It was now July 14th, 1841.

  Alexa Theresa von Wolgast—the Crown Princess of the Lotharingian Empire, and the designated villainess of the Iron Saintess novel, was now, well, she was now friends with many people somehow.

  It had been more than half a year now since she, a normal young woman, found herself in this fantasy world, and in that timeframe, she changed herself from a haughty, spoiled, and quite frankly, villainous lady into something slightly better.

  That was what she believed in at least. Who knew running from Mr. Guillotine would lead her so far?

  Though, she probably hadn’t fixed the haughty and spoiled part fully, because right now was her birthday, and she was splurging.

  “My, please, bring me more cake!” she demanded of her servants. “I need more!”

  “As you wish, Your Highness,” Adele nodded, before gesturing for the maids to bring Alexa more of the cake she coveted. The actual public celebrations of her birthday in the Grand Academy had already ended earlier.

  Now, on the other hand, it was time for her and her close friends to eat and celebrate privately to their hearts’ content. Earlier, naturally, Alexa had to keep her dignity fully, act princess-like, and absolutely refuse to eat anything but a few morsels, but now, she was in her own dining room.

  The sky’s the limit. Unlimited sweets, confectionery, meat, and cake were available, and she was scarfing them all down.

  Same with Wilhelm on the other side of the table, though he was doing it in an even more barbaric way, and for some reason, he preferred to only chomp down on meat and fish.

  Alexa took another spoonful of the slice of cake on her plate. Smiling, she leaned back on her seat as she closed her eyes in delight.

  “This…feels like heaven,” Alexa mumbled. “I need more of this.”

  “It sure does, doesn’t it?” Phoebe smiled bashfully on the side. She was eating food in a slightly more reserved manner, which Alexa noticed.

  “Come on!” Alexa chided. “It’s just us here. Why not eat more? Trust me, your perfect slenderness won’t take a hit by being a glutton for a day.”

  “A-ah, I’m just—”

  “No ahs,” Alexa shook her finger. “I refuse for anyone to leave my birthday with an empty stomach.”

  “I see,” Phoebe smiled, as she finally began eating the slice of cake on her plate with more enthusiasm. Immediately, her eyes also lit up. “Yum…”

  “See, I told you so.”

  “Fireworks will be up in twenty minutes,” Adele suddenly said from the side of the long table after sipping some red wine. “The preparations for the balcony are finished too.”

  “Is that so? Well, I’ll be sure to take a look at it.”

  Yesterday, in the battlefields of the Northern Front, where the demon horde and the defense forces had been locked in endless battle, news came from them that Army Group West had recaptured the capital of the Wolgast Defense District.

  Early during the year, the two sides bitterly battled over the abandoned city of Vostock, until the demons pushed human forces out of the fortress city. Back when Alexa struck a deal to increase the Defense Forces’ budget, the news was so taken so positively by their high command, that they immediately ordered a local counteroffensive in the Wolgast Defense District.

  It was clear that they were doing it to symbolically court Alexa by taking the capital of the former Grand Duchy of Wolgast for her. Alexa refused to encourage it, in fact, she tried to tell Wilhelm that such an act would be a pointless waste of lives.

  But, apparently, it was necessary because the city once served as a major bastion for the defense lines in Wolgast, and the Defense Forces had been itching to recover it before Alexa even increased their budget anyway.

  After weeks of grueling battle and apparently more than twenty thousand casualties on her side, the fortress city of Vostock had been recaptured on the early morning of July 14, right during Alexa’s birthday.

  Due to how rare it was for mankind to recapture lost territories, whenever news of a city being liberated arrived throughout the Holy Empire, it became tradition for major cities to send celebratory fireworks two hours before midnight on the same date that a human city is recaptured.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  It was quite the ridiculous coincidence to Alexa’s mind, but it wasn’t like she would complain that mankind achieved a major victory right during her birthday.

  Back then though, she imagined she would use such an opportunity to gloat and celebrate further, but she thought now that it would be too excessive. Her feast should only be about her birthday, and thus, a private affair. She won’t personally celebrate an event that led to thousands of her subjects dying.

  Still, when twenty minutes later, the fireworks show began, Alexa, flanked by her friends, watched it from the Hohle Dormitory’s main balcony. Instead of enjoying a victory she had no part in, she just watched the display, as they fell into sombre silence.

  “I’ve never seen this since I was a child,” Alfred suddenly loudly remarked on the side, holding red wine like Adele.

  “It sure is beautiful…I wonder how the soldiers up north feel about this,” Adele followed.

  “I wish I could share some of the sweets we had today,” Phoebe sighed wistfully.

  “They will, one day,” Alexa said, her voice turning a bit determined. “This war will end eventually, under my watch. I swear that, once I’m Empress, mankind won’t live fearing for its end like today again.”

  Her friends looked at Alexa silently, until Wilhelm groaned from behind.

  “I bet Defense Minister Hindenburg expected you guys to be more festive about this one,” Wilhelm shook his head. “Well, now a couple of fireworks torched the good mood.”

  Then, he downed his whiskey, turning around and leaving Alexa, Phoebe, Adele, and Alfred.

  Until Alexa grinned as the last firework exploded in the sky.

  “Who told you it’s over. I’m not stopping from eating until I’m stuffed!”

  “U-um, Lady Alexa, I understand that this is your day but—”

  Before Adele could finish her protests, Alexa already returned to the table, indulging herself in the finest luxuries royalty could have.

  “That’s not so ladylike of you…” Adele helplessly sighed, before giving up. “Oh, bummer.”

  +++

  “Lady Alexa…”

  Wilhelm frowned. Alexa seemed to have fallen asleep in the office she leased from the Grand Academy. She used it as both a study room and a room to manage the affairs of the Empire, at least in a limited capacity as its crown princess.

  Since the reopening, she had been living two lives, both working hard on her magic, studies, and everything else, while trying to improve her standing with her people and influence the leaders of the Empire.

  Now, on her birthday, she decided to work herself late at night writing letters to the fallen soldiers’ families in this office—until now.

  She fell asleep, alone. Adele and everyone else have fallen asleep already, but not Wilhelm, because he also had a lot of work to do, so he decided to check in on her.

  He sighed.

  How am I going to carry this pipsqueak to her dorms?

  He walked close to her table as she softly breathed in and out. He stared at her soft, beautiful face for a while. It’s a wonder how she kept those looks even while she began to overwork herself.

  Until Wilhelm realized that he was staring a bit too much, which was out of his usual behavior. He groaned to himself as he looked away. Since he’d been staying with this ragtag team, he’d been growing…a bit way too soft for his liking.

  Sometimes, he wanted nothing more than to just get back to the northern front, his true home, where he could once again sacrifice endless bodies while battling his mortal enemies, but this brat took him as prisoner—ahem, personal knight, tying him in the rear.

  He was starting to feel things out of nowhere. He hypothesized that it had something to do with that Phoebe girl’s presence, because his ‘corruption’ was starting to lessen in severity. His skin for example was now starting to turn less pale.

  It was disconcerting.

  Same with the letters that Alexa was writing. She kept requesting the names of fallen soldiers, and ways in which she could send letters to their families.

  One of them read the following: Mrs. Braum, your son served valiantly in the field of battle…

  He didn’t bother to read the rest, as he slipped it back into its envelope. He tidied up her table, stacking the letters up properly, before he tried to shake her to wake her up. Unfortunately, it was to no avail. She absolutely did not budge.

  Wilhelm wondered if her servants were available, until he realized Alexa’s servants were all women, so he could hardly expect them to get the princess to her bedroom.

  “You’re such a massive headache,” Wilhelm complained. “Why’d you even spare me to deal with all this?”

  Then again, at the end of the day, it was his fault that he didn’t die to Sloth. He fought her with all his might, thinking that he needed to pin her till he bought Phoebe the last second she needed, and all it did was let Sloth divert her attack before she could kill Wilhelm.

  He intended that battle to be his last gambit, but now, he was cursed to do more.

  All because of this girl.

  Yet, he didn’t feel any form of fury or resentment towards her. Sure, she was annoying like right now, and he was annoyed he was still alive because of her, but at the same time, he was starting to feel like he didn’t want to die anymore.

  He may have remained silent, and he may have mostly continued his grey business under Alexa’s wing, but he was starting to like it here.

  He wiped those thoughts off, as he decided to just get on with it. Carrying her gently in his arms, he walked out of her room. By the time he was in the hallway, he heard her mumble something.

  “My knight. Don’t…let him kill me, okay?”

  “What are you…?”

  “Ehehe…I trust you…”

  She was smiling as she nuzzled closer to Wilhelm. Alexa looked so innocent and harmless under the moonlight, that for once, Wilhelm also felt an urge to follow through with her request. After all, who would deny protecting such a precious creature?

  But then, he shook his head.

  “Goodness,” he grumbled, his face turning neutral. “I swear, this is the last time I’ll do this.”

  And so, Wilhelm set out to Alexa’s personal room, and he counted his luck that night when he met no one except one of Alexa’s maids, who guided Wilhelm in getting Alexa to her bedroom, saving him from further awkwardness.

  Truly, he never imagined he’d one day protect and carry a princess. It was utterly ridiculous.

  But, he supposed it wasn’t too bad. At least he was fighting for something better this time than a selfish desire.