The Second Imperial Princess Anelia
The day Ricarton returned from the Volcanic Region half-cooked, the second imperial princess arrived at the Imperial Palace.
“I present myself before Her Majesty the Empress.”
Seriel looked down at her daughter with the same indifferent expression she had worn when she first saw Eris. Golden hair that seemed to have taken after the Southern Grand Duke exactly, pink eyes that appeared to have been inherited straight from herself—yet Seriel felt not the slightest shift in emotion.
Faced with her mother’s utterly frigid demeanor, the Second Imperial Princess Anelia flinched and trembled.
“You have come a long way. Princess Anelia shall reside in the Second Detached Palace—”
The Chancellor recited the exact same lines he had used for Eris. Anelia, who never once got to hear her mother’s voice, concealed her disappointment and withdrew from the audience.
On her way back to the palace assigned to her, Anelia found her path blocked by a red-haired girl.
The moment she saw those pink eyes identical to her own, she knew at once that this was the First Imperial Princess—her older sister.
“So you’re the second one.”
“……Are you my older sister?”
“How rude! Address me as Her Highness the First Imperial Princess!”
Looking down with her arms crossed, Eris made Anelia shrink back involuntarily. Though they were sisters only a month apart in age, Eris stood a full fist taller. For children of that age, a fist’s difference in height was enormous.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Mm.”
Satisfied with the answer, Eris nodded.
“I-I’ll be in your care, Your Highness.”
“Hmph. That depends on you. I’ll be watching.”
“Y-yes…….”
Eris strode off with vigorous steps, accompanied by the people she had brought with her.
…
Collapsing onto the large bed, Anelia let out a long sigh.
“Haa…….”
Poke, poke.
Her tiny pinky finger slipped into her little nostril and twirled. When it came out, a small booger was stuck to it. She flicked her finger to send it flying carelessly, then dug into the other nostril.
“Haa…… What a pain…….”
She had just wanted to stay home. She really hadn’t wanted to come to the Imperial Palace at all. The imperial crown would obviously go to the first princess anyway.
Poke, poke.
She had come up only because she couldn’t stand her father’s nagging, but she felt no motivation whatsoever. Becoming empress held no interest for her. No—Anelia had never had any interests to begin with.
Poke, poke.
Just lying down and eating the desserts the maids put into her mouth. That was all she wanted.
“Won’t someone put some macarons in my mouth…….”
The next morning.
After finishing her meal and heading toward the rear garden, Anelia found her path blocked once more by Eris.
“Ah, good morning, Your Highness.”
“You did not come to pay your morning respects.”
“Pardon?”
When Anelia asked again, Eris shouted as if thoroughly offended.
“Paying morning respects to one’s elders is both natural and basic! Do they not even teach something so fundamental in a backwater like the South?!”
“…….”
At the contemptuous dismissal of her hometown as a backwater, Anelia’s small fists trembled.
“Come pay your morning respects every day! Do you understand?!”
She intended to receive the morning greetings that even the Empress herself did not accept. Of course, Seriel simply found the sight of them distasteful and refused to receive any, but the princesses, unaware of that fact, took it as consideration.
Anelia could not refuse. Though they were sisters only a month apart, Eris was still her older sister. And though it was only a month, Eris had set foot in the palace first. Above all, timid Anelia simply lacked the spine to talk back to her.
“……Yes, Your Highness.”
Thwack!
“Ow!”
Ricarton, who had appeared behind them at some point, rapped Eris squarely on the crown of her red head with a knuckle.
“A little shrimp like you talking about morning respects? Want another one, Your Highness Eris?”
“Y-you already hit me!”
“I asked if you want another.”
“Kgh…….”
Eris pursed her lips tightly and glared, but Ricarton paid her no mind at all. The sight of a man who dared strike a member of the imperial family and still stood so boldly left Anelia more than a little shocked.
“Your Highness Anelia, allow me to escort you to your detached palace.”
“Ah, y-yes…….”
Following the man in the black uniform, Anelia suddenly stopped short.
“Um, well, I was actually on my way to the rear garden…….”
“Is that so? Then I shall guide you there instead.”
“Y-yes.”
He smiled faintly and turned without a word of complaint. At the sight of such a handsome man smiling at her, Anelia’s face flushed of its own accord.
“Um, who are you?”
“Ah, I am Ricarton, Commander of the Imperial Guard who serves Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Ah, I see. I heard a great deal about you on the way here. Thank you so much for always watching over Her Majesty.”
The way she suddenly put on airs of maturity—completely the opposite of how she had been in front of Eris—nearly made Ricarton burst out laughing, but he managed to hold it in.
“You are too kind.”
Before long they arrived at the rear garden. Beneath an elegant white gazebo set in the middle of the well-tended grounds stood a pristine white round table and chairs. Anelia felt as though she had stepped into the heart of a forest.
“Waaah…….”
“Then please enjoy your time.”
“W-wait a moment.”
“Is something the matter?”
She fidgeted, twirling a lock of her golden hair around her finger as she spoke.
“Do you have time? I wanted to hear stories about Her Majesty.”
Eris’s lesson was scheduled, but Belante was there, so Ricarton figured it would be fine and nodded readily.
“Of course.”
He had no idea that, at that very moment, Eris was breathing fire.
“H-Her Highness is casting magic with her mouth!”
“That’s a breath attack! There’s a legend that the imperial family are descendants of dragons—it must be true!”
“KRAAAAAH—! RICARTOOOON—!!!”
One month after arriving at the Imperial Palace.
Eris’s days were packed with princess lessons. How to walk, how to handle tableware, how to greet people, speech and conversation—everything. The imperial tutors were completely remodeling the human being known as Eris.
Everything she had learned at the Western Grand Duke’s residence proved utterly useless. If this was how it was going to be, why had she endured all that scolding to learn it in the first place? They had acted so high and mighty, yet not a single thing was usable in the imperial court. Complete idiots.
The more she transformed into a true princess, the more stress piled up. In truth, getting beaten by Ricarton had been releasing that stress without her even realizing it. But because he had been gone for three whole weeks, Eris had no outlet for everything that had built up.
“KRAAAAH—!! Why aren’t you coming again, Ricartooooon—!!!”
The princess’s stress manifested as breathing fire.
For three weeks she had been learning how to handle magic from the Imperial Guard knights, but their methods were ineffective on Eris. Not a single one of them had ever conceived of the idea of educating a princess by beating her.
Then Anelia arrived.
Perhaps because she had grown up among siblings who loved tormenting her. To Eris, who had never had a younger sister, the girl looked like the perfect stress-relief target.
However.
“Why did you not come to pay your morning respects?! Did my words mean nothing to you?!”
“Huh? N-no!”
“Then why did you not come?!”
“Sir Ricarton told me not to…….”
“What?”
Ricarton kept interfering. He skipped his own lessons with her while pouring time into Anelia. Her teeth ground together. She wanted to spew fire right that instant.
“Your Highness Anelia, I snuck—er, discreetly borrowed—some of the tea Her Majesty drinks.”
“I-is that really okay?”
“As long as no one finds out, it’s fine.”
“Sir Ricarton is amazing!”
“Hahaha. Amazing is a bit much.”
And they were even getting along so cheerfully! The complete opposite of how he treated her made Eris’s blood boil.
“Kgh…… Ricartooooon—!!”
“……Your Highness, it is time for etiquette lessons.”
The Imperial Guard knights approached Eris, who had been hiding behind a well-trimmed tree and spying on the gazebo.
“Get lost! That so-called teacher of mine doesn’t even keep class time—why should I?!”
“You will be scolded by Her Majesty.”
“……I’m going.”
After the luncheon ended, I scooped Seriel up to carry her back to her chambers when she spoke.
“Cough, cough. Ricarton.”
“Yes.”
“I feel like going to the rear garden today.”
“Understood.”
At the Empress’s words the maids bustled into motion and followed behind me. We passed through the well-tended garden and headed for the gazebo in the rear grounds, where I sensed a presence inside.
“Someone is there.”
“Ah. It is your second daughter. She seems quite fond of the rear garden.”
“…….”
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten again?”
“Nonsense.”
“Then tell me. What is the second princess’s name?”
“Cough, cough-cough! Cough-cough-cough!”
Dodging with her ultimate technique of fake coughing—how underhanded. Still holding the continuously coughing Seriel, I stepped into the gazebo.
“Ah! Sir Ricarton!”
Anelia sprang to her feet at the sight of me, beaming brightly—then caught a glimpse of Seriel in my arms and hurriedly bent at the waist.
“Y-Y-Your Majesty!”
I seated Seriel, and she crossed her legs with her usual indifferent expression.
“Your Majesty, you should tell her she may raise her head.”
“Hmph. Raise your head.”
Anelia slowly straightened from her bow. Even with her head lifted, she could not meet her mother’s eyes and kept them lowered.
“Oh? There are two teacups. Would Your Highness care to join us?”
At my words Anelia’s expression brightened—
“Pointless.”
—then darkened sharply at Seriel’s remark. It was like riding a roller coaster.
“Tea and sweets taste far better when enjoyed together rather than alone.”
“Did you spend the past three weeks in the volcano, or did you go take speaking lessons?”
“Hahaha. Have I improved a little?”
“I should have locked you in a dungeon.”
Seriel gave a slight nod of her chin—an affirmative nod. I went around to the other side and pulled out Anelia’s chair for her.
“Th-thank you.”
“Not at all.”
“You are of imperial blood, yet you use polite speech to every underling?”
“I-I’m sorry…….”
“Fix that stammering habit as well. I dislike hearing things twice, but listening to stammering is worse.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Cough, cough.”
A maid poured tea for Seriel, and she savored the aroma. Ordinarily she would have slurped it down at once, but she lingered over the scent for quite a while. She was waiting for Anelia.
Tea filled the second princess’s cup as well. Anelia lifted her cup just like her mother and sniffed the fragrance.
“How is it?”
“……It’s nice. Fragrant.”
“Is that all you have to say? Which mountain the leaves came from, what notes of flavor they hold, whether they steeped properly, whether the temperature is right—those are the things that should come out of your mouth.”
“I-I don’t know much about tea…… I’m sorry.”
“Tsk.”
Seriel clicked her tongue as if displeased and took a sip of tea.
“Study it by this time next time.”
She tossed out that single remark.
“Y-yes…… Yes?”
Realizing the meaning of Seriel’s words that promised a next time, Anelia’s eyes went round. Then she beamed and nodded.
“Yes!”