Thank you very much for reading the fifth volume of The Kept Man of the Princess Knight. This book begins Part Two of the story. I think it’s got plenty of money, greed, and violence—all the features you’d want in fantasy noir.
April really goes through a lot in this book, but believe it or not, she didn’t even exist as a character when I submitted my initial draft of the first book to the writing contest. While revising and adding to the story, my editor, Tabata, suggested I have more than just one heroine. So I added the guildmaster’s granddaughter, intending her to be a superhumanly innocent being who doesn’t fit within the town at all, and thus April was born.
I wanted to make her a very sweet girl who was friendly toward Matthew despite his slovenly ways around women, but before I knew it, she had become more of a bothersome meddler who liked to kick his shins. You often hear writers of books and comics say, “The characters act on their own,” and I think that may have happened here, too. I suppose the act of writing her infused her with those April-like qualities. I’m hoping she’ll continue to surprise and delight in her own inimitable way throughout the series.
Things have changed around Matthew and Arwin since the first book. Some things have improved, while other things have only gotten worse. April’s troubles have been solved for now, but other problems continue to smolder away.
Matthew can’t simply be a kept man forever, and Arwin can’t remain a noble and righteous princess knight, either. What choices will they make when their backs are against the wall? I hope you stick around to find out.
Lastly, I want to give special thanks to Saki Mashima for the beautiful illustrations that grace this volume; to my editor, Tabata, for being April’s other father; and to everyone else who helped make this book a reality.
On a blazing summer day,
Toru Shirogane