File 04 - Our Last Crusade or Alice's Betrothal War (Her Happily Ever After)?
“This is terrible, Iska! It’s a disaster!”
“Right, sure, it is. Anyway, about today’s joint drill—”
“Uh, wait, Iska? Please listen to me!”
“Commander Mismis, whenever you say something’s a disaster, it never actually is.”
The Imperial capital Yunmelngen.
In the sector three military base within the city, Iska took his time turning around.
“If you found an abandoned cat outside, then take it to the consultation office. It should be fine.”
“It’s not that!”
“Then if you’ve found a drunk lying down outside the base, call the military police…”
“It’s not anything like that either!”
The petite commander shook her head.
She was Commander Mismis Klass. Despite her baby face and tendency to act like a small animal, she was actually a full-grown adult. She was also a member of the Imperial forces and the one who kept Unit 907 together as its commander.
“This really is huge news. It’ll have the Imperial Forces in an uproar for sure!”
“…If it were really that important, then wouldn’t it come directly from headquarters?”
“I got my hands on an exclusive scoop! See here!”
She held a periodical that had been handed around the capital.
The Astonishing Truth Revealed!
The Nebulis Sovereignty Princess Has a Lover!
“Uh…”
“Right, isn’t this something?”
“Oh, I see. You mean the article below that. ‘Kittens Born at Capital’s Sector Three Café’…”
“No, not that! The one about the Nebulis princess in love!”
The Nebulis Sovereignty was, to summarize it succinctly, the enemy that the Imperial forces were at war with. The Empire that Iska and his companions were part of were in an ongoing century-long war with the Paradise of Witches, the Nebulis Sovereignty.
“…Is it really such a big deal that an enemy princess has a lover?”
“A huge deal! Look at the rumors! Plus, the boyfriend must be just as big of a deal. Maybe he’s royalty from another country somewhere!” Commander Mismis grew more and more animated. “If they actually get together officially, then the Sovereignty might end up with a powerful ally. They might become an even bigger threat to us.”
“Oh, you’ve got a point.”
Iska wanted to ignore that and chalk the news up to being part of the rumor mill, but she was right—there was a possibility this would affect the Imperial forces.
Now he could understand why Mismis was so panicked.
“So one question. Why’d you come straight to me with this news? Wouldn’t you normally head over to the headquarters to tell them first?”
“Well, because your photo’s in it…In the article.”
“Come again?”
There was a picture of him? In an article about a Nebulis Sovereignty princess having a boyfriend?
“What do you mean?”
“See, here. Your photo is on the side of the article. The back profile of the person they’re claiming is her boyfriend looks just like yours.”
“Oh, is this another joke…huh?……”
Their back profile did indeed resemble his. That looked like his messy black hair and slim-yet-muscular back.
…It really does look like me.
…Those even look like my clothes.
Iska had a jacket that looked awfully similar to the one in the photo. He recognized the streets in the background. It was the business district of the neutral city Ain, which Iska often visited.
“Iska, you haven’t betrayed the Empire and been out consorting with the Nebulis Sovereignty, have you…?”
“S-stop right there, Commander! It does look like me, that’s for sure, but still!” Iska waved his hands around in a panic as Mismis eyed him suspiciously. “It’s someone else. Someone who resembles me a lot.”
“…Really?”
“I sure don’t remember doing that. And how could I be the lover of an enemy princess? What kind of Imperial force member would do that?”
Despite what he’d said, Iska did have an inkling about the news. He actually was acquainted with a Sovereignty princess. But he sure wasn’t her lover—they were rivals on the battlefield.
“But what if Alice…? No, she wouldn’t do this. It must be a mistake.”
It was preposterous to think that Alice would ever report to someone else that Iska was her boyfriend. In other words, it had to be a doppelganger. That was what Iska concluded, at least.
“Plus, I’m pretty average-looking, anyway. I could appear to be anyone else from behind.”
“Hmm…I suppose. Yeah, you’re right. There’s no way you’d be the boyfriend of an enemy princess.”
Commander Mismis accepted that.
“I’m sorry, Iska. The person in the picture looks so similar to you that I had to ask.”
“No, it’s all right. Sometimes coincidences happen. He just happened to resemble me.”
Iska nodded slowly as he looked at the photo in the article.
There was no way—he couldn’t imagine it was actually him, even in his wildest dreams.
Several days earlier.
The Paradise of Witches, the Nebulis Sovereignty.
A room within the palace.
“…This is bad. This is extremely bad. Her Majesty will be here soon!”
Alice was frightened at the prospect of a visit from her mother, the queen.
“Rin, the door is closed, isn’t it?”
“Y-yes, Lady Alice.”
“Excellent job. Please shut the windows just to be sure as well.”
Aliceliese Lou Nebulis was a beautiful princess with brilliant golden locks. The Imperial forces feared her as the Ice Calamity Witch, and the Imperial swordsman Iska shared a mutual rivalry with her, though they kept this secret from everyone else.
And as for Alice…
Once a month, she was subject to a day of fear.
“Lady Alice.”
Rin, Alice’s attendant, pointed at the door and turned back to her.
“It is time. It seems Her Majesty has arrived.”
“No, Rin! You absolutely cannot open it!”
She fled deeper into her living room and hid behind a large bookcase. Only her head was peeking out from her hiding place.
“I’m out right now. That’s what you should tell her!”
“Even if I did, you were just at a conference meeting.”
“Th-then…I’m sick. Cough, cough…see, my head feels so heavy, and I think I feel a fever coming on. Oh, I might fall right over on the spot!”
“But you’re the picture of health.”
“R-regardless, I can’t do this. I don’t intend to see Mother toda—”
“I can hear you, Alice.”
“Eep!”
The door was forced open. Oh no. She’d made a miscalculation—the queen had a duplicate key to the room. When Alice realized her fatal error, she let out a deep sigh.
“Mother…”
“Good morning, Alice. You look uneasy today. Is something the matter?”
Nebulis VIII. The queen—the greatest witch among the witches—was feared by the Imperial forces, but she was beautiful, elegant, and beloved by the Sovereignty’s people. And she was Princess Alice’s mother.
“Whew. Carrying these around is so tiring.”
Thump. The queen had placed a mountain of photo albums on Alice’s desk.
“You don’t mean to tell me…”
“Here is this month’s list of prospective candidates to meet with.”
“Nooo!” she wailed and backed away.
Yes. This was the day Alice feared each month—when she was given a list of her prospective suitors.
“Mother! I haven’t even had a boyfriend yet! It’s much too soon to meet with marriage in mind!”
“Alice, I’m going through the trouble to ensure we find a good romantic prospect for you.” The queen picked up one album. “As a seventeen-year-old princess, you really should find a boyfriend. The palace is in agreement about this matter. In fact, it is a royal decree.”
“…Urgh!” Alice was still very serious about her feelings on the matter, though a royal decree had a very persuasive effect on her. “While I may be a princess, Mother, I’m also a regular girl. You make it sound as though I will simply agree to these marriage meetings, but I don’t intend to—”
“This month, you will see three candidates.”
“I don’t get any say in this?!”
“Alice, this will bring you happiness. Also, there is a crowd simply itching to meet you.”
She received marriage proposals from other nations on a near daily basis from royalty, entrepreneurs, and the wealthy. Though Alice’s status as possible heir to the throne was attractive, her seventeen-year-old charm was even more alluring.
“But why just me? You don’t make Elletear and Sisbell do this.”
Alice was the second born of three sisters. Though she had both a younger and an older sister close to her in age, she’d never heard of either of them being ordered to go to prospective marriage meetings.
“Why is it just me, Mother?”
“Elletear is overseas visiting other nations, so she couldn’t possibly attend marriage meetings when she is away from the castle.”
“But Sisbell is here.”
“It’s impossible.” The queen shook her head plainly. “She already doesn’t leave her room as it is.”
“……Right.”
Indeed. The third princess, Sisbell, was an extremely shy shut-in. Alice hadn’t seen Sisbell leave her room for nearly a month. If anyone tried to force her into marriage talks, she would have refused to leave her room for an entire year.
“So I’m afraid you’ll have to make up for your sisters and do three people’s worth of courting, Alice. I’m counting on you.”
“Three meetings, though? I have to do three people’s work?! That isn’t fair, Mother!”
“I have a conference to attend now,” the queen said, not even hearing Alice’s protests as she exited the room.
Alice and Rin were left to their own devices.
“Wh-why is this happening…?”
“Lady Alice, I understand how you feel, but there are some things you just must accept.” Rin looked very serious as she picked up the album. “You are Her Majesty’s beloved daughter. She is simply hoping that you will find a wonderful partner.”
“I know that, but still…”
She staggered onto the sofa in front of her.
“I don’t think love should be so contrived. I don’t want to meet this way—I want to have a fateful encounter!”
Alice was at a sensitive age, so of course she would have ideas about what love should be like. If she was going to fall in love, she wanted it to be dramatic, something straight from a dream.
“Hmph…”
“Please don’t pout. They’re your prospective partners, so you must choose them yourself.”
Even as Alice sulked, Rin was in the midst of picking out suitable matches.
“What do you think of this guy? He’s a doctor from a neighboring nation. He’s young and graduated top of his class from medical school. I would feel much more at ease having a doctor around if something were to happen to you.”
“I don’t care who I meet with…I’ll turn them down anyway, so you can pick, Rin.”
Alice sprawled out on the sofa. She absentmindedly stared at the pile of albums on the table.
“Say, Rin, doesn’t it seem like there are a lot more offers this month?”
“Oh, that would be because—” Rin stopped as she was turning a page in an album and clapped her hands together as though she’d recalled something. “I believe that is because a photo of you was revealed to the public when applications opened last month.”
“A photo?”
“Yes. It was one from when you went on the trip to the beach. See, this one.”
“But that would make it a swimsuit shot!”
Alice leaped up. She opened the album with the same gusto and stared at one of the pictures.
“Is this…?!”
The photo featured a white coast and a blue ocean that sparkled like a jewel, as well as Alice in a swimsuit, elegantly looking up at the brilliant sunlight as it blazed down upon her…
“Wh-wh-what is this?!”
“As I said, that came from the month before last, when the beaches were opened.”
“That’s not what I mean! I don’t recall anyone taking this picture of me!”
One of her subordinates had likely sneakily taken it. But Alice wasn’t red in the face simply because of the swimsuit.
“This was a private trip, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“And they said I could relax, so I remembered thinking I could wear a slightly trendy swimsuit…”
As a result of wearing a somewhat skimpier swimsuit…Alice’s ample bosom seemed close to falling out. Her hips were also exposed for all to see, and her wet golden locks clung seductively to her pale skin.
…I wasn’t aware of this at all.
…Was I really so scantily dressed?
Even from her perspective, it seemed very risqué. Alice turned red from the unexpected embarrassment.
“Wait, this picture was made public to the marriage proposal applicants?!”
“Yes. The cabinet ministers unanimously approved it.”
“What kind of meetings are they holding in secret?!”
“The moment this swimsuit photo was publicized, you received an explosive number of matchmaking requests from all over the world. In that respect, it was very effective.”
“That doesn’t make me happy in the slightest!”
She slammed her hand on the table. Alice’s swimsuit photo—her bare skin exposed to daylight—had attracted a pack of libidinous men.
“…I’m so over this.”
“Lady Alice, your picture made a huge splash.”
“This is so idiotic! Everyone involved is a disgrace! I want nothing to do with this!” Alice howled and once again hurled herself onto the sofa.
On the day of the marriage talks, Alice waited for the prospective partner she was to meet in the palace lounge.
“Lady Alice, he should be here soon.”
“…Ahh. I do not want to do this.”
Though Alice was dressed up specially for her betrothal meetings, sitting in a chair was enough to elicit a sigh from her.
“Rin, it’s three people today?”
“Yes. If you find one who seems perfect among them, I’m sure no one would object to ending things early.”
“…Right.”
She glanced up at the ceiling. It would be only slightly longer until the appointed person was to come.
“Okay, I’ve decided, Rin!”
“Lady Alice?” Rin looked up at her lady, who had stood up. “What’s suddenly gotten into you?”
“I’ve found my motivation. If it is an order from Mother, then I must obey it, so I cannot remain despondent forever. Also, you must feel ashamed of my behavior, as my attendant.”
“Lady Alice!” Rin’s voice trembled from emotion. “So you’ve finally come around! And I’m so happy you are concerned about me!”
“Of course I am. So, all I must do is decide whether they live up to my expectations as a boyfriend?”
“Yes! Please take as much time as you need to consider them!”
“…Right, of course.”
She laughed under her breath. However, Rin was so greatly moved that she failed to notice this.
Knock. They heard a sound from the other side of the door. It seemed the first suitor had arrived.
“Well then, Lady Alice, I shall make myself scarce in the back room. I will watch over the meeting through the camera!”
“Just leave things to me.”
Alice waited for Rin to leave, then called out to the person beyond the door, “Please come in.”
“I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Princess Aliceliese. It is an honor to meet with you.”
A slim young man wearing a formal white suit had entered. He had a magnificent career working as both an entrepreneur and magazine model. His striking, deeply chiseled features gave him a clean and dignified look.
“It is nice to meet you. You may call me Alice.”
“Well then…allow me to say once again that it is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Alice. You looked beautiful in your photo of course, but it hardly did you justice now that I am seeing your beauty in person.”
“Oh, what an honor.” She smiled as she placed her hand over her mouth.
The photo he must have been talking about had to be the one of her in a swimsuit. But her logical side won out and she kept herself from commenting on it.
“Well, to get right to the point, I have my own method of evaluating you.”
“Evaluating me?”
“Yes. Please look above.”
“Above?”
The young businessman did as he was told. A block of ice shaped just like a hammer dropped down on him that instant.
Thwack.
It made a painful sound as it scored a direct hit.
“…Uh, ngh.”
After being struck in the head by the ice hammer, the suitor fell over. He’d fainted.
“So, you failed. Next!”
“What are you doing, Lady Alice?!” Rin leaped out from the back room. “Why are you attacking your suitor with your astral power?!”
“I’m not attacking him. I’m evaluating him.”
“Evaluating him?”
“Yes. Just take a look at him.”
“…I see that he has a huge lump on his head and that he’s unconscious.”
“Yes. And that won’t do!” Alice firmly declared as she pointed at the collapsed young man. “Any romantic interest of mine needs to meet my minimum standard of strength.”
Alice wasn’t simply a princess. She was the princess of the Nebulis Sovereignty, the land of the most powerful astral mages. Any partner of hers would need to be able to keep up with her in might.
“Plenty of men may look put-together on the outside, but they must be equally as capable within. I have a duty to do all in my power to choose an appropriate suitor!”
“But why would you put all your efforts into attacking them?!…Well, I know you were quite kind and held back on him, but…”
Alice had once singlehandedly destroyed an entire Imperial force base. If she were to go all out against anyone, it would likely have to be a Saint Disciple, the highest-ranked combatants in the Empire. Alice had held back considerably when she’d made the lump of ice just earlier.
“I considered using an ice blade…but it looks like the hammer was the right choice.”
“Are you planning to drench the lounge in blood?!”
Rin picked the man up and held him steady on her shoulder as she let out a disappointed sigh.
“Regardless, no more of that! Even if you are evaluating them, you cannot knock them unconscious by attacking them by surprise—it’s unreasonable!”
“Oh, I can’t?”
“That’s right…Anyway, I’ll need to take Lord Cyrus to the medical room.”
“Cyrus?”
“That is his name! As in the man I’m currently carrying!”
Incidentally, in the event the young man successfully evaded her attack, Alice had planned to commend him and ask him his name. Unfortunately, he’d fallen with a single blow, so she’d never had the opportunity.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have let things end without so much as asking their name.”
“So you’ve realized that, then?”
“I’ll ask the next one’s suitors name before attacking him.”
“But that’s just a duel!”
“It’s a betrothal interview.”
“You absolutely cannot do that!…Oh, Lady Alice, please treat the second one like an actual meeting. Please don’t attack him immediately!”
“…”
“Aren’t you going to say anything?”
“Fiiine!” Alice nodded in resignment. “If I must. If my dear attendant goes as far as to ask me for that, then I suppose I must acquiesce as your lady.”
“Please do.”
As Rin carried the (first) suitor, she headed into the back room once again.
After some time, there came a second knock at the door.
“Please come in.”
“Well, I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Princess Aliceliese. It is an honor to meet with you!”
It was the second suitor.
A large man of staggering size had walked through the door. He had once been a well-known athlete and used his fame to pivot into politics. The young man was seen as an up-and-comer even in the political sphere.
“It is nice to meet you. You may call me Alice.”
“Well, Princess Alice, you looked beautiful in your photo of course, but it hardly did you justice now that I am seeing your beauty in person.”
“Oh, what an honor.” She smiled as she placed her hand over her mouth. She had a sneaking suspicion that he’d spouted nearly exactly the same line as the first suitor.
“Please do sit down, um…Mr. Bruno.”
“Well, if you’ll excuse me.”
The young politician who sat across from her was so muscular that his suit seemed about to burst at the seams, and the chair he sat in almost seemed cramped.
“I heard that you are a politician, but it seems that you’re quite well-built.”
“Ha-ha-ha! Though I’ve retired, I still keep up my former training regimen!”
He had once been a combat sport fighter, so his upper arms were twice as large as Alice’s. Even his chest was surprisingly bulky.
“They called me ‘the steel strongman’ when I was active.”
Alice didn’t say a word.
“Oh, is something the matter, Princess Alice?”
“No. I was just so impressed, I’m embarrassed to say I couldn’t help but admire you.” Alice placed her hand on her cheek as she answered. “So, Mr. Bruno.”
“Yes?”
“Can that body of yours stop a speeding bullet?”
“……Come again?”
“Well, a handgun wouldn’t be enough, so let’s say that you withstood fire from one of the Imperial standard issue TH87-type automatic rifles. How many bullets do you think you could handle?”
“Um, Princess Alice…What do you possibly mean by that?”
“As you are well aware, the Sovereignty is in the middle of a war with the Imperial forces.”
The war was on again off again, more or less. Though they were currently at a standstill, they would never know when the balance would fall apart.
“Why, the Imperial forces may invade the palace at some point.”
“…Oh, yes.”
“And if Imperial soldiers were to come here with their guns at the ready, you might even take a bullet.”
“What?!” The man’s expression abruptly shifted on his tan face.
This was going just as she expected. He had likely only applied as a suitor because he’d been charmed by her physique in that photo, so he wasn’t prepared for this. To propose to a Nebulis Sovereignty princess meant making an enemy out of the Imperial forces.
“If you were to marry me, you might be targeted by the Empire.”
“Uh, urgh?!”
He looked perplexed at that.
…I’m sorry.
…Of course that’s quite an overexaggerated worry.
Secretly, Alice was both grinning and apologizing to him internally. Though she was being quite dramatic informing him about the dangers he would face, she doubted the current situation would progress into a full-blown war. She was simply testing his mentality. She just wanted to see how prepared he was for this.
“Would you protect me?”
“O-of course!” the politician howled. He thumped his chest as though he were amping himself up. “I would protect you even if it turns the Imperial forces against me!”
“You really would?”
“I would!”
“My, that’s wonderful,” she answered with a smile. “Then please allow me to make sure of that.”
“Huh?”
“Please look up.”
“Up?”
The young politician did just that.
Just then, a block of ice shaped like a hammer flew down at his forehead.
“Ice?!…Urgh! That’s nothing!”
He leaped from his seat and rolled onto the floor, skillfully dodging the attack. It seemed his claims about being a famous athlete were true. His reflexes were much quicker than the average person’s.
“Wow! That’s amazing, Mr. Bruno!” Even Alice was surprised by this. She nodded at him as a genuine compliment to his skill. “Please excuse my rudeness. They say seeing is believing, after all. I believe that has proven you really were telling the truth, Mr. Bruno.”
“Haah, haah…o-of course I was.”
He stood back up. Though he was out of breath, his face was as cheery as an athlete who had just won a match. “Do you see now? I would be a perfect partner for you—”
“Well, shall we try another?”
“Huh?”
“It’s not as though the enemy would limit themselves to a single attack.” Alice smiled.
The moment light gathered at her fingertips, an even larger block of ice flew down from the air with great force.
Thunk. The larger block hit him right in the head when he was least expecting it.
“…Uh, ngh.”
Her suitor fell to the floor upon being struck in the head with the ice.
“Oh, what a shame. The next one may come in.”
“What do you think you’re doing, Lady Alice?!” Rin appeared again from the back room. “As I said earlier, you cannot attack your suitors—”
“Oh, no, Rin. I wasn’t doing that this time.”
“What?”
“I figured out a process. First, I inquired whether he was prepared. Then he said he was.”
She had asked if he was prepared to have the Imperial forces as his enemy. And he’d replied in the affirmative.
“In which case, don’t you think he needs the abilities to make good on his intentions?”
“Haah…”
“So I attacked him.”
“Therein lies the problem! And you didn’t do it once but twice…”
“I’m sure I can keep it up, too.”
“I’m not worried about you, Lady Alice! I pity the suitors!” Rin collected the former athlete from the ground. “I’ll take him to the medical room, too.”
“It’s necessary. I mean, Rin, if a man you’ve never met before told you he would protect you with his life, what would you think?”
“He would seem suspicious, so I would ignore him.”
“And what if he begins following you around?”
“A man who is weaker than me wouldn’t be able to protect me, so I’d test his abilities… wait? I see. Now that I think about it, I would want to attack him, too…”
“You get it. I really ought to confirm it for myself.”
Rin reluctantly agreed. Alice crossed her arms and chuckled.
“So, on to the next one. Rin, please take Mr. Bruno to the medical room. I will prepare myself to attack the third one.”
“Please at least call it a betrothal meeting…”
“I wonder how long the next one will last. If he can make it through five attacks, then we’ll say he has a fighting chance.”
“This isn’t a battle, you know!”
Then the third suitor arrived.
The last one for the day.
“Hey, it’s an honor to meet ya, Princess Alice. The moment I set my eyes on your swimsuit bod—”
“Please leave.”
“Gaah?!”
The instant Alice opened her mouth, she silenced the well-built middle-aged man by hitting him with a block of ice.
“Ugh! He just liked that swimsuit photo! And he was looking at me so indecently!”
“W-well…It seems the last one got what he deserved.” Rin hauled the third suitor to the medical room.
The last man happened to be from another country’s royal family, but that didn’t intimidate Alice.
“Ah, I’m so tired. Rin, I’ve fulfilled my quota, haven’t I?”
“Y-yes…”
A businessman, a politician, a member of a royal line—all men were wealthy and had impressive social standings, but that wasn’t anything special as far as Alice was concerned.
It was all wrong. What she actually wanted was…
“I’ve finally figured it out today, Rin. I’ve decided I will never do a betrothal meeting again!”
“B-but what will Her Majesty say…?”
“I’ll convince Mother.”
“Are you truly serious?!”
“I am. And I will demonstrate how serious I am to her as well!”
She gallantly turned around, throwing away the albums of potential suitors as she made her firm declaration.
She was in the Queen’s Space.
“Mother, I am fed up with this betrothal system!”
She had called upon the queen, who had just finished a meeting, to loudly declare this before her.
“I’ve had enough of meeting strange and unfamiliar men!”
“……Alice?” The queen turned around. “Is this about the marriage talks from earlier?”
“Yes, Mother. I do not believe I should be bound by these outdated traditions. A princess must be free to do as she wills and be more progressive!”
“…Oh?”
“…is what Rin said,” Alice concluded.
“I never said anything at all! Please, Lady Alice, don’t say whatever you like and then put the words into my mouth!” Rin hid behind Alice in a panic. “Your Majesty, please! Uh, um…Lady Alice was speaking her own mind, and I would never make such outrageous—”
“You are exactly right.”
“……Huh?”
The queen nodded deeply. Alice was so shocked that she turned behind her to share a glance with Rin.
“What do you mean, Mother?”
“It is as you say, Alice. I believe you are not wrong to say that this tradition is outdated.”
Alice had been convinced that she would be scolded, but it seemed she had done quite the opposite and moved the queen.
“Alice, Rin, I do not know whether you are aware, but this betrothal system was created when we were still called witches.”
There was a time period when astral mages such as them were persecuted.
“A princess subject to rumors of being a frightening witch will not have a fateful encounter with a lover. That was why the royal family started promising wealth and status to fiancé applicants from other countries. This started decades ago.”
“Uh-huh…”
“But times have changed. Our country has grown into a major power, and we have received acknowledgement that astral mages deserve human rights.” The queen swept her eyes across the room as she continued proudly, “Now you receive marriage proposals from other countries without having to pay large sums of money. It has become easier for you to seek out a partner for yourself in this day and age.”
“Y-yes! That’s right, Mother. That was what I wished to tell you!”
They were in agreement. Alice felt all the dissatisfaction she’d had earlier disappear.
“Oh, and…” The queen cleared her throat. She stared at her beloved daughter. “Though I admit I am biased as your mother, you are beautiful and wise, Alice. I am sure you will find the person you are fated for without all these betrothal negotiations.”
“Oh, Mother dearest!” Filled with emotion, Alice ran to her mother. She threw out her arms and gave the queen a firm hug. “You really do understand, Mother!”
“Yes. However…” As her daughter hugged her, the queen’s eyes glinted for a second. “I need to have peace of mind as your mother…”
“Come again?”
“I’d like you to introduce me to the young man you pick. I will feel much more at ease, and I promise not to speak of betrothal meetings if you do that.”
“Uh, um…wha…?”
“You said it yourself—that you would find your own partner. You said that because you were sure you’d find him, correct?”
“Wh-why, of course!”
Though Alice nodded, she had broken out into an unrelenting cold sweat.
A fated match? There was no way. It wasn’t as though Alice could find someone just because she’d set her mind to it.
“I’m so looking forward to it, Alice. I wonder what he will be like when you introduce us.”
“Ah—ah-ha-ha…right…”
Alice returned to her chambers.
“…The situation has grown ever more dire.” Alice let out a sigh. “I thought I was just going to voice my opposition, but it seems that I’ve promised to find myself a boyfriend immediately.”
“Her Majesty completely drove you into a corner!”
Rin had warned her as much. The attendant poured Alice tea and sighed. “Her Majesty has given you quite some motivation. If you find a boyfriend, she will allow you to end the marriage talks. But to put it another way, until you find yourself one, they will continue.”
“What more did I expect? She really has done a spectacular job cornering me…”
“You were being ridiculous from the start, Lady Alice.”
“…Ahh. What will I do?”
She’d been too naive in her calculations, just as Rin had warned her.
She was up against the Nebulis queen herself. Alice knew her mother was clever and experienced, so she should have come up with a better plan from the start.
“Please help me, Rin. At this rate, I’ll have even more marriage meetings next month, and I’ll lose sleep from the stress.”
“Lady Alice, you’re quite shameless, so I’m sure you’ll be able to sleep just fine.”
“That wasn’t what I wanted you to say. Please, just come here.”
She motioned for Rin to come to the table in the living room. The two of them settled into their seats and began their strategy session.
—First order of business: abolition of the marriage talks.
—Method: convince the queen.
Things were clear up to this point.
In order to make a persuasive argument, Alice would need to find a boyfriend.
“But what will you do? Will you find yourself someone immediately?”
“…Right.” Alice thought in silence for some time, then came to a conclusion:
“What if I fabricated one?”
“You do realize you are up against Her Majesty. She will surely ask for proof.”
“I’ve used all avenues available to me!”
“You’re giving up much too quickly!” Rin brought her hand to her temple and let out a sigh. “Then…let’s think about this from the beginning. We should figure out what you’re looking for in a suitor first.”
“Right.”
Now that Rin mentioned it, she’d never actually voiced her preferences out loud before.
“I suppose it’s important that it is someone I can respect, first of all.”
“Could you put that in more concrete terms?”
“I’d like someone with a backbone. I don’t want him to be a yes-man, so I’d like him to have the guts to tell me when I’m wrong.”
“I understand why you want that…but, Lady Alice, I think there may be only a hundred men in the world with the guts to argue with you face-to-face. “
As a Nebulis Sovereignty princess, she was also an influential world leader. How many men wouldn’t be intimidated by Alice, considering that?
“And I’d like him to be strong, of course. Someone strong enough to fight with me if I were to use all my strength.”
“That restricts the pool to about ten people in the entire world!”
“Those are my two criteria.”
“Must your standards be so high…I’m afraid you may well never find a fiancé.”
“And it will be important to share the same interests.”
“Now you’re adding more requirements?! And didn’t you just say you only had two?!”
“Well, I can’t help that I came up with another one.”
Alice was quite serious about this. Since this had to do with her all-important love life, she needed to put her whole mind into it.
“And I’d like him to be thoughtful. Since he will be dating me, he must be openhearted—that’s crucial.”
“Your standards are too high!”
“But I find this very important for the search.”
She didn’t want him to be intimidated by her. And she would like someone who was strong enough to fight her when she was truly trying. And someone with the same hobbies who was sensitive…
“Yes. For example, someone like Iska.”
“Iska?”
“…Oh.”
She’d let that slip out. Even Alice’s eyes went wide from surprise when she realized she’d said his name unconsciously.
“Oh, my? What did I just…?”
No, wait. Someone did exist—she had the perfect boy who fit all of her criteria already.
“Rin, I’ve found him!”
“What?…Wait, you don’t mean?! I believe I heard a most reprehensible name just now…!” Rin widened her eyes. “Wait, Lady Alice, you can’t say it! If what I’m thinking is—”
“I have Iska!”
“It has to be him?! You cannot!”
“…But he fits all my requirements.”
The former Saint Disciple of the Empire, Iska. He’d been the only Imperial soldier to battle Alice at full strength and leave the match in a stalemate. But when they’d met at a neutral city, they’d been in agreement about what their favorite things were—almost like siblings—and he was also easygoing.
…Now that I think about it…
…He really does meet all the criteria perfectly.
He fulfilled every last qualification Alice sought in a man. But then again, the Empire and Sovereignty were in the middle of a war. Also, Alice didn’t want Iska as a boyfriend anyway—she considered him a rival in battle.
“…But I may be able to use this. This may convince Mother.” Alice nodded astutely, as though trying to convince herself it would work. “Say, Rin, do you happen to have Iska’s picture? I believe you had one you took in the neutral city, right?”
“What are you planning to do with it?”
“I’m going to pretend I’ve found myself a boyfriend. I’ll use it to report to Mother.”
She took a deep breath.
“Yes, this is all a sham. Iska and I wouldn’t ever fall in love, even if the world turned upside down.”
“Yes, quite right. That’s good…but why is your face so red, Lady Alice?”
“Y-you’re just imagining it!”
As her attendant stared at her face, Alice quickly turned away.
“I could never fathom falling in love with Iska.”
“I—I see…”
“Yes, that’s right! I don’t have any feelings for him whatsoever!”
“Why are you repeating yourself, then?”
“ ”
“I find your sudden silence more suspicious. Please, Lady Alice!”
The Queen’s Space.
Alice ran to the queen carrying a photo in her hand, panting.
“Mother, I shall introduce him to you now!”
“What is it, Alice? You’ve been making quite a few trips here today. And who are you introducing me to?”
“This is the man I love!”
She raised the photo high into the air. Yes, the only one she had of Iska. Since Alice also appeared at the edge of the photo, it was proof that they did know each other.
“You mean this boy with black hair in this photo?”
“That’s right!”
“But you can only see his back in this.”
Alice’s mother still seemed somewhat dubious as she looked at it. She had promised Alice that she would no longer need to attend betrothal meetings if she found a boyfriend, so the princess had needed to introduce her to one right away—her mother wasn’t going to buy that so easily.
But Alice couldn’t back down now.
“Don’t you have other photos? Like of his face?”
“I do not.”
“Why not?”
“There’s a good reason for that. He only takes photos from behind because he has such a high status that even I can hardly stand next to him.”
“…What?!” The queen was shocked. “You’ve found a boyfriend who’s that important?”
“Yes, I have, Mother.”
That was patently false. In actuality, Rin had simply taken a picture of him as he was leaving after he and Alice had met in the neutral city. Since they couldn’t let Iska find out about the photo, they’d had to take it from far away as well.
“Right, Rin? Isn’t that how it is?”
“Yes. If the two of them were to so much as walk beside one another, we would have a great problem. Especially since he is an Imperial soldier—”
“Rin, don’t talk about that.”
She stopped her attendant from revealing more. Regardless, with Rin supporting her, the queen was slowly becoming more and more convinced.
“Then, Alice, is the reason why you’re so far apart because…”
“Yes. I cannot even walk beside him, considering my social standing.”
Which was true—since he was an enemy. But Alice stopped herself from revealing that tidbit and continued, “See, look, Mother. Look at his back. He practically exudes dignity from behind, does he not?”
“…Does he?” The queen peered at the photo again. “His back looks normal to me.”
“Your Majesty! See, right here. There is a bright light coming from his back!”
“…Now that you mention it, I suppose he does have something of an aura radiating around him, yes.”
“That’s just the evening glow of the sunset—urk.”
“Rin, shush.” Alice held her hand over her attendant’s mouth. “I met him in a neutral city. I have my heart set on him as my (battle) partner!”
“You’re already that certain?!”
The queen was so shocked by her daughter’s bold declaration that her eyes widened.
“I am serious, Mother. Just thinking of him, makes me burn with passion (to fight).”
“Oh my!”
The queen felt such fervor coming from Alice that she backed away. She hadn’t the faintest clue that her daughter was hiding such a passionate affair from her.
“Alice, I had no idea you’d fallen so deeply in love…but wait. We cannot accept him into this country simply because he is of high status.”
The Sovereignty was currently at war with the Empire. In order to become Alice’s boyfriend, he needed to be able to protect himself.
“How powerful is he? Does he know how to fight, for example?”
“Rest assured that Rin can attest to his strength. Isn’t that right, Rin?”
“Huh?” Alice pointed at her attendant, whose eyes had gone wide. “Rin once challenged him and was beaten to a pulp.”
“Why must you bring up something that will only hurt my pride?!”
“But it is the truth.”
“Urk?!…I-it is. He’s powerful enough that I stood no chance against him.”
Even though he’s our enemy, Rin added under her breath, but it seemed the queen hadn’t heard that.
“I see. So he’s powerful enough to even defeat Rin. And he is of high social status, to the point even you do not feel equal to him…”
“That’s right. And if I must add…”
She gulped.
…Th-this is all a sham.
…I’m doing this just to convince my mother.
Though Alice told herself that, she could feel her face heating up.
“He has…h-he has even held me in his arms!”
“He has what?!”
“Wait, Lady Alice?!”
Both the queen and Rin cried out.
“Lady Alice, what in the world are you saying?!”
“I’m not lying.”
Though it’d only happened by coincidence when Alice and Iska had their first battle.
“And I have something more to reveal, Mother. We have even watched an opera sitting side by side (by coincidence) and (even more coincidentally) shared a meal at the same table!”
“Oh my!”
This time, the queen was so shocked, she couldn’t say another word.
“Alice…when did you grow up so fast? No, I suppose I should be proud of this as your mother. Also, I cannot imagine you would do this, but have you kissed him?”
“Never! We’re enemies!”
“Enemies?”
“Oh…th-that was nothing.” She turned her face, which was red as a cherry, away. “Anyway, Mother, please make good on your promise.”
“I see. All right then, Alice. It seems that I underestimated you.”
A smile flitted across the queen’s face. Alice assumed that was the smile of a mother happy about her daughter’s growth, but she quickly found that she was mistaken.
“I cannot simply stand by! The ministers! Where are the ministers!” she turned and called out. “Please find a wedding venue immediately. Actually, we should really make an entirely new one. Please begin designing one today.”
“Uh, um, Mother?”
But she had already left Alice to her own devices and was starting a project that her daughter hadn’t even dreamed of.
“Umm, Mother?”
“We must call in journalists. The people must be informed of this joyous news. The Second Princess Aliceliese has a lover. Please make an urgent report to the news providers!”
“Please stop!”
Alice did all she could to try and stop her unexpectedly doting mother.
Several days later.
Imperial base.
“Hey, Commander Mismis, what happened to that thing you were talking about?”
“Hm?”
“You know, that rumor. That the Nebulis princess has a lover.”
Iska had caught Commander Mismis napping lazily at the conference room table.
“You know, the one with the boyfriend who looks like me that you were talking about.”
“Oh…I’m surprised you remember that.”
“Well, I’m curious now because you said I look like him.”
He hadn’t heard anything since then. Iska had thought it was odd since there wasn’t a commotion at headquarters.
“That’s not a thing anymore.”
“Huh?”
“Apparently, it really was just some rumor. The Sovereignty had jumped to conclusions, but the Empire doesn’t have any details.”
“…Oh.”
He was relieved. He’d been worried that the Empire would begin to suspect him of something.
“And they also concluded that the guy from the rumor just looks a whole lot like you.”
“See, I told you,” Iska declared, full of confidence, to Commander Mismis as she was sprawled on the table. “It couldn’t have been me in that picture.”
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