MWTB - Chapter 28

The two quickly became best friends. They played chess, ate together, rode horses, and went on picnics in the nearby fields.

"No, Princess. You have to step over there."

"Yeah, like this?"

"No, like this."

And they danced too.

When Julia complained that she had no idea how to dance at the Harvest Ball, he readily offered to be her sparring partner.

She seemed to be floating on clouds as he gently led and stepped along with Julia, who was not good at dancing.

When Julia complained that her feet hurt because of her shoes, he would gently soothe her and teach her like a tutor. He surprisingly valued principles, and he was more inclined to persuade her than to accept her complaints. Still, he was always affectionate and kind...

Such peaceful days passed.

***

"Found it."

A voice brought news from the quiet darkness.

"What an unexpected harvest! What are you doing, without bringing her back?"

As the flashing lights in the air grew excited, a humming noise emerged. Then the voice became even Iower.

"It's still early. I don't know for sure, but I think she's around mid-level. However, she's too young to control her abilities. If you take her now, she'll be caught by the magic tower in no time.

"Tsk. Are you saying that we should let go of a mid-level wizard when we have one person to spare?"

The light muttered as if it was uncomfortable. It was not wrong. However, no matter how much you wanted it, uncontrolled magic was a dangerous thing that could lead to your tail being stepped on.

The voice hidden in the light and pitch-black darkness was silent at the same time.

"Oh, by the way. I heard some interesting news from Semele."

"News, if that's the case."

"There seems to be a problem with the Crown Prince. I heard that the Semele royal family secretly contacted retired old wizards. As you know, they are now on our side. I haven't heard much, but I guess they are weak to magic."

Those vulnerable to magic power. Those who do not have basic magic power antibodies.

Magic power is a blessing to wizards, but to ordinary people, it is like a poison that sucks the life out of them. That is why you need to have magic antibodies in your body to prevent your life force from being drained by magic power.

Because those who are vulnerable to magical power without antibodies have their life force sucked out by the natural magical power faintly dissolved in the air, most of them die before reaching adulthood.

"He seemed quite desperate. I was curious why he never let the young Crown Prince out, but that would explain it. Only by having a dedicated magician attached to him and steadily increasing his magical affinity instead of antibodies can he live a little longer. But even that is only a temporary measure, and the Semele royal family must know that the Magic Tower cannot help because of 'that incident' before."

"...An exclusive magician."

The light blinked in satisfaction at the voice that immediately got the point.

"If the Princess is a lieutenant magician as you say, then she should be able to easily deal with one weak magic user. If the uncontrolled magic is instinctively directed towards her and consumed, the magic tower won't even notice."

If you forcibly seal your magical power, there will come a time when it will rebel several times, like a rite of passage. To continue the seal, it is very important to control the magical power that runs wild at this time.

The organization's existence has not yet been discovered, so Magic Tower has no idea about the details of the magic power concealment. However, if the sealing side effects continue, it is only a matter of time before he smells something suspicious. If there is a place to naturally consume magic power, he can easily conceal his presence.

"Certainly, this is an opportunity to stabilize the magic power and establish a connection with Semele."

But the moment he opened his mouth, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

What if the Crown Prince, who is weak to magic after marriage, dies and only the Crown Princess remains? No, no. What if the young Crown Prince dies after becoming King? So only the young Queen remains...?

A thrill ran through him. He spoke his thoughts straight away.

"Yes, then Semele is completely in our hands!"

The lights responded with joy.

"Didn't you wander around all this time because you were afraid of getting your tail stepped on due to the side effects of the seal? Fortunately, you've almost been tamed now and can settle down, but you can't let the Princess wander around the continent, and if you leave her alone, there will be hints that she's hiding her magical powers as a side effect, and the Magic Tower will come out."

A short, mocking gasp was heard in the darkness. Soon, a voice began to murmur, as if spitting out a spit.

"We can't let it be stolen by ambitious people who are blinded by their monopoly on magical power."

"Good idea. Then let's plan it right away. An excuse to send the Princess to the side of Crown Prince Semele. And a way for the young Princess to be left alone as Queen."

As the light spoke excitedly as if it had been waiting, the darkness was quiet for a while. Then, finally, a clear voice was heard as if it had made up its mind.

"Don't tell Semele that the Princess is a sorceress. They might be greedy for something."

"That's what I mean. Semele is nothing more than a hiding place! You should start preparing to capture the Princess who will remain alone."

"Yes."

After a few more words were exchanged, the contact was lost. The faintly flickering light disappeared and the surroundings became completely dark.

It hasn't been long since the sealing, so the first magical backlash will occur soon. There isn't much time left, so the organization will move before the Magic Tower notices and the second backlash occurs.

"..."

A pair of crescent-shaped purple eyes came to mind. A bright and cheerful girl who everyone could love.

The warm afterimage lingered like a longing. But soon, it was trampled down and sent down to the bottom of his heart.

For him, the long-cherished dream he had begun to dream was more important than the vague warmth.

Damn it.

The footsteps grew distant. Now all that remained in the darkness was the spring grass pressed down in the shape of footprints.

Frozen in a cold silver.

Soon darkness quietly erased the traces.

***

Ametrine had a bigger harvest than usual this year.

The innocent King, nobles, and people were delighted.

As natural disasters hit many countries, crops began to fail, and the number of trading partners increased. Ametrine became a little richer.

The people praised the King's peaceful reign and ate their fill every day. Ametrine was happy as they waited for the joyous occasion when the young Princess, who was growing up quickly, would turn 18 and take a husband.

As the Princess's sixth birthday approached, the crop harvest became more and more abundant.

As autumn drew to a close, the richness of the land overflowed into the rice paddies, fields, rivers, and seas. At the same time, a famine, like a disaster, struck the continent and Ametrine had to receive trade requests from messengers who were coming in like mad.

Everyone screamed with joy at first, but gradually they felt that things were going strangely.

Everything was overflowing to a creepy degree.

The overflowing abundance had grown even as winter approached. The small country revealed rotting surplus grain, fruits that had grown to hideous sizes, and fish that had multiplied so much that they died en masse.

Since cows, pigs, and horses wouId have five calves at the most, there weren't enough hands to take care of them. Little Ametrine eventually hired foreign mercenaries and even had nobles help them with the harvest, but it wasn't enough.

The deal that had been concluded after weighing the conditions and choosing a good price was now all approved. The King signed the contracts that the ambassadors from each country, distracted by the severe famine, brought to Ametrine without even looking at them.

That's because they had to get rid of the crops that were so overflowing that they were going crazy. Of course, the more they did that, the more money they had, and there were even people who wanted to move to Ametrine.

Although it was crazy busy and the bizarre abundance was bewildering, yes, in a time when everyone was struggling with famine, this abundance was a blessing for Ametrine.

Until rumors began to spread that Princess Ametrine was beloved by the gods.

"A proposal! My daughter is only five years old!"

The enraged King chased away the first messenger who proposed marriage. But as the number of messengers continued to surge, filling the palace, things became increasingly dire.

Coincidentally, the Princess's best friend, Lord Oberon, was also sick with an unknown cold fever.

"Brother, wake up."

It felt awkward for some reason, so Julia called him by his nickname which she always pretended not to know, but he couldn't open his silver eyes again.

He never got out of bed for two years, during Julia's two birthdays and Ametrine's precarious survival. Despite the overlapping misfortunes, the kind-hearted and innocent King Ametrine vowed to persevere to the end.

But the King of a weak country could not resolve the pressure from powerful countries and the anger of the suffering people.

"Dad, I'll just get married."

The only one who could come forward was Julia. As the successor to King Ametrine and as a Princess loved by her people, Julia made a decision.

"I want to be the Crown Princess of Semele."

Ironically, he was the only suitable husband among the many suitors.

Julia chose a portrait of a cold-looking boy of the same age with black hair and blue eyes and realized that her fate would now flow in a completely different direction than before.

"...I can't help it."

But Julia wasn't a weak Princess who just sat there and cried.

It was impossible not to be sad about leaving her hometown in an instant for reasons she couldn't understand. However, since she had made the choice anyway, she decided to live a life without regrets.

"I must become the perfect Crown Princess.'

The young Princess crossed the border with courage and determination.

Thus, at the age of seven, Julia went from being the Princess of Ametrine to the Crown Princess of Semele.

And at the ages of 8, 9, 14, and 16, Julia became Semele's Queen.

And now, at the age of 19, a new life was beginning for Julia, who had just become an adult.

"Ugh, Mion. No, no, no..."

With her husband, who went from being a childhood friend to a man.

***

The morning has finally dawned.

"You look happy, Your Highness?"

Before the foreign envoys began their salute, the royal family greeted them first.

Milady, who was the highest in the immediate family and was the first to offer congratulations, spoke as if she found it amusing.

"It's finally the coming of age сеremony, so of course it's good, right?"

Endymion, now fully grown and dressed in royal attire, gave a curt answer.

Milady, who had always been affectionate and reprimanded him for his unkind attitude that was not befitting her own son, laughed meaningfully today along with a sigh.

"Oh my. Then this mother will soon be able to hold her grandchild."

No, why do you interpret it that way?

Julia, who was sitting elegantly next to Milady and bowing her head to her, was shocked. Then Endymion answered without even blinking an eye.

"Yes."

Hey!

"Ohhoho, I can't wait! I was sad because I thought I might go back to heaven without seeing my grandchild. Your Majesty, this mother is fine with either a Princess or a Prince."

"I will keep that in mind."

What?! What the heck!

Julia looked as if she was about to faint, but Endymion nodded with a calm expression.

The hat that was usually so close to each other was surprisingly close today. Milady patted Julia's shoulder with a proud face and whispered.

"Hey, you're going to have a hard time. Should I send you some nutritious food?"

"Mother!"

Julia cried softly, burying her face in her hands...

Milady patted Julia, whose ears were red from ear to ear, with an adorable expression, and then stepped away, kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"Congratulations on becoming an adult, kids."

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