◇◇◇ The Fae Princess and Another

Elizabeth, the famed Fae Princess, had met Leon seventeen years ago. He had just been granted the Schach name, which remained alien to his identity even at twenty-four.

Before Leon Schach turned seven, he had just been Leon. As he was born an illegitimate child, House Schach had elected to ignore his presence and told the world that they had no sons. Yet on his seventh birthday, Leon’s last name turned into more than a series of letters on the family register.

“You’re going to live at the main house from now on,” Leon’s mother said proudly.

These were the words that had upended his entire life. Up until this point, it had been just him and his mother, and she had not been all that enthused about rearing her own child. Growing up in a somewhat desolate household, the unbathed scamp was suddenly and forcibly transformed into the heir of a noble house.

Noble children received blessings from the Church at seven, and their families subsequently held feasts to celebrate their societal debut. Leon’s was less than a month away; Count Schach had already invited his peers and even written up a list of who was to be greeted in which order. Yet Leon had heard absolutely nothing until the day when his mother cast him away.

Taken aback by the sudden turn of events, Leon was quickly encircled by guards and ferried off to his father’s mansion. These large, empty halls were to be his new home.

From there, his days were filled with uncomfortable clothes, stiff shoes, and bath scrubs that nearly peeled off his skin. Not to mention the fact that he received an education that he’d never asked for: he didn’t care which dish he was meant to eat first, with what utensil, or with what kind of posture. The unreasonable demands that plagued him every day were chipping away at his soul.

Leon hated his life as a Schach so much that he would go on to tell his future mentor, “I had a bad feeling about it all from the start. I should have run away, even if I had to kick aside my own mother to do so.”

Because of Leon’s lack of cooperation, his instructors grew impatient with him. They would sooner be able to teach a wild monkey to dance than bring up this feral child. Their frustration turned lessons into training—bluntly, it was well within the realms of abuse. He was beaten and left to starve; robbed of his will to resist, he inevitably turned into a hollow shell.

However, soon after he turned into a husk that knew nothing but obedience, a fateful encounter awaited him.

Hunger, fatigue, and pain—these were the three thoughts cycling through Leon’s mind on the day of his big event. Both the holy ceremony and the after-party were nothing but suffering for the main star.

The whole time, he’d been bowing his head to a never-ending line of guests without a shred of emotion. Among the crowd, he heard gossipers refer to him as “half a child,” which he quickly recognized as a slight on his birth. Incapable of mustering the will to care, he simply continued greeting stranger after stranger.

Suddenly, the expansive banquet hall began to stir.

“Lady Elizabeth!”

“Ah, the Fae Princess.”

“Beautiful as ever.”

Drawn by excited words of praise, Leon’s gaze joined countless others to look at the new arrival. At the center of all the attention was an older gentleman leading what looked to be his daughter by the hand; the charming girl’s pink-blonde hair instantly caught Leon’s eye.

Her name was Elizabeth Marschner. With a slim figure and a petite face to match, the sixteen-year-old’s mystifying grace indeed looked like a royal pixie. She broke through the crowd of onlookers enchanted by her dainty smile and stopped before Leon.

“Congratulations,” the older gentleman said to Leon’s father. Although the two noblemen began to converse, Leon was too lost in the girl’s stunning looks to listen. He could hardly blink.

Noticing his gaze, the beauty smiled more softly than the clouds in the sky. Even this tiny movement was captivating enough to draw a gasp from some members of the crowd. Yet the serenity would be cut short all too soon.

“Eek!” she screamed.

“Elizabeth, what’s wrong?” her father asked.

“Something moved over there,” the Fae Princess said, trembling. “Is that...a rat?!”

The girl pointed at the ground, bringing everyone’s attention to a perfectly still rat. Despite usually favoring filthy environments where they could hide themselves, this specimen had come out into the open banquet hall. The marble floor was so clean you could see your own reflection in it, yet here it was.

Unable to process this incredulous scene, both the rat and the people around it had frozen in time.

“Eeeeeek!” A piercing scream broke the silence.

Spurred on by the sudden noise, the rat took off; from there, panic spread like wildfire. Some ran away from the scurrying rodent and others chased it, but everyone was shouting as they contributed to the chaos.

“It’s just a rat. I know it’s probably dirty, but still,” Leon said to himself.

His father had disappeared before anyone else. Now freed from his duties, Leon stood up straight. Suddenly, someone in the river of people rushing by him grabbed him by the hand.

“...Fae Princess?” Once again, she flashed him the same delicate smile; with an unexpectedly powerful grip, she pulled him away from the main hall.

────

Leon’s heart was racing from the silky fingers tugging him along as he and the Fae Princess fled the scene. Eventually, the two of them slipped into an open room meant for drunk guests, where Elizabeth quickly locked the door behind them.

“Whew! Gosh, that charade sure was boring, huh?”

Leon was baffled. His mind couldn’t connect those words to the pretty noble in front of him.

“Fae...Princess?” he asked in a daze.

“Yep, that’s me,” she said while cracking her neck. “Fae Princess Elizabeth Marschner, at your service! But, you know, it’s not like I go around calling myself that, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t use that stupid nickname.”

Elizabeth let out a boisterous laugh. Everything from her speech to her mannerisms was completely different from the air of fragility she’d displayed moments prior.

“Um, I’m Leon. I didn’t realize that you were so...un-noble-like? You seem rather easy to get along with, Lady Elizabeth.” Leon ran his mouth without much thought, but suddenly realized that she might be upset by his evaluation.

“Really? Thanks!”

Yet just as his panic began to set in, Elizabeth responded with nothing but joy. Breathing a sigh of relief, he glanced at the locked door.

“Don’t sweat it,” Elizabeth said. She’d noticed the hint of fear in Leon’s eyes as he looked toward the entrance. “You saw the commotion, right? I think I saw some fool casting combat magic to catch it, so they’ll be stuck over there for a while. Relax, relax.”

“Well... I’m worried about getting punished for sneaking away, but I’m also curious as to what’s going on outside.”

“That’s true! Everyone was going wild! Gosh, watching everyone’s reactions was so much fun. Don’t you think it’s a bit much for one rat?”

Leon responded to Elizabeth’s laughter with a quick nod, but there was something else on his mind. He opened his mouth to ask a question that he already knew the answer to.

“That rat just now... You were the one who brought it in, weren’t you?”

Elizabeth had been the first to scream, but she was clearly unaffected, unlike the blue-blooded girls around her. Furthermore, when she’d smiled to gather everyone’s attention, Leon had seen her hand move from the corner of his eye. Putting those pieces together, he brought forth his findings, only to be hit with an instant admission of guilt.

“Yep. I was sneaking a bite in the kitchen when I found my snacking buddy, Karlchen.”

“You named it?” Leon asked incredulously. “And on top of the rat incident, you were stealing food... I’m not an upstanding gentleman or anything, but you’re weird for a noble princess.”

“Oh, don’t make me blush,” Elizabeth said with a bashful smile. “Being told I’m not a good noble is the highest praise I can ask for.”

“I’m not praising you. In fact, naming a rat and taking care of it is weird even for a commoner.”

“I mean, I named him because I was in the moment, but I don’t know if I took care of him. I guess I’d like for Karlchen to get away safely, since he’s the reason you and I got to escape.”

“In that sense, I suppose I should say my thanks to him too... Is Karlchen a ‘him’?” Leon asked with a snicker.

Seeing the boy laugh without reserve for the first time put Elizabeth’s heart at ease. Though, of course, she didn’t let him know that.

“Leon, you looked awful earlier. So bad that I snatched you away.”

“...I was feeling a bit tired.”

“I don’t blame you. Being the star of the show is exhausting. Have you eaten anything today?”

Leon shook his head weakly.

“I’ve been told that I will eat if I get through the day without causing any problems. At any rate, there wasn’t any time to eat today.”

Elizabeth furrowed her brow. She heaved a deep sigh steeped in her anger at House Schach and dug around in the folds of her dress sleeve.

“Here,” she said with a smile. “My head chef handed me these crackers to snack on. Eat up!”

Leon scrutinized the items wrapped in paper and determined that they did seem to be crackers. Although he had his doubts as to where they’d come from or how she’d snuck them in, he was too hungry to care, and he picked one up.

“Thank you very much,” he said.

“No big deal,” Elizabeth said with a bit of flair.

Leon laughed at her gallant response and began stuffing his mouth with crackers. The wonderful taste made him ramp up the speed as he munched away.

“If anyone from your family asks, seeing that hideous rat caused the dainty and frail Fae Princess to feel ill; you led her to a guest room and nursed her until she was better. Got it? At least, that’s the story I’m going with.”

Leon had no complaints as he accepted one cracker after another. Even if he had something to say, his mouth was too full to speak. Besides, he figured that no one would believe him if he told the truth.

Elizabeth’s story made far more sense. The strangeness of this “truth” nearly caused Leon to burst out laughing, but he devoted himself to eating for the time being.

“How did you manage to bring in that rat—sorry, Karlchen?” After finally finishing all the food, Leon’s complexion was looking much better as he asked what had been on his mind.

“Magic,” Elizabeth replied dryly. “I put him to sleep and tucked him in my sleeve—oh, the other sleeve. Not the one with the crackers. Anyway, I tossed him in and whipped my arm, like this! And when he went flying, I undid my spell. That sure must have been a shocker for Karlchen.”

“You can do that with magic?” Leon said. He had yet to learn anything about the mystic arts, and Elizabeth was thoroughly impressing him.

“Mm...” The girl shook her head. “Nope, this is actually a forbidden curse. I’ll be in hot water if anyone finds out, so keep it a secret, okay?”

Elizabeth flashed a devilish smile. Leon didn’t quite understand, but he nodded along anyway. As his head bobbed, he began realizing what it meant to be able to render someone unconscious with magic. Secrecy necessarily followed with how much danger it represented, and he shuddered in a moment of epiphany.

“Who are you?” he asked.

Elizabeth tilted her head.

“Hmm, I dunno. I guess you could say I’m a woman of ambition. I have a very important goal, and I don’t have time to pick and choose how I get it done. That’s why I learned these shady spells and always act the part of the good little patrician.”

Her smile broke out into a full-on smirk.

“Power is something that you should hide as much as you can. You might become stronger as you begin studying magic, but don’t let anyone on to your true ability. You and I are lucky: I’m a frail flower and you’re ‘half a child.’ Everyone already thinks we’re powerless. Isn’t that great?”

“It’s a good thing that they think we’re weak?” Leon asked.

“It’s amazing,” Elizabeth said with an emphatic nod. “Let them think we’re feeble puppets that can only smile and look pretty. When the final moment comes, our enemies will grow careless.”

“Enemies?”

“You heard me. For me, that’s my family and high society as a whole. All of the terrible people trying to tear me away from the one I love.” Elizabeth directed a hateful glare toward the ceiling.

Leon didn’t know what to say. She looked ready to take on the whole world by her lonesome.

Elizabeth turned her gaze back to him. Her expression was set with grave importance. “You’re the same as me, Leon. Everyone in your family is an enemy, right? Not like you can trust these rich lowlifes. At the very least, Count Schach is pure scum.”

“I didn’t trust him to begin with,” Leon said. “But I’ll be extra careful from now on to not let him shackle me.”

Elizabeth smiled in satisfaction at the boy’s answer.

“...Do you think I can learn to use that magic too?”

Leon had the will to not be bound, but without the power to do so, he would be stuck clinging to his guardians for life. Seeing how his mother had turned out had given him a look into what might become of his own future.

“Who knows? It depends on if you’re suited for it or not. Putting that aside, it’s really draining to learn this sort of magic. Curses tend to bounce back to the caster if you’re still getting used to them, and that’s a massive ordeal every time. When I was learning that spell I cast on Karlchen, it knocked me out for three days straight. Thankfully, that kicked off my image as a fragile princess, so it all worked out in the end.”

“I don’t mind. I want to try it.” Leon looked Elizabeth straight in the eye. With equal parts respect and admiration, he said, “I want to be strong, like you.”

“Heh, you’re making me blush. Okay, Leon, I’m taking you on as my disciple! Er, well, I’m self-taught and planning to leave the capital soonish, but I bet I can teach you the basics. After that, you’ll have to consult my secret room at the academy.”

“What academy?”

“The Royal Academy of Magic that I’m attending right now. But I’m sure my family’s going to marry me off with some random guy as soon as I graduate, so I might elope before then...if August’s body holds up. Sorry, I’m getting off track. Anyway, you’ll probably attend this academy when you turn fifteen to learn all sorts of things, just like every other kid with magical abilities. The school is older than you can imagine and there are old buildings hidden everywhere, so there isn’t a single person that knows all of its secrets. Plus, it’s a blessed place where not even the crown is allowed to meddle with us, let alone my awful family. That makes it the perfect spot for hiding illicit goods, like my collection of black magic textbooks. I’ll teach you how to get into the vault, but you’re going to have to do the studying on your own. Deal?”

Elizabeth’s explanation was laden with tangents; it was hardly what one could call focused. Still, Leon’s response was already set in stone.

“Yes, master!”

Leon Schach had been a boy who knew nothing but despair. Yet his venerable mentor had given him the key to protecting himself. Although their time together had amounted to less than a year, it had been enough to save him.

Elizabeth had taught him the power of a fake smile; she’d taught him how the weak are meant to fight. That she had gone on to use these skills to protect her daughter for fifteen years was reason enough for Leon to respect her.

To Leon, she was absolute: nothing in existence could be more worthy of being honored than his esteemed master. And that very same mentor hadn’t changed a bit in the decade and a half that she’d been away.

“Heya, Leon! You sure have grown up.”

“What in the world are you doing...?” When Leon found his savior strung up in the air, stuck in a trap that he had made, he could offer nothing but a weak smile.

────

There was an empty courtyard in a remote corner of the academy. It housed ruins that were once the holy grounds for a heretical cult. Few knew about the decaying structure, and even fewer knew about the secret room hidden deep within.

However, on this particular autumn night, this hideaway was the backdrop for a fair bit of commotion. A petite woman was strung up near the entrance, and a lanky man was doing all that he could to get her down without injury.

“Oh, for the love of—what are you even doing here?! Stop moving like that or it’ll tighten around your neck!”

“Urp... I happened to be in the area, so I stopped by to see my adorable little disciple... How did you make this thing, anyway? It’s literally sucking the life out of me...”

The long awaited reunion of master and pupil had been reduced to this sorry state of affairs. Leon sighed as he carefully unwound the rope and explained.

“I imbued this rope with all sorts of spells. Let me think... It has weakening, sleep, paralysis, and—what was it? Hallucinations and memory manipulation, maybe? Honestly, I’m surprised that you’re still conscious. Not that I’ve ever used this rope, since no one’s ever made it this far. I assume the effects aren’t as potent because you’re already familiar with curses.”

“Sixteen years away, and my little student has surpassed me,” Elizabeth said in awe. “I didn’t know you could infuse stuff with black magic.”

Leon was happy to be praised. The feeling of being recognized for his years of secretive hard work was incredible, but his distorted upbringing left him unable to honestly express his joy.

“Well, I had my fair share of enemies. This room is full of all sorts of secrets. Frankly, I don’t know if this is enough.” Leon finally managed to undo his own trap, and he gestured toward the collection of tomes that he’d inherited alongside the room. As the freed Elizabeth looked around, a deep nostalgia welled up inside her.

The two of them sat on a rug in the center of the room, facing one another. Leon searched for something to say. Rumors of Elizabeth’s return to the capital had been pervasive enough to reach his ear even though he’d left high society behind when House Schach had disinherited him.

There were so many things that he wanted to tell her. He wanted to thank her and show her how much he’d grown, and talk for long enough to make up for lost time. Most of all, he wanted to at least express how happy he was to know she was alive, and that she’d come home after all this time. And yet...

“And?” he asked with a sneer. “What are you doing here at this hour?”

Leon ended up being unable to hide his displeasure at how absurd the circumstances of their reunion were. It was the dead of night, and he wouldn’t even be awake had he not been alerted to an intruder.

“Well,” he said, “you were the one to set off the alarm spell, so I assume you triggered it with the hope of drawing me here. Still, what would you have done if I went to bed and chose to let my traps handle the defense? You could have died. Were you hoping to read through your collection again while I was away? You didn’t actually just happen to pass by, did you?”

In contrast to Leon’s disdainful interrogation, Elizabeth shook her head lightly.

“No, that’s the thing. I really happened to just be around. Look, see?”

She pulled out a cat-like mask with elaborate embroidery meant to cover half of one’s face. Paired with the time of night and the fact that Leon had not heard of any public gatherings nearby, he could only come to one conclusion.

“Ah,” he spat, “so the infamous masquerade is being held in the area tonight?”

While masquerade balls could be harmless fun for those that liked to dress in costumes, the current fad around the capital was not so innocent. By discarding one’s identity, deviant nobles enjoyed a single night with another just as unbound by common sense.

“Yep,” Elizabeth said. She too sighed with displeasure. “I’m a widow, aren’t I? Technically, I didn’t legally marry, but that’s how the world is treating me now. According to the wonderful people of House Marschner, it’s my place as a widow to enjoy this sort of entertainment. Some things never change!”

“Wow... Nobility really never changes.” Leon had put some distance between himself and aristocratic life, so hearing Elizabeth’s story caused his face to scrunch up.

“I bet the Marschners want me to go play with some old geezer and remarry. So, I was thinking that I’d say I was feeling ill on the night of, but I realized it was right next to the academy. I put the old fart to sleep and slipped out to come visit an old friend.”

“The fact that you were in a room where you could slip out undetected means that you were cutting it close, master. Well, I’m glad to see you’re all right.”

Elizabeth’s escapades soured Leon’s mood, but he truly was happy to see her safe. He glared at the mask and the horrendous party it represented when it suddenly came flying at him.

“Take it,” Elizabeth said. “It doubles as a ticket, so anyone can go in so long as they’re wearing that. You can enjoy a fling, or you might be able to get some snooping done—in fact, I got all the intel I wanted out of it.”

“I have no interest in playing around, but I appreciate the avenue for information...or at least, I would, if this weren’t a woman’s mask.”

“Oh,” Elizabeth said, clapping her hands in realization. “I guess you don’t need it, then?”

“No, I’ll hold on to it. I’d rather you not carry something like this around.”

“...Oh?” Elizabeth tilted her head.

“I adore you more than anybody else, master,” Leon said with a smile. “I’d rather you not involve yourself with these foolish games.”

“You sure have grown, Leon.” Elizabeth snickered. Her little student had grown up enough to sweet-talk her, though she remained fully in control.

“I have. I’m as old as your husband once was.”

Leon pushed the conversation another step forward. Although Elizabeth’s smile never waned, her eyes were sharp as she replied.

“I see... But August was, is, and will forever be my only love.”

She spoke as if to state a simple fact. Her unwavering confidence gave shape to the clearest rejection a man could ever receive. Yet on the receiving end, Leon’s smile grew deeper at her words.

“I know. I admire and respect you as my savior. All I want is to give back in some way...” For the time being. He swallowed these final words.

“Really now? I heard my poor Fiene’s grades are just hopeless. Professor Leon, won’t you please give her some extra lessons?”

With a broad, playful smile, Elizabeth tried to lighten the mood. In turn, Leon answered by playing the clown.

“I’m not in the business of working extra hours. Besides, I’m sure her sister, Lieselotte Riefenstahl, will do wonders in my stead.”

“You ungrateful disciple! Your master doesn’t remember raising you to be this way!”

“How strange, I don’t remember you raising me at all.”

Leon and Elizabeth traded quips and snickered back and forth. As an amicable mood settled in, he decided to ask a question that he’d wanted to know the answer to for years.

“Master...why did you take me under your wing?”

“Hmm...” Elizabeth began to think. Slowly, as if to ponder over every word, she said, “I practically live on instinct alone. Just like little Karlchen, I brought you along because I thought it’d be more fun that way. But I think if I had to choose one reason...when we first met, you had this look on your face like you’d given up on everything, and I wanted to turn that into a smile.”

Hearing her answer, Leon showed her the biggest, fakest grin he could manage. Mirroring him, the Fae Princess flashed her trademark elegant smile.

Leon may have surpassed his teacher in the realm of magic, but he still couldn’t hold a candle to her impeccable guise. For whatever reason, that made him somewhat happy. And as the two of them enjoyed this heartwarming moment, Elizabeth broke through the silence.

“Speaking of the young lady who’s going to save my daughter’s grades, there’s this awful menace that’s going to sacrifice Lieselotte to destroy the entire world. In fact, it’s sealed away in these very ruins.”

“...I can’t believe you can say such horrific things without breaking character.”

The Fae Princess knew that she was no help in a fight. Instead, she collected every bit of knowledge that she could, uncovering secrets about these heretical ruins unknown even to the royal family. The gods had wished for her disciple’s powers, and here she was, ready to finally drag him on stage.