17. The Crown Prince Reflects on His Life
I am Kisthardt, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Spirinral.
I am the son of the current king, Remodanies, and one day I will succeed him, becoming the next ruler of this land. It was decided from the moment I was born.
Beyond my lineage, I was blessed with an extraordinary amount of innate magical power, particularly skilled in the rare Light attribute.
Because of this, people called me “a prodigy born once in a century,” and I was carefully nurtured accordingly. They believed that when I ascended the throne, I would bring the greatest glory the kingdom had ever seen.
From my childhood, many people gathered around me. All of them either sought to flatter me, worship me, or, if possible, exploit me for their own benefit.
I suppose that, too, is the destiny of one born into a powerful royal family… I must have reached a point where I could see it all with detached understanding.
If they try to use me, I simply use them in return. To a king, his subjects are pieces on a board. If they serve a purpose, I move them accordingly.
It was at some point in my upbringing that I began to see people in this way.
Then one day, I noticed a certain girl. She appeared to be around eight or nine years old.
I had visited the magical training grounds on some errand, which I finished quickly, and this was as I was leaving.
The girl was desperately waving a wand, but no magic came out. I could sense no trace of magical energy at all.
What on earth is she trying to do? I wondered, staring at her intently. Perhaps my curiosity was too obvious because my attendant spoke up to explain.
“That is Lady Eltriede of the Eldenvalk family,” he said.
The Eldenvalk family is a prestigious lineage known for producing high-ranking mages, and as far as I knew, the current head was among the top ten in skill.
When I confirmed this, my attendant gave me the expected flattering reply, “As expected of the prince, you know your history well,” but his expression quickly soured into something more sarcastic…
“However, it seems that young lady inherited none of her parents’ talents. She has so little magical ability that one could almost say being born into nobility was a mistake. She has been nicknamed the ‘Magicless Lady,’” he said, dripping with malicious amusement.
I thought, This one should be removed from my service… yet my gaze remained fixed on the girl, who continued to wave her powerless wand.
How does someone keep trying so hard when nothing comes of it?
I have been blessed in every way. Bloodline, status, magical power, knowledge. When I put in effort, results follow naturally. I have grown accustomed to having my talents yield immediate returns.
But the world isn’t like that for everyone. Some people are clumsy, inefficient, and their hard work brings back only a fraction—maybe a hundredth—of what they put in.
That girl was at zero.
How could she keep trying like that? It was the first question of doubt I had ever felt in my life.
At the time, that was all I thought. Would she one day realize that her efforts were futile?
Around then, my installation as Crown Prince was taking shape, and my schedule became increasingly busy. The memory of that girl gradually faded into the back of my mind.
One day, I remembered her and asked someone nearby about her whereabouts…
“Lady Eltriede of the Eldenvalk family? I haven’t seen her lately,” the person said, as if even he had long forgotten her.
“She used to barge into tea parties and gatherings uninvited, always causing a fuss… No one wanted a ‘Magicless Lady’ anywhere,” he added with a wry smile.
“The Duke of Eldenvalk himself has withdrawn to his lands, so I imagine she went along. It’s better to keep such a failure out of sight,” he concluded.
No matter how often I dismissed someone of low character, there was always at least one who slipped through. People like him always have some shady secret if you dig deep enough. I resolved, as usual, to investigate and force him out.
Yet at the same time, I was struck by a subtle shock at his words.
Had she… given up? By returning to her lands, removed from the capital, it seemed so. She had probably abandoned the life of a proper noble.
For some reason, I felt a pang of disappointment. It would be better for her, not to waste effort on the impossible.
But would I ever see that hardworking girl again?
Years passed.
I quickly completed my installation as Crown Prince, and barring extraordinary circumstances, it was now certain that I would be the next king.
The next step was to choose a partner.
The selection of the Crown Princess—the future queen—suddenly became a heated topic among the nobility.
Our kingdom’s method of choosing a queen is unique. The most important criterion is the magical strength of the lady chosen. Little else matters.
Thus, all noblewomen are gathered in the castle, regardless of rank or faction, to select the one with the strongest magic, the one most skilled in magical prowess.
I once mentioned this in passing to a member of another royal family. He smiled wryly and said,
“Ah, as expected of a magical superpower, Spirinral has its own unique way of choosing a queen.”
There was a clear tone of ridicule in his voice.
“In our country, we breed the fastest horses together to produce better racers. Isn’t it the same thing here?” he added.
From that moment, I had a faint suspicion: Perhaps our kingdom is looked down upon by neighboring nations.
Magic exists only here.
Long ago, the first king gained this power through a pact with the spirits. It flows through the bloodline and has been inherited by our royalty for generations.
Our kingdom prides itself on this, valuing magic above all else. I assume the same principle governs the selection of a queen—but lately, I have begun to question if that is truly right.
Whenever I recall the scornful smile of that foreign royal, I feel this doubt again.
One day, I will be king, and I must guide this country in the right direction. But what is the “right direction”?
Should I maintain the system that prioritizes magic above all else, or should I embrace something new from the outside?
I cannot show such doubts openly and risk unsettling my subjects.
So I buried my questions deep within and dutifully carried out my responsibilities as Crown Prince.
Finally, the selection of the Crown Princess began.
The first day was a formal evening gathering. It served to entertain the noble ladies assembled by the royal family, but the real purpose was to have the royal examiners measure each lady’s magical strength.
Self-reports were unreliable. The best course was to have trusted personnel conduct the tests.
Yet even as this day arrived, my mood was far from cheerful. My own choice in a marriage partner was being completely ignored.
Then again, this is true for any royal marriage. A queen wields significant power, and such decisions cannot be based solely on personal feelings. I understood that.
But choosing purely based on magical power… seemed cold.
I leaned on the terrace of the castle, watching the grounds below. From here, I could observe each visitor as they arrived.
The noblewomen were dazzling tonight, as always. Our kingdom’s unique magical dresses were in full display.
These dresses are imbued with magic, allowing them to shine with various elemental attributes—earth, water, fire, wind—and the brilliance of each dress signals the wearer’s magical strength.
To me, however, it was not so delightful. I, with my Light attribute, could shine brighter than any of them. Moreover, dresses crafted by leading designers from other countries seemed far more sophisticated in design.
Perhaps it was a cultural problem, the belief that magic is supreme. But as Crown Prince, I could not openly critique it.
As I absentmindedly observed the line of ladies vying for the Crown Princess position, one caught my eye.
Who is she?
She wasn’t wearing one of our magical dresses.
In fact, her attire was a masterpiece on par with what one might wear to a royal ball abroad. The silk, dyed a deep crimson like a rose, retained the highest quality and sheen.
And the lady herself… she was breathtakingly beautiful. Even from the terrace, I could tell.
Was there really such a beauty in this country? If so, she should have been spoken of more.
Damn it, from here, I couldn’t make out her facial features in detail!
I needed a closer look. Unable to wait, I dashed from the waiting room and ran down the stairs.
