Ch.299Chapter 299 – Beatrice’s Story (2)

“Beatrice” looked at me and asked.

“Helmet, what do you think my true identity is?”

“Is it okay if I say it?”

“Beatrice” nodded.

I thought about everything I’d experienced with her, and what I’d heard from Domestica.

‘They said the Shadow unit members look almost identical to the princesses.’

A unit meant to die in place of the royal family in emergencies.

Beatrice was a member of that unit.

If that was the case, “Beatrice’s” identity was easy to deduce.

“You’re a princess.”

“…Which one do you think I am specifically?”

“I don’t know that far. I don’t even know all their names.”

“Beatrice” gave a slightly bitter smile at my words.

Then she leaned against a tree and lit a cigarette.

After being lost in thought for a while, she spoke again.

“In Firenchena, there were seven princesses known as the Seven Princesses.”

“Beatrice” spoke quietly.

“First Princess, Angelica. A princess of many talents who excelled in swordsmanship, magic, and academics.”

“Second Princess, Beatrice. A princess respected by all, called the flower of social circles for her nearly perfect court etiquette.”

“Third Princess, Cecilia. A princess who loved arts like musical instruments and painting.”

“Fourth Princess, Dana. Known as ‘Dancing Princess Dana,’ she was skilled in dance, showed talent in magic, and was kind to those around her.”

“Fifth Princess, Emilia. A diligent, scholarly princess interested in technological advancement and known for her extensive knowledge.”

“Sixth Princess, Francesca. The Iron-Blooded Princess who showed talent with the sword, was cool-headed, quick to calculate, and knowledgeable in military strategy.”

“Seventh Princess, Gabriella. Born on the same day as the Queen of Firenchena, she was said to be blessed, showing talent in many areas and considered nearly perfect.”

“Beatrice” looked at me and said,

“They were the pride of the Kingdom of Firenchena, said to have received the Rainbow’s Blessing… and they were my family.”

“Rainbow’s Blessing?”

“They say a rainbow appeared when the first and youngest princesses were born.”

So that’s why it’s called the Rainbow’s Blessing.

Being from the royal family, they seem to have acquired many flowery descriptions.

Come to think of it, both of them had keywords related to being perfect.

According to “Beatrice,” they all had recognized talents, though it seemed a bit vague, but that’s how they were evaluated.

“For reference, they all received education befitting royalty. Just because one excelled in a particular area doesn’t mean they were significantly lacking in others. They all received equal education.”

“Beatrice” said with a slight smile.

“Weren’t there any conflicts?”

“No. The First Princess was such a perfect person that she was considered talented in everything. She was the right age and skilled in politics too. No one could argue for another princess to be the successor. Thanks to that, there were no conflicts over succession.”

For such words to come out, this all-talented princess must have been truly formidable.

“Still, they were sisters. I’d think there would be jealousy or arguments.”

“I can’t say there were none, but I think they were just at a normal level. After all, we were all one family.”

“Beatrice” spoke with a slightly happy smile.

“Everyone got along well. Sometimes we’d all get into mischief together, do childish things. We’d scheme together to play outside the palace in the village, or sneak into the kitchen to make late-night snacks.”

“…Sneak in?”

“Yes. The First and Second Princesses, who loved taking care of their younger sisters, led the way.”

“Beatrice” added with a laugh that the Second Princess instigated the kitchen infiltration, while the First Princess did the cooking.

“Wasn’t the Second Princess described as having nearly perfect court etiquette?”

“She wouldn’t put on airs like that in front of her sisters. Of course, she was strict about etiquette in social circles and official settings.”

I had thought they would be different because everyone praised them as the Seven Princesses.

But from what I heard, they weren’t sisters engaged in political scheming behind the scenes, but rather sisters with deep affection for each other.

“Those were good times.”

“Beatrice” said with sad eyes.

“Because the princesses got along well with each other, the people around them got along too. Especially their Shadow guards got along well with each other. Later, even the princesses considered them friends.”

So because the people they served had good relationships, their subordinates got along well too.

It was heartwarming just to hear about it.

“Beatrice” looked at me and said,

“Beatrice too, was one of our friends.”

Is she talking about the person she’s impersonating now?

I quietly listened to her story.

“Beatrice was, well, amazing.”

“Amazing?”

“Yes. She was mischievous, but also sharp. She was kind, good at reading people’s hearts, always made everyone laugh, learned quickly, and was extremely skilled with the sword.”

“A genius, huh.”

When I muttered that in response to her description, “Beatrice” nodded with a smile.

“She was actually called a genius. Princess Angelica said it was a shame to keep her as a Shadow with such talent, and even offered her a position to work in the open.”

“She must have been an incredible person.”

“Yes, she was amazing… She was like a hero to the young princesses.”

“Beatrice” spoke with eyes looking into the distance.

Then she smiled and continued.

“Well, Beatrice declined the First Princess’s offer.”

“What did she say when she refused?”

“Something like she preferred playing with and taking care of the princesses rather than working.”

The princesses were disappointed that such talent was being wasted, but it seems the real Beatrice was firm in her decision.

“…You heard what happened next from Gabriella, right? That all the princesses were killed.”

“Yes.”

She told me before we made the deal on the ship.

I nodded, and she continued quietly.

“And now you’ve probably guessed.”

“……”

“Beatrice didn’t fail in her duty that day.”

“Beatrice” said with a face that looked like she might cry.

“When assassins from the Emiris Order’s holy knights burst in… when the guard knights fell one by one, and the Shadow guarding me died protecting me, Beatrice saved me.”

Her voice rang out, full of regret.

“She was covered in blood. Her clothes, which were beautifully decorated like ours, were in tatters. And she urgently called out to me.”

“What did she say?”

“‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t protect your sister… It’s dangerous, please abandon the carriage and follow me,’ she said.”

And it seems “Beatrice” began a desperate escape with Beatrice.

“But the escape hit a snag from the start.”

“Why?”

“My legs gave out.”

Was she recalling that scene?

“Beatrice” trembled slightly.

“…There was a holy knight nearby who was holding my mother’s head and rushing toward me. Mother’s face was terribly distorted… When he thrust that head at me, I couldn’t move at all… I was too scared.”

“……”

“Even then, Beatrice didn’t abandon me.”

“Beatrice” continued quietly.

“She fought that holy knight, cut him down, apologized to my mother, and then dragged me along even though my legs had given out. My dress was torn and covered in dirt.”

To save the princess who was her friend, the real Beatrice attempted to escape with determination.

And that was while forcibly dragging along a princess whose legs had given out.

Naturally, that escape didn’t last long.

“Holy knights who found us approached. Beatrice didn’t give up and defeated them. But gradually, the frequency of holy knights approaching increased.”

And seeing their increasing numbers, “Beatrice” quietly added that she could easily guess the fate of the other princesses.

“After shaking off pursuers and moving for several hours, Beatrice suddenly stopped.”

From “Beatrice’s” voice, I could guess why Beatrice had stopped.

“She said that if we continued like this, we’d both die. She said she was too exhausted to fight or to escape with me.”

“Then that girl, she smiled brightly.”

“Looking at me, Beatrice said this.”

“Beatrice” spoke quietly.

“She told me to put strength in my legs, stand up, and run. With my dress and face in such a mess, they might confuse our identities. So she told me to run.”

Her trembling voice continued to confess the past.

“She said she would buy me time, and that I should run far away. As far as possible.”

“……”

“I screamed that I didn’t want to. That everyone was dead. That Beatrice would die too. I screamed that I’d had enough.”

The princess couldn’t move due to fear.

And to that princess, the Shadow…

“Beatrice slapped my cheek and said with a smile.”

“Beatrice” touched her cheek lightly as she continued.

[If the princess lives, Beatrice won’t die.]

[Because Beatrice will live on in the princess’s life.]

The Shadow said.

[From now on, you must stand up and run by yourself.]

[If you can’t run, you must crawl.]

[Live. You must live. You must live for my share too.]

[And please grasp the happiness that Beatrice couldn’t enjoy.]

[Then I think I can go with a smile.]

To the Shadow who smiled brightly.

The princess asked.

“I asked her why she would go so far for me.”

“I said couldn’t she survive if she went alone.”

“With Beatrice’s abilities, she could have easily done so.”

“I asked such a foolish question when there was no time.”

And to that princess, Beatrice smiled and said.

[Actually, I had a younger sister who died of illness long ago.]

[She was good and obedient… my only family.]

The Shadow, who had lost her parents early and then her last family member, spoke with all her heart.

[So I saw my sister in the princesses.]

[Looking at the princesses who always treated me kindly, I thought this is how my sister might have been if she were alive.]

The Shadow smiled.

[You are like my sister, Princess.]

[You are like family to me.]

[So Beatrice can risk her life for family.]

The Shadow helped the princess to her feet.

And in a gentle voice, she said.

[When you’re escaping, if you think you’re about to be caught, shout like this.]

[Shout that your name is Beatrice.]

[Then…]

“Beatrice” bowed her head further and said.

“…Then, perhaps a miracle might happen. With those final words, Beatrice smiled and ran toward the direction the pursuit team was coming from. To distract a priest who had noticed us and was coming our way.”

I looked at her quietly as she spoke.

It seemed a bit hard for her to bear, as she leaned against me and continued.

“And not long after, I encountered a holy knight from the Emiris Order.”

And “Beatrice”…

Did as Beatrice had told her.

“I desperately shouted that I was a person named Beatrice.”

And a miracle happened.

“…When that holy knight was suspicious of me, another holy knight approached him and said that they had collected the heads of all the queen and princesses. That the pursuit was over.”

At those words, the holy knight mistook “Beatrice” for Beatrice.

“Beatrice” miraculously overcame the crisis.

“…Even in death, Beatrice saved me.”

Like a confession, the princess spoke with a trembling voice.

For a while, she trembled and bowed her head deeply.

Her witch’s hat covered her face, so I couldn’t see what state she was in.

I quietly placed my hand on her shoulder to try to calm her.

After a moment, her voice was heard again.

“…After that, it was a series of hardships. I was hungry and didn’t know where to go.”

She had suddenly lost everything.

Naturally, she wouldn’t have known what to do or how to proceed afterward.

“But Beatrice had left me with words. To live. To definitely live.”

The princess survived tenaciously.

Begging for food, even being stoned.

She lived tenaciously.

And then.

“…I secretly hid in a merchant’s cargo that was leaving the country and escaped abroad. Drifting like that, I miraculously arrived at the Magic Tower in the Kingdom of Mikea.”

The princess said with a sad smile.

“…And using the name of the Firenchena court magician, after various commotions, I was able to enter the Magic Tower with the help of a magician who took pity on me.”

The princess had barely managed to survive and drifted into the Magic Tower.

Her escape had miraculously succeeded.

As someone had said.

“After arriving at a land where I could finally rest, recovering from hunger and fatigue, I heard bad news again.”

“Bad news?”

“…News that my father had been poisoned.”

I had heard this part from Gabriella too.

“Beatrice” looked at me and said,

“At that time, I was so desperate to survive… I only heard the news months later. When I found out, I cried for days.”

The princess who had lost all her family was plunged into grief.

And, a few days later.

“…I couldn’t forgive them. Those who had taken everything from me, those who had killed Beatrice.”

The princess vowed revenge.

“The first thing I did was investigate. Who was responsible that day. Who was in charge. To take revenge on them.”

And she quickly figured it out.

The princess could quickly understand that it was because her uncle had betrayed them.

“Tracking down the person in charge from the Order took some time. So I started by finding the one whose face I remembered.”

“The one whose face you remembered?”

“The priest that Beatrice had run away to distract. I slowly recovered my memories and figured out who it was.”

There was killing intent in “Beatrice’s” words.

From her killing intent, I could tell who it was.

“It was Somnus.”

“He was the one in charge of the princess assassinations that day.”

His appearance that day was to personally kill the princess who had survived the longest.

Thanks to that, “Beatrice” could know exactly who the perpetrators were.

“The day I realized that, I swore to abandon my past as a princess.”

The former princess told me.

“I vowed that I would definitely take revenge on them. And I decided to gather strength.”

The former princess had arrived at the Magic Tower.

She learned magic and made it her strength.

And then.

“…I took the name I had borrowed to survive until then as my own name.”

“That was the moment.”

“The moment when the Mad Dog of the Magic Tower, obsessed with revenge, was born.”

“The moment when the Beatrice before your eyes, Helmet, was born.”

Beatrice finished her story.

For a while, only silence hung between Beatrice and me.

After a moment, Beatrice looked at me and carefully asked.

“Are you disillusioned?”

“About what?”

“…About me, who survived while others sacrificed themselves.”

Beatrice said quietly.

Her voice was trembling slightly.

To such a Beatrice, I quietly said.

“No.”

“That’s a quick answer.”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

I looked at Beatrice and spoke quietly.

“That person chose to save you. And you were just desperately trying to survive.”

Looking into Beatrice’s eyes, I said.

“What reason is there to be disillusioned?”

Trying to survive is a natural instinct.

And if anything, it was remarkable.

Both the person who willingly sacrificed herself to save another despite being able to survive alone.

And the fact that there was someone willing to sacrifice herself for her.

I might not have known because I only knew one side of Beatrice, but the Beatrice beside me now might have been someone with such excellent character that another person was willing to risk their life for her.

But that was my perspective, and the person involved would think differently.

‘She’s trembling.’

It was a trembling mixed with various emotions.

Emotions like fear and guilt, anger and sadness felt at that time.

The memory of that past must have been tormenting Beatrice to the point of almost driving her mad.

‘Chris should have been here.’

I couldn’t think of words to comfort Beatrice.

Chris, being a cleric, would be familiar with such situations.

I felt like I had made a mistake in personnel selection.

But I had already come this far.

Very clumsy, and perhaps full of mistakes,

but I should do my best.

“Unfortunately, I’m neither a god nor a cleric. I’m not anyone special.”

“Helmet.”

“But if you’re okay with someone like me, I’ll tell you.”

Looking at Beatrice, I said.

“You’ve been through a lot trying to survive.”

Looking at her as her eyes widened slightly, I said.

“And now, how about forgiving yourself?”

“The Beatrice who tried to save you would have wanted you to be happy for her share too.”

Beatrice buried her face in her knees.

The sound of silent crying began to be heard.