The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

While searching the valley for the missing Second Princess, Alice’s mind suddenly drifted to the past.

It was around when she was thirteen.

At that time, the Royal Academy had hosted a large-scale swordsmanship duel.

It was open to all grades and was so important that it even affected the semester grades, making it a mandatory event for everyone to participate in.

This was also the case for Princess Violet, who was Alice’s classmate.

Known for her expertise in magic, the Princess was less enthusiastic about physical activities like swordsmanship, so many were curious to see how she would perform in the duel.

As the duel commenced and time passed, it finally came to Princess Violet’s turn, but she didn’t show up at the dueling ground.

People assumed she forfeited due to her dislike for physical exertion, which was somewhat expected.

However, the real problem emerged afterward.

The Princess couldn’t be found anywhere in the Academy, not just at the dueling ground.

Her royal guards, as well as the Academy itself, were in turmoil, and the search for the missing Princess even caused a temporary halt to the dueling event.

Despite employing all available manpower to search every nook of the dormitories and using detection magic to search the entire city for any trace of magic, they couldn’t find any sign of her.

In the midst of everyone’s panic,

Princess Violet finally emerged from her room at dusk.

With an utterly dignified and composed demeanor.

The reason for her disappearance was simple.

She had hidden herself until the end of the duel because she didn’t want to participate.

While hiding might be forgivable, the fact that the entire Academy’s manpower couldn’t find her was a fresh shock at the time.

The unprecedented incident of an imperial princess disappearing at the stronghold of demons.

For some reason, the memory of that day was vividly coming back to Alice.

“Alice?”

Cecilia snapped her out of her reverie.

“Sorry, Cecilia! I was just lost in thought…….”

Startled, Alice shook her head in all directions to regain her composure.

“I feel a magical presence coming from over there.”

Cecilia pointed to one side of the valley where a desolate wind was blowing.

An artificial magical presence that could never occur naturally was indeed being felt.

“Over there, is that where the Blood River is?”

The faint sound of flowing water was also audible.

“Yes. But, Alice, you seem to be quite pale……”

Cecilia asked with concern upon seeing Alice’s worried face.

Alice couldn’t deny it.

The reason for her pallor wasn’t simple; having seen Princess Violet manifest mana before, Alice couldn’t help but suspect that the current situation might also be a drama concocted by the Princess herself.

But what troubled her most was,

‘Does brother Aschel even know about this?’

His reaction, gritting his teeth in emotional turmoil, was undeniably genuine.

It seemed he too was taken aback by the Princess’s unexpected actions.

“Don’t be too heartbroken, Alice. The Princess will be safe.”

Cecilia comforted Alice by patting her shoulder.

“Thank you, Cecilia.”

Finding the Princess was the top priority, so they hurried to the Blood River where the magical presence was felt.

“Princess!”

At the mouth of the Blood River, where a bloody red tributary flowed, they found Princess Violet unconscious.

Her eyes were closed, but she was breathing normally, and there didn’t seem to be any serious injuries.

“It’s a relief. She seems to be safe.”

While Cecilia was relieved, Alice’s anxious expression hardly eased.

How could she be so peacefully unconscious in the stronghold of demons, where one never knows when or where monsters might attack?

The very fact that she was unconscious was dubious.

Alice then quietly said,

“Wake up, Princess.”

Her tone was serious and heavy.

“Ah, Alice?”

Cecilia called out in surprise, but Alice remained unmoved.

“I know you’re awake. Stop pretending to be unconscious and get up.”

After a brief silence,

the Second Princess slowly opened her eyes and casually sat up.

“Was my acting too obvious?”

She even smiled lightly, as if the situation wasn’t too serious, in stark contrast to Alice’s solemn demeanor.

“That’s scary, Alice. If I don’t explain this situation quickly, you look like you won’t let me go.”

This was clearly a habitat for demons.

As she said, it seemed Alice wouldn’t leave this place without understanding the situation herself.

“I won’t bother making excuses. You saw it, right? How I used magic to disappear?”

Alice answered with silence.

“You must have many questions, Alice. Before wondering why I disappeared, you should consider why I am here in the first place, and why I came here specifically with your brother, Aschel. Everything must be puzzling to you.”

Her words pierced straight to the heart of the matter.

“You might laugh at this, but truthfully, Alice, it might be a good thing that it was not my brother who came on this inspection, but me.”

“What do you mean?”

“If my brother had come, this valley would now be devastated by battles with demons. But since my brother was scolded by our father, he’s in a period of reflection, and the key person in our original plan is now somewhere else, leaving me to lead this inspection.”

“A battle with demons! What are you talking about?”

An agitated Alice finally raised her voice to meet the princess’s eyes.

The princess continued to speak, unfazed.

“My brother is quite cunning. I, sharing blood with him, know this best. Even if he couldn’t execute the original plan, it doesn’t mean he would stay quiet, especially during an inspection like this…”

Alice found these words still beyond her comprehension.

“Of course, no one wants to die. Not just humans, but all living beings feel the same. I am no exception. So…”

-Thump!

“Everything I do is a struggle to survive.”

Suddenly, the heavy footsteps of a living creature resounded around them.

Feeling the threat, Alice immediately turned around.

“Grrr…”

She found herself staring into the eyes of several hellhounds, drooling and glaring at them with murderous intent.

Alice drew her sword, ready to confront the demons.

Fortunately, they were just lower-level demons.

“We’ll continue this conversation later. For now, let’s get the princess to safety beyond the front lines. Please follow me quietly.”

But they needed to evacuate to a safe area as soon as possible to avoid encountering higher-risk demons.

However…

“Right. We should go. But you can’t, Alice…”

-Keening

A clear sound and a sudden burst of transparent light enveloped the area swiftly.

The moment a startled Alice turned around,

-Thud

She felt the cold touch of a blade, and a dizzying pain surged from her abdomen.

Alice’s eyes trembled like trembling leaves as she slowly looked down.

At the end of a gleaming blade was a hilt,

and holding it, a familiar hand.

Following the hand up to the face, she came face to face with her assailant.

“Cecilia…?”

Her eyes, as hard as pine, void of any emotion, stared back at Alice.

The knight who had always been reminded to protect the Vert family,

who was once more reliable than family,

had stabbed Alice.

“Why? Cecilia, why…?”

-Swish

“Cough!”

In the midst of emotional turmoil, Cecilia withdrew her sword without uttering a word, as if no explanation or justification was necessary. Instead, it was Princess Violet, standing behind her with a sneer, who spoke up.

“Don’t think too badly of it, Alice. After all, you’re a Knight of Light who swore to sacrifice your body for the peace of the continent, aren’t you? You’ll die a noble death fighting demons for me.”

Finishing her statement, the Princess suddenly pulled out a bottle and scattered its contents around. The substance appeared blood-red, but wasn’t human blood.

“I’d rather you didn’t struggle unnecessarily. I hope you face your death with dignity. Despite how things have turned out, I wish for you to not suffer…”

But Alice was already experiencing a pain unlike any other she had felt before. It wasn’t just the physical pain of being stabbed but the deeper, more excruciating pain of betrayal by someone she trusted.

Collapsing to her knees as one leg gave way, Alice was left in defeat.

“Goodbye then, Alice…”

With those merciless final words, the Princess turned and walked away, followed by Alice’s knight, Cecilia.

“Cecilia…”

Her calls were met only with silence.

Amidst the overwhelming feelings of sadness, despair, and emptiness, there was only one question Alice wanted an answer to:

‘Why did Cecilia betray me?’

However, Cecilia offered no explanation until the very end. Just as she and the Princess were about to vanish from sight, she turned around momentarily. The look she gave Alice was one of pity, as if lamenting the inevitability of the situation, devoid of any guilt or remorse.

It was then that Alice realized, Cecilia was never truly on her side to begin with.

With no time left even for lamentation, Alice, wounded and alone, soon found herself at the mercy of the hungry demons surrounding her.

Alice’s rising anger was palpable as she gritted her teeth, feeling the presence of other demons attracted by the scent of blood from beyond the spatial divide.

Despite her wounds and the betrayal she faced, a surge of determination propelled her to her feet, quickly assessing her situation and what needed to be done. Her injuries, while bleeding, were not as severe as she feared. She could still wield her sword and use magic without hindrance, and the demons before her were only lower-tier, manageable for now.

Her immediate plan was to dispatch these demons quickly and then regroup with any remaining knights nearby. After that, she intended to return to the front lines to report everything that had happened…

But to whom?

The Knight of Light? The Imperial Army? The very entities where the perpetrators of her current plight resided, likely already spinning narratives to their advantage?

What about the Duke, her family, who values her not just as a daughter but as the heir? She knew too well how much he cherished her, wishing for nothing more than her safe and whole return.

Yet, by the Duke’s side was Aschel, her brother – someone she could not trust, who had once sought her life. Could he possibly revel in her current predicament?

Her faltering grip on her sword mirrored her inner turmoil, unsure if she could return as if nothing had happened once she overcame this ordeal.

As focus faded from her eyes, Alice questioned the point of returning to a world where she felt utterly alone and unsupported.

With a fierce growl, the hellhounds charged, yet Alice remained motionless, seemingly resigned to her fate and ready to let go.

But then, the sound of a sword cutting through the air snapped her back to reality.

A figure cloaked in a black cape, its face obscured by a dark mask, wielding a purple dagger that emitted a menacing aura, stood before her, cutting down the hellhounds with lethal precision.

Alice recognized this mysterious savior, a presence she knew she had encountered before.

(To be continued)