Chapter 2
Eleventh in the line of succession to the Kingdom of Gallia.
Second from the bottom among the royals eligible to inherit the throne.
Prince ‘Leonard de Gallia’ had turned eighteen that year. Thanks to his radiant blond hair and gentle features, he was always the talk of the town whenever he attended a social gathering. But behind the splendor of those salons, the nobles called him the ‘Forgotten Prince.’
-Hohoho, His Highness the Forgotten Prince looked splendid again today. If he came to the salons every day like this, it’d be a feast for the eyes.
-Hahaha! His Highness is attending today not as a member of the Gallian royal family, but as a diplomat. The throne is out of his reach, so it’s worked out splendidly.
-Hehehe, more than that, I’d rather see Her Highness the ‘Golden Princess.’ That radiant, beautiful appearance…! Truly a blessing from the sun god. I’m sure she’ll find a good match soon… Hehehe.
-Oh my, you mean the young lady who ‘hasn’t even’ made her social debut?
-Hehe… Ever since ‘that incident,’ ‘those two’ have been forgotten by His Majesty. But they still look every bit like royalty. It’s no wonder the fine gentlemen of the ‘Aristocratic Faction’ are eager to claim them.
Amid ridicule and contempt.
The twin royals, the ‘Forgotten Prince’ and the ‘Golden Princess,’ lived quietly in a mansion tucked away in a corner of Gallia’s royal capital. They had lived that way for eighteen years, ever since they were born.
And now.
“Phew, Lydia….”
Leonard was anxiously searching for his mischievous twin sister. Old Max, the kind gardener, had told him he’d seen the carriage driven by their maid, Mirian.
-Your Highness, the carriage Mirian drives just came in.
-Thank you for letting me know.
Unlike the other servants, who pretended not to see Leonard, old Max was the only one who treated him with courtesy and kindness. But Leonard’s pride and ambition were too great for him to be hurt by that.
‘Someday, if Lydia and I are to escape the responsibilities of being members of the Gallian royal family for good… then now is the time for me to build up my influence under Baron Valmont, the foreign minister.’
The head of a prestigious diplomatic family—the foreign minister, Baron Cedric Valmont—was a fine gentleman and a good mentor. Under his tutelage, Leonard had set aside his status as a royal and was working as a staff member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Even at eighteen, Leonard was slowly making a name for himself in the Gallian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he was called a ‘young leader.’ Though only within the ministry.
“….”
But his poor younger sister, Lydia, didn’t seem to understand how precarious their situation was. She didn’t seem to realize that the vile desires of the ‘Aristocratic Faction’ were beginning to close in on the twins.
‘She wanted to see the outside world before enrolling in the academy. What on earth is she even going there for…?’
The twins’ plan.
To buy Leonard even a little more time, Lydia had taken the drastic step of enrolling in Aruen Academy, which stood in neutral territory outside the Kingdom of Gallia. There, at least, she would be protected as an academy student for three years.
‘…But Lydia has only two years left on her Vow of Chastity. I have to hurry and secure Baron Valmont’s support before those Aristocratic Faction bastards can reach the academy.’
Lydia, a cast-off royal and a woman no longer protected by the sun god, had a fate that could only be called ‘miserable’—and even that was an understatement.
“….”
Creak, creak—
Normally, he would have been careful walking down this old, noisy hallway. But as he worried about his fragile, mischievous little sister’s recklessness, his steps naturally quickened.
Before long, Leonard spotted Lydia in the garden.
“!”
The quiet garden.
Lydia sat primly at the tea table, holding a teacup. After every unauthorized trip outside, she always came back with an attitude that said, ‘See? I was safe, wasn’t I?’ Her maid Mirian, of course, stood behind her.
“….”
Looking at her,
he couldn’t help feeling a little angry, but even more relieved.
Leonard headed toward her.
“Lydia!”
“You’re here, brother.”
“…It’s dangerous to leave the capital so suddenly. Had you forgotten our plan? I’m afraid your safety might be at risk.”
“You can relax, brother. Mirian was by my side the whole time. Under her guidance, I made sure not to do anything conspicuous or dangerous.”
“….”
“But… it was my fault for dragging Mirian along against her will, so I’ll accept whatever punishment you give me, brother.”
Then Lydia’s maid, Mirian, who had been standing behind her, bowed politely to Leonard. Surprisingly, she was a former elite soldier from the north, and she was both a dependable bodyguard for the twins and a nanny of sorts.
She spoke to Leonard earnestly.
“Her Highness Lydia was so distressed at the thought of being confined for the next three years… I’m to blame for everything. Please be generous and forgive her, Your Highness.”
“….”
Leonard was a kind man to begin with; there was no way he would punish Lydia or Mirian, who was practically their nanny. The two of them had probably admitted their wrongdoing because they knew that.
‘It’s a little strange how they’re letting me keep up appearances of authority while knowing they’re safe either way…’
Seeing Lydia’s shameless demeanor,
Leonard lost the energy to get angry at all.
‘…Right. She made it back safely. As long as she’s alive and safe, that’s what matters.’
The twins were always like this.
Leonard gave a rueful smile and sat down at the tea table in the garden. He wanted to enjoy one last tea with his younger sister before she left for the academy.
Mirian had already placed a teacup in front of Leonard, quick to read the room.
“…Thank you, as always, Mirian. Even after I leave for Baron Valmont’s estate, please take good care of Lydia at the academy.”
“Don’t worry, Your Highness. I’ll protect Her Highness the Princess, even if it costs me my life.”
“That wouldn’t be good.”
“Pardon…?”
“I want both you and Lydia to come back alive. That’s why I’m working so hard at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
“…Thank you.”
Lydia watched them and smiled slightly.
“Hehe….”
*
That night.
Lydia’s bedroom.
Mirian was brushing Lydia’s hair after her bath. Her hands were gentle and warm as she took care not to damage those beautiful golden locks.
Mirian spoke fondly.
“…Even Lady Lydia, Sword Master of the kingdom’s secret order, the ‘Ember Knight Order,’ is just a frail little sister in front of her brother.”
“Hehe, don’t tease me, Knight Mirian. We’re fellow members of the Ember Knight Order. Besides, we have to keep our affiliation hidden from the public. We’re a secret order that opposes the demon worshippers hiding all over the kingdom. There’s no malice behind my keeping secrets from my brother, including the fact that I’m a Sword Master.”
“Oh my, I only meant that it’s lovely to see such a close bond between siblings.”
“I can tell right away when my swordsmanship teacher and nanny are lying.”
“Hehe….”
Lydia suddenly recalled the distant past.
The time before she was born—when she had been ‘Lee Dae-yoon.’
‘…I’m glad I knew about the secret organization, the Ember Knight Order, before I was reincarnated. It appears in the hidden route—the Princess Lydia route. Thanks to that, I saved Mirian and my brother, who were supposed to die in the original story, and I was able to join the Ember Knight Order.’
The Ember Knight Order.
It was a secret organization of nine skilled people, each hiding under a different identity somewhere in the Kingdom of Gallia, who had banded together to fight demon worshippers.
Lydia had become its tenth member.
Long ago, Mirian, the maid to the twins, had actually been a member of the Ember Knight Order who infiltrated the royal estate to follow traces of demon worshippers. In the original story, she wanted to raise Leonard, a dignified prince even as a child, to become the next member of the Ember Knight Order.
But in the original story, both of them died in a mysterious carriage accident.
『Princess Lydia: My precious people—my brother and my maid—have both left this world. It happened on the way to my brother’s ‘baptism’ when he was seven. I found both this elixir and the swordsmanship in Mirian’s bedroom. After that, I was left alone in the estate….』
‘To think the elixir and swordsmanship given by the useless princess both belonged to Mirian, who died in that carriage accident….’
Lydia remembered those details.
So, in the year Leonard turned seven, she postponed the date of his baptism.
That alone.
Those who had died long ago in the original story survived and became dependable allies. Lydia also became Mirian’s formal disciple, learned swordsmanship from her, and received the elixir.
“….”
For Lydia to become a Sword Master,
the event that would have been the most important clue had been resolved so easily.
‘…It’s better this way. To normalize this world, it’s more convenient for my brother to stay in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs while I work from the academy. I’m sorry I have to hide my identity from him, though.’
In truth, her brother’s plan was just an excuse to get her to the academy.
Lydia’s real plan at the academy was….
“…Your Highness Lydia?”
“Hm?”
Lydia turned around.
Mirian wore a worried expression. It wasn’t the face of a strong Ember Knight, but of the nanny who had cared for the twins since the day they were born.
“Are you nervous about going to the academy for the sake of the plan?”
“Of course not. Who do you think I am?”
“….”
“I’m your disciple, a Sword Master, and a member of the Ember Knight Order who puts demon worshippers to the sword. I’m not worried about something like that.”
“…I see. Of course. Your Highness is better than me—my proudest student. To think you became one of the kingdom’s four Sword Masters….”
“Two of the four, including me and the captain, are keeping our identities secret. As far as the public knows, the Kingdom of Gallia has only two Sword Masters.”
“I’m honored that you’ve let me know.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Hehehe.”
Mirian spoke with a wistful expression.
“I never expected that, contrary to the plan, I’d end up training Her Highness Lydia instead of His Highness Leonard. Even the captain was surprised at first.”
“Do you regret it? It’s too late now. That elixir’s been in my blood for ages.”
“I’m just so happy.”
“Pfft….”
“Hehe…!”
“Ahahaha!”
“Hehehe!”
The day before she left for the academy.
Quiet conversation continued late into the night in Lydia’s bedroom.
*
The next morning.
Two carriages stood in front of the mansion in the spring breeze. The siblings stood before the two carriages, each headed in a different direction.
Lydia said goodbye to Leonard.
“Then, brother, I hope your long journey goes safely.”
“Yes, and I hope you have a wonderful… school life at the academy, too.”
“…I will.”
They both knew.
The road ahead had little to do with anything ‘pleasant’…
But the siblings said no more and shared a light embrace.
And they parted for what would be a long while.
Leonard boarded the carriage to Baron Valmont’s estate, his face resolute. Old Max, the mansion’s gardener, who had brought out his luggage, encouraged him in a worried voice.
“If it’s for Your Highness’s noble cause, Baron Valmont will surely understand.”
“Thank you so much. The only ones who support me are you, Lydia, and Mirian.”
Instead of scolding old Max with a ‘How dare you!’, Leonard sincerely thanked him. Perhaps his sincerity reached Max, because the old gardener bowed deeply.
Clip-clop!
The two carriages started off in opposite directions.
One was bound for the estate of ‘Baron Cedric Valmont,’ the foreign minister of the Kingdom of Gallia. The other was headed to a place where young people from the three kingdoms of the southern continent gathered…
To ‘Aruen Academy,’ built in neutral territory.
*
“….”
Lydia’s eyes gleamed coldly inside the carriage.
‘I won’t be swayed by the original story.’
The original story…
‘…was already twisted the moment I entered this body.’
Lydia had not the slightest intention of letting the academy’s nobodies push her around.
That place was merely the setting of the original adult game, and where the protagonist Arti would find his fortuitous opportunities. The heroines and the protagonist would become Lydia’s loyal subordinates.
‘…I’ll prepare the clues that will set your lives right. In return, swear your loyalty to me.’
Lydia crossed her legs haughtily and looked out the window.