It was probably her first time being separated from the Royal Guard, yet she remained composed.
I almost wanted to compliment her for it.
But the situation was far too urgent for small talk.
The enemy was so close I could hear their footsteps without even trying.
"Your Highness, they'll be bursting in any second now."
Selvia nodded, eyes locked on the door.
"Yes, I know."
"Then... can you fire two shots at the ceiling when they open it?"
"...The ceiling?"
Not at the enemy? She shot me a suspicious look, but I stayed serious.
"It doesn't have to be the ceiling. Just make noise with gunfire."
"Why would—no, wait. I get it."
She caught on quickly. Probably realized there was no time for questions.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps pounded closer.
We waited in silence until the door creaked open.
"I'll start now."
The moment the door opened, Selvia fired twice as I asked.
Flashes lit the room. The deafening cracks of the gunshots echoed down the hall.
The agents who were about to charge in instantly backed off.
Then—silence.
They were likely pressed against the hallway walls now, exchanging hand signals, figuring out how to move next.
Or more accurately, how to kill us.
They couldn't risk letting the Imperial Princess escape.
Their mission wasn't to kidnap her—it was to erase her.
But now they had a problem: they didn't know where in the room we were hiding.
Behind the couch?
Behind the bookshelf?
Under the desk?
Another room entirely?
Too many possibilities.
And in situations like this… they always defaulted to grenades.
Toss one into the room. Watch how we react.
I was waiting for exactly that.
Swallowing hard, I strained my hearing.
Click—
The faint sound of a pin being pulled from a grenade reached me.
Activating my neural acceleration, I stood and drew my revolver.
In slow motion, I saw an agent toss the grenade toward us through the door.
Failure wasn't an option.
Holding my breath, I aimed carefully—
—and fired.
BANG!
Time snapped back to normal just as the grenade exploded mid-air.
BOOM!
Shrapnel tore through the air.
"Argh!"
"Urgh!"
Screams rang out from the hallway.
I felt sick from the strain of neural acceleration, but I couldn't waste this chance.
"Your Highness—"
"I'm ready!"
Selvia and I burst into the hallway. One surviving agent reached for his pistol—
—but Selvia shot first.
Bang!
The agent dropped with a grunt, a bullet clean through his skull.
The rest were already dead. Eight bodies on the floor.
But there was no time to breathe easy.
"Your Highness, the gunshots will draw more. They wouldn't send just eight men for this."
"Then we need to leave, now—!"
Too late.
Footsteps thundered from the central stairwell.
"Upstairs! The Imperial Princess is upstairs!"
"Surround them! Shoot on sight!"
"Top floor! Don't let them escape!"
My heart pounded. At this point, the only person I could count on was Selvia.
"This way!"
I grabbed her wrist and ran toward the end of the hallway.
"Daniel! That's a dead end!" she shouted.
"No, it's not! The wall is glass!"
"What are you—?!"
Realization hit her. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"You're going to JUMP?!"
"Yes! The stairs are blocked, elevators are traps—this is our only way!"
"That's insane! Suicide isn't a strategy!"
I turned, dead serious.
"Your Highness, you can use spatial magic, right?!"
"H-How do you—? No! It only works within line of sight!"
"Exactly. We're on the top floor—it's perfect!"
Whether the plan was absurd or I'd finally lost my mind, I couldn't tell anymore.
I laughed.
Still running, I aimed at the glass wall and fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots shattered the reinforced window, spiderweb cracks spreading across it.
From behind us, soldiers shouted.
"There they are!"
"Open fire! Orders are to kill!"
I didn't hesitate.
I lunged at the window, kicking it with all my strength.
CRASH!
Glass exploded outward.
I pulled Selvia with me, and we jumped.
For one breathless second, we flew.
"Eek!"
Then gravity pulled us down.
Wind roared in my ears. Selvia's white dress flared like a banner.
"Your Highness!"
My voice snapped her out of her daze. She nodded, then chanted a short spell.
A white light wrapped around us.
When I opened my eyes, we were still in the air.
But the ground was dangerously close.
Clutching Selvia, I braced for impact.
Thud!
Pain exploded in my shoulder as we hit the ground.
I groaned but forced myself to scan the surroundings.
No soldiers. No civilians. Just broken furniture and junk.
A trash depot, maybe.
Selvia stirred in my arms and sat up, dizzy from the teleportation but mostly unharmed.
"...Are you okay?" she asked, eyes meeting mine.
I expected her to ask whether we escaped.
"Yeah," I said, nodding. "I'm alright."
I stood up, then looked down at her.
Her elegant dress was dirtied with dust and blood. Her styled hair was a mess.
But her sapphire earrings still sparkled in the moonlight.
...Wait. Moonlight?
I looked up. The ceiling had collapsed, exposing the night sky.
We'd picked this hiding spot at random, but it turned out perfect.
I sighed and offered her my hand.
"Let's get up. The floor's cold."
She accepted it and stood.
I leaned in to check on her.
"Any injuries?"
"No, thankf—wait!"
Her face turned red. She shoved me back with both hands.
"Don't you think you get a little too close sometimes?!"
"...I was just making sure you weren't hurt."
"I know, but still… never mind. More importantly, are we safe?"
"Should be. After teleporting, tracking us won't be easy."
The Royal Guard should be here soon anyway.
Selvia stepped away, nodding.
A silence settled between us—awkward this time.
When we were in danger, we talked to calm our nerves.
Now that we were safe, neither of us knew what to say.
And in the back of my mind…
The closer I get to Selvia, the further I drift from my dream of leaving the Empire.
She was a princess. Someone like me wasn't supposed to joke with her… or dance with her.
...So of course, that's when she asked:
"Daniel… do you know how to dance?"
I blinked.
"No. I've seen people dance, but I never learned. Orphan life doesn't include ballroom lessons. Why?"
"I thought dancing might be better than just sitting around bored. The banquet won't end for hours."
She had a point.
"Your Highness, I doubt I'd be any good—"
"I'll teach you. It's not hard."
She wasn't taking no for an answer.
"Alright. I'll give it a shot."
"Good."
She stepped forward and took my hand.
"Follow my lead."
She guided my hand up, then started moving slowly.
Even at that pace, I stumbled a few times.
She chuckled.
"…I warned you I can't dance."
"You'll improve. Again."
Step by step, I mirrored her movements.
Clumsy at first, but it started to feel like real dancing.
We moved to the rhythm of a waltz beneath the moonlight.
Suddenly, the distant hum of a helicopter broke the quiet.
"Your Highness. The Royal Guard—"
"Don't stop."
I almost reminded her this wasn't the time for games.
But she smiled.
Not the composed smile she wore at court.
A real one—gentle and free.
So I didn't say anything.
We danced until the waltz came to a close.
Then she let go of my hand and looked at me.
"Remember this. If you know how to dance, no one will ever look down on you."
Before I could reply, the helicopter's rotors roared overhead.
"Your Highness!"
A grizzled soldier, probably sixty, leaned out of the chopper door.
He grabbed his radio.
"Command, this is Old City, Alter Markt, Route 87, Waste Disposal Site! We've located Her Highness and Lieutenant Daniel! Both safe, only minor injuries! Requesting immediate reinforcement! I repeat—!"
For the first time that night, the tension left my body.
Selvia and I looked at each other—
—then broke into quiet laughter.
It was the end of spring.