Prologue

“This time I’m finally back to normal,” Claudio said in a harmonious tone. He smiled broadly, causing Rosemarie to become choked up with emotion.

“I am... so very glad.” Reflected in the mirror in front of Claudio, there was no trace of either the moonlight-silver hair of the lion’s head or the curly, goat-like horns with their black obsidian luster. There instead, was a head of sleek black hair and a set of gallant, chiseled facial features. His pair of blue eyes were long, narrow, and rather apt at giving off the coldest of impressions. Right now, though, they were narrow from being pushed up in a tender, joyful smile. The reflection in the mirror was of a dashing young nobleman with an overall regal presence.

Mirrors only reflected the truth. This most likely meant that he would appear in human form not only to Rosemarie’s eyes, but to others as well.

“Seems I can use magic as well.” Claudio suddenly flipped his palm around. In the blink of an eye, a blue bird like the ones at their wedding appeared and flew off, chirping loudly.

Rosemarie fought back the tears trying to spill out of her eyes and smiled.

“I am so relieved I was able to return your mana.” Now Claudio wouldn’t have to worry about anyone hounding his position as crown prince or having his life in jeopardy. The very thought of that brought so much joy to her that she couldn’t contain it. However, at the same time, it also instilled her with a tinge of loneliness.

(I know Prince Claudio said that he had no plans to send me back to Volland even if his mana returned to normal, but... I have an inner trait that steals mana...)

If she were to once again end up stealing away Claudio’s mana, then that would mean throwing out the baby with the bathwater. And if that happened, Rosemarie was sure no one here would accept her as Claudio’s royal wife, and she’d be sent back to Volland.

Containing the swelling pain in her chest with both hands, she forced a smile.

“Okay, now I can inherit the throne without anything holding me down. The people of the kingdom are waiting outside the balcony.” As if in reaction to Claudio’s triumphant statement, a chorus of cheers erupted from outside the building.

“The... throne? But, His Majesty the King is still alive, so...” Claudio kept on walking toward the balcony, perhaps not even hearing Rosemarie’s inquisitive response. The scarlet lining of the jet-black cape draped over his shoulders fluttered behind him, momentarily overtaking Rosemarie’s field of view. In that short interval is when it happened.

“...Huh?”

Rosemarie’s eyes widened like saucers.

Claudio had physically shrunk. The cape adorning his back was now dragging on the floor. Despite that fact, Claudio somehow didn’t notice and proceeded toward the balcony.

Thinking that maybe her eyes were still afflicted, despite giving back Claudio’s mana, she looked at Claudio’s reflection in the nearby mirror once again—and he had indeed shrunk in size.

“Wait a second, Prince Claudio!” Rosemarie rushed after him and reached out for his cape, unable to make sense out of what was going on. She caught it as it fell away easily in her hands... and she froze in shock.

“What’s the matter? Hurry up, Rosemarie.” Claudio turned around and called out, looking up at Rosemarie with extremely docile eyes.

“P-Prince Claudio...”

“What is it? Why do you look so startled? Ah, I get it, you’re still not mentally ready to stand in front of the citizens? In that case, I’ll proceed ahead and handle matters and you can come out when things are a bit more settled.”

“No, that isn’t what’s wrong. You haven’t reverted back! In fact, your condition is worsening!” She shook her head violently, stepping aside so he could see the mirror. The fantastic form reflecting back at him had the head of a black-haired young man and the body of a winged, silver-haired lion—a sacred beast.

“My face is back to normal, see? And I can use my magic, too. Nothing wrong here. Let’s go. We’re running out of time.”

“No, there is something wrong here! I may not have any qualms with your state, but the people out there will surely be aghast!”

Claudio shook his wings as if it were nothing, producing a few palm-sized pale blue flames. He then tried to walk away, but Rosemarie clung to his fluffy neck in pursuit. It didn’t help, as he proceeded to drag her across the floor. It wasn’t long before they were almost at the balcony.

“Please, wait! Someone please stop Prince Claudio! His face is human yet his body is lion, and—”

“Whose face is human and body is lion?!”

The sudden shout of anger and the subsequent impact to her head caused Rosemarie to open her tightly shut eyes. What jumped into her field of view was the face of her husband Claudio, Crown Prince of the Magical Nation of Baltzar. He was glaring at her with an ill-tempered scowl and clutching his forehead.

“...Prince Claudio, you were a human-faced lion and the citizens were out on the balcony, which led to—No, wait, I mean, are you all right?!” She unhanded, not the neck of a silver-haired beast, but a cravat attached to a body that she proceeded to pat down all over, making Claudio red in the face enough to nab her hand.

“Stop that! Are you half-awake and delirious?!” Her seat rocked with the tempo of Claudio’s angry shout, which is where she finally came back to her senses.

She wasn’t in a plain room leading out to the castle’s balcony. She was inside an elegantly decorated carriage adorned with wallpaper featuring the faint image of the Baltzar royal crest. Rosemarie sat on a lavish yet comfortable cotton cushion to save her the strain of sitting. And, clad in his traveling clothes, Claudio was still a regular human young man.

“...I was just...”

“Remember where the two of us are going now?” Claudio let go of Rosemarie’s hand, exasperated. Then, in his seat across from her, he put his elbow against the windowsill to prop his head up and sighed. Rosemarie nodded vigorously, feeling like she was going to break into a cold sweat.

“...Yes! We are currently heading to the Holy Land to participate in the Sacred Relic Worship and meet with someone who might have a clue as to how we might restore your mana. Also, I think I remember drifting off to sleep with my bucket on my head...” Claudio had given her permission, so she took a nap with her trusty safety bucket on her head—or so she thought.

She scanned the carriage interior while rubbing her forehead, which stung for some reason. Upon noticing the silver bucket with the bright-green ribbon tied around the handle at her feet, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Right, you wore it. Yes, you certainly were wearing it.” Claudio’s raspy voice made Rosemarie cock her head in confusion as she clutched the bucket in the same way a small child would hug a stuffed animal, until she noticed the red spot on his forehead. The color drained from her face.

“I am so sorry! Did I hit you with my bucket? Huh? Wait, how was I even sleeping for that to...” Rosemarie remembered dozing off while sitting up. Had she leaned forward toward Claudio while in a half-asleep stupor and headbutted him? She looked at Claudio, perplexed, prompting him to quickly avert his eyes. His face, for some reason, was as red as a beet.

“...You seemed to be having a nightmare, so I tried to wake you up. But then the carriage shook and you jolted awake.” That would explain why Claudio looked away. Rosemarie still didn’t quite understand, but she felt guilty for doing something bad, nonetheless.

“I do apologize, though... I will try not to wear it while in the carriage.”

“Yes, I would appreciate it. Though, I would appreciate it more if you could store it somewhere at the bottom of the storage trunk.”

“Um, well, you see, this bucket is like a part of my body...”

“And I’m telling you to not make it one! How long will it take you to understand that humans don’t come with detachable parts?” Claudio furrowed his brow in disappointment as he repeated what he’d been saying all too frequently of late. He was throwing a bitter gaze at the bucket. Over the past few days, Claudio had come to shoot that gaze rather frequently.

“What is so great about that inanimate object, anyway?”

“It may be an inanimate object, but at the same time, it isn’t.”

“...Enough. That nonsense aside, do you still have what I gave you?” Claudio held his forehead wearily and looked at Rosemarie, dubious yet hopeful at the same time. It was a look that made the girl’s pulse skip a beat. She put her hand atop her chest to keep her pounding heart in check. As she did, her fingertips touched something hard beneath the cloth of her dress, and the sweet aroma of Kaola tickled her nostrils.

“Yes, I have it on.”

“I see. Good, then.” Claudio smiled, relieved. However, that smile only served to make her feel butterflies in her stomach. A trickle of heat tinged the back of Rosemarie’s neck, and she shook her head a bit to shake it off. And that was when it came to her.

—Rosemarie, stay by my side. No, please stay by my side.

Claudio’s pleading words in the greenhouse after she was cleared of her assassination charges ran past her mind.

While Claudio may have told her to forget what he said, that was practically impossible given his delivery.

(Even so, I must forget. Prince Claudio surely said those words out of the kindness of his heart. If I do not get his mana back to him quickly, his life will be in constant jeopardy.)

She needed to figure out how to return his mana to him so that (among other things) she didn’t let this item Claudio had prepared out of concern for her on their journey go to waste.

Rosemarie remembered how she prayed just as strongly back when he gave this to her, and she clutched the front part of her dress even harder as if to reassure herself that she had made up her mind.