Episode 3
There were many epithets attached to Lankea Hunt Fidelanis —
from “Ruler of the North” to “Cold-hearted Man,” “King of the Battlefield,” and more.
Of course, he despised such nicknames.
He was that sort of man — the only thing Lankea cared about was the safety of the imperial family.
That was why his marriage had nothing to do with his own will or emotions like love;
it was a conclusion armed solely with loyalty to the state.
“Are you really going to marry Princess Vaeterinum for the sake of the empire’s peace and stability?”
His aide Miller, who pitied such a master, sighed as he asked.
“Don’t concern yourself, Miller.”
“But at least marriage should be with someone you love.”
“That’s a rather amusing thing to say.”
When Miller grumbled full of dissatisfaction, Lankea gave a faint laugh.
“Even if I marry twice, love will never be the reason.”
With that, Lankea fell silent, and Miller could no longer press the matter.
Instead, he brought up a new topic.
“You’ve heard His Majesty’s latest orders, haven’t you? Since the wedding has been moved up, you should be extra careful.”
“Miller.”
Just as Miller was about to turn and leave, Lankea called him back.
“Yes?”
“The Gate is scheduled to open in two weeks. Starting today, we resume training. Have the weapon makers on standby as well.”
The Gate was a kind of passage that would open now and then in the northernmost Monster Forest, Rune.
No one knew exactly where it connected to, but the crimson smoke that rose from it appeared roughly every two months.
And the one who always dealt with the monsters was none other than Lankea.
“I said to be careful with your body!”
“Get out.”
“……”
Knowing that no amount of persuasion would change Lankea, Miller bowed and left the office.
Lankea didn’t look at him once, keeping his pitch-black eyes fixed on the papers before him.
Only when Miller was gone did he lift his head, resting his chin in his hand as he stared into the flames of the fireplace.
“Why do they keep insisting that love is necessary for marriage?”
To Lankea, marriage was nothing more than a business arrangement.
That was how it had always been with the parents he was born to, and with the couple who adopted him.
A sudden, unpleasant memory from the past made him rise from his seat.
Removing his round spectacles, he picked up the documents he had been reviewing and tossed them into the quiet flames.
On them had been the face, personal information, and even the secrets of Eos — all burned to black ash and vanished.
Golden hair, a slightly smaller build than mine, and a mischievous voice that hadn’t yet gone through puberty.
So this is Prince Hyacinth.
He hadn’t introduced himself yet, but my instincts told me who he was.
“Since you haven’t been coming to see me lately, I came myself.”
He spoke in informal speech, as if he was asserting his dominance in this relationship.
“Where’s that guard who’s always stuck to you like glue? Why are you alone for once?”
My mouth went dry, and a line of sweat slid down my back.
How I answered here would determine my survival — this boy was the first gatekeeper.
But since I had no idea how the real princess usually treated him, I chose to answer with silence.
“Hey.”
My silence seemed to irritate Hyacinth.
“Are you deaf?”
“…What?”
Before I knew it, my mouth moved on its own.
“Did you just… use informal speech to me?”
“Oh? You’re calling it ‘informal speech’ now…?”
This boy — who looked much younger than me — was openly getting annoyed at his “older sister”?
Even though I knew I shouldn’t provoke him, anger flared up.
“You, right now—!”
“‘You’? Ha. Sister, just because I call you ‘sister’ doesn’t mean I’m actually respecting you.”
Hyacinth ruffled his golden hair, but seeing my unwavering gaze, he gave a short laugh.
“To speak to me informally… you really have gone mad.”
I also let out a scoff.
Prince Hyacinth truly didn’t hold back with his blood relatives.
Instinctively, my mind searched for a “latte” (comfort drink), but I forced myself to calm down and took a breath.
“What’s the big problem here?”
“The problem is—!”
But I swallowed the words that had risen to my lips.
Ribede’s warning — to avoid standing out at all costs — struck me hard.
“Ahem… of course, I have no intention of contradicting Your Highness.”
“Ha!”
Hyacinth’s lips curled higher in a sneer.
Outside, the rain still poured down, and dark clouds completely smothered the world so not a single ray of light could be found.
“Tch. Is the tea being plucked fresh from the bushes or what? Why is it taking so long?”
Hyacinth was clearly in a foul mood now, and heavy silence settled between us.
“Hey.”
His brow furrowed as he spoke again.
“By the way… who are you?”
He crossed his short arms tightly and leaned to one side.
“Pardon?”
The unexpected question made my voice tremble as I repeated it.
“The real Princess Eos has never spoken informally to me. You might fool others, but you can’t fool me. And you’ve lost that irritatingly proper manner of hers. No way Ribede’s eyes were fooled either, so if you’re here, there must have been some kind of deal between you and the real princess — and Ribede.”
He smirked with confidence.
“This isn’t funny. I don’t think you’re at the age to be playing games like this.”
Still looking down at me, he fired more questions.
“Fine then, sister. Tell me when my birthday is.”
“What?”
“Or the incident where I got hurt the worst?”
“……”
“If that’s too hard, at least tell me one of my habits.”
It was obvious he already believed I was a stand-in, relentlessly asking personal questions.
“Still claiming you’re not a fake?”
He didn’t even wait for my answers before continuing.
My desperate effort to deny my identity ended with him taking an easy, relaxed victory.
“Don’t tell me you ran away because you heard the wedding was moved up?”
“…What?”
It was the first I’d heard of it, and our expressions split in opposite reactions.
“How much earlier? Not by a whole month?”
“You didn’t even know before making the deal?”
“?”
My mind went blank — so blank I couldn’t even remember how to think.
“The wedding’s been moved up? Why…? But…”
Why did this damned world never once go the way I wanted?
I had never even considered the possibility of being found out by the prince — it left me completely wrong-footed.
“But…”
My voice echoed in the air like it had been left alone in a vast cave.
“I was never told anything about this.”
When people face an unexpected crisis, they usually go through five emotions: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
I was still stuck in the first stage — denial.
Hyacinth shook his head and stifled another laugh before finally speaking slowly.
“It was just decided. Ribede wouldn’t know either.”
“…?”
All I could do was keep my mouth hanging open.
Hyacinth seemed amused by my reaction, clutching his stomach as he laughed.
“It’s in a week. I heard they adjusted the date because the Gate’s opening was moved up. Oh, don’t tell me you don’t even know what the Gate is?”
At that moment, I had only one thought:
I had to see Ribede immediately.
“P-Prince Hyacinth—?”
Speak of the devil — Ribede entered the room with a tray of tea.
He seemed surprised to see me and Hyacinth together, and sensing my troubled expression, he bit his lip.
“Ribede, where have you been wandering? Since you didn’t deliver this important news, I had to come here and tell her myself.”
“Huh?”
“The rest, you can get from her. Well, I suppose this will be interesting to watch, so I’ll turn a blind eye.”
Waving lightly to Ribede, Hyacinth left the room without even glancing at me.
Now only Ribede and I were left.
He approached with quick steps and asked:
“What happened? Did he find out you’re the stand-in?”
“Well…”
“Did he?”
Ribede’s startled eyes turned to the door Hyacinth had exited.
Right, that was important — but there was something even more urgent.
“Did you know?”
“Know what?”
He looked genuinely confused.
“That the wedding’s been moved up. Did you know?”
“What? What do you mean? The wedding’s moved up?”
When I explained what Hyacinth had told me, Ribede’s eyes went wide in shock, and then his face turned pale.
“There’s no reason for it to be moved up… ah, unless—”
His face darkened as if something had occurred to him.
“What?”
“Our kingdom is rich in magic. In contrast, the Kansbine Empire is armed with military might. Between them lies the Monster Forest, Rune.”
The story was getting more complicated, and I frowned as I focused on him.
“At some point, Gates started appearing suddenly, spewing monsters. Lankea, the empire’s grand duke, has mostly been the one to subdue them.”
“Ah.”
That Grand Duke again.
“And since the cycle of the Gates — which used to be once a year — started getting shorter, and since our kingdom discovered mana stones… the wedding was arranged.”
“And?”
“It looks like the cycle’s been moved forward again. Weapons are urgently needed for the monster subjugations, and they can only be made with mana stones, so… the wedding has to be moved up too.”
I needed to understand what was happening.
After all, I had spent nearly my whole life as a beggar — things like this were far from ordinary to me.
Even if I had read plenty of romance-fantasy novels in my past life, actually becoming a noble came with massive responsibilities.
“…No. I don’t want this. It’s impossible.”
Ribede stayed silent, but I could tell exactly what he was about to say.
I tried to cut him off first, but despite my rejection, he spoke.
“I’ll give you extra pay.”
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