The Nebulis palace, Star Spire.
The Lou head of family’s personal chambers, the Stardust Skyscraper.
The Lou family’s apartment had a glass ceiling that boasted a full view of the stars at night, giving them a planetarium-like quality.
“I heard Mira skipped yet another meeting.”
The middle-aged woman reclining on a bed sighed from concern as she looked up at the clear blue sky.
This was the head of the Lou family, Liliel Lou Nebulis VII. She was none other than Princess Mirabella’s mother.
“Did you find Mira?” Liliel asked.
“Unfortunately…” Schwartz stood at attention as he answered.
His suit was in disarray, and his forehead was dotted with giant beads of sweat because he had been running around in search of Mira until just that very moment.
“Every last attendant is searching for her, but we haven’t found her in the courtyard or on the roof. I believe she has discovered a new hiding place…”
“The meeting will end, at this rate.”
“…My deepest apologies.”
No other princess had ever been truant for a meeting before. And Mirabella only skipped them in order to nap.
She had been branded a failure of a princess. Even the soldiers and ministers would crack jokes about one of the princesses already dropping out of the conclave.
“Schwartz.” Liliel let out a heavy sigh. “Has it already been more than a decade since I lost in the conclave against Cassandra of the Zoa?”
“Yes…”
“I’d like my daughter to fulfill my lifelong wish by retaking the queen’s throne from the Zoa.”
“I will dedicate that to mind.”
Schwartz, too, wanted nothing more.
Among the three royal households, the Lou and the Zoa had long fought over the queen’s throne. They equally coveted it.
But nevertheless…
Princess Mirabella, the one capable of actually taking back the throne, acted as though she could not care less about it.
“Schwartz, why do you think my daughter ended up this way?”
“This may be difficult to hear, but to borrow her words, ‘princess education’ leaves her feeling ‘unsatisfied’…”
“Unsatisfied?”
“Yes. Consider those books, for example.” Schwartz gazed at the bookshelves next to the head of house’s bed, packed with tomes of all sorts. “Law, economics, sociology, history, world geography—the princess finds nothing of interest in the areas of study a girl of her station ought to know.”
“Are you saying that she has no ambition for education?”
“……Yes. Though I can understand why she insists so. Learning solely through rote memorization in a classroom environment is difficult even for an adult. I attempted to get her initiated by fostering in her an appreciation for the arts.”
Believing Mirabella would take to her studies through hands-on education, Schwartz had called for the finest tutors in the fields of painting, song, and dance.
“But she ran from her lessons. She dislikes how paintings and songs are up to the interpretation of the people experiencing them. Apparently, she prefers things that can be evaluated objectively, no matter who is viewing.”
“And what would that be?”
“Tree climbing and hide-and-seek… As your daughter says, there is a clear winner or a loser in those pursuits.”
If someone found her, then she lost. The winner or loser was clear from anyone’s viewpoint. There was nothing subjective about who won at that game, unlike with the arts or her studies.
The only thing she needed was to be powerful.
So she was fine with just that.
“Can you believe it? During a game of hide-and-seek the other day, she even went as far as to remodel her room. She made a trench just large enough for her to hide in under the carpet, then stayed there for five hours… We had no idea until she ran out of air and jumped out from below on her own.”
“…”
“And before that, she hid in a tree. And she painted her entire body green to camouflage herself.”
It was fresh in his mind that the Lou attendants had been running all over the palace in search of her. Even Schwartz, in all his years working as a tutor, had never met a princess who was more of a handful.
“Well, this is a problem.”
The head of the family, who had listened silently until then, closed her eyes.
She couldn’t hide the concern in her voice.
“My daughter has neither the cultural refinement nor the character to gain the trust of the ministers. We can only pray she’s been bestowed with strong astral power.”
“I do not disagree.”
The Founder Nebulis’s bloodlines had passed along mighty astral powers from generation to generation.
To differentiate themselves from other astral mages, they called themselves purebreds. Princess Mirabella should have also inherited the same blood.
“Her astral crest is of the Wind variety.”
The crest was on the back of her neck.
It was a shade of blue they knew corresponded to the Wind astral power, but strangely, no one knew exactly what type of power she had.
“She’s already fourteen. She should be able to use astral power soon.”
They were unsure whether Mirabella had awakened to her abilities yet, as she hadn’t shown them to anyone, not even to her mother.
“Schwartz.” Liliel’s voice was firm. “I would like you to start training her in astral techniques for combat.”
“I beg your pardon?!” Schwartz couldn’t help but exclaim.
Though he knew it wasn’t his place as a servant, he questioned his mistress. “But we’re unsure if she’s able to even use astral power. Shouldn’t we start with the fundamentals first?”
Using astral power was incredibly dangerous, like playing with fire. Training a girl who was still developing in body and mind would be akin to letting her light herself on fire. Teaching her how to fight before she knew how to control her astral power was out of the question.
“That’s skipping far too many steps. We coul—”
“It’s already too late to take things slow and steady.”
Though Schwartz was ready to beg Liliel to reconsider, the head of house dismissed anything before he could say it.
“The ministers have lost all faith in her. We cannot allow this to continue.”
“…—I…”
“We must restart. We seek our queens to be cultured and of good character, yes, but since the time of our Revered Founder, the true measure by which the conclave is judged has been on—”
“—strength, yes.”
“And that is what I want for my daughter.”
The head of house nodded on her sickbed.
“I will leave the details of her combat training to you, Schwartz.”
“……Very well.”
This was an order. He could not disobey.
But he knew it was too early to teach Princess Mirabella how to fight. They didn’t even know whether her powers had awakened.
“I am afraid I cannot guarantee she will be dedicated to her training…”
Wouldn’t she just run away from the outset?
He was anxious.
But three days later, all of Schwartz’s concerns were blown away in a manner he never could have imagined.
✦ ✦ ✦
Nebulis Sovereignty, central state.
Outside the city, in a place commanding full view of a snowy valley stretching into the horizon.
“Schwartz.”
The tranquil countryside and forest passed by the car windows.
As Mira absentmindedly watched the lush greenery, she spoke to her attendant in the driver’s seat.
“Where are we going?”
“To the Lou Erz mansion. The villa you once visited in the spring of your fifth year.”
“I see.”
Her reply was indifferent.
Mira glanced at the driver’s seat out of the corner of her eyes.
“Also, Schwartz, you’re dressed differently today.”
“Hmm…?”
He was wearing a suit, just as he always did. His clothes had not a single wrinkle, and a faint cologne hung about him, though not enough to offend the nose.
“Ah, yes. I wore a gray suit yesterday. If you are referring to my black sui—”
“What are you wearing under the suit?”
“Wha?!”
The tires of the vehicle screeched. Schwartz had frozen with his foot still on the accelerator.
“You look slightly thicker than usual.”
“My lady…”
“There’s something under your shirt and over your undergarments. And you’re wearing a blue shirt to prevent it from showing through.”
She pointed at his chest.
He gripped the steering wheel as she stared at him.
“You have on a thin body armor. The type that’s used to protect oneself from Wind and Wave astral power.”
“I’m surprised…”
The attendant gulped.
“You have an extraordinary eye for detail. We have canceled your lecture on law today so you may study astral power.”
“You mean spar with astral power, not study it.”
“!”
“If we were simply doing a lesson on astral power, we wouldn’t have to leave the palace. And if we’re heading to the villa, then we must be doing something we need to hide from the Zoa and the Hydra. In other words, you’re going to secretly train me in astral combat.”
“…”
He was at a loss for words.
As he drove, Mirabella addressed Schwartz, who stared at her in shock.
“Unfortunately, Schwartz,” Mira murmured, “it will not be what you expect.”