Surviving as a Prince of Britannia

Author’s Note : This chapter contains mature content.

This side story takes place shortly after the signing of the Atlantic War Armistice Agreement.

Holy Britannian Empire

Imperial Capital, Pendragon City

Outside the Chancellor’s Office

I, Lysander de Britannia—Fourth Prince, Duke of Tenochtitlan, and Grand Marshal of the Holy Britannian Empire—had just delivered an original copy of the Atlantic War Armistice Agreement to the Chancellor’s Office.

It bore three signatures : mine on behalf of the Empire, that of the Emperor of the SPQR, and that of Gao Hai, taiguan and de facto regent of the Chinese Federation.

As a Grand Marshal, I received a copy of the agreement before leaving the building.

Schneizel—my older half-brother, the Second Prince, and Chancellor of the Empire—invited me to join him for tea as a matter of courtesy, but I declined.

I was in no mood for food or drink.

At the end of the corridor, my adjutant, Bedivere, and my secret mistress, Caroline, were waiting for me.

“Well done, Your Highness.”

“Your Highness, let us return to the Duchy of Tenochtitlan.”

“You must rest.”

“I have already summoned your private jet.”

“Thank you, Bedivere.”

“And Caroline?”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“You too have worked hard.”

“Go to Area 15 immediately.”

“You are now Viceroy of Area 15—East Africa.”

“Your subordinates will be waiting for you.”

At my words, Caroline bowed her head.

“Thank you for this honor, Your Highness.”

“I will never forget it.”

She was the courtesan who had taken my virginity, but during both the invasion of Area 11—formerly Japan—and the Atlantic War, she had also served as my private spymaster. Her intelligence network was known as Caroline’s Birds and Rats: the birds heard every word spoken beneath the sun, while the rats carried away every secret whispered after dark.

Because of her deep-seated insecurities about her origins and the trauma of her mother’s death, she had refused to become my official mistress. Instead, she asked to be appointed Viceroy of Area 15, one of our newly acquired colonies, and I granted her request.

“Don’t mention it. Bedivere?”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“Could you do me a favor?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“I have sworn to live and die at your command.”

On the flight back to my duchy, Tenochtitlan, Bedivere quietly asked,

“Your Highness, are we returning to your private residence?”

“No. Take us to the 95th Rifle Regiment Memorial Cemetery.”

Bedivere nodded silently. During the flight, he made calls to high-end wine merchants and florists.

Dozens of cases of premium liquor and bouquets of lilies were delivered to the cemetery.

A few hours later, we arrived.

The liquor and lilies Bedivere had arranged were already waiting for us.

I stood before the first headstone, holding a bottle of wine and a bouquet of lilies.

“Hernandez... I won... thanks to you. Drink this.”

I poured the wine onto the ground before his grave and brandished my copy of the armistice.

“What good is this? You’re dead! What is this worthless scrap of paper supposed to mean now?!”

Tears streamed down my face.

Bedivere approached me.

“Your Highness, it is late. Please stop...”

“No. I’m nowhere near finished.”

I moved from grave to grave, calling each soldier by name, pouring wine, and laying down flowers.

“I’m sorry... Juan Garcia... I was incompetent, and I let you die.”

“I wrung every concession I could from them... but how could this scrap of paper ever be worth your life, Maria Lopez...?”

My voice rose until it cracked.

I crushed the copy of the armistice into a ball in my fist.

Bedivere tried to stop me several times.

“Your Highness, you are hurting yourself. Please, let us return.”

But I continued until I had visited every last grave.

Finally, before the final headstone, I collapsed.

Empty bottles lay scattered across the ground.

Bedivere gathered them up along with the crumpled armistice.

“Your Highness, please. It is time to go back.”

I tried to stand.

At that moment, a dark figure emerged from behind one of the headstones.

Caroline stood there in full mourning dress, her face hidden behind a black veil.

In her hand, she held a bouquet of lilies.

“Your Highness...”

I turned around in surprise.

“Caroline? Weren’t you supposed to be in Area 15?”

She quietly approached and embraced me from behind.

“I was going to leave... but then I heard where you had gone.”

“How could I leave you alone, Your Highness, when you were here crying by yourself?”

I spoke in a trembling voice.

“You shouldn’t have to see me like this...”

Caroline lifted her veil slightly and held me tighter.

“No. This is who you are. Even in victory, you refuse to forget the dead.”

Bedivere stepped away and called for men to clear away the empty bottles.

Caroline whispered,

“I can assume my post tomorrow.”

I nodded.

“Thank you...”

And a little later.

My bedroom.

After returning from the cemetery, my body still smelled of alcohol and dirt.

Just as I was about to take a shower, the door was opened slightly.

Caroline stood there in a black mourning dress.

A black veil was half-hiding her face.

"...Caroline?"

Instead of answering, she closed the door and approached me. Her gloved hand brushed against my cheek, but her eyes locked onto mine with an intense stare-down, promising a hunger I couldn't ignore.

"Your Highness... are you still crying?"

I took her hand.

"I'm sorry... today... I..."

"No. Tonight, I will... comfort you."

She slowly removed her veil, her gaze burning into mine as she pulled me closer.

Her white shoulders revealed beneath the black dress, trembling slightly. Her hand unbuttoned my shirt, her fingers tracing the curves of my chest with electric intensity.

One, two...

My chest was exposed to the cool air, but her touch burned hotter.

"Your Highness... it's hot..."

I unzipped her dress, tearing the black fabric down until it pooled at her feet. Only her black lace bra and panties remained, glistening with moisture.

I laid her on the bed, spreading her legs wide to devour her.

Her hand, without the gloves, scratched my back, leaving trails of fire where her nails dug in.

"Your Highness... harder..."

I unclasped her bra, freeing her soft, full breasts, and took one into my mouth, sucking hard until she cried out in pleasure.

Her body arched, her hips bucking against me.

I lowered her panties, sliding a finger through her wet folds before gripping her hips and driving myself into her with a desperate, hungry rhythm.

"Ugh! It's too big... ah! Your Highness!"

Her body clenched tightly around me, her inner walls spasming with each thrust.

We moved as one, a frantic dance of sweat and breath, driven by the raw need to erase the pain of the war with the heat of the moment.

The tension built until it snapped, an explosion of passion that left us gasping and broken on the sheets.

I whispered in her ear.

"Tonight... I'll do whatever you want."

She smiled through her tears, her nails digging into my back as we moved together through the night.

After spending the night in each other’s arms, we departed for Area 15 together the following day.

Caroline grumbled, “Why are you following me?” but in the end, she allowed me to come along.

A few days later, I arrived with Caroline at the Viceroy’s Office in Kampala, Area 15.

Despite her duties as the newly appointed Viceroy, Caroline made tea for me herself.

“...Your Highness, you will want for nothing here. Please stay as long as you like.”

“Thank you, Caroline.”

I took her hand, and we sat together on the veranda in silence for a long time.

Neither of us called it a honeymoon.

But the warmth we shared—the warmth of two people who had only just found their way back to the living—was real.