Chapter 1: A Foolishly Loyal Retainer Beyond Saving

An irredeemably, foolishly loyal retainer.

Surely, anyone who knew how I met my end in my previous life would describe me with those exact words.

A third prince, born of a concubine, with virtually no right to the throne, and the first to be abandoned by the nobles.

What other words could describe someone who chose to follow such a man until his very end?

Moreover, there could be no other way to describe a fool who even wagered her life simply because “she couldn’t leave him alone.”

“…Why do you protect me?”

That was something he once asked me in the past.

The one I was assigned to protect—the third prince, Walter—asked me that with a hint of fear in his voice.

The reason was simple.

He was afraid.

He had no way of knowing whether I was truly someone who would protect him.

That was how utterly alone he was.

“Your Highness asks the strangest questions.”

I laughed, sounding amused.

Walter twisted his lips in dissatisfaction, but even so, I continued speaking without stopping the smile at the corners of my eyes.

“In the first place, there is no distinction between high and low. The ones we serve are the royal family. Even if you are born of a concubine, Your Highness still carries the noble blood of the royal family. Is there any greater reason for me to protect you?”

“…Uncle Lester and that old man Borneria tried to kill me.”

“That is simply because they are ugly nobles blinded by immediate gain. I would appreciate it if you did not lump me together with such lowly people.”

Lord Lester and Lord Borneria.

Both were members of ducal families.

However, precisely because of their high rank, they could not allow anyone outside the line of succession they supported—unstable elements—to remain alive.

And so, they attempted to kill him.

Because I knew that fact, I dismissed them outright as “lowly,” without caring that their rank was higher than mine.

But of course, that alone could not dispel Walter’s suspicion, and his doubtful gaze remained fixed on me.

“…What guarantee is there that you won’t betray me like Uncle Lester and the others?”

“…………”

At those words, I pressed my lips into a straight line.

I had nothing that could truly convince him.

Walter, seeing my reaction, showed an expression that seemed to say, “I knew it.”

In the end, you’re the same—you’ll betray me someday and kill me, won’t you?

His clouded eyes pierced me mercilessly.

Even though he was a prince, the Walter before me was still just a seven-year-old boy.

To make a child of seven look at someone like that—and worse, to allow it—

A surge of guilt welled up inside me.

And I declared within my heart that it was unacceptable.

He was someone I was meant to serve and revere as part of the royal family.

Even putting that aside, I could not allow a child who had barely become self-aware to accept such a reality from an adult like me.

That must have been why.

Without hesitation, I brought my right thumb to my mouth and bit into it, tearing the skin with a sharp sound.

Blood dripped down.

I pressed it against the back of Walter’s right hand.

“—I engrave my true intent.”

That was magic.

A peculiar form of magic known as “contract magic.”

A magic that allows one to form a contract with another as they desire.

And when the other party accepts it, the contract is established, leaving behind a mark somewhere on the body as proof.

“…!?”

Walter’s eyes widened in shock.

And rightfully so.

The contract I had made was—

—I pledge lifelong loyalty to Walter Via Sweberia.

A few seconds later, a sharp pain ran through my neck.

The contract had been completed.

It was the same pain I had felt during contracts before.

“With this, I can no longer betray Your Highness in any way. But at the same time, Your Highness can no longer doubt me either.”

I said that with a smug expression.

But Walter, for some reason, furrowed his brows in displeasure.

“Why… would you make such a contract…”

“As I said, the one I serve is the royal family. I am pledging loyalty to a member of that royal family—Your Highness. What is strange about that?”

“…That’s no different from being a slave…! A contract like this…!”

“But thanks to it, I’ve earned your trust. Compared to what I’ve gained, the price is small. Even if it’s my entire life.”

In truth, he must have been constantly on edge, not knowing who he could trust.

Even if he called it slavery, he still accepted the contract.

Because I understood that, I gave him a gentle smile.

“Now then, since I’ve gained your trust, let’s leave the royal palace as soon as possible. There’s no guarantee they won’t try to kill you again.”

By coincidence, I happened to work in the royal palace.

By coincidence, I was present when someone attempted to eliminate Walter as an obstacle.

And by coincidence, I was able to save him like this.

“…Do you have somewhere to run?”

“Let’s go to my family home. It’s a bit far, but if we’re to take refuge, that’s our only option.”

And so began our escape.

In the end, because I fled with Walter, pursuers were sent after us.

I fought desperately against the blades closing in, protecting him all the while, but just before reaching my family home—

I lost my life.

“—I will never forgive you for dying, no matter what…!!!”

Even now, after being reincarnated, I cannot forget the sight of Walter shouting at me with a demonic expression as I lay dying.

“I bet he’s still angry.”

Inside a carriage.

Reminiscing about the past, I murmured that as I gazed out the window.

“Well, I’m not going to reveal who I am anyway.”

My loyalty to the royal family has not changed.

But the reason I went that far back then was not just loyalty.

It was because I sympathized with the boy named Walter.

In the end, I couldn’t even protect him until the very end.

For someone as disloyal as me, it would surely be wrong to shamelessly show my face now.

That was why I had no intention of revealing myself.

I did feel like asking how he managed to rise all the way to becoming king after that situation, but I had no standing to do so, so I kept it to myself.

“That said, I never thought the day would come when I’d return to the royal palace.”

It had been about seventeen years.

Since I had deliberately avoided it, as Flora Waybeia after reincarnation, this would be my first time.

By order of my father, the head of the family, I was forced to attend a party at the royal palace—one held for a certain duke to choose a bride.

I let out a weary sigh.