Okoborehime to Entaku no Kishi Vol 1 Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1 KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND
4
This was the "Knight King’s s.p.a.ce." On the floor was a carpet
with the story of the G.o.ds embroidered on it, framed with golden
ears of grain. Hanging on the ceiling was a wooden chandelier and
on the carpet was a beautiful patina table made of deep evergreen
oak. Out of the same wood were chairs scattered around the room
adorned with carvings on its boards, enough to be considered as
unique art pieces—creating the same pattern would be impossible.
There were three people in this room "today." One of them, a
man with a golden mane resembling that of a lion, rested his feet
on the priceless desk like it was nothing and faced Leti with a wide
grin on his face.
"Your mood is fouler than usual, Queen Leticia. When are you
in right now?"
"You are annoying, arent you, King Alexander? I am in right
after I was proclaimed to be the next queen and was just refused
by stupid man.”
The man called King Alexander laughed out loud as if Leti’s
predicament was something pleasant, rubbing Letis nerves the
wrong way.
The silver-haired man sitting on a distant chair inserted a
bookmark into his book before closing it to join the conversation.
“There is no need to be impatient, Queen Leticia. I had the
experience of bowing down fifty-five times to someone until he
agreed to be my knight.”
“I have heard of that story so many times already in my own
time and it has been pa.s.sed down as your impressive anecdote,
Administrative King Karlheinz. It is now considered as an idiom,
‘fifty-five bows.’ So was it really fifty-five times?”
“I see it was pa.s.sed down quite accurately. It was a good thing
I kept a diary then.”
“If it were me, I would leave an order to burn all my diaries
when I die since I only rant in there. I might wish to die again even
if I already did if I would be known as the Ranting Queen,”
snorted Leti.
The One-handed man laughed listlessly at Letis little speech.
“It will be fine since it is, after all, you, Queen Leticia. If it
were me, I will probably be known as the Traitor King or Wrecked
King… no… maybe there won’t even be subjects left to give me
such a t.i.tle…”
“You are dark as usual, King Oswald. When are you in your
time?”
“I’m on my fifth year of war. I escaped here even though I
know I should not.” One-handed King Oswald’s sigh was heavy.
Given the dark atmosphere, Leti declared that she would be
going back when King Alexander said something to her.
6
“Queen Leticia, there is no need for you to follow what that
stupidly serious Karlheinz said. Those who agree because you
bowed down to them only want sincerity.”
“Then what do you suggest I do?”
“Hmmm… if it were me, I would have beaten them to a pulp
and made them swear the Knight’s Oath, but since you are a
woman, the fastest way is to stage a dramatic act, like making him
believe that it is destiny.”
“Destiny?”
“Men are weak against those things, you know? So just follow
what your uncle says.”
“How many “great” shall I skip to trace you? Besides, the
dynasty has changed already after your reign, so I am supposedly
not a direct descendant from your line.
Anyway, I think there is some merit in the advice given by the
Lion King Alexander, who has never lost even one battle during
his reign, so I will give it some thought.”
Leti left, saying her agreement with King Alexander and
thinking about her next step.
8
Leti woke up to the chirping birds and warm sunlight in a cool
day. She felt a bit confused from the lack of the wooden
chandelier hanging on the ceiling when she remembered that she
had already gone back to reality.
“I probably go the Knight King’s s.p.a.ce a lot recently because I
wanted to escape somewhere.”
Lion King Alexander was there right before a revolution
happened – led by his friend and trusted Prime Minister. For
Administrator King Karlheinz, it was after he was betrayed by his
beloved wife, while One-handed King Oswald was in a dire
situation at war.
All of the kings in the Knight King’s s.p.a.ce had one thing in
common whenever they went there: they were at a loss on what
they should do. So for the other kings, they surmised that they
would be seeing Leti frequently during the time after she was
announced to be the heir to the throne.
“Come now Your Highness, the next queen, Queen Leticia, we
have to make our second bow today!” said Leti to herself.
Ever since the present king announced on Leticia’s
seventeenth birthday last month that she would be the next queen,
her maids were strangely spirited for some reason. While her maids
were busily working themselves, Leti was drinking her morning tea
in pure sophistication.
Leti thought that a husband need simply be a decoration
beside her and she would not be giving him any power over the
Kingdom’s politics and government, but it was still an undeniable
fact that selecting her husband was an important part of her job.
“I shall work after this, so no one is allowed to disturb me
until I say so. Bring to my room the portraits and doc.u.ments
Prince Friedhelm and Prince Guido brought over.”
The maids obediently followed Letis orders and carried into
her room the portraits of her husband candidates, burying a third
of her s.p.a.cious room. Leti was nauseated with the number of
portraits, but she still locked her door and prepared to work.
“…Well then, let’s start.”
Leti took off her beautiful dress, released her feet from her
high heels, changed into a fresh new dress, and wore durable
walking boots that she was fond of recently. She removed all of
her accessories and simply tied her hair with a velour ribbon. Leti
looked at herself in the mirror and declared her Princess incognito
outfit complete.
Without any hesitation, Leti leaned forward outside her
window and leapt to the nearby tree. This had been always her
escape route ever since she was a child. The people who see her as
the perfect epitome of a princess would find it hard to believe that
she had been doing this for a long time.
“All right. Perfect score.”
10
Leti praised herself as she got out of the castle without anyone
noticing her. She dusted off her skirt and arranged her dress as she
walked.
“The Royal Chivalric Order should be coming around here for
their patrols…”
Leti ordered her servants to investigate the schedule of Duke
Barchet, who had the nerve of refusing her in front of everyone.
Using the information her servants gathered, Leti decided to
ambush Duke while he was on duty.
“h.e.l.lo there! Today is a good day, isn’t it?”
“Oh Lady Cia, long time no see! Are you out on a date today?”
Leti talked familiarly with a lady that pa.s.sed by. She had
escaped the castle many times to go and walk around the town
near the castle, pretending to be a daughter of a poor baron.
Unlike her brothers Friedhelm and Guido, the people only knew
Princess Leticia by her name and the description that she was as
beautiful as the late First Queen Consort, so she could easily go
out and wander around town.
“There is someone I would like to be my knight but he refused
me, so I wanted to ambush him and have him say ‘yes’ to me.”
“My, my, so there is someone who would refuse a beautiful
young lady like you…”
“I am sure he has high ambitions and wants to be knight of a
princess from a high ranking family.”
It was normal for a powerful, high ranking family to have
several knights. But for a daughter of a low-ranked family, having a
knight was equal to having a lover. This was where Duke’s refusal,
‘I do not want to be known as the Leftover Princess’ lover,’ came from.
While chatting idly with the lady, Leti scanned the street for a
certain someone. Then a tall man, noticeably a head or two higher
among the crowd, wearing a sour expression on his face caught
her eye.
There you are!
Leti took a step forward, raised her arm and called out to him.
“Duke! I was waiting for you!”
For a moment, Duke wondered who that woman waving at
him was when recognition hit him. He immediately scanned the
area to search for Letis guards. Leti decided that Duke’s skills as a
knight was tolerable when she saw his instant alertness upon
recognizing her.
“See that tall person? He is the one I wanted to be my knight.”
Leti pointed out Duke, now pushing his way through the
crowd towards her. Before Duke could even reprimand Leti and
ask what she was doing there, she wrapped her arm around his
surprising him with the unexpected act. He tried pulling away his
12
arm, but Leti tightened her grip on him while keeping a sweet
smile plastered on her face.
“Oh my! ‘Duke’ is such a regal name, isn’t it? Let me see…
Well, aren’t you a fine young man, Mr. Duke. Why did you refuse a
fine, young woman like Lady Cia?”
“Huh? No… This is…”
“Is it because of a difference in social status? Are you an earl?”
“No, I’m a son of a baron…”
“Then you’re just equals! There isn’t any problem, is there?”
Duke glared at Leti. His look said, why in the world am I being
interrogated by a woman I don’t even know? But Leti kept her poker face
and did not help him in redirecting the woman’s chatter.
A man joined in their conversation. “Or maybe ya wannabe a
member of the Knights of the Round, don’t yah, Mista Duke? Our
next ruler is a queen, after all.”
“Hahaha! But isn’t it impossible for someone like you to be a
Knight of the Round? So why don’t you just give up and be Lady
Cia’s knight!”
The two strangers laughed amusedly while Duke straightened
his back and did his best to keep a smiling countenance.
Being made fun of makes me want to say that the next Queen you’re
talking about had already offered me the first seat to her Knights of the Round
and I flatly rejected her.
“Duke, how about we talk while walking? I know you are still
in patrol duty.”
“I think that’ll be best.” I cannot stay here any longer.
Duke said the required niceties and they took their leave, with
him dragging Leticia by the hand as they were swallowed by the
crowd.
After putting some distance and going to a less crowded place,
Duke released his anger. “Oi! What are you doing here ALONE!?
Where are your guards?”
Leti twirled around, showing Duke her outfit as if saying, ‘Did
you not realize it?’ But his face did not show any understanding.
“I am out traveling incognito, in disguise. I escaped from the
castle.”
“Huh? For someone appointed to be the next queen, you sure
are a carefree person. That’s the reason why you’re called the
Leftover Princess. ”
“Leftover Princess? Let them say what they want to. They gave
me that t.i.tle as a Princess and not as a Queen,” Leti said flatly,
flipping her hair over her shoulders with her hand.
14
“You can call this a job, you know, like information gathering.
Information gets distorted as it gets farther from the source, so I
sometimes go out to gather it directly since most of the
information regarding the town will be so distorted once it reaches
me in the castle and I already find it to highly unreliable.”
“Is that so?”
Duke was on guard with their surroundings as he listened to
Letis story, since she went to town alone and unescorted and he
would have to protect her if something happened. But for Leti, she
had no need for a guard, for she was strongest when alone and can
move freely.
“I agree that what you’re doing, listening to your people, is a
good thing as their next ruler, but I feel that you are already
familiar with them. Why is that when you were appointed to be the
heir just last month?”
“Indeed, what you said is correct. My succession to the throne
was formally declared last month on my birthday but I already
knew… I already knew I would be queen. I only did not how it
would happen but I was sure that I would be. I did not bother
telling anyone about this because I was sure no one would believe
me.
Anyway, I will be dragging you anywhere and everywhere to
hear the stories around town. Let us start now. We still have a lot
of places to go to.”
“Huh? No, we’re going back to the castle. I’ll send you home
now!”
“I will forgive your casual speech today but speak with me in
that manner again tomorrow and you will find yourself crying
because of treason. Are we clear? Yes? Then let us go over there.”
Leti pointed out an accessory shop across the road and she
went inside to take a look at ribbons. Since Duke could not
possibly say goodbye and leave her, he – in his Knight uniform –
unwillingly followed the princess into the shop. Seeing a knight
approach his shop, the shop owner promptly went out to greet
him and ask if there were anything wrong.
“Uhm… No… I’m just with her…”
“Ah, I see. You’re Lady Cia’s lover, are you not? A beautiful
lady and a courageous knight – what a perfect couple!”
Duke wondered how everyone they met came to that
conclusion. But if he told them that they were not lovers, they
would surely ask him how they were related. Since he did not
know Letis setting for her disguise, he could not say anything
careless.
“Young man, you know, this is the time when the man pays
for his lady. If you’re not careful about these kinds of things, you
might find yourself abandoned in the near future.”
16
Even though Duke thought that he would be rather glad to be
abandoned, he still grudgingly took out his wallet and paid for
Letis ribbons. He could not fathom why she, the princess of the
kingdom, would have to buy her ribbons in this little shop when
she probably had more than enough ribbons for her to use in a
lifetime.
“Here, have some tea.”
“Why, thank you!”
“Thanks.”
Leti started a conversation with the shop owner as they drank
their tea. Their topic was, of course, the season’s hottest news: the
next queen. The shop owner said that the next queen was
apparently a very beautiful princess, and Leti threw in her
complete agreement. It seemed that Leti did not have the charms
of being shy or modest.
“Have you met her, Lady Cia?”
“No, a poor baron’s daughter cannot possibly have met her,
though I have seen her from afar. How about you, Duke?”
“…From afar… yes…”
“They said that Princess Leticia is a very splendid princess. I
heard that she was the one who suggested and built the hospital in
the west and the orphanage in the south. She was also the first one
to donate for our festival here.”
The two princes competing for the crown, Prince Friedhelm
and Prince Guido, focused on the military and foreign relations.
Leti, on the other hand, was more active in promoting education
and welfare. She had two reasons for doing so: one, to avoid her
brother’s eyes, and two, to get the hearts of the citizens. The good
opinion that people had of her was proof of her hard work
throughout the years.
Leti brought Duke everywhere she went to listen to the stories
and opinions about the next queen. They had the consensus that if
a civil war would be the result of either one of the princes
ascending the throne, then it was a whole lot better if the kindhearted
princess succeeded the crown. Everyone welcomed the
idea of having Princess Leticia as their next ruler.
After walking for a long time, Leti finally decided that it was
time for her to go back to the castle.
“…Your reputation is quite good, huh?”
Duke complimented Leti as they walked towards the castle.
His family was part of the peerage, though barely making the cut,
and he had considered himself to be more affiliated with the Royal
Chivalric Order so he was quite naïve when it came to the world
of the n.o.bles. But even someone like him only knew Princess
Leticia as a kind and delicate princess before she was selected as
the successor to the throne, but this changed to be the meek and
beautiful ‘Leftover Princess.’
18
“I know that I am popular among the common people;
however, the n.o.bles and members of the peerage consider me as
unimportant and that irritates me.”
Leti had three objectives for this particular incognito walk.
First was to gather the latest rumors and gossip. Second was to
know more about Duke as person, and third, to show Duke how
good her reputation stood with the citizens.
Based on Duke’s reaction, Leti judged her plan a complete
success. His opinion of her was slowly changing, moving away
from the ‘Leftover Princess.’
Leti thought that this is the perfect chance to attack him. “So,
did you change your mind about being my knight after hearing
how good I am?”
Her first move was to lay down some of her cards on the table
to gain his trust. This kind of game was Leti’s specialty.
“Let me tell you the reason why I selected you.”
Leti turned around and faced Duke. Her eyes were the same
last night, filled with insight that could not possibly be owned by a
woman. Had Leti been a man, Duke would have asked her for a
duel.
“I already knew that I would be queen. I just did not know
when or how, but thinking about it logically, there is a high
possibility that both of my older brothers were already dead so I
never thought of establishing my own chivalric order.”
“You knew?”
Duke convinced himself that it was probably through fortunetelling
or some prophecy, but Leti’s eyes told otherwise. Her eyes
plainly say that she just simply knew.
“I wanted my brothers to be protected by the best of the best,
so I did not mind even if the best knights were recruited to
Seventh Heaven or Valkyrie. I did not want to succeed the throne
because they died. But that did not happen and now, I am in a
predicament of completing my Knights of the Round with the
rejects – those that were not selected by either of my brothers. So
am I supposed to have my knights that could only even be
considered as tolerable? This is unreasonable!”
“There’s no helping it… you started late in the race.”
Duke understood Letis point. The two princes, Prince
Friedhelm and Prince Guido, both had the abilities and qualities of
a King; it was natural that the talented knights would gather
around them. So all of the knights left for Leti to choose from
were those that were not chosen by either of the princes. Being
grouped among them somehow hurt Duke’s pride, but he would
not think about it for now.
20
“So if there is one among the rejects who can fill the First seat
of the Knights of the Round, then that will be you, Duke Barchet,
only you.
Duke thought that indeed, Leti was not just a Leftover
Princess. Seeing her think and a.n.a.lyze about this matter made him
feel that she may have in her the makings of a wise ruler. However,
that alone was not enough for him to be her knight and bow down
to her as his master.
“Princess, Your Highness, I…”
Duke suddenly sensed that something was wrong. He swiftly
pulled Leti near him and covered her with his back. Soon, three
street thugs came out of the shadows.
“Hey lady, we’re a bit short on cash here, why don’t ya lend us
some?”
“You have a knight with you, of course you have some money
there.”
Duke readied his hand on his sword, clicked his tongue and
asked Leti in a whisper, “Your cover’s not yet blown, right? Three
professional a.s.sa.s.sins will be tough to handle even for me, you
know.”
Duke was well aware how dangerous Letis position was as the
heir to the throne. She did take away the crown from her two
brothers, regardless of whether she had a part in it or not. If truth
be told, there were probably more people who would want her in
harm’s way rather than protect her. The three men might be
normal thugs, but the worst case was that they were a.s.sa.s.sins sent
by someone who thought Leti as a big hindrance in their plans.
Duke’s mind was already in a swirl of possibilities for this situation
compared to Letis calm demeanor and somehow indifferent sigh.
“Are you seriously telling me that?”
“Huh?”
Duke thought that Leti would call him stupid since she looked
like she would, but instead he got a pat on his shoulder.
“The only person I know to be more beautiful than I do is
Prince Guido. Do you not think it is quite natural that a knight
dating someone as beautiful as me will be asked for a duel or two?”
“Don’t call yourself beautiful. Try and be a bit modest, won’t
you?”
“For someone with my beauty, I think being modest simply
sounds sarcastic. … You can handle something like this, can you
not? Do what you have to do and do not mind about your back at
all.”
Duke thought that answering her with the decided “yes, yes,
you are beautiful” or “I don’t think so” was just troublesome and
maybe sincerely complimenting her might give a more refreshing
reaction.
22
…though shy and modest women are cuter and more to my liking.
Duke still had a few things to say but decided that it would be
better focus at the task at hand.
“If you back down now, you’ll be leaving without a scratch.
But if you dare lay your hands on her, don’t think that this’ll be
over with a wound or two.” ‘Cause if you do anything to her, the princess
and the next queen of this kingdom, you might regret you did anything. Be
prepared to receive a capital punishment for that.
Duke charged towards the attackers and the battle started.
“His swordsmanship is indeed one of the best I have seen. I
am glad that he is as good as the report says.”
The scene playing in front of Leti was enough to send a
normal princess crying, but Leti was no ordinary princess, and she
watched the fight intently. Duke, despite fighting one against three,
had the upper hand in the battle and he had yet to draw his sword.
He hit them either with the hilt of his sword or his fist. His
fighting style was in no way elegant and fit for a Knight, but this
also meant that he had the confidence to win without even
drawing his weapon.
Leti watched over the fight with a satisfied smile on her face. It
was better than she had expected. Then she felt an additional
presence from behind, drawing her attention from the battle in
front.
“More company? Just when I had the chance to watch Duke in
action…” I guess it cannot be helped then.
Leti turned around to face the new comers and snapped her
finger.
“Oi! Are you ok?”
“Yes, I am fine. It was a complete win against three opponents
without even a single scratch. They were not that strong, but it was
not easy either. You really are fit to be a knight, to be my knight.”
“—Hey!”
Duke found two unconscious men lying on the floor beside
Leti. He asked Leti who they were with his eyes and Leti replied by
looking down at the men as if saying that he noticed it too late.
“Maybe they were planning to get your attention first, then
their other members would attack me, but too bad for them
because I know how to defend myself.”
“Even so! You should have called my attention when you
noticed that there were others! Do you know how dangerous your
situation is!? What would you do if you got hurt!?”
“I was the one who said to you that you need not worry about
your back. I just wanted to keep my word.”
“Huh?”
24
“But that is not the whole of it. I also wanted to show you that
I can fend for myself, that I was not just a beautiful princess and to
have you owe me by protecting your back. That was why I finished
them myself, but I guess it had the opposite effect and made you
worry. You are a kinder person than I thought you were.” Leti
smoothly shrugged off Duke’s anger.
Duke felt awkward when Leti pointed out that he was worried
about her. He convinced himself that it was normal for a knight to
worry about the future queen and that his worry was nothing
personal. Yes, I was worried for the next queen and not because I care about
her.
“Senpaaaaaaai!1
Someone reported that a beautiful lady is in
danger!”
An optimistic voice from the sky broke the two’s awkwardness.
They looked up to see where the voice came from when their
vision suddenly turned dark and a human form was going down
straight at them. Even the calm Princess Leti could not hide her
surprise.
“Kyaa!?”
1 Senpai : a j.a.panese honorific for someone’s senior
26
The person who jumped from the roof and landed perfectly on the
ground was Duke’s junior, Astrid Gale. He stood up quickly as if it
were nothing. He looked at Duke and noticed Leti standing beside
him.
Astrid stared at Letis face, thinking that she somehow looked
familiar. Duke thought that it would be bad if Astrid recognized
her so he quickly went between them to block Astrid’s view, but it
was too late.
“…PRINCESS!?”
Duke grabbed Astrid’s head and dragged him closer.
“She is in disguise right now due to certain circ.u.mstances so
keep it low. Do not tell anyone this, got that?” Duke said with his
threatening voice known to make a crying child cry more. Astrid
was overwhelmed with Duke’s presence and nodded accordingly
while repeating Duke’s words, saying that he would not tell this to
anyone.
“Astrid, I’ll be sending this beautiful lady home so can I leave
things here with you?
And another thing, how many times have I already told you
not to run on the roofs? We had already received a complaint that
an elderly woman nearly got a heart attack when she saw you doing
that.”
“Eeeeh… but I cannot run in full speed on the road because
of the people. Besides, I thought that it would be better if I reach
the crime scene as soon as possible, so I decided to use the roofs
as shortcuts.”
Duke sighed, feeling tired with all the things happening. He
wanted to give Astrid a long sermon but lost the energy to do so.
This was one of the reasons why Astrid was known as a tensionremover.
He was a knight with skills enough to go up the top, but
his character was not suited to be one. Duke decided to put off his
sermon for now since ensuring Letis safety was more important
than disciplining Astrid.
“I’ll listen to your report later at camp. Do you need any help
or reinforcements?”
“There are quite a handful of them, so I will appreciate it if
they could spare some hands.”
“Got it. I’ll have them send some help.”
Duke and Astrid did the necessary exchange for the transfer of
authority. Then, Duke firmly held Letis shoulder, shielding her
away from Astrid’s sight as they walk away. Leti did not even have
a chance to say a word and was forced to walk without further
discussion. She snuck a look at Astrid Gale and committed his face
to her memory.
“You have a quite pleasant junior, Duke.”
“… I’ve got no complaints on his skills but…”
“His name?”
28
“Astrid Gale. He is from a commoner’s family but he does
have the skills enough to be the leader of the Order. It is no
exaggeration that he is the type of person that comes once in a
century.”
Leti only saw Astrid as a young lad with red hair and gentle
green eyes. His presence was more of a baker in training than that
of a knight of the Royal Chivalric Order. But to hear Duke praise
him openly, Leti thought that he was worth being investigated.
Based on Duke’s a.s.sessment, he can be one of my Knights, but if he really
was that good, then it is highly probable he is already someone else’s…
“Is he already someone’s honorary knight? Is he already a
member of someone’s private order such as Prince Friedhelm’s
Seventh Heaven or Prince Guido’s Valkyrie?”
The word ‘knight’ in Sommevesle had two meanings.
One was royal knight. This referred to the members of the
Royal Chivalric Order established to protect the peace and order
of the kingdom. To join the Order, one had to study for two years
in the Knight Academy regardless of social status, commoner or
n.o.ble. After graduating from the Academy, an entrance exam
would be taken to join the Order, and only those who pa.s.sed it
became a full-pledged Knight of the Royal Chivalric Order.
The other meaning was honorary knight. Once a person swore
allegiance to a master, he could already be considered as an
honorary knight. Honorary knights come in many types. There
were those who acted as bodyguards to their master, and there
were those were simply knights by name and were selected due to
their cleverness and skills. There were also some who simply
wanted to flaunt their master’s connection and rank.
Seventh Heaven and Valkyrie were the private chivalric orders
established by Leti’s brothers. Members of those two orders were
all talented and superior knights that no one would dare contest.
“He is currently not serving anyone, but I know he is receiving
invitations to join several orders. If you want, I can formally
introduce you to him,” Duke suggested to Leti, hoping that she
would give up on him, but Leti did not give it a second thought.
“No, thank you. I currently have my eye on one knight right
now: you. What was that we were talking about again? Before all of
this commotion happened? ...Right.”
Leti turned around and faced Duke.
“I was able to observe you, albeit a short time. When you
accidentally met me in the street, you kept your composure and
calmly scanned the area to ensure my safety. Your fighting style
was not tied down by aesthetics and your insight is not clouded by
age or social status. Out of all the rejects, you really stand out. Now,
I want you to be my knight even more.”
Leti’s feelings changed from Duke being “the only one” to
being “the one.”
30
“Duke Barchet, I order you to be my knight. Gratefully accept
the first seat in my Knights of the Round. Hurry up and bow
down to me!”
Duke rejected Letis previous invitation with a simple “I refuse,”
but this invitation was different from the last. The words were the
same but the weight behind those words was different. Duke
decided to not run away and replied with the same gravity.
“I felt the sincerity in your words now, so I shall give you an
honest answer in return. I wanted to be Prince Friedhelm’s knight.
And I still feel the same. That’s it. No matter how appealing you
might be as a master, you are not Prince Friedhelm and never will
be.”
Duke and Friedhelm were cla.s.smates in the Knight Academy
and they became friends easily. Duke believed that Friedhelm
could be a good king and wanted to support the kingdom together
with him. Friedhelm, too, felt the same way. So after graduating
from the Academy, Friedhelm asked Duke to be his knight, but
due to the structure of the peerage, where Duke’s family was under
Guido, he refused Friedhelm’s offer and decided to stay under
Guido out of duty to his family.
Leti answered nonchalantly to Duke’s obvious refusal. “Until
here is fine. It will be more troublesome if they find us.”
When they reached the castle’s wall, Leti set her foot on the
s.p.a.ce in the wall and easily lifted herself up to the top. Duke was
thinking about having that gap filled in to prevent her from going
to any of her incognito walks as he watched the princess climb up the
wall.
“Regarding your answer a while ago…” Leti spoke to Duke
from atop the wall, wearing a confident smile on her beautiful face.
“I take it that you have trusted me enough to reveal your true
feelings to me.”
“Were you even listening to what I said, Your Highness?”
“Yes. Listen I did. But only listen.”
Leti went down the wall after saying that, disappearing from
Duke’s sight..
She really is just as the rumors say, a beautiful princess. But the rumors
are not complete. Because inside, she is the perfect queen. Her high-handed
personality and self-centeredness reminds me of someone…
“But with this, I can say that Sommevesle’s future is safe.”
Duke thought that the Leftover Princess would definitely be a
brilliant queen and that it would be better if she could get excellent
people to support her. But some part of him underestimated her
persistency and thought that if he continued rejecting her offer,
she would come to give up on him eventually.
Astrid, left to clean up the scene, was tying each person lying
on the floor unconscious with a rope. The only thing left for him
32
to do was to wait for the others to come and help him bring the
rogues back to camp for further questioning and write the incident
report.
“One versus five… Duke-senpai is really amazing.”
Astrid walked towards the two unconscious men who had
been lying on the floor beside Leti to confirm if they still had any
weapons hidden in them. Upon inspection, he found that each of
the men had one red straight mark on their nape.
“One hit on the neck rendered them unconscious. It’s already
hard to cause a concussion, and to make it this cleanly—Dukesenpai
really is amazing. He probably did this with the sword’s
sheath.”
Astrid looked at the direction where Duke and Leti walked.
I wish I had the chance to fight these men with Duke-senpai.
But Astrid had no way of knowing that Leti was the one who
rendered these two men unconscious, so it would never cross his
mind to wonder how she defeated them without any weapon on
her to make those red marks, as if from a sword’s sheath.
A nostalgic scent was swept by the wind, calling out one of
Astrid’s buried memories and stopping his movement momentarily
as he inspected the unconscious men.
“Which one of them is him?”
As soon as those words came out of his lips, Astrid – the
speaker himself – wondered about the meaning behind those
words.
Leti had a high reputation as the perfect model princess. That
was true until she was announced as the heir to the throne, and her
reputation dropped down to the leftover princess. This was true,
even to her father, the current king of Sommevesle.
The leftover princess, who suddenly became the successor,
should be groomed and taught about subjects necessary to become
a ruler, including politics, law and history. To do that, the king
a.s.signed the top scholars in the kingdom to be her masters. That
part of the plan was fine until then; Leti also liked to a.s.sure her
father that she was giving her time and effort to improve herself,
so she attended her cla.s.ses diligently. However…
“Princess Leticia, Prince Leonhardt has come.”
“Let him in.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The history master her father a.s.signed to her was none other
than her younger brother, Prince Leonhardt.
Leonhardt Zur Kreutzer was the third prince and the fourth
child of the king. He was known as “The Genius Historian, fourth
child of the king and the third prince”—also known as a weird and
34
eccentric person. Most thought that this reputation, which he also
used as his self-introduction, was the perfect description of him.
Leonhardt greeted Leti cheerfully. He, among all of the king’s
children who were all already known as eccentric, sparkled as the
oddest ball in the lot.
“Good morning, Ane’ue2
! You seem to be in a good… I mean,
not so good mood today! Hahaha… The story, or rather the rumor,
about Baron Barchet’s son rejecting you has spread in the castle
like wild fire, you know? Fufufu…”
If Leonhardt would only groom himself up even just a little, he
would be branded as handsome as his sister. Together with Leti,
they would be known as beautiful siblings, sharing the same
blonde hair and steel blue eyes. But that was all wishful thinking, as
Prince Leonhardt cared not a single cent about his appearance. He
was wearing a shabby white coat as a jacket and a pair of gla.s.ses
that strangely reflected light too strongly enough to cloud the
gla.s.ses itself. His manner of speaking also maximized his lungs’
capacity to the fullest without caring to whom he was speaking
with. These characteristics wasted his handsome face, and he
enjoyed the people’s disappointment.
“I do not mind if it spreads like wildfire. It should spread
enough to reach the houses of the n.o.ble families lest it will be a
problem for me. That way I can ward off those who wanted to
2 Ane’ue: A j.a.panese honorific for calling one’s older sister. (More formal and
old-fashioned than the normal Onee-san)
have Duke as a knight for their daughters. They would not want to
get Princess Leticia’s favorite knight, would they?”
The reason why Leti dressed up glamorously when she invited
Duke to be her knight despite knowing it was out of place was to
have people talk and gossip about it. If this story had even reached
her brother, who was normally ignorant about these kinds of
things, then her plan was a success.
“I chose Duke Barchet because I thought he was the best one
among the rejects, but he was better than I expected… But
enough about me and my knights. Tell me, what are those papers?
Do not tell me, you have decided to be a teacher for real?”
Leonhardt brought with him a small chalkboard, a stack of
paper, and a single book.
“This is a history book, though its contents are more of
bedtime stories, hahaha. Then, these papers are from Friedhelmani’ue3
. I met him on my way here. Here you go.”
Leti took the history book and placed it on her desk. Then she
took a sheet from the stack of paper and crumpled it into a ball
after glancing at it for a second.
“He really does not know when to give up…!”
“What is it? Lemme see?!”
3 Ani’ue. A j.a.panese honorific referring to one’s older brother (More formal and
old fashioned than the normal Onii-san)
36
Leonhardt dumped the papers on the desk, then picked up and
straightened the piece of paper Leti had just crumpled. On the
paper was a portrait of a man and his personal information, such
as the name and family lineage. Leonhardt soon understood that
the papers were of a husband candidate for Leti.
“Why, isn’t he a good-looking chap? But you cannot trust
portrait artists to draw exactly how the models look like or they
might lose their profession ahaha! Hey ane’ue, doesn’t he look a bit
like Friedhelm-ani’ue?”
“Are they not related? I mean he is from the Friedhelm
faction.”
Leonhardt continued to press the issue like he was selling
something. He kept on telling Leti the good points of the man, like
his good social status and that he was too good a catch to let go, et
cetera. He spoke like this topic was not wholly connected to his
sister. He was Letis only full brother, yet he only saw the situation
as amusing and made fun of it.
“Silence. You are the last person I want to talk about marriage;
you are single yourself. Better just use that mouth of yours to talk
about your research. You make more sense when you do.”
“Yes…yes… shall we start our lesson?” Leonhardt declared,
and wrote something on the chalkboard he brought with him. Leti
thought that his eccentric personality was represented clearly by
his peculiar handwriting, which rose upward to the right.
“Our first topic is about Sommevesle’s first king, the Knight
King Christian. It is also not clear whether he really existed or not,
right?”
The founding king of the kingdom felt more like a legend than
an ancestor. Sommevesle’s children were raised hearing King
Christian’s adventures as bedtime stories.
“The world of man was in chaos due to Evil. One G.o.d named
Christian descended from the heavens and transformed a part of
G.o.d’s power into swords and granted these swords to man. So
Christian with his 12 disciples defeated Evil and founded the
Kingdom of Sommevesle. This kind of legend of origin can easily
be found in any country, right?”
Leonhardt gestured at the board with his pointing stick and
traced the name written on the board.
“I already know that.”
“Ahaha. Of course you do. I forgot about that. If you were
born and raised in Sommevesle, you should have heard about this.
Sorry about that. Ahahaha. But. Hey. Don’t you think the name
given to the swords of the Knight King kind of lame? ‘The
Knight’s Swords’ is not really creative. Or is it just me?”
Leonhardt wrote with his right hand ‘the Knight’s Swords’ on
the board.
38
“I had the same opinion… So? I also happen to know that
already.”
“Ahahaha. Yeah, you’re right. Then the G.o.d’s power was
divided into twelve swords known as the ‘Promised Swords’ and
given to the twelve knights who swore loyalty to King Christian.
They held their military meetings over a round table where
everyone is equal and can freely share the opinions. This practice
continued to be pa.s.sed on until it became a tradition that is
continued on today. This is where “the Knights of the Round” is
believed to be originated. But the stories after that are blurry and
feel more like to be fiction. Why? Because old Knight King’s
Sword was preserved, even though it is old and is stored as a
national treasure, but not even one of the twelve Promised Swords
were left.”
“How many times do I have to say it to you? I already know
that… argh! This is a waste, a total waste of my time. Why must I
take the lectures of my younger brother? Moreover, the lesson is
about a fairy tale told to every child in the kingdom when it is time
to go to bed!” Leti exploded. She could no longer take any more of
the stupid lesson while Leonhardt continued to write on the board,
and laughingly said that there was nothing Leti could do about it.
“Our father, the honorable king, was the one who decided to
select you as his heir to prevent a civil war between the factions of
the first and second princes. So he thought that he had to groom
you in becoming a ruler.
I said that I met our eldest brother a while ago right? I
properly greeted him. I said, ‘How are you doing, Prince-that-willdivide-the-kingdom-into-two?
Are you enjoying your day filled
with thrill knowing the other has sent a.s.sa.s.sins targeting your life?’”
“As for me, I am enjoying the perfect day. Ever since it was
announced that I will succeed the throne, their compet.i.tion has
somehow cooled down, giving me a respite from it.”
“Scary!” Leonhardt blurted out as he shrugged his shoulders.
For her brothers who do not consider her as a sister, Leti simply
returned their sentiments and did not think of them as her
brothers either.
“And since we’re at it, let’s talk about this important thing for a
king of this Kingdom.”
Leonhardt wrote Knights of the Round on the board.
“For your information, Father particularly emphasized that this
is the one topic that I should discuss thoroughly with you. But I
know you have already tired of this topic, so I’ll say this quickly.”
“Yes. Please do. At three times your normal speed.”
When Leti was a child, she was told that there was no need for
her to study history, law, political science and the ways of a ruler
because the throne would definitely be succeeded by either of her
elder brothers. But Leti still studied all of these, so these cla.s.ses
her father asked her to take were really unnecessary. However, in
40
order to appease her father, who thought she needed them, she
had no choice but to come and attend.
“Okay, let’s start with the question, ‘What is a knight?’ Knights
draw their swords only to protect the Kingdom. This is the motto of our
Royal Chivalric Order; their swords are to protect and not to hurt.
But if you look at it from the enemy’s perspective, they are getting
hurt, right? Hahaha. But I think saying that they protect all of
Sommevesle is a bit far-fetched, don’t you think? So, just as there
are kings who dream of world peace and yet simply care for the
safety of his family, the idealistic aim of many knights is to serve
the country, and their realistic goal is to vow loyalty and swear
their allegiance to their chosen master.”
There were several honorary chivalric orders around the
kingdom. Two of the most famous ones were the Seventh Heaven
of Prince Friedhelm and the Valkyrie of Prince Guido. But the
most famous and most prestigious of all chivalric orders was the
Order of the King, the Knights of the Round.
Leonhardt drew a circle around the words Knights of the Round
to emphasize his point.
“Our older brothers Friedhelm and Guido both created their
own private chivalric orders in preparation for their ascension to
the throne, right? They might have even thought to complete all
twelve when they became the King. But they were pleasantly
disappointed!”
Both of the princes had gathered skillful knights to their
Orders, so that making them Knights of the Round would not
bring shame to the name. Leti had been relieved because of this
fact, but with the way things were now, the situation was just
frustrating.
“Then on the coronation ceremony of the King… Oh, right!
When will your coronation ceremony be?”
“The earliest might be in a few years. Father seemed to be
thinking of establishing a stable Queen Leticia administration while
he is still healthy and can still control our two older brothers.”
If Leti happened to ascend the throne because of her father’s
death, there was a high possibility that her two brothers or their
supporters would attack the newly established administration. So
Leti was indeed grateful for the King’s intention of letting her take
over the crown while he could still act as her guardian.
“I see. During that coronation ceremony, each one of your
Knights of the Round will take their stand in front of the pillars in
the throne room when you take your oath as the ruler of the
kingdom. There are twelve pillars, and you should have twelve
knights by that time. Completing the twelve knights is your current
mission, but until that day, will you …”
Leonhardt questioningly looked at Leti – stilling his gaze on
her in the middle of his ramblings made him look a little scary.
“…be able to do it? Ahahaha!”
42
“Of course I can. I will get twelve knights and none of them
will be less than worthy of the t.i.tle.”
Letis eyes sparkled, her eyes oozing with determination. In
contrast was Leonhardt, who folded his arms and nodded in
thought.
“But I think this is where you have to compromise, Ane’ue. All
of the good knights are either in Seventh Heaven or in Valkyrie
already.”
“In this kind of situation, I do not care even if I have to steal
them. Or maybe it will be more interesting if I just make our two
older brothers my knights?”
Leti knew that she would inherit the throne. But that was it.
She did not know what kind of a ruler would she be, and that
uncertainty had poked her on the side so much recently that it
already hurt.
Letis first task as the heir to the crown was to gather twelve
knights to fill in all the seats in her Knights of the Round. She had
decided that she would only get the best of best. A half-hearted
Knights of the Round was only fit for the Leftover Princess and
not the queen she wanted to be.
“I recommend the commoner but talented rookie, Astrid
Ga— waaah!”
Leti threw the history book at the babbling Leonhardt, cutting
him off. Then she graciously grabbed and flipped the hem of her
dress and walked out of the room.
“Ane’ue?”
“I shall go and court again the Leftover Princess’ lover.
Listening to you made me realize that I should hurry up. So for
that point, today’s lecture had meaning.”
Leti left Leonhardt in her room. Three guards then prepared to
follow her as her escorts but she waved them off to leave her alone.
The guards were perplexed for a moment, and Leti used this
opportunity to run away and go to the Royal Chivalric Order’s
Camp.
The knights were startled when they saw Leti walking into
their camp. Some could not even prevent themselves and started
whispering with each other. Leti was not bothered with their
useless gossip and simply continued to walk on towards her target.
“… Why, if it isn’t the next queen, a good day, Your Highness.”
Letis target was, of course, Duke Barchet. Duke’s expression
clearly showed that Leti was just a pain and he wanted her to give
up on him already. But when he noticed that she did not have any
guards with her, he immediately scanned the surroundings.
“Your Highness, what happened to your guards?”
44
Leti became the heir to throne by overtaking her two older
brothers. It is obvious to everyone that until she became queen—
no, even she had ascended the throne, her life would be in
constant danger. But despite that, Leti was again outside, alone
without any guards, and Duke was alarmed for her.
Oi, oi, oi, what is her guards doing, letting her wander off again alone like
yesterday!?
“…Oh, yes. It is dangerous for me to be alone. I know that,
but I have some business to do in the inner room. What shall I do?”
Leti did not stop in her steps and continued to walk towards
the inner room.
“Don’t move! I’ll get someone to escort you!”
“You are addressing me again in a casual manner. Repeat.
Yesterday is already over.”
“…Please stay where you are, Your Highness. I shall call
someone to accompany you."
But Leti did not lend an ear to Duke’s words and proceeded to
go further into the hall, so Duke was left with no choice but to be
Letis escort.
Tsk tsk. Darn it. This woman left her guards on purpose to make me
follow her!
Duke scanned the area, hoping to meet someone’s eye, but
every one of the knights in the camp averted his gaze away from
him. If only his junior Astrid—who idolized the princess—were
here, he would have pa.s.sed this task to him, but unfortunately he
was nowhere in sight.
“Princess! Your Highness!”
“Shhh! This is no longer the Order’s Camp, so will you keep
quiet?”
Duke clicked his tongue one last time and gave in to his fate.
He followed Leti wherever she intended to go, realizing that he
had just fallen perfectly in her trap.
I can’t simply abandon her. It’s not like we’re totally unrelated. I fully
understand that this Leftover Princess has the difficult task of keeping her
neutral stance. I of all people, truly understand that feeling.
Leti continued to walk deeper down the hall, feeling grateful
for Duke’s innate kindness. Then she stopped upon reaching a hall
that stretched for some distance, the Gallery of Kings.
“This is where the portraits of the kings are placed. This is the
first king, the ‘Knight King Christian.’”
Duke saw the portraits of the Kings lined up and arranged on
the walls for the first time. The way the portraits were painted
varied per time period, and he was so amazed by the paintings that
he stared at them quite seriously.
46
“The twelfth king, Lion King Alexander and beside him, the
thirteenth king, Revolution King Julius. King Julius killed his
master, Lion King Alexander, and he never justified what he did.
He had his portrait painted with him holding the crown instead of
wearing it to tell the future people that this crown was never his.”
“Such a story would make one wonder why he started the
revolution in the first place.”
“Who knows? Even the Lion King himself did not know the
reason, so how would I know?”
“You sounded like you’ve asked him directly. Is he your
acquaintance?”
Leti did not reply to Duke’s banter and simply took a few steps
forward, then stopped.
“Lion King Alexander never lost a single battle during his
reign. In contrast to that, the eighteenth king, Administrative King
Karlheinz, never waged a war or started a single battle with other
countries. King Karlheinz, together with his Queen, rebuilt the
country that was turned into rubble because of the war. They
focused on internal reform and diplomacy. He was truly a wise
monarch. The idiom “fifty-five bows” came from him.”
“Was that about him bowing fifty-five times in asking
someone to be his knight?”
“Yes, that is it. How about you? How many more times shall I
bow my head before you agree to become my knight?”
“…Have you ever bowed your head down to me? I don’t
remember seeing you bow down yesterday or even the day before
that.” Duke unwittingly retorted to Letis statement, and she just
replied, “Is that so?” and continued to walk on. She stopped in
front of an empty s.p.a.ce where no portraits adorned the wall.
“My painting will be placed here. I wonder what my t.i.tle would
be.”
“I pray that it will not be a bad name.”
Leti uttered the same prayer in her heart.
What kind of a ruler will I be? What posthumous t.i.tle will they give me?
Will I be known as a wise monarch like the past and future reincarnations of
the Knight King? These were Letis fears, which came from the fact
that she knew herself perfectly – that she could not win against her
two older brothers when it came to having the qualities and
disposition perfect for a king.
“The face of the Lion King Alexander, the abilities of
Administrator King Karlheinz, and the personality of One-handed
King Oswald.”
“Ha?” Duke said, not understanding the meaning behind Letis
words.
“The traits of my ideal man.”
48
If Leti told this to anyone, many would take it as a joke to
mean that her standards were high that she could not find a man
to like or that she had no need for a husband. Duke was starting to
think that way, but he noticed the true meaning behind her words
upon seeing her stern profile.
“Aah, I see. Your ideal king. But I do not know who the Onehanded
King is.”
Duke noticed the truth behind Letis joke. As she gazed at the
portraits, he saw envy, jealousy, and self-doubt reflected in her
eyes. He suddenly remembered Leti’s age—she was but a girl who
had turned seventeen the previous month. For a twenty-three year
old man like him, Leti was just a child. Yet the way this princess
confidently stood with her back perfectly straight made one forget
that she, this young lady, carried a heavy responsibility on her
shoulders.
“No, they are my rivals.”
“Yes, yes, rivals…right. Rivals.”
“They really are rivals. You do understand that, do you not?”
Leti was unusually irritated. The reason was probably because
Duke was able to see through her and read her true feelings. She
indignantly turned her back on Duke, who was saying his
condescending agreement, and she walked eight steps deeper into
the room.
“The portrait of One-handed King Oswald will be placed here,
and a little bit further will be the portrait of the Heart-broken King
Ludgar. It seems that he and the succeeding kings are no longer
directly descended from my line.”
“Huh?”
“We are going to the Knight King’s s.p.a.ce. Follow me.”
Leti ignored Duke’s questioning look and continued to walk
deeper into the hallway and stopped on a spot where the walls
continue endlessly.
“This is the Knight King’s s.p.a.ce.”
“…Hmmm, but I only see walls here. Is it something that can
only be seen by the royal family?”
“What do you mean? This is just a wall.”
Leti did not say outright ‘are you stupid?’ but her att.i.tude and
tone says otherwise. Before Duke could even ask his question of
why she was showing him a wall, Leti spoke.
“The Knight King’s s.p.a.ce is a room with no doors. That is
why no one can enter it.”
“You mean like a hidden room?”
“Not really.”
50
The Knight King’s s.p.a.ce did not even serve the purpose of an
emergency shelter. It was simply a structure surrounded by walls
all around. Duke knocked at the wall several times and wondered
what the room was really for.
“Does making a room like that have any meaning?”
“From what I heard, the Knight King Christian had the room
made. Shall I ask him if ever we meet? I would also like to know
the reason.”
“Yes, please do… the interior, I think it is hollow judging from
the sound, but it doesn’t sound like it was filled in by rocks or
stones so I guess it really is a room.”
Duke thought that maybe it had been enclosed by walls
accidentally when it was built when Leti started to speak and
pointed at it.
“Embroidered on the carpet is the story of the G.o.ds, framed
with golden ears of grain, and on the ceiling hangs a wooden
chandelier – the kind no longer seen around here. On floor, above
the carpet, is a patina oak table. Chairs created out of the same
wood are scattered around the room. All of the furnishings are
adorned by carvings so beautiful, they could be masterpieces of art.
They are like gems, priceless in their rarity and beauty."