My Daughter Is Not for Anyone
The emperor spoke with a meaningful expression as he watched Princess Cynthia running through the garden one day, more than a decade ago. “I will never give my daughter to anyone.”
Perma, who was already serving as her tutor, clasped both hands respectfully and listened to the emperor’s words. Yet his eyes never left the princess, filled with quiet worry.
“She has grown so well. Cynthia is already so lovely.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. She grows more endearing with each passing day. Truly, she is an angel.”
Cynthia spun in circles chasing after a cat, then suddenly leaped forward. At last she caught it, beaming with a bright smile. Old Perma couldn’t help but smile like a proud father, his heart warmed by the sight.
“The other day she cried her eyes out because the flowers she had been tending wilted. Her heart is as gentle as an angel’s…”
“A child that kind must be popular with the boys.”
“Indeed… without a doubt!”
“She already takes after her mother, radiating such beauty. When she becomes an adult, she will be even more enchanting.”
“…Pardon?”
Only then did Perma sense something strange and turn to look at the emperor. The man’s face was twisted with anxiety and jealousy. From that moment, his warped desire began to reveal its ugly shape.
“Perma… have you ever thought about sitting on the throne?”
“What? Y-Your Majesty! What are you saying! H-how could I possibly dare! That is utterly preposterous!”
“I was born the emperor’s only son. My father was also an only son, so there were no male relatives to compete with. I believed the throne was simply my destined right. The supreme seat that everyone envies and longs for. However…”
The emperor narrowed his eyes, sinking into bitter regret.
“The throne… is cold. It is a bitter winter that cuts to the bone. No one understands that. No one even tries. I need warm sunlight, Perma. Desperately…”
“Father!! Can I keep this cat?!”
Just then, the adorable little princess came toddling over, holding up a black Siamese cat. She was at the age when children adore animals. It seemed she wanted to keep the stray that had slipped into the garden.
If it had been only Perma, he would have allowed it without hesitation. But—
“Do you like cats, Cynthia?”
“Yes! Father! It’s so cute and fluffy, and I want to go on adventures with it!”
“…Adventures?”
“Yes! In the adventure stories I read, wizards always take black cats with them! Along with broomsticks! Oh, and staffs too! Ehehe! Mother said she was a wizard, right? One day I want to become a wonderful wizard like Mother and travel the world, helping people!”
“…Is that so. Like your mother…”
Watching the innocent, beaming Cynthia and the emperor’s deepening, shadowed gaze, Perma trembled with an indescribable anxiety.
The emperor lifted the cat from his daughter’s arms by the scruff of its neck. It was a terrible way to hold a cat. Cynthia let out a small “Ah…” of distress. The cat meowed plaintively and struggled, clearly wanting to return to her, but its pleas meant nothing to the emperor.
“I will keep this cat for now. I’ll return it when the time is right, so don’t worry.”
“When will that be, Father…?”
Instead of answering, the emperor forced an awkward smile and left the garden. That day, they say a pitiful cat’s cry echoed from the incinerator. Cynthia never saw the cat again.
“Cynthia is my sunlight. I can never allow her to leave my side. Become a wizard? Go on adventures? Become like her mother? That cannot happen, Cynthia. You must remain by my side forever, shining upon the throne like the sun! Perma!”
“Y-yes, Your Majesty.”
“I command you! Educate Cynthia so that she grows into a fine young lady who deeply respects her father! Do you understand? Make sure she doesn’t develop any useless interests!”
“…As you command, Your Majesty.”
Perma, who had never learned how to defy his superiors, tried at first to obey the emperor’s orders. He constantly instilled in her that her father was a wonderful man who deserved her respect.
But Cynthia seemed to have guessed the cat’s grim fate, and her desire to leave her father’s side and embark on adventures grew uncontrollably. The more it did, the tighter the emperor’s restraints became. Forced to watch Cynthia’s spirit slowly torn to shreds from the closest vantage, Perma felt nothing but pity.
‘But there is still hope. Soon Her Highness will reach the age for marriage talks. Then she will naturally leave the emperor’s embrace. Freedom is not far off, Your Highness…’
Yes. For a woman—especially a woman of the imperial family—marriage was a monumental matter. It was a political issue that could sway the fate of nations. And as the princess of Ridorphia, the strongest empire, it was only natural that she would become a target for every powerful figure.
Besides, Princess Cynthia grew more breathtakingly beautiful with each passing day. In high society, she was already known by the nickname “Flower on the Cliff,” even though the emperor’s subtle ban had kept her from attending a single social party. Her beauty had still spread like wildfire among ambitious young men.
Once Cynthia reached an age where marriage would not seem strange, official letters requesting marriage talks began arriving at the imperial palace. The bold list included foreign princes, nobles, wealthy tycoons… and even one shameless king who declared he wanted to make her his queen immediately.
Marrying any of them would guarantee a life of luxury—an express pass to success. Perma earnestly prayed that Cynthia would find a good partner and fly free from this suffocating cage.
He believed that even the emperor could not interfere this time. Emperor though he was, he was still a man. Princess though she was, she was still a woman. There were unwritten rules that even they had to follow.
If the emperor tried to block his grown daughter’s marriage, a scandalous rumor would sweep across the continent. The one thing the all-powerful emperor truly feared was public opinion. Even he could not bind Cynthia with the words, “Do not marry. Stay by my side forever.”
Instead, he chose another method.
It was the day the rumor reached Cynthia’s ears that Count André of the handsome Grimoire Kingdom had fallen madly for the reclusive princess who never showed her face in society.
“Is Count André really that handsome? If he proposes, do I have to accept no matter what? I’m not sure… But if I marry him, can I leave the palace?”
By now Cynthia had grown into a shy young maiden, and it seemed even she was curious about Count André.
But the cunning emperor had already prepared countermeasures.
Perma received a sudden summons from the emperor. The condition Come alone immediately was concerning enough, but the meeting place—deep beneath the imperial palace—made his heart pound violently.
Underground. That was where… the prison for torturing demons and traitors was located. Why would he want to meet in such a sinister place?
“Ah, you’ve come, Perma. I hear Cynthia has been quite excited about the marriage talks lately?”
“…Yes. She is at that age, after all.”
“This morning some count from the Grimoire Kingdom had the audacity to approach me in the corridor and ask for my daughter’s hand. Hahaha… that bastard. Should I just destroy Grimoire?”
“…Please calm yourself. With the continent already devastated by the Demon King’s army, no one wants war.”
“True. That’s why I came up with a solution.”
The emperor led Perma into the dim prison. Beyond the iron bars, Perma could sense a presence, but the darkness made it impossible to see the face.
“Even if I kill that André fellow, another one like him will appear. Thieves trying to steal Cynthia from me! Killing them one by one is too much trouble.”
“…Considering Her Highness’s beauty and status, suitors will continue to appear endlessly.”
It was a roundabout way of saying the emperor should give up and set his daughter free. Up until that moment, Perma had never dreamed the emperor would go this far.
“So here’s what I’m thinking… Perma.”
“?”
“Cynthia trusts you completely, doesn’t she?”
“…Pardon?”
“She has learned everything from you since she was too young to even be weaned. To Cynthia, your teachings are simply common sense, correct?”
“I don’t understand what you mean by this…”
“I will have Cynthia personally drive away her suitors.”
When he lit the candles, the area around the table brightened, revealing books that looked freshly printed. The titles and covers alone were enough to make one laugh bitterly.
How to Capture a Man’s Heart at First Meeting with Savage Insults
Illustration: A man making a stupid face while being whipped, clearly enjoying it. The ink still looked wet, as if it had just been drawn.
“What in the world is this, Your Majesty?”
“It is a textbook, of course. One you will use when teaching Cynthia.”
“This… is outrageous! No matter that it is Your Majesty’s command, I cannot possibly teach Her Highness such teachings that deviate so wildly from social norms! When the princess interacts with others, this will become an enormous obstacle…”
“There is no need to worry. Cynthia will not form relationships with anyone but me.”
“…Pardon?”
So the emperor’s obsession with his daughter ran this deep. Perma had thought it was merely an excessively strong protective instinct. Only now did he realize that the emperor’s protection existed solely for himself—Cynthia was nothing more than a tool.
“Cynthia must remain my beautiful doll forever. I will not give her to some mongrel whose origins I do not even know. Therefore, you will use this book to shatter her values.”
“…I cannot do that!”
“You cannot?”
“No, I cannot! Even if it means being disloyal to Your Majesty, as an adult I cannot ruin a child’s life!”
“Oh… then could you ruin an old woman’s life?”
“What?”
The emperor’s face, cast in the flickering shadows of the candlelight, created a chilling atmosphere. He lifted the candlestick and shone it into the prison. At last, the identity of the prisoner was revealed in plain sight.
“Darling… please save me.”
“D-darling!!”
His wife, whom he had married at fifteen and lived with in harmony for over fifty years, was trembling in terror. A childless couple who had relied only on each other their entire lives. Though it was presumptuous, he had often bragged about Cynthia to his wife as if she were their own daughter.
“If you do not follow my orders, this underground prison will become the old woman’s grave.”
“Y-Your Majesty! How could you! What crime have we committed?!”
“Does one need a crime to kill someone?”
“……!!”
Perma’s entire body froze. He could not move a muscle.
“Then I will take that as acceptance and purchase some insurance from you.”
“I-insurance?”
“It’s simple… if you just do as I say, there will be n~o problems at all.”
“Ugh! Urk!”
“Stay still.”
“Aaaaaagh!!!”
A sudden, searing pain like a branding iron struck the back of his neck. Perma collapsed to his knees. The old man, who had known nothing but obedience for over sixty years, now bore the Slave’s Mark on his neck.
“If you refuse my commands, this brand will spread across your body and turn you into a roasted pig. Of course, I have placed the same mark on your wife.”
“Kh…! Uuu…! Uuuu…!”
“Puhahaha! Why is an old man crying so pathetically!”
“Agh!”
Suddenly the emperor grabbed the old man by the hair and yanked him close. The voice whispering in his ear was sinister and sent chills down his spine.
“Honestly, I like you just as much as I like Cynthia. You are old and shabby, aren’t you? Even if you stay by her side for a long time, she will never fall in love with you. So I can entrust her to you without worry. Moreover, I quite like that spineless obedience of yours—following my orders like a dog. Continue living as my dog from now on. My very own dog who holds Cynthia’s trust. Hahahaha!”
“……!!!!!”
All the powerless old man could do was shed hot tears.
Step. Step.
The familiar corridors of the imperial palace felt endlessly long today. His steps staggered. His vision blurred. Ah… he just wanted to die right there. Then the emperor would probably dispose of the tutor’s corpse in the incinerator, just like that cat.
‘No… if I die, His Majesty will kill my wife too. That… cannot happen. She’s so timid. I must save her.’
“Grandpa! Grandpa!!”
Just then, Princess Cynthia came hurrying over, lifting the hem of her dress. He had to pour cold water on that excited face.
“Grandpa! They say Count André has come to the palace! But I have no idea how to talk to men! What should I do? I’m so worried I’ll make a mistake! You’re old, so you must know a lot, right? Please help me!”
“……”
“I trust you completely, Grandpa!”
“……”
“Unlike Father, I know you truly want to help me. I’m always grateful, Grandpa. You’re the only one on my side! Everyone else is just scared of Father and only listens to him, right?”
“……”
“So I want to ask you! You’re the only one who supports me leaving the palace! How can I get along well with a man?”
“…………….”
“Grandpa?”
“…Y-Your Highness.”
“Yes! Tell me!”
With trembling hands, Perma presented the textbook the emperor had given him.
“F-for such matters, here is an excellent reference book. If you follow it exactly, it should work. Please… follow it to the letter…”
“Really? Thank you, Grandpa! I’ll study hard!”
The innocent princess accepted the book from the person she trusted most, without the slightest suspicion.