PRIDE
“PRIDE, TIARA, PRINCE STALE…you all danced brilliantly out there.”
Stale had joined Tiara and me once we finished our recap of the dance party. Seeing this as their chance, Cedric, King Lance, and King Yohan had approached the three of us. The Hanazuo royals wanted to chat with us before the announcement of the international postal service that their kingdom would help us run.
“We couldn’t tear our eyes away,” King Lance said.
“It was a wonderful event,” Cedric agreed.
Tiara and I ducked our heads, bashful in the face of the praise. “Thank you, Cedric,” I said with a smile. “You did a great job too.”
Not only was he the first guest selected to dance, but Tiara—the star of the party herself—had chosen him. In that moment, he’d stepped into the role of a true leading man. Stale was popular with women too, but the entire ballroom had swooned at the beautiful, flaxen-haired couple whirling on the dance floor. Thanks to them, I’d spent my own dances in incredibly high spirits.
“No, it was nothing,” Cedric said.
Still smiling, I shot Tiara a pointed look. She stepped back, as if to hide behind me and Stale, and directed a little scowl up at Cedric. Her puffed-out cheeks were an adorable sight. “Thank you…for dancing with me! I-I really wanted to dance with…someone from the United Hanazuo Kingdom.”
“No, I’m the one who should be thanking you,” Cedric told her. “Dancing with you was like a dream.”
He smiled at her, though his face reddened along the way; perhaps he was reliving the moment. With his cheeks tinged and his gaze soft, the look he directed at Tiara was almost sensual. It was too much for her; she flinched, ducking behind me and Stale for shelter.
“I-I just happened to spot you first, before I saw His Majesties!”
Tiara’s squeak didn’t discourage Cedric in the slightest. He just went on smiling, even though he couldn’t see her anymore. “That’s all right. I’m overjoyed to know your eyes landed on me out of all the men in the room.”
I understood Tiara’s dilemma. The passion in his words threatened to leave me blushing as well. Stale nodded sagely as he looked between the three of us. What could he possibly have figured out at a time like this?!
King Lance gave Cedric a light smack to stop his embarrassing remarks. “That’s enough.”
King Yohan covered his mouth, but his shoulders shook with laughter.
“By the way, Cedric, are you prepared for all the questions you’ll be receiving soon?” I said to change the subject.
Tiara was still hiding behind me. She seemed just as upset with him as ever…or perhaps she was just feeling shy over the embarrassing things he’d said.
The party would end as soon as I made my announcement, but I expected a flood of questions for me and Cedric, whom I’d introduce as the postmaster general. He would be staying overnight in the castle as a representative of the United Hanazuo Kingdom. Depending on how people reacted, he could get stuck at the party until every last guest had left.
Cedric grinned and thumped his chest. “You bet! I already have it all in my head. Construction of the hub is going smoothly, and I’ll be securing employees as soon as I’m home.”
He planned to use a building on the border between Cercis and Chinensis—where the wall once stood—as a base of operations. Construction had begun soon after the defensive war. Originally, they’d intended to use the building as a public institution connecting the two countries, but once the idea got rolling, they had decided to turn it into the postal service’s main hub. Chinensians and Cercians alike could access the facility with ease, which made it simpler to scout employees.
Cedric proceeded to boast that, as a member of the royal family, he was devoting himself to learning everything he needed to know. He’d already absorbed a frightening amount of knowledge from our library since arriving in Freesia, but it sounded like he was doing the same back home in Hanazuo. It was only a matter of time before he memorized every last book in their country. I had to mentally prepare myself if he intended to do the same in Freesia.
“My country will spare no expense in assisting with the postal service,” King Yohan told me. “Please don’t hesitate to inform us if Cedric causes you any more trouble.”
King Lance chuckled. “We’ll take it upon ourselves to force him to step down from his post.”
They weren’t joking about that. Cedric insisted he wouldn’t make any more trouble for us, but his face turned red again.
“It feels like a dream,” King Yohan added with a soft smile. “I never imagined there would be a day when Hanazuo could stand before so many other countries like this.”
He clutched the cross pendant at his chest, his golden eyes sparkling with joy. King Lance nodded, emotion likewise shining in his eyes. He pulled King Yohan and Cedric flush against him, strong arms flexing, then turned so all three faced me. The crimson flames in his eyes burned brightly.
“Princess Pride.”
I straightened, overwhelmed by the force of his conviction before he’d even said my name.
“There aren’t enough words to convey our gratitude to you all. Yohan, Cedric, and I will do everything in our power to assist you from here on out. We hope you’ll keep treating us with the same graciousness as before.”
With that, he slapped Cedric’s shoulder, prompting the prince to bow his head. That last bit was mostly about Cedric. King Lance was going to be separated from the little brother he’d looked after for so long. If anything, his love for Cedric seemed more like that of a father than a brother.
I flushed when King Yohan lowered his head as well. Two kings, bowing to me in a room full of witnesses! Cedric bit his lip, his fiery eyes blinking away tears at his big brothers’ display.
“Cedric…no, the royal prince of Cercis is going to be indispensable to our country,” I said. “I’m certain of that. I hope you continue to treat us amicably as well. Now, please raise your heads.”
Tiara peeked around my back and joined Stale and me in bowing this time.
A loud, clear voice suddenly resonated through the ballroom. “It is time for a statement from Queen Rosa Royal Ivy.”
The guests’ chatter ceased at once.
Mother stood from her throne and greeted the crowd, as elegant as ever. She thanked the guests for attending the birthday festivities and wished them all well. When she praised the now sixteen-year-old Tiara for her work arranging the dance party, everyone broke into applause. Tiara blushed shyly. She’d never engaged in such a large undertaking before, and this was her first commendation from the audience. My heart swelled to see that Tiara had grown into a truly wonderful princess.
I smiled at my sister. Even Stale wore a tender expression. As her big brother, he had to be so proud of her growth. We basked in those emotions until Mother spoke again.
“We have an announcement to share with you all.” She beckoned me forward. “You will now hear from my daughter, Princess Pride Royal Ivy.”
The crowd’s applause engulfed me as I stepped in front of Mother. I gazed out over the entire ballroom. My heart raced, but I raised my head high. Friends and strangers alike watched me avidly.
I cleared my throat and slowly parted my lips.
“Thank you for the introduction. I am the firstborn princess, Pride Royal Ivy.”
I’d done this many times, yet nerves always bubbled up when the moment to address the crowd arrived. Unlike the dances, which I shared with my partners, I was alone now. Mother made it even worse by stepping back and giving me the stage. My throat went dry.
I started simple, thanking the guests for attending. Then I donned a bold smile, willing myself to stay steady as I addressed the—
At that moment, something descended upon my head.
“This evening, I would like to…to announce to you all…that…”
Terror seized hold of me. My tongue wasn’t moving right. My breath caught in my throat. The guests’ faces changed as I trailed off into silence. I moved my mouth, but I couldn’t form words. Instead, what escaped my throat was…
“Ah… Aaah… Aaaaahhhhh! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!”
…an earsplitting scream.
I gripped my head with both hands as if I could fight the sensation off, but my skull throbbed like it was about to crack open, cutting off any hope of rational thought. I shook my head violently and tried to suppress the feeling, but the screams tore from me again and again. My mind flickered back and forth between white and black like a busted television, threatening to drive me to madness.
I couldn’t breathe! I sucked in as much air as I could, but every scream expelled the breath. All I could do was cry out in a futile attempt to stop the pain.
My head’s going to split in two!
“Elder Sister!”
“Princess Pride!”
“Big Sister!”
“Someone get the doctor!”
Though voices drifted to me between my screams, I couldn’t process them through the agony. I clutched my head madly, letting out bloodcurdling shrieks as I fell to my knees.
This feels so familiar.
I screamed and screamed and screamed, blood draining out of my face. Someone grabbed me. They called my name, but the pain overwhelmed my ability to comprehend the words.
“Your Highness! Can you hear me?!”
“Princess Pride!”
“Someone call the doctor! We must tell the queen and prince consort what’s happened!”
“The princess is hurt!”
Yes, it’s exactly the same as back then.
I writhed, kicking from the unbearable pain. Thoughts blinked in and out of my head as the fiery ache split me apart. Behind it all was a single, ice-cold thought.
Ten years ago… Ah, that’s right. How did I forget?
I could no longer keep my eyes open. As I ran out of oxygen, my head burned and my consciousness tumbled toward darkness.
“Don’t move your head! Princess Pride! Can you hear me?! Princess Pride!”
“Lock every door in the castle! Don’t let anyone out!”
“Arthur!”
I remember now…
The pain was dwindling, but the madness ate its way into my body, bringing with it a strange sort of pleasure. Eventually, there was nothing left but a pitch-black void. Someone was touching me and calling my name, but I couldn’t move so much as a finger.
The world around me went as fuzzy as a dream. In what remained of my mind, I confronted myself.
Ten years ago…what was it that had me so terrified of Queen Pride’s future?
Why was I so convinced that I would end up corrupted in that future instead of bringing about a new one?
Why didn’t I ever train personal maids like the ones Stale and Tiara already had?
Why did I always use my knowledge of the game as an excuse, never once questioning the existence of my “precognition”?
Because I already knew.
Ten years ago, I didn’t simply remember my past life.
I experienced precognition.