Side Story 2: A Tale of Ten Years Hence
THE summer breeze danced through the field, rustling the violets and dandelions as it blew. Only one patch stood out amongst the flowers—the top of a pigtailed auburn head, just like her father’s.
“There she is! Capture her!”
“Yes, sir!”
A second shape darted toward the brown-haired figure, easily cutting through the rain-soaked grass. As it reached its target, it wrapped its arms around the petite form.
“Excellent work, Rosemary!”
I slapped my knees eagerly from my perch on the stone steps. I watched as Rosemary seemed to convince the other child, which nodded. They both walked back through the grass. Rosemary grew tired of the smaller girl’s pace, however, and before long, she scooped her up and broke into a run toward me.
“Good, they’re going to make it!” I announced.
“Oh, thank goodness!” exclaimed one of the aides at my side. “I was so worried!”
“Is it just me,” mused the second, “or has Her Highness lost her ribbons?”
The former was Sasha Norden, a somewhat odd daughter of Count Norden. Michel Marshall was beside her, with his long purple hair and narrowed gaze. We watched as Rosemary Abarakoff carried the girl toward us with a stern expression. The girl was, of course, Sophia von Weissworth—my, Louie von Weissworth’s, little sister.
Rosemary soon arrived and gently set Sophia down on the ground. My sister’s shoes and dress were immaculate. Despite being scarcely five years old, she’d been born with a wealth of magical talent and had evidently cast a spell on herself to keep clean. Unfortunately, the protection didn’t extend to her accessories, as her ribbon had flown off somewhere.
“Have Lord Raphael teach you a spell to keep your ribbons on next,” I told her.
Sophia shook her head. “But Lord Raphael said it’s a secret that he taught me any magic. He’s got nothing to do with this.”
I sighed. “You just blurted out your ‘secret.’”
“Oh!”
She clamped her hands tightly over her mouth, her amethyst eyes blinking in surprise. It was as charming as the violets that swayed in the wind, but that made her no better at keeping secrets.
“What are you even doing out here?” I asked.
While we were still in the palace gardens, we were at the most remote corner of it. We were so far away that we’d ordinarily have to come by carriage.
“I wanted to get some of the herbs the Academy uses for medicine.”
“How’d you break out of the palace?”
“I gave the maid watching me a nice, good sleep since she seemed so tired… The guard at the gate, too.”
I sighed deeply. “Oh, Sophia!”
She’d been under such strict watch specifically because we couldn’t afford to let her break out. It felt like only a matter of time before she brought the whole country to ruin, and I nearly fell off the stairs in despair, prompting Sasha to panic again.
Perhaps we could marry her off to a rival nation and have her destroy it from within? No, Father’s too protective of her to do such a thing.
“Right, Father.” I stood up, grabbing my sister by the hand. “We need to go now. Lord Lars!” At my call, the hallowyrm descended from the heavens, landing in front of us. “We’d like your help returning to the palace,” I explained. “It would take far too long to walk.”
He watched me with his large blue eyes before lowering his head. Being contracted to obey Mother didn’t mean he would listen to me, after all, and it was more a matter of his mood. Mother often reminded me to be polite to him.
“Gyeagh.”
“I owe you one!”
I led Sophia by the hand onto the dragon’s back, with Michel, Sasha, and Rosemary following dutifully behind us. As soon as we were all seated, Lord Lars took to the sky with a languid flap of his massive wings. He was odd through and through. Just last year, before he was knighted for his loyalty to the kingdom, he was tiny as a newborn and had a shrill little shriek.
We flew low to avoid being spotted from outside the palace walls, weaving between trees and buildings until we arrived at the palace’s front foyer. The nobles assembled a short while before we left were gone—they must have already advanced to the great hall.
“Thank you, Lord Lars!” I called as we dismounted. “You’ve been a great help!”
“Gyeeeag!”
With a nod of his head, he returned to the detached mansion, where he’d turned one of the rooms into his nest.
We rushed up the stairs, but Michel called us to stop at the top.
“Wait! I have something for Princess Sofia~!” He smiled warmly, leaning down to show the girl the colorful flowers he held. “Please, use this as a replacement for your ribbons.”
He combed them through her hair, leaving just a few such that they’d catch the eye but wouldn’t seem overdone.
“Thank you, Michel,” she said with a little curtsy.
I hate to admit it, but she’s pretty cute.
I came to my senses a moment later, quietly pushing open the door. Finally, we were all ready. Father’s stress headache would soon be cured.
The great hall was full of people, both nobles from our realm and representatives of our closest allies. My grandparents were there, in addition to my friends’ parents. The capital city, visible only from the balcony, was packed with commoners eager to celebrate. I could hear their cries even from beyond the closed doors.
Sophia’s eyes passed over the assembly in awe. “What’s everyone doing here?”
“How could you not know that?!”
She was terrifying, a true menace. Sophia was incredibly clever and insightful when she wanted to be, but her refusal to acknowledge anything that didn’t immediately interest her gave Father no end of trouble.
For the time being, however, I grabbed her by the hand and led her to where Mother and Father awaited us. They were seated on thrones a step below my grandparents’. As soon as the four of them laid eyes on Sophia, they all smiled.
“It looks like you’re ready—and you’re not even late,” Father remarked.
I gave them both a princely smile. “My apologies for making you all wait.”
I respected my parents more than anyone else in the world. They’d thought of nothing but the good of the kingdom even in their youth, and their accomplishments were legendary. Mother, in particular, was still smitten with Father, and she’d tell us about his adventures any chance she got. He’d diligently worked since he was young to excel in every princely art, even mastering magic, and had a brilliant smile that could win any heart. She often lamented that she didn’t have enough portraits painted of him in those days.
The most impressive part, however, was how the stories seemed to slip out of her at the oddest moments, as though it were perfectly natural to think of him every waking moment. Lady Margaret, one of Mother’s best friends, said she’d been like that even during their time at the Academy. Father would always turn bright red and mutter something about the past staying in the past. He was a reserved, dignified gentleman, so he was undoubtedly embarrassed to hear about himself.
The royal couple had overwhelming support even from abroad, stemming from how they’d fought off a fierce King Cait Sidhe during their wedding. They were frequently said to be the best of the best, both as a couple and as individuals. Fortunately, they understood the weight that would inevitably place on their children and let us live as freely as we pleased, showing us nothing but care. Of course, in Sophia’s case, I was afraid she was a little too unrestricted.
To make a long story short, they were both perfect—though, of course, they had the occasional troubling conversation.
“My heart aches with how similar Louie’s keen perception is to yours,” Father would say.
“Then you should be yourself around him, Vincent,” Mother would reply.
“But I’m his father!” he would continue. “I’m supposed to look cool around him.”
Even if Father wasn’t his true self around me, I tried not to let it bother me. I put all my focus into my studies to become a prince worthy of inheriting the kingdom. For now, my main duty was keeping tabs on Sophia and making sure she didn’t get into too much trouble.
I strode across the marble, leading Sophia to our place at our parents’ side—beside Vincent von Weissworth and Elizabeth von Weissworth.
“Allow Us to begin!” Grandfather announced with a clap of his hands.
The trumpeters played a resounding fanfare, and Father turned to face Grandfather. The elder removed his crown and extended his arms as if to pass it to his son.
At that moment, I remembered that I had yet to answer Sophia’s earlier question. I turned to her.
“Today’s the day—the day of Father’s coronation!”
Lovestruck Prince! I’ll Fight the Heroine for My Villainess Fiancée! Volume 3 Fin