Ludiger was here, and Giselle was here. There were caring nuns too.
Just having Ludiger around had made Diane's life noticeably brighter.
"How long will you stay here?"
She asked this about ten days after the Mother Superior had discovered him. His wounds, treated by the medically knowledgeable nuns, were healing properly.
Sitting side by side while acting as her Sevran language teacher, Ludiger smiled awkwardly.
"How long, I wonder. Until things settle down a bit more—I think."
"...I wish you could stay here forever. Every day has been fun since you came."
The surrounding battles seemed to be winding down. She had heard that Sevran's king and prince had died in battle.
Her father, whose face she couldn't remember, apparently had talent for war. Having annexed the Kingdom of Sevran, her father's country had become the continent's strongest nation... or so it seemed. She could only judge the outside world through the gossip of passing merchants.
"You won't stay here forever either. They'll probably start preparing for your marriage soon."
It wasn't unusual for noblemen's daughters to be "entrusted" to live in abbeys.
Since she hadn't told Ludiger about her background, he must only think of her as "a nobleman's daughter from the Kingdom of Surliton."
"If you leave, I'll probably start hating sword practice."
"You need to keep practicing with the sword properly, or you won't be able to protect yourself when the time comes."
"...I understand that, but..."
Though the Mother Superior had made her carry a sword, she showed no signs of improvement. She probably had no talent for it.
They said she only needed to be able to protect herself, but even that seemed doubtful.
Before she was old enough to understand, she had been ordered to live in this abbey, and wasn't even allowed to attend her mother's funeral. She heard she had two half-brothers, but had never even seen their faces.
She didn't think the day would come when she'd leave this abbey.
"...Someone like me can't leave here, ever."
"That's not true. You'll become beautiful when you grow up. Every noble in the country will want you—you're a nobleman's daughter, right? That's exactly why you absolutely need to know how to protect yourself."
Clumsily but gently, Ludiger's hand stroked Diane's hair. It was her first time being patted on the head like this.
"Are you really saying that seriously?"
His hand was so gentle it hurt. Diane stood up as if shaking off his hand.
"M-my father is—the king who destroyed your country. Can you still say such things?"
She had blurted it out.
Of course, he must have already understood somewhat. She had a lady-in-waiting, albeit just one, who called her "Princess." He should have easily guessed she was of noble birth.
Though he probably hadn't expected a princess to be living in a mountain abbey like this.
"I had heard rumors that Maxim had a daughter—a daughter born to the former Queen of Toredrio."
His eyes widened as if finally understanding.
She probably should leave right away. Then she wouldn't have to think about her bloodline anymore.
Yet her legs wouldn't move. She could only breathe rapidly and shallowly.
The textbook she had dropped when standing up remained where it fell as she just stood there.
They stared at each other, neither moving. How much time passed? It felt like forever, but maybe it wasn't that long.
"I promise. Someday I'll take you away from here. I don't care if you're King Maxim's daughter. After all, you've been here all this time—you don't need to bear his sins."
She didn't know how much he had hesitated before speaking those words. While his words made her happy, they also sparked a feeling of resistance.
"...That's impossible."
"I promise. I never break my promises."
He held out his hand, asking to link pinkies in a promise.
She didn't really believe Ludiger would actually take her away from here. Still—just hearing him say it made her feel happy.
"Hey, Ludiger! What are you doing with the Princess!"
Giselle, holding a practice sword, glared at Ludiger. Though they quickly unlinked their fingers, Giselle's angry expression didn't change.
"Princess—you shouldn't get too close to Ludiger! He won't stay here forever, you know!"
"...But..."
She couldn't tell Giselle. There was no way she could say she had revealed her true identity. Diane herself wasn't even conscious of it. Perhaps it was just a very faint feeling, before becoming first love.
"Don't be so angry. We were just promising that she'd work hard at sword practice—right?"
When Ludiger winked with one eye, Diane hurriedly nodded. She thought to keep secret both that she had told him about her lineage and that he had accepted it.
"...Well, if that's the case. Princess isn't very good with the sword, you know. If I could always be by her side it would be different, but there will come times when that's not possible..."
Just as Giselle handed Diane the practice sword—CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! The violent ringing of bells echoed. Diane and Giselle looked at each other.
"Ludiger, you come too!"
Giselle, holding her sword and pulling Diane's hand, started running.
"What happened!"
Ludiger asked while running to match their pace. Without even being out of breath, Giselle replied.
"Those bells mean enemies are approaching. This region is poor—bandit groups appear from time to time. Attacking an abbey, what's the world coming to, but the border region isn't very safe..."
When the three burst into the dining hall, all the nuns were already gathered there. But everyone looked different from usual.
The nun's habits they usually wore were thrown on the tables.
They were wearing shirts and trousers that looked easy to move in. Some were even wearing light leather armor.
And in their hands were bows and arrows, swords, and maces—weapons of the clergy. There was even a nun holding a huge battle axe.
Mother Superior Clara was completely different from usual too. With an impressive sword at her waist, she had her half-white red hair tied back neatly.
"Giselle! I'm counting on you with the Princess—hide in the storage! Ludiger, you too!"
"W-what is this—"
Surprised by the Mother Superior's different manner of speaking, Ludiger seemed taken aback. She threw an impressive sword toward him.
"It was my husband's. I'm giving it to you—I'm counting on you with the Princess and my granddaughter."
"Grandmother!"
Catching the thrown sword, Ludiger seemed dumbfounded. Another nun gave Giselle a real sword, not a practice one.
What was given to Diane was also a real sword with a blade, though small. Feeling its heavy weight, she felt a chill run down her back.
"Listen, Giselle. Don't let the Princess draw this sword. If we reach a point where she needs to draw it, it's over. Ludiger, you'll be alright?"
"Yes... Grandmother."
"Leave it to me."
Even in this situation, to Diane's eyes Ludiger didn't seem very tense. She wondered how he could stay so calm.
"Paula, go receive the villagers coming to take refuge. Agnes, your unit take the east. Esther, your unit take the west—three of you, come with me. Yulia's unit, provide support to either east or west, whichever needs it! Really, to think this would happen while Lily and the others are away 'working'!"
As soon as the Mother Superior gave her rapid instructions, the nuns scattered quickly. Following them, the three also ran out to the courtyard.
"What's going on with this abbey?"
They were told to hide in the storage room where Ludiger had first been hidden. He asked in a whisper. Feeling anxious, Diane tightly grabbed Giselle's sleeve.
"Most of the nuns here are former mercenaries—Grandmother too. They were protecting this abbey on Queen Blanche of Toredrio's orders."
"...You're kidding."
"I'm not. Though we fight not 'for faith,' but 'to protect the people living nearby.'"
Probably Giselle herself hadn't noticed. That she had said "Queen Blanche of Toredrio," not "Queen Blanche of Surliton."