The Battle of Nerves Begins
The battle of nerves was about to begin.
“Lady Elga. Forgive me for asking, but might we take our tea time at a café outside the academy today?”
“The thing is, the Saintess asked if I would go with her to a café.”
“Since we’re going anyway, I thought it might be nice for you to greet the Saintess as well.”
Just yesterday, Tisha had casually suggested as much.
The Saintess wanted Tisha to accompany her to a café. Accompany her—together with a mere commoner, no less.
There’s something going on here.
Elga knew the Saintess’s nature was far kinder and gentler than her own. Whether noble or commoner, every soul was, to her, a child of God deserving of love. Elga had heard that the Saintess once gave a speech to that effect in the plaza. A few aristocrats steeped in noble supremacy had looked distinctly displeased, as if to say, Are you claiming nobles and commoners are the same?
Of course, those who showed such looks immediately received an iron mace to the skull.
The imperial family maintained excellent relations with the Church. If the imperial family stayed silent, what right did mere nobles have to blather about liking or disliking anything? Even the grand duchies held their tongues—what on earth had those fools been relying on?
And the Church was no gathering of simple-minded fools who merely sought God. Having walked alongside the Empire for so long, they understood politics perfectly well. The Saintess’s words had never meant “nobles and commoners are the same people.” They meant only that every soul was worthy of God’s love. She had said as much and then, smooth as a snake slipping over a wall, let the matter slide. It was nothing more than a form of evangelism—urging everyone to believe in God and call upon His name.
In any case, kind-hearted though the Saintess might be, she would never go about with a commoner for that reason alone. The people charged with her protection would have stopped her by any means necessary. And yet if an outing between the Saintess and Tisha had been approved, then clearly some connection existed.
“Very well. Then let’s meet at the café today.”
And so today’s tea time was to be held not in the academy gardens, but at a café outside the grounds.
Her lectures had finished early, so Elga arrived at the café without delay and began looking for a suitable seat. Yet among the patrons was a guest she had never expected to see.
“Princess of Litorio.”
At first she wondered who dared address her so freely. Then she turned toward the source of the voice and immediately understood. The one who had called her was none other than an imperial princess.
The Fifth Princess? Why is that woman here?!
The presence of an imperial personage—especially a legitimate daughter of the Emperor—was a major event. Her escort alone would have sent the academy’s staff scrambling. Yet even though she had been on academy grounds, Elga had heard not a single whisper of it.
“Come sit beside me for a moment.”
The Fifth Princess, Yulika, patted the chair and beckoned. Elga considered for exactly three seconds, then moved. However high the Litorio Grand Duchy stood—one of only three grand ducal houses in the Empire—that supremacy applied only among the nobility. Compared to the imperial family, there was no comparison at all. And if the person in question was of the direct line rather than a collateral branch, the gulf grew even wider.
Click.
Approaching Yulika’s side, Elga bowed her head before sitting.
“Elga Bless de Litorio greets Her Imperial Highness, the most exalted princess of the Empire and its most radiant sword.”
“Enough. Sit. I didn’t call you over so you could fawn on me.”
I don’t want to do this either. But you’re someone I have no choice but to treat this way, aren’t you?
She was not merely a legitimate daughter of the Emperor. She was also one of the Imperial 10 Strongest—a first-rate powerhouse ranked among the top ten in an empire overflowing with strong individuals. Anyone who could treat her casually while knowing that fact was either insane or even stronger than she was.
Elga carefully took the seat across from the princess and slowly parted her lips.
“I never expected to meet Your Highness here.”
“I came quietly so no one would know. And if I made a big fuss, Kyle would hate it too.”
Elga’s body jerked as she was about to order a cup of tea.
Kyle? Kyle? Why was his name coming up here?
She cautiously lifted her gaze and studied Yulika. Rumor painted her as a beauty of ice-cold bearing whose emotions rarely showed. Yet the Fifth Princess sitting before her now looked simply like someone enduring boredom while waiting for another person.
“You mean… Kyle John Nassen?”
Hoping against hope, she floated the name carefully. If it had been a passing remark, the princess would change the subject herself.
“Yeah. Kyle John Nassen. He made me swear up and down that I’d stay put and behave.”
“….”
“So I was trying to stay put, but I was dying of boredom. Lucky you showed up.”
No matter how strong he was, the John Nassen family was still only a barony. Kyle was neither its lord nor its heir—just one of the sons. And yet when that Kyle told her to stay put, the princess truly stayed put? The Fifth Princess Yulika, famous for her willful temperament, was actually listening?
What in the world is going on?
Elga’s mind raced. First the Saintess, and now an imperial princess. Kyle and the princess had barely any connection to speak of—nothing beyond the recent commendation ceremony where she had pinned a medal to his chest. That was all. Yet listening to her now, Elga felt they were extremely close. It was no illusion. A woman’s intuition was certain of it.
Something existed between Kyle and the princess that Elga knew nothing about. Absolutely.
“Ah, right. I heard Kyle made peace with Litorio and that he’s close with your side as well.”
Whether she knew Elga’s inner turmoil or not, Yulika simply kept talking.
“So? You think he’s pretty charming too, don’t you? That man Kyle.”
The moment those words left Yulika’s mouth, Elga was certain. The woman before her was not merely a strong warrior curious about another strong warrior. Though she herself seemed unaware of it, this was the beginning of looking at a man as a man.
The realization made Elga scream inside.
Kyle, you absolute menace! What have you been doing?!
It had started with her—a grand duke’s daughter—then seemed to shake even the Saintess, and now he had shaken an imperial princess as well. No: this went beyond “shaken.” From where Elga sat, the princess was already completely gone. The way she kept chattering nonstop about Kyle was proof enough.
“I already knew from when we sparred before, but he’s seriously strong. So cool. It gets me all fired up. And yet he never flaunts that strength or tries to prove anything with it. Quiet, gentle… how can someone with that kind of power be like that?”
“Y-Your Highness.”
“Hm?”
“You’ve been talking about nothing but Kyle for a while now.”
Discussing matters of romance was fine in itself. But when the speaker held an extremely high station, things changed slightly. A single careless word could become a massive scandal and put many people in awkward positions. Which was why those of high rank usually held their tongues unless the relationship was already a pledged future.
“I’m going to be that guy’s, you know?”
But the princess’s next words were impossible to let slide.
“…Eh? W-wait… Your Highness. What did you just say?”
“I’m going to become Kyle’s. His possession…”
“Wait, wait a moment. Just a moment.”
She rudely cut the princess off and waved her hands. The old Elga would never have made such a mistake, but right now she could not help it. What she had just heard was far too enormous to simply let pass.
“Your Highness. I am truly sorry, but I must have misheard… right? Yes?”
“What did you hear?”
“That Your Highness intends to become Kyle’s possession…”
“You heard correctly.”
So what in the world is that supposed to mean?! The words rose to the very edge of her throat. Become Kyle’s possession? Why? How? An imperial princess—why on earth?
No, more importantly: did Kyle know about this? Of course he didn’t. Surely he wouldn’t just stay silent while knowing. Yes, he had to be unaware.
…But what if, by some chance, Kyle already knew? What if he already understood the princess’s feelings?
What then? This was the imperial family. The Emperor’s legitimate daughter. Not someone Elga could possibly contend with. The Saintess alone was already difficult enough—and now a princess as well? Did this even make sense?!
A storm of thoughts scrambled her mind. Shock was one thing, but why was this sudden surge of resentment rising as well? For a fleeting instant, Elga felt tears welling at the corners of her eyes.
Ding-a-ling.
“Waaah! I knew you’d do it! First place again! You’re amazing, Sister!”
“Thank you, Saintess. What would you like today?”
“The usual. The one Brother Kyle so strongly recommended.”
“A wise choice. Let’s see—Lady Elga is… ah! She’s over th— wait?”
Tisha, who had just entered the café, spotted Elga’s back and started toward her—only to freeze when she saw the other woman sitting across from her. She almost dismissed it as a trick of the eyes, but the features of the woman opposite Elga matched a certain well-known figure far too closely. Those eyes that called blood to mind, that silver-and-black hair… Above all, she looked exactly like the “Fifth Princess” depicted in the newspaper illustrations of the “glorious commendation ceremony.”
“Huh? Your Highness?”
The one who splendidly detonated Tisha’s “surely not” was the Saintess herself, beaming as she waited for today’s blessing of ice cream.
“What. Why is the Saintess here?”
“Why is Your Highness here?”
“Well… uh. Just sit down first. I’ll explain.”
“Ah, yes. Sister Tisha? This way.”
“What? S-Saintess? Wha-wha-wha—”
The Saintess took Tisha’s hand and led her straight to the table where Yulika and Elga sat. When she plopped down beside Yulika, Tisha naturally ended up next to Elga.
“Have you been well?”
“Nothing much happened. And you, Saintess?”
“By the grace of God, I too have been well.”
Across the table, the Saintess and the princess exchanged greetings. Watching them, Tisha had to scream internally a hundred times over.
What on earth is this situation all of a sudden?!
Beside her sat a grand duke’s daughter; across from her, the Saintess; and next to the Saintess, an imperial princess. Each one of them alone demanded extreme care in every word and gesture. And it was not one, not two, but a full three of them!
A grand duke’s daughter, a saintess, an imperial princess—and a witch.
The four of them gathered in one place. It was a historic moment.