OKOBORE HIME

TO

ENTAKU NO KISHI

The Leftover Princess and the

Knights of the Round

Book V: The Imperial Prince’s Decision

Story by: Riine Ishida

Art by: Ichiko Okiya

Translated by: CrystalHikari

Translator’s note:

The Japanese honorifics were kept in the translation

of the dialogues of the characters to show the respect or

adoration of the characters. Footnotes were provided

upon the first appearance of the honorific in the chapter

to explain it.

Thoughts are signified by italics.

Romanization of the name of Shelan

The spelling of “Shelan” was used to show in writing

the request Shelan made about her name. Instead of using

Xie Lan which looks more Chinese, the more western

“Shelan”

- 8 -

Prologue

Duke Barchet – knight of the Sixth Rank of the Royal

Chivalric Order of the Kingdom of Solvelle, hang up for

the last time the uniform he wore for the past seven years.

His respected vice-commander, Craig Barde, did the same

as well.

Their master, the Crown Princess of Solvelle, Princess

Leticia, was proceeding with her preparations for

inheriting the crown in the near future. Duke decided that

he should also do the same. After he was knighted as

Leti’s knight, he allotted a year to complete any

unfinished business and to transfer his duties in the

Order. This year of transition ended a few days ago.

Knowing that Duke would become busier than ever, a

friend of his sent him a note of invitation right after he

resigned from the Order.

–You shall be harder to catch these coming days, so before

that happens, let me celebrate with you your bright future.

- 9 -

Duke knew his friend was right; this might just be the

only time they could sit down and have a nice

conversation.

“Long time no see, Will.”

“Long time no see, Duke, but that does not sound

right coming from me because I’ve seen you around the

castle. You did seem so busy, so I hesitated calling you,”

greeted Duke’s classmate in the Knight Academy, Willard

Orlandi, as he showed Duke in.

Willard Orlandi was a sociable young lad with jewel-

like turquoise eyes and long amber-coloured hair. He is

the eldest son of Lord Orlandi, an earl under Friedhelm’s

faction.

“Why don’t we toast for the future Knight of the First

Seat of the future Knights of the Round? May I open the

wine you brought? It seems, thought, it is one too

precious to drink.”

“Don’t worry about it. I got it as a prize from winning

a round of cards against some of my seniors during my

time at the Borders Camp. I still have another one, so go

ahead, and drink it.”

Normally, there would be a servant present in the

room to open the wine for them, but there was no one

else in the room now except for Duke and Willard. This

- 10 -

showed Willard’s thoughtfulness to let them drink

without any hesitation.

Duke appreciated Willard’s gesture. He took the wine

from Willard and opened it.

There were two empty wine glasses set in front if him.

If he poured the wine to it, the mellow fragrance would

spread across the room. But he did not pour the wine;

instead, he stood still looking at the bottle of wine and

asked, “This is wine, isn’t it?”

“It is wine, no matter how you look at it,” answered

Willard.

Duke raised the bottle he was holding and said, “I

accidentally opened the bottle of wine.”

“Hm?”

“I know that it is wine just by looking at it. If I get

close to it and inhale its fragrance, I’d be sure that it is

wine. If I take a sip, I can no longer deny that it is wine.”

“Yes, indeed.”

“Right now, I have an opened bottle of wine in my

hand and I am at a lost what should I do next.”

“I see,” nodded Willard and took the wine out of

Duke’s hand.

“I feel good right now Duke. I am glad you have

chosen me over that self-proclaimed-friend-of-yours

- 11 -

Prince Friedhelm to be the one to consult about your

problem of the heart.”

Willard poured the highly translucent red-orange

liquid into the glass until it was full. A refreshing citrus

scent filled the room, followed by the smell of raspberries.

“How about you,” asked Willard.

“Sorry, I still have work after this.”

“I thought so. That’s why I have prepared apple cider

for you.”

Willard took a different bottle, poured to the other

glass a slightly amber-coloured liquid, and gave that glass

to Duke.

“A toast to your promising future,” raised Willard.

“Glory to the future queen,” toasted Duke.

“Serious as usual. You know, you can toast for

yourself during these kinds of occasion. You really never

change,” teased Willard.

“Well then, let us talk about your wine. Are you scared

to realise that it is wine? I do understand how you feel

though. When I encountered love, I did hesitate on what I

should do next as I thought about my dearest.”

“I’m not really scared. I think realising it is wine is all

right.” Duke thought now that not being aware about it

was scarier.

- 12 -

He took the bottle of wine and filled up Willard’s

glass to the brim. And then he held his glass of apple

cider.

“If you already have this emotion filled up to the

limits and this new feeling is added to it, a strange mixture

would spill, right?”

“Yes, it would spill indeed,” smiled Willard.

“I started with a silver spoon. Then I needed a

tazzina1. Soon after, a fondina2. And tomorrow would

surely be an insalatiera3. Every single day, my love for you

overflows, that I need to change containers so that none

spills. Everyday, I rummage the cupboard.”

“Huh?” Duke did not know how to react to Willard’s

sudden poetic outburst.

“It’s a poem my sweetheart wrote for me. Your

feelings overflow? That is not a problem. Hurry and go

home to find a bigger container in your cupboard.”

Willard took the glass of apple cider from Duke and

then poured it into the wine bottle. Indeed, nothing

would overflow with a bigger container.

1 Italian for a coffee cup (espresso size) 2 Italian for soup bowl 3 Italian for salad bowl T/N: These Italian words were the actual words (written in

Katakana) used in the original text.

- 13 -

“But if it’s mixed, I’d no longer know which wine is

and which apple cider is. I cannot handle that.”

“You like things in black and white, don’t you? Then

how about this. Have you heard about Napaña’s sangria?

It was quite popular this summer.”

“I’ve hard about it.”

“Sangria is a sweet drink made of red wine and fruits.

My dearest love does not like wine because of its acidity,

but she found sangria to be delicious.”

Willard poured the mixture of wine and apple cider to

the emptied glass. The liquid was no longer wine nor

apple cider. It was of a strange colour and yet Willard

drank it without any hesitation.

“See, it’s delicious. It is not enough for me to get

drunk, but for some, they find it more to their liking

compared to wine or apple cider on their own.”

Duke remembered what his junior, Astrid, said when

he heard Willard’s words.

A few months ago, he had a conversation with Astrid

about what made him fall for Her Highness. Duke

revealed then that he liked Leti, not as a woman, but as a

master. Astrid then told him that he did not understand

how he could differentiate it.

Now, he somehow found himself understanding what

that meant.

- 14 -

“There’s no problem of mixing it as long as the

container is big, huh? So how big is yours now, Will?”

“My love just grows and grows that it always

overflow, so I told her in my reply, let us make a house

with a fountain our home,” confidently answered Willard.

Duke gave the smug Willard a wry smile.

“But there’s no need to worry, Duke. Love is an

irrational thing. It has been decided long ago and even

until the future, that it is one to be fondly watched over

by the ones not involved in the story. Which reminds me

of Prince Friedhelm. Do you not find him such a cruel

person? He told me never to show my face in front of

him because it ruins his tealeaves! And I was worrying

about my sweetheart during that time!”

“I can hear Prince Friedhelm telling you that.”

Willard was born on the same year as Friedhelm, so

even before he was old enough to understand the things

going on around him, he was already decided to be Prince

Friedhelm’s friend and playmate. And maybe, because it

was such a decided thing the he went against it. Contrary

to what everyone expected, the two young men never got

along together.

“Don’t you think His Highness was too mean? That’s

why I took his prized leaves and threw all of it to the

fountain in the palace. Now he does not need to worry

- 15 -

about his tealeaves being ruined. I told him to enjoy his

cold tea.”

“When exactly did this happen,” asked a surprised

Duke.

“A few days ago before you returned from Mount

Gran. After that, he told me with such a menacing look,

‘Die you pervert.’ I don’t think I can go anywhere near

the castle for sometime. I will just stay here for a while

and think about my dearest.”

“Yeah, you do that.”

Duke decided that he would not want to meet

Friedhelm right now. He was certain he would be at the

receiving end of Friedhelm’s anger because of this

incident.

Friedhelm and Willard are both sociable persons.

They can face the person they hated the most with a

perfect smile. And yet they choose to do these kinds of

childish pranks to each other. He knew that this was their

own form of distorted friendship, but he could not help

the desire to go and tell them they were acting like kids.

Hmm, where else have I seen this kind of interaction...?

Right, Their Highnesses – Friedhelm, Guido and his

master Leti. They had this same kind of warped

relationship. They consider each other important and yet

they cannot show it.

- 16 -

Duke found that aspect of Leti cute. Wait. “No. It’s

adorable. The crankiness of someone six years my junior

is safely within the range of adorable,” muttered Duke as

he tilted his head to one side.

“Did you have a sibling six years younger?”

“An impertinent junior seven years younger.”

“Ah, the prodigy Astrid Gall who was recently

knighted as Her Highness’s Third. Your everyday will

never be dull with a love rival nearby.”

Duke never won an argument against Willard, so

instead of trying to deny it, he stirred the conversation

towards a slightly different direction.

“Not everyday. Astrid cannot come over here unless

all of his duties in the Order were finished.”

“I see. So he is the spy in the Order. How about Her

Highness’s other knight, Sir Craig? Is he also a spy

somewhere else?”

“Her Highness is using his history of selling gratitude

all around and sends him for pre-negotiations with the

nobles.”

Leti told Astrid to stay in the Order to gain the

experiences needed for a person so his activities did not

change since he was still a Royal Knight.

Craig Barde, on the other hand, resigned from the

Order and was not really staying beside Leti all the time.

- 17 -

Instead, he was always out being sent to the nobles acting

more like Leti’s pre-negotiator than her knight.

“Well, when you think about it, there is barely anyone

in the Knights of the Round that actually functions as a

knight. In that sense, Her Highness’s Round is actually

quite reliable,” nodded Willard, but he did not sound

convinced.

“Her Highness’s Knights of the Round are just too

much reliable, it’s not interesting at all. All three of you

are from the Royal Chivalric Order. One is a commoner,

which implicitly says she is considering the citizens in her

policies,” explained Willard. “Such thinking is admirable,

but her Round is too practical.”

“What’s wrong with that? I’d be more worried if the

Knights of the Round were all just knights in name.”

When Leti becomes the queen, the Knights of the

Round will be the ones to handle the country’s military

affairs. Instead of having nobles who have no idea on

what to do, having Craig who continuously stood at the

front line in the Borders Camp, and Astrid, an expert on

assassination, would be more beneficial for Leti.

“With the current composition, I hope Her

Highness’s Fourth would be someone fancy, a knight with

such a big name. The Knights of the Round is the

- 18 -

Kingdom’s face. Her Highness should be more light-

hearted.”

“National affairs are not something to toy with.”

“What I meant was to have some latitude. Take Prince

Friedhelm for example. His fiancée left him when she

knew she could not be a queen, and yet he does not even

seem to be searching for another.”

“He is simply hurt because of the event. Try and be

kind to him, will you,” requested Duke as he stood up.

“Oh, leaving already? Don’t you think it too soon?”

“If I stay longer and continue this conversation with

you, I’ll probably end up drinking that wine. Enjoy the

sangria,” bid Duke as he left the Orlandi Manor.

He still did not want to take the sip and admit that it

was truly wine.

- 19 -

Chapter I:

The Scarlet Wedding Dress

This is the Knight King’s Study. The floor is lined

with a carpet embroidered with golden ears of grain

framing the stories of the gods. Attached on the ceiling is

a grand wooden chandelier and above the carpet is a

massive evergreen oak patina table. Scattered around the

room were chairs, so beautiful, each could be considered

pieces of art. The fretwork for the backboard is so

complicated, creating the same design is impossible.

The reincarnations of Solvelle’s First King, Christian,

given the posthumous title Knight King, were the only

ones who could enter this room through their dreams.

They all come here for certain reasons, and for the First

Princess Leticia, she always comes here whenever she was

unsure of herself. She was quite a frequent visitor when

she was young.

“I will not be the queen.”

Leti knew that only the reincarnations of the Knight

King can enter this room, therefore she knew she would

inherit the crown in the future. But knowing and

accepting the truth were different matters.

- 20 -

“I have two older brothers, Friedhelm Onii-sama4 and

Guido Onii-sama. Leon is also there, so I do not need to

be the queen. My brothers are more than suitable for the

crown,” declared a young Leti one day in the Knight

King’s Study to one of the kings of the past for Leti.

“And yet, you’ll still be. That fact that you’re here is

proof enough.”

“I will not. I do not even want to.”

“As if your wishes matter. Why don’t you try to use

your head to think? There are princes qualified to be the

king, yet you will still be the queen. Why is that?”

“I...”

The king with beautiful blond mane laughed heartily.

“Either you show them that you will be the better

monarch, or all of them died and you were the only

choice left.”

“No,” shouted Leti. “I do not want to be a bird. I

would rather be a flower. Queen Sophie told me that a

princess should be a beautiful flower that looks up to the

sky from the ground.”

Leti’s dear foster mothers told her that the king is a

bird that should fly the highest because he is the sign

4 Onii-sama: “Onii” means older brother; “-sama” is a formal

honorific used for a high person or someone adored.

- 21 -

everyone else would follow. They also told her that a

princess should be a flower, so beautiful that men from

far and wide would come and visit her just to get a

glimpse of her beauty.

Leti, during this time, agreed with them.

She saw by the window a bird flying high up to the

sky. Maybe that was the reason why she remembered the

past.

Leti had two excellent older brothers. That was why

she thought she would never be the monarch and

believed it was the best for Solvelle. But she would

understand after that how shallow her thinking was.

Because her two brothers, First Prince Friedhelm and

Second Prince Guido were so capable young men, they

were competing for the crown. The conflict started to

worsen and rumours started circulating around the

kingdom that a civil war would be inevitable regardless of

who becomes the king.

“And so,” whispered Leti. I became the secret plan to put a

stop to the brewing unrest and the crown fell to my hands.

- 22 -

The King announced on Leti’s seventeenth birthday

that the heir would be neither Friedhelm nor Guido but

her.

Leti, who used to be praised for being the perfect

kind-hearted princess suddenly, became the princess who

took the leftover crown from her brothers. This gave

birth to that shameful nickname, “Leftover Princess.” But

that had to stop now. She can no longer be known as the

Leftover Princess.

“An imperial princess from the Empire of Ling. I

wonder what she came all the way here for,” asked

Leonhardt, his head cocked to one side.

The sound of her brother’s voice brought Leti back to

the present.

Leonhardt, Third Prince of Solvelle, was the only son

born by the First Queen Consort, who was also Leti’s

mother. Originally, he was the one closest in line to the

throne, but he has decided before that he would forever

offer his life to the academe. He is so immersed in his

own world, that many already call him a crank.

Normally, this scholarly prince stays behind the scenes

and keeps himself busy with his researches. However, he

happened to be needed this time, so he was part of this

welcoming party.

- 23 -

“Let us hope that the princess is just a curious person

who wants to visit different countries across the sea. I

received the letter from her ten days ago. I did not have

enough time to look for someone fluent in Ling’s

language. If no one from their party speaks Solvelli, please

act as our translator for the mean time.”

The imperial princess will be arriving today and Leti

was the one tasked to welcome her to Solvelle. They were

all waiting for the arrival of their visitors from far away.

The notice of the princess’s visit reached Leti ten days

ago. This meant that she had already finished the long

journey by the sea and that the letter was sent from the

port at Ország, a country in the east of the Western

Continent.

These kinds of visits usually start with the exchange of

the question “may I visit your country” and the reply “yes,

you may.” However, this visit from the Ling princess

skipped that and surprised them with a note informing

them about her arrival in a few days.

“Proper preparations are needed, especially when the

visitor is a lady from another country,” complained Leti.

- 24 -

“Being a lady sure is tough. But don’t worry Ane’ue5.

You are beautiful, as always.”

“You say the same thing as Astrid, you know?”

Leti had just returned to Solvelle last month from the

neighbouring country, the Dukedom of Northruth.

Three months ago, Northruth was devastated by a

wildfire caused by the heatwave coming from Illstra. The

fire spread until it reached Mount Gran, a territory under

dispute between Solvelle, Northruth, and the Kielf

Empire. Leti was given the task to handle the whole

situation as Solvelle’s representative and she had been

busy dealing with this since then.

The days she spent in the affected area were so hectic

that she did not even have enough time to eat and sleep

properly. Such a busy schedule did not give her the luxury

of time to tend to her own needs; she considered herself

to be of the lowest priority and it came with a price. The

usual lustre of her hair was lost, her usually soft and

smooth hands were all dried up, and her skin was all dry

and coarse because of the harsh weather. Her state that

time was truly unbecoming of a princess.

5 Ane’ue: A Japanese honorific used to refer to one’s older sister.

(More formal and old fashioned than the normal Onee-san.)

- 25 -

Finally, yesterday, a month had passed since that

calamity and Leti finally found herself back to normal.

She asked her knights if they noticed anything different

about her.

Her First Knight, Duke Barchet said, “Something’s

different, but I can’t put my finger on it.” It was such a

vague answer, Leti did not know if he truly noticed

anything different.

When she asked her Second Knight, Craig Barde, he

gave a cleverer answer. “Your Highness had always been

beautiful, but you look especially more beautiful today.”

Last was her recently knighted Third Knight, Astrid

Gall. He only had one thing to say, “Your Highness is

always beautiful!”

Men do not understand anything! Having men only around is

not amusing at all. I really need to search for a considerate and

thoughtful Lady’s maid as soon as possible.

The sound of a knock brought back Leti’s mind that

was about to go out on a journey in search for her lady’s

maid.

“The party from the Empire of Ling has arrived.”

The guards of Solvelle came in first, followed by a

delicate-looking princess and stoic young man who

looked like the princess’s attendant.

- 26 -

The princess stood in front of Leti and the attendant

took off the imperial princess’s veil.

Beneath the veil was a pretty girl of fourteen with

long, beautiful, black hair darker than an onyx and big

eyes of the same colour.

The vividness of the red garment she wore was a

beautiful contrast to her shiny, black mane and white skin.

Her outer garment was decorated with birds and

butterflies embroidered with a gold thread. The rustling

earrings peeking out from spaces of her hair were an

ensemble of garnet and a golden flower, and her hair was

adorned with a gold and jade flower.

The princess smiled at them in an enchanting,

beautiful way that somehow did not match her age.

“I have come from the Empire of Ling, the Eighth

Princess Xie La Hong Lien Su. I humbly thank you for

accepting my sudden visit. I am pleased to make your

acquaintance.”

Shelan spoke in Solvelli. Her smooth pronunciation

showed that she had studied well before coming here.

Seeing there was no need for an interpreter, Leti

stepped forward to introduce herself. “I am Solvelle’s

First Princess, Leticia Elle Kreutzer. It is an honour to

welcome you.”

- 27 -

“Thank you very much for your hospitality. This is a

letter from His Majesty, the Emperor,” said Shelan as she

handed Leti the missive.

Leti accepted the letter and gave it to a nearby official.

“Princess Leticia, I think my name is difficult to

pronounce for the people here. Please call me Shelan. I

would be happy if the others address me the same way.”

In the language of Ling, tone is phonetic. This means

that the same sound, but different tone means two

different things. This linguistic feature is not present in

Solvelli. Therefore, if they try to say Shelan’s complete

name, Xie La Hong Lien Su, a wrong tone could change

the meaning of her name in Shelan’s ears. To prevent

such an embarrassing and rude mistake, she requested and

even showed gratitude to have everyone call her by her

nickname.

A princess from a place too far away came to visit

them. Leti was worried she was some kind of a whimsical

person, so she was somehow relieved that based on her

introduction and her manners, Shelan was a perfect

princess.

Maybe she is heading somewhere else and just passed by

Solvelle. I am glad I was worried for nothing.

Then she heard Leonhardt, who standing behind her,

whisper, “A new wife?”

- 28 -

- 29 -

She wanted to ask what he meant by that, but she

could not do it now.

After a few polite exchanges between Leti and Shelan,

the initial meeting ended safely. Leti signalled one of the

court ladies waiting to show Shelan to her room.

“Where is your lady’s maid? Allow us to assist you to

your room,” said Leti.

“I do not have one. It is just me and my attendant,

Hei Zhao who is also my guard.” Shelan introduced the

young man who came with her.

Hei Zhao, a man of black hair and eyes, bowed deeply

after being introduced.

“Only one guard? Did something happen on your way

here?”

A princess of Ling could have not left her country and

travelled this far with just one guard. Either their ship was

attacked by pirates or they were assaulted by thieves when

they landed. Or it could be something worse and it forced

her to head to Solvelle.

Multiple possibilities were already running in Leti’s

mind. Shelan sensed this and tried to calm her down by

explaining clearly the situation.

“Hei Zhao is the only who travelled with me since the

beginning,” clarified Shelan. “Leti, I would also like to

greet His Majesty and the heir, if I may.”

- 30 -

Leonhardt was the first one to have an idea about

Shelan’s purpose in coming to Solvelle. He knew the

meaning behind the red outer garment embroidered with

a golden phoenix. This was the reason behind his “new

wife” utterance.

The second one to catch Shelan’s plan was Leti.

Shelan wanted to meet someone, but did not specify

exactly who. She only said the heir.

“I have heard that the next king to be were either the

First Prince Friedhelm or Second Prince Guido.”

The only time possible to journey to the Eastern

Continent is during the season of calm seas. This means

that information between the east and west is only

updated once a year.

The political state of Solvelle last year could be

summarised as this: Solvelle’s next king can be either First

Prince Friedhelm or Second Prince Guido, however,

regardless of who inherits the crown, a rebellion or civil

war is inevitable.

Since then, Solvelle’s state of affairs had changed

drastically.

“I was the one selected to be the heir. When I become

the queen, I would like to deepen our relationship with

the Empire of Ling. I look forward to spending more

time with you.”

- 31 -

Shelan’s smiling face darkened. “Leti is the heir?”

“Yes, I think the information has reached Ling

already.”

The information probably came to Ling during the

time Shelan left for Solvelle.

The imperial princess was overcome with surprise for

a moment after hearing the newest information from Leti

and then muttered, “No, it cannot be.” An intricate

folding fan fell from her hand.

“I heard that the next monarch was to be a prince so

I,” Shelan stopped in the middle and then let out a scream

unimaginable to have come from her. “THE NEXT IS A

QUEEN!”

A princess shall never lose composure and scream at

the top of her lungs. But, as the gracious host, Leti is

supposed to ignore such a blunder.

“I assume you are exhausted from the long journey.

Please take ample rest until the evening,” suggested Leti,

not to the still dumbfounded Shelan, but to her attendant.

Hei Zhao’s consciousness was dragged back to reality

when Leti addressed him. He bowed deeply, took Shelan

by the shoulder, and urged her to walk. He supported

Shelan because her steps were unsteady as they followed

the court lady showing them to their room.

- 32 -

Leti silently watched them go until the doors were

closed and the only people remaining in the room where

Leti, Leonhardt, and Duke.

“The poor thing! She might need some time to

recover,” worried Leti.

Before she met Shelan, she expected her to be some

strange, curious princess. Then she met her and made her

greetings, she thought her to be a perfect princess. But

after her unexpected display, Leti could only conclude

that this episode would be another cause of a painful

headache.

“Is there any problem for Princess Shelan if the next

monarch is a queen,” asked Duke. Based on Leti’s

reaction, he knew that his master had a ready answer. He

was only able to grasp until the fact that Shelan came to

Solvelle because of a problem, but beyond that, he

understood nothing.

“I just had an idea about it after talking with her. I

think Leon has the best answer for your question. Why

did you say ‘new wife’ when you saw Shelan?”

Leonhardt’s hypothesis was probably the closest to

the truth they could get.

“The Empire of Ling has the tradition of wearing red

for their wedding dress. The golden phoenix embroidered

on her outer garment symbolises undying love. There is

- 33 -

also the festive combination of red and gold, and finally,

their tradition of not bringing a lady’s maid before the

marriage, in contrast to ours. This is their way of showing

complete submission.”

Shelan’s red dress; the phoenix, symbol of never-

ending love, embroidered in gold; being accompanied by

one servant alone; and her desire to meet the heir.

“Now, I am certain. Shelan came all the way here to

marry the next king. Unfortunately, the information she

had was old. After making all those preparations to be

wed, she found out that the next monarch to be is a

queen.”

Shelan understood that she could not be a consort

and ended up doing something unbecoming of a princess.

“But even though we have discovered her purpose,

we still do not know the reason behind it.

Marriage between royal families is anything but

meaningless. Sometimes, marriage is used to fortify the

present peaceful state between nations. Sometimes, it is

used as a collateral during times of war, where the

princess given away is used as a hostage to prevent the

other country from betraying the other.

In other words, marriage is deeply related to war.

But the Eastern and Western Continents are too far

from each other to even wage a war – the primary reason

- 34 -

is the vast ocean between them, a maritime war is

impossible. Aside from that, if one of them happened to

be in conflict with a neighbouring country and they

needed assistance, the information and the request would

take a year for it reach the other country, which is

extremely late already. Therefore, a marriage between

countries too far from each other is close to being

meaningless.

“Anyway, we should still warn Prince Friedhelm and

Prince Guido to be on their guard. It would be too late if

anything happens. You too, Leon.”

“Yes, yes, I will. But you should also be careful

Ane’ue. You could never tell, maybe Princess Shelan

would accept the situation and propose to be your

consort! That would be fun.”

Shelan came to Solvelle armed with her femininity.

Nothing would probably happen with her two older

brothers, but Leti was not so sure Shelan would not do

anything to Leonhardt who was closer to her age.

“I agree with His Highness. Be careful as well. They

might decide to plan your assassination and then force

anyone of the princes to be the king,” reminded Duke.

“There was that possibility as well. How fortunate she

only brought one attendant with her. At least, we only

have to watch out for one person alone. We shall have to

- 35 -

wait and see what their next move will be,” concluded

Leti.

Then they heard a scream. It was Shelan.

Leti walked quickly, almost running, but still in elegant

strides towards Shelan’s room. Before she could even ask

what happened, a dishevelled Shelan came out of the

room holding on to her red dress. Hei Zhao was right

behind her.

“Are you,” started Duke reaching out towards Shelan

but she shied away from him.

“Don’t touch me,” cried Shelan.

Hei Zhao stepped in front of Shelan and bowed

deeply towards Leti and the others who were confused as

to what happened.

“The lady’s maid Solvelle prepared assisted Lady

Shelan in changing her clothes. However, in Ling, a lady

of noble birth is not supposed to show her skin to anyone

else before marriage, even to her lady’s maid. This

surprised her,” Hei Zhao explained.

He then turned around and helped Shelan rearrange

herself. His adeptness in doing so showed that he was

more of Shelan’s caretaker than being just a guard.

“I see. Please excuse the discourtesy,” apologised Leti.

Traditions between countries are different. What more

if they were of different continents?

- 36 -

“I will instruct the maids to assist you the in the way it

is done in Ling. If you find anything else troubling you,

please do not hesitate to tell me about it.”

“Thank you for the consideration. However, Lady

Shelan wishes to follow the customs here.”

Strength returned to Shelan’s eyes after hearing Hei

Zhao’s words.

“Yes, Leti. I am sorry. I was just surprised. I will do

my best to hurry and get used to Solvelle’s customs and

traditions,” apologised Shelan.

“I appreciate your thoughtfulness,” smiled Leti. She

understood the meaning behind those words.

Hurry and get used to means that Shelan really is planning to

be a queen consort!

But things have changed since they had made their

plan. Shelan, being female, cannot marry the heir, Leti,

“Would you like to see the autumn roses in the

garden? They are in full bloom now,” invited Leti.

“Yes please,” accepted Shelan. “Thank you very

much, Leti.”

Shelan had recovered from the shock and was back to

being the perfect princess.

- 37 -

After some time, Leti, together with Duke, went out

to meet Shelan by her room.

Shelan was no longer wearing the red bridal dress.

Instead, she was wearing a light pink outer garment and

her previously glamourous accessories were replaced by

dainty and charming ones.

This change in clothing is a visitor’s way of showing

the host that they are grateful for the hospitality they

received and are comfortable with the present

arrangements. But after seeing Shelan’s outburst, this was

clearly a diplomatic move.

I wonder what Shelan will do now. Her initial plan of being a

queen is no longer possible. Will she go home, or will she come up

with a new plan?

Shelan just discovered a while ago that her plan of

forcing herself to be a wife was a failure. Therefore, it was

highly possible that they did not have enough time to

make a new plan. The best thing to do now was, not to

sound out their plans and motives, but to establish a

closer relationship with Shelan.

“Shelan, have you seen a rose before?”

“I have, but only once. There is someone in Ling who

grows them, but this is the first time I have seen a whole

garden filled with roses.”

- 38 -

“I am glad you liked them, but this is not all,” smiled

Leti as she invited Shelan to go further inside the garden

by the northern side of the castle.

The rose garden was filled with different kinds of

roses. There were roses that grew tall and big flowers, and

there were low rose bushes that bloom dainty flowers.

There were some that crawls along the walls and dangle

above them. And there were roses whose petals change

colours in the middle of the flower. Aside from the vivid

colours of the roses, the whole garden was filled with the

rich and luxurious fragrance of roses.

“Beautiful,” sighed Shelan. “I wish I could bring

home this scene and show it to my younger sister. Oh! I

meant I wish they could also see this.” Shelan lost her

composure for a while upon saying sister.

Leti did not understand the reason behind Shelan’s

agitation, so she just smiled and said, “Your sisters are

welcome to Solvelle anytime. I remember you have two

younger sisters who are two and three years younger, am I

correct?”

“Yes, if there is a chance,” Shelan softly replied.

Solvelle and Ling were too far from each other.

Knowing the present status of the royal family of the

other country was the most they could know because of

- 39 -

the limitation in travel. It takes a year before information

reaches them.

What Leti knows about Shelan is that she has eight

older brothers, seven older sisters, one younger brother,

and two younger sisters considering her siblings both

from the same and different mothers. There was nothing

strange if she wished her sisters to see the same view.

Oh, she mentioned about going home. That might have caused

her panic.

To be a queen consort meant that she would no

longer go back home. However, Shelan unconsciously

said she was missing her home. For Shelan, this meant

that her resolve was not enough and it caused her panic.

Seeing Shelan this way, Leti could not help but think

she was just an honest and meek princess trying to do

something bold. The reason why her impression of

Shelan and Shelan’s actions does not match was, Hei Zhao.

Shelan was being controlled by her guard who is also an officer of

Ling, thought Leti.

Leti raised her head to look at Hei Zhao and

remember his face. They should be on their guard with

this man.

“Huh,” uttered Leti when she heard some voices

carried by the wind. They sounded familiar and like they

were arguing.

- 40 -

Leti excused herself to Shelan to see who they were

and went towards the direction of the voices. Duke

followed behind her.

“I should have asked someone to clear out the garden

before bringing Shelan here.”

The autumn rose garden is a place preferred by the

queens. Anyone in the castle and even the nobles are

aware of this and are careful not to disturb the peace here

in this little pleasure of Their Majesties. But it seemed

there were some rude people who forgot about that

unspoken rule.

“Based on their voices, one is Willard and the other is

Sir Hannes, Prince Friedhelm’s knight,” said Duke.

“Oh, I wonder what two Friedhelm supporters are

arguing about.”

Friedhelm faction – the House of Lauenstein, Guido

faction – the House of Eulenburg, and the now fallen

House of Kleinschmidt. These three houses descended

from the royal family, so even though their ranks were

that of a marquis, they were considered special and

collectively known as the Three Grand Marquises.

This meant that being under different factions was

enough reason to have an argument. But Willard and

Hannes were both under the Friedhelm faction. If they

- 41 -

were having an argument, it was most likely of the

personal kind.

“Let us take a look,” said Leti.

It was a good chance of getting to know their

weaknesses. It is the duty of the future queen to know the

weaknesses of her future retainers.

With that in mind, Leti walked silently and hid herself

in the roses’ shadows.

“A duel? Unfortunately I don’t walk around carrying a

sword with me.”

Based on Willard’s words, the argument had already

taken a violent turn.

The eavesdropping Leti started to worry about the

roses that would be destroyed if those two men really held

their duel inside the garden.

“I have prepared the swords. You used that reason

before,” said Hannes.

“Eh, um, ah! I cannot carry a heavy sword. I have

reached that particular age that even carrying a spoon is

heavy.”

“I’ve prepared a rapier. You’ve used that excuse

before as well to run escape the duel.”

“I did? Hold on a minute as I think of another one,”

lamely excused Willard.

- 42 -

Willard shrugged his shoulders thinking that he could

no longer escape this now, but then he smiled and looked

at Leti and Duke who were hiding behind the bushes as if

he knew they were there all along.

“Well, if it isn’t my best friend Duke! My dear friend,

won’t you lend me a helping hand and be my

representative,” greeted Willard and as if in addition, he

greeted Leti as well, “Good day, Your Highness.”

Leti was not offended at Willard’s haphazard greeting

and instead elegantly stepped out of the shadow to show

herself.

“Please forgive me Your Highness for disturbing the

gardens,” apologised Hannes.

“Good day, Hannes. What big of a matter happened

that forced you, a knight of Prince Friedhelm, call out His

Highness’s school friend,” asked Leti. Her tone implying

if this argument was about something trivial, then they

should continue this elsewhere.

“Please hear me out, Your Highness. This impertinent

man here insulted His Highness despite being His

Highness’s friend! He did not even apologise for what he

did and still had the nerve to show himself here in the

castle.”

Duke and Leti nodded at Hannes’ explanation. This

was all about that tea fountain incident that happened

- 43 -

between Friedhelm and Willard a few days before they

returned to the capital.

“I do not think such a childish squabble and taking

revenge for it is a big matter,” muttered Leti loud enough

for only Duke to hear. She was aware these words were

too harsh to be uttered by the kind-hearted princess.

“Whenever you’re with schoolmates, you tend to go

back during those times when you were together,”

explained Duke, saying that school friends were special

and took Friedhelm and Willard’s side.

“Well, I do not have a schoolmate, so I do not

understand that feeling.”

“Then, men have that certain pride that they do not

want getting hurt.”

“I have that pride as a woman insulted everyday.

Learn to endure that a little,” complained Leti.

Princess Leticia, despite not being fit to be the

monarch ended up receiving the leftover crown from her

brothers, thus, the title Leftover Princess. However, that

opinion was changing now. But even though she has

shown that she is capable of handling the responsibilities

of being a ruler, they are still putting her down. The

reason this time was that because she was a woman. Leti

had been enduring this kind of treatment every day, so

- 44 -

she thought these proud men should at least learn to

endure their pride being slightly hurt.

Willard broke Leti and Duke’s little exchange. “Your

Highness, please allow me to escort you around the

gardens. I am quite familiar with their breeds.”

Willard tried to make an escape, but Hannes would

not let him out easily.

“Are you running away? Accept this challenge if you

are a gentleman!”

“Sir Hannes is quite persistent. Duke, I leave it up to

your hands,” said Willard, tapping on Duke’s shoulders.

“Willard, you coward! Are you not even ashamed of

asking someone who would definitely win as your

representative?”

“Of course not. If I will accept this challenge, I might

as well win it.”

There is probably no one in Solvelle who could win a

duel against Duke Barchet. Willard’s shrewdness angered

Hannes further.

“What a troublesome reputation you have there,

Duke. And I was thinking of making you my

representative if any one challenges me,” sighed Leti as

she took a step forward and stood in between Willard and

Hannes. “I now understand the situation. I agree that

having Duke as Willard’s representative is unfair.”

- 45 -

“It is,” strongly agreed Hannes. He thought Leti was

taking his side.

Willard looked at Leti, surprise evident on his face.

Leti looked at him and said silently with her lips, “You

owe me one.” She then continued in her clear voice, “To

make this fair, I shall take Duke’s place as Willard’s

representative. I have studied self-defence and I know

how to handle a sword. You need not to worry.”

Willard selected Duke to be his representative.

However, Duke was too strong, so Leti would take his

place and be the one to fight.

Hannes was not the only one surprised. Even Duke

and Willard were.

“And our judge will be Princess Shelan. Will it be all

right?”

Shelan and Hei Zhao were surprised when Leti

addressed them. Their surprise was both due to the fact

that Leti knew they were there even though she had not

looked back once at them and due to her request to

Shelan to be the duel’s judge.

“B, but Leti, a duel is” stammered Shelan as she

looked back at Hei Zhao as if asking for advice.

“Does your Highness plan on losing,” asked Hei

Zhao as he observed Leti with sharp eyes.

- 46 -

Is there any reason for Leti to accept the challenge she

could not win? Was there a reason letting that Hannes

win that she would fight in Willard’s place?

“What do you think,” vaguely answered Leti and then

she faced Hannes as she reached out her hand. “Just like

Willard, I do not walk around with a sword with me.

Could you lend me that rapier?”

“Your Highness, this is too much,” protested Duke as

he took a step closer to Leti.

“Keep silent, you too-strong-of-a-person,” chided Leti

and continued in a whisper, “I have a plan.”

If Leti had a plan, then there was nothing else Duke

could do. “But if I see that you are about to get hurt, I’ll

step in.”

“I already told you, I cannot get hurt even if I wanted

to. And even if I did, it will heal immediately.”

Leti told Duke about her secret after they returned

from Northruth. She also told him then about her special

abilities, like being able to withstand being cut by a sword.

“I know. I just don’t like that kind of self-destructive

thinking.”

Pushing yourself too much just because you would

not get hurt or would heal easily is not a healthy way of

thinking.

- 47 -

Leti nodded at Duke’s clear declaration. “Sorry, that

was wrong of me to say. But really, there is no need to

worry. I do not take on challenges I cannot win.”

Leti took the rapier from the hand of the hesitant

Hannes.

“Let us start then. Shelan,” called Leti. “Will you

please be our judge?”

“Eh, ah, yes, I will,” hesitantly agreed Shelan after

looking at Hei Zhao for advice. He nodded his head so

Shelan agreed.

As if in acceptance of his fate, Hannes finally made

his resolve and faced Leti. Under normal circumstances,

raising a sword against a princess of the kingdom was

punishable by death. However, like Hei Zhao, Hannes

thought Leti meant to lose this match on purpose.

And such unguardedness was in Leti’s favour.

First, Sword of Gale Winds, make this sword weightless, said

Leti in her mind as she concentrated on her right hand.

She used the Gale Winds to adjust the air around the

rapier to make it feel weightless.

Next, I have to decide where to attack.

Leti planned her next actions as she was taught by her

master in swordsmanship. She targeted the right side of

Hannes’s neck.

- 48 -

And then the final step, thought Leti as Shelan declared

the start of the duel.

“Commence,” shouted Shelan.

Come, Gale Winds, summoned Leti in her mind as she

raised and straightened out her hand holding the rapier as

light as a feather.

The speed between a person swinging a sword and a

person simply raising their hand was different. Leti knew

she was faster. But Hannes was not Friedhelm’s knight

for nothing. He was quite skilled with the sword. Leti’s

quickness surprised him, but he was still quick enough to

evade Leti’s attack at the last minute. He took a turn and

quickly regained his form, but he stood up stunned.

“He did not avoid it completely,” cried a surprised

Hei Zhao.

He was not the only one surprised. Everyone was.

They all saw Hannes evaded Leti’s attack at the last

moment, and yet the clean cut on Hannes’s right collar

was enough proof that Let’s rapier grazed Hannes.

“How did that,” murmured a bewildered Hannes.

A high-pitched voice cut his words, “Stop!”

It was Shelan. With wobbly steps, Shelan reached Leti

and Hannes, standing between them.

- 49 -

“Leti landed the first attack, therefore she wins.

Please, if you continue this, I fear you would truly get

hurt, Leti.”

The cut Leti did on Hannes’ collar was too small to be

called a deciding attack. But if the judge said it was

enough, they cannot argue about it.

“Then the decision is final. Victory goes to me, who

fought for Willard,” said Leti as she returned the sword to

its sheath. She held it with both of her hands now that it

was back to its original weight and gave it to Hannes.

“Hannes lost a duel to a woman. Willard let a woman

fight in his place. And I, despite being a princess agreed to

be a representative in a duel. All of us made an action

worthy of criticism should it be known,” Leti paused to

look at the roses hanging over them and smiled.

“Conversations under the roses shall be kept a secret. Let

us observe this old tradition and keep this incident

between us. This is my wish as the victor. Are we clear?”

Hannes recovered from the shock and bowed down.

Willard let out a strained laugh. He was sure he just

incurred a big debt to Leti.

“Shelan, thank you for being our judge. I appreciate it.

Now, let me show you some of the unusual roses we have

here in the garden.”

- 50 -

Leti excused herself and Shelan to Willard and

Hannes and walked further in to the garden.

While Shelan was busy selecting roses to bring back to

her room and giving it to the gardener to remove the

thorns, Hei Zhao approached Leti. “I was deeply

impressed by what happened a while ago. I now

understand why Your Highness was chosen to be the

heir.”

“I just settled an argument between my retainers. I do

not think it is something to be impressed about,” bluntly

replied Leti.

Hei Zhao insisted that the way Leti handled the

incident was worthy of praise. “Your Highness used the

rapier’s lightness to your advantage and decided to make

the first attack. Your Highness was confident of your

skills and knew that a slight graze on the opponent would

be enough for Lady Shelan to stop the duel because she

was against it in the first place. Your Highness had

considered all of those even before the match started. I

think such insight is worthy to be known as Solvelle’s

treasure.” Hei Zhao did not hold back on praising Leti’s

actions.

- 51 -

“It is such a strange thing to be recognised first by

someone from a foreign land instead of my own. I am

grateful for your praise,” thanked Leti.

Maybe accepting the truth was easier for someone

who did not hold the prejudice of “Leftover Princess.”

The exchange Leti had with Hei Zhao made her consider

changing the impression on her might be easier if she

started from the outside.

Leti saw Shelan receive the roses from the gardener so

she decided it was time for them to return inside before

the wind gets cold.

She escorted Shelan back to her room and instructed

the maid to decorate the room with the roses Shelan took

from the garden. After that, she left Shelan to rest and

walked out to the corridor, Duke following behind her.

In front of Shelan’s room stood someone waiting for

them.

“Willard?”

One of the causes of this afternoon’s chaos stood

right in front of them, a white rose in his hand. No signs

of remorse about all the trouble he caused could be seen

from him.

“Let me be clear about this,” started Leti. “Promise

me that you will never make any advances to the princess

- 52 -

of Ling.” Leti had many things to say, but this seemed to

be the most important for now.

The simple fact that Willard was here, in front of

Shelan’s room, meant that he was aiming for her. Leti

could not understand Willard’s peculiar tastes in women,

if they could already be called that.

Willard shook his shoulders trying to stifle a laugh and

promised to Leti that he would not.

“Princess Shelan may look young, but she is already of

some age. Don’t worry, Your Highness, she is out of my

range.”

Leti let out a cold “I see.” She never understood

Willard’s tastes, but she did not know he was this intense.

If he considered Shelan’s age of fourteen to be of “some

age,” then he was truly the real deal.

“I have come here to pay back some of the favour

Your Highness had granted me a while ago. I have

something to report, but before that,” paused Willard and

then glanced at Duke. “Could you leave us alone for a

while, my best friend?”

Willard wanted to talk to Leti alone and asked Duke

to take a distance from them, Duke complied.

“Your Highness, could you identify between a

diamond and a glass?”

- 53 -

“Yes. They shine differently,” carefully answered Leti,

unsure where this conversation was leading.

“The reason why Your Highness could do so is

because you grew up seeing real diamonds. Since Your

Highness is used to seeing only the real thing, if there is

even one bead of glass amongst the true diamonds,

recognising the fake one is as easy as if the glass is

screaming at you.”

“What do you want to say? Can you not do something

about your metaphorical manner of speaking?”

“Your Highness really is Prince Friedhelm’s sister,

saying the same thing as he does,” commented Willard.

His expression turned serious afterwards and continued,

“Let me get straight to the point.” Though his metaphors

did not become more direct.

“Your Highness is aware about my tastes, correct?

You see, I love that time when a beautiful flower starts to

bud. It is that most mysterious time that keeps me

thinking what colour will the flower be; how many petals

will it have; will it be a big or small flower?”

Willard could just say he has this strange preference

for young girls, but instead used this flower metaphor to

convey such a simple thing. Leti did not like these kind of

men.

- 54 -

“This is the reason why I can discern if a sprouting

bud is that of a flower or not.”

“Which means?”

“I have repeatedly watched small buds bloom

beautifully. I know if it will be a flower. If you are used to

seeing nothing but the real thing, noticing the fake one is

easy.”

So they came back to the first topic about the

diamond and the glass.

“Your Highness, I think Princess Shelan is,” Willard

paused as he placed the white rose he was holding on

Leti’s ear.

He bent down to whisper to Leti’s ear,

“Conversations under a rose are to be kept a secret.”

As Willard whispered to Leti the secret of Shelan’s

identity, he tauntingly smiled at Duke who was watching

them from a distance far enough not to hear their

conversation.

“Just a small revenge to my best friend who did not

agree to be my representative,” chuckled Willard. He left

telling Duke, “Hurry up and realise it.”

Childish retaliations were such a common thing

among school friends that one was happening between

Duke and Willard at the moment.

- 55 -

- 56 -

The room prepared for the princess of the Ling

Empire was grand and spacious. Their host expected the

princess was bringing with her a whole party of maids and

servants, so there were many rooms prepared for them.

Within the big room sat the princess on one of the

benches. She noticed the scent of the roses from her hair.

It looks like she brought with her the scent of the garden

they went to a while ago.

“Your Highness, it looks like Princess Leticia will be a

wonderful ruler even though she is a lady,” said the

princess’s attendant, Hei Zhao.

“Yes, I think she will. I was surprised about the duel. I

understood that she had a plan and knew that she would

win that was why she accepted the challenge. But still... I

find her amazing and she is even a lady,” admired Shelan.

However, even though Shelan found Leti amazing,

she felt something bitter at the back of her throat. She did

not know herself what exactly she wanted to say.

“Oh, I forgot! Leti is a woman, Hei Zhao. What

should we do? The next ruler to be is a queen. Is there

still any point for this disguise?”

- 57 -

“Let us focus on Your Highness’s real mission.

Marriage to Solvelle’s heir was just a means to reach our

goal.”

“You are right. I just have to find it and if I

successfully obtain it, then there is no need for marriage.”

Shelan stood up and took something from their

luggage. It was a long and heavy object carefully wrapped

with a cloth. Shelan untied the cloth, revealing a black

sword.

“My mission,” whispered Shelan while taking out the

sword from its sheath. The blade shimmered in the light.

It was as black as Shelan’s hair and not a scratch could be

found on its body.

Shelan bowed, gently touching the sword. “Where did

they go? The black dragon and my little sister,” quietly

said Shelan, sadness evident in her eyes as she looked at

the beautiful black blade.

“You Highness, how about befriending Princess

Leticia?”

“Leti?”

“Princess Leticia is the crown princess; therefore, she

holds much power in the kingdom. I am certain having a

deeper friendship with Her Highness will assist us in our

quest.”

And also, continued Hei Zhao in his heart.

- 58 -

Leticia is capable of being a wise ruler despite being a

woman and moves on her own to go forward. This might

just be the spark Shelan needed.

“If we successfully accomplish this mission, getting

the throne might not just be a dream. When that happens,

being friends with the ruler of Solvelle will be to Your

Highness’s advantage.”

Shelan softly commented on the future Hei Zhao

envisioned. “Someone like me cannot possibly inherit the

throne. Unlike my older brothers, I do not have the

talent.”

Not a hint of frustration not jealousy could be heard

from Shelan’s voice. “Someone like me” sounded like a

matter of fact.

Hei Zhao sighed. It was the same Shelan. He excused

himself to prepare some tea, but before he went out, he

left the following message. “I will make the effort needed

for you to become closer with Princess Leticia. I believe

we need this for our mission, so please do your best, Your

Highness.”

With that, Hei Zhao left the room, deep in thought.

I heard that both the First and Second Princes of Solvelle were

excellent. So this means that the First Princess was selected to be the

heir due to the political landscape of the kingdom. Her Highness has

a rough road ahead of her. Then Hei Zhao remembered what

- 59 -

Leti said this afternoon. No, she is already travelling on a rough

road.

When Hei Zhao complimented Leti on how she

handled the situation, Leti said how strange it was to have

someone from a foreign land recognise her first. This

meant that, even though Leti possesses the qualities to be

a ruler, she is not yet recognised and currently fighting to

make people see her worth.

Hei Zhao thought that maybe if Shelan could watch

Leti fight, it could help Shelan change for the better.