The Third Princess Who Doesn't Exist
No way.
That was impossible.
The Empire's Third Princess did not officially exist. Only up to the Second Princess had ever been presented to the public.
More precisely, His Majesty Kurkan von Valencia—the current sky of the Empire—had only five children under his care.
Three princes. Two princesses.
Among them, no princess named Iren existed, and the very existence of a Third Princess had never once been revealed to the world.
This was hardly an age of chaos. What possible reason could there be to conceal a princess's existence? Therefore the beautiful girl before me claiming the title of princess was a serious problem. Impersonating the Imperial Family was a crime punishable by the most extreme penalties.
Everyone in the classroom seemed to sense that issue, for every pair of eyes turned toward me.
That was the unspoken "you deal with it." Since I held the highest family name present, it meant I was the one expected to point it out.
If she were a genuine princess, a ducal heir ought to step forward; if she were a fake, the ducal house should still be the one to raise the objection.
The problem was that I was not a true heir of House Katram. I was merely the young lady's butler—her head butler, at that.
It felt as though a thousand-kilogram lead weight had settled onto my shoulders. But I had to do it. Right now, I was a Katram.
"You claim to be a princess, Your Highness? As far as I know, there is no Third Princess."
"You know well. Consider yourself fortunate that you didn't."
"Pardon?"
"That fact was top secret until today. If you'd claimed to know, your head would have rolled."
At the same time a chill ran around my neck. Not only mine—everyone in the classroom flinched and drew their necks in.
It was not merely a bad premonition. Our necks had genuinely gone cold.
Without anyone noticing, Princess Iren's finger had spun in a circle. At its tip, cold mana had condensed. And around our necks, collars of ice thorns had formed.
"……!"
"To be pierced by these thorns."
The three nobles besides me all broke out in cold sweat. Having their lives held hostage in an instant was a natural reaction.
It also served as indirect proof that she was a princess. The Valencia Imperial Family had always possessed magical prowess overwhelmingly superior to that of the nobility.
Karl, second son of Count Raufen, shouted.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
"Precautions against possible spies. Any complaints?"
"There can't be any spies here at the Academy!"
"Nothing can ever be certain. But your voice is rather loud, isn't it?"
Thud.
The ice-thorn collar tightened around Karl's neck. The tips of the thorns turned red. Karl shut his mouth.
The other two glared at Princess Iren, angered. Sigh—at this rate a brawl was going to break out because of this unidentified princess.
"Don't get angry, you underlings."
Whoosh!
Clang!
"Oh?"
Admiration lit Princess Iren's eyes. What I had just done was simple. I reverse-engineered the magic she had used to place ice-thorn collars around our necks, then ignited flames in those exact spots to shatter the collars.
It was a technique even an eight-year-old who could handle magic could pull off. Ignoring the pathetic fools who were panicking, I spoke to the princess.
"For now, I will believe that you are a princess. It will be revealed at the entrance ceremony anyway."
"Then you also understand that you must sit next to me, correct?"
"I'll ask about that first. What do you intend to do by seating me beside you?"
We had only met for the first time today. Why would the mysterious Third Princess, kept secret until now, want me in the seat next to hers?
Her answer was extremely shocking.
"I want to make you my servant."
"Pardon?"
"More precisely, I want you to become my lover."
The classroom froze for an entirely different reason. The Third Princess was proposing to the heir of House Katram, the most powerful noble family in the Empire.
If this rumor spread, I could not even begin to imagine the political waves it would cause. Moreover, the current Imperial power was so robust it was called Absolute Imperial Rule.
But if they were joined by marriage to a ducal house? And to House Katram, known as second only to one and above all others in the Empire? Imperial authority would soar not merely to new heights, but into the cosmos itself.
A minor issue was that I was not actually a true heir of the Katram family—but no one here would know that, so pass.
"Of course, starting as lovers right away would be burdensome. So I'd like to begin as master and servant. I am a princess; you are a noble living and breathing under His Majesty the Emperor's rule. The relationship is clear, is it not?"
It was irrefutable, perfect logic. As none other than an Imperial princess, I was supposed to bow my head and obey.
But.
"I refuse."
"Hm? What did you say?"
"I said I refuse."
"Crazy."
That last mutter came from Elena, third daughter of Margrave Rotnil. The other two had not spoken, but they were showing the same reaction as her.
The princess—no, Iren—smiled as if intrigued.
"You're not afraid of the aftermath of refusing?"
"Your Highness is overlooking one thing."
"Speak."
"This is the Academy. Nominally, all students are equal regardless of status. Therefore, even if you are a princess, as long as you are a student you cannot give me unconditional orders."
"You seem well aware that it's a rule in name only."
"Yes. At the Academy, that rule is a dead letter."
The Academy is a place that requires cooperation. That is why it must outwardly pursue equality.
Of course, like the vast majority of equality-oriented institutions throughout history, the modern Academy does not achieve actual equality.
In just three years everyone is flung back out into a society steeped in the heights and depths of power. Is there any reason to live the remaining decades of one's life in hardship just for three years of comfort?
Thus lesser nobles cling to high nobles, and high nobles fawn over the Imperial Family—all while laughing and smiling outwardly. That was the reality of the Academy as I knew it.
But the important point here was that it "outwardly pursued equality."
"It may be a dead letter, but who created that rule? Who built and has managed this Academy, the source of the Empire's talent?"
"That is……"
"His Majesty the First Emperor, and the successive holy Emperors who have followed. The Academy's symbolism is maintained by His Majesty, and all Imperial subjects must follow its rules in some form. Yet what is Your Highness doing right now?"
"Hmm."
"By openly declaring that you will make me your servant in such a public place, are you saying you will defy His Majesty the Emperor's Imperial Decree?"
The princess was silent. And the other three were staring at me with wide eyes.
How about that? This is the power of authority. If I, a mere head butler, had said this, Imperial Decree or not, my head would already be off. But as Frey, heir of Katram, the statement carries weight and persuasiveness.
Having said this, the princess could no longer openly treat me as a servant in such a public place. It would be admitting she herself had defied the Imperial Decree.
After a moment of silence she glared at me and opened her mouth.
"That was an excellent excuse. Yes. You're clever. But may I ask one question?"
"If you wish."
"You're not a direct descendant. Duke Katram has no sons."
"Yes. That's correct."
"Then being joined with me, a princess, should be extremely attractive. Why refuse?"
"Because the person I love is someone else."
"What?"
The person I wished to serve as my master for life. The person I dared not even approach. The person who had completely stolen my heart.
That was none other than Aylin Katram. My precious young lady, and no one else.
Even if I never married in my lifetime, I had no intention of abandoning my love for the young lady. It was because of her that I was who I was now.
"I will cherish that person for my entire life, so I cannot accept Your Highness's feelings. I apologize."
"……Haaa."
The princess let out a sigh. Then she tapped the desk next to her again.
"Fine, so sit here."
"Is that an order? That would go against the Imperial Decree……"
"It's not an order; it's me talking to myself. I don't know what a me driven mad by jealousy might do. For example, I might mobilize the entire Imperial Intelligence Bureau to find out who a teenage boy likes."
Goosebumps rose all over my body. The princess smiled sweetly, her sapphire eyes gleaming.
"If someone would just sit here, that sort of thing wouldn't happen. But it seems that person has no such intention—"
"I'm sitting. I'm sitting."
I plopped down immediately.
I didn't care if I died. But harm coming to the young lady was another matter entirely.
Of course the Duke would protect the young lady properly. Still, if the princess went off the deep end, there was no telling what might happen.
In the end, the sudden confrontation with the princess ended in a one-to-one draw. I had not become her servant, but I was sitting next to her.
After that, new students flooded into the classroom, and the entrance ceremony began.
Iren really was a princess, and most of the people in the classroom could not take their eyes off her. Captivated by both her appearance and her status, no doubt.
It was customary for there to be no classes on the day of the entrance ceremony. I quickly gathered my things, intending to return to the ducal estate.
Just then the princess… Iren grabbed my shoulder.
"Wait."
"Wh-what is it?"
She grinned and waved her hand.
"See you tomorrow."
I smacked myself on the head. Iren blinked in surprise.
"Wh-why did you do that?"
"I have a disease where I'll die if I don't hit my head when leaving school."
"I-is that so?"
"Then farewell."
I quickly left the classroom. I told the waiting carriage to go on ahead, then walked about a kilometer from the Academy's main gate before pounding my solar plexus.
"Haaaaaaa…… Are you crazy? Don't do this, you damn heart."
My heart was pounding strangely. I thought I had seen plenty of beautiful women so far, but that smile of Iren's was a murderous smile that could rival even the young lady's.
How long has it been since I declared my single-minded devotion to the young lady, and now I'm pulling this kind of disgrace, Frey? Get a grip. You have only the young lady.
I slapped both cheeks with my hands—smack smack!—and pulled myself together.
"I will not yield to temptation!"
From tomorrow, I would lead a normal Academy life.
After the entrance ceremony, only one person remained in the classroom.
The Empire's Third Princess, with azure hair and sapphire-like eyes. It was Iren.
Iren was stroking the desk where Frey had sat, looking pleased.
"Hehe, as expected of Frey."
Left alone, her tone of speech had changed astonishingly. Anyone who had seen her this morning would have shouted, "You're a fake!"
"I think I'm prettier than in my disguised form. To reject me so firmly. As expected, you're the man I want."
The moment she finished speaking, a bright cluster of light rose before her. Where the blooming light faded, Duke Katram stood. He had come from the ducal estate via teleportation.
"Your Highness. Let us go now."
"Oh my, Father. Why are you speaking like that?"
"Since it's just the two of us, I cannot speak carelessly to Your Highness, can I?"
"It's fine, it's fine. Duke Katram is like a father to me, you know?"
"His Majesty the Emperor would be displeased."
"Whether my real father is displeased or not."
Shrrr.
As Iren ran her hand through her hair, an astonishing thing happened. Her blue hair and eyes began to change.
In just a few seconds her hair had become golden, and her eyes a vivid crimson.
"There. Is this better now?"
"Haa, yes."
Duke Katram held out his hand to her, looking tired.
"Let's go, Aylin."
"Yes. Father!"
The two were enveloped in light and vanished.