At Cheshire’s kind words, Sahara gripped the reins tightly and straightened her back. Her expression, an attempt to ease her tension, prompted Cheshire to lightly pat her shoulder.
“You look great, so don’t worry.”
“―.”
It wasn’t the fear of not looking great that had her nervous, but seeing the calm light in his eyes, Sahara simply nodded.
“It’s about time.”
Count Colodova said, checking his watch. At that moment, a large white imperial flag waved in a circle atop the fortress wall. The Count pulled out a white handkerchief, waved it, and returned to his carriage as the gates began to open.
Creaaak— Thud, thud―.
When the gates fully opened and touched the ground, a thunderous cheer erupted, shaking the earth. Uwaaah! The imperial flags of various colors were draped along the fortress walls, and the sound of fireworks echoed in the air. Rose petals were scattered inside the gates, and beyond them stretched an endless view of the grand and majestic city.
Sahara’s eyes widened at the magnificent welcome and the dazzling urban scenery she had never seen before.
Cheshire extended his hand toward her, who looked like a startled chick with her wide-open eyes.
“Welcome to the capital, Sahara.”
Welcoming Ceremony (1)
“What do you mean? Brother brought that monster all the way to the capital?”
Chloe, who had been leisurely picking flowers in the garden, jumped up with a scream.
“Well, they’re about to make their entry… His Majesty has summoned the Imperial Princess.”
“That’s impossible!”
Brother—Cheshire had received her land and jewelry in exchange for promising to deal with that monster. After enduring two weeks with empty wrists, neck, and earlobes, he brings that person to the capital? Of course, she had other precious jewelry, but still. This made no sense.
“Is that knight commander really entering the capital? No, it must be true, but… why would Brother do this?”
Her lady-in-waiting bowed her head with an uncomfortable expression. Right. This wasn’t something a servant would know. Chloe stormed out of the garden.
Was it because Brother had said he would meet with them if they proved trustworthy? She had been so relieved when Cheshire offered to go meet that monster. Even when those irritating ladies and noblewomen made frivolous comments about the Imperial Princess getting married soon, she had been able to smile confidently because she trusted Cheshire.
Why did he just bring them here? Was there some clear reason to reject the marriage? Was it significant enough to make even the Emperor hesitate with his marriage decree? What if it only seemed that way to Brother?
Should she run away?
She couldn’t just go live anywhere as a commoner. She was far too beautiful for that. While she might not quite deserve the title of the Empire’s greatest beauty, she was still too striking to live as a commoner. Which relatives did she have in the provinces again?
What on earth was Brother thinking?
“Imperial Princess!”
The one who called out to Chloe as she paced anxiously in the corridor was Bern. He was a ceremonial officer serving His Majesty the Emperor, not her.
“What are you doing here? His Majesty is looking for you.”
“Why me?”
She tried to ask calmly, but her voice trembled.
“Because guests have arrived at the palace. Haven’t you heard the news? The 128th Knights have arrived in the capital.”
“Ah… I see. I, I have a headache, so just for a moment…”
As Chloe backed away speaking, Bern looked at her with pity.
“If you’re not present, His Majesty will truly make the decision on his own.”
“What did you say?”
Looking at Bern, wondering if she had misheard, he repeated himself.
“You should maintain your position. Wouldn’t you want to at least say something before His Majesty offers you as a reward?”
Speak to the Emperor? While he did dote on her, it was common for fathers to decide their daughters’ marriages. What would happen if she rebelled? Would she be banished to some distant eastern province?
“Besides, he hasn’t explicitly said it’s for marriage. His mind could change.”
“Do… do you think so?”
Bern didn’t answer her question. Instead, he escorted her to the Hall of the Sun, continuously speaking words like “Even if you plan to run away, now isn’t the time. You should at least see what kind of person they are.”
About twenty people. They were all kneeling on one knee before His Majesty the Emperor, heads bowed, their faces hidden from view.
“Wh-where is that person?”
Chloe, hidden behind the curtain, asked while scanning the crowd.
“There, in the center.”
“Brother!”
Startled by the sudden whisper, Chloe looked up. Her brother Cheshire, whose appearance never failed to surprise her, was smiling leisurely. His face seemed even more radiant than usual, as if something good had happened during his journey.
“I heard you brought back that knight commander? You… you promised me you would take care of it!”
Though she whispered the words ‘take care of’ quietly in accusation, Cheshire ignored her and continued gazing down at the knights assembled in the Hall of the Sun. Chloe clenched her fists, trembling.
“Brother!”
“Shh.”
Cheshire silenced her. This was a ceremony the Emperor had carefully arranged. As Chloe pressed her lips together after raising her voice, he spoke.
“I went to see what kind of person they were, but they turned out to be more surprising than expected. I really wanted to show you.”
“What do you…”
Without bothering to explain further, Cheshire led her to stand beside Eric, her second brother, behind the Emperor. Eric gave them a disapproving look before turning away. Unlike her occasionally insufferable eldest brother, he was consistently insufferable.
Standing beside the Emperor, she caught a glimpse of the central figure’s face. It wasn’t particularly fierce-looking. No, rather…
“Brother, that person is…”
Chloe’s voice trailed off as she fixed her gaze on them.
“Are you Sahara Illoud?”
It was natural for there to be confusion in the Emperor’s question.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The one who answered was a woman.
§ § § § §
Sahara raised her head to look at the Emperor.
From the moment she entered the hall, her heart had been softly pounding, thudding in her chest.
The Emperor sat on a high platform, on a throne carved from marble. He was a middle-aged man with streaks of white hair beginning to show. Having reigned for 37 years, he must have been around sixty, yet he looked no older than his forties. His overall appearance matched the impression her parents had described—a strong and strikingly regal face.
Though people were murmuring around her, it all felt distant.
The Emperor, who had asked, ‘Are you Sahara Illoud?’ briefly looked at her before shifting his gaze to his son, Cheshire.
“You seem to have something to say, Cheshire.”
Cheshire raised a hand to cover his amused smile. Clearing his throat, he replied,
“Sir Illoud is an excellent knight, and I believed her gender to be irrelevant, Your Majesty.”
“So, you just wanted to see people’s reactions. What a distasteful hobby.”
The Emperor shook his head as he looked at Sahara, who knelt before him in her uniform.
“―Silence, all of you.”
The Emperor knocked on the armrest of his throne, silencing the murmuring ministers. The many voices that had been chattering instantly fell quiet. His commanding presence made Sahara gaze at him with wide, sparkling eyes.
After a long moment of looking down at Sahara, the Emperor asked.
“Is it true that you beheaded Knut, the chieftain of the Norkan tribe?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And that you… ate Knut’s eyeball?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Sahara answered politely. She couldn’t understand why people kept asking her about it, but it was the truth. She had plucked out Knut’s eyeball and eaten it.
“Why on earth would you do such a thing?”
Why did she do it? Sahara lowered her eyes momentarily at the Emperor’s question.
When she had struck Knut down, his severed head had rolled away, eyes still wide open in death. Those eyes, staring up at the sky as the head rolled across the ground, were a grayish-brown color. Seeing those arrogant eyes, she had naturally wiped the blood from her cheek, reached out, and plucked them out. When she bit down on the eyeball, it burst with a squelch, its slippery contents sliding down her throat.
“…Because he dared to look toward the Empire. Your Majesty had not granted them permission to gaze upon the Empire.”
The Emperor had sworn before the gods that he would ensure they couldn’t even look toward the Empire. True to his words, even in death, those Norkan tribesmen should not be allowed to set their eyes upon the Empire.
The assembly froze at Sahara’s calm confession, but the Emperor burst into loud laughter. While only the Emperor, Cheshire, and a couple of ministers joined in the laughter, the Emperor continued heartily, unconcerned.
“So tell me, how was it? The texture must have been awful? How did it taste?”
“It was… edible enough. Nothing special though.”
“Ahahahaha, did you hear that? She says it was edible!”
The Emperor chuckled heartily before addressing Sahara again.
“These people standing here consider even feeding fish eyeballs to be barbaric torture, yet you, not content with just achieving victory, remembered my single word and ate it.”
The Emperor’s gaze upon Sahara could not have been warmer.
“Come, step closer.”
At his words, Sahara rose and approached the Emperor. Though she intended to stop at the foot of the platform, the attendants beckoned her forward until she stood right before the Emperor’s throne. She knelt at his feet.
“Look, all of you, at what this delicate woman has accomplished! In that freezing land, she ended a war that no one else could finish, upheld every single word of my divine mandate, and rushed here to the capital.”
His resonating words fell upon her shoulders and cheeks, making her tremble. The Emperor knelt on one knee before the kneeling Sahara. At his unexpected action, everyone in the assembly dropped to their knees and bowed.
“Sahara, you are surely a gift bestowed upon me by the heavens. Never in my life have I had such a loyal and brave subject as you. I am truly grateful.”
“―It is my honor, Your Majesty.”
Leave a Reply