One fulfilling day after the next passed in the blink of an eye. I, Anisphia Wynn Palettia, gave a content sigh as I paused to catch my breath between my office duties. “Is everything okay, Princess Anisphia?” Priscilla asked, looking up. Priscilla was my personal maid, having accompanied me to the new magicology city. Owing to her keen administrative skills, she also served as my secretary. Her personality and attitude made her a little difficult to work with at times, but there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I could trust her with the work. “I was just thinking how the new city is really coming along,” I murmured softly as I gazed out the window. The city of magical science, Anisphia. Just thinking of the name was enough to summon a wave of embarrassment inside me. That name was precisely why I continued to stubbornly refer to it as “the new city” or “the magicology city.” Those in our circle, I suspected, had sensed how I felt about it, as I sometimes caught them casting warm glances at me when I used those terms. In any event, construction was coming along smoothly, we now had plans to expand even farther out, and the residential part of the city—which had been prioritized as the place we all lived—was mostly complete. With magic accelerating the construction work, it was all proceeding at a frankly alarming rate. Barring any unforeseen delays, it was likely the project would be finished by the end of the year. Well, that was why I had been kept so busy lately. Still, I had no reason to complain; it was fulfilling. “Things are only going to get busier from here on out, you realize?” Priscilla remarked. “Let’s skip the sighs and proceed with the task at hand. It will all pile up if you don’t.” “I wasn’t sighing!” I protested. “I was just feeling a little sentimental, that’s all!” “I see. My apologies, then.” “I can tell you don’t mean that…,” I grumbled in exasperation. There came a knock at the door. Priscilla moved to open it, and two figures stepped inside—Garkie and Navre. “Commander Anisphia,” Navre said by way of a greeting. “We’ve returned!” Garkie added. “Welcome back, you two,” I said. “Good work on your inspection,” Priscilla called out, prompting Navre to shrink back slightly. “It wasn’t quite an inspection… More of a preliminary survey,” he muttered. “How was my new residence?” I asked. “It’s all coming along smoothly,” Garkie said. Indeed, I had plans to move into my new home in the not-too-distant future. I was currently living in the fort, which served as our base of operations, but there were certain issues with my staying here long-term. First of all, the fort was meant only as a temporary base, and it had been built on the assumption that it would be drastically renovated further down the road. For that reason, it wasn’t regarded as suitable accommodations for a member of the royal family to use on a regular basis. And so, with most major construction settling down, I had issued instructions for work to begin on a mansion for myself. In any event, the fort was starting to feel a little cramped, and Lieutenant Commander Dragus was always going on about finding something more suitable, so the timing seemed to work out well enough. “As a member of the royal family, I have to keep up appearances. Don’t I, now?” “You’re still not happy about having your own mansion?” Priscilla asked. “It’s more I feel kind of guilty, I guess? Like I’m just adding to everyone’s workload, you know?” “It was always going to be a necessity. It was simply moved a little earlier in the schedule. You realize if you stay here in the fort forever, it will affect Baron Cyan’s reputation.” “I guess I can’t get away with saying I don’t really care about my own reputation, huh…” “You’re royalty, Commander Anisphia. You’ll just have to accept it.” Simply put, if I stayed here indefinitely, it would call into question Baron Cyan’s ability to lead the development efforts. People might even start questioning his level of respect for the royal family. For that reason, I knew I couldn’t stay holed up here forever. I needed to start paying attention to these sorts of social details as well. Well, to be perfectly honest, I was leaving the mansion’s construction to the experts. They did ask me if I had any requests, but I was hesitant to suggest anything too eccentric or extravagant. It wasn’t like I was really chasing after all the trappings of royalty anyway. That was why I wanted Navre’s assessment of the building from a defensive perspective—a reminder that I had to keep in mind not only appearances, but security as well. I didn’t want to end up feeling constricted, but if everyone else was concerned for my safety, I would just have to accept it. And I did appreciate their efforts to take my own wishes into account as much as possible. Heck, I probably should have been thanking them for being so flexible. “I didn’t see anything wrong with the mansion, as such, but are you sure you don’t have any personal requests?” Navre asked. “Yep. It wouldn’t be fitting for a member of the royal family if I started demanding too much.” “You’re pretty frugal for royalty, Lady Anis,” Garkie remarked. “That’s not entirely correct, Master Gark,” Priscilla said as she heaved a sigh. “She’s indifferent to extravagance, has no appetite for matters outside her interests, and believes she can do everything by herself.” “…Priscilla? Even if it’s true, words can still hurt, you know?” I said quietly. “I’m pleased to hear you don’t dispute my assessment.” “Hey!” “…Maybe it’s for the best you didn’t ask for anything, then,” Navre added, apparently unsure what else to say. They didn’t need to point that out! I knew full well I wasn’t your typical royal! At that moment, Charnée stepped into the room with a cart of freshly brewed tea. Seeing her as cheerful and energetic as ever rejuvenated me, too. She was young enough that you could still call her a child, but she was hard at work giving life her all in this remote and inconvenient place. “I’ve brought tea, Your Highness! How about you take a break…?” She paused for a moment. “Oh? Is something wrong?” “No, it’s fine. Do you have enough for everyone?” I asked. “Of course! I’ll see to it!” she replied cheerfully as she briskly set about preparing the tea. In the meantime, the rest of us took our seats around the table. “It’s not like I don’t want to act in a way befitting my position, but it’s not something you can master instantly,” I tried explaining. “I mean, I’ve been living shut away in the detached palace for years…” I was doing my best to meet the expectations of everyone around me, but people couldn’t just change in the blink of an eye. That was true for me as much as it was for everyone else. That was why I kept my requests to myself. Given what was expected of me as a royal, I didn’t want to interfere unnecessarily. I would probably end up making everyone work twice as hard… “When you put it that way, I don’t know what to say…,” Navre said with a frown. “The same goes for me, too,” I answered with a forced laugh. “Besides, so long as we’re keeping an eye to the future, I think it would be too hard to incorporate all my requests.” “The future? What about the future?” Navre asked, and his frown deepened. After a moment, his expression turned pensive as he tilted his head to one side in thought. “I’m sure I won’t be based here in the magicology city forever,” I said. “I’ll no doubt have to hand the mansion over to my successor one day, so I don’t want to insist on anything too unconventional.” Navre’s eyes widened in surprise, as if to say that was the last thing he had been expecting me to come out with. “You haven’t been knight commander and head of the Magicology Laboratory for even a whole year, and you’re already thinking about your successor? It’s a little early to be worrying over that, don’t you think…?” he asked, unable to hide his confusion. Of course, I knew it was too early to be making plans. It was just, for a number of reasons, I couldn’t put the thought to one side. “To be honest, I’m not sure when it will be time for me to step down from my current position. That’s why I want to be prepared. For better or for worse, my future depends on Euphie.” “…Are you saying you intend to leave when Her Majesty steps down from the throne?” “That’s the plan, yes. I suspect she’ll abdicate once she feels someone else is capable of taking over from her, so I want to make sure there’s someone here to occupy my position as soon as possible. Just to be ready when the time comes.” “Is Queen Euphyllia really going to abdicate so soon?” “Not for a few years, I’m sure. But I don’t think it’s too far off, either. And that’s for the best, if you ask me.” “Why do you say that?” Navre asked. His expression wasn’t dissatisfied, exactly, but he didn’t seem to accept what I was saying. “The people have greatly appreciated the reforms you and Her Majesty have initiated. It’s true that such sentiment isn’t fully shared by the nobility, but it’s only a matter of time. I’m sure a great many people would like the two of you to continue reigning for a long time to come.” Well, Euphie’s reputation as queen was glowing, that was for sure. I understood why people would want her to remain in power for as long as possible to ensure the realm’s long-term stability. “That’s precisely why. The reason we’re thinking of retiring early is because, for better and for worse, our influence is just too great.” “Your influence?” Charnée repeated, cocking her head to one side as if to say she didn’t quite follow. Navre must have grasped my meaning, as his expression turned sullen. “I have to admit, I still have mixed feelings about Euphie becoming queen,” I continued. “She was never originally in line to take to the throne, and I know it might have been necessary to unify the country, but I’m afraid it could end up creating issues as well.” “What kind of issues…?” “The spirit covenant she entered into to become queen has its own dangers. She understands the risks, just like I do.” A spirit covenant was a legendary achievement, the same feat carried out by the founder of the Kingdom of Palettia himself. Euphie journeyed down that path for the sake of the crown, but there was every risk it could encourage the nobles to lean even more heavily on their spiritualist beliefs. If that happened, their increased sense of privilege could ultimately widen the rift between the aristocracy and the common people. If that divide kept building, there was no telling when the anger of the common folk would finally erupt, plunging the kingdom into chaos. Even more problematic was the increasing number of nobles who openly spoke ill of the royal family, stretching back to my father’s time. There were several factors behind that. First, my father himself was never originally meant to succeed to the throne. Then, of course, came my inability to use magic. And there was the fact that Allie’s talents were considered inferior to Euphie’s, leading people to look down on him. As a result, some nobles went all in with their faith and even tried manipulating the royal family to their own ends. Because of that, Allie, who was supposed to be the legitimate heir, lost control and plotted to usurp the throne; he had planned to correct the distortions plaguing society by force using the powers of vampires. I managed to stop him, but he was banished to the frontier to account for his crimes. As far as the spiritualist faith was concerned, I wasn’t qualified to serve as queen. If Euphie hadn’t stepped in, the situation would no doubt be even worse by now. The belief in spirits was fundamental in uniting the country, but with the nobility growing ever more corrupt, the realm was heading into uncertain territory. My father had done his best to address the issue, but a resolution had yet to be found. I believed that was our task—mine and Euphie’s. “We need to find a way to change people’s perceptions. If we don’t, we’ll never bridge the gap between the aristocracy and the common folk. That division risks bringing the country to ruin, so it simply can’t be overlooked.” “You’re saying you want to change the nobility’s mindset?” Priscilla asked. I nodded. “Well, I guess you could put it that way.” In the end, that seemed the only possible solution. Up till now, the nobility had taken great pride in their role defending the realm, but that sense of prestige was leading to their own decline. Yes, that was the fundamental cause of all these issues. In order to resolve it, drastic measures were needed to disrupt the status quo. And we had those in my magicology and Euphie’s spirit covenant. “With Euphie acceding to the throne, the Kingdom of Palettia had no choice but to make significant policy changes. If it didn’t, everything would continue to fester.” “It’s moving in a good direction, then, isn’t it?” Garkie asked, his head tilted inquisitively. I smiled wryly. “I guess we won’t know for sure until we see the results.” “So that’s how it is…?” “I think there will still be problems even after we’ve finished our reforms. For instance, commoners could rise to power using magical tools, and then nobles with their inherent powers might end up being ostracized as heretics.” Charnée gawked at this response, and none of the others said anything to dispute my assessment. They must have all recognized that it was a distinct possibility. In fact, I remembered discussing something like this a while back. Maybe around the time I started patching things up with the Ministry of the Arcane? Euphie and I might live unnaturally prolonged lives, but that didn’t mean we could reign forever. The country belonged to those living in the present. Which meant we all had to decide our own paths forward. We both needed to prepare for that eventuality, to one day step back. If we didn’t, we would repeat the same missteps as those strict adherents of the spiritualist faith. “Basically,” Garkie began, his arms crossed and his head tilted to one side, “we need you and Lady Euphyllia to solve the bigger problems, but we can’t keep relying on you forever?” He was right, of course, but I couldn’t stop myself from breaking into a smile at the strange way he was sitting. “That’s exactly what I mean, Garkie. When you think about it, it’d be like overdosing on medicine. You need just the right amount.” “So you’re like a powerful drug? That’s a weird way to describe yourself…” “You and Queen Euphyllia are certainly powerful enough to destroy the entire country, Your Highness,” Priscilla observed with a straight face. The rest of us, myself included, were left grimacing at this last remark. “There’s no need to go that far, Priscilla…,” I groaned. “But it’s true, is it not?” she continued without batting an eye. “The status quo only seems to be holding for now because neither of you actually wants chaos.” “I suppose you could put it that way, but still…,” Navre muttered with a solemn expression. For my part, I almost broke into a smile, but I fought to keep my amusement under wraps. “Princess Anisphia has the support of the people, and if she wanted, she could no doubt rally them to abolish the nobility altogether. With her spirit covenant, Queen Euphyllia, on the other hand, draws on the legend of the kingdom’s very foundations. If she were to wield her power to the fullest, how many do you think would dare oppose her?” Priscilla asked. “Um… You are going a bit too far now, don’t you think…?” Navre asked in an effort to slow her down. “Am I? Isn’t that why you and Queen Euphyllia are considering stepping down so soon, Your Highness?” “That’s…true, I suppose…,” I murmured. Yes, Priscilla sure was talented, but her sharp tongue caused us all no end of trouble… “Well, things are better than if I took the throne, right? The country would be spiraling out of control if I were at the top. The situation before Euphie’s accession might have looked relatively calm from the outside, but believe me, it was dire. What we need now is to steer the country away from crisis and toward stability.” “A most noble aspiration,” Priscilla remarked. “Your compliments always come off as kind of sarcastic, you know…?” I pointed out. “It must be your imagination.” “Sure it is…,” Garkie muttered. “Did you say something, Master Gark?” Priscilla asked with a sidelong glance. “No, nothing!” he stammered, straightening his back. This was becoming a regular exchange between these two, so I liked to think it meant they were starting to trust each other. “As Her Highness said, the current peace holds because of Queen Euphyllia’s spirit covenant. It’s only natural to believe that it was Her Majesty who saved the country. She’s like a real-life goddess.” “You really do admire her, don’t you, Priscilla…?” Navre asked. “That’s right. I’m prepared to devote my whole life to her.” “Now, that’s heavy…” “And that’s hardly an appropriate sentiment to say about a woman, now, is it?” Priscilla scolded him. “Huh?! Come on, you could tell I wasn’t talking about anyone’s weight!” Navre cried out, holding his head in his hands as if he was wrestling with a headache. “You can treat me like that, Master Navre, but I’m so envious that you and Queen Euphyllia are former schoolmates that I could spit poison.” “Enough with the weird threats…! And don’t bring up our time at the academy…!” “Yes, I hear it’s a part of your past you’d rather forget…” “A cause for lifelong shame…” Come to think about it, Navre was the second youngest in our group after Charnée. I sometimes forgot that, seeing as he was usually so dependable. All of a sudden, I caught Charnée murmuring something under her breath: “Queen Euphyllia’s time as a student? I wish I knew what she was like before she became queen…” “Me too,” Garkie added. “Are you the only one here who knew her as a student, Master Navre?” Charnée asked. “In that case, Master Navre, why don’t you share some stories about her from your time as students?” “H-hold on! How did we get on this topic?!” “Charnée said she was curious…” “Oh. Um, well, I don’t want to cause any arguments… I’m sorry, really,” Charnée said, bowing her head in apology. This, however, only made Navre even more flustered. “Y-you don’t need to apologize… I just felt a little uncomfortable, seeing as I made so many stupid mistakes back then…” “P-please, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to…!” “Really, it isn’t a problem… Anyway, I don’t have a lot of stories about Queen Euphyllia in the first place…” “From what I’ve heard, it sounds like she didn’t have a lot of friends back then,” I pointed out. “That’s right. Everyone knew Queen Euphyllia was Duke Magenta’s daughter, and she was betrothed to the future king. Given her position, plenty of people wanted to approach her, but she had a habit of treating everyone equally. I don’t think she had any particularly close friends.” “I heard she strived to be the perfect lady and the perfect queen consort,” I added. “Because of that, people thought she lacked a certain human warmth. I remember you saying something similar, Navre.” “Ugh. Another memory I’d sooner not revisit… You know I sometimes have nightmares of my door getting kicked in…?” he groaned, holding his head in his hands. If only I knew what he was talking about. “Your door getting kicked in? Who did that?” Charnée asked. “Ha-ha, that’s not important,” I interjected. “Anyway, we were talking about Euphie?” Yes, who indeed? Someone who hoped to interrogate him locked away in his bedroom? They sounded despicable. Well, best not to ask too many questions. “She lacked a human touch…?” Charnée repeated. “Queen Euphyllia always comes across as so kind. I just can’t imagine her being standoffish.” “I always got the impression she was head over heels for Lady Anis…,” Garkie observed. “Hey, wait a minute. I don’t mind what Charnée said, but what Garkie said is something else!” I interjected. Seriously, how could he say that all of a sudden?! Garkie shrank back with a grimace. “Huh…? S-sorry…” “I wouldn’t be surprised to hear she was different at school compared to how she was in private… Especially when it comes to Commander Anisphia.” “You too, Navre?!” “In other words, what you’re all saying is her love for Princess Anisphia changed her,” Priscilla quipped. “Sh-shut up! Don’t say it like that! You’re doing this out of spite, aren’t you?!” “But it’s true, is it not?” “Y-you’re distorting the facts!” “Then why don’t we try a show of hands to see how many of us agree?” “Stop it! You’re embarrassing me!” “But there’s no doubt you occupy a special place in her heart, is there? She may open up to those close to her, but her demeanor is rather consistent with everyone else,” Priscilla continued, not letting up. “Ugh… I’m not denying that. But still…!” None of the others denied it, either… It seemed people still felt the same way about her, then… It was certainly like her to keep others at a distance, but it wouldn’t do for everyone to see her in that way. In a sense, she was a lot like her father, Duke Grantz. Put favorably, he treated everyone equally—but put another way, he was indifferent to others. It wasn’t like I was the only one Euphie had ever opened her heart to, but the overall number was certainly small. I was worried about her limited number of friendships, but it wasn’t like I was in a position to say anything to her… Priscilla continued, “You’re saying Queen Euphyllia’s education was responsible for her being seen that way, though her personality played an important part, too. Yes?” “She certainly isn’t particularly outgoing, I suppose…,” I admitted. “Is it nice not having to worry about any change of heart when you’re already viewed favorably?” “…Priscilla,” I muttered. I could have fallen to the ground sapped of energy, but instead I caught my breath and massaged my forehead. Why did she have to take every opportunity to tease me? She couldn’t be doing this at Ilia’s instruction…could she? “If she had a wider circle of friends, she’d have more people to rely on, right?” I continued. “What worries me is how she’s always trying to do everything herself.” “Yep, that’s for sure,” Garkie answered. “I feel better knowing Lainie, Tilty, and Halphys are looking out for her, but even so…” “It’s hard to maintain proper friendships when the stakes are always so high…” “Yep…” From Priscilla’s perspective, Euphie could be her ticket to working her way up in the world so long as Euphie got to know her. Though I wasn’t personally fond of the idea, I could understand why she dreamed about being recognized by her. It all went to show just how important Euphie was—and when I considered how that weight was depriving her of her freedom, I felt awful. She might say she had taken on her burden of her own accord, but that was precisely why I wanted to do something to help her out. “Ugh. Once you start worrying, there’s no end to it… I hope she’s doing all right…,” I murmured. “I—I’m sure she’s okay!” Charnée called out to comfort and encourage me. Ah, her innocence was a soothing balm. All I wanted was to see Euphie again. I would be able to meet her soon with the weekend coming up, but even so… “Oh…?” All of a sudden, Priscilla turned her gaze outside the window, as if she had just noticed something. “Hmm? Priscilla?” She walked across the room and slid open the window to reveal a bird, which landed beside her. “A carrier pigeon?” I said out loud. “It looks like it’s from the royal palace.” “Huh? The royal palace?” Had something happened? Before I knew it, I stood up from my seat, briskly positioning myself beside Priscilla. In the meantime, she took the message from the pigeon and read it over. Once she was done, she handed it to me. “It seems it’s from Lady Lainie, Your Highness,” she declared. “From Lainie?” I wasn’t expecting to hear that name. Without wasting a moment, I took the letter and read it. The content was concerning. The others must have sensed the ominous atmosphere that had fallen over me, as they all turned suddenly tense. “What is it, Commander Anisphia?” Navre asked. “…Go find Lieutenant Commander Dragus, Navre. Sorry about this, but I have to rush back to the capital.” “Is something wrong?” “It doesn’t say. She probably can’t give any details in a letter. All it says is I’m wanted back in the capital if at all possible.” “Judging from the tone, something must have happened, though it doesn’t seem to be an emergency. What on earth could it be…?”
Chapter 125
22 min read