The Illusion of Equality
Sheint Lionheart was a man born into a position where he could have absolutely anything he wanted.
He possessed a brilliant mind capable of solving the most complex problems in less than a day, and the wealth to freely command all the resources and riches of the Lyos Empire.
He was the Crown Prince.
And from a very young age, Sheint had felt a profound, suffocating boredom with life.
Problems that had stumped the greatest scholars for generations yielded answers to him in an instant. As for swordsmanship, a mere month of study was all it took for him to defeat a Sword Master.
To put it simply, his life was set to easy mode.
What changed Sheint’s life was a single romance novel that a servant had been reading in secret.
The turning point came when a maid, utterly startled by the sudden appearance of the Crown Prince, dropped the book she was reading without even realizing it.
How can someone look at another person without considering their status, wealth, or family? How could such a thing even exist in this world?
In a world akin to the Middle Ages, such novels were considered trashy, third-rate literature.
They were the kind of things only read by those of low status, and even then, only in secret, hidden from the eyes of others.
At first, Sheint could not comprehend the story of the tragic love between the two protagonists.
To him, blue blood was noble and absolute; the status of a noble was fundamentally distinct from that of a commoner.
They must be out of their minds. Even for a third-rate novel, this is too much...
As a Crown Prince holding one of the top three absolute positions of power in the empire, he simply could not understand why the man and woman in the novel were so desperately in love that they would die for each other.
Why on earth would a noble fall into a one-sided love with a commoner, and throw away their family, honor, and everything else just to choose a woman?
If a noble in this medieval reality were to actually take a liking to a commoner—by some miracle of a one-in-a-million chance...
"It would make more sense to isolate the girl, strip away all her options until only he remains, and then toy with her as he pleases."
A noble was someone who could use their wealth and power to manipulate not just friends, but even their own parents.
That kind of scenario was far more realistic.
With a few exceptions, every noble the Crown Prince had ever met harbored dark, insidious ambitions.
There were those plotting coups against the imperial family, and trash who pretended to be virtuous while pocketing bribes and engaging in corruption.
He wanted nothing more than to purge those cancerous growths from the empire, but as the Crown Prince and not yet the Emperor, his hands were tied.
"At times like this, I almost envy the Holy Kingdom next door. Our empire is far too turbulent."
Sheint muttered his complaints as he slowly turned the pages.
Unlike Valentia, which was united under the worship of the Main God and guided by a Saintess, the Lyos Empire was a chaotic web of nobles maintaining a tense, precarious balance of power.
The Holy Kingdom was firmly bound by a shared faith and the belief that they were one community, whereas the empire was fractured.
"Risking death for the sake of love, and even marrying someone else just to achieve it..."
Thud.
Sheint closed the book with a slightly dissatisfied expression.
No matter how he looked at it, the historical accuracy of the book was atrocious.
It was a third-rate novel at best, nothing more than cheap gossip for the masses.
"There is no way a story like this could ever happen in reality."
It was a novel spun from sweet, empty words, distilling nothing but the pure emotions between a man and a woman.
But was it boring?
No, it was quite the opposite.
"...Still, it was entertaining. In fact, I liked it precisely because it dreamed of a romance that doesn't exist in reality."
Sheint Lionheart watched the landscape outside the window grow dark, the corners of his mouth curving upward.
When was the last time he had read a book without analyzing it, simply enjoying the content for what it was?
Because he had been perfect in every aspect since childhood, Sheint had always felt a deep void in his heart.
"A pure love that looks past status, wealth, and appearance, focusing solely on the person..."
Sheint paced around the room, talking to himself as he organized his thoughts.
He was a genius who could find the answer to any difficult problem in an instant, but this was different.
For the first time in his life, he felt overwhelmed.
He felt a strange mix of frustration and delight that a mere third-rate romance novel could captivate him so completely.
"...If a love like this actually existed in reality, I wonder how entertaining it would be."
Sheint stopped pacing. He tapped his chin with a finger, murmuring to himself.
Transcending status, defying death, and never giving up no matter what hardships lay ahead.
All for the sake of love—such a cheap, trivial emotion.
If a story like this could happen in real life, and if he could watch it unfold from beginning to end...
He would gladly pay any price.
Such an absurd thought sparked in Sheint's mind like a sudden flash of electricity.
"Honestly, after everything those two went through, ending it with their deaths is just wrong."
A petty whim born from his dissatisfaction with the novel's ending became the starting point that changed his entire life.
From then on, Sheint Lionheart became much more cheerful and boisterous.
He developed a hobby of helping men and women who secretly liked each other, watching their love blossom from the sidelines.
And the culmination of that hobby was this very moment.
Creating a connection between two completely opposite individuals: the youngest son of the Baskerville family and Saintess Astoria.
Their status, upbringing, martial prowess, and authority were as different as light and shadow. Yet, the Crown Prince had detected a subtle, peculiar tension flowing between them.
To allow Theodore Baskerville to show off his cool side to the Saintess, Sheint believed it was only right for him—the strongest person available—to step up.
"Your Highness, there is no need to go to such trouble. I am, and always will be, a sword that protects the Empire..."
"We shall see about that!"
Sheint stood before me, shouting with theatrical gestures and a booming voice that anyone could see was exaggerated.
"If you, Theodore, ever end up swearing fealty to the Saintess, the Empire needs to know exactly how much military power we would be losing!"
"That is mere sophistry. Why would I ever abandon the Empire for such a thing?"
"If that were true, then rumors of you wrapping your hand around the Saintess's waist wouldn't be circulating through high society, now would they?"
Ugh, what is wrong with him?
I couldn't comprehend why the Crown Prince, Sheint Lionheart, was suddenly insisting on a duel right here and now.
On top of that, he was openly talking about me touching the Saintess in front of all these people.
If anyone from the Holy Kingdom were here, wouldn't they drag me to a religious tribunal for blasphemy or try to execute me on the spot?
"It was an unavoidable situation. A dangerous object was flying toward Her Holiness."
"But you must still take responsibility, must you not?"
"What kind of responsibility are you referring to?"
"Why, becoming the knight who protects Her Holiness here at the academy, of course! Show us a level of skill that will convince everyone!"
"I will treat that as a slip of the tongue. I have served the Empire my entire life; I have no reason to protect a guest of Valentia."
"Don't you think that is the best way to earn the Holy Kingdom's forgiveness? Without my protection, you might have been burned at the stake by now."
The Crown Prince actually had a point.
Astoria was essentially a living deity to her people, so touching her could easily be interpreted as a direct provocation to the Holy Kingdom.
Perhaps the Crown Prince thought it would be better to use this opportunity to showcase my skills, making everyone understand that my actions were solely to protect the Saintess.
"I am not that grand of a figure. And to think Brother Theodore would be... burned at the stake..."
Hearing the Crown Prince's words, the Saintess twiddled her fingers, looking deeply troubled.
She was surprisingly expressive.
Because her face and body were transparent, had she developed a habit of using gestures and body language to convey her feelings?
I'm sorry to break it to you, but you absolutely are that grand of a figure.
I glanced at the Saintess and bit my lower lip.
In truth, the rumors that I had danced with Astoria and wrapped my arm around her waist were spreading like wildfire.
Because of this, some were already demanding my excommunication from the Baskerville family, while others viewed it as an affront to the Holy Kingdom.
This was exactly why I had wanted to avoid getting involved with her at all costs. Approaching her thinking she was just an ordinary clergy member had been a massive blunder.
"Prove how strong you are today, Theodore. That way, no one will be able to say another word."
"...I obey your command."
"Excellent! And if you feel up to it, I hope you will serve diligently as the Saintess's guardian knight!"
I deliberately ignored Sheint's last remark.
For one, Astoria already had Sigrid as her bodyguard. More importantly, I had absolutely no desire to keep a woman who was basically the daughter of the Main God by my side.
"So it's decided, then. I didn't expect His Highness the Crown Prince to step up personally."
"Grancia Academy is a place of learning that champions equality. Even the Crown Prince of the Empire is no exception."
"Ha! I never imagined that runny-nosed brat would grow up this much. How is His Majesty faring?"
"He is well, thanks to you, Lord Gideon."
The Crown Prince offered a bright smile, speaking to Gideon Caliber with familiar warmth.
As a war hero who had played a pivotal role in the founding of the Empire, Gideon and the Crown Prince were bound to know each other.
"Then both of you, step to the center. Good grief, I wonder if this will even be a fair match."
Gideon, our swordsmanship instructor, looked back and forth between the two of us as he cleared the stage. Just as he implied, the Crown Prince was by no means weak.
The Golden Lion.
True to his moniker, Sheint possessed the ability to summon constructs made of solid gold.
Since his favorite summon was a lion, that title had become his defining epithet.
I do have a few combat bugs and glitches I could exploit... but I wonder if they'll work against the Crown Prince.
I lightly touched the scabbard infused with wind magic, plotting a way to defeat him.
Normally, the smart move would be to throw the match. But his persistent attempts to play matchmaker between me and the Saintess were getting on my nerves, and I resolved to win this fight.