The sudden vibration caused many plates on the dining table to fall to the floor. The sharp sound of breaking dishes echoed from all directions.
"Fire! Fire!"
"The stove exploded! Everyone, get out now!"
"Help, help me! Someone, please help me!"
"Fire... It's on fire! Ahh! Help me!"
The scorching flames, engulfing everything, crept up the railing with chaos.
"What, what is this? W-What...!"
I was startled by the sudden situation and jumped up from my seat. At that moment, Aedus, who had rushed over, grabbed my shoulder and pulled me forcefully. Then, the chandelier hanging from the ceiling began to sway with a chilling sound. Clang! Creak!
"Kyaah!"
Startled by the loud noise, I screamed and instinctively covered my head. The chandelier, swinging like a pendulum, plummeted downward. Fragments flew mercilessly. The place where the chandelier had fallen was exactly where I had been standing a moment ago.
'If Aedus hadn't pulled me back...'
The thought alone made all the blood drain from my body.
"Suddenly standing up is dangerous, Your Highness."
With a pale face, my hands trembling, a gentle voice seemed to soothe me.
"That's why I told you to go out first."
Aedus, holding me protectively in his arms, stood with his back to the chandelier. I quickly surveyed the surroundings with a pale face.
The wooden staircase leading down to the first floor, engulfed in flames, had collapsed, and the railing was being consumed by the intense heat.
"What's happening?"
I wondered if it was a terrorist attack or a war. Just as Aedus was about to let me go from his embrace to answer my question, there was a loud bang!
"Your Highness!"
A familiar voice called out from outside the door on the lower floor. It was the knight we had spoken to before entering the shop.
"Your Highness! Where are you?"
"Oh, a knight has come! That's great! Help us! Help us get out! Save us! From the kitchen...!"
"There are people trapped in the staff room! Please! Help us!"
"Your Highness! We are the knights of the duchy here to protect Your Highness! Where is Your Highness...!"
The chaotic voices snapped me back to reality.
'I have to get out of here!'
The building's shaking gradually subsided, but if we stayed, we would surely die from the fire or suffocate from the smoke.
"Help! I'm here!"
I shouted with all my strength. The acrid smoke filled my lungs unpleasantly. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I couldn't help but cough as if coal dust had stuck to my throat.
"Cough! Cough!"
The smoke stung my eyes. My cries were drowned out by the shouts and screams of the employees, who numbered at least thirty.
"Save us!"
"Let us out! Move!"
"Why are you still coming in! Move! We have to get out!"
The people in the shop, already in a panic, were fiercely confronting the knights, thinking that they had to get out to survive.
"Just a moment! We will let everyone out after we enter!"
"Your Highness is inside! The Duchess of Laphireon is inside!"
It was utter chaos. Aedus, who had been observing the situation from this floor, handed me a handkerchief soaked in water.
"Cover your nose and mouth with this and try to breathe as little as possible."
"You, are you...?"
"I'm fine with this."
I covered my nose and mouth with the handkerchief Aedus handed me and asked.
"What's happening? What was that explosion? This fire... Is it a terrorist attack...?"
"Stay calm. It's not a terrorist attack. There has been a burning smell for a while. The kitchen must have caught fire."
A burning smell?
"Could the strange smell you mentioned earlier...?"
"Apparently, the kitchen was left unattended, and no one noticed the fire. The temperature rose, and the stove exploded."
"You should have said that earlier!"
If you had mentioned the burning smell, we would have left immediately!
"If I had told the truth, Your Highness would have informed the staff about the fire and tried to get everyone out together, right?"
"Of course!"
"Do you know what happens when people are suddenly faced with a dangerous situation? The selfish thought of escaping to save oneself comes before the obvious thought of putting out the fire. It would have been difficult to get out."
"...What?"
"That's why I didn't say anything and tried to get Your Highness out of the shop first. The staff would have followed after."
The staff would have followed after? Aedus answered relatively calmly and quickly checked the surroundings.
"In any case, Your Highness was my priority over people I don't know."
His voice was cold, devoid of any warmth, unlike his usual self.
"Ultimately, it ended up like this. But more importantly, the stairs have collapsed, and we can't use them. We could jump from the railing to the door, but... "
Aedus tilted his head back to look at me and shook his head doubtfully.
"Even if I say it's possible, the distance is too far for Your Highness to jump."
As we talked, the fire grew more intense and came closer to us. Aedus was right. Seeing the flames right in front of me, the only thought that filled my mind was to escape as quickly as possible. My vision narrowed, and my thoughts stopped.
"Should we ask the knights who came to save us for help? ...Like bringing water to put out the fire!"
It was a futile, thin hope.
"They won't be able to save us in time. The river is far away, and even if they bring water from nearby, we will burn to death first. As I said, the stairs and the railing are blocked, making it difficult to get through the flames."
The fire grew more intense as we spoke. The first floor, directly connected to the kitchen, was now almost impossible to enter.
'I have to think of a way to escape.'
I tried to think hard, looking at the flames that seemed ready to devour us at any moment. Then, Aedus took off his coat, draped it over my shoulders, and said matter-of-factly.
"We don't have time to waste."
"Why the coat...?"
"Put it on. We're going to escape."
Escape? Did he just say escape?
"The stairs and the railing are in that state. How do you plan to escape...?"
Aedus smiled softly, as if to reassure me, and turned to pull the tablecloth off the table roughly. A few remaining plates fell and shattered with a sharp sound.
"What are you doing? Don't do anything reckless!"
As I reached out to Aedus, the coat on my shoulder slipped off. When I picked it up, my hands were covered in a sticky liquid.
"..."
The back of the coat was soaked and stained red. Shocked, I clutched the coat with both hands and looked up.
"Aedus, your back...!"
I saw Aedus's back, where blood was flowing. Drops of blood fell, leaving a trail. Despite my screams, Aedus remained calm. He poured water from a teapot onto the tablecloth. After checking that it was thoroughly soaked, he turned around and frowned at me, who had been standing still.
"I gave you the coat to wear so we can escape. Time is running out."
"Your back is bleeding!"
Aedus stepped closer to me.
"It doesn't hurt, so it's fine."
Aedus, who had casually replied, placed the soaked tablecloth on a chair and took the coat from my hands, draping it over my shoulders and buttoning it up.
"Did you get hurt when you shielded me from the chandelier?"
"I don't remember."
"You can't see, but the wound is quite deep! We need to stop the bleeding..."
"Your Highness, this wound isn't the priority right now."
Aedus cut me off and smiled firmly.
"Either way, if we can't escape, we will die."
He was right. The flames were already threatening to engulf us. Aedus, having buttoned up the coat, smiled satisfactorily at me.
"Not bad."
The coat was too large, making it hang loosely and reaching down to my thighs.
"How do you plan to escape in such a large coat? It will restrict your movements."
"Don't worry."
He seemed calm, even in this situation. Or perhaps, his calmness was due to his familiarity with such situations, making him move efficiently.
"I told you I won't leave Your Highness alone."
Aedus, holding the soaked tablecloth, suddenly draped it over my head.
"Ah! It's cold!"
The cold, wet fabric covered me from head to toe, surprising me. As I struggled,
"Ah!"
I felt my body suddenly lift into the air. I made a strange sound and managed to peek out from the fabric. Aedus's chest and his face, close to mine, came into view.
"W-What are you doing...!"
I was being carried in a "princess carry" by Aedus, who walked calmly to the end of the railing, away from the flames.
"Make sure the fabric covers you to prevent the fire from catching."
"What?"
"Also, keep my coat closed to prevent glass from cutting your skin."
I looked at Aedus, confused by his words. Fire? Glass? I stared at him, wanting a detailed explanation.