Chapter 1

This is the tale of a princess from a certain kingdom. A tale that begins when our princess, having always harbored a deep yearning for magic, found herself regaining her memories of a previous life. At times she wielded her influence and at other times her charm, and she was always in pursuit of the alluring power of magic. This is how her tale begins… I’ve always loved the word magic. It has a way of making people happy, of putting a smile on their faces. I adore magic because it’s always out of reach. It’s not possible in reality. If I could have any wish come true, it would be to wield magic myself. I wanted nothing more than that. Then, by some sudden twist of fate, I remembered the details of a past life. My name is Anisphia Wynn Palettia, and I am the First Princess of the Kingdom of Palettia. It happened when I was five years old, staring up at the sky in a daydream. If only I had magic, I would be able to fly, I had thought—and that was the moment it happened. I don’t know exactly why. Why had that thought crossed my mind? I asked myself, just as memories of a past life came flowing back to me as easily as some small detail I had simply forgotten. It was like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle falling into place. As if I had rediscovered something that had been missing from my whole existence. That day was a turning point. Those memories of my past life were nothing if not filled with mystery. One after another, they came back to me—airplanes soaring through the sky, asphalt roads, cars speeding across those roads, and other products of civilization that struck me as so commonplace. But such things were all unknown to me as well. There were no “airplanes” or “cars” in the world in which I now dwelled. The only things soaring through the sky here were birds and monsters. The roads weren’t made of asphalt, and they were traversed by horse-drawn carriages, not cars. In my past life, aristocrats and nobles had been no more than characters in stories, but here I was, a royal princess myself. As all these memories rushed back to me, a word escaped my lips: “…Uh-oh.” I was at such a loss that I began to fret. I mean, ever since those memories of my past life first came back to me, I was finding their influence on my thoughts, beliefs, and values overtaking my upbringing as Princess Anisphia. I was aware of my obligations as a member of the royal family, of the dignity and poise expected of me as an aristocrat. I was always conscious of that. And yet my sense of connection to those ideals had faded. In my previous life, the world had kept on spinning even without nobles. When I thought about it that way, I started feeling unsettled, as though I was somehow at odds with my own royal upbringing. I knew I was the strange one here, that I was the one who was out of place. And yet it was because I was aware of all this that I didn’t want to change what seemed to me the appropriate way of things. Nothing good would come from reviving these memories now. “Well, no matter!” I decided not to worry about it. After all, I was only five. My values would inevitably change with time and experience. Maybe I would be able to manage? I was overly optimistic back then, thinking I could put off the issue for later. I was more concerned about fulfilling the desires that were within reach now rather than worrying about whatever problems might lie ahead. “Right! Because this world is filled with magic!” In this world, magic wasn’t just something featured in fairy tales and fantasy stories, but it actually, truly existed. People could command fire, manipulate water, steer the wind, and direct the earth. I couldn’t comment on what theory or logic lay behind those abilities, but just bearing witness to it all made my heart do cartwheels. If I could wield magic, maybe I would be able to fly—because magic did exist. I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. My imagination was soaring; my heart was racing! “There’s no time like the present, right?” With renewed determination, I clenched my fists and dashed out from my room as fast as my feet could carry me. As I charged through the corridors of the royal palace and turned a corner, I suddenly brushed past a young lady, a maid in the service of the palace. I ducked my head slightly and tried to sneak past her, when— “Y-Your Highness?! You mustn’t run in the corridors!” She grabbed ahold of me from behind, unwilling to let me escape. I struggled a little, but she had caught me easily. After all, I was just a child. She was putting all her strength into holding me, which meant I would have no chance of getting away. I surrendered myself, letting my muscles relax. When I glanced up, I realized that hers was a familiar face. “Oh, Ilia? I’m sorry. I’m in a bit of a hurry.” “Even so, you mustn’t run through the castle like that.” “Ugh, so cruel…” Escape seemed impossible, so I resigned myself to my fate. Seeing my resistance fade, Ilia lowered me back down to my feet, before crouching down to meet me at eye level. “Why are you in such a hurry, Princess?” “I need to make a petition to my father!” “A—a petition…?” “Yes! I want him to let me learn magic!” “…Ah, I see. Magic…” I had answered her without hesitation, but for some reason, a look of consternation passed over her face. “Ilia. I want to learn magic.” “It is good to have ambitions. But where has this come from all of a sudden? Why are you so interested in magic again?” “Because I want to fly!” “Huh?” “I want to fly!” “With magic?” “Yes! I want to fly!” Judging by her expression, Ilia had no idea what I was talking about. That was understandable. As far as I was aware, the notion of using magic as a means of flight was unheard of. “That’s just one of the things I want to do! I could do so much good with magic! I could use it to scare off villains and help people!” “I see, I see. That is a noble dream, isn’t it? But His Majesty is very busy. So how about I relate your request later, while you go back to your room for now?” “Ngh… I suppose so. I’ll allow you to ask him in my stead, then, Ilia!” “Thank you, Your Highness.” Ilia gave her chest a slight thump, as if to say it would be no trouble at all. She had a full bosom—and a beautiful face, too. Was it because she was so attractive that she had been employed to serve here in the castle? Well, there was nothing else I could do, so I allowed her to escort me back to my room. I tried to focus on my memories as Anisphia, but today’s lessons were over. That being the case, I instead occupied myself by poking around my room, but that only ended up amplifying my sense of anticipation. Looking back now, that moment was the beginning of what would become my new life. I’ll do it! I told myself. I’ll become a magic user one day! After the young girl’s awakening, time passed. The Kingdom of Palettia was a great nation whose development was fueled by magic. In this country, the government ran an academy for nobles and members of the royal family, the Royal Aristocratic Academy of Palettia. The academy, welcoming exchange students even from far-flung lands, was considered a microcosm of high society at large. Of course, the academy was supposed to be a place of learning. However, no matter how much the instructors might intend to encourage their students to focus on their grades without regard to their respective social statuses, nobles were nobles, and royalty was royalty. It was common for students of high status to gain followers around them, while those of low status were forever at risk of losing their positions in the academy’s social hierarchy if they failed to curry favor with their more elevated peers. Moreover, any attempts by a student’s parents to intervene in their children’s quarrels could easily lead to further disputes. For this reason, the Royal Aristocratic Academy of Palettia was a closed world of sorts. Well. Today was an auspicious day for the academy. The final exams for the soon-to-be graduates would almost be complete, and a party was about to be held to celebrate their achievements and all the hard work they had put into their studies. There was even an orchestra playing refined, graceful music as the students mingled. It was a resplendent gathering, ripe with anticipation and, at least on the surface, full of pageantry and splendor…but then everything changed. “I hereby declare that I am breaking off my engagement to Euphyllia Magenta!” a loud and powerful voice announced. The voice belonged to Algard Von Palettia, heir apparent to the Kingdom of Palettia. His platinum-colored hair, like burnished rays of sunlight, was a hue often found among the royal family, while his blue eyes, despite their gentle tint, possessed a strong sense of will. And the prince had just announced the annulment of our engagement. With a single sentence, the magnificent party had been transformed all at once from celebration and revelry into a court of impeachment. I—Euphyllia Magenta—could only stare back at him in astonishment. My eyes widened in shame, and I bit my lip, unable to speak. All I could do was watch on in disbelief. After all, I was the daughter of the duke of Magenta, of the Kingdom of Palettia. My whole life until now had been preparing me for my future role as the betrothed of the future king… I struggled to speak. “…Your Highness. Why are you doing this?” I certainly wasn’t the perfect fiancée, and I knew for a fact that Algard didn’t hold much affection for me. But even so, our betrothal had been ordained by the king himself. Our engagement was necessary for the sake of the country. And so I had always honestly believed that, someday, Prince Algard would understand. To tell the truth, I felt no spark of romance for him, either, but I had sworn to myself that I would fulfill my role and support the man who would one day take on the responsibilities of king. That was the role I was supposed to play for my country as his bride-to-be. I had always believed that, and so I hadn’t cared whether he treated me unkindly. And yet… “I have decided that you are unworthy to be my fiancée. I will not allow you to get away with your outrageous schemes against Lainie!” Lainie Cyan was the girl standing by Prince Algard’s side. She was the daughter of the Baron Cyan, but until just recently, she had grown up as a commoner. Baron Cyan was similarly a former commoner, an up-and-coming aristocrat who had been permitted to join the ranks of the nobility in recognition of his many achievements.