"Here you go."

Axel brought Rico back, holding him by the cuff of his robe. He looked like a kitten being carried by its mother!

As soon as they landed, Axel tossed him over to Sophia, who was visibly worried about him.

"Rico!" She quickly propped him up, her expression filled with concern. "You're not hurt, are you?!"

"A-Ah... I'm f-fine—" he began, only to realize something. "No, t-t-that should be my line! Your mamamajesty, did they do a-a-anything w-weird to you?!"

Once he let go of the tension from his nerves, his stammering speech returned.

And even after recognizing the difference between himself and Axel, he still acted as if he needed to protect Sophia from him. He stood between them, arms spread wide as if to shield her.

"Rico..."

Sophia couldn't help but find his desperate actions endearing, but she knew she had to clarify the situation to prevent any further misunderstandings that could put him in danger.

"Don't worry, there's no danger anymore," she said, reassuring him. "Right now, his majesty and I are in a temporary alliance. I'll explain it to you later, so please, stand down."

To avoid complicating matters, she refrained from mentioning how she had spent the first five days there. If Rico heard it, he might truly confront Axel in a blind fit of anger.

"So he's the future emperor, huh?" Axel muttered, ignoring their conversation. "Doesn't look like he's a good fit for one."

"Future E-Emperor...? M-m-me?" Rico stammered, confused.

"I'll talk about that later too..." Sophia whispered, her cheeks slightly flushed. "For now, we should organize our soldiers and give them ample rest. In three days, we'll be on our way back to the empire."

Three days. That was the ultimatum Axel had given her beforehand.

It might seem too short for the soldiers, but she knew it was already a blessing that they could rest. If Axel truly wanted to push them to their limits, he wouldn't have even allowed their entry, much less let them rest for a few days.

With the rapid pace of the conversation, Rico couldn't help but feel confused. Still, he followed Princess Sophia's words and stood down.

With the two finally settled, Axel turned to Nina and nodded.

Receiving his signal, she jumped down from the walls and approached the Empire's army. Now that they were under her obedience curse, they would follow her every command to the letter.

As for Rico, who had been resisting the curse...

"Obedience Curse!"

It was Teruria who cast the spell on him.

Teruria's equipment was far superior to Nina's. Her bonus for reducing curse resistance was even twice as high, exceeding 50%. In short, no matter how high Rico's resistance was, he would statistically succumb to a curse after just two casts.

With Sophia holding him back, Rico didn't resist and fell under the curse's influence in an instant.

Now, Ria had control over the princess and her partner!

However, just like Nina, the command she issued to him was predetermined. This was decided after a long discussion with everyone to consolidate it into three rules.

1. Do not let anyone know you're under a curse, even if you know the other party is also cursed.

2. Do not attempt to remove the curse from yourself or from others who are also cursed.

3. Do not harm anyone from the Axevaria Kingdom, directly or indirectly.

The first rule was intended to prevent their curse from being detected by others. The second rule aimed to ensure they wouldn't try to dispel it with skills or items on their own. Finally, the third rule was to ensure they posed no danger to Axel's people.

With these rules in place, no harm should come to Axel, the girls, or any non-combatants in their kingdom, regardless of what happened.

Simple but comprehensive!

After they received their commands, nearly two hundred soldiers were allowed in to set up camp at a vacant spot on the eastern side. During their three-day stay, Axel would provide them with ample food and drinks to raise their morale for the return trip.

He certainly didn't want them deserting the convoy midway.

Meanwhile, Rico stayed with Sophia in the rented house.

His presence ensured that the princess's daily needs were met quickly and efficiently, leaving Eve and the others with little to do to help. Of course, they still visited her to chat and catch up, but all other chores fell to Rico, from cooking to laundry.

"So his stammering is caused by a disease?" Eve asked during one of their idle conversations.

She was curious about Rico; when he first arrived shooting like an arrow, he had been charming and articulate, but as soon as the pressure faded, he began to stammer, struggling to speak clearly.

"Yes," Sophia replied, sipping her tea. "It's due to minor brain damage he suffered during his childhood. After he came under my wing, I tried everything I could to heal him, but his stuttering remained."

"I see... So you already loved him back then?" Beatrix teased as she nibbled on a cookie served with the tea.

Sophia flushed, averting her gaze slightly as she attempted to explain herself.

"W-Well, he's quite dashing, after all... If not for his stammering, he'd be the perfect prince charming for me..."

However, her expression soon darkened.

"But of course, given my position as princess, it would be impossible for me to choose Rico, a commoner, as my partner. My father, the emperor, wouldn't allow it."

She raised her gaze to the man outside, who was busy wiping the window and sweating under the midday heat. "That's why I decided to become the Empress and usurp the throne. That way, I can be with him without anyone objecting."

Eve nodded in understanding.

Although Sophia was the princess of the Empire that brought their kingdom to ruin, Eve couldn't bring herself to hate her as an individual.

For one, she was now an "ally."

Moreover, Sophia's story resonated deeply with Eve's own heart.

"Love between different classes... how romantic," Teruria whispered, sighing dreamily. "It's just like me and Sir Axel~!"

"Wasn't he given the title of Duke in your dimension?" Beatrix raised an eyebrow, nitpicking. "With that, it's not really between classes anymore, but just a normal relationship."

"Silly Beatrix, did you not notice?" Nina interjected. "The moment Mother allowed Ria's marriage, she was technically disowned as royalty. So it would be like Sir Axel, a Duke, marrying a commoner woman—essentially a princess only in name. The positions are reversed, but it's still the same!"

"Oh, that's true..."

As their conversation meandered around the topic of romance, Eve found herself staring at her cup of tea, lost in thought.

She realized that she, too, might be just another princess in name only.

Her kingdom was long gone, and the people she needed to protect numbered less than a thousand. The very thought filled her with sadness.

"Huh?"

A hand gently landed on her head, offering a comforting pat.

Turning to the side, she saw Beatrix smiling softly, continuing to pat her head in silence. No words were exchanged, but gradually, the weight of her sorrow began to lift.

'Right... No matter my past, I am a princess. And through me, Sir Axel will be able to claim the rightful throne!'

Fortunately, the moment she had been waiting for was just around the corner.

Her birthday was coming in a month!

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