I Stole the Heroines’ Tragedy Flags

I placed the warm bowl of soup in front of Hella.
Her teary eyes shifted toward the food.
"First, please eat."
"…sniff… okay."
Perhaps she really was hungry, as the emotions she had been spilling just moments ago seemed to pause.
She immediately picked up her spoon and began eating.

Clatter.
Clatter.
Only the sound of utensils moving filled the room.
I waited quietly by her side until she finished her meal.

After a short while, she put down her spoon, signaling the end of her meal.
At that moment, I finally spoke.
"Your Highness, there is no such thing as a person being guilty just for being born."
"…B-but… everyone says that about me…?"
"You don’t need to pay so much attention to how others define you. What matters is that you stand tall on your own."
"…"
No one should ever be condemned simply for existing.
At least, that’s what I believed.
Even the Demon King—who was seen as the very embodiment of calamity—was no exception.

‘…Even the First Demon King wasn’t a bad guy.’
The more I recalled the memories from a thousand years ago, the more certain I became.
I wanted to help her heal the wounds she carried.
Resolving myself, I turned my gaze to the magic tool lying in front of her.
Noticing my attention, she hurriedly covered the modified device with her hands.
It was a bit of an improper act for a princess, but even so, I gently pushed her hands aside and brought the magic tool into view.

"…Ah! P-please don’t look…!"
"Is this what you called useless junk?"
"Ugh… I knew it—"
"It’s impressive."
"…Huh?"
It was a pure, unfiltered expression of admiration.
Even in the game, Hella’s talent for magic tool crafting had been exceptional.
‘The magic circuits are more streamlined compared to standard ones.’

She had even modified the built-in magic circle, adjusting the light spell to fit the tool’s structure.
A design that maximized efficiency without sacrificing performance.
‘And she did all this by herself? At just fifteen?’
Considering how she was treated in the imperial family, she likely didn’t have a proper teacher either.
As expected… her talent was already making itself known.

"With such extraordinary talent, how could this possibly be useless?"
"Uh… what? Uh… um…"
"Your Highness, this is a special gift. It’s far from worthless."
I spoke to her sincerely.
I wanted her to recognize her own talent, to gain confidence in herself.
So I continued to praise her.
"Your Highness, you should have more confidence. Please, treasure yourself."
That you are not worthless.
That you have a gift.
That you should believe in yourself.

I repeated my words, emphasizing them as much as I could.
Catching my breath from my little speech, I glanced at her reaction.
‘…Huh?’
Drip.

A single tear slid down her cheek.
Then another. And another.
Before long, streams of tears were cascading down her face.
"…Hic… sniff…"
"Y-Your Highness…? Are you alright—"
Grab.

With her head lowered, she clung to my sleeve.
Her trembling hands conveyed her emotions more than words ever could.
"Sniff… You… you really mean that…?"
"…Yes. I do."
"…"
Swish—

She lifted her head and met my gaze.
Her red, tear-filled eyes gleamed brightly.
"Aside from Melena, you’re the first person… to ever say that to me."
"Uh… should I feel honored?"
"Ain, ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ right?"
"I’d really appreciate it if you dropped the formalities."
"…Okay, Ain. Hehe~ Let’s get along from now on, Ain."
Wiping her tears away, she smiled at me—
a bright, genuine smile.

***
After that day, a small change occurred between her and me.
"Ain, good morning!"

The girl who had always spoken to me in formal speech had finally changed her way of speaking.
She had started calling me in a more familiar tone.
And now, she no longer stuttered when talking to me.
"Ain! The weather is nice today, let’s go for a walk!"
"You know, Ain, we’re the same age, but you seem so much more mature than me!"

"Ain, what do you think of this magic tool? I modified it to be a bit more convenient—if you press this button—"
With each passing day, I could feel our relationship deepening.
And as always, I treated her the same way.
I responded to her greetings without fail.
Whenever she wanted to go somewhere, I stuck by her side and kept her company.
And when she came to proudly show off her latest magic tool, I praised her with genuine enthusiasm.

‘She’s become much brighter. That’s a relief.’
As the time I spent assisting her grew longer,
I found myself naturally smiling more often.
‘I hope this small happiness can last.’

...
Of course, such hopeful thoughts were nothing more than a fleeting dream.
After a month had passed since I became the princess’s steward, an incident occurred.
Drip—

Sizzle—!!
"A-Ain! What is this…?!"
"…I have to say, this is quite the surprising sight."
The tea spilled from the cup onto the floor.
At the same time, the liquid turned pitch black, and the wooden floor began to corrode.

Melena clapped a hand over her mouth, horrified.
I, on the other hand, calmly knelt down, focusing my mana on the rising fumes.
‘…This sensation. It’s basilisk venom.’
A Basilisk.
Depending on the individual, its danger level in the adventurer’s guild was ranked at least A-class—
a deadly serpent whose venom could annihilate an entire territory with just a minuscule amount.

Only female basilisks carried venom sacs, and their numbers were extremely low.
But if obtained, the venom could be sold for an astronomical price on the black market.
‘Who the hell put this in the tea?’
This tea was meant for Hella, the Third Imperial Princess.
Had I not detected the poison, the outcome would have been painfully obvious.

"…Melena, who prepared this tea?"
"Uh… I did, but… I-I swear I didn’t do anything…!"
"…"
Seeing her plead her innocence, I nodded slowly, signaling her to calm down.
I didn’t believe Melena was responsible for this.
‘There was an event like this in the game too.’

An assassination attempt through poison.
If the player failed to notice it, the game would immediately end with Hella’s death.
There was even an option to accuse Melena as the most likely suspect.
‘But every time, Melena was never the culprit.’
That left only a few possibilities.

‘…So it’s finally begun. The assassination attempts on the Third Imperial Princess.’
Reaching that conclusion, I let out a deep sigh.
The malice aimed at Hella had finally surfaced.
"Melena, was there anything unusual when you brewed the tea?"
"No, nothing! I always make sure to check before serving it to Her Highness!"
"Then… did you leave it unattended at any point?"
"…Now that you mention it, I did step away to use the restroom while it was steeping…"

‘Was it then?’
Whoever did this had been waiting for the perfect moment.
I thought back to the other individuals I had encountered in the secluded palace today.
Now that I considered it, the number of people coming and going was noticeably higher than usual.
"That means it was one of them…"
"We can’t just let this slide! We have to find the culprit and punish them immediately!"
"That won’t be easy."

I shook my head, stopping Melena before her anger could boil over.
"Why not?!"
"…There’s not enough evidence."
"Then we just need to investigate—!"
"That’s likely impossible."
The culprit must be someone connected to the imperial family.
They wouldn’t have left any traces behind,
and given Hella’s position…

"…The matter will likely be dismissed without any real investigation."
"That’s ridiculous! Even though Her Highness’s life was in danger?!"
"Melena, you know the situation our princess is in."
"…"
‘Even if she had died just now, it would have been brushed off as if nothing happened.’
It was the same in the game.
Hella’s presence in the empire was so insignificant that her death wouldn’t cause an uproar.
…And eventually, it would be buried beneath the bloodshed of the imperial succession war.

The truth was, there was no immediate way to catch the culprit.
If we wanted results, we would have to find evidence ourselves.
Until then, I had to ensure her safety.
"Melena, let’s keep this a secret from Her Highness."
"…Understood."
There was no need to instill unnecessary fear in her.
Melena and I exchanged a firm nod.

‘Not that it matters. I’ll personally put an end to all this bullshit.’
That was why I took on the role of her bodyguard in the first place.
Resting my hand on the sword at my waist,
I reaffirmed my resolve.
***

But the real problem came from an unexpected direction.
"The Fourth Prince, Zeleon Leonerit, has arrived!"
At the booming announcement from outside,
every person in the secluded palace immediately bowed their heads.

A red-haired boy entered through the palace gates.
‘…That bastard.’
I clenched my teeth as I glared at him.

Zeleon Leonerit.
Hella’s arch-nemesis.
The one responsible for most of the events that led to her death.
And now, the very cause of those tragedies had stepped into her palace—
wearing a bright, beaming smile.