

I shook my head frantically.

“The one at fault is my father, not you! You have nothing to apologize for, Alto!”

“I appreciate you saying that.”

Alto smiled in relief.

However, his expression soon turned serious.

“But considering your position, we can’t just leave things as they are.”

“My position…?”

“I know about the ‘Bl00d Pact’ of the Luminar Kingdom. As things stand, you’ll be considered a traitor for breaking it. Since the kingdom won’t admit to the assassination plot, they’ll likely fabricate a reason and label you a traitor who broke the pact.”

“I’m prepared for that. Saying I don’t care would be a lie, but I’ve accepted it as something inevitable.”

“That’s not right.”

Alto spoke firmly.

“Sophia, you haven’t done anything wrong. It’s unfair for you to bear this burden.”

“But…”

“I have an idea.”

Alto leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands in front of his face.

“We’ll make it look like you carried out the assassination attempt, but it failed. That way, it won’t seem like you betrayed the royal family.”

“Huh…? What do you mean…?”

“Your magic power is low, so killing me with magic wouldn’t be realistic. And you wouldn’t stand a chance in a direct fight. That leaves poison as the most plausible method of assassination. So, we’ll say that you poisoned me but failed to kill me. That should be convincing.”

“But how would we make it seem like it really happened…?”

“I’ll ask the duke to publicly announce that ‘someone attempted to poison me.’ We’ll also delay my departure under the pretense of receiving treatment. In reality, nothing will have happened, but on the surface, it will establish the narrative that an assassination attempt took place but failed.”

I blinked in surprise.

I had never considered such an idea.

“But…! Wouldn’t that be a lot of trouble? And we’d have to make the duke lie as well…”

“It’s fine. The duke is a wise man. He’s incredibly cunning, so we can’t trust him completely, but his loyalty to the empire is as strong as mine. If I explain the situation, he’ll agree.”

“Thank you. But really, I’m so sorry… This is all because of me…”

“Like I said earlier, I should be the one apologizing. The kingdom only went this far because I took you with me in the first place.”

“Alto…!”

I felt warmth welling up in my eyes again.

“Hey now, don’t cry again, okay? You already cried a lot earlier. You look better when you smile.”

“…Okay.”

When I gave a small smile, Alto nodded in satisfaction.

“Once the duke announces the assassination attempt, they’ll start looking for the culprit. That should stop the kingdom from planning another attack for a while. This might be the last time something like this happens.”

“If it happens again, we’ll make sure to gather solid evidence next time! I’ll do anything I can to help!”

Alto chuckled wryly.

“That wouldn’t be ideal.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ve lost all faith in the royal family. I feel bad for the innocent citizens, but the royal family and nobles deserve to suffer!”

As I said those words, a strange sense of liberation washed over me.

Speaking my true feelings out loud made everything feel clear.

“Thank you, Sophia. The empire—no, I—will honor your resolve. You are a treasure to this empire. No matter what happens, our imperial army will protect you.”

“Thank you…!”

Alto smiled and gently took my hand.