HELLO, everyone. I’m Uta Narusawa. Thank you for buying a copy of The Cursed Princess and the Lucky Knight. This novel was completed as a serialization in Japanese on the free upload website “Syosetuka ni Naro,” also known as “Let's Become a Novelist” in English. It’s a user-friendly site for authors and readers alike, and I’ve been using it for a long time. This was actually one of the earlier stories I uploaded there.
Out of over 500,000 novels uploaded on the site, it was truly exciting for my story to be chosen for publication.
I was really interested in an individual named William Marshal before I began writing this story. Those in the know will recognize him as the first Earl of Pembroke. He’s a popular knight overseas, and I believe there are many novels starring him.
But he isn’t all that popular in Japan. As of now, I don’t think any novels about his life have been translated into Japanese.
At the time, I went nuts scouring books and the net gathering information on him. I had a blast imagining him as an individual and the life he led. As I did, I was struck with the desire, “I want to write a story imitating him!” And thus, one of the stories I spun out was The Cursed Princess and the Lucky Knight.
Crisford Cortot is the hero based on William Marshal. And Sonia de Clare is based on his wife, Isabel de Clare. But that having been said, I did alter the cast and make it a fantasy story, so history buffs familiar with the real life individuals might get a bit annoyed. Bearing that in mind, I hope you enjoy this book.
Also, I’d like to extend my gratitude to Cross Infinite World for translating this work and releasing it to the world. Thank you very much!!