The sixth prince, who had been executed in the kingdom after being betrayed by the trusted saint, was reincarnated and, in order to seek revenge, became engaged once again to the neighboring kingdom’s “Guillotine Princess.” As a result, he was adored and lived happily.

“G-Gustav-sama! Are you alright?”

Marriette rushed over to me with a worried expression, having heard what happened. Since I had trained in swordsmanship every day when I was in the kingdom, she probably hadn’t expected to see me in this condition since coming to the empire.

However, Princess Abigail had already left the infirmary for official duties.

But… hah, she hadn’t wanted to leave my side, no matter how many times I assured her I was fine. Claire had looked quite troubled about it.

“…So, is this the Empire’s response to Gustav-sama… I mean, to Valrois Kingdom?”

“…I apologize.”

Claire, who had been watching from the corner of the infirmary, squeezed out an apology with a pained expression as Marriette turned to her with a questioning gaze.

In her previous life… Claire had served Princess Abigail almost like an act of worship. It must be quite difficult for her. And now, it was all because of her brother Glenn… no, rather, because of me. I’m the one to blame.

However, it was a fact that Glenn had gone too far as well.

“As a result of this, we will report it to the kingdom and officially demand an apology from the empire.”

Marriette wore a triumphant expression, probably relishing the fact that she could now be assertive towards the kingdom, thanks to the useless sixth prince. It must be quite satisfying for her, even though I found it discomforting.

From the kingdom’s perspective, I, the sixth prince, didn’t have much value, so they would probably only receive an official apology and a modest sum of money in return for this incident.

Still, it would be enough for the kingdom, which was currently in a disadvantageous situation, to swallow their pride.

“Anyway, it’s not possible for you, Your Highness, to stay here like this. Please take His Highness back to his room immediately.”

“Yes, understood.”

Following Marriette’s instructions, the servants prepared a stretcher to carry me.

“I… I’d like to…”

“You’re fine.”

Marriette firmly rejected Claire’s attempt to accompany me.

As I was carried away on the stretcher, I ignored Claire’s reproachful gaze and was taken back to my room.

“Alright, Your Highness. Please rest and recover. Absolutely no moving around, understood?”

After I had changed into fresh clothes, Marriette gave me a strict admonition and then left the room. She was probably writing a letter to report this incident to the kingdom.

“Now… I wonder what demands the kingdom will make in return for this apology.”

Knowing Marriette, she would probably exaggerate it quite a bit, but the demands wouldn’t be excessive. Unfortunately, I, the sixth prince, didn’t hold enough value for that. At most, we’d receive an official apology and a small sum of money.

Still, from the kingdom’s perspective, being able to vent their frustrations would be enough.

I regretted thinking about the trivial matters of the kingdom like this.

—

“Ugh… ugh…”

That night, I was wracked with a high fever from the bruises all over my body, groaning in pain. Despite that, I was desperately trying to get out of bed.

It was because I had promised…

Of course, being the kind and intelligent girl she was, she probably thought that I should rest and recover rather than coming to see her today. That’s why I wanted to pretend to be more energetic for her sake.

*Thud.*

“Ouch…”

I fell out of bed and gritted my teeth in pain as I struggled to get up.

I had to crawl if necessary, just to reach the mirror…

“Gus, Gustav-sama!”

“Ah…”

Princess Abigail rushed over in concern as I emerged from behind the mirror.

“You’re not okay…”

“Don’t worry…”

She gently carried me back to the bed and covered me with the sheets.

“You have a high fever…”

“No need to worry. I’ve improved quite a bit, and I’ll be back to normal by tomorrow.”

I showed her a smile as best I could.

I didn’t want to make her worry any further.

“Please don’t be so brave. What you should do is rest and get better as soon as possible.”

“Heh, heh…”

I chuckled softly and Marriette moistened a hand towel with water from a basin nearby, wringing it out before gently wiping my face and neck.

It was cold, but it felt refreshing…

“…I apologize. Regarding this matter, it was decided that there would be no blame placed on Glenn, and it would be considered an incident during training.”

Princess Abigail looked down with a regretful expression, but that was the natural outcome. I had challenged Glenn, and there was no room for complaints. Moreover, Glenn was one of the key figures in the empire’s military. If a choice had to be made, he was the obvious one.

Still, I was sure that the kingdom would protest, and the empire would offer an apology of some sort.

“Princess Abigail, please don’t worry about it. More importantly, I’m so grateful that you came to see me here.”

“Ah… um, I think you don’t need to push yourself so much.”

“Haha, maybe it’s because I’m feeling a bit helpless after getting injured.”

I enjoyed this moment alone with the girl who gazed at me with crimson eyes. Her breathing, warmth, and gaze were all comforting me more than anything else.