Royal Princess of Blood

At the palace, Mera had just finished putting her essential items into her large bag. She carried her bag over ‌her shoulder before rushing out of her room and to the side of the palace, where Vernon was waiting. The moment she arrived outside, she saw an old man with graying hair, who was wearing a sharp, stern look on his face. He was in his armored combat outfit.

Mera felt a little tense the moment she saw his expression. Ever since they heard that the empire was getting close, and that the king himself had decided to move out into battle, Vernon’s mood plummeted and became more serious. With this in mind, Mera absolutely didn’t want to disappoint. At the same time, she felt afraid, as everything seemed to be going downhill for the kingdom. The enemy had taken a good chunk of the kingdom’s territory. Thousands have died.

Mera rushed to his side. “Sir Vernon…”

“Mera, just in time, we’re about to move out.”

Together they made their way to their carriage. There were knights and soldiers moving all around, carrying their weapons or essential luggage. There were more knights here than soldiers, as the rest of the soldiers were waiting outside the city, waiting for the main convoy to leave.

In light of the dire situation the kingdom was now in, they had to draft more people to become soldiers for the war. Additionally, many of the knights and soldiers stationed at the capital had to move out and assist, leaving just enough to defend the city. Also, Mera heard they pulled out knights, commoner or noble, from their retirement. Just went to show how desperate the kingdom was now.

… If the army falls, is it even effective to leave defenses for the capital city?

To lessen casualties, Mera thought about just surrendering. That way, there would be no more bloodshed. However, she immediately shook it off her mind, it was a terrible thought to have. No one would stand for that. Furthermore, the empire would definitely eliminate the royal family. That was something no one would stand for.

Ultimately, the princess would never want that.

Therefore, this was a fight to the death. Mera was willing to die for the country, but she still preferred to see the princess and die for her. Deep within, she didn’t want to die before seeing the princess again.

They arrived at their carriage, and inside were more knights already sitting. Mera looked around and saw the king leaving the palace, and she noticed the princes standing with sad expressions. Her gaze lingered on the king as he entered his personal carriage. Vernon walked up beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder, surprising her a little.

“Mera, are you alright?”

She glanced at him briefly. “It’s just… it’s saddening that the princess’s father, the king, has to go out there.” He was the most important person in the kingdom. If something bad happens to him, it would be tragic for everyone.

Vernon stared at the king’s carriage. “We all have our duties to fulfill. Now let’s go.”

Mera faintly nodded and nimbly jumped up into the carriage, followed by Vernon, and they sat down. After dealing with the traitorous adventurers, Mera continued with her training without relent. There were not many human enemies she could fight just yet, so she could only fight monsters. However, the more monsters she fought, the more difficult she had to face after the last one. She had to fight monsters from the Elgion forest for that — which was a terrifying experience.

According to Vernon, Mera was still progressing very well. Mera herself could feel herself become strong. She was not as sluggish as before when she was but a mere maid with no combat abilities. She could take care of herself now. She wouldn’t fall behind average knights. Which she found something to be proud of, and she felt relieved knowing that.

I can help in some way. Not completely useless.

As the convoy was about to move, some of the knights who were riding with them immediately recognized Mera.

“You’re the princess’s maid,” said one of the knights, his brow furrowed.

Mera maintained her composure and faced them with a straight face. “Yes, I am.”

The knights looked at each other, their expressions a mixture of confusion and surprise.

“Are we so desperate now that we’re bringing maids to fight on the battlefield?” one muttered, but his voice was loud enough for everyone in the carriage to hear. There was a depressing tone to it.

Mera understood what the knight meant; it was indeed bizarre for a maid to go into combat. No one would expect that a maid would be sent into danger to fight. The knights exchanged awkward glances with each other.

“You shouldn’t come with us, Miss Maid,” said one knight with a stern expression. “It’s not your place to be.” The knight was a middle-aged man who seemed to be in his late thirties.

“That’s right,” said another, who seemed to be in his forties. “The battlefield is no place for a young lady.”

“Live longer here in safety,” added another knight.

Mera glanced at Vernon sitting opposite her, he kept a stoic expression as he looked outside. She knew that Vernon shared the same sentiment. Vernon spoke to Mera about him heading to the battlefield to help, to fight, and defend the kingdom. However, he never attempted to ask Mera to join or anything, he never had any intention to.

It was Mera alone who wanted to join and fight. After all, what was the point of the skills she learned if she wouldn’t use them to defend the kingdom where it mattered? Vernon didn’t agree at first, urging Mera to think about it. However, Mera was insistent; she had made her resolve. Thus, Vernon didn’t try to stop her.

Mera stared at the knights, young and old. Most of them seemed to be of commoner origin, as she didn’t recognize lots of them to be from aristocratic families. They appeared to truly care, which left Mera feeling awkward.

Mera lifted a small, solemn smile. “I understand… But… I can fight, so I will fight.”

The knights fell silent until one of them sighed. “... Your choice.”

A moment later, the carriage started moving, leaving the palace grounds as the carriages and those riding horses formed a line. Mera stared into the distance as the carriage shook.

“If you don’t mind my asking, Miss Maid,” one of the knights said.

“Yes?” Mera turned her gaze to look at him.

“... Um…” He seemed hesitant. “I, we heard the princess is only missing. But… it’s been so long. There’s word spreading that she’s actually… um…”

Mera blinked. “What…?”

“... That she’s actually dead.”

Upon hearing that, Mera’s heart sank, a heavy weight pulled down within her chest. All sorts of thoughts spiraled within her mind. Her ears seemed cloudy, as all sounds were muffled. With a subtle, deep breath, she quickly gathered her composure and shook her head.

“A baseless rumor. There’s no evidence supporting it.” She clenched her fists. “She will return.” It was a voice of certainty.

The knights exchanged glances. It was not that they wanted or hoped for the princess to have died, it was more that they were losing hope. It was hard to believe good news after what has been happening lately. And the princess had been missing for some time now, with no news about her. Therefore, it was just hard to believe or convince oneself that she was not yet dead in this chaos.

“... I hope so…” one of the eldest knights said.

And after that, only silence remained.

Unlike them, Mera was truly convinced.

Mera observed the city as they went through the main street. It was silent, the atmosphere was dreadful and gloomy, adding the chilly breeze that seemed to signal a dim future. There were barely any people walking on the street. Mera could see the fear and depression on their faces. The once-brimming street, full of vendors, was now almost empty.

There was not much to sell. When the war started, it was hard to sustain businesses. Trade with Myra was cut off, the Holy Kingdom suddenly stopped all communications and support, Eventon stopped doing business with Wisteria for some unknown reason — might be because they didn’t want to get involved in the war.

Wisteria was on its own. Preparations were made for the war, but even then, it wouldn’t last for long. The people here in this city, the wives’ husbands, the sons and brothers, were drafted and were sent, or to be sent, to war. Many had already died, while others didn’t get to hear from their family just yet.

Even Mera’s family had to evacuate back to the capital city the moment the war started. How lucky they got away before they got caught up. Mera’s family didn’t know what she was up to until they learned that she was going to join the war. They were horrified, of course. But there was nothing they could do about her decision.

Mera looked around with a sad gaze.

Eventually, they exited the city gates. Just outside the wall, there were hundreds of people moving out as well, while others were still folding their tents. A lot of these men were from nearby villages and towns, sent to gather here and to be allocated for the war.

As they kept moving, they soon reached a diverging path. Mera’s convoy separated from the king’s. She sighed, the king himself was heading to what’s called the frontline, where they’d face the empire’s primary force. As for the group Mera and Vernon belonged to, they had a different objective.

***

Somewhere to the west of the capital city of Serene, there was a large encampment of the Wisterian army. They numbered around a couple of hundred. The field had large tents and had more soldiers than knights moving around. This was where Mera and Vernon ended up.

Mera looked around to observe her surroundings, and she noticed some people who were armed and wearing protective gear but didn’t have the uniform soldier armors. They also wielded various weapons like swords, axes, spears, daggers, and large hammers.

“They don’t look like soldiers,” Mera said to Vernon, who was standing beside her.

“They’re like us, volunteers,” Vernon answered. “To be precise, they’re adventurers.”

Mera was a bit surprised to learn of that. “Volunteers? The kingdom isn’t paying them?”

“With the current situation Wisteria is in, there wouldn’t be many adventurers taking any job when there’s a chance the nation would fall in the end. If it falls, they will not get paid. And apparently, they’re moving with the army. If the kingdom hires adventurers, it would be for special operations.”

Mera faintly nodded with a small smile. “It’s good to know there are patriots among the adventurers.” It warmed her heart to know that.

“... They may be basically mercenaries, but there are adventurers who care for their homeland. You’re free to look around. I’ll be coordinating with the knights for the time being.”

Mera nodded and watched Vernon go. Mera stood for a moment, she had no idea where to go. There was nowhere to go out here. With a sigh, she searched for a nearby place to sit. Immediately, she found a simple, long wooden bench, crudely made. No one seemed to be owning it, so she sat down gracefully, her back straight.

I hope no one gets angry with me.

She looked around, just observing and nothing else. Not like she could participate in the meeting and planning of high-ranking personnel.

“Damn, I’m tired… Those guys are too noisy.”

Mera heard a girl’s voice mutter nearby. Then the voice walked up next to her. “Is this space free?”

Mera raised her gaze and saw a young woman with dark brown hair and dark eyes. She wore a leather armored robe, the style that you’d see mages often wore. Mera noticed faint dark circles under her eyes, as if she had not slept properly.

“Y-Yes, it’s free. Go ahead.”

“Nice, thanks.” The robed young woman casually sat down. The young woman stared at Mera with slightly narrowed eyes. “I didn’t expect to see another girl here.”

Mera awkwardly smiled. “Is that so rare?”

“Not rare for adventurers, but for draftees, yes. And you don’t seem to be an adventurer, never saw you before.”

Mera glanced at her for a moment. “... I’m not an adventurer.”

“... Your posture, the way to speak, your flawless face… Are you an aristocrat?”

How did she guess that?! Am I that obvious?

Mera was shocked. “Y-Yes…”

“Huh… I could never imagine a noble lady to be out here. I hope you don’t mind me speaking casually like this… Not that it matters out here.”

Mera shyly shook her head while wearing a friendly smile. “I don’t mind…” And she was right, it didn’t matter out here. “So you’re an adventurer… a volunteer?”

“Yeah.” The mage looked up at the sky. “Don’t think so coldly about adventurers now. Of course some of us would defend the kingdom… This is our home. I don’t want the empire to just take it.”

“... If the empire wins, it’s unlikely they’ll harm you adventurers.”

“I don’t care. I can’t stand the damage and deaths the empire has caused. So what brings a noble lady out here on the battlefield?” She asked with a stoic expression.

“... I can’t bear to stand idly by.”

The mage chuckled. “Guess some of you are brave like that, huh? I never would have expected.” She then extended a hand. “I’m Anita.”

That name’s kind of familiar…

Mera glanced down at her hand before shaking it. “Mera.”

“So Mera, what can you do?”

“... I can, um, punch and kick really strongly.”

Anita’s eyes widened for a moment before a wide smile spread across her face, followed by a laugh. “Seriously?! Hehe, a noble fighting like that… The world sure is full of surprises.”

Mera wryly laughed. “What about you?”

“I can cast spells. Been practicing a lot lately. Quite looking forward to using it in battle. Can’t wait to kill some imperial bastards.”

… She is more bloodthirsty than I thought…

But that didn’t make Mera’s impression of her any lower. She seemed like a good person.

***

I was sitting on a throne in the village square here out in the open. It was a simple throne made in a hurry. But I appreciated the effort. And before me, the crowd was kneeling on both knees, saying words of worship and some shit like that.

“Oh goddess! We are blessed in your presence!”

Oh boy… On second thought, too much direct worship like this is still a bit too much for me.

I just wanted to get out and have some personal space.

Guess I’m suffering from success…