They say a word without feet can travel a thousand miles.
At some point, rumors about the last descendant of the imperial family spread beyond the Few Inner region to the outskirts of the capital.
The source was the Grandeum imperial family.
Since the Second Prince, Elius Grandeum, personally guaranteed and announced it, the impact brought about a tremendous aftermath.
“Your Highness, Duke Lemea and Duke Tesran have requested an audience.”
“News travels fast indeed. They must have departed from the north, and they have already arrived.”
Two of the three dukes in the empire requested an audience.
The one thing they were bound to question:
Simply put.
Have you lost your mind?
Of course, they couldn’t express that directly.
“Your Highness, we apologize for our late arrival.”
“It’s been a while, Duke Lemea. How have you been?”
“Thanks to your boundless grace, I have been living well without any shortcomings. I hope Your Highness has also been well.”
“Yes, I’ve been doing fine as usual.”
Duke Lemea, who arrived first, exchanged brief pleasantries before cautiously asking his question.
“Your Highness, the reason I requested an audience is due to a small concern.”
Duke Lemea was a noble who had long been allied with the Second Prince’s faction.
Thus, he used the title of Your Highness to show his loyalty, but even he couldn’t help but be curious about the current situation.
“Is this about the First Princess?”
“Since you know, I won’t beat around the bush.”
“That’s better. Speak your mind.”
“Why did you reveal the existence of the Princess?”
“She is of my bloodline; do I need a reason?”
“…”
Duke Lemea held back what he was about to say.
Knowing that the Second Prince had personally killed the First Prince, he realized that Elius’s words were a light deception.
“…It could have been handled quietly.”
“You know I’m terminally ill. Surely you weren’t hoping to claim the throne after my death?”
“Of course not, Your Highness!”
“Just a joke.”
Elius laughed heartily and clapped his hands.
Duke Lemea was a man who had never refused or delayed an imperial order.
Elius knew well that he had no interest in the throne.
“It will be dangerous.”
“For who?”
“For the First Princess.”
Duke Lemea began to detail his objective assessment and concerns about the current situation.
“The noble factions that once supported the First Prince have yet to be absorbed by Your Highness. They are not complying with some of the military conscription orders and property confiscation decrees you issued. These nobles are under pressure from Duke Tesran. I dare to speculate that the ambitious Duke Tesran will use the First Princess as a puppet.”
“Indeed, Duke Tesran is quite shrewd. However, my perspective is a bit different.”
How could Elius not know?
Having heard enough nagging from Schneider to make his ears ache, Elius reluctantly began to explain.
“My sister is inexperienced.”
“…”
“Though she has royal blood, she has never fought in the cutthroat political arena.”
“…”
“What do you think she needs?”
If Elius had absorbed all the residual forces that supported the First Prince before revealing the First Princess’s existence, Epherna could have inherited the stabilized noble forces after Elius’s death.
However.
“She lacks the experience to govern the country.”
Pacifying disobedient nobles, purging insubordinate ministers.
Understanding the bizarre actions of the content high-ranking officials.
Guarding against neighboring countries that could rise to power at any moment.
Stamping endless documents.
Epherna knows nothing of these tiresome and difficult tasks.
“Can such an inexperienced child be trusted to govern the country?”
At least she should know the basics.
Elius intended to teach Epherna.
“It will probably take about three years.”
“…Your Highness.”
“What now?”
“Then who will protect the First Princess in the meantime?”
“Hah…”
“Though she has noble blood, she has grown up as an ordinary girl for the past ten years. She has no reliable strong warriors or capable people around her…”
“She has the Guard.”
Duke Lemea raised his bowed head.
“Have you already selected the Personal Guard for the First Princess?”
“It’s not about selection. We simply don’t have the talent.”
“Who exactly qualifies for this role? Is it Captain Lumiron of the Red Knight Order? Or perhaps someone from the Blue…”
“Lord Astra.”
“…What?”
“Ern Astra. The one who volunteered to be bait for the Demon King, just like you.”
Duke Lemea couldn’t hold back his words.
“You mean that crazy b*stard?”
*****
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t know this day would come.
Still, now that it had come, it felt awkward.
“How do you feel about becoming a princess overnight?”
“Other than having a nicer house, I don’t really feel anything.”
“It will be like that for a while. The Second Prince wishes for you to remain quiet until things settle down, so nothing will change much for now.”
Epherna looked around her room.
It was incomparably larger than the modest room in Ern’s mansion.
Around her were lavish decorations and several paintings whose value she couldn’t even guess.
“…It’s spacious.”
“It’s a room that required a lot of effort. The Second Prince must have paid special attention to it.”
Epherna suddenly turned and stared at Ern.
“Mister, why are you speaking so formally?”
“I must do so now. If I continue to address you informally, it would be a big problem.”
Epherna’s cheeks puffed up in frustration.
“Even if you make that face, there’s nothing I can do.”
In the past, Ern would have tried to soothe her anger, but he couldn’t do that anymore.
“It was you who asked me to become your guard.”
“…If I’d known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have asked.”
Even if things hadn’t turned out this way, Ern would have had to use formal speech with her, but that wasn’t the issue.
The sense of distance created by Ern’s formal speech was deeply disappointing to Epherna.
“I’ll give you permission, can you at least speak informally when we’re alone?”
Epherna’s voice was weak as she lowered her eyebrows.
Ern’s heart weakened at that.
He was not a man so dry that he could even ignore the little girl’s lowered eyebrows.
Ern thought for a moment and then spoke.
“Alright.”
Epherna’s frown immediately disappeared.
“See? This suits you better, Mister.”
“Don’t call me ‘Mister’ in front of others. From now on, use my name or call me Sir Astra.”
“…Why?”
“Although the Imperial Guard is the closest protector to royalty, calling me ‘Mister’ might attract strange looks.”
“What kind of looks?”
“Rumors could start. For instance, that I have undue influence over the First Princess.”
…Isn’t that somewhat true?
Epherna thought for a moment and asked,
“Then can I call you Ern?”
“Ern is my nickname.”
“It’s a nickname?”
“A con artist prophet gave it to me when I was young. Since then, the kids around me called me Ern. It stuck as a nickname.”
“So, your name is Astra.”
“Astra is my codename.”
Epherna’s expression turned dissatisfied.
“…Then what’s your real name?”
“I don’t have one. Ern Astra is my name.”
“…”
Her expression hardened instantly.
This is because she was struck by his carefree attitude despite not having a name.
How does a person without a name feel?
Even she, who had nothing, had a name.
Even as her life faded away, she had a feeling that her existence was certain.
Did he, without a name, feel none of that?
Maybe she could give him a name.
“…I’ll have to think about it.”
“Think about what?”
“It’s a secret. I’ll tell you later.”
She winked, catching Ern off guard.
Surprised, Ern raised his eyebrows in frustration.
“…Our Little One has really changed. You never used to keep secrets from me.”
“That’s all in the past now.”
“For something to be in the past, more than a week needs to have passed since you left home.”
“A lot has changed in this past week. It’s enough time for a person to change too.”
“…”
I suppose so.
Indeed, a lot has changed since a week ago.
A lot has truly happened.
*****
A week ago.
“Will you stay with me even after I become a princess?”
Epherna asked, her face flushed, looking down.
She had said she wanted to make a request, and since she was serious, Ern began to ponder carefully.
‘She means what she says literally.’
She wanted Ern to stay by her side and care for her even after she became a princess.
Ern understood this.
He could understand, for he was like a protector to her, and she relied on him a lot.
‘I can do that.’
Ern’s decision was to accept.
As much as Epherna relied on him, he had grown attached to her, and he was willing to be her parent until she could stand on her own.
‘It’s not impractical either.’
In fact, it was quite feasible.
As her Personal Guard, he could stay by her side all day.
He would need the Second Prince’s permission, but it was far from impossible.
With his thoughts clear, Ern spoke calmly.
“Sure. I’ll stay by your side.”
He reassured her, promising to be there until she grew into a capable adult, gently patting her head.
“…Thank you, Mister.”
Epherna expressed her gratitude in a small voice, holding onto Ern’s hand.
Then…
“Although it might seem out of the blue, you know how grateful I am to you, right?”
“Huh?”
She followed his hand and stood up straight, moving closer to Ern.
Ern noticed her face turning red and thought she might be about to hug him, so he opened his arms quietly.
But then, she stopped suddenly. Epherna’s head halted in midair.
At the same time, two slender hands grabbed Ern’s face.
Epherna, her face red up to her neck, leaned in.
Smooch.
Something soft lightly touched Ern’s cheek.
