Chapter 38 · The Princess's Choice (3)

At Anastasia’s words, Alter’s face turned bright red. Unable to calm his agitation, he huffed and puffed, and those who had always regarded the Alter family as a thorn in their side giggled as if enjoying the sight.

Marquis Hildebert Alter sprang to his feet at the sight and pulled his son back to his seat.

“Edwin, it seems this is not the time to discuss this matter.”

“Father…!”

He looked at his father as if wronged, but when he saw the marquis’s glaring eyes, he shut his mouth.

“As the marquis says, it seems this is not the time to discuss adoption or succession rights.”

The king, also unable to calm his agitation, spoke to Paeon.

“Sir Parsiel, what do you think? With your help, do you believe the princess can truly fully adapt to the two powers?”

“…Yes. It has been difficult, but she has done well so far. And she is getting better and better.”

The king let out a sigh of relief.

“Truly a relief. How could you have kept such a grave matter hidden all by yourself! What on earth was the reason?!”

“I am truly sorry. I wanted to prevent the princess from being confined before we had even tried.”

“…Well. About eight years ago, a Polyops appeared in Veritas and was confined immediately. That person took their own life not long after… I can understand why Sir Parsiel hid it.”

“I am not without fault. I will gladly accept responsibility for failing to report such a grave matter.”

“No, in a situation like this, I cannot very well suspend you… I will not impose any punishment. Instead!”

The king’s eyes glinted sharply as he added.

“Do your utmost and take responsibility for the princess to the very end. The princess’s future rests solely in your hands.”

He looked at the king with wavering eyes, then nodded as if he had made up his mind. But he still looked deeply uneasy somewhere.

“Today I have heard many wondrous tidings indeed. This must surely be the will of Lord Lux. I believe it is His message that He is watching over us. I ask that you lords not forget this grace, and become ever more united in faith.”

The bell signaling the end of the state council rang, and the nobles left the chamber. The Alter family bowed their heads and were the first to slip out. The other nobles passed by Anastasia, glancing at her as if she were some fascinating creature. Some even made the sign of the cross with awe in their eyes. Anastasia merely smiled quietly, and that made her look all the more sacred.

But only Paeon noticed that she was enduring the pain with all her might, and he hurriedly scooped her up and left the chamber. Only after they reached behind a pillar where no one was around did she gasp for breath and groan.

“Hah… hah… hah…”

“Princess! You overexerted yourself.”

He wiped the sweat from her brow and worried over her. She let the pain subside in his arms for a moment, then pushed him away and turned around.

Since that day, Anastasia had never once spoken to him first or given him a warm look. Only today had she finally said they needed to go to the state council chamber.

“Princess.”

She gave no answer to his desperate voice.

“Princess…”

Paeon had spent the past few days in a living hell. Every time he saw her heartless eyes and tightly pressed lips, his heart felt as if it were being carved out with a knife. But this clumsy, taciturn man who didn’t know how to say empty words had no idea how to soothe his daughter’s heart.

Even when Beatrice had been angry with him, he had only waited for her heart to soften rather than approaching her first.

It seemed he was about to repeat the same mistake this time as well. Anastasia, who had been standing quietly in the light of the stained glass for a long while, turned her head and looked up at him with a face that seemed to say there was no helping it. He felt as if he were seeing her for the first time in a very long time. And no wonder—she had been turning her head away or hiding under the covers in bed all this time.

Her pale, smooth cheeks, the large emerald eyes visible between her long lashes, her small, pert nose and soft red lips.

His eyes grew hot for some reason.

“Asha is a good child, so I’ll fowgive Papa. Anyway, Papa can’t go anywhewe now.”

She held out her small hand.

“Here, a weconciliation handshake.”

Paeon hesitantly held out his hand and lightly took Anastasia’s. Her hand was soft and squishy.

“Wet’s go to Yuditium. We have to go get Fwee sister.”

He nodded and lifted Anastasia. His relief at being forgiven was brief—his mind was in turmoil over what had just happened. For days, Anastasia had been exchanging letters with someone. He had assumed it was Rizen or Ark, but it had actually been Marquis Laselles.

His daughter had splendidly overcome the crisis, but it was not something a five-year-old could possibly have managed. If so, had the marquis approached her first? What on earth had he seen in the princess? Even if she was an extraordinary child, wasn’t this too strange?

He was confused, and a little afraid. Was his daughter really five years old? Yet even amid all that, he felt a strange sense of relief that he would not be able to leave her side for some time.

◇ ◆ ◇

“Fwee sister!”

“Princess!”

We had an emotional reunion. Ever since I had seen Freesia locked up, I hadn’t forgotten her for a single moment, and only after seeing her freed from the heavy iron ball could I finally set down the weight in my heart.

She had been locked up for over a month, and she still looked shabby and pitiful, but strangely, her complexion looked better than before.

“We came every single day to bring her food!”

“I thought I was going to die of exhaustion coming here right after training…”

Rizen and Ark shrugged proudly.

“Wizen and Awk did? How? Visiting is fowbidden hewe.”

“Sir Parsiel gave us special visitation rights. Look at this!”

Rizen held up a silver badge engraved with the emblem of Veritas.

“Papa did…?”

“Yes. Normally you’re not even allowed to bring things in, let alone food, but he must have demanded it strongly. That’s how we were able to give her these magic books too.”

Freesia held up a magic book so worn from reading that it was falling apart, looking embarrassed. Hmm, so that man does have a commendable side after all.

But I was feeling such intense, boiling anger toward him that the sentiment didn’t last long.

“Quickwy, wet’s get out of hewe. It’s not good to stay in a pwace wike this fow wong.”

As I pushed Freesia’s back, she turned to me with joy written all over her face but also a hint of unease.

“But Princess… is it really all right for me to leave like this? I’m… I’m someone who knows ‘that magic’…”

“You don’t need to wowwy about that.”

Hehe, I had originally planned to hold a small celebration party and make a surprise announcement… But good news is better shared quickly, right?

“Asha towd Woktania, the dean of the Woyal Magic Academy, in advance. Fwee sister is going to attend the academy!”

“Whaaat?!”

She jumped so high in shock.

“Th-the, the, the academy…? Th-that’s a place only nobles attend. How could a commoner like me…!”

“Commoners with mana awe waw because they’we waw, but anyone with mana can go.”

Freesia’s face lit up with fervent joy and emotion. But as if she were afraid of this sudden and immense fortune, she trembled and murmured.

“But, but could someone like me really attend a place like that…? I have nothing, and I’m in no position to attend such a place…”

“The woyal family will pwovide evewything. And I’ve awanged fow you to be able to move into the downmitowy too.”

“Princess…”

Tears welled up in her eyes. Her legs gave out and she sank down while walking, and Ark grumbled.

“What’s so great about that! The amazing part is that you’re acquainted with the princess! Do you think a commoner would ever get to see the princess’s face even once in their life?”

“Awk, you pwomised to use pwetty wowds!”

As we helped her up and noisily passed through the detention rooms one by one, a thunderous roar came from right in front of us.

“How did you get out, you bitch!”

Visible through the iron bars was Tanian, covered in blood from head to toe.

“What, you’we still not dead?”

Except for the one hand Paeon had destroyed, his limbs were chained to the wall.

“How… how did you get out! The girl who can use mental binding!”

“It’s weally amazing that the chains can howd up that pig-wike body.”

He glared at Freesia with veins bulging in his eyes. She flinched and hid behind Rizen and Ark. Ark, furious, shouted.

“Do you think she’s the same as scum like you?! She’s going to attend the academy soon! She’s going to become a royal mage!”

“Heh heh… That girl, a royal mage? Even a passing dog would laugh.”

Tanian coughed and spat out blood-mixed phlegm, then provoked them.

“The boss would be delighted to see this. A girl who used black magic in Santra joining the academy! You probably won’t last more than three years. And even if you do, that person will come looking for you.”

“Let’s just go. I can’t stand listening to any more of this lunatic’s nonsense.”

Rizen pulled at Freesia, whose face had gone pale, but she wouldn’t budge.

“I won’t be caught!”

She pressed against the iron bars and cried out.

“I’m going to catch him. I’ll catch him and tear him to pieces. I’ll have my revenge for what he did to my brother!”

“Catch that person? You think he’d be caught by the hands of a worthless girl like you?”

“You keep saying ‘that person, that person’—who the hell is that person, you pig!”

When I shouted in irritation, he smiled sickeningly.

“So you really were a princess? It’s startling enough that a brat like you can use magic, but a princess! And a bastard princess with no proper origins at that!”

“How dare this bastard say that to—!”

Ark shook the iron bars furiously, but he just laughed loudly and kept talking.

“Hahaha! This is a sign Santra is doomed. If they accept lowborn trash like that into the royal family, do you think the commoners will stay quiet? If a thing like you can become king, then our boss can become king too!”

“Don’t insult the princess, you piece of trash!”

“Ah, don’t be too ashamed of your origins. That person is a bastard too. That person is…”

But then he suddenly vomited an enormous amount of blood.

“Kuh, kuhk! Kuk! Kehk kehk!”

“?!”

His head slumped a moment later. His eyes had rolled white and his whole body had gone rigid. We all recoiled in horror.

“Is he… dead?”