PROLOGUE
Elletear
In the Paradise of Witches.
The queen’s sitting room in the royal palace.
Light filtered through the lace curtains, illuminating the reception hall and reflecting off the dewy leaves of the potted plants. With the wine-red carpet unfurled on the floor, the picturesque space was almost antithetical to the ominous connotation typically associated with the word witch .
Queen Mirabella Lou Nebulis IIX stood on the landing of the staircase and spoke to her eldest daughter, Elletear, who nodded in greeting and smiled up at her from the base of the steps.
“Elletear, I have two questions for you.”
“Oh? And what could they be?”
Elletear’s smile froze on her face when the queen posed the first question.
“Were you the one who divulged Sisbell’s location?”
“…”
Elletear Lou Nebulis IX suddenly went silent, stopping in her tracks—even standing there motionless, her beauty was unmistakable. Her hair, emerald in color with a tint of beautiful gold, billowed behind her. She was taller than Alice and more well-endowed, though her large breasts were concealed by her royal dress. Her allure was almost irresistible.
“And one more question,” the queen said, looking down upon her daughter standing at the base of the steps.
“Are you the real Elletear ?”
Silence settled over the reception hall after her cold voice stopped ringing through the space, but it was quickly interrupted when the princess burst into peals of laughter.
“Ha-ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
“Is something the matter, Elletear?”
“I…I wasn’t sure what you would say next! My queen. No need to look so solemn when you’re saying something so funny.”
Elletear clutched her stomach as she roared with laughter.
The queen remained stoic. “I ordered Sisbell to go to the independent state of Alsamira. We suspected they were building covert relations with the Empire.”
That had been the third princess’s mission.
And only the select few who were informed by the queen herself had known about it.
“For some reason, the Zoa were aware of it the next day. It seems Lord Mask made his way to Alsamira—as though he were pursuing Sisbell.”
“…”
“Someone leaked this information. Alice and the rest of my inner circle were all in my range…except for one person.”
All signs pointed to the eldest princess betraying her. A dozen hours after hearing of Sisbell’s destination, there had been only one person who slipped out of the queen’s sight.
“For more than fifty years, we’ve had a contested relationship with the other descendants of the Founder—the Zoa,” continued the queen.
“Because of the conclave, the consecration ceremony for the throne.”
“My eldest daughter is well aware of the troubles surrounding our blood relations. She wouldn’t dare tell them of Sisbell’s whereabouts.”
Elletear was silent.
“Because of that, I need to ask you: Are you the real Elletear?”
The queen’s gaze swept from the landing on the stairs to the carpeted hall. Her eyes beheld the princess, who should have been her dear daughter.
“…”
“No response?”
“…Ha! Ha-ha! Stop it! Don’t look at me like that, my queen! I can’t bear it!”
She broke into a fit of giggles again. It was louder this time, the sound of it filling the chamber.
“Ha-ha-ha. O-oh… Get a hold of yourself, Elletear. That was the last thing I expected you to say—”
Her chest heaved under her royal dress, threatening to wiggle out from the folds of the fabric. Elletear couldn’t help herself. Her shoulders shook from laughter.
“That’s my question, my impostor queen.”
The air shifted in the sitting room.
“I might not look like the type, but I actually love to play games. I love to deceive others and be tricked myself. But the latter doesn’t happen very often, so it’s nice to feel this rush of adrenaline.”
“…”
The queen was silent.
That was an answer in its own way.
Elletear stepped forward.
Click. Clack. Her heels made crisp clicks as she climbed the stairs, approaching the queen on the landing.
“Ow. My stomach hurts from laughing so hard. Who are you, impostor?”
Elletear was in front of Queen Mirabella Lou Nebulis IIX. They were eye level now.
“An impressive recreation. Alice and Sisbell also might have seen through your trick, given two more minutes. But unfortunately for you, I am the eldest .”
Two minutes sounded insignificant, but it made a world of a difference. The eldest princess was not like the others.
“Don’t you think this has gone on long enough?”
“……”
Fireworks went off, and the queen’s body started to unravel. Elletear watched with a tiny smile as a petite girl emerged from within the form of the false queen.
The girl’s black hair was cut evenly at her shoulders. Her baby face appeared to be so frightened that it was hard to believe she had been calmly pretending to be the queen just a moment before.
“I-I’m so sorry! P-please forgive me!”
“What a cutie. Hm…? Okay. I accept your apology. I hate scolding adorable girls anyway.” Elletear ran her fingers through the hair of the girl, who couldn’t have been older than thirteen or fourteen.
She let out a little sigh of relief when the eldest princess seemed merciful.
“Are you new here? Did you start living in the palace while I was abroad?”
“Y-yes…!” The girl with black hair nodded furiously.
Serving as proof of her witch-hood, an astral crest glowed gray at the nape of her neck.
Gray. She must have possessed magic that allowed her to conceal her identity with shadows.
“Have you grown used to life at the palace?” Elletear looked at her.
“…Y-yes.” She gulped, clearly infatuated with Elletear.
The princess had been blessed with bewitching beauty from birth.
The girl’s eyes were level with the princess’s cleavage, and it was impossible not to notice her provocative physique. Elletear’s natural allure was powerful enough to mesmerize someone of the same gender, so it was unsurprising that she would captivate this child.
Like magic cast by a real witch.
“Uh, um. Lady Elletear?”
“What is it, newbie?”
“Um…how did you see through my disguise? I thought my body and voice were an exact copy of Her Majesty.”
“Yes, it was perfect…down to her little habit of peeking at her companion’s fingertips during the conversation.”
“Th-then how…?”
“Let’s see…” Elletear put her hand to her lips as though she were lost in thought. “I suppose because I possess something similar to your astral power .”
“—Ngh!”
“But yours is outstanding, unlike mine. I envy you.”
“…That’s not true! I…”
Her expression froze on her face when she realized Elletear was ridiculing herself.
Everyone in the palace knew the eldest princess possessed the weakest power among the Founder’s bloodline .
“Your astral energy is splendid.”
“Um… Ah…”
“Elletear. Don’t be mean,” someone scolded.
From the shadows of the stained glass appeared the true queen. Even a machine would have difficulty distinguishing her from her copy made by the young girl.
“She’s only carrying out my orders,” said the queen. “Forgive her.”
“No need for forgiveness. Hee-hee-hee… I had fun.” Elletear continued to stroke the girl’s hair. “Now, Mother. Did you call me out to ask me that? Did you think I informed Lord Mask of Sisbell’s whereabouts?”
“…That was one reason.”
Showered by sunlight from behind, the queen let out a little sigh.
“I didn’t summon you to question you. It was necessary to resolve misconceptions about you. About that—”
Hurried footsteps pounded the hallway outside the queen’s room.
“P-please slow down, Lady Alice! Running through this hall is forbidden. See? You’re putting the soldiers in a tough place!”
“No time for that, Rin. Come with me.”
“You know you can’t just open the door to the queen’s room!”
“It’s an emergency! What do you expect me to do?”
One of the double doors burst open, and a girl practically tumbled into the room.
She was panting. Her golden hair was disheveled.
“Hff. Haah … Mother! Wait. What? Elletear…?”
Aliceliese. The second-born princess.
Alice looked at the queen, Elletear, and the new girl.
“Uh, um, Mother… I mean, Your Highness!”
The queen’s eyebrows knitted together.
“What’s the matter, Alice? You’re out of breath. You seem agitated.”
Though Alice lacked Elletear’s unwavering composure, she normally carried herself with the grace of a princess. It was strange to see her without it.
Something significant must have happened.
“It’s about Sisbell.”
She placed her hand over her pounding chest. Alice seemed to have trouble getting her words out.
“I need to consult with you about her situation. Immediately!”
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