About four years before the day Surliton Castle fell to the Sevran army.
Diane knew it was wrong to run away, but she fled from her afternoon duties.
Today was the anniversary of her mother's death. Though she barely had any memories of her mother.
She had been sent to Lamartine Abbey when she was just past three, and hadn't seen her parents since.
She had heard that her mother died two years ago, but wasn't allowed to return to the palace or attend the funeral.
She was being neglected—that's what it meant, surely.
About fifty nuns lived together in the abbey, all under the leadership of Mother Superior Clara.
Of course, she normally never ran from her assigned duties. Though a princess, she had been strictly trained since before she could remember to live like any other nun while here.
But thinking about how two years had passed since her mother's death, she desperately wanted to be alone.
Her father Maxim was the founding king who established the Kingdom of Surliton.
Though it sounded grand, she had heard people whisper that he had actually coveted the previous ruler's—the King of Toredrio's—wife, and seized both country and queen.
Diane was born between this Maxim and the former Queen of Toredrio, Blanche.
Now twelve years old, she would likely start catching men's eyes in a few years.
Despite spending much time outdoors tending to livestock, fields, and the herb garden, her skin remained pristinely white.
Her platinum blonde hair was completely hidden, braided into a thick plait wound around her head and covered with cloth.
An small, oval face. Mysterious violet eyes. Smooth cheeks. Though her lips were somewhat thin, they were well-shaped, and her habit of keeping them firmly pressed together gave her a serious air.
(I've finished the field work and herb garden duties. If I just feed the chickens in the evening...)
Then her assigned tasks would be complete.
She was supposed to help others when her hands were free, but today she just wanted some quiet time alone.
She headed toward the mountains rather than the chapel, worried someone might come if she went there.
She didn't want others to notice how unsettled she felt just because it had been two years since the death of a mother whose face she couldn't even remember.
The abbey was situated in the mountains, surrounded by walls on the front side but backed by steep cliffs that served as natural fortifications.
Therefore, the back area received little attention.
She went to the small stream that trickled along the edge of the grounds and sat with her legs stretched out.
"...Hah"
The sigh that escaped her lips was unbefitting a young girl.
At her age, she was beginning to understand how the world viewed her.
There were no towns near this abbey, so there were buildings on the grounds to lodge traveling merchants. From their gossip, she learned that the Surliton royal family—if one could call it that—was seen as an oppressor of the people.
She wondered whether it was good or bad that she lived quietly alone in the abbey, separated from her family.
After finishing her lunch with bread she'd brought from the kitchen—what should she do next?
Thinking she should find a more secluded spot, she stood up and noticed what looked like a dirty sack lying in the shadow of a rock.
Wondering what it could be, hoping it wasn't something that would cause trouble for the abbey, she approached and found it wasn't a dirty sack but a grimy person.
"...Hey, are you alright sleeping here? Should I call the Mother Superior?"
Unsure if they were alive or dead, she gave them a gentle shake.
Turning their face up revealed someone young enough to still be called a boy. He was covered in wounds and completely limp. His clothes were in tatters, and both his hair and body were covered in mud.
Though this was within the abbey grounds, how had he gotten in? While Lamartine Abbey opened its doors to travelers, this was in the opposite direction from the gate.
Perhaps he was a corpse that had fallen from above. If he was dead, she couldn't move him alone—she should probably call someone.
"Sleeping alright—hey, give me that!"
"Ah!"
The boy snatched the bread from Diane's hands and began devouring it ravenously. Diane watched in amazement as her lunch was stolen.
She had never been treated so roughly before.
This must be what they called a "bandit," though given that he probably hadn't eaten for days, it couldn't be helped.
By the time she realized it, most of the bread had disappeared into the boy's stomach. The abbey day started early, so it had been quite a while since breakfast. Diane's stomach growled audibly.
"...Ah, sorry..."
He seemed to finally realize he had stolen food from a girl younger than himself. Apologetically, he held out the last piece to Diane.
"No, it's fine. Please, eat it? I can... probably get more if I ask in the kitchen."
Having missed lunch time, she probably wouldn't be able to get food even if she went to the kitchen. It was her own fault for skipping lunch and running away.
"Sorry... I hadn't eaten anything for three days, so..."
"It's fine. You seem to be in quite a difficult situation. Please."
While she was truly hungry, she had never gone three days without food in her life. She should yield to someone less fortunate.
"Why are you here? Do you know this is a women's abbey?"
After eating the last bite of bread and licking even the crumbs from his fingers regretfully, he finally spoke.
"My name is Ludiger—um, I'm a soldier in the Sevran army—we fought the Surliton army and lost. I'm sorry for sneaking into a women's abbey. I seem to have gotten lost in the mountains."
"...The border war, then."
To this, he—Ludiger—just shrugged.
Diane looked him up and down. He was a soldier and had been to war. And now he was here instead of on the battlefield.
"So the Sevran army lost."
"Probably. The Kingdom of Sevran will likely be occupied by the Kingdom of Surliton. I wanted to take Maxim's head."
"...That would be troublesome."
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Though she had never seen his face and didn't think she was cherished, he was still her father. Having his head taken would be... troublesome. Probably.
"Troublesome?"
"Well, this is the Kingdom of Surliton after all."
"...Right, of course it is."
Frustrated by something, Ludiger struck the ground with his fist. Watching him, she felt she shouldn't interfere.
"Um, I'm sorry... I'll go now."
For some reason, she didn't want him to see the tears that were welling up.
He roughly wiped away the tears that had spilled from Diane's eyes.
"...Ah"
A foolish sound escaped his lips, and his eyebrows drooped.
"Sorry—uh, my hands are dirty, so... I got dirt on your face."
"I-It's fine... I'll wash it, don't worry about it."
She was relieved that he didn't seem to be angry with her. She rubbed the spot he had just touched several times with her own hand.
"Lady Diane—where are you? You can forget about lunch now!"
Giselle's voice could be heard calling from a distance.
Diane whispered to Ludiger:
"Ludiger. May I ask you something? Do you have nowhere to go?"
"...Well, no. Surliton soldiers are wandering around this area. They'd quickly figure out I'm a Sevran soldier... but I can't trouble this place either. I'll leave right away."
She grabbed Ludiger's clothes tightly. She felt she couldn't let him go outside like this.