Chapter 64: The Princess’s First Steps and a Royal Caper

At the moment the nurse peered into the baby crib, she clutched her left chest like a patient having a heart attack, gasping heavily. The princess, with her cascading blonde curls, sat on the bed with wide, unblinking eyes as if she were meant to be lying down.

“…The Princess is sitting up by herself.”

Just as someone was about to turn and alert the royal counselor, a strange, crackling sound of a twisting plastic lid echoed through the air.

Inside a room cloaked in darkness and interwoven with the glow of a crimson sunset.

The princess’s head stiffly turned toward the nurse.

“Your Highness!”

Karlahee awoke at the sound beckoning him in the dead of night. Shuffling over and opening the door, he found ministers crouched in the doorway, as if in supplication.

“What’s going on? Who’s making all this noise at this hour?”

“I’m sorry! The situation is so urgent that I had to come immediately!”

In the unusually grave mood, Karlahee quietly draped his robe over his shoulders and followed them out, his mind racing with questions about what was unfolding.

Was it a midnight rebellion, or perhaps the cancellation of that dashing fan comic trial? Both were headache-inducing possibilities. Only when the minister ahead halted did Karlahee finally register where he was.

“This place… you scoundrels, how dare you deceive the Empire’s Sun!”

“That’s not it at all! Please, remain calm and look around the room!”

Just as Karlahee’s eyes fell on the two wide-open doors before him, a birthday firecracker burst with a pop. Amid twirling confetti drifting in the air, his blue eyes grew wide at the sight of a glinting object.

“The Princess has taken her first steps!”

‘First steps… Is that really what this is?’

No matter how one looked at it, she seemed to be hovering nearly 2.5 meters above the ground. Seeing Karlahee’s horrified, slack expression, the ministers assumed his heart was swelling with pride at his daughter’s milestone. In nature’s twisted irony, the tyrant had become a babbling, doting father.

But the ruthless tyrant felt nothing but dread. To add insult to injury, rain pelted down outside the open window. The whipping curtains, the violently swaying mobile, and the solitary bedside lamp transformed the room into a veritable haunted house.

Each flash of lightning deepened the shadows on the doll’s face. Even the tyrant’s daughter possessed a countenance capable of chilling the bones.

“…Surely that wasn’t the work of a demon…”

“The Princess is clearly an angel. Do those clear, pure eyes looking up at her father not say so?”

“They’re not only pure—they’re almost completely blank… as if her eyes had been completely rolled back…”

Pressing himself as close to the door as possible, Karlahee glared ominously at the floating doll. Its eyes were inverted, and it looked ready to pounce at any moment.

“If you even remotely think of me as your father, then stop! I mean it—I’ll really lose it!”

Whether his threat of wetting itself had an effect, the doll slowly descended from the air. At that moment the tumult of flailing curtains and the violently oscillating mobile subsided. Resting quietly against the bed, the doll lifted its glassy blue eyes to stare at Karlahee.

“Our Princess, you must be exhausted from learning to walk, hee hee hee.”

“Our Princess, you must be hungry, aren’t you? So adorable!”

“…You’ve all lost your minds! Absolutely insane!”

Karlahee shrieked hysterically. In return, all he received were puzzled stares. As they silently chided him for his disbelief, he tried to bolt for the door—only to find it wouldn’t budge.

“It can’t be locked from the outside…”

A shiver ran down his spine. Of course it couldn’t be—the lock was on the inside. Fumbling with the doorknob, Karlahee suddenly noticed Nosinha, one of the ministers, creeping up behind him. The sight made him tremble. Nosinha then approached his ear and whispered.

“Mother wants it.”

“…What?”

“The Princess said she wants Mother.”

Spinning his head around sharply, Karlahee fixed his gaze on the Princess, now seated boldly at the center of the room. Her plastic blue eyes glimmered with an intense longing.

“Ah… Alright, whether it’s Mother or anything else, just bring her here…!”

As if in answer to his desperate shouts, the door suddenly swung open. In his rush, his slipper flew off, but he didn’t care. Barefoot, he dashed out of the room and fled the Forbidden Imperial Palace.

* * *

That damned superior must have been equally out of it, because Lara Schmord—fresh off a break from the Knight Order’s corporate branch—had come to an in-person gathering for die-hard Magical Girl Lilica fanclub members.

Lara, with a fresh layer of white powder on her face and dressed in a noble, Youngae-style gown, enjoyed the meeting. Tiro, waving a frilly fan, greeted with a warm smile.

“Have you heard the latest news?”

“What news?”

“It seems they recently announced a new Empress in the Imperial City.”

Not only did Magical Girl Lilica dominate the topic, but Tiro, ever the informer, pulled an elegantly folded public notice from her handbag. The recruitment notice read roughly as follows:

[Wanted: Mother of the Princess. 0 applicants]

― Excludes those under 19, pregnant women, or the elderly.

― No weaklings.

― Gender neutral. Only those confident in their parental love.

― Must possess a steadfast heart that wouldn’t falter even in the most terrifying situations.

Lara skimmed the notice quickly, her face tightening with dismay. She knew that, inexplicably, the tyrant was still pushing an engagement with Lady Elina I. Just when it seemed romance might finally bloom…

‘No, maybe this is actually a chance for Lady Elina I…’

If Lady Elina I, the quintessential romance-savvy girl, were to win over even the tyrant’s daughter—all pure and untouched—they’d embrace with hearts wider than the Pacific. After all, Lady Elina I was the prime candidate for Empress. Perhaps it was a test for her.

Seeing Lady Elina I radiate overwhelming maternal love, if the tyrant were to open his heart and accept her as Empress, wouldn’t that be the perfect cliché? Though the fact that the first test involved a trial of bravery was slightly concerning.

“Soon it’ll be the Emperor’s birthday. Who will be chosen as His Highness’s partner at the celebration?”

“Who was His partner last time?”

“Probably no one. His Highness only made a brief appearance before leaving at once.”

“Ah.”

He was a cruel and solitary wolf, bloodstained and forlorn. Not even at his own birthday party did he find a partner to be his haven—and Lara couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity.

‘Whether it’s Lady Elina I, Lady Elina II, Lady Elina III, Lady Elina IV, or Lady Elina V, if just one of them wins His Highness’s heart and is chosen at the royal ball…’

“Before that, there’s also a swordsmanship tournament.”

“That’s right, there’s a swordsmanship tournament too. I’m really looking forward to seeing who’s the favorite to win. This story is never short on twists, ha ha ha.”

“I’m sorry! I just remembered something I urgently need to do.”

Lara abruptly stood up. Though the Youngae looked disappointed, she brushed past them. She had to complete the tyrant cliché as soon as possible.

* * *

“Candidates for the Princess’s Mother, please come this way to collect your number plates!”

Inside the resplendent Forbidden Imperial Palace, a multitude of applicants had gathered. They looked like martial artists, with robust physiques and indomitable spirits, arriving from all corners of the country. Crouched among them, Lara stepped forward when her turn came to collect her number plate.

“Are you a single applicant?”

“No, there are four of us.”

Pointing to the beautiful silver-haired Elinas standing behind her, Lara explained. It was Lady Elina I, Lady Elina II, and Lady Elina IV. Lady Elina III was busy preparing for next week’s swordsmanship tournament, while Lady Elina V declined due to the imminent Canonization Ceremony of the Saint.

“Numbers 111, 112, 113, 114.”

Lara, having received four number plates, distributed them to the Elinas accordingly and affixed the remaining plate, number 113, to her chest. Back in the Waiting Room, as they awaited the next phase, Lady Elina II began muttering to herself.

“I’m sorry, but I won’t be taking your help this time. Isn’t this a test to select His Highness’s bride? I’ll pass this test on my own! So don’t even think of following me—just wait here. The same goes for Ellaim, Sallyon, and Noas.”

Speaking as if in a serious conversation with the Spirit King, Lady Elina II was determined not to have her chance at being the Emperor’s bride snatched away. Surely, every applicant here shared that thought.

Lara wasn’t aware, but one fact was clear. Although it had long been rumored that the talent sought was the Emperor’s bride, in truth they were looking for the mother of the Princess—a role entirely unconnected to the Emperor.

After about an hour of waiting, an announcement rang out from the magical loudspeaker suspended from the ceiling.

[Applicants numbered 111 through 120, please proceed to the first-stage examination room. Once again, we remind you…]

“Oh, it’s our turn, isn’t it?”

Upon Lady Elina II’s sudden exclamation, Lady Elina I and Lady Elina IV rose from where they had been reading, following her as Lara led them through a door marked with an examination room sign.

Inside, the space resembled a set modeled after a vast mansion. In the dim light, objects could barely be made out as a low-hanging lamp flickered. Then, another announcement resonated through the darkness.