[V7C22] Responding to Kindness

“Princess Cecilia!”

Hearing her name called, Cecilia slowly lifted her eyelids to find Lionel’s face staring at her, illuminated by the faint moonlight. His thick eyebrows were furrowed with concern.

“…Ah, it seems I didn’t manage to die.”

Cecilia muttered the words softly, causing Lionel to contort his face in pain.

This caused guilt to well up in Cecilia’s chest, but whom was it directed at?

The grandfather whose expectations she failed? Mia, who died shielding her without any knowledge of the truth? Lionel, the man worried about her? Perhaps all of the above. Cecilia felt so painfully guilty, that the only way to repent was by death.

“…I apologize, Prince Lionel… I am…”

“Forgive me!”

Lionel’s deep voice interrupted Cecilia’s feeble apology. This caused Cecilia to widen her teary eyes in surprise. Why was Lionel apologizing? He had done nothing wrong.

With delicate care, as if handling fragile glasswork, Lionel gently lowered Cecilia out of his arms and allowed her to stand. Now facing Cecilia directly, he lowered his head.

“I should have noticed sooner…! I did not mean to drive you into a corner with the engagement… and make the same mistake again… How could I be such a fool…!”

Cecilia’s mouth went agape in surprise.

This response was only natural; Lionel knew nothing about the circumstances she was dealing with. In this situation, if Cecilia were to jump off a building and commit suicide, rebelling against the marriage would be her assumed motive.

And indeed, the Dream Mage had orchestrated the situation to make it appear that way.

This misunderstanding needed to be cleared up. Cecilia anxiously tried to explain.

“No, that could not be further from the truth! I… I am smitten with you, Prince Lionel…!”

This time, it was Lionel’s turn to be surprised.

Cecilia covered her flushed cheeks with both hands, lowering her gaze to the ground.

In the wake of such a major incident, it was practically impossible to keep the secret going any longer. In which case, she wanted to be the one to tell Lionel the truth.

As a proud princess of the Empire, this was her duty.

“Prince Lionel, I have been rejected by the Mirror of Bern. The contract itself was established, and I possess the mark… yet the mirror refuses to accept my mana.”

Cecilia was afraid. She did not want to see Lionel looking down at her with disappointment.

Nevertheless, she raised her head and, with her hands clasped in front of her chest in a prayer, looked straight into Lionel’s eyes as she continued.

“As I cannot use the Mirror of Bern in times of need, I do not possess the qualifications of the Saintess, and I am worthless as a hostage. Moreover, as long as I live, it will be impossible to choose a new Saintess… I am little more than a hindrance who deserves to die.”

After reaffirming her position in concrete words, Cecilia’s suicidal thoughts only grew darker.

Not only was she worthless, her grandfather found her to be a complete nuisance. There was no point to her life, and yet, dying was simply too scary. She had survived for several years in this position… while leading so many victims to early graves.

Lionel opened his mouth, intending to speak, but he quickly covered his own mouth with his hand. He began furrowing his thick eyebrows, apparently worrying over something.

He attempted to say something again, only to grunt and shake his head, repeating the process. After a long struggle, Lionel resigned himself and finally spoke up.

“Princess Cecilia, considering your position and concerns, please allow me to speak my personal opinion.”

“…?”

As Cecilia grew puzzled, Lionel continued in a tone which was both apologetic and awkward.

“The Mirror of Bern possesses immense power, and the price of its usage is the contractor’s lifespan… So when I heard that you lacked the ability to use the Mirror of Bern… I couldn’t help but feel relieved.”

Cecilia was left utterly speechless.

She had been raised as the Saintess ever since she could remember, so the option of not using the Mirror of Bern did not exist in her mind.

Her life had always belonged to the artifact, and she would use it once the time came. Who would possibly rejoice at her getting rejected by the artifact?

“I am sorry. As you have been raised to be the Saintess, your inability to use the mirror must feel extremely frustrating… Yet I felt relieved when I learned you would not have to sacrifice your life to the mirror.”

Lionel furrowed his brow deeply, seemingly struggling in an internal conflict.

This man was genuinely worried about Cecilia, as if it were a matter of course. Not once did he disregard her life or belittle her will.

(He is… far too kind…)

Tears had begun streaming down Cecilia’s face before she knew it. In front of the sobbing Cecilia, Lionel could only awkwardly wave his muscled arms in panic.

(What can I do to repay his kindness?)

Cecilia possessed no exceptional talents or abilities. The only things she could call her own were the title of Saintess and the artifact’s contract mark.

In which case, Cecilia resolved herself to use both to the fullest extent.

(…Silent Witch-sama, please share your courage with me.)

The Silent Witch, Monica Everett, had said that if one kept denying their own feelings, they would eventually deny the kindness they received from others.

(If I continue to belittle myself like this, I will be dismissing this man’s kindness.)

That would be unacceptable. Cecilia needed to repay Lionel’s kindness. She wanted to hold her chest high when she confessed her feelings.

“…Lionel-sama, if you will pardon my audacity, I have a request.”

“Y-Yes?”

“If you would allow me to do so… I will gladly spend the rest of my life serving the mutual benefit of Ridill and the Empire.”

(Now is the time to gather your courage, Cecilia.)

After pumping herself up, she continued.

“And for that purpose, Prince Lionel… please take me, the Saintess, as your wife.”

Lionel stared back at Cecilia with wide eyes.

Cecilia had just confessed that she possessed none of the Saintess’s power. She knew full well the shamelessness of the request she was making.

Nonetheless, Cecilia wanted to support Lionel, and stand proudly at his side… That was the future she desired.

“The only value I might hold as Saintess is by serving as the symbol of peace for our two nations until the moment I die. I will devote my entire life to preventing any crisis for which the Mirror of Bern will be needed.”

Indeed, the marriage of the Saintess of the Empire and the First Prince of Ridill would become a symbol of peace between the two nations.

Above all, as long as Cecilia lived, the Empire was unable to use their formidable shield. The Mirror of Bern would no longer pose any threat to Ridill.

As her brother had said, Cecilia held plenty of value as a hostage.

“…So, I ask that you allow me to become your wife despite the lies I carry.”

Would the sincere Lionel marry a dirty liar? Cecilia’s heart pounded anxiously as she awaited his answer.

Lionel seemed momentarily taken aback, but after adjusting his posture, he spoke with a formal air.

“Princess Cecilia, I understand your resolve. In that case, I will fully support you in exerting all my efforts for the mutual prosperity of Ridill and the Empire.”

Despite the regal tone, Lionel broke the stiff atmosphere and scratched his blond hair somewhat embarrassingly.

“Ever since my youth, I have been told that I am impulsive and lack caution. My friend scolded my often with words such as, ‘Stupid gorilla, use your head.’”

Much to Cecilia’s surprise, someone had used such abusive language with the gentle prince!

Contrary to the wide-eyed Cecilia, Lionel squinted his eyes nostalgically as he continued.

“Thus, having someone cautious and intelligent like you by my side would be reassuring. Oh yes… I suppose this is what they mean by putting the right person in the right place.”

Saying so, Lionel put on a wide grin.

However, Cecilia was not particularly cautious or intelligent. She was merely timid. Even so, if this man would praise her as being so, she wanted to become capable enough to meet his expectations.

She truly felt that way from the bottom of her heart.

＊　＊　＊

“…Achoo.”

The Barrier Mage, Louis Miller, let out a quiet sneeze and began rubbing his arms.

His maid uniform was made of thick fabric, but a jacket would still be required to head out on a cold spring night. He was currently moving to a less conspicuous location so he could escape via flight magic.

The clean up for this incident would likely be extremely busy——especially for his fellow Sage. However, Louis’s top priority right now was to change out of these clothes.

The timid Silent Witch would not reveal anything if threatened, but Louis didn’t want to show such an embarrassing display to his other colleagues.

This sort of infiltration mission was better left to his contracted spirit Ryn. However, certain circumstances drove Louis to keep Ryn away from the castle for the time being. Thus, he reluctantly disguised himself as a maid for the infiltration.

(In either case, that accursed Dream Mage… what a shitty stunt he pulled.)

Simply recalling it made Louis scrunch his nose in disgust. The Dream Mage’s attempt to drive Cecilia to suicide had hit a nerve.

Louis knew firsthand how depressed his friend had gotten when his previous fiancé attempted suicide.

(He has already suffered enough… Just thinking about it makes me furious. I should have given the asshole a few more punches for good measure…)

As Louis clenched his fists in frustration, a man appeared from the shade of a tree. Louis stood in astonishment as the man swept back his bangs with a dramatic gesture and presented a white flower.

“Hey there, lovely lady with glasses. I must be incredibly fortunate to meet someone like you on this beautiful moonlit night… Pfft…”

“…”

“Heh… Fuhaha! Wahahahaha!”

The blond man——Einhard Berger——twisted his handsome face into a grotesque smirk, pointing at Louis and laughing heartily.

“Oh, I almost didn’t recognize you! If it isn’t the Barrier Mage, Louis Miller-chan, a 29-year-old married man with a child!”

“…”

Now Louis wanted to die from the bottom of his heart. Of course, the idiot standing in front of him would be dragged into the grave as well.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned idiot continued with a triumphant look.

“Man, when I caught a glimpse of you on the day of my arrival, I seriously thought I might die of laughter.”

“…You noticed me on the day of your arrival?”

“Don’t underestimate the observational skills of the Imperial Guard.”

Einhard’s face was smug, but Louis could guess that Einhard found him while he was sizing up all the maids in the palace.

Louis suppressed his rising fury——more specifically, the urge to kill, murder, and/or execute the man in front of him——and put on the composed expression of a sensible adult.

“Einhard, as much as I would like to erase your memory, mental interference spells capable of memory manipulation are considered a quasi-prohibited technique in this country. I cannot use them for personal reasons.”

“That so? I’m relieved that you’ve still got some reason and common sense.”

“In which case…”

Cutting off his words, Louis closed the distance in an instant and grabbed Einhard’s face. Putting on a radiant smile, the beautiful maid (with a wife and child) declared…

“I must settle for smashing your head against the wall until you forget everything.”

“Gyah! Stop it! Putting a scar on my flawless face will disappoint women all over the country!”

The strength capable of crushing an apple into tiny pieces dug into Einhard’s skull, compressing it so hard that it began to creak under the pressure.

Around the time Einhard’s complexion turned an earthy yellow, Louis scoffed and released his grip.

“…Is what I would like to say, but you still have an important role in cleaning up this mess. I’ll let you live, for now.”

“Dammit man… that’s what the villains are supposed to say… More importantly, you should be helping with the cleanup too, oh great sage.”

“But of course I will. Once I change out of these clothes, I shall be getting to work right away.”

Louis had always been strangely meticulous, so upon donning the maid outfit, he even applied all of the proper makeup expected of a professional maid. As a result, the unfamiliar sensation on his face made him extremely uncomfortable.

Einhard shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “Well, what can you do?” to the impatient Louis.

“Damn, I was thinking of showing Lionel your appearance and cheering him up a bit. Somehow, it turned into quite the mess.”

Louis raised an eyebrow at the reveal of Einhard’s irritating scheme. As much as Louis wanted to smash the man’s head open, he needed all the help he could get to sweep everything under the rug.

Especially for this international incident, since care would be crucial to avoid worsening relations between Ridill and the Empire.

“I overheard a bit of Princess Cecilia and Lionel’s conversation. It seems Princess Cecilia cannot handle the Mirror of Bern,” Louis said.

“Yeah, that surprised me too. I was totally shocked.”

Einhard’s tone was unexpectedly casual, showing no signs of disappointment towards Princess Cecilia. In fact, his attitude was so nonchalant that it made Louis wonder if he already knew everything about the situation.

Was that truly appropriate for an Imperial knight? Either way, this was just how Einhard always behaved. Despite being a member of the Imperial Guard, he had always seemed indifferent to the royalty he protected.

Einhard never spoke much about his family, but he belonged to one of the foremost noble houses in the Empire——the Four Great Houses wielding the authority to select the Emperor. Such a background likely came with complicated circumstances, so his feelings must be equally complicated.

(Either way, I couldn’t care less about this man’s circumstances.)

Honestly, Louis had zero interest in Einhard’s situation.

He only allowed Einhard to remain close to Lionel because the knight had displayed genuine gratitude at being saved. Moreover, it would not hurt to have connections with the Imperial Guard.

Whether aware of Louis’s intentions or not, Einhard kept muttering in his usual tone.

“I wonder if His Imperial Majesty foresaw all of this. If so, he’s quite devoted to his little sister.”

“…What is that supposed to mean?”

Einhard grinned and twirled the white flower in his hand.

“Isn’t it obvious? Once Cecilia-sama marries into Ridill, she’ll be as safe as can be.”

From the Ridill perspective, Cecilia’s death would mean a new Saintess rising in the Empire, as well as the possibility of the Mirror of Bern being used against them. Thus, Ridill was forced to do everything in their power to protect Cecilia.

Other nations which considered the Mirror of Bern as a threat were content with Cecilia being separated from it, so they had no reason to target her.

The only group which would benefit from Cecilia’s death was the Imperial faction interested in installing a new Saintess. However, they would be unable to act recklessly if Cecilia became the queen of foreign country.

“The Empire is currently in a huge mess, you know? The sketchy atmosphere is spreading everywhere. In some provinces, you can even hear people whispering about independence.”

“And that is why the Black Lion Emperor sent Princess Cecilia to Ridill? In order to protect her?”

“If only it were that simple. Well, considering how His Majesty usually operates, he probably has a good handle on the gains and losses.”

As Einhard said, the Black Lion Emperor was a shrewd individual, not the type of man to act solely out of concern for his little sister.

(Moreover, there is also the matter of him specifically designating the Silent Witch as the head of security… Something smells fishy.)

That was why Louis abandoned his delightful vacation and infiltrated the palace as a maid. Bumping into an attempt on Cecilia’s life was completely unexpected.

As Louis contemplated his doubts, Einhard began stretching out his shoulders and back.

“Alright, as much as I would like to slack off, I guess it’s about time to get back to work. Once everything’s settled, let’s have a celebration at your place. Introduce me to your precious wife and little daughter Leonora-chan.”

“Get out of my sight, pervert.”

Ignoring Louis’s unrelenting response, Einhard lifted the corners of his mouth, making a mischievous smirk.

“By the way, back in my hometown, there’s this lovely tradition of giving your children names that sound similar to the names of people you respect.”

“Oh, that is news to me.”

“I wonder whose name Leonora-chan was inspired by.”

“I am not familiar with such traditions.”

“It’s like, subtly different, but kinda close if you think about it. As expected of you, right?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about. Hurry up and do your job, delinquent knight.”

Louis smacked Einhard’s backside with a kick, and Einhard retorted with a cheerful laugh.

“You don’t get to talk, delinquent mage.”

Reminder: Memory erasure is illegal even if performed with blunt trauma instead of magic. Do not try this at home.

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