3
The night.
“I can’t accept this!” Alice said immediately after starting a postmortem meeting with her attendant, Rin. “It wasn’t fair they made that the theme for the last part. No one can win against Elletear’s allure!”
“If I may, I believe you are one of the most beautiful women in the Sovereignty, Lady Alice.”
In other words, the issue had been the competition. Alice had been prepared for an obstacle, but Elletear had created a blockade that was too high for her to cross.
“You’ll need another three years before you’re as mature as her, Lady Alice.”
“Uhh… I tried to compete against her too soon. But that’s just who Elletear is.”
“You put up a brave fight.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. You had a 0.02 percent chance of winning, after all.”
“Rin, you dummy!”
Alice put her head on the table. She could make no excuses for losing the culture and the arts sections of the competition. Elletear had worked for her successes.
“…Ahh. If only the last section had been a duel between young ladies. One based on the rules of the battlefield, where we could use our astral powers.”
“Then you would be the overwhelming victor, Lady Alice. That has nothing to do with a princess’s grace, though.”
“You could have stopped before that last bit, you know!”
Alice considered calling it a night, but then Rin sat down in front of her.
“Oh. I do have one piece of good news, Lady Alice.”
“What’s that?”
“The audience loved this event.”
“That’s only because of Elletear, though. “
“No, they loved all three of you.”
“Huh?”
“They liked how close you seemed.”
The three princesses.
Normally they were busy and apart.
And the oldest was usually traveling around, so she was rarely at the palace.
……Come to think of it.
……I haven’t talked to them that much in a while.
In that light, the event hadn’t been too bad.
“That’s exactly it!”
Suddenly, Alice rose from her desk.
“Giving the people something to feel happy about is one of a princess’s duties! I would gladly do whatever I can to achieve that!”
“Then I have more good news for you, Lady Alice.”
She had been waiting for this. Rin’s eyes glittered.
“Because it was so well received, the event will take place on a regular basis. The second one is happening next month.”
“That was decided without consulting me?!”
“Her Majesty wanted it.”
“Mother did?!”
“Yes. But at this rate, you won’t have any chance of winning, Lady Alice, so she ordered you to study harder for next time to put up a better fight.”
“Nooo, I don’t wanna study!”
She’d had enough.
Alice cried out as Rin brought a stack of textbooks to her.
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