The Princess Never Gives Up

The heir to the throne of the Euphoria Empire.

First Princess Charlotte Euphoria.

She had been exceptional from her earliest childhood.

By the age of eight she had already mastered imperial studies and political science, and she stood out so sharply that she could defeat Intermediate Knights in sparring matches. From that tender age she displayed a brilliance that the mere phrase "accomplished in both letters and arms" could not begin to capture.

Naturally, everyone—from the Emperor herself down through every member of the royal family, every noble, every high official—pinned enormous expectations on her.

And those expectations did not stop there. They curdled into excessive flattery.

"Your Highness, you are beautiful again today!"

"As expected of Your Highness—to have mastered even that field!"

"Your answer is perfect! The Empire's future is bright!"

From her perspective, hearing the same obvious things repeated endlessly was not praise. It was nauseating sycophancy. She could not stand the people who simpered and flattered and ran their mouths so freely, desperate to win her favor. Their motives were painfully transparent. The moment she ascended the throne, they wanted something—anything—to fall into their laps.

The most disgusting of all were the ones who came at her like this:

"Your Highness~♡ Might you spare me a little of your time~?"

"Your Highness! I am always ready and waiting~!"

Even though Charlotte was still a child, men scrambled over one another to stake a claim on the position of consort—or, at the very least, of concubine. They came at her in revealing clothes, bare arms and legs on full display, necklines plunging open, some of them even approaching with their shirts off entirely. Frivolous men like that were everywhere, overflowing.

The ages of the men who tried to appeal to her drove her half out of her mind. From lunatic nobles trying to pitch children who had not even been born yet, all the way to men older than her own mother—every last one of them came at her determined to seduce her somehow.

Perhaps it was because she had been surrounded, from childhood, by nothing but men with such filthy intentions.

Aside from her father and her brothers, Charlotte could not feel the slightest goodwill toward any man.

For the Empire's future she would one day have to take a consort. But could she ever truly love a man?

Princess Charlotte could imagine only a hollow future in which, for the sake of producing an heir, she would have no choice but to spend nights with some man.

But after that day, she became able to imagine a different future.

The Frigid Grand Ducal House of the North held power that rivaled the Imperial Family itself. For the Empire's future, the Imperial House and the Grand Ducal House needed to maintain good relations—and so, to strengthen those ties, the Imperial family, which almost never left the palace except for truly special occasions, attended the tenth birthday party of Lilith, the eldest daughter of House Frigid.

Charlotte had always loathed parties, and at first she was thoroughly unenthusiastic about the engagement. It was only politics, wasn't it? Her mother the Empress and the Grand Duchess Frigid seemed to get along reasonably well—but Charlotte and the eldest daughter of House Frigid did not get along at all.

She still did not know why.

At their first meeting, Charlotte had tried to treat Lilith with genuine goodwill. She had taken the lead in conversation, bringing up topic after topic. They had been carrying on a perfectly pleasant exchange.

And then—

"How many siblings does the young lady have? I have younger brothers and sisters of my own…"

"You do not need to know."

"Pardon?"

"Never ask again. Do not even try to find out."

"Um…"

"I find this unpleasant, Your Highness."

The moment the subject of siblings came up, the eldest daughter of House Frigid—Lilith—had completely changed. She had gone stiff with open displeasure and made no effort whatsoever to hide it from a princess of the Empire.

Grand Ducal House or not, the sudden shift left Charlotte deeply unsettled, wondering whether she herself had done something wrong—whether she had missed something, or said something she shouldn't have. She thought it over for a long time and could find no answer. She had only asked how many brothers and sisters the girl had.

After that disastrous first meeting, the relationship between Charlotte and Lilith only grew worse by the day. Why on earth did the eldest daughter of House Frigid treat her with such hostility?

She found the answer on the day she attended Lilith's tenth birthday party—the very event she had been so reluctant to go to.

Even on the day of the party, the same repulsive men crowded around Charlotte. But the guest of honor was Lilith, eldest daughter of the Frigid Grand Ducal House. A girl of her caliber was every bit as delicious a prize as Charlotte herself. And yet the sons of the various houses attending the party flocked only to Charlotte.

She could not understand it, and so her gaze naturally sought out Lilith.

Lilith was not in the central hall. After searching here and there, Charlotte finally spotted her in a secluded corner.

She was not alone.

"Ed! Aww~♡"

"I can eat by myself!"

"Come on, don't be like that~♡"

"Ah!! Would you stop!!"

Beside Lilith stood a boy—cute, pretty, almost doll-like. Even Charlotte, who was physiologically incapable of looking kindly on men, found herself developing an involuntary fondness for the boy at Lilith's side. His appearance simply left her no choice.

Perhaps that was why.

"Hoho… Happy birthday, my lady…"

"Ah. Yes."

"And a pleasure to meet you as well, young master… Hiiiek!!"

"If your business is finished, kindly leave."

"Y-yes!!"

Any number of young ladies tried to use birthday congratulations for Lilith as an excuse to speak even once to the beautiful boy. Every last one of them fled before the murderous aura Lilith radiated.

Watching that, the princess could not help but grow curious.

At the time, she had never gotten an answer from the young lady. Why had Lilith gone so cold and refused to tell her anything? Looking into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it separately, Charlotte learned that there was one younger brother.

What kind of little brother could he possibly be, that merely asking about him had made Lilith that angry?

Looking at the scene before her now, she could not help but understand the reason.

That was—

an extremely severe case of brother complex.

Charlotte, who had never held any goodwill toward Lilith, approached the siblings half out of a desire to needle the young lady and half out of curiosity.

"Happy birthday, my lady."

"Y-Your Highness? Haha… Thank you?"

"You two seem to have such a warm sibling bond."

"…"

Seeing Lilith flustered into silence, Charlotte felt a little brighter—half a success already.

And next—

"Hello. I am Princess Charlotte."

She, a princess of the Empire, greeted the boy first. How would he react? Any subject of the Empire would have no choice but to lower themselves before her fame and her beauty. And this boy was so pretty—wouldn't he try to use that to fawn over her?

That was what she expected.

But—

"Ah. Yes. Edward Frigid."

"Your Highness, are you finished now? Ed, aww~♡"

"Ah! Would you stop!!"

"…"

The answer that came back was brief. He told her his name, and that was the end of it.

Really? That was all?

The boy's attention was entirely fixed on Lilith, the older sister who was busy being a nuisance. Men always made nuisances of themselves around Charlotte—and yet this one showed no interest in letting her go, too busy dealing with his sister's cooing.

It was strange. The princess felt an emotion she could not name.

"Your Highness, would you please leave now?"

"Sister! How can you speak to Her Highness that way!"

"I apologize, Your Highness. My sister is rather…"

"Aww! Don't take Her Highness's side!"

"Would you stop!! Apologize to Her Highness this instant!"

He's taking my side…?

Not that insufferable young lady's…?

"Your Highness, I am sorry. My sister is simply far too fond of her little jokes…"

Fond of her little jokes…?

"More importantly—are you enjoying the party?"

"Eeeed!!"

Ignoring Lilith entirely, he finally spoke to Charlotte. The sense of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠being slighted melted away.

No—slighted? What am I even thinking…

"I should have greeted you first… I apologize. Thank you for attending my sister's birthday party."

"I am not grateful in the slightest!"

"Ah."

Of course. There was no way he would be indifferent to me.

"Now then, Your Highness, if you'll excuse us—Ed~♡"

"Ah!! Forgive me, Your Highness. I must be going."

"Ed!!"

To escape Lilith, who kept clinging and demanding to be held, the boy turned and fled. Charlotte's gaze locked onto him and would not let go.

She could not quite put a reason to it.

Is it because I'm disappointed…? Disappointed…?

In that moment, a voice called her.

"Your Highness."

"?"

The voice belonged to Lilith. Not a single trace remained of the girl who had been cooing over her little brother moments before. Lilith was simply staring at Charlotte with cold, hostile eyes.

"I believe I already told you not to try to find out."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Stay away from Ed!"

"…Pardon?"

Has the young lady truly gone mad?

From their first meeting onward, any pretense of treating Charlotte as a princess had vanished the instant the subject of siblings came up.

"Well then. Good day."

"W-wait—!"

"Ed~~♡"

Before Charlotte could get another word out, Lilith was already racing after her little brother.

Crazy bitch.

The curse rose unbidden. Had her personality split in two? Looking at how she treated Charlotte and how she chased after her brother, who would ever believe they were the same person?

How hard must it be for a little brother stuck with a sister like that?

Ah… Poor young Edward.

It was the first time she had ever felt something like this toward a man.

This, surely, was love.

At this party she had so desperately not wanted to attend, Princess Charlotte had met her future consort.

And that future husband was suffering under a terminal brocon of a young lady who had clearly eaten every last scrap of manners for breakfast.

I'll save you!

Afterward, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the moment Charlotte returned to the Imperial Palace, she petitioned her mother the Empress to arrange a marriage alliance with House Frigid.

"Heheh… Lilith. I already knew you would pull the same stunt again this year."

Because of Lilith's endless interference, poor Edward had never been able to attend the debutante every young man dreamed of. So this time—now that he was turning twenty—Charlotte had asked her mother to compel his attendance by Imperial decree.

And yet, in Charlotte's hand now, there was only a letter like this:

"Will you truly be able to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠keep him away this time as well, Lilith? Heheheh…"

"Princess… my daughter… what are you muttering about all by yourself…"

Someone called out to Charlotte as she stood there smiling and talking to herself.

"Your Majesty! No—Mother!! What if we changed the venue for this year's Imperial debutante?"

"Hmm? Then it wouldn't be an Imperial debutante anymore, would it…?"

"If the Imperial House hosts it, it's an Imperial debutante!"

"What on earth are you…"

"Mother! Please—I must ask this of you!"

"Haaah…"

Just wait for me, Edward!

If he could have seen this situation, he would have fallen over backward on the spot. Of course the new venue for the Imperial debutante would be the Frigid Grand Ducal Castle—and for a young man who did not even want to attend a debutante in the first place, that would be news from hell itself.

But Charlotte, firmly convinced that Edward could not possibly feel that way, burned with fighting spirit.

Edward! I will never give up!

For the one she loved—

the princess never gives up.