Suddenly—
A shadow dropped onto the balcony in front of her.
The Princess reacted instantly, pulling a dagger from her sleeve and aiming it straight at the stranger's throat.
The man hit the ground awkwardly with a painful groan.
"Ah—damn, that hurt."
The Princess narrowed her eyes.
"Who are you?"
The man slowly sat up, rubbing the back of his head.
"Just a worker from the Grande Palace staff."
Her grip on the dagger didn't loosen.
"Workers don't usually crawl across balconies in the middle of the night."
He glanced upward awkwardly.
"Well… some soldiers were bothering me."
"And?"
"I may have hit them."
The Princess stared at him.
"You assaulted royal guards?"
"They insulted me first."
He shrugged.
"I was defending something important."
She arched a brow.
"And what exactly was so important?"
The man looked directly into her eyes.
"My dignity."
For a second, silence lingered between them.
Then, slowly, the Princess lowered her blade.
Interesting.
Most people trembled in front of her.
This man barely seemed nervous.
She turned and began walking back toward the ballroom doors.
Behind her, the man blinked in surprise.
"That's it?" he called out. "You're not angry?"
Without looking back, she answered coldly—
"I don't waste my time on stupidity."
The balcony doors closed behind her.
━━━━━━━━━━
Morning sunlight spilled across the palace balcony.
The Princess stood alone with a book resting open in her hands, though she hadn't turned a page in several minutes.
Her thoughts drifted back to the cave.
To Monesa.
To the assassin.
Then movement below caught her attention.
Her gaze shifted toward the courtyard.
The man from last night was carrying wooden crates beside several servants, sleeves rolled up carelessly. In daylight, he looked different.
Less suspicious.
Less dangerous.
Almost ordinary.
Almost.
The Princess spoke without taking her eyes off him.
"Who is that?"
A nearby servant stepped forward carefully.
"That is John, Your Highness. He recently began working in the palace."
"Recently?"
"Yes. He's still under evaluation."
The Princess remained silent.
Something about him bothered her.
Or perhaps intrigued her.
Before she could think further, footsteps approached from behind.
"Princess," Marco said. "Esabell found something."
Her attention immediately sharpened.
"Bring her."
Moments later, Esabell hurried onto the balcony clutching several papers against her chest.
Her breathing was uneven from running.
"Well?" the Princess asked. "What did you find?"
Esabell gathered herself before speaking.
"Monesa's body is still cursed… but not completely."
The Princess frowned slightly.
"What does that mean?"
Esabell looked down at the papers.
"The god Monesa killed left traces of divine purity inside her body. The curse couldn't erase it entirely."
The Princess's expression darkened with thought.
"So wherever her body is… that purity remains."
Esabell nodded quickly.
"Yes. A Chosen Angel would be able to sense it."
Marco scoffed from nearby.
"And where exactly are we supposed to find one of those?"
Esabell hesitated.
"There aren't many left."
The Princess crossed her arms.
"Explain."
Esabell lowered her voice.
"Whenever a Chosen Angel witnesses Monesa's divine purity… the curse kills them."
Silence fell heavily over the balcony.
Marco clicked his tongue.
"So not only are they rare, they die the moment they help us."
Esabell clenched the papers tighter.
"But we don't have another lead."
The Princess closed her eyes briefly before speaking again.
"Marco."
He straightened slightly.
"Find a Chosen Angel."
Marco frowned.
"That won't be easy."
"I didn't ask if it would be easy."
Then she looked toward Esabell.
"And you—keep searching for another method. I refuse to sacrifice more people if there's another way."
Esabell nodded quietly.
"I'll try."
Marco let out a sharp laugh.
"Trying won't save humanity."
The Princess's gaze turned ice cold.
"Leave."
Both froze.
"Now."
Neither argued.
Within moments, the balcony fell silent once more.
The Princess slowly walked toward the railing again.
But John was gone.
━━━━━━━━━━
Night covered the palace gardens in silver moonlight.
The Princess moved alone across the stone courtyard, sword flashing through the darkness with ruthless precision.
Every strike was clean.
Controlled.
Merciless.
The cold air trembled around her blade.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Then suddenly—
She felt someone watching.
Her body stilled instantly.
In one swift motion, she turned and pointed her sword toward the trees.
"Come out."
A figure stepped from the shadows with both hands raised.
John.
"Well," he said awkwardly, "this looks bad."
The Princess crossed the distance between them in seconds.
Her blade pressed against his throat before he could react.
"What are you doing here?"
John carefully glanced at the sword.
"Walking?"
The blade pressed closer.
A thin line of blood appeared against his skin.
"Alright, fine," he sighed. "I heard noise from the garden and came to look."
"And stayed to spy on me?"
"No," he answered honestly. "I stayed because you're good."
The Princess narrowed her eyes.
"At swordsmanship."
A brief silence followed.
Then, unexpectedly, the Princess lowered her blade.
She walked toward a nearby bench, picked up a second sword, and tossed it toward him.
John caught it instinctively.
His expression immediately changed.
Sharp.
Focused.
The Princess noticed.
Interesting.
"Fight me," she said.
John blinked.
"I'd rather not."
"You're refusing a royal order?"
"I'm trying to avoid dying."
"You won't."
Her eyes hardened slightly.
"But you will fight."
John stared at the weapon in his hand for a moment before sighing.
"…Fine."
The Princess attacked first.
Steel clashed violently beneath the moonlight.
John barely blocked the first strike before another came immediately after it.
Fast.
Too fast.
The Princess fought aggressively, forcing him backward across the garden.
But John adapted quickly.
His movements were calm and efficient, wasting no energy.
The Princess's eyes narrowed.
He's trained.
Their swords collided again and again, sparks flashing in the darkness.
John suddenly twisted sideways and redirected her blade away from him smoothly.
The Princess immediately countered with a kick aimed at his ribs.
He caught her leg.
For half a second, both froze.
Then she twisted free and swung toward his shoulder.
John ducked beneath the attack and stepped behind her.
Fast.
She spun instantly, blocking another strike just inches from her neck.
This time, she smiled faintly.
Finally.
Someone interesting.
The fight intensified.
Neither held back now.
Their blades rang endlessly through the garden as servants watching from distant windows whispered nervously.
The Princess attacked with raw pressure and precision.
John fought differently.
Patient.
Defensive.
Looking for openings instead of forcing them.
The Princess suddenly swept low with her leg.
John lost balance and hit the ground hard.
Before he could recover, her sword rested against his throat.
Silence.
Their breathing filled the garden.
The Princess studied him carefully.
"You're skilled."
John let out a tired laugh.
"And you're terrifying."
She stepped back slowly.
"Tomorrow, you'll join my expedition."
John blinked.
"…What?"
"We're searching for Monesa's body."
"I know that part. I meant why me?"
The Princess tilted her head slightly.
"A man with your skill chooses palace labor instead of knighthood."
Her eyes sharpened.
"That makes you suspicious."
John stood up slowly.
"Or maybe I simply want a quiet life."
"A quiet life?" she repeated.
"Yes."
He looked toward the moonlit garden.
"My father was a swordsman. He trained me when I was young."
"And now?"
"He's dead."
The Princess remained silent.
"Monster attack," John continued quietly. "After that, I stopped caring about swords."
The Princess's grip around her weapon tightened slightly.
"Monsters destroyed countless lives after the curse spread," she said coldly. "That's exactly why hiding won't save anyone."
John looked at her carefully.
"You really believe finding Monesa will fix this world?"
The Princess met his gaze without hesitation.
"It has to."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then she turned toward the palace.
"Be ready by sunrise."
John frowned.
"I never agreed to this."
The Princess glanced back over her shoulder.
"I wasn't asking."
Then she disappeared through the palace doors.
━━━━━━━━━━
Morning mist covered the palace gates.
Carriages waited in formation while soldiers prepared supplies for departure.
The Princess sat inside the lead carriage silently, already dressed for travel.
Marco approached with an amused grin.
"We found him."
Several soldiers dragged John forward with his hands tied behind his back.
His clothes were covered in dirt, and he looked deeply offended.
Marco laughed loudly.
"Turns out our peaceful little worker tried to run away."
John glared at him.
"I was leaving peacefully."
"Sure you were."
Marco looked toward the carriage.
"So, Princess… should we hang him now or later?"
The Princess looked calmly at John for several long seconds.
Then—
...CHAPTER 2ENDS...