Chapter 20

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 20

Chapter Title: 2nd Princess, Hedera (3)

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Far in the past.

2nd Princess Hedera had been immersed in magic practice from dawn.

She was such a late bloomer that she couldn't afford to slack off even for a single day. Ever since she learned to read, she never neglected her studies, and even on stormy days, she eagerly volunteered for training.

Everyone around her clicked their tongues in pity. It was only natural. Despite her unrelenting passion, there were no results whatsoever. Could there be a more heartbreaking sight to behold?

Then, one morning.

Truly, without any warning.

Dragon Blood.

The supremely noble Dragon Blood manifested in the girl. Naturally, she awakened to Dragon Word and Word Command as well, and news of a Dragon Blood possessor in the imperial family swept across the entire continent.

Dragon Word. Word Command.

Their power was beyond imagination.

Hedera's standing flipped overnight. You could tell just from the titles now attached to her. The girl once called a dullard was now hailed as a genius and a dragonkin.

Invitations poured in regularly from academies and the Magic Tower. They weren't even asking to be taught; they humbly requested demonstrations for the inspiration of other mages.

Hedera, starved for human connection, gladly accepted, but no one could match her level. All she wanted was friends, yet neither cadets nor professors treated her that way.

She could cast spells that ordinary people might spend their entire lives trying to master with just a single word. Yet Hedera wasn't the type of girl to get arrogant and strut around.

Thus, because she wasn't a natural-born genius.

Because she remembered her days as a dullard.

All she could think was...

...Lonely.

Back when she was still a dullard, there were people around her who trained alongside her day after day. The results may have been meager, but the time spent together and the sweat they shed felt rewarding.

I want to be with everyone.

Hedera was a girl who valued companionship over her own achievements. She hoped those around her would grow quickly to reach her level, so they could mingle again.

However.

The world wasn't as accommodating as she wished.

On the contrary, it seemed to deliberately flow in the exact opposite direction of her intentions.

"2nd Princess? She just got lucky."

"She succeeded overnight without any effort."

"Why did Dragon Blood have to go to the 2nd Princess of all people...?"

Perhaps because the gap between her before and after was too vast, Hedera had somehow become someone who had never lifted a finger in her life. She couldn't easily grasp why she was hated.

So she tried even harder to do well and made an effort to be approachable to those she met. It was only after pouring her all into it that Hedera finally realized one truth.

"Seeing you kills my motivation..."

"My own efforts look so pathetic in comparison."

"We'll just do it among ourselves."

Being a genius was reason enough to be hated.

Her mere existence sparked inferiority complexes in others and crushed their drive. Paradoxically, for Hedera to get along with them, she had to stay out of sight.

How much time passed?

Hedera stopped going out altogether.

She simply watched her peers through the window.

Waiting indefinitely for the day their skills would rise enough for them to mingle again, she longed for that time and chanted her Word Commands.

Vague, abstract words. Word Commands no one could heed.

Even so, Hedera repeated them endlessly.

She was already suffering from severe depression. Lifeless, like a wilted flower crumbling to dust.

She might have died for real.

If not for that man who appeared in her life that day.

"I'm Zekiel. Starting today, I'll be in charge of you, Princess."

How long had it been since someone else entered her life?

His towering height made his face hard to see, but those blue eyes stood out sharply. His demeanor was impeccably polite, yet there was something sharp and intimidating about him.

On the first day of lessons, Hedera showed only the bare minimum of her abilities.

For one simple reason. If she displayed more than expected, he'd have nothing left to teach and leave. She didn't want that.

"Is this truly your best?"

Hedera felt relief the moment she heard those words. It was going according to plan. Her teacher wouldn't leave right away now.

"Princess."

But what came next from him...

Was something Hedera had never heard in her life.

"If you want to learn from me, you must at least reach this level."

The man began weaving ice in the air.

It started with familiar ice that Hedera knew well. But as formulas and strokes overlapped, it transformed into a sight beyond her wildest imagination. A feat that left her mouth agape.

This was magic.

And all the more astonishing because a human had cast it.

Even with Dragon Word, she couldn't guarantee she'd replicate it. Could human magic surpass that of dragonkin? As she pondered this...

"Princess."

"Y-Yes? Yes?"

Hedera jolted in surprise, her body trembling.

Thinking back, nothing good had ever followed "Princess" in her life. She feared he might leave without another chance.

But with just one sentence...

"In my presence, you must always give your all."

From the next day, it was pure bliss.

Being able to give her best without restraint. For Hedera, who had always hidden herself, it was a blessing.

Her teacher was far stronger than imagined, always surpassing her utmost efforts with ease. She could relax.

Thus, through her teacher, Hedera slowly harbored hope that humans could surpass dragonkin magic.

Humans have no limits either. If more mages like Teacher appear, we can all get along... Happy thoughts piled up in the girl's heart day by day.

The girl repeated tirelessly.

"Humans can surpass dragonkin magic!"

"It's possible."

"We'll surpass it together and all get along!"

She didn't know when that day would come, but Hedera could always shout with conviction. With her teacher, it was bound to happen. She'd stick by him until then.

However, her teacher was incredibly busy.

He had to teach the other princesses too, and he was often called away mid-lesson for miscellaneous duties. She understood, but it still hurt.

Perhaps that's why.

She vented her frustrations on her one ally.

Acted spoiled.

"I don't quite get it. Could you explain more?"

"Is this right?"

From one hour to two.

Two to four.

The time she demanded from her teacher kept growing.

"Could you make an ice sculpture that looks like me?"

Eventually, she started demanding more than just time.

"Teacher, why won't you play with me?"

"I hear you do lots with the other princesses."

"I want to play too, not just lessons."

She regretted the words the moment they left her mouth, but surprisingly, her teacher accepted readily. Her heart filled with excitement.

The day they agreed to play arrived.

Her teacher looked different from usual.

Formal uniform and boots instead of his normal attire. A hat covering his eyes. And he wasn't alone.

"Captain, we need to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠head out immediately."

"...Time."

"Emergency..."

Beside him were at least ten others in matching outfits, all with grave, serious expressions.

Only after a long while did her approaching teacher speak to Hedera.

"Princess, today's game is hide-and-seek."

"You absolutely mustn't come out until I find you."

Only then did Hedera understand. All those in the same clothes as Teacher were seekers too. It'd be tough, she thought, nodding vigorously.

And her teacher never found her.

No, he vanished entirely.

Hedera hid for a full two days, waiting.

Two days were nothing; she could've waited longer. But imperial palace soldiers found her first and dragged her out forcibly.

"Princess, there you are!"

"Found her! We found the Princess!"

"Let go! The game's not over...!"

At first, she denied it and kept waiting.

But a week.

A month.

A year.

Her teacher never returned.

Maybe she just needed to find the other seekers?

"No such people exist."

Even scouring the imperial records, she couldn't find those who were with him that day. Had she been too clingy, driving him away?

If so, she wanted to apologize somehow.

But he never came back. Even His Imperial Majesty gave unhelpful responses.

"He had his reasons and stepped down."

Hedera was alone again.

Left by herself, she threw herself into building the Magic Tower, staking her life on it.

So that when her teacher returned, he could praise her. To proudly show what she'd built while waiting.

And soon she realized.

No other humans were as remarkable as her teacher.

The potential she'd seen wasn't humanity's—it was just something her teacher possessed. Her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hopes crumbled to dust.

She cried every day, staying up nights with hollow eyes.

Those Word Commands never came true.

Long years followed.

The girl, nourished by tears, stopped crying one day.

She had finally bloomed into an adult.

At the same time, her emotions withered completely.

Abandoning the Magic Tower, she secluded herself in the dragon realm. Having realized her pleas wouldn't bring him back, she let go of vain dreams.

Still... sometimes she tried to forget.

Like embers reduced to ash, she no longer burned with passion. She just wanted to forget. If they'd never meet again, forgetting was better.

Forgetting hope's taste would make the present less painful.

That day, as usual, Hedera was deep in training in the dragon realm. Training never betrayed her, if nothing else.

That's when an unexpected letter arrived.

"...?"

She read it once. Then again.

"...What."

After ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the tenth read, Hedera furrowed her brow.

She didn't know how to react, but the letter was just one line, accompanied by what looked like a hand-drawn picture.

A proposal, no less.

...A marriage proposal? It lacked any realism.

"..."

Too much time had passed between them, untold years omitted. A proposal out of nowhere, without explanation? Complex emotions tangled and surged in her parched heart.

She made her decision swiftly.

The difference between child Hedera and now was her resolve to act. The girl once terrified to leave home had become a woman who boldly roamed the world.

So, she'd confirm it herself.

Meet him, ask questions, hear answers.

...No matter what.

And now.

In the corridor of the Imperial Magic Tower.

"... "

The man stood before Hedera's eyes.

Still those inscrutable eyes, lips lazily chewing sunweed amid fatigue and composure. Exactly as she remembered, yet so utterly changed.

What on earth was he thinking, sending that proposal?

She couldn't fathom it.

Couldn't even guess.

"...It's been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a long time."

Hedera finally parted her lips.

The beginning of a reunion that would shake the entire continent.