Proof of Worth
As we crossed the inner courtyard, following a servant’s guidance, it happened.
Todododododok— From the far side, a lavishly dressed young noblewoman hurried toward us with rapid steps. A silk dress embroidered with pearls, hair intricately styled and pinned up with jewels. At a glance it was obvious she came from a prestigious house. Even her gait carried the unmistakable polish of privilege.
“Your Highness Leon! You’ve returned safely!”
The young lady beamed as she approached, her face overflowing with the joy of finally seeing the prince after days of anxious waiting.
“When I heard Your Highness had disappeared, I was beside myself with worry. I could barely eat or sleep—”
But as she rattled on, her gaze slid sideways—to Era standing beside me. The moment it landed, her footsteps halted abruptly.
Era wasn’t in rags, but she wore a plain village dress. Her black hair had been roughly combed back. Anyone could tell at once she was a commoner from the borderlands.
The delight slowly drained from the noblewoman’s face.
“...And who might this be?” she asked carefully, expression suggesting she desperately wanted to believe it was nothing more than a country child who had tagged along by chance.
I answered calmly.
“...My fiancée.”
“......”
The young lady froze for a moment.
“...Your fiancée?”
Her voice trembled faintly.
“...Your Highness. What did you just—”
“I said she’s my fiancée. Are your ears clogged?”
“......!”
The noblewoman’s face turned deathly white. Then her expression began to twist—disbelief, refusal to accept what she was hearing.
“...N-no. That can’t be true.”
She shook her head vigorously.
“Your Highness would never take a commoner with no background as your fiancée.”
“......”
“There must be some misunderstanding. Surely this girl tricked Your Highness or—”
“It’s not a misunderstanding.”
“Then it must be blackmail! How could this lowly creature possibly—”
Her voice rose higher and higher. She must have heard the rumors—that the prince was bringing a commoner fiancée. But seeing it in person, her unwillingness to believe it exploded into outright denial.
Era shrank her shoulders and lowered her head at the venom.
“......”
She couldn’t utter a word beneath such naked contempt.
The noblewoman slowly looked Era up and down. Cold scorn filled her eyes.
“...Good heavens. Just look at her. Hair like a bird’s nest, clothes a country housewife would wear—”
“......”
“Your Highness, please come to your senses. Do you truly believe a girl like this belongs in the imperial family? She knows nothing of etiquette, culture, or anything!”
“......”
“Someone who is to become crown princess—can she even read? Dance? Hold a proper conversation? One wrong word among nobles and—”
She was practically hysterical. The fury and jealousy of having her rightful place snatched by a suddenly arrived commoner bled into every word.
“...After all, someone suited to a person like Your Highness would be someone else entirely.”
Her voice shook slightly.
“Someone with family, refinement, and beauty.”
It was blatantly obvious she was describing herself.
“But of all people… a commoner with nothing… This makes no sense. It simply makes no sense.”
She shook her head as though reality itself were unacceptable.
“Hey…”
I moved to step between them, but Serina acted first.
“Lady Lizel.”
“Your Highness the Princess!”
Lizel straightened with a start. The arrogance vanished instantly, replaced by perfect deference before the imperial princess.
“...I-I have been rude. I was simply too startled—”
“His Majesty is waiting. Save the private chatter for later.”
Serina cut her off firmly.
“...Yes, Your Highness.”
Lizel retreated with obvious reluctance. Yet even as she left, she couldn’t resist one final strike aimed at Era.
“...We’ll see.”
Her voice was low.
“His Majesty would never acknowledge a lowly girl like this as crown princess.”
“......”
“A mere commoner will soon learn exactly how high the imperial family’s threshold is.”
Lizel gave a soft “Hmph,” then walked ahead toward the audience chamber.
Watching her back, I let out an inward sigh.
...It’s already starting. She’s one of them.
In the original story, the seven heroines who had adored the seventh prince. Among them, the most aggressive and arrogant had been Lizel. And judging by that reaction, the other six would be no different.
Era kept her head lowered and whispered.
“...As expected. Everyone thinks that way.”
Her voice was barely audible.
Seeing her like that, I spoke without thinking.
“...Don’t pay it any mind. That sort of thing.”
“...?”
“...They’re all going to talk anyway. If you react to every single comment, you’ll never rest.”
Era looked up at me.
“...Yes.”
She gave a small nod.
But her shoulders remained slightly hunched.
After Lizel departed, Serina turned to Era. She looked her up and down once, then spoke.
“...You cannot appear before His Majesty like this.”
“...Pardon?”
“In those provincial village clothes? It would be over before it began. Lady Lizel’s words were not empty.”
Serina beckoned the servants over.
“Dress this child properly. To the standard of the prince’s fiancée.”
“Huh?”
I stared at my sister in surprise.
...Sister is looking out for Era?
I remembered her handing over the blanket in the carriage. Someone who acted prickly yet ultimately took care of others.
Sensing my gaze, Serina added gruffly.
“...Don’t misunderstand. If my brother’s fiancée looks like a beggar, it shames the imperial family. That’s all this is.”
Yet despite her words, she personally gave the servants detailed instructions on color, accessories, and every small detail.
Once the orders were finished, Era was led away by the servants.
“Y-Your Highness?! Where are they taking me?!”
“...To get you dressed. Follow quietly.”
“Eeeeek, save me—!!!!”
Her final shriek as she was dragged off sounded exactly like someone being hauled to the slaughterhouse.
Dressing Room
The servants washed Era, styled her hair, and dressed her in imperial formal attire. Having never experienced anything like it, Era was completely lost.
“S-such fine clothes… on me—”
“Please hold still. It is Her Highness the Princess’s command.”
“But this looks far too expensive—what if I ruin it by touching—”
“Hold. Still.”
With practiced hands the servants transformed her. Watching her own reflection change little by little in the mirror, Era’s face grew dazed.
“...Is this… really me?”
I waited for Era in the corridor outside the audience chamber, tapping my foot impatiently. Tap-tap-tap.
“...When is she coming out?”
At last the dressing-room door opened, and Era stepped out hesitantly, one careful step at a time.
“Oh, you’re ou—”
In that instant the entire corridor fell silent.
A passing servant dropped the cloth he was carrying. The royal guard stationed by the door cleared his throat and hastily looked away. People walking the hallway paused mid-step. Far ahead, Lizel—who had been heading toward the audience chamber—turned at the commotion, and her face instantly hardened.
Because the commoner she had mocked as having “bird’s-nest hair” and looking like a “country housewife” now stood before them as an entirely different person.
I saw Lizel bite her lip and whip her gaze away even from a distance.
“......”
Era approached me timidly.
“...It looks strange, doesn’t it? It doesn’t suit me, right?”
“......”
“...Your Highness? Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Uh…? Oh!”
I finally snapped out of it.
“...No. It’s fine. It suits you.”
I averted my eyes slightly.
...Ah. So that’s why.
Her already striking features, once properly dressed and styled…
“...Let’s go quickly. His Majesty is waiting.”
I spoke brusquely to change the subject and strode ahead.
“...?”
Era followed with quick little steps, still confused.
When we reached the massive doors of the grand audience hall, the royal guards lined on both sides raised their spears in unison. Thud.
With a heavy groan the enormous doors began to swing inward. Creeeeak—
Beyond them an overwhelming sight unfolded.
“Wow……”
The grand audience hall was colossal. Star fragments embedded in the impossibly high ceiling bathed the entire space in a soft glow. Massive pillars stood in rows from ceiling to floor, and between them a long red carpet stretched all the way to the throne.
On either side of the carpet, the empire’s officials stood packed shoulder to shoulder.
“Hmm…”
“So that’s the commoner…”
Civil and military officials, high nobles—dozens, hundreds of eyes turned toward us at once.
Walking slowly through that sea of gazes, Era and I continued forward.
“Hoo… hoo…”
“...”
Our footsteps echoed loudly in the vast hall. Click. Clack.
The silence was crushing.
“Haa… haa…”
Era had shrunk again beneath the pressure. Despite her elegant attire, she hid her trembling hands tightly within the folds of her robe.
At the end of the carpet, atop a high dais, sat the emperor on his throne.
Asteron V.
An imposing figure. Cold, profound eyes. Simply sitting there, his presence weighed on the entire hall. The light of the star fragments shone behind him like a halo.
Step— Era and I stopped at the foot of the stairs.
...It’s more nerve-wracking than I expected.
Tension pressed down on every inch of my body.
“Mm…”
The emperor slowly opened his mouth. His low, resonant voice filled the enormous hall.
“...Leon.”
“...Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You have returned safely.”
A faint note of relief threaded through the emperor’s voice. Beneath the cold dignity lay the quiet relief of a father who had regained his lost son.
“...I apologize for causing you worry.”
I bowed my head.
“It is enough. You are alive and home—that is all that matters.”
The emperor studied me for a moment, as though searching for something. Then his gaze shifted to Era beside me.
He stared at her intently—the black-haired, black-eyed girl now elegantly dressed.
“...!”
For an instant the emperor’s eyes wavered.
“......”
It was the look of someone recalling a memory. In those deep, cold eyes, a subtle ripple of emotion appeared for the first time.
...? What is it?
The emperor murmured, almost to himself.
“...She resembles her.”
“......”
I stiffened.
...Resembles? Who?
But the emperor quickly composed himself.
“...It is nothing.”
He withdrew the whisper and resumed his dignified imperial mask. I still didn’t understand what “She resembles her” meant, yet an inexplicable unease lingered in my chest.
“Huuu…”
Era was simply frozen with tension under the emperor’s stare, unaware of the meaning behind that flicker.
The emperor moved to the main issue.
“I heard you have brought a fiancée.”
“...Yes.”
“A commoner with no background, at that.”
The audience hall stirred.
“A commoner?”
“...How lowly.”
The officials whispered among themselves. On one side, Lizel watched with sharp eyes.
“The imperial palace is not a place a commoner like you can treat lightly!”
She had stiffened at the sight of the transformed Era but quickly recovered, confident His Majesty would soon cast the girl out.
“...Your Majesty, the circumstances—”
“Enough about circumstances.”
The emperor raised a hand, cutting me off.
“The partner of the imperial family is not chosen by bloodline or family name alone.”
“......?”
It was unexpected. I had assumed he would reject a commoner outright.
“What matters is the person’s character.”
The emperor looked at Era.
“Whether commoner or noble, we shall test whether she possesses the qualities to become a member of the imperial family.”
The hall fell silent.
“...I will administer a test.”
I swallowed hard. He intended to judge whether she had the proper character to stand as the prince’s partner.
...I didn’t see this coming.
“...What sort of test do you mean, Your Majesty?”
The emperor slowly spoke, directing his gaze straight at Era.
“Girl.”
“...Y-yes! Your Majesty!”
Era’s voice cracked with nerves.
“Why do you wish to remain at the prince’s side?”
“...Um, well.”
The audience hall grew deathly quiet. Everyone waited for her answer. Lizel wore a faint sneer, certain that whatever the commoner said would be laughable. The officials clearly expected something greedy and calculating.
Yet after a brief hesitation, Era opened her mouth.
“Your Majesty, forgive me but…”
“Speak.”
“...Does there need to be a reason for wanting to stay by his side?”
“......”
“...?”
“What did that girl just say?”
“Did I hear correctly?”
“To question His Majesty’s words…”
The hall stirred. The emperor’s eyebrows rose slightly.
Era continued in a trembling yet clear voice.
“...I don’t know difficult words. I haven’t learned much.”
“...”
“I just… like His Highness. So I want to stay beside him.”
“......I see.”
“I don’t understand what grand reason is needed simply to stay by the person you like.”
“...”
“...”
It was an utterly unadorned answer—neither cunning nor greedy, but honest to the point of boldness.
Era took a breath and added softly.
“...To esteemed people like you, my feelings may seem trivial.”
“......”
“But to me, that is everything.”
“...I just like Leon. That’s… all there is.”
“...”
“...”
The grand audience hall fell so silent one could have heard a pin drop. Even Lizel’s sneer had vanished.
The officials who had expected flowery rhetoric found this commoner girl’s plain words unexpectedly genuine—more sincere than any embellished speech.
I kept a satisfied expression on my face, yet inside I froze.
...You idiot.
I told you to act like a fake lover.
This wasn’t acting… it was far too real.
So real it was embarrassing. I almost wished it had been an act.
The emperor stared at Era for a long time, gazing deeply into her with those profound eyes. Then he spoke slowly.
“...Asking whether a reason is needed to want to stay by someone’s side.”
“......”
“...What an interesting answer.”
Something faint—whether a smile or a sneer, I couldn’t tell—touched the emperor’s lips.
“Very well.”
He rose slowly from the throne. As his massive presence stood, every person in the hall held their breath.
In one month, at the Imperial Great Festival, under the eyes of the entire empire—
Prove that this girl is worthy to stand as crown princess.
Show before all that a commoner-born fiancée possesses the qualifications to become a member of the imperial family.
Should she fail, this engagement shall be rendered null and void.
The emperor looked back and forth between us.
“Prove whether that heart is true.”
“...How should we do so, Your Majesty?”
“One month from now, at the Imperial Great Festival, with the entire empire watching, this girl must prove she is fit to be crown princess.”
The hall erupted in murmurs. Color returned to Lizel’s face.
The emperor added one final line.
“...If she cannot, the engagement is void.”
Those words settled heavily over the audience hall.
...One month.
In one month, before every noble in the empire, a commoner girl from a remote border village with no background would have to prove she deserved to stand as a member of the imperial family. If Era—who knew nothing of noble etiquette, culture, or decorum—failed to prove herself before the entire world, the engagement would end.
And then the justification to protect her would vanish.
“Ahem.”
The emperor sat back upon the throne.
“You have been given one month to prepare. I consider that ample time.”
“......”
“Leon. She is the fiancée you brought. Take responsibility and prove her worth.”
“...Yes, Your Majesty.”
I barely managed to answer.
“Hmm…”
The emperor looked at Era one last time. For a fleeting instant the same subtle disturbance crossed his eyes, then vanished.
“...You are dismissed.”
Once the audience ended, I led Era out of the grand hall. Behind us the heavy doors boomed shut. Thud.
The moment we stepped into the corridor, the tension drained from Era and she asked in a small voice.
“...Your Highness. Did I do well?”
Her voice still trembled.
“...Yeah. You did well… almost too well.”
“...?”
I sighed and ruffled my hair.
One month…
In one month I had to turn this girl into someone who could stand before every noble in the empire without shame. Etiquette, culture, dance, conversation—everything. Teaching a commoner with no background all of it in a single month.
...Fuck. The mountain just keeps getting higher.
But when I glanced sideways, Era was staring at me with wide, innocent eyes.
“But Your Highness. Earlier, when I was all dressed up…”
“...What?”
“Why did your face turn so red~?”
“...It didn’t.”
“It did though? This~ much.”
Era spread her hands in a big circle.
“...Stop it. I’m not in the mood.”
I looked away and quickened my pace.
“Aah— wait for meee!”
From behind, Era chased after me with a bright giggle.
It was strange how the girl who had been trembling so badly in the audience hall could laugh like that again so soon…
The enormous trial awaiting us in one month weighed heavily on my mind, yet strangely, hearing that laughter made me think—
...Well. Somehow, it’ll work out.
Beyond the corridor windows the imperial palace’s vast gardens stretched beneath the afternoon sun, and with the span of one month, a new ordeal had just begun.