Chapter 3: The Abandoned Prince is Taken to the Imperial Capital
“Princess Rosemary, what shall we do with these individuals?”
After I treated this Princess Rosemary person, the Dragon Knights bound us without any questions.
Well, we’re enemies, so I guess this treatment is to be expected.
“But, um, why am I the only one with a sword pointed at me?”
My subordinates are just tied up with ropes, yet for some reason, I have a sword pointed at me.
Scary.
I won’t die even if I’m stabbed or my head is cut off, but painful things are painful, and scary things are scary.
As I was thinking that, a female Dragon Knight, who seemed to be Rosemary’s adjutant, said while pressing her sword against my neck.
“You touched Princess Rosemary’s sacred person. That crime deserves ten thousand deaths.”
“Whoa!? N-No!! I don’t want to die!! At least let me put on some clothes!! I don’t want to be stark naked!! I don’t want to be stark naked!!”
As I was desperately resisting, Rosemary saw what was happening and intervened.
“I told you to stop, Ria.”
“B-But…”
“That boy is my savior. Since this is a battlefield, we will take him as a prisoner of war, but treat him with courtesy.”
“…Understood.”
Thanks to Rosemary, we were spared further trouble, and we were taken away just like that.
Fortunately, there was no sign of us being tortured or anything. We were blindfolded, put on a carriage, and taken somewhere.
“Haaah, honestly!! This is all your fault, Your Highness!!”
“S-Sorry. But everyone seemed to understand in the end, right?”
“Did you say something?”
“…Nothing at all.”
“Honestly, Your Highness is always—”
While blindfolded, I received a lecture from my adjutant, and my subordinates listened and laughed.
Even though we’re clearly in a pinch, I’m proud of my subordinates for being so composed.
Perhaps my adjutant is intentionally scolding me in this situation to lighten the mood.
…She is doing it on purpose, right?
Surely she’s not using her superior officer as a pretext out of some personal grudge just to lighten the mood, right?
I want to believe so.
“Hey, you.”
After being rocked by the carriage for a while.
I don’t know the exact time, but after about two or three days had passed, the carriage stopped, and someone called out to me.
It was the voice of the female adjutant who had pointed her sword at me.
If I recall, the name Rosemary called her was Ria.
“You, come this way. The others will be taken to a separate room.”
“Hk! What are you going to do with my subordinates?”
“…We’re not going to eat them or anything. They will be treated courteously as prisoners of war. It’s Princess Rosemary’s order.”
“Eh, then what about me?”
“I don’t know. I was only told to bring you to Princess Rosemary.”
Still blindfolded, my arm was pulled, and I was led somewhere.
After a while, my blindfold was suddenly removed.
Light flooded into my obscured vision, and I felt a sensation like vertigo.
Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I realized Rosemary was standing in front of me.
“Woah, they’re huge.”
“Ah, d-don’t stare at my chest so much.”
Is it because I’m short, or because Rosemary is tall?
Right in front of my eyes were Rosemary’s bountifully endowed breasts.
…Gulp.
Whoops, no, no. First, I need to grasp the situation.
“This place is… eh?”
I looked around and was speechless.
It looked like a castle.
Actually, as someone who once lived in a castle as a crown prince, I knew immediately.
This is a castle.
However, it obviously wasn’t the castle in the royal capital of the Agaram Kingdom.
The architectural style is different too, so there’s no doubt.
Rosemary and I were facing each other in a corridor of that castle, in front of a large door.
“Um, could this place possibly be…”
“Mm, you’re quick on the uptake. This is the Imperial Castle in the central district of the Imperial Capital of the Holy Dragoon Empire.”
“…Seriously?”
I really thought I was being taken to some base as a prisoner of war…
To think it was the capital city. Completely unexpected.
“Wh-What are you going to do with me? Let me tell you beforehand, my subordinates may call me ‘Your Highness,’ but I no longer have any power as royalty. I’m a discarded person, after all. I’m worthless as a hostage too.”
“Hm? You… no, you were royalty of Agaram?”
“…Huh? Did I just dig my own grave?”
Seeing me panic internally, Rosemary chuckled softly.
Oh no, a beautiful woman who’s cute when she laughs? That’s cheating.
“S-Sorry. My name is Rosemary. I am the seventh Imperial Princess of the Dragoon Empire.”
“The s-seventh Imperial Princess? Seriously?”
“Yes, very seriously. Would you tell me your name?”
“…It’s Reichel. And while I’m at it, I’m not as young as I look. I’m turning twenty this year.”
“Hm? W-We’re the same age? My apologies. But, Reichel, huh. That’s certainly the same name as the eldest child of Agaram’s former king. It’s a good name.”
Rosemary smiled softly, then her expression suddenly turned serious.
“Reichel-dono. The healing magic you wield, it’s different from ordinary magic, isn’t it?”
“Wh-Why do you think so?”
“…Hmm. I’m about to show you something, but please try not to be too surprised.”
“Eh?”
Saying that, Rosemary removed an earring she was wearing on one ear.
Then, a change occurred in Rosemary’s appearance.
Two horns sprouted from her head, and from around her waist, wings and a tail covered in crimson scales emerged.
“This earring is a magical tool enchanted with body alteration magic. When riding Wyverns, for some reason, having horns and wings frightens them. So I hide them with this earring.”
“I-I see. So the rumors that the Dragoon Empire’s royalty are Dragonkin were true.”
I think I read in a book or somewhere that Dragonkin are the strongest race, possessing magical power surpassing elves, physical abilities surpassing beastmen, dexterity surpassing dwarves, and intelligence surpassing humans.
“But what does that have to do with my power?”
“Dragonkin possess robust bodies, but because of that, they have high magic resistance, which comes with the demerit that healing magic is ineffective on them.”
“Eh!? Th-That’s a surprising weakness… Ah.”
“It seems you’ve realized. That’s right, Reichel-dono’s power easily healed my injuries.”
I pretty much understood the situation.
“Uh, um, so, you mean there’s a Dragonkin, a member of the royal family, whom you want me to heal with my power?”
“You catch on quick, that helps. It hasn’t been made public yet, but my mother, that is, Her Majesty the Empress, was attacked by bandits. She received a death curse and is unconscious. Please, I want you to save my mother.”
U-Umm, helping the Empress of an enemy nation… I wonder about that.
But if I refuse, I don’t know what will happen to my subordinates who were taken to a separate room, and I have no idea what they’d do to me either.
…Guess I have no choice.
“Alright. In exchange, I want you to guarantee the human rights and safety of my subordinates and myself.”
“Hk! Yes!! Of course!! Thank you!!”
“Oof!?”
“Ah, s-sorry. I was so happy, I just…”
Rosemary hugged me, and my head ended up buried in her large breasts.
My motivation suddenly surged.
I don’t care if those Agaram folks call me a traitor.
They’re the ones who betrayed me first, and I’ll live true to myself.
It’s definitely not because I was moved by Rosemary’s large breasts.
…Definitely not.
“Leave it to me, Princess Rosemary. I’ll heal any injury you bring me. Be it poison or a curse, I’ll blow it away in one shot.”
“Oh, that’s truly reassuring!! Her Majesty the Empress is in this room.”
It seems the Dragoon Empress is beyond the door right in front of us.
Rosemary knocks on the door.
There was no reply, but after a short pause, Rosemary opened the door.
Inside was a spacious room.
In the center of the room was a huge bed with a canopy curtain; it looked incredibly comfortable to sleep in.
Someone was sleeping on that bed.
“…O-Ohh…”
A sigh of admiration escaped me involuntarily.
Sleeping on the bed was a woman as beautiful as a doll.
Long, pure white hair, translucent white skin, and breathtakingly perfect features.
She was even taller than Rosemary.
Since she was lying down, I couldn’t tell her exact height, but I guessed she was well over two meters tall.
Moreover, she was incredibly curvaceous.
Her breasts were about three times larger than the giant watermelons sold at supermarkets in summer.
Her waist was slender and tight, and her thighs were plump and luscious.
From the horns on her head and the dragon wings and tail growing from her waist, I could tell at a glance that this woman was the head of the Empire’s imperial family.
“Sh-She’s a beautiful person, isn’t she?”
“Hmph. I don’t mind hearing my mother praised.”
“…But…”
But, the air is stagnant.
It seemed the room hadn’t been ventilated enough; it was a bit dusty.
It wasn’t what you’d call a good environment for a sick person to rest in.
“The air is quite stagnant, isn’t it?”
“…Yes. While I was away, I thought I had ordered the handmaidens to take care of Her Majesty. Those fools.”
“What are the handmaidens doing?”
“They probably took the rumor that the death curse Her Majesty received is contagious seriously. I don’t want to believe they left her completely unattended while I was away. It makes me want to wring those handmaidens’ necks.”
U-Uwah, an angry beautiful woman is super scary.
“Ah, s-sorry. Could you begin the treatment right away?”
“Ah, yes. Uhm, in any case, my power requires direct contact, so, well…”
“Ah, ah, I see. Understood. I shall disrobe Mother myself.”
I reached out my hand to the completely bare body of the Dragoon Empire’s Empress.
Let me be clear, this is strictly a medical procedure.
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Afterword
A Trivial Little Story
Author: “Tall onee-sans are great, aren’t they?”
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