00 【Prologue】

 

The Magic Academy of the Kingdom of Montrose.

The hall, lavishly decorated for the graduation party, bustled with graduates, their families, and invited guests.

This year, His Highness Gilford, the First Prince and the king’s eldest legitimate son, was graduating. The occasion had drawn an even larger crowd than usual, making the celebration all the more grand.

The tall prince had the same golden hair as the king and deep crimson eyes. He was well respected at the academy and was not the sort to intimidate others with his authority. Today, however, an air of intense tension surrounded him as he stood before his fiancée, Ashley, daughter of Margrave Grenville.

The two were surrounded by an illustrious gathering: Archibald Montrose, king of this very kingdom; Queen Claudia; Chancellor Richard Hamilton; and Ashley’s father, Margrave Godfrey Grenville.

Behind them stood the commanders of the First, Second, and Third Knight Orders, along with the commander of the Mage Corps, providing security. Ashley and Gilford’s classmates, who were also graduating that year, were present as well. Among them were Ashley’s personal attendant, Hector, and the chancellor’s son, Eduard.

Beside Eduard stood Liana, a commoner girl whom Ashley had invited, with a worried look on her face. She was one of the few people who could wield light magic.

As the guests noticed the unsettling atmosphere around the prince and the hall fell silent, Gilford’s voice rang out.

「Ashley, daughter of Margrave Grenville. I hereby break off my engagement to you.」

Before him stood Ashley, her back straight and her bearing dignified. With her shining silver hair and amethyst eyes, she appeared, at first glance, to be a delicate young lady.

「Understood.」

Without so much as a change in expression, she performed a graceful curtsy.

「Is that all?」

「Hm? Oh, should I ask the reason as well?」

Delight was beginning to seep into Ashley’s expression.

Was it their imagination, or was there a lilt in her voice, too?

「No, I suppose there is no need to explain…」

「Is that so? …You know, something about how I bullied Liana, who can use such valuable healing magic?」

You have the wrong idea.

「Ashley-sama has never bullied me! Ashley-sama is… Ashley-sama is…」

「Liana. It’s all right.」

「But…!」

Even as Liana denied her words, Ashley merely cut her off, looking pleased.

「Or how I behaved disrespectfully toward Your Highness…」

So you were aware of that.

「…Oh, could you banish me from the country?」

「「「「Absolutely not!」」」」

Everyone around her objected at once…

「Is that so…? What a shame.」

It’s a shame…?

Everyone silently questioned her reaction.

「We are no longer engaged, but I swear that if you ever find yourself in trouble, I will do all I can to help you.」

At Gilford’s gentle words, Ashley’s amethyst eyes widened in surprise.

Still gazing at her, he added,

「I will always be on your side.」

「……」

Apparently unable to grasp his true meaning, Ashley tilted her head. From every angle, she looked like a delicate young noblewoman.

Looked like one, at least.

「You are free. Live as you wish!」

「Yes! Thank you very much!」

These words, at least, seemed to be perfectly clear to her, and her joy spilled straight into her thanks.

「Then, if you will excuse me, I shall take my leave for the evening.」

After another graceful curtsy, Ashley turned on her heel and strode briskly out of the hall.

Even after the doors closed, her footsteps echoed into the silent room.

They soon grew faster…

She’s running…

By the time everyone was certain she must be running, the sound had faded out of earshot.

「With your permission, I, too, would like to take my leave.」

Hector, Ashley’s personal attendant, bowed to Prince Gilford and the king.

「Of course. You have your work cut out for you as well, Hector… I leave her in your care.」

「Understood.」

Hector left the hall in pursuit of Ashley, whom surely no one imagined had run off in sorrow.

After watching Ashley depart so happily and Hector follow after her, those remaining in the hall turned their attention to Gilford. As the other party to the broken engagement, he appeared thoroughly dejected. His father the king, the queen, the chancellor, and even Ashley’s father, the margrave, wore solemn expressions as they tried to console him.

「Did Ashley truly dislike me that much…?」

「Your Highness! It was not you that my daughter disliked. Surely she only wished to avoid becoming queen as a consequence of marrying you!」

「I see… Becoming queen…」

「Your Highness, I trust you are not considering anything ill-advised.」

The chancellor immediately cut in.

It seemed his fleeting thought that his younger brother, the Second Prince, could inherit the throne instead had been seen through.

「This is the first I’ve heard of her wishing to be banished, but I’m glad she seems to have given up on the idea.」

At the chancellor’s words, everyone nodded emphatically. They could not let her leave the country.

「We have lost the chance to bring a remarkable talent into the royal family.」

「Yes, it is such a shame. I am very fond of Ashley!」

「I am grateful that you think so highly of her, but if my daughter joined the royal family, I would lose sleep worrying every single night.」

「That is certainly true…」

「I wonder if there is a man who could keep Ashley-sama in check…」

「No, perhaps she ought to take a wife rather than become one… Might having someone to protect change her?」

「But would a man agree to become her wife…?」

「A man as her wife, hm…」

Even as the king and the others’ thoughts veered off in a thoroughly unexpected direction, no one could bring themselves to point it out.

 

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

Meanwhile…

After Ashley left the hall, her body began to glow with a faint golden light, and her running speed rose sharply.

She ran so fast that one had to wonder how she managed it in an elaborate gown and heels.

Between her extraordinary speed and the sheer absurdity of the sight, the guards at the academy gates were unable to react. Ashley left the grounds without anyone stopping her.

She did not follow the streets used by carriages and pedestrians. In fact, she did not follow a road at all. Instead, she headed almost straight for the Grenville family’s residence in the royal capital, leaping over obstacles as she took the shortest possible route.

Carried along by her sheer delight, she kept running and reached the mansion in no time at all. As a result, the carriage meant to bring her home was left behind, though that evening’s coachman did not yet know it.

Startled by Ashley’s jubilant arrival without her carriage, the butler and the other servants barely finished greeting her before launching into questions.

「Welcome home, milady. What happened to your carriage!?」

「Oh? I seem to have forgotten it.」

She paused for a moment to think, then answered without looking particularly abashed.

How anyone could forget a carriage was beyond the comprehension of the thoroughly sensible butler. Nevertheless, he could imagine that his young mistress had run home, leaping over all manner of things along the way. Habit was a frightening thing.

Not that he wanted to understand.

The dirt on her gown was all the evidence he needed. Not that he wanted to ask where she had been running, either.

「Should we send someone to fetch the carriage that was supposed to fetch me? Father should still be at the academy, so I’m sure it will be all right.」

「……」

「More importantly, Clarissa!」

「Yes?」

「Gilford-sama has finally broken off our engagement!」

「What…?」

The unexpected declaration brought her personal maid Clarissa’s thoughts to a halt.

「I couldn’t get him to banish me, but the engagement is over! It’s all thanks to your warning, Clarissa. Thank you!」

Who would ever give her a warning to help her get her engagement broken off? How could she possibly have twisted it to arrive at that conclusion? Clarissa… No, no one could understand.

「Th-th-th…」

「Th-th-th?」

「That is NOT what I meant!!」

Faced with the fiercest rebuke her personal maid could muster, Ashley broke into a broad grin.

Yes, Ashley was smiling even as she was being scolded. She must have been very happy indeed.

「What are you smiling about!? How on earth did you get your engagement broken off!? Did your father have nothing to say about this!?」

「Um…」

「Ashley-sama! Tell me the truth!」

「Um…」

「Milady!!」

As Clarissa continued to give Ashley a thorough scolding, a familiar, somewhat angry voice called out to her.

「Oh, Hector. What is it? Have you come home as well?」

「Don’t ‘What is it?’ me! What were you thinking, running all the way home!? The coachman was in a panic!」

「Oh! …Um… I got carried away?」

「That is no excuse! Honestly! And look how dirty your gown is! Have you forgotten how hard everyone worked to prepare you for today!?」

「Oh… I’m sorry…」

When Ashley remembered how the servants had worked to turn her into the finest of ladies for that evening’s graduation party, merely feeling sorry hardly seemed to cover it.

As she hung her head dejectedly, her personal attendant Hector heaved a great sigh before speaking gently.

「Haah… Well, what can we do? You are our young mistress, after all.」

「Quite right. This is Ashley-sama, after all.」

「Indeed. She is our Lady Ashley, after all.」

Her personal maid Clarissa and the butler Toby both agreed.

「Now, milady! Let’s get you changed. Since you’re home, Boniface will be pulling out all the stops for tonight’s dinner!」

The head maid Sorrel’s voice rang out.

「All riiight!」

Ashley’s smile returned, and the servants welcomed her home with warm, if somewhat rueful, smiles of their own.