I Made the Princess Cry
The train rattled along the tracks from the front lines toward the capital. My mood sank like a stone in deep water.
“Fuck… fuck… If I’d just stayed a little longer, I would’ve become a Sword Master, but that bastard Heinrich—!”
“Calm down, Kaspar. You’re finally going home after twelve years, aren’t you?”
“Home my ass. My home is the Argea Front!”
Hans, my old comrade sitting beside me, tried to soothe me, but it did nothing to lift my spirits.
As if trying to cheer me up, he slipped an envelope between his index and middle fingers and waved it.
“Ta-da~ Kaspar. Guess what this is?”
“What the hell is it? A letter from your family? Must be nice, having people who actually want you back.”
“Hey, don’t be like that.”
I have no family.
Or rather, I do, but I might as well not.
I have a father, but I’m his bastard son.
And that same father is the one who forcibly discharged me.
Suddenly, I felt the urge to spit out his name.
“Heinrich von Eisenmarck, that son of a bitch.”
“Whoa, whoa! You keep talking like that and they’ll really haul you away.”
“Let them.”
That miserable bastard had never done a single thing to help my life.
I had been so close—just a little more and I would have reached the realm of Sword Master. But he blocked my path.
The only way a bastard like me could ever earn recognition from the family.
He stole it from me.
Hans waved the envelope in front of my face, looking flustered.
“Hey, Kaspar. This isn’t a letter from family. It’s an invitation to the royal ball!”
“A ball?”
“Yeah! Let’s go there, flirt with some pretty girls, and shake off this shitty mood!”
“Maybe I should…”
The royal ball would surely have that damned father of mine and my half-siblings, but what did it matter?
They were going to treat me like I was invisible anyway.
I grinned and threw an arm around Hans’s shoulders.
“You’re the only one I can count on!”
“You really are a simple bastard.”
“For a soldier, a woman is all you need.”
Just thinking about the ball improved my mood.
There would be plenty of beautiful women in gorgeous dresses.
There would also be plenty of dapper men in tuxedos and formal suits, but that didn’t matter to me.
The Nicator Kingdom Army officer uniform didn’t lose out to any of that fancy clothing.
If anything, it looked far more masculine and impressive than what those soft-handed nobles wore.
Hans seemed to be thinking hard about something before he spoke.
“Ah, but it probably won’t be just an ordinary ball.”
“Then what?”
“Hmm.”
Hans opened the envelope and looked at the contents.
The invitation, lavishly decorated with gold leaf, basically said this:
You have suffered greatly rolling in the dirt of the battlefield.
Come to the ball. Eat, drink, and pledge your loyalty to the kingdom to your heart’s content.
“These bastards are always the same.”
“Don’t be too harsh. The royal family must have their own circumstances.”
“Spare me. Let’s go smoke.”
“Alright.”
As soon as we reached the train’s smoking car, I pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
Staring blankly at the thick smoke rising in clouds, I said to Hans,
“But why didn’t I get one of those invitations?”
“Didn’t you check your mailbox? If I got one, you probably did too.”
“Ah, fuck. Guess so. Heh heh.”
Thanks to Hans, I managed to shake off my foul mood and arrived in the capital feeling relatively at ease.
“I’m going to find a place to stay. You go on and run to your parents and little siblings.”
“Haha, thanks, Kaspar.”
“Idiot.”
The moment we stepped off the train, I sent Hans off to his family and went looking for a real estate agent. I found a decent room at a reasonable price. After twelve years of barely spending a penny, I had saved up quite a bit.
I might have gotten ripped off, but it didn’t matter.
Starting today, I was going to live the life of a complete degenerate—drinking myself stupid and smoking like a chimney.
“Hoo…”
The first thing I did after moving in was light up one of the finest cigars I’d bought from a tobacco shop on the way.
“Hoooooo…”
Still, if I was going to the ball, I probably shouldn’t smell like cigarettes in my officer uniform.
Ah, whatever.
I smoked both the cigar and plenty of cigarettes, then went to a laundry run by a mage and had them use cleaning magic to strip away the smell.
That was how I met up with Hans in front of the royal palace.
The moment he saw me, he sniffed the air.
Feeling a little guilty, I asked,
“Do I still smell like cigarettes?”
“No? Actually, you smell pretty good. What is that?”
“Oh, thank god. I smoked a ton of cigars and cigarettes, then went to the laundry and asked the mage to hit me with some cleaning magic.”
“You got money to burn?”
“My life’s already fucked anyway. What’s the big deal if I blow some cash for one day?”
Hans shook his head and started nagging.
“A man should build a family and take responsibility. I saved every penny for my marriage fund.”
“How admirable. I’m so jealous~”
“Right? You should try living like me.”
Instead of getting angry, Hans took my sarcasm in stride with his usual good nature.
That was exactly why I couldn’t help but stay close to him.
“Anyway, let’s head in.”
“Yeah.”
After showing our IDs at the palace entrance, everything went smoothly.
The authority of a Nicator Kingdom Army officer uniform was that powerful.
We entered the ballroom without any trouble.
I swept my hair back and said playfully,
“Shall we go hunt for some women?”
“Hmm. Let’s split up once we’re inside.”
Hans was a soldier through and through; his taste for women was about the same as mine.
The only difference was that he was probably looking for a marriage partner.
No matter how decorated an officer he was, he came from commoner roots. I doubted any noble lady would seriously consider marrying him, but I kept that thought to myself.
I’d rather not get punched in the face by an unusually angry Hans. I’d learned that lesson the hard way once before.
“……”
Anyway.
The moment I stepped into the ballroom, I grabbed a wine glass, filled it with champagne, and took a sip.
I wanted to let out a satisfied “Kyaah,” but I held back for the sake of my dignity as an officer.
Swirling the champagne in my glass, I began scanning for prey.
I soon spotted a blonde woman with an impressive chest and a figure that looked absolutely stunning.
Men nearby were stealing glances at her, but none dared approach.
When the sweet music began, I made my move.
“Good evening, miss.”
I didn’t go for extreme politeness. I acted like a blunt soldier who didn’t know proper etiquette.
The woman covered her mouth with her hand and said,
“Oh my! Are you a military officer?”
“Yes, miss.”
I needed to seize the initiative here.
I lifted my head, looked down at her, and introduced myself.
“I am Captain Kaspar, who served in the 7th Assault Sword Unit on the southern Argea front.”
“Oh my! The Assault Sword Unit? And a captain at that?”
I could feel not just the woman, but everyone around us reacting to my words.
“A captain from the Assault Sword Unit?”
“Then… he must be at least a Sword Expert.”
“Why would someone like that be discharged…?”
I’d been forcibly discharged thanks to one particular bastard. I really hoped they wouldn’t bring that up.
The woman in front of me quickly cleared away the bitterness that had begun to rise.
“How wonderful! My name is Lotte von Breithaim!”
She introduced herself and grabbed both of my hands tightly.
Her eyes were sparkling. It seemed my credentials had impressed her quite a bit.
I put on my best smile and said,
“Would you care to dance?”
“I’d love to!”
I was just about to place my hand on her waist when the music suddenly stopped.
“What the…?”
Irritated, I looked around. Everyone was bowing their heads in reverence toward someone.
Even Lotte hurriedly turned in that direction and showed her respect.
Click— click—
The clear sound of someone’s heels echoed through the hall.
Whoever it was, they were walking straight toward me.
It was a woman. With silver hair.
I didn’t know her name.
I had never seen her before in my life.
I had no memory of my childhood days in the capital.
The woman stared at me in silence.
She was biting her lip hard, and her whole body was trembling. She looked incredibly sad.
Who was this woman, and why was she making such a face while looking at me?
…Well, there’s nothing more beautiful than a pretty woman with a sorrowful expression.
Anyway.
She seemed interested in me, so I decided to approach her first.
Or at least, I was going to.
“Kaspar von Eisenmarck.”
That name left her lips.
The surname I had spent my entire life wanting to hide burst out into the open.
Everyone around us began to stir.
“Eisenmarck?”
“The name of the Northern Grand Duke…?”
“…The bastard son… I see…”
Even Lotte’s expression changed to one of clear distaste as she looked at me.
In that instant, my feelings toward the silver-haired woman flipped into intense hostility.
She approached me and spoke in a trembling voice.
“You’re… you’re truly alive.”
…Murderous intent surged within me.
This woman I had never met before not only revealed to the entire hall that I was a bastard, but then had the nerve to say to a man who had survived the battlefield, “You’re truly alive?”
I barely suppressed the urge to strangle her on the spot and answered with the calmest expression I could manage.
“…Indeed. I really should have just died on that fucking battlefield. Don’t you think?”
The woman visibly panicked at my words and fidgeted awkwardly.
“No, that’s not what I meant. Kaspar, you… perhaps…”
“What?”
I was glaring at her like I wanted to kill her when Hans suddenly stepped between us.
He whispered urgently in my ear.
“That’s Her Highness, Princess Adelheid von Nicator! Don’t you recognize her face?!”
Oh. Right.
A faint memory surfaced.
That was the face I’d occasionally seen in the newspapers.
But what did that have to do with anything?
I grabbed Hans’s wrist and roughly shoved him aside.
“So what? She basically just asked if I was still alive. Isn’t that an open insult?”
“……”
“……”
Neither Hans nor Princess Adelheid could say a word.
As the silence stretched, the people around us began whispering.
The Northern Grand Duke’s bastard. An officer from the Argea Front. A madman who dared talk back to the princess.
Ha. This was exactly why I hadn’t wanted to come to the capital.
The moment I got tangled up with that damned father and his family, my life was ruined.
I turned on my heel, ready to leave the ballroom, when Princess Adelheid’s voice rang out.
“Fuck, what the hell are you even saying? You’re ruining my mood. Yes. This is the first time I’ve ever seen you, Your Highness.”
I answered immediately while looking straight at Princess Adelheid.
At that moment, the princess’s body crumpled.
Her attendants and several gentlemen rushed to support her. The hall grew noisy, but for some reason, I couldn’t hear any of their voices.
Only the princess’s voice rang out clearly.
The princess smiled through her tears.
Then the smile vanished, and she burst into open sobs.
“Fuck.”
I walked over to Hans, clapped him on the shoulder, and said,
“I’m going out for a smoke and then leaving right after. Don’t bother looking for me.”
“Uh… yeah.”
With that, I left the ballroom.
Even then, the princess kept watching me.
As if she were looking at a version of me that I myself didn’t know.