“Clara is…”
Elvan, whose thoughts had just now drifted to her, slightly lifted himself from his seat at her arrival and muttered her name softly.
He and she had met when they were young.
The girl, the Second Queen’s niece, had come to the castle as a playmate for his frail half-sister, and his first impression of her, a high-ranking noble’s daughter, was that of a ‘scary girl.’
Her gaze and words were strong, and possessing the education and pride of a high-ranking noble, even though she showed due respect to Elvan, a prince, he felt uncomfortable, as if she were somehow looking down on him.
When he met Clara again several years later, she seemed to have had a falling out with Elena and, unlike before, carried a shadow about her, as if she were a different person. Elvan found himself slightly intrigued by this “shadowed” version of her.
Clara, a high-ranking noble’s daughter close to his age, naturally became Elvan’s fiancée.
Around that time, he was ordered by his father, His Majesty the King, to conquer a large-scale dungeon. This was something normally done after graduating from the academy, but this time, it was to be done before entering the academy. To distract himself from his anxiety, Elvan ended up riding in the same carriage as Clara to the site, but he was taken aback when he witnessed her age-appropriate “weakness.”
Nobles matured quickly due to their high magical power, and appropriate conduct was expected of them in both word and deed. Thus, the higher the noble, the more their mental maturity matched their appearance.
The weakness shown by this princess of the former royal family, the epitome of such nobility, saved Elvan.
For Elvan, whose mother was a former viscount’s daughter and who had lived a life sheltered from malice, without understanding it, being expected to act as the Crown Prince was agonizing. He even forced himself to go along with conversations with his friends Mikhail and Roakwell.
Clara’s weakness was closer to that of a commoner than a noble lady. By empathizing with such weakness and caring for her, Elvan, for the first time, gained the confidence to “protect someone.”
Even if it was a relationship where the weak licked each other’s wounds, Elvan was saved, and he began to think he could spend his life with Clara.
But… when did it all start to fall apart?
Viscount Melsis’s daughter, Alicia. He met that girl when he was in his second year at the academy.
Her innocent and carefree words and actions were hardly befitting a noble lady, and true-born nobles frowned upon her demeanor. She stood out from those around her, almost to the point of being an outcast.
Another reason she stood out was her appearance. Contrary to her childlike physique, like that of a commoner, she possessed an eye-catchingly bewitching beauty, and within just a few months of enrolling, she began to cause problems with multiple male students.
She started appearing before Elvan as well. Most of their encounters were thwarted by Mikhail or Roakwell, but Elvan, who had gained a little confidence from his experience with Clara, thought that perhaps he could guide even someone like her.
Was that a mistake…? Even now, he doesn’t know.
Opinions about Alicia Melsis were completely divided.
Those like Mikhail and Roakwell, who treated her as a suspicious person approaching the Crown Prince, and the daughters of middle-ranking nobles and above, held her in terribly low esteem. However, most of those who interacted with her without any prejudice found themselves naturally drawn to her.
Elvan was no exception. He couldn’t help but feel a slight bewilderment and a different kind of “wavering in his heart” at her pampering, which seemed as if she “understood” his anguish, and her words that affirmed everything about Elvan, who wished to be acknowledged.
He grew distant from his sister Elena, who criticized him and Alicia, and from Mikhail and Roakwell. He started spending time with Alicia, whom he began calling Licia, and Amor’s group, and he also distanced himself from Clara, whom he had wanted to protect.
At Licia’s request, she obtained a Divine Protection from a large-scale dungeon owned by the royal family. Becoming even more bewitching, Amor and Nasanitar became infatuated with her, as if drowning in her charm.
Every time Elvan saw Licia, a feeling of believing in her would well up, as if a haze clouded his mind. However, the 【Gift (Divine Protection)】 Elvan had obtained and his feelings for Clara held him back at the very last line.
“Clara…”
“El-sama…”
Clara, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, looked thinner than he remembered, perhaps due to accumulated hardships.
Yet, she looked more beautiful than before. Her strong eyes didn’t possess the “strength” of a noble lady that Elvan had previously found difficult, but rather, they shone while retaining the weakness he had empathized with back then.
“Would you… listen to my story?”
＊＊＊
(I wonder if Clara is alright…)
Roakwell, having escorted his younger sister to Elvan’s place, left the Prince’s Palace without meeting his former friend.
Clara, who had previously distanced herself even from their own family, seemed to have regained her composure, perhaps because her feelings had settled.
Come to think of it, their family had forced too much on Clara. The position of the First Queen, the official queen. His aunt, who should have been the official queen, became the Second Queen, and her older brother, his father, as well as his mother, who was his aunt’s friend, all believed that their daughter becoming the official queen would be Clara’s happiness.
But that wasn’t the case. Clara desired to be the official queen because her family wished for it.
The Dandole family sought for Clara to be the official queen to save their mentally unwell aunt…
Precisely because she understood that, the kind Clara had to wish to become the official queen.
Roakwell discussed it with his parents and grandfather and decided to let Clara do as she wished.
As a result, even if Clara could no longer stay in this country, the Dandole family would support them with all their might.
Of course, this wasn’t just out of familial affection. The Dandole family, who until now couldn’t give up on Clara becoming the official queen, had been reluctant to support Princess Elena, their blood relative. But from now on, by fully endorsing her, they would maintain the Dandole family’s honor.
“…Haa.”
A sigh involuntarily escaped Roakwell’s lips.
Elena becoming queen was not good news for Roakwell, who wished for her to marry into the Dandole family.
Roakwell was the heir of the Dandole family. He had also trained to eventually become the Commander of the Knightly Orders. If Elena became queen and he became her consort, there would surely be many problems. He had heard rumors that the third prince of the Calfaan Empire was a candidate for king consort.
His close friend, that “clever guy,” might come up with some good idea…
“He’s got his own troubles over there… Hang in there, Mikhail.”
＊＊＊
“Dear, is it really true that that child…”
Belt, who should have returned to the royal castle with an escort of the First Knightly Order’s elite to handle the aftermath, had instead immediately returned to the Melrose mansion. Upon hearing the news he conveyed, Belt’s wife’s eyes widened, and the shawl draped over her shoulders fell.
“Yes, Her Highness the Princess told me directly.”
Embracing his wife’s shoulders, Belt nodded quietly.
Their youngest daughter’s orphaned child, Alicia. Unlike that Saint, whom they had no choice but to protect despite their suspicions, their true granddaughter might be returning.
The fact that Belt, the Prime Minister, had entrusted a large amount of cleanup to his attendant Oz and rushed back to the mansion to tell his wife first, must mean he was considerably agitated, even if he appeared calm on the surface.
The surrounding servants who heard the story rejoiced as if it were their own good news, and some of the long-serving ones were even moved to tears. The legitimate princess of the former royal Melrose family was returning. This had been the Melrose family’s earnest wish for over a decade.
However, among them, Mikhail, who was as agitated as his grandfather and had returned to the mansion in the same carriage despite being the Princess’s aide, stood dumbfounded in a corner of the hall.
“Aria is…”
From the first time he met her, he had felt something familiar. Hearing that Aria was the daughter of the aunt she admired, he felt more understanding than surprise.
On this continent, the Holy Church, the largest religious sect, does not recommend marriage between cousins. However, they merely do not recommend it; they do acknowledge it.
Nevertheless, to prevent any mistakes, it was an unspoken understanding among nobles that even cousins should refrain if they were in the same household.
Although they are also cousins, there would be no problem with Roakwell, who has a different family name, becoming Elena’s consort. However, if Aria enters the Melrose family as Alicia, it would become difficult for her to be with Mikhail.
“Even so…!”
Mikhail was currently the Princess’s aide, and he understood that this plan was effective in making Elena the queen. To deny it would be to insult their resolve.
“Even so…”
Mikhail’s voice, muttering the same words as before but with a different meaning, softly trailed off.
＊＊＊
“Aria?! Why?!”
“It has already been approved by Her Highness the Princess and His Excellency the Prime Minister. You must accept it.”
“No way…”
Theo let out a pathetic sound after hearing the shocking truth from his mother, Sera.
Theo used to be the guard and combat butler for that girl, the Saint. However, around the time her words and actions started to become strange, the Melrose Family, fearing he would be drawn in, relieved him of his duties, and now he was completely working behind the scenes.
Theo had hoped to work as Her Highness the Princess’s combat butler, just like Aria. However, if he were to be seen, it would give that girl, who possessed an ability close to “Charm,” an excuse to approach, so his wish could not be granted.
Still, dreaming of being in the same place as Aria, he had even acted as a liaison for Aria, who had started acting independently. But when he heard about Aria’s origins—whom he had been told was an orphan—he was clutching his head, realizing that if it were true, it was far beyond a matter of simply taking responsibility.
“…It’s because you keep saying things like, ‘Until I become stronger than Aria.'”
“Ugh…”
Faced with the mixed gaze of exasperation and pity from his own mother, along with her words, Theo fell silent, unable to utter a sound.
From Sera’s perspective, no matter how she looked at it, Aria only saw Theo as a “younger brother.” Still, she thought that if he had confessed or done something to make Aria aware of his feelings sooner, there might have been a chance.
Whether it was through sympathy or familial love, if he had managed to get her to agree, even if it was later revealed that Aria was a princess of the main family, there was a possibility that something could have been done if Aria herself wished for it.
If that had happened, for Sera, it would have been an opportunity to gain both her successor and someone to inherit the house simultaneously. But she couldn’t help but sigh at her son’s spinelessness.
“Is there still some way…”
Her son, muttering such things, didn’t seem to have given up yet. However, with Aria completely unaware, it was safe to say there was no way for a Baron family of a branch house to receive the young lady of the main house. While his enthusiasm was commendable, Sera decided to warn him before he did something foolish to the princess of the main house.
“Theo. If the incident that led to this ‘responsibility’ you speak of comes to light, the Shadow Unit might request me to purge you, you know?”
“……Eh?”
＊＊＊
“Finally, it’s coming true… My dream.”
The girl calling herself Licia murmured with a dreamy expression as she sipped the tea her personal maid had brewed.
She had forgotten her real name. Because for the girl, it held no value whatsoever.
Her mother was a malicious woman who, like a prostitute, deceived men into lavishing her with gifts. The men presumed to be her fathers were mostly swindlers or figures from the underworld. She never thought of such people as parents, but she could at least be grateful that they had given her beauty and the means to use it.
Even when such people died in a Monster attack, her heart remained unmoved. They had never given the girl love, seeing her only as a pawn to earn money, and so the girl grew up without knowing how to love anyone.
Therefore, when they died, she rejoiced, thinking that her real life was about to begin.
The girl wanted to be “happier” than anyone else in this world.
What is happiness? The girl, who didn’t know how to love, thought that “being loved by someone” was happiness.
She had learned the art of being loved from the woman who was her mother. However, her words and actions as a “woman” incurred the antipathy of her own sex, leading to her isolation from them. At the same time, she learned to use the opposite sex, who became captivated by her beauty.
At such a time, when the old woman managing the orphanage was murdered, and while the girl was being made to do volunteer work, she obtained “destiny.”
That “Magic Stone” was imbued with the passionate feelings of a certain woman.
The trajectory of a story set in this world. In it, the path for Licia to rise up and become the heroine (happy) was laid out.
The procedures for manipulating multiple men. In the events, so-called, even the darkness held in the hearts of the men targeted for capture was recorded, and as if taking an exam for which she already knew the answers, she captured their hearts one after another.
There were times when the “answers” didn’t work on those who were wary of Licia from the start, but partway through, she began to think that in the end, only the person who could make her happiest would suffice.
When Licia received the “knowledge” stored within it, that Magic Stone became merely a fragile stone, and all that remained in her hand was a Magic Stone the size of a small grain…
“Collette-san. Were you able to retrieve the necessary knowledge?”
The shrunken Magic Stone was in the demon’s hand. The final piece of knowledge seemed to be information from another world that Licia couldn’t comprehend, and the Incubus was analyzing it.
“Yes, Milady. The ‘proof’ for you to become ‘happy’ has been obtained.”
Collette, who had become the Incubus’s vessel, gave a faint smile at the question from Licia, her new contractor.
The content of the contract was to cooperate so that Licia could become happy.
The price for the contract was Licia’s soul after death, once she had become happy.
Precisely because she had obtained the woman’s “knowledge,” Licia knew that a contract with a demon was dangerous. Even so, Licia wanted the greatest “happiness,” even if it was as fleeting as a firework.
“For that, I’ll even give you the souls of the people of this country.”
“Yes, Milady.”
There is no eternal happiness. If it’s just going to fade into ordinary happiness someday, then let’s cut out the greatest happiness in this world and frame it.
“Milady, it is almost time.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Nasanitar’s funeral is about to take place. For the grandson of the Temple Head, it was a small affair, but unlike his otome game counterpart, it was a fitting funeral for him, who had accomplished nothing in this world. It was still better than “him,” who didn’t even get a funeral.
Amor’s frozen corpse still remained atop the temple. This was a stain on the Saint’s faction, but for the King, who wanted to declare him dead from illness, its presence made it difficult to politically interfere with the Holy Church.
They shouldn’t be able to stop Licia, as the Saint, from participating in the “graduation party”—the final stage of the otome game—to give her blessings.
Is Elvan’s absence due to his [Gift (Divine Protection)]? He never revealed his Divine Protection to anyone until the end, but with Licia’s Divine Protection, he cannot hate Licia.
“Now, let us pray. For our beloved Amor and Nasanitar.”
＊＊＊
“…Cough.”
Karla, crouching in a dark forest, one of her hidden bases, spat out blood.
Karla’s hypertrophied Magic Stone, which possessed all attributes, was pressing on her heart and draining her life force. But more than that, her reckless actions up to now, which could be described as a forced march, had damaged Karla’s body.
But she was used to pain. Suffering was also a common occurrence.
Her life just needed to hold out a little longer. The preparations for that were already complete.
Without wiping her bloodstained lips, Karla reached out her hand to the “moon” floating in the night sky.
“Ah… I feel so good…”
And so, the final and greatest “stage” begins—
The final stage, the graduation party, is finally beginning.
Who will be the victor!
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The threat of the Ash Covered Princess attacking a peaceful Orc village. …Huh?
The third volume of the book will finally be released next weekend.
The first volume of the manga adaptation will also be released, but it seems some people have already gotten their hands on it.
Please stop by a bookstore next weekend!
There will also be the latest information at the end of the third volume, so please look forward to it!