Long ago.
Inside the grand library of the Imperial Palace.
“Teacher.”
The girl with a small frame looked up at the man. Her face was pouting as if she was sulking.
“Today’s class is over.”
“Hmmm.”
The man referred to as teacher gave a gentle smile.
It was understandable. Even though she was a princess of high status, to the eyes, she looked just like a cute girl throwing a tantrum.
Zekiel spoke to the 5th Princess, Neo.
“Why, is it too much to study anymore today?”
“…I feel like my head is going to burst. No way. If I don’t rest now, I swear it’ll go boom!”
The 5th Princess said this as she quickly sat down on a chair. She tucked her knees under herself and tightly wrapped a blanket around her as if to protect herself.
“Come on… Last time’s scroll assignment was super hard. I can’t do it anymore…”
“That’s not something the Emperor would be pleased about.”
“No, of course, it’s a secret from the Emperor…”
It was a common-sense thing, but the Emperor never neglected the care of the young princesses. It meant he thoroughly checked their results periodically.
Born of the royal blood.
The 5th Princess, Neo, could not be ordinary. She had to overcome twice the amount of study to reach the realm of magic genius.
Zekiel felt a bit sorry about that, but he couldn’t neglect his duties as a teacher either.
He gently patted Neo’s back, who was curled up like a pine cone in the blanket.
“Let’s take a 10-minute break and then continue. If you feel hungry, you can bring some snacks. Specially, today you can eat during class.”
But even with that reasoning, Neo was unyielding.
“Teacher only talks about studying. Sometimes you could tell me fun stories, right?”
“I’m not really the fun type.”
“Not every fun thing has to be a laugh out loud. Just tell me something I’d find interesting.”
“Is there such a story?”
“Yes. There is.”
Even though he hadn’t said he would tell a story yet, the girl’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She seemed highly expectant.
“Tell me about you, Teacher.”
“I’m a teacher, and anything related is class…”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Neo shook her head.
“I’m curious about lots of things about you. How you were born, how you grew up, what you did…”
“Hmm.”
Then Zekiel cleared his throat.
His expression was more complex than expected, like he had just tasted something very bitter.
Was that such a hard question? The girl had asked without realizing. It didn’t seem that difficult.
Then it hit him; it made sense. Even Neo found it tough to converse with someone else other than Zekiel.
So perhaps the teacher was shy. Even now, towards her.
As that thought crossed his mind…
“…I’m so ordinary that there’s nothing to talk about.”
“Still, I want to hear.”
“Actually, I don’t remember much.”
Saying that, Zekiel pressed down on the hat that resembled those worn by officers, which made it impossible to see what expression he had.
Zekiel quietly opened the textbook.
“Alright, 10 minutes have passed. Let’s start the class again.”
“Ugh…”
Though the 5th Princess reacted quite loudly in protest, Zekiel’s decision was not changing.
The man finally started the lesson again.
“Okay, from now on we will focus on this part─.”
The Holy Temple of the Imperial Palace. Infirmary.
The soldiers stood guard at the entrance with tired faces when suddenly, a rush of energy filled their faces.
The 5th Princess had made her appearance.
As if waking from a deep sleep, they all snapped to attention.
“We greet the 5th Princess!”
Their reverberating voices felt out of the ordinary.
The only person Neo did not shy away from was Zekiel. She thought the loud voice was a bit scary but quickly passed the soldiers.
Once Neo disappeared from sight, the soldiers spoke.
“She doesn’t even acknowledge us.”
“Still, she doesn’t look down on us like the 2nd Princess. Rather, visiting the infirmary daily shows she has a good heart.”
“That’s true. It seems every action of hers lacks malice.”
The soldiers nodded in agreement, but suddenly, one of them looked puzzled and said,
“But what does she look for every day?”
“We wouldn’t know. Her identity is completely unknown.”
“Hmmm, well, it’s natural given she’s related to high-ranking individuals. Let’s not get involved. We have no way of knowing anyway…”
The two soldiers nodded once more.
Meanwhile, the 5th Princess Neo entered a ward in the infirmary, holding a basket filled with fruits in her small hands.
“I’m here.”
As Neo showed up, a woman who had been leaning against the bed immediately tried to stand up to greet her.
“Oh, has the 5th Princess arrived?”
“…Stay seated. Don’t get up.”
Neo quickly stopped the woman from rising. This was somewhat of a command, and in that awkward posture, the woman could not finally stand.
As Neo put the fruit basket down, she asked.
“How’s your health?”
“Of course. I’m getting much better.”
The woman nodded her head.
But Neo knew that was a lie to reassure her. The woman looked so skinny and fragile that she seemed like she could fall over at any moment.
The woman’s identity was Mirabel, a member of the Balance.
“The Emperor is being unfair. The person who saved me like that shouldn’t even let me walk outside…”
This was why Neo made periodic visits to the infirmary.
Though she couldn’t recall much from her infancy, it was Mirabel who had fought off the assassins from the Demon Realm that had ambushed the 5th Princess and got injured instead.
However.
Mirabel received no treatment beyond what she got at the infirmary.
Speaking of which, even mentioning Mirabel’s existence outside was forbidden, and she could not leave the place until she died. It was essentially a well-disguised prison.
So as an apology or a sign of gratitude, Neo regularly came to visit.
Trying to overcome her own shyness that she could never overcome, she also took it upon herself to be a companion to the lonely Mirabel.
“…Should I speak to the Emperor?”
As Neo timidly muttered, Mirabel immediately refuted, sounding quite the opposite.
“Oh dear, Your Highness, that’s not allowed. I’m just happy that you’re doing fine. And really, I’m not bored here at all.”
“How can staying here not be boring? There’s nothing to do. There aren’t even windows in this place.”
“Hmm.”
Listening quietly, Mirabel slowly stood up from the bed. Neo quietly continued.
Although making eye contact while talking was way too difficult…, she could at least talk while looking at the floor.
“I saw the accomplishments of the mages the royal family rewarded recently, and none are as great as saving the princess. Therefore, to offer a proper reward…”
Crunch─!
“…!”
At that moment, 5th Princess Neo’s eyes widened in shock as she felt a sudden squeeze. Mirabel, who had stood up from the bed, had hugged her tightly.
Neo spun back in surprise.
“Wh-wh-what are you doing…!”
“Hahahahaha─!”
Even as Neo nearly freaked out, Mirabel laughed heartily.
It was an action that could have easily led to immediate judgment for touching a princess without permission. But Neo didn’t find Mirabel’s act unpleasant at all.
“Since the 5th Princess cares for me so much, I can’t possibly feel wronged at all. It’s an immense honor for me. And really, I’m not bored at all!”
Opposite of shy Neo, Mirabel was overflowing with charm, making Neo envious.
“…If you’re not bored, that’s great. I was just worried.”
Neo said awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Also, she was especially sensitive to embarrassing moments, so she quickly shifted the topic.
“By the way, I noticed you were doing something in the ward every time. Is that what keeps you from being bored?”
“Oh, you caught me.”
Mirabel nodded vigorously.
“…Come to think of it, I shouldn’t take a break from that task. Your Highness, may I continue that task even with you present?”
“Well, I don’t mind that….”
Neo looked at the bundles of paper Mirabel was pulling out from under the bed.
Those were all records. Every day, Mirabel spent her time writing things down, and Neo realized she had never asked what it was about.
Suddenly feeling curious, Neo asked Mirabel.
“So, what do you write all the time?”
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