The Princess Knight is Too Strong

‘D-done? Why? How come?!’

Yuriana was so flustered that she couldn’t continue speaking.

‘Could it be, she saw through me…?’

That’s what Yuriana thought, but in reality, Evangeline had no particular thoughts.

‘I’m dead tired, why talk about old stories. Why should I listen to stories about him?’

However, there was no way to know what she was thinking, and Yuriana gulped nervously.

“W-well, um, but.”

“Anyway, so you attached a shadow puppet to me because you wanted to know what kind of person I am?”

“H-eek.”

Moreover, Evangeline didn’t seem to have any intention of treating this matter lightly.

Yuriana now realized. Evangeline hadn’t come to have a conversation in the first place.

She had come to directly impart a bloody lesson to the presumptuous woman who dared to attach something as insolent as a shadow puppet to her!

…that was merely Yuriana’s delusion. In fact, at this moment, Evangeline was thinking:

‘I’m sleepy.’

Evangeline simply wanted to wrap up the conversation quickly and go back to get some sleep.

The reason she brought up the issue directly was not because she wanted to exact some bloody revenge or teach a lesson, but because she just wanted to quickly get a promise that it wouldn’t happen again.

“Well, that is…”

Yuriana’s mind went blank.

She felt wronged. Never before had this happened to her.

Why now, why with her of all people.

“…Uu…”

And looking at Yuriana, who had started to sob as if she’d lost her mind, Evangeline thought:

‘What’s wrong with this person?’

And only then did Evangeline finally realize.

This woman,

is a crybaby.

“…You really won’t kill me?”

“I really don’t mean that, I’m telling you.”

With the sobbing First Imperial Princess Yuriana in front of me, I let out a deep sigh.

“Do you take me for some hedonistic serial killer…?”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Ah, let’s drop that now.”

Only after Yuriana showed signs of finally calming down did I stand up and say:

“Then I’ll be going now. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”

“W-wait!”

Just then, Yuriana’s urgent voice stopped me.

Until just a moment ago, she’d been giving off an aura like she wanted me to leave quickly, but now she was calling me back—wondering what it was about, I turned my head.

“What is it?”

“I-I am the student council president of Polaris.”

“Yes, I heard about that from Oscar.”

Now that I knew that the student council president of Polaris was actually such a crybaby, I started to worry about this academy.

Would it be alright?

“I-if you ever have any difficulties during your academy life, please feel free to come to the student council room. I’ll help you with anything within my capabilities…”

“Really?”

“O-of course. What good is a connection by marriage?”

She had stopped sobbing and was now trying hard to maintain the appearance of a dignified imperial princess again. While I felt some pity, I simply responded that I understood.

“Thank you. I’ll drop by if anything comes up.”

“W-well then. Take care on your way back, as it’s late.”

Leaving behind Imperial Princess Yuriana, who was maintaining her composure with swollen eyes, I left the room and asked Prince Oscar, who had been waiting.

“Have you been waiting all this time?”

“Yes, well.”

Oscar, with his characteristic friendly smile, went down the stairs slowly first.

“What did you talk about with my sister?”

“Oh, this and that.”

‘There’s no way I can tell him she cried like a crybaby.’

I thought inwardly as I trailed off.

Hearing my words, Oscar simply descended the stairs in silence.

-Thud.

Just as we reached the bottom of the stairs, Oscar opened his mouth.

“…Despite appearances, she is the heir to the Imperial throne.”

“…”

I closed my mouth, not knowing how to respond. Oscar continued:

“Neither the position of first in line for imperial succession nor the position of Polaris’s student council president. Neither of these are positions that can be obtained through luck alone.”

Oscar said this.

Although my image of the Imperial Princess had been shattered after seeing her crybaby-like behavior, at least the shadow puppet she created was of a considerable level of completion.

A spirit clone puppet of that level would probably boast perfect execution in covert operations such as tailing political opponents or eavesdropping.

It would be almost impossible for anyone to notice without being among the extremely few strong individuals who had reached the level of perception beyond the five senses, into the realm of the sixth sense.

Even I would have been unable to catch it if I had been just a step slower in noticing its existence, as it would have hidden in the shadows by a hair’s breadth.

“Of course I know.”

To Oscar’s words, I replied in a calm tone.

Though Imperial Princess Yuriana may be a crybaby, she is not an incompetent person.

Her proficiency in operating shadow puppets means, in other words, that she is extremely skilled at underground battles such as collecting information using puppets and checking or eliminating political opponents.

That’s why she would have continued to use shadow puppets, and that’s how she could have survived the competition for the imperial throne.

She just has the personality flaw of losing judgment and making missteps when faced with situations that greatly exceed her expectations, unable to control her flustered feelings.

This flaw is prominently displayed due to her young age and relatively limited experience, but as time passes, such flaws would gradually diminish.

And that’s not all.

The fact that she could establish a dominant position even among siblings was probably not entirely due to her capabilities.

The full support of one of her siblings.

The symbolism of a faction that is virtually a coalition of two imperial heirs.

I spoke to Oscar with some sincerity:

“It’s good that there’s strong affection between siblings.”

“…Affection, you say.”

However, Oscar muttered in a bitter tone:

“I wonder if such a thing exists outside the relationship between my eldest sister and me.”

“…”

I soon understood the meaning of Oscar’s words.

The Empire is a neighboring country that shares a border, so information tends to flow beneath the surface even if one doesn’t want to know.

In the Valentine imperial family, which rules the Empire, there are five children who qualify for imperial succession.

Two daughters and three sons.

Among them, the two with the most power are:

The first daughter and the first son.

However, unlike the eldest daughter who has the full support of Oscar, who completely gave up on imperial succession and is ranked last in the succession order, the eldest son must build his faction solely with his own power.

The second son, and the second daughter. The remaining two, excluding Oscar, the third son, have still not given up on the imperial throne.

…Perhaps.

Oscar’s desperate desire to marry me could also be a major insurance policy.

The ostensible reason for the engagement is a symbol of friendship between the Kingdom and the Empire.

The hidden reason, one level deeper, is to strengthen the Imperial Princess’s faction.

But deeper than that reason, hidden at the very bottom of his true heart, the real purpose.

If, if by any chance. Although the possibility is extremely slim, in the worst-case scenario… if Yuriana were to lose in the competition for the imperial throne.

Using the marriage relationship with me as an excuse, to serve as a stepping stone for the siblings to quickly seek asylum in the Kingdom.

Then, could Oscar’s feelings toward me be said to be 100% pure?

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

Oscar’s voice reached my ears as I was lost in thought.

The serious tone from just a moment ago was nowhere to be found, replaced by his previous sly yet somehow friendly smile.

“…It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

Right, why should I worry about a foreign country’s imperial succession battle?

The only concern of mine that’s directly related to the current situation is that physiologically, I can’t handle marrying a man. I shouldn’t forget the essential purpose at this point.

“…”

I quickly moved my steps to stand beside Oscar, then looked up at his face intently.

And then, the imagination of that nauseating face looking at me while lying half-naked on a bed…

‘Gwaaaaaaah.’

…Alright. That’s enough motivation.

“…Is something wrong?”

Oscar looked down at me with a strange smile.

I didn’t like that his expression was not to my liking, but I decided to let it pass.

He was surely having some presumptuous imagination of his own accord anyway.

Let him imagine whatever he wants. I have no intention of marrying you anyway.

“It’s nothing.”

I deliberately turned my head away more mercilessly.

“Princess!”

At that moment. From the carriage that had stopped in front of us, Delphina disembarked.

“Where did you disappear to without saying a word…”

Delphina’s gaze slowly turned toward my side.

“Ah, Your Highness!”

“Ah, Delphina. I’m sorry, we caused you trouble by taking her away without saying anything.”

The prince spoke apologetically with an awkward expression, and Delphina narrowed her eyes and complained:

“Really, even if you’re engaged, that’s too much. It’s only troublesome for me when you do this without saying anything. What does this make me, who’s supposed to be a bodyguard?”

I looked at Delphina in surprise. If my memory serves me correctly, this was the first time I’d seen Delphina raise her voice.

“Do you know how much I’ve been looking for the Princess?”

Well done, Delphina. Torment him more.

“…Sigh. It’s not like I can scold Your Highness. It’s late already, so I’ll let it slide just this once, okay?”

“I’m really sorry.”

“Next time, you should at least give me notice.”

“Hmm, I’ll keep that in mind.”

The prince scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.

Delphina turned her gaze to me and said the same thing:

“The same goes for you, Princess.”

Wait, what did I do!?

…I couldn’t say that because I was the one who disappeared with the prince without saying a word.

From her perspective, unaware of what had happened, it would certainly appear as if I had vanished without a word to her, my bodyguard, to enjoy a secret meeting with the prince.

“De-Delphina. You misunderstand.”

“Forget it.”

“I can explain everything.”

I desperately tried to make excuses, but Delphina seemed genuinely angry and turned her head away from me completely.

While I was flustering, Delphina spoke to the prince in a voice as cold as a winter wind:

“Then, Your Highness, please take care on your way back in the night.”

“Umm. You too, take care. Princess Evangeline, I wish you a good night as well.”

The prince turned to look at me as he spoke, but I closed the door without even glancing at him.

It’s your fault Delphina is angry.