Chapter 1: Reunion with the Heartless Princess

Chapter 1:
Reunion with the Heartless Princess

 

FOR EIGHTEEN YEARS, I lived a boring, ordinary life, just like any other girl. The only highlight? An otome game called Our Ray of Light, or ORL. This immensely popular series was my secret joy. At least, it was while I was alive.

 

***

 

“Ugh! I can’t believe Big Brother would just leave us behind.”

Tiara Royal Ivy, the younger princess of the kingdom, stood at my side with her cheeks puffed out in protest. Despite her indignation, she looked angelic with her wavy blonde hair and golden eyes.

Tiara, now eleven, glared at an empty spot on the floor. Only seconds ago, our brother had stood there—before he vanished in a blink.

“Stale probably couldn’t help it,” I told her. “That was an incredible battle, after all, and I’m sure he can barely contain his excitement. Let’s cut him some slack, okay?”

I took Tiara’s hand and urged her to carry on. Our guards closed in as we hurriedly walked toward the gates of the royal order’s training grounds.

“I’m excited, aren’t you?” I smiled at Tiara.

“Yes, Big Sister.” She beamed, her anger melting away.

In this world, people knew me as Pride Royal Ivy, firstborn princess and Tiara’s older sister. At thirteen, I was growing into my bright-red wavy hair, though my sharp purple eyes still threw people off. But they had to tolerate me, for here in the kingdom of Freesia, I was in line to inherit the throne. That wasn’t merely due to my lineage, however. Ours was the only nation where humans were born with special powers, and I had earned my position as crown princess five years ago, when my power of precognition manifested at last.

“How about it? Finally satisfied, Stale?”

An enthusiastic cry rose beyond the gates. Tiara and I looked at each other and smiled. It had to be Stale’s habitual companion, Arthur.

“Arthur! Stale!”

I called out to them as soon as I passed through the gates. The pair froze in the middle of sparring when they heard my voice. Lowering their swords, they slowly turned to face me. My heart warmed as I took them in. Arthur and Stale meant more to me and Tiara than anyone else in the world.

“Princess Pride, Tiara,” Arthur said, straightening up as he faced us.

At only fifteen, Arthur Beresford had already joined the order of knights last year as a new recruit. Stale and Arthur trained together every day, strengthening their friendship alongside their swordplay. Once cringing and shy, hiding behind a curtain of hair, Arthur now stood proudly before us, his long silver hair pulled back into a ponytail and his bright blue eyes meeting mine.

Right beside him, as ever, stood Stale Royal Ivy, my younger brother-in-law. Though he’d been born a commoner and was only twelve years old, he already carried himself with the composure of the firstborn prince of Freesia. His dark hair and eyes and expressionless face could make him look rather serious, but I knew he was kind beneath that cold exterior. Since our family had adopted him, he technically wasn’t related to me and Tiara, yet he was as dear to us as a flesh-and-blood brother. Our family chose to adopt him due to his special power of teleportation. Once I ascended the throne, this intelligent and capable prince would serve as my right-hand man. I could ask for no better companion for the job.

The bond between these two boys had obviously strengthened over the years. Though Arthur sometimes tried to speak rigidly and formally to Stale, Stale always rejected it, getting more casual as Arthur got more formal. Of course, Stale adhered to proper procedure for official matters, but with Arthur he spoke casually, like he was addressing a friend and equal.

“Arthur, congratulations on being promoted to a knight,” I said.

“Congratulations, Arthur!” Tiara added.

In fact, he’d graduated on this very day, flying through the order’s entrance exam to join the knights as a member of the main forces at the top of his class.

His journey began two years earlier. The boy spent day after day training with Stale as well as his father, the commander of the order. One year later, when Arthur turned fourteen, he was accepted into the order as a new recruit on his first attempt.

All aspiring knights were put to the test in battles against one another, and only the first round of victors proceeded to the second trial. There they clashed with a member of the order who examined their fighting style regardless of who’d won the bout. Arthur made it that far without a single loss, and he’d even managed to land a hit on the knight he went up against in the second trial.

Today’s entrance exam was a tournament among one hundred rookies to see who would make it into the main forces. Only one person could emerge victorious and guarantee their promotion to the rank of “knight.” The order filled the remaining slots by grading the rookies on their fighting styles, then selecting as many new knights as needed.

Arthur was the one who walked away with the ultimate victory under his belt.

“Thank you very much for coming all this way for my sake,” he said.

He bowed, but that didn’t entirely hide the embarrassed flush in his cheeks. Tiara’s congratulations must have flustered him. She was naturally adorable and charming; everyone adored my younger sister, even Stale, though you couldn’t really tell from his habitually blank expression.

“Of course we’d show up. It’s such a big day for you, Arthur,” I replied.

“Arthur, you were wonderful out there,” Tiara said.

“Ah… Thanks, Tiara.”

When Tiara leapt up to him and clutched his hand, Arthur smiled gently and stroked her hair, making him look just like another big brother to her.

I smiled to see them all so happy and relaxed together. When Arthur first started training with Stale, the farm boy had spoken so stiffly to the prince. That faded over time as Stale and Arthur became friends as well as training partners.

The more time Stale spent sparring with Arthur, the more Tiara and I got to know him as well. Arthur used to address us with an awkward, bumbling level of formality, but now, he spoke to both Stale and Tiara as total equals, as long as they weren’t around others. When it came to me, though…

“By the way, have you spoken to the commander and vice commander yet?” I asked Arthur. “They’re probably thrilled for you.”

“No, not yet. I’m sure they were both watchin’ for themselves, so they probably already know. Plus, I don’t want to make a big deal about it, Your Highness.”

Same as always. No matter how many times I asked him to address me casually when it was just us, it appeared I was the only person he couldn’t let his guard down around. He’d gotten better, but we had a long way to go before he finally stopped addressing me as “Your Highness” even in private. Stale and Tiara both spoke to me formally too, and though they excused it by saying I was the heir to the throne, it left me feeling distant from all of them.

“There you are, Arthur!”

Our conversation was interrupted as two figures paced toward us—Commander Roderick and Vice Commander Clark of the order of the knights. As they approached, they offered the proper greetings.

“What do ya want, Commander?” Arthur grumbled.

“You know what I want,” the commander said. “Didn’t they tell you to come see me once you’d finished the procedures for joining the main squadron?”

“Aw, shut it! The accolade’s tomorrow anyway, so why should I have to go report to my own dad just to drop in and say hi? Talk about embarrassing!”

“We were going to explain the accolade process to you, Arthur,” the vice commander said. “By the way, congratulations on your promotion.”

As a friend of the commander, the vice commander had known Arthur for most of his life. And with his only family being a younger sister, Sir Clark likely saw Arthur like a son or younger brother. His praise came from the heart.

“Commander Roderick, how about you start with some praise for your son instead of jumping straight to reprimanding?” he said. “No one wants to congratulate him more than you, isn’t that right?”

The commander remained still as Sir Clark patted him on the shoulder. “There’s no need for praise,” he said bluntly.

Arthur huffed, his fresh scowl deepening.

Then, Commander Roderick’s expression softened to one of radiant pride. “I always knew you’d make it into the main forces.” He set his hand on Arthur’s shoulder.

“Well, yeah, obviously,” Arthur said, but a shy smile tugged at his mouth.

Stale patted Arthur’s free shoulder. “The year we spent training paid off, huh?”

“What the hell?! Don’t try to take the credit for this, Stale!”

“Which one of us had to make up for all the training you missed out on with the commander?”

“You said you wanted to do all that, ya little jerk!”

Arthur had stopped training with the commander once he was accepted into the order as a new recruit. Apparently, he felt uncomfortable with the idea of being the only soldier to receive special training from his father to help him get into the main forces. But in exchange, he’d spent much more time training with Stale over the past year.

“Princess Pride, you have my sincerest apologies,” Commander Roderick said. “My son has been a horrible influence on Prince Stale.”

“N-not at all,” I said. “As I’ve mentioned before, Stale appears to be enjoying himself quite a bit, and it’s had no effect on his work, so please don’t let it upset you.”

Despite my reassurances, the commander shook his head. We’d had this discussion many times before, and I’d never managed to convince him.

“Just so you know, this guy’s been a schemer ever since we first met,” Arthur muttered, trying to turn the tables on Stale.

“Keep it to yourself, idiot,” Stale shot back. They jabbed accusing fingers at each other.

“You suck, you know that?” Arthur said.

Commander Roderick slumped as he observed the exchange. Vice Commander Clark hid a chuckle behind his hand. The commander tried to get the boys back on track by telling Arthur that tomorrow would be an important day for him as a knight, and the boy grunted in acknowledgment. These kinds of lively yet tender moments had become a staple of my life as Pride Royal Ivy, but they were no less precious because of it.

It all began five years ago, on the day I regained my past-life memories and learned of my sins and my fate. I might have been the crown princess here, as well as Tiara and Stale’s older sister, but I’d lived a very different life before this—a dull, ordinary life in which this entire world was nothing but an otome game to me.

Regaining all the memories of that previous life revealed my fate here—the fate of the evil last boss queen, Pride Royal Ivy. My darling little sister, Tiara, was the heroine of ORL, with Stale and Arthur among the romanceable characters. There were five love interests in total. That much I remembered for sure, though many of the details of the game were lost to me now. I’d gotten pretty obsessed with the third game in particular, so I couldn’t remember the earlier games as well. I knew the overall plot and that Tiara was the heroine. Most importantly of all…I knew I was the wicked final boss.

The Pride of the game world wounded the hearts of everyone around her, including the love interests. In the end, she was punished, and Tiara healed the damage her sister caused.

In some sense, having these memories was a burden. I knew how horrible I would become. On the other hand, those memories had prevented me from committing egregious crimes against Stale and Arthur. The Pride in the game forced Stale to murder his own mother. She’d also let Arthur’s father and several knights die in an ambush. So far, I’d managed to thwart those evil plans because I knew the plot of the game, but I didn’t know how long that luck would last. I truly didn’t want to hurt Stale, Arthur, or Tiara. I didn’t wish for them to suffer as they did in the game. From the bottom of my heart, all I wanted was for them to be happy, and I would do everything in my power to see it through.

“I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Arthur,” I said.

“Yes,” he replied, smiling shyly. “Until tomorrow.”

“Let’s get going, Arthur,” Commander Roderick said.

The commander and vice commander bowed to us, then headed back the way they’d come. Arthur offered a hasty farewell before hurrying after them. As I watched Arthur stride away, proudly carrying the same white uniform his father wore, my resolve to protect him—to protect all the people of this kingdom—grew even stronger.

 

***

 

Knights formed a line down the vast throne room. The new inductees shuffled their feet as they waited before me in a space so cavernous, their nervous murmurs echoed. They awaited a once-in-a-lifetime honor.

“Live with humility.”

Three new knights knelt, surrounded by their seniors.

“Live truthfully.”

They lowered themselves before the firstborn princess of the kingdom of Freesia—me. Mother had put me in charge of this solemn ceremony one year ago.

“Defend the pillars of chivalry.”

Candles accented in gold hung throughout the room. The men stood or knelt on a bright red carpet as sunlight streamed through the tall windows, glittering where it hit their shining armor and white uniforms.

“Serve without betrayal.”

I took a quiet breath. Every eye focused on me. I steeled myself for my duty.

“Serve without deception.”

“Arthur Beresford.”

“Show ceaseless kindness for those in need.”

Arthur was among the men kneeling before me now. When I called his name, he rose slowly to his feet.

“Show ceaseless bravery no matter the strength of your enemy.”

Commander Roderick and Vice Commander Clark stood to the right, anxiety lining their faces.

“Strive for dignity.”

Stale stood behind me, along with Prime Minister Gilbert and my father, the prince consort. Tiara had wanted to join as well, but she was too young.

“Act with gravity.”

Arthur took a careful step forward. He trod on the crimson carpet, passing his father and the vice commander.

“Become the shield that guards the people.”

Arthur took a knee in front of me. The light from the windows cast a solemn glow over him.

“Become the sword that slays the crown’s foes.”

He unsheathed his sword and presented it to me with both hands. I received it and set it on Arthur’s shoulder.

“Never forget your title as knight.”

Arthur bowed his head, and I began to recite the knight’s oath. The commander pinched the bridge of his nose, struggling to hold back tears as his son joined the order. Like father, like son. You should be proud.

Just two short years ago, Arthur set foot in this room for the very first time, though under severely different circumstances. At the time, he wept, shaking as he asked me whether he would ever become a knight like his father. He’d been so small, so scared, so timid.

But Arthur had changed dramatically since that day. He wore a beautiful suit of armor, and his hair lay sleek and smooth. Anyone who looked at him now would see the perfect knight and nothing less.

“I’ll absolutely become a knight someday. I’ll protect you and those you care for. I’ll protect Mom, Dad, and all the people in the kingdom with everything in my power. That’s the kind of knight I’ll become!”

I wondered if he still remembered that promise. I didn’t mind if he forgot as long as he achieved his goal of becoming a knight. Regardless of whether he remembered his exact words that day, he’d protect the people of this kingdom—of that, I was sure.

“I dub thee Knight, Arthur Beresford.”

With that declaration, I pointed the sword at Arthur, and he lifted his head. Through a faint shimmer of tears, he met my eyes with determination. Then, slowly and carefully, he bent to press his lips to the blade. With that, he achieved the final step. He was officially a knight.

Applause erupted all around us.

“It took me two years, but I made it back here,” Arthur whispered, a gentle smile on his face. Only I heard him over the roar of the crowd; only I got to witness his fleeting, unbridled joy.

He remembered. That smile banished all doubt, transporting me right back to that moment two years ago. Yet I felt a gap, a chasm. He’d spent every moment of those two years training with Stale. Only in this moment did I realize how much I’d missed him during that time.

Answering tears welled up in my eyes. I smiled back at him, this sad, cringing boy who’d become a strong, proud knight right before my eyes.

“Welcome home, Arthur,” I said.

He’d come back to me, right back to the very same place where we’d made that promise.