"Miss Funiya, are you... really an angel?"
Surrounded by various outfits whose combined fabric probably didn't amount to a few normal garments, Shia, who hadn't seen Lily in several days, sat anxiously in a seat in this dressing room.
She examined the cross pendant still hanging around her neck. If not for the reliable angel lady residing within continuously helping her, she would probably have been caught by those traitorous soldiers long ago.
"Of course I'm an angel. Besides an angel like me, who else can you think of who would help you unconditionally like this?"
"Who else..."
Mm...
Hearing such words, the golden-haired girl in the vanity mirror couldn't help but show a trace of sadness.
As the Kingdom's princess—no, now she could probably only be considered the former princess. After all, that traitor from the West family was already loudly proclaiming that the Kingdom's princess was dead, and the new ruler should rightfully be inherited by their powerful family.
Now, just among those Shia had seen who believed the news of the princess's death, there were already quite a few. Even in a pleasure district like the red-light area, one could often hear people occasionally discuss this matter.
The head of the West family had gone to great lengths to become the new royal family, spreading the false news possibly throughout the entire country in just a few days.
Honestly, Shia didn't care that much about the position of princess or even ruler of the Kingdom. She just didn't want those killed by the Empire's brutal rulers to die with grievances, and wanted to avenge them.
But from what she'd seen so far, the West family's policy should be to actively reconcile with the Empire, exchanging non-retaliation for some compensation from the Empire. After all, with the Emperor now dead and domestic turmoil, the Empire couldn't withstand another war.
"You're lost in thought, little princess."
"Me?"
Her thoughts slightly interrupted by Funiya's voice, Shia glanced at her current self. Although the girl in the mirror still had a head of captivating, brilliant golden hair, she had been forced to change into an outfit that wasn't very dignified—well, completely undignified.
Shia wore a highly revealing black dress with black stockings on her legs. This was the outfit she had to wear starting today for disguise.
"Do you want revenge? Little princess."
"Revenge..."
"Yes, revenge against the Empire. They started the war first, using that leaked divine power to commit atrocities. Although the main instigator, the Emperor himself, is already dead, there must be others among the Empire's upper echelons who helped fuel the flames. You still have many targets for revenge, young lady."
"An angel would actually tell me to seek revenge?"
"Of course. Whoever does bad things must pay the price. We can avoid harming the innocent, but those who deserve to die—not one should escape."
"The angel is more just than I imagined. Fortunately, thanks to you I found this place to hide, otherwise I would have already been..."
"Yes~ indeed."
Funiya's voice became somewhat guilty. Actually, coming here was just her personal bad taste, plus she really was too lazy to help Shia find somewhere else to run.
Whatever, the boss Lily is already on her way here anyway. The only thing I need to do is prevent you from actually being forced to sell your ass and that's it.
"Angel, can you tell me... who exactly is Lily? You seem very familiar with her."
"Well, young lady, remember this—who she is isn't that important. You just need to remember that initially, it was she who saved you. As for why she saved you, I think you should ask her yourself."
"I feel like Lily is hiding a lot from me. She's definitely not as simple as she appears to be on the surface, right?"
"Mm, right. I can guarantee this—she's definitely not some innocent little girl, she's a trashy loli."
"Heh, trashy loli... but she is quite cute though."
"Of course, she's..."
Funiya's voice was interrupted by the sound of conversation. Then, the talking abruptly ceased, replaced by footsteps approaching step by step.
A mature black-haired woman who looked to be about forty and full of charm pushed open the door and entered the dressing room.
She then spoke to Shia somewhat apologetically.
"I'm terribly sorry! Miss!"
"What's wrong?"
Shia was puzzled. This lady was the proprietress of this establishment, and it was kindhearted she who had taken in Shia just after she escaped her pursuers.
"Ugh, remember what I told you before? I clearly promised you wouldn't have to go on stage, you'd just need to hide here peacefully..."
"What happened? If those pursuers found this place, I'll leave immediately."
Shia quickly stood up. If those soldiers really had tracked her down, she didn't want to implicate this proprietress because of herself.
"No, it's not them. Someone... someone called your name and specifically requested your services..."
"My name?"
"Yes, Princess. I'm very sorry, but that lady's attitude was very firm. She even directly stated your full name."
"She actually knows it's me, so she's probably also one of those soldiers from the West family."
Cold sweat dripped from Shia's forehead. The other party didn't choose to make a big commotion, but instead found her in an almost silent manner, which made her even more chilled to the bone.
As a princess, the legitimate royal family of the Kingdom, her bloodline wasn't merely decorative or symbolic—it truly contained incredible power, such as affinity for magic.
Therefore, she could roughly imagine that if she were caught by those soldiers, the outcome probably wouldn't be much better than being thrown into a goblin nest...
"Please flee quickly, Princess. I'll try to buy you some time. You can leave through the back door."
"I understand. Thank you."
Shia was just about to leave when suddenly, a black shadow swept across the ground and grabbed her shadow. The foot she had just stepped forward was stuck in mid-air, unable to move even a centimeter further.
"Huh?! We're done for!"
The proprietress, whose shadow was also caught, walked backward to the wall like a marionette. Soon, a black-haired intellectual woman wearing black-framed glasses entered the dressing room.
She was about 170 centimeters tall, wearing clothes made of a material Shia didn't recognize. Although they appeared black, they seemed to be more than that—the blackness attracted her gaze like a black hole.
"Mm, as I expected, you're indeed here."
The intellectual woman adjusted her glasses. Her feet in thick-heeled high heels stood elegantly together. A black outfit outlined her abs. The only somewhat regrettable thing was that her chest strength was rather tragic.
Shia's assessment was that she was slightly bigger than Lily.
"Shia Fres, princess of the Kingdom. I know you want revenge, want to seek justice for your people, and make those traitors shut up completely. How about this—satisfy me, and I'll give you support."
Shia's face showed difficulty, her clenched hands revealing her inner turmoil.