Three days later, the party hosted by the Second Prince concluded without major issues.
Epherna presented herself to the noble factions that were skeptical of her existence, and the Second Prince publicly announced the pre-arranged story about Epherna.
Naturally, no noble believed every word of it; they only believed it because the Second Prince had made the announcement himself.
At the beginning of the party, Epherna did not attract much attention, contrary to the grand proclamations made by the Second Prince.
The reason was simple:
She was still young.
And she had shown nothing substantial.
Nobles only believe confirmed truths.
The achievements Epherna presented seemed credible, but there were some aspects that lacked smoothness.
However, no noble openly criticized or doubted Epherna’s accomplishments.
To doubt Epherna’s achievements would be akin to doubting the imperial family itself.
So everyone waited, anticipating that she would demonstrate something.
It was not an exaggeration to say that people attended the party to see if Epherna Grandeum, claimed to be the last descendant of the imperial bloodline, was worthy of the title of ‘hero’.
Epherna proved herself in the most dazzling way.
She used her magic ability to its fullest, creating a grand fireworks display all by herself.
For several minutes that night, the sky over the imperial palace was filled with continuous golden sparks.
The nobles watched in awe, their faces blank as they admired the magic performed by Epherna.
At the center of the fireworks in the sky stood the bloodline of the family they revered as their Emperor.
The nobles, despite witnessing the vast consumption of mana for the fireworks, observed the First Princess with an unruffled expression.
Fifteen years old.
The scale of the magic, reminiscent of the Disaster of the Sky known as Bergamot Katia, was executed by a girl of such a tender age.
She was undoubtedly a prodigy.
A figure of the century worthy of being called a hero.
*****
The next day.
After the party, Epherna was suffering from severe muscle pain.
“I think I’m going to die….”
Her whole body ached as if she had intense muscle soreness, and her head throbbed.
Ern was preparing some medicinal tea for her.
“I knew you were overdoing it.”
Tsk Tsk. He clicked his tongue in disapproval.
Last night, Epherna had performed the fireworks display entirely on her own, without any help.
While it amazed the nobles, it resulted in this condition.
“I told you not to underestimate your ability, even if it only consumes mental energy. Mental energy includes some physical stamina too.”
“…I didn’t expect it to be this bad.”
Due to overexertion, she hadn’t even been able to dance the previous night.
The three days of intense dance practice had become useless.
Well, she hadn’t found a partner anyway, so she wondered why she practiced in the first place.
“Ugh.”
Ern brought a bowl of porridge and sat in front of the bed.
“Since your stomach must be in a mess, eat like this for a few days.”
“…Okay.”
Epherna reached out her hand to take the bowl.
Shiver.
“…I’ll feed you.”
With a resigned attitude, Ern scooped the porridge and fed it to her.
“Too hot…”
Ern’s forehead creased into a cross of frustration.
He had never realized how annoying it could be to care for a patient until now.
Eventually, he blew on the porridge and fed her bite by bite.
Feeling a bit guilty about just receiving, Epherna asked.
“Mister, why are there still no attendants in my palace? It seems like there are a few around, but isn’t that a bit too few?”
“I’m still in the process of selecting them.”
“Still?”
“It can’t be helped. Right now, except for me, you have enemies all around.”
A few days ago, a strange intruder had entered the princess’s palace and was handed over to the Second Prince.
Whether they intended to assassinate Epherna or just confirm something, it was clear that the intrusion was not made with good intentions.
“So who manages this large palace?”
“The Chamberlain and I are handling it.”
“Just the two of you?”
“There’s minimal staff. Occasionally, attendants from other palaces come to help.”
Of course, since they had only recently entered the palace, it was manageable.
However, they couldn’t continue with such a small staff indefinitely, so proper recruitment would have to happen soon.
‘Come to think of it, I also need to recruit two more guards.’
The personal guard originally consisted of three members.
Even though one slot was filled by himself, there were still two left.
The reason for having three personal guards was that one person alone could not be with the princess 24/7.
Ern anticipated that eventually, he would need to be prepared for a day when he would not be around Epherna.
‘…What should I do?’
Ern fell into deep thought.
*****
Several days later, Epherna had recovered enough to move around.
Her daily routine started to return to normal, and as a result, her lessons with Bergamot also resumed.
“Well then, shall we continue from where we left off last time?”
Epherna received instruction in nearly every field from Bergamot.
Having received various teachings from Ern before entering the princess’s palace, Epherna did not find the lessons particularly challenging.
Especially in magic, her ability to absorb knowledge was so fast that even Bergamot found himself struggling to keep up.
“I’m at a loss here. You learn and apply everything so quickly, I might have to teach you my vision magic just to fill the lesson time.”
Epherna had a memorization ability close to what is often referred to as absolute memory.
“Your understanding is too fast. It reminds me of my prime.”
When Bergamot referred to her peak, she was talking about the period when she was known as the ‘Disaster of the Sky’.
The ‘Disaster of the Sky’ was a title earned largely due to Bergamot Katia’s extraordinary growth during wartime.
They say that war brings development.
Bergamot was a figure who had unleashed her potential through war.
Looking at Epherna now, she recalled her past self and felt joy. The magic she had developed in her era would not decline with Epherna’s existence.
Magic is a field where the gap between genius and average intellect is vast.
No matter how simplified a genius’s theories are explained, the gap remains nearly impossible for the average intellect to bridge.
Bergamot had spent her entire life trying to close this gap but felt that in this lifetime, it might remain unachievable.
However, with Epherna, there might be a possibility of eliminating this gap.
Even though it would take a very long time, Bergamot was content with the mere possibility.
“Since there’s nothing more to do today, let’s end the lesson here and move on to the next topic!”
Bergamot cleared all the books from the table and called for Merien.
With familiar movements, she prepared three cups of black tea.
Soon after, Merien entered, and Bergamot ensured the door was firmly closed to prevent anyone from entering.
Ern was not present at this time.
He had been summoned along with Valtean by Schneider.
Bergamot used magic to cast a silence barrier around the room.
The discussion to follow was not to be leaked anywhere.
“Hehe… The First Princess’s innocent first love story! I’m really looking forward to it!”
Indeed, the topic of discussion among the three women was Epherna’s first love.
Specifically, it was a meeting to prepare a strategy for Epherna to win Ern over.
Merien was the first to speak cautiously.
“Um… Don’t you think the princess it too young to talk about this? Honestly, Lord Astra probably doesn’t see the princess as a woman. There’s quite an age gap after all.”
It was a harsh but realistic statement.
Ern, seeing fifteen-year-old Epherna, likely regarded her more as a daughter or a younger sibling rather than a potential romantic interest.
“That’s why it’s important now! If time goes by like this, he’ll never see you as a woman!”
Bergamot insisted that they couldn’t let things remain as they were.
Change required stimulation, and stimulation required action.
“Well, that’s true…”
Agreeing with Bergamot, Merien’s gaze shifted to Epherna.
“Princess! What is the current way Lord Astra addresses you?”
“Huh? Well… It’s ‘Mister’?”
“How does Lord Astra address you?”
“He calls me ‘Little One’…”
“That’s the problem! That title creates a line between an adult and a child!”
Bergamot’s reprimand made Epherna’s eyes widen in surprise.
She was about to respond with ‘But…’ when she was cut off by Bergamot’s further exclamation.
“Princess, you are of a higher status than Lord Astra! It’s up to you how you want to be addressed!”
“….”
“Are you really going to just sit here? Is it alright if Lord Astra is taken by another woman?”
Though Epherna did not refute Bergamot’s words, she continued to think deeply inside.
‘…It’s true.’
As Bergamot said, the title of ‘Mister’ had become fixed out of habit, but it was unusual for Epherna, given her status, to call Ern by such a title.
Even if she started calling Ern by another title today, Ern would likely accept it without fuss.
“Try saying it. Ern!”
But actually, when she thought about calling him by his name.
“…It might be a bit difficult.”
Already feeling a flush of heat, she realized that even calling his name alone felt like it was altering something significant within her.
Epherna bowed her head deeply. It had become a habit to bow her head whenever she felt heat rise in her body.
The only change now was that thinking about him could make her feel this way.
“…”
Bergamot found herself at a loss for words, not expecting Epherna to be so shy about simply calling his name.
‘This… won’t be easy.’
Merien, who had been observing from the side, shared the same sentiment.
