Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: I'll Be Your Woman.
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Tap tap tap—
That day had been noisy from the very start.
Tap tap tap—
It must have been around dawn. Some pure white bird was pecking at my window, its beak silhouetted against the brilliantly pouring sunlight.
It was quite a beautiful sight, but for me, it was a headache.
"Mm..."
How much did I drink last night? I couldn't remember.
Right, then I must have drunk enough to forget.
Tap tap tap— Tap tap tap—
The bird kept pecking at the window. Even when I ignored it completely, it never stopped. As if it absolutely had to reach me.
Snap.
Still sprawled on the sofa, I flicked my finger to open the window. For a mage, using telekinesis was child's play.
The bird hopped nimbly onto my thigh. Then it tilted its head and stared up at me for a long while, as if trying to identify my face.
I locked eyes with it before finally furrowing my brow.
"A letter?"
Clasped in its beak was a neatly folded letter. Even at a glance, it exuded an air of refined elegance.
Before I could even wonder who it was from, the bird spread its wings wide. It leaped out the window, leaving just me and the letter behind.
I picked up the letter with my fingertips.
It had been so long since I'd handled a letter like this. It had been ages since anything like this had played a role in my life.
Shrrk—!
The day imagination finally becomes reality. Such a day really exists.
Magic is turning imagination into reality.
That's what you, my magic teacher, told me in our very first lesson.
Come to think of it, I was too scared back then to even meet your eyes. You were almost twice my height, with a sharp impression and never a smile.
Everyone who majors in freezing magic must be like that. Cold like ice, sharp like icicles. I was so terrified as a child.
The training was brutally harsh every single day—I cried constantly, and my whole body ached—but nowadays, every time I receive recognition for my achievements, I realize it anew. It's thanks to how rigorously you tempered me that I am who I am today.
So, how have you been? I think I'm doing well, probably.
The weight of the imperial family felt unbearably heavy, but surprisingly, I've grown accustomed to it bit by bit. Am I finally a proper member of the imperial family now? An adult?
Doing what I must isn't boring, just not difficult. But when I get tired, sometimes—really just sometimes—before falling asleep, I imagine.
I imagine you reaching out to me.
And now that imagination has become reality. Just like magic.
...If the letter says exactly what I imagined, you'll tease me, right?
Anyway, I'm glad you proposed to me of all people. Thank you.
I'd pulled an all-nighter for two nights straight when I opened your letter, and thanks to it, I couldn't sleep another full day. At first, I couldn't believe it, of course. I thought someone was playing a terribly cruel prank.
I'm not joking. I had to read it over and over before I finally believed it.
Even after believing it, my head throbbed. No one knows better than I do how much damage the imperial family inflicted on you. And whether I'm even worthy of being that woman for you... I agonized over it endlessly.
In the end, I made my decision.
Yes. I'll be your woman.
But everything has its time, doesn't it? We're not in a situation to hold the wedding right away. The empire and the imperial family's circumstances aren't good.
When you sealed the Demon Realm Gate, I thought eternal peace had arrived, but lately, erosion phenomena are occurring here and there again.
And now, all us five princesses have reached the age to inherit the throne. The atmosphere is as tense as walking on thin ice.
On the day I ascend as emperor, let's get married.
Do you have any idea how much effort it took for me to secretly send this one reply? You'd be shocked if you knew.
...I tried to write this calmly, but now I can't stop thinking about you. Why now, of all times? You could have reached out sooner.
I'll stop complaining here. Like an adult, like a mage, like a princess.
You said everything is like ice—it sparkles but eventually melts, right? Not true. The magic you showed me, the words you spoke, the things you did—they still haven't melted. They're still with me.
I'll pray our reunion comes even a little sooner.
Thank you. Really, thank you.
I set the letter down, crossed my arms, and thought.
I thought about it over and over, but only one possibility came to mind.
"...Another assassin, huh."
Freezing magic specialist, the feat of sealing the Demon Realm Gate, serving as the princesses' teacher in the imperial family, handling the dirty work for the imperial family... All facts, but all top secret. Not information just anyone would know.
The problem was, I had no memory of proposing to anyone.
"Looks like they've sent a pretty high-level one this time."
I chuckled dryly and threw on my coat. Time to get some hangover remedy.
What did I care about some assassin? The hangover was the real issue.
The neighborhood was unusually bustling.
On my usual way to the general store, there were far more people than normal. The great weather made it understandable, but...
The problem was their expressions and whispers. They weren't the faces of people out for a pleasant outing.
If anything, they looked gravely worried about something.
A well-honed sense extended to hearing as well. Without even trying, I started picking up on their murmurs one by one.
"So, someone sent a message to the imperial family?"
"This is bad. Who would dare do such a thing?"
"Considering His Imperial Majesty's temper right now, the whole village is in trouble. Big trouble."
It was shocking enough to make my head whip around. The people who met my gaze flinched, shoulders trembling.
"Hey."
"Y-yeah, Zekiel. What's up?"
"That story you were just talking about—is it true?"
"Y-yeah. Someone sent a message to the imperial family. Everyone's worried sick. You know why, right?"
Of course I did. How could I not?
"...Whoever it is, they're out of their mind."
The imperial family of the empire. The highest place under the heavens.
A few years ago, the empire changed its policy: they would definitely read every single message sent to the imperial family. It was famous—no one was unaware.
To listen intently without missing a single one? Hardly.
It was a warning: send nonsense, and you'd be punished without mercy. Don't send anything unless it was critically important. After the change, messages to the imperial family plummeted.
Nearly vanished, even.
As I kept walking, some people stared at me unusually intently.
One even approached me directly.
"Hey, Zekiel, you didn't send something to the imperial family, did you?"
"Don't talk nonsense."
"Sorry if not. But among the people I know, you're the least predictable. No one else even comes to mind."
"Who knows."
After walking some more, I arrived at the general store.
Fiery red hair and an apron-clad back. She was the owner, Apple, diligently sweeping dust with a broom.
"Apple."
I called her name, and she turned to look at me.
"One hangover remedy. The best one you've got."
"..."
Time seemed to freeze as Apple stared at me blankly for a moment.
"...!"
Then her eyes widened three times over.
Her next movements were unbelievably swift. She dashed off, slamming the general store door shut with a bang. She locked the handle and double-checked it several times.
Then she looked up at me and asked.
"Zekiel, what happened?"
"As you can see, I'm suffering from a hangover. My head hurts."
"No, not that!"
Her face paled as she jumped up and down.
For me, with my pounding head, it was just frustrating.
"Not in the mood for jokes."
"Jokes? Do I look like I'm joking?"
She looked utterly bewildered.
"What's with you."
"What's with me? Don't you remember last night?"
"Last night?"
"Seriously, seriously... You really don't remember...? Huh?"
Apple grabbed her own hair with one hand.
"...I knew this would happen! I should've stopped you somehow! What were you thinking? A hangover isn't the issue right now!"
And she pointed the broom at me like a sword.
"You wrote a letter last night while drunk! Said you were sending it to the imperial princesses! I tried to stop you over and over, but you ignored me!"
"I did?"
It was a chilling joke.
Or was it not a joke?
Suddenly, fragmented memories flooded my mind.
"..."
Yeah. That sounded right.
My terminally ill body felt wronged, all the time I'd devoted to the imperial family felt wasted, I wanted some kind of compensation—so drunk, I grumbled a proposal. To a princess, no less. Not even an ordinary woman.
I pressed my throbbing forehead with my palm.
"Wait, so that letter this morning..."
"Letter? Yeah, a letter? You got a reply? What does it say? They're going to kill you?"
Apple leaped back.
"Say something! They're wiping out our whole village? Aaaah! A prank letter to a princess! This village is doomed because of you!"
I couldn't answer rashly.
Because something else was nagging at me most.
"Apple. What did you just mutter?"
"You gonna yell at me? Is this the time? You drunkard!"
"Not that. You said 'princesses,' plural?"
My expression must have been grave.
Apple's face, meeting my eyes, slowly drained of color.
"Uh...? Now that you mention it, you wrote five of them...?"
Then, with her face gone stark white, she asked me.
"Th-the r-replies... What did they say...?"
No. The reply's content wasn't the important thing.
"..."
I swallowed hard.
...Out of the five, which one? Just who accepted my proposal?
My already turbulent life now faced a massive tidal wave.