Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: The Most Precious Heart
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Fundamentally, the princesses—or rather, anyone from the imperial family—tend to have strong egos.
It's only natural, since there aren't many people higher up than them.
In that sense, it was obvious who could rein in my sisters.
I cleared my throat and opened my mouth.
"Mom!"
I'm not one to raise my voice much, so when I do...
Whoosh—something came plummeting down from far away.
That's right, "plummeting down."
"...Wait, Theo...!"
"Theo...!"
Lily and Ravire called out to me in bewildered voices, but only for a moment.
Thud. Someone landed with a heavy crash.
"Did you call for me, Theo?"
My mother smiled gently, locking eyes with me.
It sounds insane, but whenever I call her like this, she appears.
As if she somehow knows—through some magic I can't comprehend—when I call for her...
"Yes, Mom."
Anyway, this wasn't the time for such thoughts.
I met her gaze.
Two years had passed, yet her face hadn't changed a bit.
It's hard to imagine her as the mother of three kids... What should I call it? At this point, it feels like straight-up magic. I stared at my unchanging mother and spoke up.
"My sisters are fighting."
"Kids that age always do."
"But they keep making things hard for me."
"Girls. Come talk with Mom for a bit."
No sooner had I finished than my mother took Lily and Ravire by the hand and headed off into the distance.
"Ah, wait a second. Mom, it's a total misunderstanding. Mom...!"
"M-Mom! That's not it! I swear it's not!"
Lily and Ravire whined as they were dragged away, each gripping their mother's wrist.
Soon, the two vanished from sight.
"...Is that really gonna work? Isn't that a bit too childish for a fourteen-year-old?"
Clue watched the scene, then turned to me.
"When it comes to winning, whether it's childish or not doesn't matter as much as you think."
At fourteen, you're basically a baby anyway. Calling for Mom? Who cares.
I thought that as I looked at Clue, who sighed and met my eyes.
"Fine, whatever. But Master, don't you need to decide soon?"
"Decide what?"
What was there to decide?
"Lily has teamed up with the Tower Lord, and Ravire with the Knight Commander."
She scratched her cheek.
"You know what I mean, right?"
"...Yeah."
As she said, my sisters had each found their allies.
You could even call them backers pushing them forward.
Lily had the mages' support, and Ravire had the knights'.
But for me to get the temple's backing? That felt off.
For starters, the priests and I weren't on great terms right now.
Not that we could ever really get along in the first place.
So...
"We do need to find a new support base."
"A support base, huh..."
They call it a support base, but in the end, it's no different from a lifeline for me.
Especially inside the palace.
Of course, by now... I figured Lily and Ravire saw me more as a side dish than a threat.
Even if one of them rose to the top, I doubted they'd do me any real harm.
But there was just one thing that worried me.
"...What my subordinates think of me is a whole other issue."
Organizations don't always bend to your will.
If some overzealous loyalist went rogue trying to eliminate me, damaging my body or reputation in the process, that would be a real headache.
So...
"I dunno."
"Pardon?"
"Honestly, can't I just coast along?"
If I asked my mom to ship me off somewhere quiet if things got dicey, she'd probably do it.
Or maybe not. She'd never let me go.
"...Master, I'm only saying this because I care about you. Even Isfil—"
"I know. I'm thinking about it."
But with the knights and mages already split between them, what could I do?
"...Whatever. For now, I'll head to sword training and handle some long-overdue business."
"I'll prepare the carriage."
Clue nodded at my words, and we headed outside together.
Ever since being chosen as the Saint, one of my regular activities.
Going around helping people like this.
The sick never disappear, so folks kept showing up at the relief center every other day.
Of course, I didn't visit daily, but I tried to make it there at least once a week.
"...Why does Master visit the relief center like this every time, anyway?"
"..."
Clue stared at me intently. As if she'd heard we were heading to the relief center, Isfil appeared out of nowhere like a ghost, giving her a pitiful look—but Clue ignored her completely, eyes fixed on me.
What a familiar question.
"Isn't that what Saints do?"
"Huh?"
"That's how it's always written in the records."
If all the Saints and Saintesses went around providing relief, shouldn't I do the same?
I met Clue's gaze with that thought, and Isfil smiled softly.
"See? Theo really has what it takes to be a Saint."
"It's not about having what it takes—I'm already the Saint."
I inherited it from her, after all.
With that, I climbed into the carriage.
*
"Thank you so much, Your Highness."
Flash. A white light healed the patient's body,
"Ah, ahh...!"
and the patient, who had been prodding at themselves, threw their whole body into a bow toward me, eyes wide.
"Thank you, Your Highness! Truly, thank you!"
"No need."
I waved it off casually.
It's better than ingratitude—always nice when they express thanks...
"Thank you so much! I'll repay this grace no matter what it takes!"
"It's fine."
But people who swear their lives on it like this? Kinda burdensome.
I waved harder and glanced around.
Crowds of people were clapping as they watched me.
As always, those I'd healed.
And now even more who didn't need healing but came just to see me—the place was packed tighter than ever.
"Kyaaah!! Theodor!!"
"Theodor!!"
I moved on amid the cheers,
and the relief center's director, whom I'd seen plenty by now, bowed his head in thanks.
"Just doing what needed to be done."
Of course it was.
I thought that and looked outside.
Come to think of it...
"What's that outside?"
"Pardon?"
I'd always wondered.
What was life like for the empire's commoners?
When I only read novels, I used to wonder why princes and princesses got so curiously about the outside world for no reason.
But now that I'm actually a prince, I get it.
It's boring.
Like being stuck in a peaceful military camp where freedom is guaranteed, but...
No duties, no work, everyone treats me well, but I can't go outside. That frustration builds up.
Of course, I wouldn't sneak out or anything, but still.
At some point, you just crave a taste of freedom. Human nature.
"They say it's not dangerous."
It's a place where people live, after all.
"The outside, you mean."
The director smiled softly, as if confirming my thoughts.
"As you said, it's not dangerous out there. In fact, thanks to His Majesty's achievements lately, it's even better to live there now."
"Really? Then maybe just a peek..."
"But as you know, I can't just say 'it's safe, go on out' and send you off..."
"..."
He was right.
Running the relief center was his job—not deciding on excursions.
"...Then..."
I pondered for a moment.
A way to slip out without telling Mom...
Got one.
"Let's go to the Rig territory."
Clue stared at me.
"The Rig territory?"
"Yeah. I haven't been to Lucy's place."
"So a royal making an unannounced visit to a noble's home? Like a random security check?"
Don't talk like you're greeting a division commander dropping by a bored military camp.
Though, she had a point...
"Yeah, let's go."
But if I wanna go, I wanna go.
"...Sigh."
Clue let out a deep sigh and headed for the carriage. I followed, with Isfil in tow.
"By the way, isn't this the first time Isfil's talked to Lucy?"
"...Uh, um."
"I'll introduce you properly this time."
Nearly two years had passed—Lucy had grown up a lot too.
*
"...Should I go see Theo?"
Lucy muttered, clutching her pillow tight.
It had been way too long since she'd seen him.
"The last social gathering was three months ago..."
Over 100 days without seeing Theodor.
"..."
Lucy hugged the pillow tighter and kicked her legs in frustration.
"Yeah. I needed to talk to His Highness anyway."
It was about time for Theodor to build his own power base.
She already handled the social side, so maybe push him toward something more martial.
Truth was, Theodor already had the biggest prize.
Something everyone wanted but was hard to get just by asking...
"..."
A flower bloomed on Lucy's face—a smile.
Perfect. Then for Theodor—
"Miss!"
Bang—the door flew open, and her maid rushed in, sweating bullets.
"Oh, good timing. I had something to—"
"Prince Theodor is here!"
"...What?"
Shock washed over Lucy's face.