The first princess of a small country—the Lapladia Kingdom, Camilla Shamrock met Lucrezio for the first time when he was introduced as her younger sister’s fiancé.
“He’s the one I have told you before, my fiancé. I hear he fought valiantly in the recent war, leading our nation to victory. Although he is a former volunteer soldier from a foreign country, father was apparently quite reluctant to part with him. Which is why we are to marry.”
The one explaining was a beautiful and lovely girl with luscious blonde hair draping over her back. Her bright green eyes, perfectly suited to the summer garden scene spreading around the gazebo, were wide and framed by long lashes. Wearing a large sun hat and sheltered beneath the shade of a parasol held by her maid, her pearl-like skin remained untouched by the sun’s rays, even in summer.
She is Camilla’s half-sister, sharing the same father. Unfortunately they bear little resemblance in appearance. Unlike her sister’s splendid golden curls, Camilla’s hair is a dull wheat colour.
Although she had hoped for a striking eye colour, it was just the same plain brown as her birth mother’s. Moreover, she inherited none of her mother’s beauty—the beauty that has made her mother to be the King’s mistress.
Beside the princess whose peerless beauty was worlds apart from herself, stood a youth with ash-grey hair. Camila quietly observed the boy who had been introduced as her sister’s fiancé.
He appears to be about the same age as her younger sister—who had just turned fifteen this year. From behind a slightly long fringe, hazel colored eyes stared intently at her direction. Sensing no particular friendliness from such gaze, Camilla chose to turn her gaze away. After briefly taking in the brand-new knight order uniform worn by the unusually tall boy for his apparent age, Camilla placed a hand on her abdomen and smiled.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Camilla Shamrock, the First Princess of Lapladia.”
“…The honor is mine, Your Highness. My name is Lucrezio.”
The boy returned her greeting in a voice that had already broken(1). The fact that he did not give a family name might mean that he had been born into poverty—poor enough to enlist as a volunteer.
(Lucrezio is a not a name ever heard from Lapladia)
A former volunteer soldier from a foreign land, with no family name to his own. No matter how much he had distinguished himself in the recent battle, the best he could likely hope for was appointment as a low-ranking knight. And yet, had her father the king seen some kind of potential in this boy?
Camilla’s father, the king of the Kingdom of Lapladia, was an extremely optimistic man. He loved pleasures and beautiful women, and left matters of state entirely in the hands of his chancellor.
That said, it was widely known he had a keen eye for judging people. In fact, both the chancellor he relied upon and the commander of the knight order were highly capable, and it would be fair to say that his reign was sustained by his loyal retainers exceptional skills.
Camilla was the daughter borne by a lady in waiting that had caught the King’s favor. The King is careless in many ways, but he did at least possess a sense of responsibility—he gave Camilla’s mother the official position as a mistress, granted her a detached palace, and supported them until her mother passed away during a plague.
When Camilla’s mother passed away at the age of ten, the King proposed for her to be adopted by the queen. However, both the Queen and the Crown Prince—her half brother, who harbored deep hatred towards Camilla, declined. As a result, Camilla was sent to the convent instead.
And so Camilla left the royal castle, but her half sister Pamela, eight years her junior, adored her. In fact, Pamela seemed to harbor a one-sided aversion for her own brother—the Crown Prince Gerald, and frequently visited the convent where Camilla lived to drink tea and chat with her.
Today was no different, Pamela and Lucrezio had gone out of their way to travel all the way from the royal capital to the convent.
Of all his three children, the King dotes on Pamela the most. To appoint this boy as the husband to his most beloved daughter, the King must have taken quite a liking to Lucrezio.
Hearing Lucrezio’s overly stiff and formal greeting, Pamela let out a chuckle.
“Oh dear, are you nervous Luke? Where is that rude Luke who always talks back to me?”
“Lady Pamela, please don’t tease me.”
“Kyahaha! Lady Pamela he said! Normally you just call me ‘Hey, Pamela’!”
Unable to contain herself, Pamela burst out laughing, clutching her stomach, and Lucrezio’s cheeks flushed red. With his fair complexion, the change was very noticeable when he blushed.
“Pamela and Sir seem quite close, that’s good, right?”
She had assumed it was nothing more than a loveless marriage decreed by the King’s command, so it was surprising to see their closeness. As Camilla was thinking this, Pamela, who had to wipe the corner of her eyes, nodded.
“That’s true. Actually, when we were first introduced, I had assumed he was a gloomy little monkey with an inflated ego. But once we spoke, I found him rather amusing.”
“…I’m not exactly trying to be amusing.” Lucrezio replied with a small sniff.
Perhaps he noticed Camilla staring, he abruptly faltered and turned his gaze away.
“Well… as you can see, I am a man with no social standing or education. Yet Lady Pamela has found me amusing and deemed me acceptable…”
“That’s wonderful to hear. Sir Lucrezio, I entrust Pamela to you.”
Feeling warm as she gazed at the affectionate exchange between her younger sister and her betrothed, Camilla spoke again with a gentle smile.
“Pamela is my precious sister. Although she strives to conduct herself as a proper princess in public, at heart she is terribly lonely. But I believe that with you, Sir Lucrezio, she will surely have a fine and happy family.”
“…Thank you very much, Lady Camilla.”
“It’s all right, Sister. I’ll be sure to tame this rough little monkey properly,” Pamela said with a grin.
“Hohoho,” Pamela laughed, while Lucrezio glared bitterly at his fiancee. He seems like he had something to say, yet held his tongue—perhaps because he himself was aware that the label of ‘little monkey’ was not entirely a jest.
(…Pamela will be all right, right?”
As the summer breeze swept across her cheeks, Camilla reflected quietly.
A princess taking a commoner as her husband will surely become the subject of gossip. But the King who cherishes Pamela, would never allow malicious rumours to spread. Besides, Pamela was quite shrewd behind all her playfulness.
(The wedding will likely be held next year at the earliest. I would very much like to attend.)
Camilla will soon turn twenty-four. Whether because she had spent so many years working at the convent or simply by the standards of society, she was quite thoroughly considered to be an old maid.
She has long forsaken the dream of getting married. Still, she hoped to at least see her dear sister’s bridal gown and etched it to her memory… and perhaps one day, she might be able to live while looking after the nieces and nephews who would surely be born.
(1) Deeper voice because of puberty
