I Stole the Heroines’ Tragedy Flags

The Third Imperial Princess, Hella Leonerit.
The youngest of the emperor’s children, she was born as an illegitimate child between the emperor and a commoner.

The game never revealed how or where the emperor met a mere common woman.
What was later discovered through in-game information, however, was that Hella's mother had died not long after giving birth to her.
‘What a mess.’
The emperor of the empire having a child with a commoner—
Who could have even imagined such a thing?
The day the people of the empire found out about this, it would remain a scandal whispered about for generations, unless the empire itself fell.

"Ain? Are you listening?"
At the moment my head was filled with these sigh-inducing thoughts,
a sharp voice cut through my idle musings.
Only then did I snap back to reality.
"Ah, yes, yes. I'm listening."
"…It really doesn’t seem like you were."
"Come on, that's not true."

The woman looking at me with a pouty expression
was Melena, the head maid currently in charge of managing this secluded palace and the exclusive attendant of the Third Imperial Princess.
And to clarify once more, she was a head maid, not a lady-in-waiting.
A mere maid managing a princess’s secluded palace—
not even granted a proper lady-in-waiting.
‘…Well, then again, maybe this is actually better.’

At the very least, Melena was a character that appeared in the game, and a trustworthy one at that.
She was the only person in the tutorial who had stood by Hella’s side.
Rather than having a palace swarming with people eager to seize an opportunity to eliminate the Third Princess,
it was better to have only a few reliable individuals close by.
And on top of that, Melena was kind-hearted and highly competent in her work.
"Ain, since you'll be serving as a steward from now on, you need to focus and properly assist Her Highness!"
"Got it."

Melena, at least, didn’t seem particularly bothered by my sudden intrusion into her work.
It was probably because she had been informed that I was personally chosen by the princess.
Her loyalty to the Third Imperial Princess was unwavering.
"From now on, you’ll be attending to Her Highness in my place! I heard you'll also be acting as her bodyguard, so stay close to her at all times!"
"…Attending to her? What exactly does that entail?"
"Well~ First, you’ll wake Her Highness in the morning—"
Melena carefully went over my new duties.
Going through the tasks I had to perform as a steward one by one,
I suddenly found myself gaining a newfound respect for her.

‘Wait, so she’s been handling all this alone until now?’
Up until my arrival, Melena had not only served as the princess’s personal attendant,
but had also single-handedly managed all the facilities within the secluded palace.
She sighed deeply as she recounted this to me with a hint of exhaustion.
"I seriously thought I was going to die… But, well, it was rewarding work!"
"…That just makes you a—"
"Hm? What did you say?"
"Nothing. Anyway… I noticed there are a few other people around. What do they do?"
"…Ah, well…"

Today, I learned something new from Melena.
Aside from her, there were no permanent staff officially assigned to this secluded palace.
The people who occasionally came and went did not actually have any defined duties.
The most they ever did was inspect and repair the facilities.
‘…From the looks of it, at least a few of them are probably affiliated with other princes or princesses.’
Ever since I arrived here, I had felt the presence of prying eyes.
It seemed that my arrival as a new member of the palace staff had drawn some attention.
Before long, word of my presence would undoubtedly reach certain individuals.
‘But seriously, they’re practically abandoning her like this? What the hell is that bastard emperor thinking?’

The emperor currently ruling the empire, Hambel Leonerit.
The way he was portrayed in the game, he was neither a wise ruler nor a tyrant.
Just a man who coasted along, taking advantage of the empire’s long-standing glory while scheming his way through political affairs.
‘There’s far too little information about him.’
In any case, the imperial throne was bound to change hands within a few years due to the succession war.
The emperor, already an old man with no remaining fangs to bare,
would no longer have the strength to hold his seat.

He was still only middle-aged, but rumors said he had been suffering from an incurable disease since birth.
Ultimately, he was fated to die at the hands of his own children.
That day would mark the beginning of a bloodbath within the empire,
one that would shatter the thousand-year peace it had boasted of.
"—Alright! I think I’ve covered everything you need to know!"
"Understood."
"Now that your probation period is over, let’s go see Her Highness again!"

With a bright smile, Melena encouraged me, and I nodded in response before setting off.
At last, after a week-long probation period, the day had come to face her once more.
‘…There’s a lot to do. Things are only going to get busier from here.’
Adjusting my uniform, which I had now grown somewhat accustomed to wearing,
I steeled myself to take the first crucial step forward.

***
Knock, knock.
With a soft knock, I spoke.

"Your Highness, it’s Ain."
"…"
As expected, no response came today either.
She must still be sleeping.
"I'm coming in."

But today, [N O V E L I G H T] I had to fulfill my duties as a steward.
I slowly and carefully pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Walking lightly, I approached the bed where she lay asleep.
As I drew closer, I could hear her soft, even breathing.
"…Your Highness."
"…"
"Your Highness, it’s time to wake up."
"…Mmm… Melena… just ten more minutes…."
What kind of sleep-talking was this?
For a moment, I almost laughed. She sounded just like a daughter whining to her mother.

"Please wake up."
"…Mmm, just a little longer…."
"And for the record, I’m not Melena."
"…Hmm?"
Rustle.
Finally, there was movement from within the curtained bed.
And then, her first words as she peeked out—

"…Huh?"
"You’re awake now?"
"…"
KYAAAAAAAAAH—!!
Her scream rang through the room.
The sound of her kicking off the blanket immediately followed.

‘…Yeah. I’d be embarrassed too.’
I could fully sympathize with her feelings right now.
So, I simply waited patiently for her to calm down.
...

About ten minutes later…
"…"
"Good morning, Your Highness."
"Y-Yes…."
"You don’t have to speak so formally. You can talk to me however you like."
"Um… I-I feel more comfortable like this…."
‘Well, I don’t feel comfortable with it.’

If this were any other imperial princess, a mere steward sharing a meal with her would be enough to have his head cut off.
Of course, there were hardly any prying eyes here,
but still, the way she spoke to me made me uncomfortable.
"…Do as you wish."
I decided against pushing the issue.
If Her Highness said so, then I had no choice but to go along with it.

***
After that minor incident was settled,
I returned to her room with her… breakfast? Lunch? It was hard to say at this point.
‘She’s already draining my energy.’

The introductions were one thing,
but dressing her was especially exhausting.
Normally, Melena—being of the same gender—should be the one handling that.
Was this really okay?
‘At least I only had to help her put on an outer robe.’
Thinking back to what had just happened, my face grew hot.
It would definitely take me some time to get used to this.

"Your Highness, I’ve brought your meal."
"Ah, yes! Just a moment…!"
I entered her room and approached her as she sat at her desk.
She was fiddling with something, completely engrossed in it.
As I got closer, I recognized the object she was holding.
‘A magic tool.’

A small device with built-in light magic—
essentially, a magical flashlight.
It was an essential item for adventurers, a highly useful tool.
I myself had relied on it often.
‘…Did she make this herself?’

Looking closely, I noticed that the design and magic circuits were slightly different from the ones sold on the market.
It wasn’t a modified version of a store-bought tool—
it seemed like she had crafted it from scratch.
For someone so young, her craftsmanship was surprisingly advanced.
Placing the meal beside her, I spoke with a hint of admiration.
"Did Your Highness make this yourself?"
"…Eh? Oh, um, yes."
"…"
"…"

She hesitated, then quickly covered the device with her hands, as if embarrassed.
A tense silence followed.
‘…She still feels distant. I need to get closer to her quickly.’
Considering everything that would happen between us in the future,
it was important that I built trust with her as soon as possible.
The more she trusted me, the easier things would be down the line.

I racked my brain, trying to think of a conversation starter.
And then—
She spoke first.
"…D-Do you think I’m pathetic?"
"…What?"
"A princess… spending time fiddling with useless junk like this… Even I think it’s foolish… Hehe…."
"…"
"I’m stupid… slow… timid… I must be completely hopeless…."

Was she saying this because she noticed me watching?
She kept belittling herself, over and over.
‘…So she’s been hearing this kind of talk her whole life.’
I lowered my gaze to her hands.
Her fingers, which had been hiding the magic tool, were trembling.
Then, drops of tears began to fall onto the back of her hand.

"I… was I never meant to be born?
Is it a mistake… that I was born as the emperor’s child?"
"…"
Her voice, as fragile as if it were submerged in water, was full of sorrow.
Only then did I truly start thinking about her situation.
Hella Leonerit.
She was only fifteen years old.
At an age where even the slightest words could wound her deeply.

‘Damn it… I really am an idiot.’
I had been so focused on trying to befriend her that I hadn’t considered her feelings at all.
Cursing my past self for my lack of awareness,
I carefully chose my next words.