Chapter 49
“Today is really, really important, so you have to muster up all your strength. I heard His Majesty summoned about thirty portrait painters from across the empire — each with their own style….”
Huff, huff.
Liz let out a breathy sigh after finishing her sentence, as if she’d gotten winded just speaking.
“What? Thirty? No way!”
“Originally about a hundred applied, but they were whittled down in the preliminaries — that’s how many made it through. So please bear with it even if it takes a while or is a little inconvenient, Your Highness.”
“Huh… preliminaries, too… My father is so extreme. Isn’t there something a little wrong with him?”
Watching me sulk, Liz let out a small laugh and then got down to finishing my makeup and hair.
The dress prepared for my coronation as Crown Princess was described as something like “a dress lavishly using royal black and infinite green…” — I didn’t really know what that meant, but it was simply a dress made to match my hair and eye color.
Diamonds dangled from the hem like clusters, and little emeralds were densely set along the sleeve cuffs.
My father had ordered this dress himself; at first I thought it looked like a jewel tree. Thank goodness I made a fuss about it being too heavy on the fitting day and had a lot of the gems removed.
“It’s still a little heavy, though.”
“Please endure it for today only, Your Highness.”
I nodded obediently.
“You’ll need to wear a crown on your head, so I’ll do a neat braid for you. Just hold still for a moment.”
“Okay.”
After dividing my hair into sections and braiding, she gathered the braids and tied them neatly; my plait hung down to my waist.
“If you’re ready, shall we go soon, Your Highness?”
“Is it already time?”
“Of course. How long do you think it took to get you ready?”
I took Liz’s hand and rose from my seat.
Looking into the mirror at a face that felt both unfamiliar and familiar, I grinned.
Celestia looked at me, and I looked back at Celestia.
The villain from [Moonflower] was gone now.
The coronation ceremony for Crown Princess was to be held in the Great Garden within the imperial palace.
I rode to the Great Garden in a white flower-drawn carriage driven personally by Sir Briven.
Through the carriage window I could see many people. They too watched the carriage I was in with expectant eyes.
Soon the carriage stopped.
With Sir Briven’s help I stepped down. Gulp. Why was I so nervous about something like this?
On the raised platform prepared in the distance stood my father, the councilors, and Sir Ain.
“Where is the Empress?” I muttered.
Sir Briven answered my quiet question.
“Her Majesty the Empress is unwell of mind and body… ugh!”
“Today you must focus only on the coronation, Your Highness.”
Before I knew it, Liz had shoved Sir Briven aside and whispered in my ear.
“Understood.”
She must have been in a bad way for a while now.
Whenever I thought of the Empress something felt off. She was present and absent at the same time — like I was missing something, and my head and heart felt unsettled.
But as Liz said, I had to focus only on the coronation today, so I tightened my gaze — pull! — tightened my fist — squeeze! — braced my knees — and walked forward.
I kept moving forward as if I were going to meet every child in the world and come back.
“…And so I hereby proclaim Celestia Mond, Princess of the Moon, as Crown Princess of the Salyant Empire, here and now.”
With a few words from my father and a few gestures from the councilors, I, following my father, became the Crown Princess who would one day be Emperor.
This is awkward. This is awkward.
I never planned to be Crown Princess.
My plan hasn’t changed. I’ll roll out the red carpet for Killian, build a bridge for Adel, and slip away before my secret is exposed.
Things will work out somehow later. This empire won’t crumble because of just me.
So for now—enjoy yourself!
Holding my father’s hand, I received the nobles’ congratulatory remarks.
“From tomorrow, Killian and Adel can come too, right?”
“Yes, Tia. Today is outdoors, so only adults were invited for safety. From the banquet tomorrow children can attend. Don’t you miss Killian and Adel so much? Does this dad not want to see them?”
“Oh, come on! That’s impossible. Look at you, dad — you’re staring right now!”
“My daughter Tia has been neglecting her father lately. I’m going to be hurt, you know.”
“What do you mean ‘neglecting’? You’re the one glued to me like chewing gum.”
“Uh-uh. I’m tired, ugh!”
I grumbled and walked around behind my father’s back.
“Huh? Tia? Why?”
“If the people say I was rude even at the coronation, Father will take responsibility.”
My father was about to scold and transform into a tyrant, but the instant I squealed and clambered onto his back, he froze solid.
“Stuck. Slap.”
“Tia?”
“Dad is a tree, I’m a cicada. Mhm-mhm.”
The dress was slippery and my arms too weak; I was starting to slide down, but my father caught me up with one hand.
“Is that enough?”
When I asked, he nodded.
“Yes. It’s plenty.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
At my words, utterly abandoning his dignity, my father carried the Crown Princess out on his back.
Later on, the affectionate scene of my father and me that everyone talked about for years became the single most-painted subject among the portraitists.
“Killian! Adel!”
“May we pay our respects to the little sun of the Empire, Her Highness Celestia Mond, Crown Princess.”
Ugh. How formal and polite. My mouth pouted.
“Tia, endure it for today. If not, we’ll all get scolded.”
“(sniff)”
“Let’s go to the lounge later and talk as much as you want.”
Adel and Killian soothed me quietly. Well, a lot of people were watching.
Once I shook off my disappointment, I replied politely to the other children just as I had earlier: “Prince Merhen, Lady Rewendif, I hope you enjoy yourselves.”
I didn’t forget to arrange to meet them later in the lounge.
The day after the coronation was the banquet for nobles.
Nobles from all over the empire had come and piled up gifts in front of me. It would take a month just to open them all, maybe.
I hadn’t expected to be celebrated like this; it felt surreal, and I even worried about accusations of taking a free ride later.
Alright.
Then I’ll just give everything away!
A brilliant idea came to me — good job, me!
So I sat there for a long while receiving the nobles’ greetings and gifts.
“Ugh. This is boring. I’m exhausted.”
“It’s hard, isn’t it, Your Highness? Today is the only day they can greet you like this… It’s over now. You did well. Would you like to be taken briefly to the lounge?”
“Yes. What about Father?”
“His Majesty must stay.”
Sir Ain, who had subdued my father in a single move, offered his hand. With his help I rose and headed toward my private lounge.
Sitting in one position for so long made my body stiffen. My legs felt like they weren’t mine.
I should stretch.
As I walked with a creak, I spotted two small silhouettes in the distance. One of them was surely Killian.
“Oh! It’s Killian!”
I wouldn’t fail to recognize my favorite.
“But who’s beside him? It doesn’t look like Adel.”
“Indeed.”
The silhouette slightly taller than Killian was definitely not Adel.
“Let’s go quietly. Stealthy.”
I put my hands primly to my chest and rose onto my toes, but Sir Ain dropped to the floor like a limp rag.
“Ah! Your Highness.”
Why all the fuss when I’m trying to be silent!
When I glanced sharply at him, Sir Ain clutched his heart.
“You’re unbearably adorable right now, like a tiny, fluffy kitten. Please press your little paws into my heart!”
He’d gone and done it again with that terrible habit.
How about a kitty-punch instead of pawing?
I smacked Sir Ain’s snout and then crept closer.
“I’m never going to stop my mouth from wagging today. Well, I should probably keep it in check or His Majesty might rip out my tongue, so I’ll hold back.”
He muttered softly and I put some distance between us, hiding behind a pillar close to Killian to keep an eye on the situation.
“Prince Merhen, I’m Bianca of the House of Shivery. It’s so lovely to meet you.”
“Yes. Lady Shivery. But how are you here… We’ve exchanged greetings, so perhaps you should go.”
“No! Wait! Prince!”
Bianca grabbed Killian’s sleeve with a yank. Of course Killian didn’t go anywhere because of that.
“Ouch!”
The force of his resisting made Bianca fall instead.
“Are you all right?”
Killian didn’t know what to do.
“Will you… help me up?”
Lady Shivery batted her not-very-long eyelashes and held out her hand.
Oh my. That Shivery.
Where did she learn those moves?
Young people these days are so quick.
Apparently Bianca fancied Killian. Well, that wasn’t odd in this world.
Here it was common to be betrothed young and marry as soon as you turned seventeen.
“I like you very much, Prince! It’s attractive that you’re the sole heir of the Merhen family, and being the Crown Princess’s classmate is a plus — wealth and power accepted! I only knew the rumors before, but seeing you today I approve of your looks too! So how about you get engaged to me? I checked — I’m actually three years older, but age-gap couples are in vogue these days.”
Wow. Even done the background check?
What a bold charmer.
But no.
I’m not going to cook and feed him to someone else. Killian belongs to Adel, spit, spit.
Bridge of love, deploy!!!
