Chapter 1:
The Tragic Heroine and the Righteous Crown Prince
“WHAT? WHY AREN’T you speaking?” Prince Eric demanded, gazing harshly at me.
Though I was nervous, I was quite offended that he would be so rude to a stranger. Crown prince or no, it was a less than pleasant first impression.
“Prince Eric, it is an honor to meet you. I am Leia Westoria. This abuse of which you speak, it never happened. Not a mite.”
I paid my respects to the prince while continuing to work on the barriers. I had just managed to unleash enough magic energy into the summoning circle to erect a barrier around the entire forest, so I wasn’t about to cancel the spell—not even for the crown prince.
And naturally, I took the opportunity to deny the claim that I had abused my little sister. Because it was untrue.
“Hmm. Well, my friend Philip said that you abused your sister quite severely, causing her great psychological trauma.”
“Yes, I heard the same story from Lord Philip myself, Your Highness, but those claims are groundless. I can only assume Jill has a persecution complex.”
“Yes, but abusers are rarely aware of their actions, so you may only think you’re innocent.”
Eric’s claim was technically not wrong, and I wouldn’t blame a third party for siding with Philip. But the prince did not know Jill.
Jill had a very active imagination, so she surely believed I was abusing her. In other words, no matter how hard I denied her claims, they would still be real to her. That’s why Philip found it so easy to believe and sympathize with her.
At this rate, the lie that I had abused Jill would become truth by consensus—no matter how hard I tried to clear up the misunderstanding, they would likely perceive that as a common ploy of an abuser, hence the mess I was in. It was incredibly difficult to correct someone’s perceptions when they’ve deluded themselves—this was something I knew all too well.
“Say what you will, but I have never said anything to denigrate Jill. I’ve heard that you are a righteous and equitable man, Prince Eric, so I’m shocked to see you jump to such quick conclusions over a matter you know nothing about, based on the testimony of one person. I guess rumors can’t be trusted, can they?”
“Ohh…”
Uh-oh. I just snapped at the prince without thinking!
I immediately regretted opening my mouth. I supposed I was still quite stressed from my fiancé breaking off our engagement. Jill had put me in a foul mood, for more reasons than one. And on top of that, a prince I’d never met had to call me an “insolent saint who’s been abusing her little sister.” It was only inevitable that I would snap at someone.
Even saints can only put up with so much stress, and I was especially fragile today, given that my engagement had just been broken off. Besides, I didn’t care if he was the crown prince, I couldn’t just sit there quietly and take his mistreatment. Even if he wouldn’t believe me, I wanted to at least defend myself. Still, that didn’t change the fact that I said the wrong thing. Now I was in a real fix: I just picked a fight with the crown prince.
It was likely that rumors of the saint who abused her little sister had spread all the way to the royal family. Against my will, a future where I was no longer a saint flashed before my eyes.
“I see. You are correct, I know nothing about the matter. But Philip came to me with actual tears in his eyes and told me how cruel you had been to your little sister. I suppose seeing my friend cry like that allowed my emotions to get the better of me…”
Prince Eric thoughtfully folded his arms and nodded. His one-sided attitude had made me snap at him, but at least he was willing to hear me out. But I was still surprised to hear that Philip had bought into the tragic heroine narrative so readily that he had even cried in front of Prince Eric.
To think that Prince Eric could be so swayed by a rumor alone… My little sister is a force to be reckoned with.
“All right, let’s start over. I’ll get to know you first. You’re right, it wasn’t fair of me to believe Philip’s testimony. I will apologize for that.”
“Umm…Your Highness?”
After giving a light apology, the prince sat on a nearby boulder and stared hard at me.
Is he going to just keep observing me like that?
A part of me found him fascinatingly earnest, but I was a little frustrated—and I had a reason for that. A very good reason. He was sitting in the path of danger.
“Your Highness! Get down!”
I threw a knife at the monster about to attack Prince Eric from behind. My magic knife ended the monster’s life instantly upon contact. Even while erecting these barriers, I still had enough magic for simple spells. Then again, endurance was a bare minimum for a saint—if I couldn’t accomplish a simple feat like this, I wouldn’t be one in the first place.
We were in a forest near monster territory. This was the sort of place where barriers were usually erected. As such, it was not the sort of place where a crown prince should set foot. Prince Eric’s actions could only be described as reckless.
It was entirely plausible that a monster would attack us while I was in the middle of erecting my barriers, but Eric’s bodyguards were nowhere in sight, and I had no idea why. Wasn’t that what bodyguards were for?
“Prince Eric, I must advise you to leave this place. If you’re hurt, it will be my responsibility. So please, lea—huh?!”
Just then, Eric unsheathed his sword and charged at me with ridiculous speed. His nimble approach, like a silent gust of wind, was inhuman.
“Don’t worry, I’m strong. I usually keep a bodyguard with me, but I am able to defend myself,” he murmured in my ear.
I turned around to see a giant monster impaled on his sword. I had heard that Elshaid’s crown prince was incredibly gifted in both his studies and in athletics, but his swordsmanship was shockingly first rate too.
Wow, he detected the monster’s presence behind him almost exactly the same time I did.
As a saint, I was conditioned to notice monsters swiftly, but Eric’s reaction time wasn’t that different. He couldn’t have achieved such sharp reflexes with a half-baked training regimen.
“I have many enemies. This may sound odd, coming from the crown prince, but this kingdom is rotten to the core. Ever since I started fighting the corruption festering in Elshaid, I have had to fend off would-be assassins.”
“Assassins are targeting you? You? Crown prince Eric?”
“Yeah, and we captured a dozen of them today alone. Naturally, they’ll all be executed after an interrogation. It’s to be expected when you target the life of the future king. But punishing people for their unforgivable acts has led to some rather pesky consequences.”
Eric confessed that his sense of justice had put his life in danger in such an offhanded manner, he may as well have been describing the life of a stranger. I figured that went to show just how tough the experience had made him. He couldn’t even trust his own bodyguards…
“I have no complaints regarding you as a saint. You’ve shown your skill well enough. Don’t mind me, just keep putting up those barriers.”
He sat on the boulder again, crossed his legs, and continued to stare at me. I hadn’t been observed while erecting barriers since my training days, so it made me a little nervous. Meeting the crown prince in such a peculiar way was baffling, but I shook off my confusion and focused on the barrier before me so I could at least finish my job.