Princess Mary's Circumstances
'Is she crazy?'
That was my first thought as I headed to the imperial palace and spotted Mary.
In the palace garden, Mary was out riding—and the horse she was on was none other than Talion.
I was already pissed off from dealing with that pathetic viscount, and seeing Talion all excited only made my temper flare even more.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Oh, you've arrived?"
Mary halted her horse and flashed a radiant smile in response to my question. Of course, Talion noticed me too and pulled a sour face despite being just a damn horse, but he wasn't the point.
Did I misjudge her?
The Mary I remembered from my first timeline wasn't this frail girl anymore, nor was she the ambitious princess I'd come to know in this life.
Seeing her content with her little faction, acting like she'd accomplished something big, left a bitter taste in my mouth.
"Out here leisurely riding horses. Looks like Your Highness is living the easy life."
"H-how dare you, you insolent fool!"
One of the nobles hovering around Mary immediately barked at me. Somehow, they'd all turned out the same—predictable reactions that just made me sigh.
I wasn't even mad anymore; they weren't worth the effort.
I glanced at Mary, and she gave me a seductive smile that didn't suit her at all, looking down at me from her horse.
"I've heard all about it. They say you've been on quite the perilous adventure, Hero."
"What?"
I stared at her in disbelief, and she dismounted Talion with practiced ease, sauntering over to hook her arm through mine with a sultry whisper.
"Perfect timing. I've been dying to hear those adventure tales. Won't you tell them to me?"
She looked exactly like a street whore soliciting customers—some of the nobles were even shooting her uncomfortable glances.
How the hell did it come to this?
As I eyed her suspiciously, I caught her signaling me with her eyes, like she was trying to tell me something.
"Ha. If the princess wants to hear it, who am I to refuse? No choice, right?"
I played along casually, and I could see the nobles' faces sour even further as they watched, clearly displeased.
"Well then, I need to have a private chat with the Hero now, so could you all please excuse us?"
"Your Highness, even so, being alone with a man..."
One noble stepped up to object, but Mary fixed him with an icy glare.
"Are you implying I'm some unchaste woman right now?"
"N-no, that's not..."
"That's why I'm asking you to leave—to avoid any misunderstandings. We're not going somewhere enclosed; we'll just talk here in the garden."
The nobles were thrown off by her sudden shift in demeanor, but as a few started to withdraw, the rest had no choice but to follow her orders.
I figured outdoors or indoors made no difference without people around, but anyway—now it was just me and Mary.
Watching Mary finally let out her sigh, I voiced my pent-up curiosity.
"Mind explaining what's going on here?"
**
"So, any progress?"
While the Hero met with Mary, the emperor was secretly conferring with Karen alone.
Truth be told, his interest lay neither with the Hero nor the Demon King's army.
Of course, with tales of the Hero spreading among the imperial citizens, he had to maintain some appearances, but the real priority was elsewhere.
The secret of that undying body.
Immortality wasn't simple, and the emperor hadn't expected a quick fix. But he'd tasked the job to Karen, the young mage prodigy even the Magic Tower acknowledged as a genius among geniuses. As a human, he couldn't help his greed.
"Ah, progress. Yes, there has been some."
The emperor perked up at her words. Her rudeness, her lack of manners—none of it mattered.
If she could save him from the absolute end called death, she was a goddess in his eyes.
"Really? What did you learn from the Hero?"
"The Hero? It's got nothing to do with him."
But contrary to the emperor's expectations, Karen claimed the immortality secret she'd uncovered had no connection to the Hero.
"Then what?"
"Well, I met a lich. A guy from a few hundred years ago, still alive."
"...You want me to become a lich?"
The emperor scowled at her outlandish suggestion. A lich? If it meant not dying, it might not be the worst option. But he knew enough about magic to realize only high-ranking mages could pull that off.
"Of course, Emperor, that's impossible for you."
"I have no idea what you're getting at."
He frowned at her, suspicion creeping in—had spoiling her made this bratty little mage think she could toy with him?
But Karen was a genius far beyond his imaginings.
"But I think I can help. Not full immortality like the Hero's, of course, but using the principles of a Life Vessel... it might work."
"Is that... true?"
The emperor shot to his feet in shock, but Karen continued her explanation calmly, unfazed.
"Of course, more research is needed. But in my estimation, it's got way more potential than analyzing the Hero's blessing."
"...In that case, wouldn't it be better if you stayed at the palace and focused on that?"
Having heard her out, the emperor asked impatiently. He'd stuck her with the Hero to unlock immortality; if this other path had better odds, there was no need to let her wander with him anymore.
But Karen pondered his words before slowly shaking her head.
"No, I still need more research. And when it comes to studying necromancy and dark magic, fighting the Demon King's army is the best way."
The emperor caught a hint of reluctance on her face but had no grounds to press her.
He nodded reluctantly, and Karen declared confidently,
"Emperor, I need more research funds!"
**
"Sorry."
Once she confirmed the nobles were gone, Mary apologized to me straight away.
I scratched my head at her complete one-eighty in expression and tone.
I'd sensed some backstory, but her sudden switch still left me a bit irritated.
"Skip the apologies—I said I want to hear the situation."
"It seems my brother has spies planted around me."
"...Aaron?"
She nodded cautiously at my guess, and that alone let me piece together the gist.
"So, the bastard I sent to my place?"
"If it upset you, I'm sorry. He was the most suspicious one among those around me..."
I couldn't help a smirk at her words. It wasn't intentional, but thinking that Viscount Lofes guy was one of Aaron's lackeys improved my mood.
"Speaking of, where's Viscount Lofes now...?"
"Ah, he probably came to by now."
She looked surprised at my question, then stifled a laugh.
She must've suffered plenty from Aaron's minions all this time.
It was an overwhelmingly lopsided game in Aaron's favor, but if she'd just been taking it lying down, I'd have been disappointed.
"Not going your way, Princess?"
I cut straight to it.
I had no deep grudge against her, and if tangling with Aaron was beyond her, I had no reason to push.
"Oh, pretending to be swayed by them? That's just an act. I'm building my own people separately, so no need to worry."
She instantly read between the lines and responded firmly. Even if I tried to drag her down, she had the resolve not to budge.
"By the way, you just gonna let those guys go like that?"
"Well, actually..."
I was bothered by how she'd simply shooed away Aaron's spies, so I asked. But for the first time, Mary looked troubled, her face flushing red at what seemed like a perfectly normal question.