And thusly Celica succeeded in infiltrating the noble’s wedding ceremony.
Since she is the stand-in for the customary role of the flower girl, Celica can’t actually join the party.
But, nobles are not cheap. Even though Celica cannot join the party, she is able to help herself to the leftover food and is free to listen to the music that is coming from the assembly hall.
The point is Celica was thrown into a room adjoining the assembly hall. But, no one was watching her.
Since the princess is coming to the party the security was strict, but they did not have enough leeway to watch a 9-year-old girl.
Well, Celica is a cute young girl that is wearing a pink dress.
Even if she gathers attention due to her being cute, the adults are not wary of her.
The fact that such a lovely girl is planning such dastardly deeds is beyond the scope of the adults’ imagination.
Inevitably, she has more freedom to act.
After her mother patted her head and said “Be a good girl and stay here”, Celica began moving around the mansion as if those words disappeared from her memory.
She gathered as much information as she could, like the state of the party or the identity and last names of the attendee’s.
Of course, Celica gathered information on the princess that should be participating today, but there wasn’t a lot to go on pertaining that subject.
The reason being the imperial princess has difficulties dealing with high society and it seems she rarely participates in such functions.
I don’t know if it was because of her having a difficult attitude or not. I think being born into the royal family is troublesome, but I had no other impressions besides this.
But if the princess comes under the control of Celica, such naive thoughts will be purged.
The royal family’s job is to participate in high society and build connections with people.
Abandoning this, living with such carefree freedom is not acceptable of the royal house.
After I thought this, the training of the princess will be put off for a later date.
Now I must find her, feign a “chance” encounter, and get close to her. This is what is crucial at this point.
Celica searched every nook and cranny of the assembly hall and mansion.
But, after several hours passed all that hard work ended in vain.
She could not find the all-important princess.
No matter how much she searched she couldn’t find hide nor hair of the princess.
Could it be that the princess isn’t coming.
The moment she thought this, an announcement rang out through the assembly hall.
[The princess did come to the party but soon felt ill, so she returned to the palace…] Announcer
Celica immediately felt dejected without having to hear the rest of the announcement.
Honestly, for what reason did I dress up in such an embarrassing outfit and sneak into this event.
Isn’t everything I’ve done today nothing more than the foolish antics of a clown. As she whispered this, she became so mad she could spit.
Since the noble’s home is covered in an expensive looking carpet she didn’t do it.
But, she still wanted to vent her stress so she looked for a place where no one is and she could be by herself.
Celica could see a balcony.
There she could complain to her hearts content and spit as much as she wants.
As she thought this and snuck into the balcony she immediately regretted her decision.
The moment she leans forward on the balcony to spit several men entered the area.
Celica could tell these men were nobles or part of the privileged class in this country by the fashionable clothes they were wearing.
The men put a barrier when they entered the balcony to hide them from prying eyes.
It is a magical barrier that stops one’s voice from being heard outside of the area.
And a tough looking bodyguard was standing guard and blocking the entrance to the balcony.
This way they can block curious intruders and foreign spies.
From the pie hole within their well-maintained moustaches they praised their own preparedness.
Honestly what stupid actions.
Even if you block the sound of one’s voice, if you can see the person’s mouth you can derive the contents of the conversation to some extent.
It’s a technique called lip-reading.
(TL Note: Yay, I learned a new Japanese word “読唇術” I will never use in a normal conversation.)
Also, a barrier is effective for those who try and enter from the outside but it’s ineffective for those who are already inside the barrier.
As proof of this the men paid no attention to the table that was already on the balcony, and they didn’t notice the girl wearing a pink dress who was hiding under the white tablecloth of said table.
Celica thought the men were both stupid and hilarious but she didn’t make fun of the men in front of her.
Thanks to them being stupid and hilarious she was able to attain some valuable information.
So, the men spoke about the information Celica wanted to know.
[It seems the imperial princess has retreated from this mansion.]
[Maybe she caught wind of our sinister plans.]
[Now now, Sir Cowell, calling it sinister plans will ruin our reputation. All we did was invite the princess, and waiting for this opportunity we would ask her to resolve herself to the important battle with our neighboring country.]
[But after inviting her, you did plan to have Princess Lunelize killed, correct?] Cowell
[That is not true. I would have her die and become a guardian angel to protect our beloved country.]
[Aren’t you the eloquent speaker. Dear sir if you didn’t have a close relationship with the person responsible for the production of weapons, I would almost believe you.] Cowell
[Dear sir, are you not also a member of the family that has for generations served in the royal knights]
As the laid criticizing remarks on each other, there was no sign of hatred or joking in their speech.
These men with showing any hesitation, or pangs of conscience, planned to kill Princess Lunelize.
From the way they were speaking, it seems a military official is in under the table dealings with a weapons company. But more important than that, at this rate Celica’s one strand of hope, Lunelize, will be killed.
All of Celica’s plans will need to be greatly revised
But, she didn’t want to immediately jump out and punish the evildoers.
Instead of this, Celica was thinking how she could use this to her advantage to start her on her way to a successful life
[…Honestly, this is unforgivable, even for someone like me.] Celica
These are not words regretting that she is selling her soul by engaging in such evil actions.
Celica only regrets that she must rely on such inferior people.
[I am embarrassed that I, for a second, considered joining these fools who plan to kill the girl and then wait for the government to take action. This calls for me to go back to my original plan.] Celica
As Celica thought this she waited for the evildoers to finish their secret meeting and then tailed one of them.
Either one was fine.
In any case, Celica aimed for the first man who left and followed after him.
That man must have drunk quite a lot of beer at the party.
With a bright red face, as if a sign of him needing to pee, the man headed to the bathroom.
With an uncertain gait, the man refused the need for the bodyguard to join him.
[Hey now, I’m not the one that needs protecting, right.] Drunk man
The man laughed.
Now,” the one that needs guarding the most is the princess, huh” is what the man was probably implying while laughing. But his actions will backfire on him.
After several minutes the man was attacked by a demon like little girl.
In the men’s restroom near the assembly hall, the man who was relieving himself was suddenly staggering.
At first the man thought that he was drunk, but then he realized that he was wrong.
He felt a dull pain in his abdomen, and from there something warm was flowing out.
The man remembered this feeling.
He once fought on the battlefield.
It was when he was known as a colonel.
From that experience the man realized that the thing that was flowing from his stomach was actually blood.
[D, Dammit why am I…?] Drunk man
After he blurted these words, his voice wouldn’t come out anymore.
He fell to his side and at the same time some young lady, no a young lady who you would still call a child was sitting on top of the man.
The girl was in her underwear.
[…Why the hell is there a little girl in her underwear here?] Drunk man
As the man spit out that question, the girl answered him.
[What’s happening now is God’s will. Here I have stabbed you in the stomach and have placed a knife at your throat, dear sir. Earlier you were speaking of a plan to kidnap this country’s princess. This is all thanks to the fate of the ones called angel. Give up.] Celica
The young girl in nothing but her underwear continued speaking.
[By the way the reason for me being in my underwear was because I didn’t want to ruin my only good dress. To a noble it may look cheap, but it’s the most expensive article in my
household.] Celica
Also, after I kill you, I don’t want to be labeled a suspect.
Celica kept this to herself. There is nothing to gain letting the man know this.
[Now then, since I have a knife at your neck I’m sure you understand that I decide whether you live or die. You can call for help if you want, or use your body to throw me off. But dear sir let it be known, I will slit your throat open before you can blink an eye.] Celica
[……] Drunk man
The man used his silence to show he understood the position he was in
.
[Excellent. Dear sir, if you do not wish to die then properly answer my questions.] Celica
The man nodded.
It’s helps when things go easy like this.
Celica asked two things of the man who was silently pleading for his life.
The name of the mastermind of this plan and the location where this country’s princess will be attacked.
The former will be useful to know for the future.
The latter will immediately become useful to know.
But the man easily spilled the beans, and only this worried Celica.
Celica played a certain hand that would make the man more easily tell her his secrets.
Celica gagged the man, tied him up in straw rope, and laid him down faceup. She then paid close attention to his fingers.
[Did you know that when it comes to the sense of pain, the closer one gets to the extremities of the body, the more distinct the feeling of pain becomes. But despite this, since long ago it has been considered an established tactic to start torturing someone from their fingertips.] Celica
The man’s body twitched as he heard these words.
As a military man he understood these words and realized that something had just been stabbed in between his finger and nail.
[Now dear sir, exactly how many fingers will it be before you confess? I can’t wait.] Celica
[A,Aghh!] Drunk Man
The man tried to say something but I couldn’t understand him.
In the end, Celica stabbed six of his fingers with barbecue skewers until she realized something.
[Shoot, I never decided on what the signal will be for when you are ready to talk.] Celica
She woke up the man who had passed out and was foaming at the mouth. She succeeded in attaining the important information from the man.
Incidentally when she asked the man at which finger did he feel like confessing? The man responded in protest…
[I wanted to confess after the first finger!] Drunk man
[I see, so you bravely resisted somewhat, but you didn’t immediately give in like a coward. But with that attitude I sense that our little session is only somewhat complete. Either you should have stayed silent since you were going to die, or started talking before I even started torturing you.] Celica
[…?] Drunk man
The man seems to had some difficulties understanding her words.
Ugh, it seems this man’s sense of imagination seem to somewhat be lacking. Since Celica has no other choice she will explain to him her actions.
[There is no way I can let a noble who could become a witness against me leave here alive. Even if you confessed or didn’t confess, your fate to die here had already been sealed, dear sir.] Celica
As she stated this, Celica swiped her knife sideways.
As the knife easily entered the man’s neck, as if cured beef, bright red meat became visible.
From there an endless amount of blood spilled forth.
The man stared at her as if he had something to say, but Celica only responded.
[At least be reborn in the next life as a good person. If you do that then you won’t have to die in this way again.] Celica
Celica left him with these words. She then washed the blood from her hands in the sink, put her dress back on, and exited the restroom.
On the way back, Celica ran in ta maid she knew, a coworker of her mother, at that moment Celica’s smile didn’t falter.
She continued playing the part of a pure angel.