Became the Escort Knight That the Princesses Were Obsessed With chapter 0



0 – 0. The End

The castle is crumbling.

Red dust whirls in the once resplendent imperial princess’s palace.

As the smoke disperses, the broken outer wall reveals itself.

Deep claw marks are etched here and there on the wall, as if a gigantic beast had ravaged it.

Beneath that spectacle, countless knights lay dead.

A broken sword was embedded in one of the corpses.

I recognize that sword.

The treasure sword Princess Irina gave me.

I had sworn to protect her with this sword for my entire life.

And today,

My oath was fulfilled.

The blood purge began with the death of the emperor.

When she fled from the crown prince’s army, I alone bought her time.

As a result, I lay pitifully sprawled on the ground; but it doesn’t matter.

Because I bought enough time.

By now, she must have escaped from this castle too.

Dying while protecting one’s lord,

Perhaps it might be considered an honorable death for a knight.

With such thoughts in mind, my eyes humbly close.

“….”

But then my eyelids start to twitch slightly,

because faint vibrations begin to reach my supposedly deaf ears.

Undoubtedly a spearman coming to confirm my death and desecrate my body with his heavy spear.

Such thoughts make my previously still heart beat again.

However, those vibrations were not from a spearman’s heavy footsteps.

They were much lighter,

fragile,

and precarious.

An uneasy premonition forces me to open my eyes again.

What I see first is my own palm,

worn ragged like an old rag due to numerous hardships.

Over it descends another hand—a familiar one.

How could I ever forget?

It’s that very hand which cost me dearly but saved me nonetheless—

Silver strands of hair tumble over my dented armor,

each strand diffusing a faint scent of fruit between them.

Soon after, warm breath descends upon my rigid face,

“Vale…”

Her voice is hoarse,

but how could I fail to recognize it?

I am relieved

and also resentful,

for with this action our empire’s fate has been sealed—

the last royal who stood against the crown prince has given up her escape.

“Why… why did you come back…”

In an anguished voice, I ask her this question—a question which if allowed by circumstances—I would have repeated hundreds or even thousands of times over;

but facing imminent death, even this small effort was denied me by body

All I can do is barely lift up gaze towards Irina’s face

Thanks to shadows cast upon us; her green eyes seem more sparkling than ever

Laying down on her lap; she whispers into mine ear in calm voice

“I thought about running away countless times.”

She certainly seems smiling

Yet her eyelids are reddened and flickering

“But in world that I want create…”

Finally tears roll down from corner of eye

Those tears fell like raindrops on my hardened face.

“I can’t… if you are not there…”

The imperial palace was filled with ash,

but before long, the dust disappeared and the broken outer wall revealed itself.

Sunlight poured down beneath that wall,

bathing both of us in its warm embrace.

Thanks to it, I could see her final appearance clearly.

Princess Irina was wearing a pure white dress,

but from her abdomen, a line of red blood flowed out.

Her dress was dyed red with her own blood.

Between the flowing blood, I noticed a dagger embedded in her stomach.

That dagger belonged neither to the crown prince nor to his soldiers.

It was one that I had gifted to her in the past.

Upon realizing Princess Irina’s intention, I cried out loud.

“Why… why…!”

I screamed countless times over.

The black blood boils.

My consciousness blurs.

Yet, I still could not understand her choice.

“I’ve protected you all my life….”

In the last moment of life,

my last words changed.

No longer were they honorable words like ‘please survive.’

I was not even allowed that much.