Now, reveal your true identity.
At Ian’s blunt statement, Eri trembled and stuttered.
“Uh…”
How on earth did he figure out she was using a false identity?
She knew it was embarrassing to praise herself, but she had always believed that no one could ever uncover her true identity.
After all, even if she was hiding her identity, who would suspect that she was the princess?
‘This is impossible.’
It was unimaginable to regular people that a princess, who had lived a life of luxury and only seen the finest things, would be involved in hard work just to maintain a disguise.
Moreover, Eri had been genuinely acting as Young Lady Everhart, and even her guardian knight had been completely fooled.
But now… Ian had seen through her identity. Was there a mistake somewhere?
‘No. Maybe not. He might just be testing me, just asking to see if he’s right.’
Right, he was probably not asking out of certainty.
If she just responded casually, she could probably move on without this going any further.
Eri had just decided to defend herself when Ian continued.
“If you don’t reveal your identity soon, your younger brother might take the throne. Wouldn’t it be better to return now? If it were the usual Bedon, he would never even dream of succeeding the throne, with all his reckless behavior. But lately, there have been whispers of praise about him from the imperial palace. If you keep pretending, you might really lose the throne.”
“…”
As she heard Ian’s confident words and the inside details he spoke of, Eri gave up on defending herself.
There was no point in denying it now, especially with Ian so certain. It was clear that denying it would have no effect.
Her hidden identity had been revealed. At the same time, Eri’s gaze grew sharp.
“When did you figure it out?”
“If you ask when I found out…”
She demanded an answer, her eyes narrowed. Normally, Ian would have been concerned about how to calm her down if she were angry, but not this time.
After all, Ian had reached the level of Grand Master and had even helped the Hero defeat the Demon God.
Even the emperor couldn’t dismiss such accomplishments lightly.
He wasn’t scared of her revealing her identity.
‘And Eri wouldn’t do anything reckless either.’
In the little over a year they had spent together, Ian had grown close to her.
To Ian, Erzebeth was someone extremely important, and Eri likely felt the same.
That was why.
“Don’t you remember? My birthday. You were so drunk, you blurted out that your real identity was that of a princess who’s four years older than me.”
“Ugh.”
At the sight of Eri’s face turning bright red, Ian simply smiled lightly.
At the same time, he grabbed her frozen hands and pulled her towards him.
“Let’s stop playing pretend now. Princess.”
“I was hiding it so well. Who would have thought I’d get caught because of alcohol?”
Even if she hadn’t been drunk, Ian had already known her true identity, but he hadn’t said anything about it.
In that moment of hesitation, Eri’s eyes reddened as if she were about to cry.
“So you knew all along, and I was the only one acting… I must look so stupid.”
Eri looked as if she might start crying any moment.
It was embarrassing.
A grown adult, pretending to be someone else, and to think she had been found out already by Ian.
But Ian didn’t laugh at her.
“Huh.”
“Go ahead, laugh. Go ahead and mock me.”
“Why would I laugh? What’s so embarrassing about it?”
“…What?”
On the contrary, Ian felt grateful.
He didn’t know the exact reason why Eri had hidden her identity, but she had been a great help to him, a source of strength in tough times.
He couldn’t even imagine how bleak the future would have been without her.
Because she was pretending to be Eri Everhart, a noblewoman, Ian was able to speak freely and share his true thoughts with her.
Moreover, he had started to think of her as his own.
That was why.
“Isn’t it better to stop pretending and return to being Princess Erzebeth? Even as a noblewoman, it’s still uncomfortable compared to when you lived as a princess.”
Ian spoke sincerely, and despite how mortified Eri felt, he continued.
You can reveal your identity. You could have been pretending to be a commoner or a slave, but in reality, you’re a princess of the empire.
But there was another reason she couldn’t reveal the truth so easily.
“Because as a princess, I can’t stay with you. As you guessed, my siblings want me to inherit the throne.”
“So?”
“If I reveal my identity, I’ll have to dedicate a lot of time to securing the throne. That means I would have to leave Ark as well.”
Just like Ian cherished Eri, Eri also valued Ian.
She had approached him out of curiosity, intrigued by the reactions of spirits, but after spending time together, she had come to understand who Ian Volkanov truly was.
He was someone she could spend her life with, someone important to her.
The real reason she was afraid to be separated from him was simple.
“I can’t always be by your side like this! Ian, do you really think you’ll be okay with that?”
The reason she hesitated to reveal her true identity was simple:
She had grown so accustomed to being around Ian that the thought of being apart from him frightened her.
With her fists clenched, Eri raised her voice. After hearing her sincere concerns, Ian nodded silently and then spoke.
“Then shouldn’t we get married?”
“W-What? What did you just say…?”
“I mean, if you give up the identity of Young Lady Everhart, you’re worried about being separated from me, right? If you want to stay legally together, marriage is the way to go. Who would stop a married couple from being together?”
“Are you serious? I’m not in the mood for jokes, Ian!”
“I’m serious. There’s no other way for us to stay together. Even if you’re a duke, being next to a princess will attract the eyes of the officials.”
“Fine, let’s say we get married and stay together… then what about Ark?”
School? If that’s why he can’t be with Erzebeth, then why doesn’t he just quit?
“Ark? If being at Ark means I can’t stay with you, then I’ll just quit.”
“Quit?”
Eri’s face went blank for a moment. Ian’s answer came without a hint of hesitation, and it seemed so absurd to her.
If he was casually talking about quitting school, it was understandable why she’d be stunned.
She might even have wondered if he was just saying that to placate her.
‘But what should I do? He’s serious.’
The thing was, Ian had never said anything without meaning it.
If it was for Erzebeth, he really would consider quitting Ark.
He wasn’t unaware of how valuable a diploma from Ark was for an aristocrat in the Empire.
Connections. Family ties. It was no surprise that such words were often heard. In the medieval Empire, who you were from mattered a lot.
‘For commoners, Ark was a gateway to success, and for nobles, it was a place for networking. Most of the influential people in the Empire were Ark alumni. It was easy to connect with them later on by saying, ‘I’m a junior from Ark!’’
Giving up that opportunity just one year before graduation would seem insane and painful.
That was probably why Eri couldn’t even speak properly.
However, Ian truly was serious about quitting Ark.
‘Who am I? I became a Grand Master in my twenties and a duke of the Empire. I was even the main member of the Hero Party that defeated the Demon God.’
People who try to climb up the ladder by sucking up to others are usually lacking and seeking to gain something.
But Ian, who had already become one of the biggest figures in the Empire, didn’t need to do that.
‘The current dukes are all getting old, and soon the younger generation will take over.’
Most of the current ruling class were already thinking about successors because they were past their prime.
Of course, they might be considering a generational shift, but even if they were capable, the transition wouldn’t be easy.
‘Even if someone inherits the position, the Empire’s higher-ups won’t immediately acknowledge them just because they’ve been chosen as a successor.’
They’d waste time building support again.
In contrast, Ian had already secured powerful connections with the imperial family and prominent noble families.
‘Off the top of my head, I have the Wignoron dukedom, the Hurst earldom, and the Miler count family on my side.’
Moreover, places like Edenria and the Elves of the Great Forest would likely hold favorable feelings toward Ian as well.
‘Is that all? The Volkanov lands are now some of the richest territories in the Empire. It’s gone from a barren wasteland to the most profitable land in the Empire.’
Was he worried about being isolated if he quit? About living on a remote island?
‘That’s nonsense. Even if they try to downplay it, the size of the land is enormous, like Australia—no, like a continent.’
Self-sufficiency wouldn’t be a problem.
In the near future, Ian knew that other nobles would be scrambling to establish ties with the Volkanov family.
This meant one simple thing.
‘I won’t miss Ark. Whether I drop out or not, there’s nothing to regret. In fact, if I send in my resignation, the headmaster will probably try to keep me around as an honorary graduate or something.’
It would be others who would regret it, not Ian.
And that was why.
“It might sound unbelievable, but I really would drop out for you. So, let’s stay together.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, he made the decision to be with her.
With a smile of satisfaction, Ian grabbed her left hand and began to manipulate his mana.
Whoosh!
When you reached the Master level, you could manipulate solidified mana, and as a Grand Master, Ian could control it just as easily. But there was one key difference.
‘When I was a Master, the mana would melt and vaporize once I stopped manipulating it. Now, it doesn’t melt.’
He could create pure mana that wouldn’t melt away.
Using that, Ian created a ring, the only one of its kind in the Empire—or rather, in the world—and placed it on Eri’s left ring finger.
“Let’s get married, Eri.”
“…Thank you, Ian.”
At the same moment, Eri couldn’t hold back her tears any longer and began to cry.
