Court Mage Jonita Valhalla-usen and the Beauty Crowned Princess
“From what I have heard through rumors and my various agents, your child Seira has lost her memories.”
Seira had been pretending to have amnesia. After all, she had come from another world and possessed no knowledge of this one. Acting as though she suffered from memory loss would stir protective instincts and awaken the maternal affection of those around her.
“Then, as soon as dawn breaks, go to the Grand Duke’s knights and tell them this: Seira has finally regained her memories, and she is in fact my daughter. I will dispatch my royal guards to you at first light.”
Puyor’s eyes welled with tears of gratitude at the emperor’s words.
“Sob… Your Majesty’s grace is far too great!”
She dropped to both knees on the wooden floor, overcome with emotion. Watching her, Jonita Valhalla-usen, the Chief Imperial Mage, felt a pang in his chest. Just how terribly had that vicious Grand Duke Niberia tormented her for her to weep with such relief upon hearing she would be granted a noble title and protection?
Yet Jonita did not know that if Puyor handed Seira over, she would be elevated to the rank of countess. Of course, Puyor herself cared nothing for titles. She had come to regard Seira as her own daughter and wished only to make the choice that would bring her happiness.
“Ahem…” Jonita raised his right hand, dabbed at his tears with his sleeve, and continued. “The letter should reach you in about five days. I will order them to guard you and Seira with their lives, as though protecting my own daughter. Also, make certain Seira understands the truth—that she is my daughter.”
At that, Puyor suddenly clutched at Jonita’s trouser leg.
“My lord, no—please, you mustn’t.”
Jonita’s eyes widened. “Why not, madam?”
“The truth is… the Grand Duke’s wedding with Seira is in three days.”
“…..!!!!!!”
Puyor began to sob as though the lifeline she had just grasped was already rotten. “My poor Seira! Sob… what do we do?”
Jonita pressed his left index finger to his lips. “Now, now, madam. Do not fret. Everything will turn out well. However, the Grand Duke’s soldiers keep a strict watch. If you wish this plan to succeed, you had best lower your voice.”
“I understand… sniff. Thank you so much. Truly, thank you, Mage. And thank you, Your Majesty. I will never forget this kindness.”
“Everything depends on your words, madam. But do not overthink it—simply believe it is true and act accordingly. In fact, from this moment on, it would be best if you genuinely believed Seira has always been the imperial princess.”
Seira is the imperial princess…? “Y-yes? What do you mean by that?”
In truth, even Jonita Valhalla-usen, a man of high standing, had been deceived along with everyone else.
“The truth is… Lady Seira is the hidden illegitimate daughter of His Majesty Emperor Obern!”
“H-huuuuh…!!!!”
Puyor’s face went pale with shock even as fresh tears welled in her eyes. The girl she had raised was, in fact, the sole daughter of the Sun King, the Emperor of Lusa?
“Might I ask one thing?”
“Of course. Ask away.”
Puyor hesitated. She knew Obern’s character and reputation were far superior to Niberia’s, yet she wanted to be certain of the emperor’s intentions before sending Seira to him. What if the emperor was the sort who would lust after the young girl under the guise of calling her his daughter? The thought worried her deeply.
“She really is his true daughter, isn’t she?”
“Hahahaha! Fear not.” This time Jonita laughed heartily by mistake. Puyor quickly pressed her own finger to her lips to silence him.
“Lady Seira is the princess whom Crown Prince Dakus holds most dear.”
“Oh…” Only then did Puyor seem relieved. She had worried Seira might face hostility at court, but knowing the crown prince himself would be on her side was reassuring.
Before leaving, Jonita felt compelled to explain one more thing to Puyor.
“I am not certain I should say this, but… His Majesty is deeply wary of the Grand Duke.”
“Of the Grand Duke?”
“Indeed. Have you heard of the ‘Return from the Leval Plains’ incident?”
“No. People like me know nothing of such matters.”
“In the north, the event is also known as the ‘Colmir Mountain Peace Treaty Incident.’”
“Ah, I know of it. My grandmother used to tell us grandchildren that story by the campfire when I was little…”
While southern trading cities might be different, in the northern villages—even the most pastoral ones—there was not a soul who did not know the legend of Niberia’s great-grandfather Halpiam, who had bravely slain a Black Dragon.
“Yes. The northerners believe that after advancing to Colmir Mountain, Halpiam valiantly defeated the Black Dragons there and returned alive, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right. And on the way back, he used his army to drive out all the corrupt northern lords and unify the north, after securing a peace oath from the Kingdom of Bratan never to invade Lusa again.”
“All of that is a fabrication.”
“What? But… I heard that thanks to the friendship Halpiam forged with the Red Dragon, the Red Dragon stopped collecting the protection tax it had imposed on the empire’s citizens for over two hundred years.”
“That, too, is a complete lie.”
Puyor looked stunned. “So you mean only the northerners believed these falsehoods?”
“Correct.”
“Then the central and southern people knew the truth?”
“Of course. Moreover, every noble house grinds its teeth in hatred toward the Lykarter Grand Ducal family.”
Upon hearing that the true hero of the empire was someone else and that the Lykarter family had stolen the credit, Puyor grew curious.
“Then what exactly was the ‘Return from the Leval Plains’ incident? Please tell me more.”
The mage explained in detail how greedy and despicable Halpiam had been, how it was not Halpiam but the Count of Colmar who had bravely fought the Black Dragons alongside the Red Dragon, and how the Red Dragon had ceased tormenting the empire’s people because of the friendship between that count and the Red Dragon.
“That is why His Majesty is determined—absolutely determined!—to rescue Seira as a means of keeping the vile Lykarter family in check!”
Seira possessed a level of beauty unprecedented on the continent. If she fell into Niberia’s hands, he could easily incite war with any empire or kingdom. Conversely, if such a mythical beauty entered the imperial family’s possession, the Lusa Empire would gain the strongest marriage alliance in history. Thus, the Sun King Obern had made a political decision: he would publicly declare this unknown beauty to be his own daughter.
“Will you consent, madam? If you wish, you may accompany Seira to the capital. His Majesty will surely welcome you warmly and treat you as a noble lady.”
“Just thinking about it makes me tremble. Of course I consent. It has always been my wish for Seira to live in a place like the imperial palace.”
“Thank you, madam. However, I have one request as well.”
“What is it? I’ll do anything.”
“I wish to see Seira once before she departs for the long journey to the capital. I would like to bestow a blessing spell upon her.”
Unexpectedly, Puyor drew the line. She had no desire to show the drool-worthy mythical beauty to any man, and besides, Seira was currently sleeping soundly upstairs like a princess.
“I’m sorry. That will be difficult.”
“Ahem… I understand.”
Jonita Valhalla-usen pretended to leave, then, the moment Puyor’s back was turned, instantly teleported to the second floor—straight into Seira’s room.
* * *
“Jonita Valhalla-usen……”
Yet the moment he stepped into Seira’s study on the second floor, an unknown, beautiful woman’s voice brushed past his ears.
“W-who is there?”
“I already know you are the court mage.”
“Hrk…!?”