The Princess and the Puppeteer
If it didn't bother anyone, Lilit Valkart was the painful, regretful thorn in King Adrian's side. "Daddy. Did Mom die because I was cursed?" "!!!" He had never intended to have another child after his eldest son—the Crown Prince, a 3rd-grade knight who displayed immense talent. She was a child born despite the Queen's rigorous contraception. The Queen had always been frail, and the King, not welcoming the second pregnancy, had even considered terminating it. But he eventually yielded to the Queen's desperate will to keep the child, and in the end, he gained a daughter at the cost of his wife's life. Because of this, the King found it harder to approach young Lilit than his eldest son, the Crown Prince. And so, he ended up hearing those words from the mouth of his three-year-old daughter.
"Absolutely not! You were born from your mother's infinite love and affection. Do not listen to such words, and do not believe them." But the King, though a husband grieving his wife's death, was neither foolish nor stupid. "She is my daughter, left behind at the cost of the Queen's life. Find everyone who dared to whisper such wicked things into Lilit's ears! I shall deal with them all for treason!!"
If some transmigrator from another world had heard this, they would have spared no praise for him as a top 0.3% parent in the Middle Ages. In a medieval society where it was standard to label a child as an ominous "parent-eater" if they were born at the cost of a beloved wife's life—even if they were a boy or the only heir—he had swung his sword from the throne for the first time for a daughter who wasn't even the successor.
"Your Majesty! You must stop. People are starting to say that a rivalry for the succession is forming between the Crown Prince and the Princess among the nobles!"
But he had gone a bit too far. They say even a King can be cursed behind his back, but he hadn't just stopped at the Princess's ears; he had chased down the whispers of rats in taverns outside the capital, swinging his blade with the intent to wipe out the very roots of the rumors. As a result, he had inadvertently created a political rivalry between his five-year-old daughter and fourteen-year-old son.
"I am sorry. I lost my head..." "Father. It is fine. Lilit, are you interested in the throne?" "Hmm? No." "I thought so. Father, shall I just keep training with my sword?" "No, that's a bit..."
The Crown Prince, sitting his little sister on his lap and feeding her snacks, asked the King in earnest. Possessing a character and temperament more than sufficient to look after his late-born sister who had never known their mother's love, the Crown Prince didn't care what the people around them whispered. From the beginning, when the King had turned his eyes away from Lilit due to his wife's death, it was none other than the Crown Prince who had taken care of her. He carried her on his back and in his arms until she told him to stop, strengthening their bond, and he always took her to his training grounds to show off his skills, constantly engraving into her mind that he was the only reliable older brother she had.
"Ahem. Then, I shall show you this father's sword as well."
It was that day that the King, jealous of the Crown Prince who was so close to his little sister that he was almost envious, showed the power of a 2nd-grade knight—a power he had rarely shown even to his own son.
"Whoa..." "Uh, oh. Lilit? Your brother is right here, where are you going~? Lilit~?"
Lilit, six years old, saw the King's sword dance adorned with noble blue mana for the first time, and that day, she felt the emotion of 'beauty' from the very depths of her gut for the first time. "Daddy!! One more time! One more time!" "Oh. Did you like it? Very well, then this time, something even more intense...!"
The King, overjoyed that the father-daughter relationship, which had grown distant because of him, was drawing close again through what he did best, poured out his strength without restraint.
"Cough, cough..." "Daddy... does it hurt?" "Lilit is fine. It's just a light cold." "Father, you went too far. To swing your sword until your mana was exhausted just to show Lilit a slash that touches the heavens... are you a child?"
The King was a 2nd-grade knight, a master of mature skill, though he had not reached the 1st-grade level of Transcendence. He had repeated his "doting father" behavior until he collapsed, just because his daughter was looking at him with golden eyes that resembled her mother's for the first time. And that became poison.
"Brother. Brother." "Yes?" "Can't you do what Father did?" "Lilit. I am still only a 5th-grade." "Hmph. Boring." "......"
Lilit, completely captivated by the intensity of the realm just before Transcendence that the King had shown her. The sister who used to say her brother the Crown Prince was cool just for swinging a sword now began to fall into a dopamine addiction, seeking only those who were more intense and stronger.
"Y-you want me to show you that again?" "Yes!" "......"
His cute little sister was begging him to show her the events of that day again. But mana exhaustion was quite painful. Above all, if he collapsed, state affairs wouldn't run. The King couldn't grant Lilit's request, so he came up with a clever plan. "Summon the court mages."
While it was incredibly strenuous for a knight to imbue mana into a sword and release it, mages easily transformed mana into magic power to change its shape. Thus, he entrusted Lilit to the mages.
"Wow!! It's so pretty! It's so cool! I want to do it too!!" "Then, would the Princess like to study magic?"
The girl, who had opened her eyes to a new beauty while watching flames dance in the sky, asked, "If I learn magic, can I do it too?" "Yes. What I just showed you is an everyday spell called 'Ignition.' However, once you realize your attribute, you will be able to use even more wonderful magic." "I want to be a mage!!" "......"
The King and the Crown Prince lost Lilit's favor in an instant. Lilit, who began receiving magic education, came to realize the truth: that her brother, who used to take her to the training grounds, was overflowing with talent and was incredibly strong for his age. That the King was a powerhouse in the kingdom who had no equal. And that the court mage who showed her such wonderful magic was also a formidable 3rd-grade mage.
"So, you have to be strong to create beautiful and thrilling sights."
And she also realized the fact that she had no talent for it. Her mana sensitivity was average. Her mana conversion was average. Her speed in learning magic was average. It was a level of mediocrity where she couldn't even guess how long it would take to achieve the supreme beauty they had shown her with her own hands. Lilit felt sad. But that sadness of hers awakened her magic attribute in a completely different direction.
"Is this... my attribute magic?" "Oh! This is!"
Even if her talent was average, she was a Princess. With the unsparing support and education of the King, the Crown Prince, and the court mages, reaching the 6th grade by the age of sixteen was not a difficult task.
"[Clairvoyance]! It is a [Magic Eye] attribute magic that rulers of many kingdoms and empires could not possess even if they wanted to!" "Wow, I can see far. I can even see the castle entrance!"
Since she couldn't become strong herself, she wanted to see more of the strong and beautiful scenery that others created. A miracle-like magic born from such desperation. With that magic, she wanted to see more. "Father. I will enroll in the Academy." And the new strength she saw with those eyes was a sight so dangerous that she couldn't even tear her gaze away.
"It's unfair! It's so unfair!!" Lilit was so genuinely frustrated by the treatment she had received from Carix that day that tears welled up in her eyes. "Jena! Isn't there a way to give that guy a taste of his own medicine!?" "I am ashamed to say, but no."
There was truly no way. If his knight, Leng Dust, had been caught red-handed at the place where he was paying the assassination guild, things might have been different, but now that the incident was all wrapped up, there were no means left to take. The newspapers had already reported that the incident was caused by nobles who tried to cover up the murder of the young Duke, leading the knights to kill even the second son, Carix, only to be annihilated by the loyal knight Leng Dust. In the end, it was concluded that the Princess and the Royal Knights hadn't even been at the scene that day.
"Ugh!! It's so frustrating!!" Lilit, completely played for a fool, rained down a flurry of angry, soft-handed blows upon her pillow, but her anger didn't dissipate. "I will, I will definitely make you regret this someday!"
"I assume you aren't talking about me." "Hiccup!!?" "!!"
She was walking down the Academy hallway to attend class, fuming. The moment Lilit spat out her lingering resentment, she turned around, startled by the cold, small voice from behind. Carix, whom she was encountering for the first time inside the Academy, was standing there with his escort, Leng. "Your Highness. It is a pleasure to meet you." "What...!?"
He had dragged her into such a crazy incident and made a fool of her, and now he says, "It is a pleasure to meet you"? But Lilit felt the puzzled air of the surrounding students and looked at him with an "oh no" expression. This was the Academy. According to Jena, he was the young Duke who had never once appeared in class until now. In other words, this was her first time meeting him in a public setting. During the last incident, he had told her not to act out, and this was his confirmation. It meant she had to seal it with her own lips that she hadn't been at the scene that day, and that she wouldn't speak of it in the future.
"Yes. It is (not) a pleasure... to meet you, young Duke."
Honestly, she wanted to scream, slap his cheek, and order Jena to stab this guy right now, but Lilit gritted her teeth and endured it. Instead, she spoke her true feelings so only he could hear, but he just maintained his smile like a mask he had crafted and paid his respects. He was a truly infuriating human being.
"It seems you are heading to the self-defense combat class." "Y-yes, that's right..."
And honestly, she was a little scared, so her voice was even trembling. Until now, she had only thought that strength was beautiful. But the strength he had shown that day was so thoroughly cold, so desperately cruel. And because she knew that his cruelty could reach her, the Princess, at any moment, she had remembered the terror.
"Then, let us go." "Huh?"
What? No, I don't want to? Suddenly, what class? You don't need to learn self-defense combat. Why is a person who hasn't attended a single class until now suddenly... "Ten days is the limit for consecutive unexcused absences." "Hiccup!?"
Did I say that out loud? No? Jena's expression was also asking what on earth this was about?!
"Strength is not just one form." "...Were you a mage, young Duke? Can you read people's minds too?" "It is calculation and prediction. I was certain from your expression that day that although you had become afraid of me, you still wanted to find a way to get back at me." "Hiccup!?" I, I feel like I'm going to die of thirst! I hate this person...!!
"However, Your Highness. I am a vengeful spirit, not an indiscriminate murderer. If it is a matter that can be passed over without killing, I tend to do so." "W-why... are you... telling... me... that..."
She couldn't even resist the young Duke's actions as he naturally entered the classroom and escorted her. He spoke softly with a gentle smile that looked "crafted," showing not a single sign of disturbance.
"When I told you not to act out, it was because it would interfere with my revenge. As long as you don't do that, I can permit you one shot." "......Eh?"
While she was bewitched by the young Duke, the self-defense combat class began. Other students paired up with their own gender, but he naturally persuaded the professor and stood as her partner. "Try grabbing my wrist." "M-my shoulders are weak, you know." "As expected, you saw it that day." "Hiccup!!"
Lilit was truly at her limit. Honestly, she felt like she was going to cry. How could he put thorns... no, blades, into every word he spoke with that expression? Could he have even known about her Clairvoyance? No, right? That had been hidden by the King's order? "I won't eat you."
The young Duke naturally reached out and placed her hand on his wrist. Then, with his other hand, he grabbed her shoulder area...? -Bang!
"""!"""
Just now, what was that? It was her own body, but it felt like someone else's. She hadn't even used any strength, but the moment she thought he had pulled her, her entire body was swung like a single object. By that momentum, she had spun the young Duke around and flipped him over.
"Your Highness. That was magnificent!" "Huh?"
The self-defense combat professor, who had never praised anyone before, clapped with an impressed expression, and the surrounding students stared blankly with a mix of confusion and envy. Lilit, with a dazed head, could only stare blankly at the young Duke, wondering if this was truly something she had done.
"Your Highness." "Ah... young Duke. Are you okay!?"
She didn't know what was what, but Lilit instinctively reached out and offered words of concern to the young Duke, who had been slammed back-first into the floor. Carix, lightly grasping her hand, stood up slowly and spoke quietly so others couldn't hear.
"I am a madman with social skills. If you do not interfere, Your Highness, I can offer you this much 'hospitality' in class." "!"
The gentle smile that had only been awkward vanished, and his face, now wearing only a cold sneer, entered Lilit's vision alone. Had he come to class today to make this proposal? To offer the condition that he would let her "enjoy herself" occasionally? 'Does he think I'm some kind of dog that can't go for a walk?!'
"If I had to be precise, you would be a cat. One that cannot distinguish its place... due to curiosity." "Hiccup!!"
Lilit recoiled in horror at Carix's action of reading her thoughts again at will. Carix chuckled at the sight of the Princess and thought, 'Since I cannot kill the Princess, keeping her within a controllable range is the best option.' It was true that he would make it so the royal family couldn't touch him unless they were prepared to bleed. But if the Princess kept interfering and he ended up spilling blood by his own hand, the royal family would eventually become his enemy. He wanted to avenge his brother, not start a revolution.
'She's completely hooked.' He could tell by her expression. She was captivated and mesmerized by the 'strength' her own body had displayed when it moved on its own a moment ago.
"As long as I... don't interfere, right?" "Yes."
For now. He didn't know if he would find a way to use her later, but for now, just not interfering was enough. In the end, the Princess reached out her hand with an expression that seemed dissatisfied, yet secretly expectant.
"?"
Thinking it was a handshake, she tried to grab his hand, but the Princess suddenly grabbed his wrist instead. "Then, let me enjoy myself to the fullest starting today."
The Princess's expression as she spoke in a low voice with her lips curled up seemed, for some reason, to suit the role of a villain better than his own.