Chapter  10

: The Grand Year-End Prayer Assembly (2)

Silence fell over the Grand Hall.

Everyone stared blankly at Marquis Orléans, scarcely daring to breathe.

He had voiced the very question that everyone had been wondering about but none had dared ask aloud.

To many of them, it must have felt like finally clearing a throat clogged by dry bread.

“If the rumors are true… and the princess’s father really was a mercenary from Calyssa…”

When Bellus did not immediately respond, the marquis continued.

“…then isn’t it possible that Princess Anastasia’s birth was the result of coercion?”

“If Princess Beatrice willingly associated with a man from Calyssa…”

“I’m sure both Your Majesty and Your Grace understand the implications of that.”

His words carried two possibilities.

If it had not been a forced relationship…

Then Princess Beatrice might have willingly consorted with the enemy—a crime of treason.

Either way…

Her honor would be irreparably tarnished.

I still couldn’t understand why Mother had written such a lie in her will in the first place.

Because of it…

My entire life had been twisted beyond repair.

When I first learned the truth in this life…

I had been so furious that I nearly collapsed from the rage alone.

I turned to look at the true cause of all this—

Phaeon.

His face had gone deathly pale as he stared at the marquis.

The accusation was deeply insulting…

Yet there was nothing he could do.

“The day before Princess Anastasia came to the royal palace…”

Bellus, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.

“…an oracle was bestowed upon us.”

The crowd erupted into astonished whispers.

“An oracle?”

“But there hasn’t been one for ages…”

Bellus continued calmly.

“The oracle declared that Princess Anastasia is…”

“‘The one who will bring light to Santora.'”

…You’ve got to be kidding.

So they’re revealing it here.

In my previous lives…

The temple had only announced this oracle years later, after the attacks against me became unbearable, in order to protect me.

“Judging from both the oracle and the blessed name bestowed upon Her Highness…”

“It is beyond doubt that Lord Lux has a purpose for the princess.”

Bellus smiled gently.

Yet there was unmistakable strength in his voice.

“The will does indeed state that her father was a mercenary from Calyssa.”

“However…”

“The princess is only four years old.”

“Considering that the war with Calyssa began merely three years ago…”

“It is difficult to interpret that as proof of collusion with the enemy.”

“Even before the war, Calyssa was still an enemy nation!”

Marquis Orléans snapped.

“Duke Orléans.”

King Ferdinand, who had listened in silence until now, slowly rose to his feet.

His voice was ice cold.

“The will alone proves nothing.”

“But the royal family and the temple have chosen to accept the princess.”

Barely restrained anger colored every word.

“My daughter gave her life fighting for Santora.”

“I would appreciate it if you ceased insulting her memory.”

Perhaps realizing he had gone too far…

The marquis frowned and sat back down without another argument.

“From this day forward…”

“Princess Anastasia is a member of the royal family.”

With the king’s firm declaration…

The hall fell silent once more.

The noblewomen hid their faces behind elegant fans as they whispered among themselves.

Some tilted their heads curiously while looking at me.

But…

Most still wore expressions that plainly declared they had no intention of acknowledging me as a princess.

◇ ◆ ◇

“When in the world did you learn magic?!”

After the tense Prayer Assembly ended…

For several days I was relentlessly questioned by Sierra, Rosa, and Yuz.

“Umm…”

“I… read about it in one of the books Sierra brought me.”

Fortunately…

A few days before the ceremony, I had asked Sierra to bring me a beginner’s magic textbook.

Otherwise…

I never would have been able to come up with an excuse.

“I only brought it because I thought it might interest Your Highness…”

“I never imagined you’d actually learn the spell and cast it right away!”

“Your Highness is definitely going to become an even greater mage than Princess Beatrice!”

“Was Mama Asha really that good at magic?”

“Of course.”

“She was a genius in every sense.”

“She was naturally gifted…”

“And on top of that, she worked harder than anyone.”

To think that someone who had once shone so brilliantly…

Had become someone whose name people barely dared mention.

It truly was a tragedy.

The contents of the oracle Bellus had revealed at the Prayer Assembly spread rapidly throughout both the temple and noble society.

Ordinary citizens, however, were forbidden from hearing about it under the pretext of protecting the child mentioned in the oracle.

Now that the Grand Temple had officially recognized me…

Its members could no longer openly display hostility toward me.

Still…

Whenever I appeared…

They hurriedly stepped aside and avoided meeting my eyes.

As soon as the brief New Year’s holiday ended…

The three priestesses became overwhelmingly busy.

They had been assigned to aid the postwar reconstruction efforts.

Most days…

I barely managed to see one of them.

I spent much more time alone.

Reading magic books in my room wasn’t unpleasant…

But eventually even that became stifling.

So when Yuz suggested we have tea in the royal palace’s greenhouse garden…

I was genuinely delighted.

“I miss Sierra and Rosa.”

As Yuz placed a basket overflowing with desserts onto the white lace tablecloth…

She smiled warmly.

“But today…”

“You get to have a date with me.”

She leaned close and whispered into my ear.

“Your Highness…”

“Which one of us do you like the most?”

“I…”

“Like Yuz the best.”

I whispered back.

“This will be our little secret from Sierra and Rosa, okay?”

“Of course.”

“Oh, Your Highness…”

“You’re the cutest child in the whole world.”

Her cheeks flushed as she gently stroked mine.

Lately…

I’d put on a little healthy weight.

My cheeks had become soft and squishy.

Even I found myself wanting to poke them sometimes.

The adults seemed to enjoy them even more.

“Your Highness…”

“Would you like to take a walk around the garden while I prepare the tea?”

“It’ll only take a moment.”

“Okay!”

I hopped down from my chair and toddled happily away.

The greenhouse garden overflowed with flowers.

Pansies.

Hyacinths.

Crocuses.

Irises.

Maintained through magic…

The garden remained beautiful in every season, never once withering.

I’d only visited twice in my previous life.

Back then…

I had been too anxious about running into Aquila or Stella to truly enjoy myself.

Now…

At last…

I could finally appreciate the fragrance of the flowers in peace.

I skipped happily through the garden.

That tree’s shaped like a rabbit!

The gardener had trimmed the rose bushes into all sorts of animal shapes.

Resisting the temptation to pick a flower…

I wandered farther and farther…

Until I eventually reached the edge of the garden.

Then…

Through the slightly open back gate…

I sensed a faint ripple of mana.

…What is that?

It’s not one of the enchantments protecting the garden.

Almost unconsciously…

I followed the strange magical presence.

It was unlike anything I had ever felt before.

I continued walking down unfamiliar paths…

Until the greenhouse had completely disappeared from sight.

What’s that…?

When I finally looked up…

A small tower stood before me.

I’d never seen it before.

The magical aura drawing me here grew stronger with every step.

“Ugh…!”

Without warning…

An agonizing pain exploded through my head.

My vision blurred.

Afterimages flashed before my eyes.

People running in every direction.

Screams.

Buildings collapsing.

Outdoor decorations shattering.

And then…

Black hair—

“Your Highness!”

Someone caught me just as I collapsed.

The instant I was pulled into their arms…

A brilliant white light flashed.

My headache vanished completely.

Slowly opening my eyes…

I looked up.

“Papa!”

“What are you doing here?”

Phaeon scolded me.

“I came…”

“For tea…”

“I was looking around the garden…”

“And then…”

“I got lost…”

I mumbled awkwardly.

Saying that I’d somehow simply ended up here sounded far too unbelievable.

Phaeon sighed.

Then carefully set me back on my feet.

“You must never come to this area on your own.”

His sharp gaze remained fixed on the tower.

“…I will escort you back.”

“Follow me.”

Where exactly is this place?

Curiosity filled my mind as I followed after him.

That tower…

It radiated extraordinary magical power.

Could it be the mages’ tower?

No…

I’d heard the Tower of Mages was elsewhere.

Surely it couldn’t be something this small.

And…

What exactly had those visions been?

Am I seeing hallucinations in this life now?

Wonderful.

One more thing to worry about.

Yuz was frantically searching everywhere for me, nearly in tears.

The moment Phaeon brought me back…

She collapsed to the ground in relief.

“Sir Parsiel…”

“Thank you so much.”

“This tea was originally a gift from the royal family…”

“But please allow me to offer you a cup as thanks.”

“No.”

“I should return to the training grounds.”

“You surely have enough time for one cup.”

“If I let you leave without properly thanking you…”

“I’ll feel terribly guilty.”

“It won’t take long.”

Reluctantly…

He sat down at the table.

Yuz smiled brightly and reheated the tea that had gone cold.

“To tell the truth…”

“I’ve always wanted to serve you a cup.”

“I heard that although you avoid every luxury…”

“The one thing you do enjoy…”

“Is Lissus tea.”

Phaeon’s expression stiffened.

Yuz flinched.

“I-I’m sorry…”

“Was that too presumptuous?”

“No.”

“It is true that I drink it from time to time.”

Lissus tea was one of Santora’s rarest teas.

Made from flower petals that grew only in a small region of northern Santora…

It possessed a rich fragrance and an unforgettable lingering taste.

People even called it the Tea of Smiles because drinking it naturally brought a smile to one’s face.

Who would’ve guessed he had such refined tastes?

I watched him quietly accept the teacup.

He took one sip…

Then stared silently into it.

It didn’t seem as though he was looking at the tea.

His eyes appeared fixed on somewhere very far away.

To pull him back to reality…

I suddenly spoke up.

“Papa!”

“Can Asha go see the training grounds?”

He blinked, returning to himself.

“No.”

“It isn’t a place suited for Your Highness.”

“I doubt you’d find anything interesting there.”

“But…”

“I want to see the knights…”

“It’s my wish…”

“Sir Parsiel…”

Yuz quickly joined in.

“Would you please grant Her Highness’s wish?”

“I’ll be leaving soon for my assignment.”

“That means she’ll have to stay alone in her room.”

“Won’t she be terribly lonely?”

“No…”

“Asha’s okay by herself…”

“When I lived in the cottage…”

“I was always alone…”

“Even when everyone else went into the village together…”

I quietly stirred my cake with my fork.

Silence settled over the table.

Finally…

Phaeon sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“…Very well.”

“But only for half a day.”

Attacking his sense of guilt together…

Really did make the strategy twice as effective.

“The training grounds are quite far away.”

He looked at me hopefully.

As though wishing the distance alone would make me give up.

“If Papa carries me…”

“Then it’s okay.”

I jumped down from my chair and spread my arms wide toward him.

He frowned slightly…

But carefully lifted me into his arms.

Hehe.

He’s getting much better at this.

◇ ◆ ◇

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The enormous training grounds echoed with the sharp ringing of steel and the heavy thuds of wooden practice swords colliding.

The Holy Knights of the temple and the Royal Knights frequently trained together.

The grounds were so vast…

Their far end was barely visible.

The moment Phaeon and I reached the entrance…

A loud crash came from one side of the field.

Crash!

A boy tumbled heavily to the ground.

He looked about twelve years old.

The knight who appeared to be his instructor shouted angrily.

“Rigen!”

“You can barely manage a proper block!”

“At this rate, how do you expect to master a thrust?!”

The fallen boy slowly lifted his head.

He had soft light-brown curls…

And large blue eyes that drooped gently at the corners.

He looked like one of the baby angels painted in religious artwork.

Wow…

I’ve never seen such a beautiful boy before.

…Rigen?

I’ve definitely heard that name somewhere before.