Episode 0
Even in the north, a short summer was about to begin.
The morning breeze carried the chirps of frolicking birds.
The location was the Susaria Royal Palace.
In the Prince's Room on the top floor of the eastern tower facing the sea, First Secretary Meryl received a handover from the night shift worker.
The Prince had slept soundly the previous night. He didn't respond even when she changed his position. He showed no words or signs of pain.
After the routine handover, the night shift worker bowed and left.
Leaving herself alone, Meryl first opened the windows wide.
The linen curtains billowed.
The scent of the sea breeze spread.
She smiled at the overwhelming comfort.
It was a perfect morning.
But inside, she thought, "It's already summer! The seasons have changed so quickly."
I'm still in my thirties, so maybe it's not good to think about old-fashioned things.
What would happen if I continued doing this kind of work when I was in my 60s or 70s?
Prince Takuya would grow up, have a family, and I would spoil my children to the fullest, but sometimes I would spank them and teach them proper discipline.
That kind of life wouldn't be so bad.
But she had noticed.
She knew.
That this wonderful wind was the perfect way to end her life.
◆ ◆ ◆
Breakfast was delivered to the prince's room.
"Good morning, your prince has breakfast."
A male staff member in a white shirt and black vest entered the prince's private room, pushing a silver cart. His demeanor was so serious that it seemed awkward. Or perhaps he was muscular?
Meryl ushered the staff member to the window.
"Please set the table."
"Understood. Prince Takuya, aren't you awake yet?"
"Yes."
"I hope you wake up soon."
It was just an ordinary morning conversation.
However, despite the harmonious nature of the conversation, Meryl sensed something like murderous intent from the male staff member she was meeting for the first time.
She glanced out of the corner of her eye as he set the dishes.
"I haven't seen you here before."
"Yes, I'm Freddie, a waiter who'll be taking over your duties from today."
"I'm Meryl, nice to meet you. So, what's for dinner today?"
"It's served with a wild strawberry tart. It's said to have the scent of early summer."
"Wow, that looks delicious!"
The food was just as usual. Meryl's special technique, "Premonition of Poison," didn't elicit any particular reaction.
But something seemed off.
The tableware was arranged strangely. It wasn't arranged the way it should. Today, the soup was placed at the front, as was the normal arrangement. However, the prince took a bite of bread first to check his own health. Surely the staff would know...
"Hey, there's some sauce spilling out here."
Meryl wiped the side of the plate with her finger and brought it to her mouth. Licking the sauce, she placed the toothpick-like cartridge from her fingertip into her mouth.
She also poked the ring on her middle finger with her tongue, activating it.
The moment Meryl tried to leave the table, her hunch came true. The man attacked from behind.
Grabbed Meryl's right hand from the side and ran forward, using his momentum to his advantage. Using the momentum from the grip, he then grabbed her left hand, circled around behind her, and twisted it up.
A quick and flexible fighting technique.
"Tell me your plan."
The man's deep voice revealed his true colors.
But Meryl just kept smiling.
"I don't have anything to tell you."
"You won't understand unless you break it."
As the man tried to twist her arm, Meryl spit out a thin puff from her mouth.
The poisonous needle pierced the man's face, spurting a purple liquid.
The man quickly moved away from Meryl, pulled the needle out of his eye, and threw it away.
"Why did you have to use that?"
"This is the first time I've stabbed myself in the face. I hope the poison doesn't reach my brain."
"Don't overdo it."
The poison was making the man dizzy, but she continued charging forward regardless.
Utter force.
Meryl was tall for a woman, but she was no match for the man's well-trained strength. She narrowly dodged the man's punches and kicks, but just as she was about to lose her grip and have her neck taken, she attached the ring she was wearing to the man's upper arm and his suit.
The man groaned and quickly moved away.
"What did you do?"
"It's just a torn muscle."
"Huh?"
"It moves along the grain."
"What is she talking about?"
"Shall we try it again?"
Meryl quickly stroked the man's left hand with a graceful, spinning motion.
The man tried to grab Meryl's arm, but the moment he put his strength into it, a pain ran through him, as if his arm were about to explode from the inside.
The man fell to his knees, his eyes blazing with rage, and checked the movement of his arm and fingers.
"A tear in the flesh? The muscle itself doesn't move. It's like a pulled muscle. If you don't worry about it, it's no big deal. I'll just use force."
The man tried to grab Meryl with his right hand while protecting his left, and Meryl ran her ring over his right arm as well.
The man's face twisted in pain, and he once again put some distance between them.
"What's going on? Since this is my job, I should be researching the enemy thoroughly, but this technique wasn't even mentioned in the report."
"Of course. It's our country's secret technique. Belbeth's Ring. Whoever learns it is sure to die."
"I don't know about that. I'll spread the word. Don't underestimate me."
"Are you a famous spy?"
"Real spies don't become famous. They just get more jobs without dying."
"Indeed. I'll praise your courage."
"How many people have you killed with that dirty trick?"
"Not many."
"Ha. The princess of the palace has a rotten brain. You stink."
"I'll tell you. How are you going to fight with a body like that? Do you even think you'll survive?"
"That's easy."
The man lowered his body and kicked the wall.
Using the recoil, he delivered a high-speed spinning kick.
She struck the outside of Meryl's foot.
Hooking her toe there, she pulled in and wrapped herself around him.
The man decided that attacking from a low position, where his fingers couldn't reach, would be no problem.
Her flexibility and speed were certainly not at the level of an ordinary person.
But as long as Meryl's arms were free, her mysterious attack would not stop.
She rhythmically stroked the man's body, which had wrapped around her, up and down.
Arms, shoulders, back, cheeks.
The man was now unable to move even his chin.
Unable to resist, she let go of Meryl.
Meryl ran towards the staggering man and kicked him in the stomach.
As if to declare that she could fight without relying on secret techniques.
The man had bulletproof armor fitted around his stomach, but he still stopped breathing and began to cough.
Meryl stood beside the crouching man.
As if sympathizing with the ignorant assassin.
"For Susaria."
Meryl uttered a prayer and gently stroked the back of the man's head with her fingers.
The man's brain was sliced open, and he lost consciousness and fell to the floor.
As she stood before the man's body, Meryl realized something.
The assassin was coming among the princes.
The assassin must have noticed her move.
There was only one option left.
Stop all evil.
Meryl shifted the chest and slid the body out through a hidden small window.
The traditional royal palace procedure.
The gardener would dispose of it later.
The prince lay asleep in his bed, still attached to an IV drip.
The prince had been asleep for three months.
Meryl removed her ring and carefully washed her hands in the bathroom.
Then, from the sealed box, she took out an ampule of medicine that would awaken Prince Takuya and drew it into a syringe. She inserted the needle into the IV pack and injected the medication.
Once she had finished, Meryl bent down in front of the prince with a gentle expression.
She gently brushed back the bangs that were falling on his peacefully sleeping face with her fingertips and murmured, "Wake up, Takuya-sama. May we overcome all evil difficulties and enter into a healthy and prosperous era. ...I only have one job to do today. Takuya-sama, I'll leave the rest to you."
