Apology from the Princess

Apology from the Princess

The sorcerer abduction plot orchestrated by the Kingdom of Skelluts had ultimately ended in failure for the War-Hungry King; Nevel had uncovered the plan before it’d been fully enacted. By coordinating with the allied Kingdom of Vint, Nevel had succeeded in luring the group of conspirators—as well as one of the Skellutian king’s personal units—into a trap.

Although Vint had no direct stake in this matter, their authorities had probably deemed the warmongering Kingdom of Skelluts to be a problem too grave to overlook, since enemy forces had sought to bolster Skelluts’s military might with two new sorcerers. Vint had already been the victim of countless border skirmishes with Skelluts, so they couldn’t afford to act disinterested; if Skelluts was going to bare its fangs at somebody, then that somebody would be one of its four neighbors.

With their interests aligned, Nevel and Vint announced a joint declaration of war on Skelluts, using the abduction incident as their casus belli.

The Kingdom of Schner and the small Kingdom of Balt, which were countries to Skelluts’s north, and the Kingdom of Flanmer, to Skelluts’s south, pledged their support to the forces of the Nevel-Vint alliance. Since its western flank was all ocean, Skelluts found itself in the position of having enemies on essentially all sides.

The difference in numbers was simply too great, even for such a military-focused culture as Skelluts—on every battlefield, the War-Hungry King’s forces would be outmanned. Moreover, Nevel and Flanmer were colossal countries with twice as much territory as Skelluts. Whatever struggle Skelluts might attempt, its army didn’t stand a chance.

The War-Hungry King, however, failed to properly recognize his country’s hopeless circumstances. His advisers counseled surrender, but he refused. And so, this foolish king plunged the land into the flames of a great war...

Or so it seemed.

There was a coup d’état, a regicide perpetrated by an order of Skellutian knights. Skelluts issued their surrender on the same day. The conflict which had engulfed half of the continent quickly fizzled out.

Although Nevel had managed to avoid a large-scale conflict, turmoil still lingered within its borders.

Nicholas had been imprisoned. His punishment would likely be carried out after the culmination of the investigation. Hilde would probably also receive some sort of punishment, of course, but not one as severe as Nicholas’s because of her extenuating circumstances.

I, Rosemary von Velfalt, had no influence over state politics. All I could do was hole up in the palace under constant guard, and wait for the situation to blow over.

Since the day of Lutz and Teo’s abduction, roughly half a year had passed. I was currently preparing some tea in the rest area adjoining the greenhouse.

Out of the blue, Chris stopped by.

“It’s been too long, Rose,” he greeted me.

The greenhouse was located right on the edge of the castle, so Chris couldn’t just pop in here while passing by on other business—in fact, this was the first time that he’d ever set foot in this place.

Is there something urgent that he needs me for?

“Is there something that you need from me?” I repeated my question out loud nervously.

“Do I need to have a reason to drop in to see you?” he responded with a bitter smile.

“Umm... N-No, I didn’t mean that,” I stammered. I was caught off guard by his answer. I struggled to hide my confusion at his casual demeanor because I’d braced myself to prepare for an emergency.

“I’ve had more than my fill of staring at the faces of crusty old men,” Chris joked. “Who better than my cute little sister to wash that image out?”

That had probably been meant as a jest to lighten the mood in the room, but he’d said it with a straight face. His deadpan expression made it quite hard to know how to react.

“R-Right,” I said, not sure what else to say.

Sir Leonhart, who’d accompanied Chris as his guard, adopted a slightly strained smile. I froze when our gazes met, then I reflexively looked away and went pale.

I hadn’t seen him face-to-face since the day that Hilde had been attacked. I felt uncomfortable; it wasn’t like we’d had an argument, but our parting had taken place on a weird note. I wasn’t sure how to act in front of him now.

But Rose, listen up! Refusing to look at him isn’t doing you any favors.

I raised my face up, but the motion was unnaturally slow, as I was afraid to see Sir Leonhart’s reaction. When I took a nervous peek, he greeted me with eyes that looked slightly troubled. He then turned his gaze away.

The mature way that he’d treated me caused my cheeks to burn.

Where did I get the crazy idea that I’d possibly offended him? Sir Leonhart might’ve taken up a huge space in my mind, but the reverse wasn’t true.

To him, I’m just a little princess. Nothing more, nothing less.

I was embarrassed to have even entertained the delusion that I’d done anything to grieve his heart.

“Rose?” Chris asked, perplexed. “Is something the matter?”

“N-No, it’s nothing,” I replied with a hurried shake of my head, then changed the subject. “Chris, since you’ve come all the way here, would you care for some tea?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” I assured him. “Miss Irene called for Lutz and Teo, and so I don’t think they’ll be returning for a while. I’d love your company—having tea by myself feels lonely.”

“Right then.” There was a faint, happy twinge in Chris’s eyes. He sat down on a chair gracefully.

“We’ve just finished making something interesting,” I told him, “so if you don’t mind, would you like to try it?”

“Something interesting?” he wondered.

“That’s right.” I reached for the box that I’d set down by my side, and opened the lid. A white porcelain bowl sat atop a layer of ice. Inside was something white and solid. I collected some in a large spoon, and dished the scoop into a small, shallow glass dish.

I handed the bowl to Chris, and he examined it, confused.

“What...is it?” he asked.

“A frozen dessert,” I stated simply.

“Frozen dessert... This?” Chris’s eyes widened a bit, and he stared up and down at the bowl in his hand.

His surprise was understandable. Baked confections, like madeleines and cookies, were the standard in Nevel. While there were a few frozen desserts here, they were essentially just sorbets—fruit juice frozen in the ice room. This was probably his first glimpse of a white, creamy dessert.

“I enlisted Lutz’s help in making it,” I explained. “We mixed milk, eggs, and sugar, then froze the mixture to harden it.”

That’s right. Truth be told, this is vanilla ice cream. Although, since I couldn’t wrangle any vanilla beans, maybe I should say it’s milk ice cream to be accurate.

Until a few minutes ago, Lutz, Teo, and I had taken up residence in the kitchen. We’d been working hard at making candy—or rather, at sorcery training. Miss Irene had granted us permission, so I’d gathered the ingredients.

I’d gone into the endeavor expecting it to be a piece of cake, but the task had proved to be quite the challenge. Apparently, controlling magic at such a precise level was incredibly difficult. On one attempt, we’d cooled the ice cream too much and it’d gone rock solid; on another, the moisture in the air had gotten inside the mixture and made it crunchy when frozen.

Although Teo had smaller magical reserves than Lutz, fine control was one of his stronger skills, so Teo’s success had come early.

I seem to remember Lutz muttering to himself in frustration after having seen the nice cooked-brown look of Teo’s baked sweets. I think his desire to not lose to Teo energized him, so his rate of improvement definitely picked up quite a lot of speed after that.

Those two really do make a great team.

“They made sweets? With magic?” Chris asked, staring at me with a look of amazement.

“Yes.” I nodded and began to break out in a cold sweat. Did I screw up somehow?

“And you’re the one who came up with this method?”

“I am,” I said. “I brought the suggestion to Miss Irene, thinking that it might aid in teaching them to control their powers.”

Maybe my idea to use magic to make sweets was a bit too crazy after all? It’d sent Lutz and Teo into fits of laughter, and Miss Irene had let out a surprised chuckle. Now, seeing Chris’s reaction on top of the others, I had to recognize that my plan was possibly outlandish.

“Shouldn’t I have?” I asked timidly.

Chris squinted, amused, and shook his head. “No. It’s very you.” I’d grown flustered, but Chris continued to smile at me. “If every ruler was more like you, I’m sure that the world would be a safer place.”

Uhh, what’s that supposed to mean?

I struggled to work out whether that had been a compliment or just exasperation. Judging from his facial expression alone, assuming that his remark had been a compliment might’ve been too optimistic. The look in his eyes was so warm that it seemed like pity.

Chris left me to sit in silence with a funny look on my face, and he scooped up some of the ice cream.

The slight frozen firmness that had been present when I’d dished the ice cream into his bowl had melted slightly while we’d been talking, giving way to just the right consistency for eating. The ice cream had begun to gloop on top of his silver spoon. The sight looked scrumptious to me, but I already knew the taste. To Chris, it might’ve seemed unsettling.

Maybe I shouldn’t be feeding Nevel’s next king mystery foods.

“Chris, if you don’t think you can... Ah!”

The moment that I reached out my hand to stop him, Chris placed the spoon into his mouth.

You could’ve saved the chivalry for some other time!

As soon as the dessert entered his mouth, Chris went still. Then, with his face downcast, he chewed. The ice cream had probably melted in an instant, so there was nothing for him to actually bite down on. I kept watching in suspense until he swallowed.

“Was it not to your liking?” I asked in concern.

“No, it was delicious.” Chris scooped another spoonful into his mouth.

I saw an almost imperceptible relaxation in his eyes, and felt relieved. The fact that his default expression was blank made spotting these small changes a little easier. Judging from the delighted softening of his features, I felt that he probably wasn’t just being polite.

“This is nothing like any frozen dessert I’ve ever eaten before,” he remarked. “It’s very sweet, but not overpowering, and it’s rich. The texture’s smooth too—it feels pleasant on the tongue.” Chris praised the ice cream at length, which was an unusual occurrence.

I really am glad that he likes it.

“And to have made this with magic is the biggest surprise,” he praised. “It’s brilliant.”

Chris’s compliment left me feeling strangely happy, even though the accomplishment wasn’t mine.

I just have to tell them both. They’ll be over the moon, I know it. The thought brought a smile to my cheeks.

“Yes. Lutz and Teo have truly wonderful powers.” I answered Chris with a relaxed expression, and for some reason, he returned an odd look.

“You said that you came up with the method?” he asked.

“Hmm? I did.”

“And you’re the one who made this dessert?”

“I made it with Lutz. Why do you ask?” I questioned him, tilting my face.

Chris shook his head. “Nothing. I was just struck by the thought that my little sister is a stranger to greed.”

Chris laughed loudly, and I wasn’t sure how to react.

I see myself as quite the greedy person though. For starters, even this ice cream is something I suggested to everyone just to satisfy my own cravings.

“Will you try some too, Leonhart?” Chris asked.

I was so busy trying to figure out a response that I lost my chance to argue.

Chris had brought the conversation to Sir Leonhart, who was stationed behind him as his guard. But Sir Leonhart put on a strained smile and declined. “I’m on duty, I’m afraid.”

Though a little disappointed, my opinion of him didn’t worsen. It improved, if anything. His reason to refuse was exceedingly exemplary.

I can’t be the only one who has a thing for men that are devoted to their work.

***

After we’d whiled away some time with idle conversation, Chris stood up from his chair.

“I’d better get back to work. Sorry for keeping you so long.”

“Please,” I said as I accompanied him to the door to see him out. “I haven’t been able to talk with you in so long—it brightened my day.”

Chris winked with one of his almond eyes. “Order will return to Nevel soon enough. When it does, I’ll come and see you until you’re sick of my face.” Chris had told another joke, just to cheer me up.

Yeah, but I know you’re up to your eyeballs in work, I muttered internally. There were faint bags under his eyes, and he’d lost a bit of weight.

If you have the time to come and see me, you should use it to rest, I wanted to say, but kept the thought to myself.

For one, I didn’t want to shut out my awkward brother’s expression of love. More simply, it made me happy to see him.

“I’ll be waiting,” I replied, and left it at that. Chris’s face mellowed happily.

Sir Leonhart followed Chris in giving his farewells. “Well then, Princess, I’ll take my leave.”

“Ah...” a quiet murmur trickled from my lips.

I don’t want to part from him like this without clearing up the awkward atmosphere.

I might’ve been the only one to think that the situation was awkward, but I wanted to apologize for the many ways I’d acted rudely.

And yet, the words to hold him back got stuck in my throat.

I’d learned how important his duties were to him only a few minutes prior, so I hesitated to keep him any longer for personal business. However, Sir Leonhart was as busy as Chris, and if I let him slip past me today, I wasn’t sure when I’d next find a chance to see him.

But I didn’t want to interrupt his work either.

The clock ticked while I dwelt on the dilemma, and the time limit drew imminent.

“Princess? Are you feeling all right?” Sir Leonhart inquired with concern as I hung my head. When I looked up, his manly good looks were clouded with worry.

He was as kind as ever, despite my unpleasant attitude.

How could I cause him any more trouble?

“I’m...fine. Do come by again.” I clenched the hand that I’d been about to reach out with, and instead shook my head. Lacking courage, I tried to act like the good girl and send him off.

But Chris, seeing me act unusual, began to talk after a slight contemplation.

“Rose.”

“Yes?” I replied.

“Do you mind if I borrow Klaus for a minute?” Chris asked.

“Huh?”

My eyes shot wide-open in astonishment and I found myself at a loss for words.

What could Chris possibly want from Klaus?

Baffled, I looked around, and saw that I wasn’t the only one who’d been shocked. Klaus, the man in question, had frozen, and Sir Leonhart was visibly confused.

“But then, who will guard the princess?” Sir Leonhart asked.

“I only want to have a little chat,” explained Chris. “I’ll send him back once we reach my office. I want you to stay with Rose until then.”

“As you will.” Sir Leonhart’s hesitation lasted only for a moment. His reserved expression returned immediately and he nodded.

On the other end of the scale, I was freaking out.

“Does that suit you, Rose?” Chris stared into my eyes as he asked. There was a very kind look in his gaze for some reason.

It could be that Chris suggested this for my sake, I realized at last.

“It does.” I bowed my head to convey my thanks.

Chris then made his exit, taking the reluctant Klaus with him.

Inside the suddenly silent room, I stood deathly still, not saying anything.

Uh-oh, what should I do now? My nerves are on edge. I can’t even look straight at him.

Still facing down, I bit into my lips. Sweat steadily started to drench my clenched hands.

There were too many things that I wanted to apologize for, but I wasn’t sure where to begin.

First, there was the blatant way that I’d looked away from him earlier, and second, the way that I’d taken my emotions out on him during Hilde’s incident. There might’ve also been other instances of impoliteness as well that I hadn’t thought of. I figured that I ought to apologize for everything at once, but the words just wouldn’t come out.

Sir Leonhart was the first to break the silence.

“Princess.”

“Y-Yes?” I responded. My voice squeaked because he’d caught me unprepared.

My face blushed in embarrassment, but Sir Leonhart didn’t appear to be bothered by that. He looked at me, his expression serious.

“I shouldn’t say this so soon after insisting that I’m on duty,” he began, “but could I talk to you about something briefly?”

“Of course,” I responded. “What about?”

I hadn’t expected for Sir Leonhart to be the one to start the conversation.

Anxiety had dried out the inside of my mouth. My heart was throbbing so hard that I could hear it. No matter what positive spin I tried to put on it, all I was left with was a sense of dread.

Although this situation was of my own creation, my body was paralyzed by the thought that he might hate me.

Even if he doesn’t say so explicitly, if he lets disappointment or hatred cloud his eyes or his attitude, then I don’t think there’ll be any way for me to recover.

That’s what I’d thought, but what happened next blew away my pessimistic internal monologue. Sir Leonhart abruptly bowed his head.

“You have my humblest apologies.”

“Huh?!” I gasped.

The sheer shock of it rendered me speechless. I stood in frozen silence, staring at the whorl of his hair, which was visible even from my height since he was bowing so low.

Why? For what reason? The question monopolized my mind, but no words left my lips. My mouth jammed to a halt, a half-open gape.

Still in his bowing posture, Sir Leonhart continued, “I’ve wanted to apologize to you once more for so long, but I haven’t found myself in the same room as you—it’s taken more time than it should’ve.”

“Please, don’t!” I blurted out, nearly screaming.

I should be the one saying sorry, not Sir Leonhart.

“Raise your head, please!” I told him, still flustered. “There’s nothing for you to apologize for, Sir Orsein.”

He might’ve noticed that I was on the verge of tears, because he did what I’d asked and raised his head. Our eyes met, and a look of bewilderment formed on his features.

I don’t even have to guess how awful my face must look right now.

I exhaled a deep sigh in order to release the pressure valve on my excited emotions. I stood up straight, tensing my stomach to prevent my voice from faltering.

“I’m the one who ought to apologize,” I said. My tone was soft and quiet.

Sir Leonhart’s almond eyes opened wide.

“Half a year ago, I took matters into my own hands, of my own initiative, without consulting anyone. As a result, I caused a great deal of trouble for everyone in the royal guard. Really, I ought to have consulted with you or Klaus as soon as I sensed something abnormal.”

Sir Leonhart had asked me countless times to rely on him. And yet, I’d ignored his outstretched hand, and instead charged on by myself.

“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I was conceited, thinking that I might actually be able to affect something.”

“Princess.” Sir Leonhart called out to me just as I was about to hang my head. I was ashamed and full of regret.

I lifted my gaze, and saw my reflection in his sincere eyes. He lowered his eyebrows sadly, and slowly shook his head.

“Please,” he implored, “don’t speak so ill of yourself.”

“But...”

“Your decision wasn’t wrong. If you had done nothing, we wouldn’t have been able to save Hilde Kremer. I’m the one who deserves the blame. You were hurting, and instead of caring for you, I just told you to bear with it.” He said this openly, his tone thick with remorse. “I should never have done that, and I’m sorry.”

I couldn’t say anything.

When Hilde had been attacked, I’d lost my composure. I should have been grateful to him. His instructions to me that I should bear the circumstances—these had allowed me to calm down, and I had no intention of blaming him for that.

Those were my honest thoughts. But maybe, just maybe, there was something that gnawed at my heart.

I must have been hurt, at least to the extent that I couldn’t immediately deny his words. Regardless of my own imperfection, I’d thought that him leaving me alone to deal with the situation was wrong.

“To be honest,” Sir Leonhart continued, “I was slightly frustrated that you didn’t rely on Klaus or on me. And I do sometimes wonder irritatedly why you press on by yourself so stubbornly. But at some point, I realized something: perhaps it’s not that you won’t rely on us—it’s that you can’t.”

“Huh...” I blinked in astonishment at Sir Leonhart’s words. A moment later, my eyes grew wide.

I must’ve misheard, I thought, wondering if my ears might be playing tricks on me. Had my hopes manifested in a hallucination? But Sir Leonhart knelt down and scooped up my hand in a respectful gesture, proving that there had been no misunderstanding.

My heart fluttered at the sight of his unclouded black pupils, which pierced me from where he knelt below my eyeline.

“A while ago, I told you that I wished you’d lean more on those around you. Do you remember?” he asked quietly.

I nodded over and over, my lips still tightly pursed. I desperately blockaded the tears that threatened to fall as my head bounced—his eyes relaxed, and a faint smile rose to his lips.

But the smile vanished at once, giving way to a stern expression, and he continued: “Back then, I suspected that your duties and responsibilities as a member of the royal family forbade you from relying on others. But that couldn’t have been the whole story. You always looked so distressed.”

“Sir...Orsein...” my voice grew horribly hoarse as I called out to him.

I can’t believe it! He’d actually noticed. I was just a charmless woman who’d paid no heed to his advice, but he’d certainly paid attention to me. He’d kept me in his thoughts.

The mental image of him extending his hand for me to take, regardless of whether I’d accept it, overwhelmed me with emotion.

“When I watched the way that you’d hang your head, I didn’t perceive you as just a girl acting stubborn; it was as though you had something you wished to say. Somebody overcome with arrogance and self-importance surely would never make such a face.”

Sir Leonhart paused and looked deep into my eyes. Reflected in his pupils, I looked horribly wretched; I was a jumbled mix of fear and relief, like a child who’d finally found her home after wandering around lost.

His firm palm slowly blanketed my hand. “Are you shouldering some great burden by yourself?”

I couldn’t respond at once. Deep down, I knew that I should deny it without delay. What are you talking about? I should ask, then smile like I was clueless, and let it pass.

But my hands, clutched inside his, were shaking. My voice stuck in my throat. All my concentration was devoted to fighting back the tears—I didn’t have any spare energy to voice a denial.

This worry had always plagued me: I didn’t know whether the path I was treading was the right one. My only guiding lights were my memories, which had faded as the months went by.

I’d wanted to ask for help, but there had been nobody that I could talk to. All that I could do was self-soothe and tell myself that everything was fine. Even clasping the hand of the man that I loved, who’d told me to rely on him, had seemed like just another obstacle, another flag.

I was ensnared by the obsessional idea that I had to solve everything by myself.

But now, I sort of get it—I hadn’t been shielding everyone, or trying to protect them. I’d just been turning my back to them, refusing to take their hands, like a helpless child with no grasp on how little my abilities were worth.

Even so, Sir Leonhart had watched over me. He’d kept me in his mind. Regardless of the fact that I was a charmless kid who’d swatted his kind hand away, he’d still reached out, again and again, asking me to rely on him.

“If you don’t wish to tell me, then I won’t wrest it from you,” he said kindly. “But, if you feel that carrying your burden is causing you grief, then share it with me. I want you to let me protect the things that you wish to keep safe.”

I was speechless. My chest felt so tight that it hurt.

Driven by a thoughtless urge, I wrapped my arms around Sir Leonhart, who was still kneeling.

“Sir Leon!”

He gasped for a moment, surprised, but didn’t try to peel me away.

At last, his large hand slowly stroked my back. The action was gentle, as though he were handling something broken, and I knew that he wanted to make sure that he didn’t scare me.

I felt the warmth where he touched me, and it sent tremors through my heart. The feelings that overflowed inside me possessed a scorching heat that could no longer be written off as idolization or misunderstanding.

Oh, I love him. I love him so much it’s crazy.

But it wasn’t infatuation with the character from Hidden World, the royal guard captain.

No, I’d fallen in love with this person, Sir Leonhart von Orsein, all over again.

(Continued in the next volume)