“Hey. You there.”
Startled by the sudden voice, she turned around to find a pair of narrow, sharp eyes fixed on her.
“Are you new here?”
“Y-yes.”
“What are you doing right now?”
“Well…”
Mei recalled the warnings from her seniors.
There were four black-haired humans in the palace, all members of the Briol royal family, so caution was essential.
Here’s what she remembered about each of them:
First: If he has half-closed eyes and a bored expression, be as polite as possible. That’s His Highness. He’s not difficult, but one mistake and you’ll get scolded by the steward.
Second: If he smiles gently, like a warm breeze, you can relax. That’s the Crown Prince of Briol. He’s never made a servant’s life difficult.
Third: If his gaze is sinister and his walk crooked, never show any weakness. That’s the Second Prince. He’s always scheming mischief, so it’s best to avoid him altogether.
By the sound of it, this person was definitely…
“The third one…”
“What did you say?”
“N-nothing.”
His slouching stance and darting eyes matched the description of the Second Prince exactly.
She needed to get away as fast as possible.
“I-I have work to do, so I’ll be going now…”
“What?”
He furrowed his brows.
“Are you avoiding me right now?”
“N-no, not at all.”
“Stop dodging the question.”
“I have work…”
“Are you sharing some kind of royal etiquette manual? ‘If you see me, run away. Don’t even speak to me.’ Is that it?”
Another warning about Joshua Briol: he’s sharp and quick-witted, so be especially careful.
He was already gearing up to give her a hard time.
“W-well…”
“Answer me properly.”
Joshua leaned in close.
“Stuttering in front of royalty? This is the palace, not some neighborhood shop where you work.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Does saying sorry end your palace duties? I was about to give you a proper lesson today…”
But then Joshua suddenly stepped back.
“Uh…”
At that moment, a cheerful voice came from behind.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
If his voice could be compared to a color, it would be the blue of a clear sky.
There was only one person in the palace who called Joshua “brother.”
And the warnings about him were as follows:
If he wears a confident expression and always carries a sword, that’s the Third Prince. Everyone deals with him in their own way.
There was no manual for him because opinions about him varied so much.
“Are you bullying her?”
“No.”
Joshua immediately turned his glare toward her.
“Hey, you. Did I bully you?”
“No.”
“See? I didn’t.”
“Who would say yes if you ask them right in front of their face?”
“Is that so? Then I guess I’ll just disappear. Then you’ll answer honestly, right?”
Joshua took a few steps back.
“Hey, maid. Answer properly.”
And with that, he hurried away.
Watching his retreating figure, Yuri sighed.
“When will he ever grow up…”
Mei couldn’t bring herself to look up and instead quietly thanked Yuri’s chest.
“Thank you…”
“Since you’re thanking me, I guess he did bully you a bit.”
“No, he didn’t. I just got flustered…”
“What’s your name?”
“Mei.”
“Mei. You’re new?”
“Yes.”
Yuri smiled.
“You know Ena, right?”
Ena, the Third Prince’s personal maid, was like an idol to the palace staff.
“If you have any trouble, talk to Ena. She won’t ignore you. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t hang your head. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Yes, yes.”
Mei stared up at Yuri Briol in a daze.
His black eyes sparkled like the surface of a sunlit lake.
Being around him made you feel naturally confident—that kind of person.
“All right. Take care.”
“Thank you. Um…”
Mei rummaged through her belongings, wanting to offer something in return.
Fortunately, she had some cookies from the kitchen.
“Would you like some of these?”
“What’s that?”
“Cookies. They’re really delicious. The head chef made them personally.”
“Thanks.”
She reached into her pocket to offer a handful.
“Uh…”
But Yuri was wearing leather gauntlets. It would be unsanitary to place food on them.
“Should I just give you the whole pouch?”
“No, no. Just give me some.”
Only then did Yuri remove his gloves and hold out his hand. Mei breathed a sigh of relief and gave him a generous handful.
Yuri popped a cookie into his mouth and smiled.
“Thanks. These are good. I’ll enjoy them.”
“Yes, yes!”
“Take care.”
“You too, Your Highness.”
As the Third Prince’s footsteps faded away with the clinking of his sword, Mei stared blankly after him.
She recalled the last warning from her seniors.
The most important thing:
Never harbor false hopes about them.
Indeed, her seniors had been right about everything.
Mei muttered to herself.
“The prince swings his sword every day, yet his hands are so white and delicate…”
Yuri wondered where Joshua had run off to as he looked down at the cookies in his hand.
A swordsman’s hands couldn’t be this clean.
“Well, at least I caught him in time.”
He clenched and unclenched his fist.
This was the state called “Bare-Handed Realm.”
Those who wield mana like an extension of their body don’t handle their swords with physical strength but with mana. This reduces pressure on the hands, causing calluses to disappear and skin to become smooth.
It was proof of highly developed mana control.
How many knights had reached this state before coming of age?
As far as he knew, none.
Maybe Fiore had, but he never asked.
Yuri slipped his gauntlets back on and muttered.
“Looks like the quiet times are coming to an end.”
Five years ago, he had been beheaded and killed, but he had returned to the spring of his thirteenth year. Now, he was entering the spring of his eighteenth.
The time he had been holding in his heart was approaching.
A storm of war would soon sweep across the continent.
He felt neither fear nor regret.
Yuri had never forgotten the past. For him, peace was merely the time spent preparing for war.
“They’re probably making a racket by now.”
He looked toward the white building ahead.
That was where the Senate met.
By now, his father was probably dozing off, ignoring the Senate’s nonsense.
He already knew the conclusion the nobles would reach after negotiating their gains and losses.
Count Frances, Lian Flandre, would be put in charge of recruiting knights from each territory.
They would join the imperial coalition army.
Their target: the orcs controlling the eastern steppes.
The justification was clear.
The orcs enslaved captured humans and inflicted horrific torture just for fun.
The empire had called on all its allies to send troops to defeat the orcs and open the path eastward.
“Nonsense.”
The coalition army would fail.
Many knights, including Lian Flandre, would die, and powerful figures who could become obstacles to the empire would fall.
The enraged orcs would fiercely pressure the borders of every country except the empire.
He hadn’t realized it then, but he would later understand that all of this was a game the empire had planned in advance.
This life would not be allowed to unfold as expected.
As he entered the building, a guard saluted him.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Kerry.”
“Not at all!”
Over the past five years, Yuri had become familiar with all the guards.
“What brings you here?”
“Over there.”
Yuri nodded toward the source of the loud shouting coming from inside.
“Noisy, isn’t it?”
“Ha ha ha…”
“Just here to watch.”
“Will you be going in?”
“Yes.”
Kerry opened the way.
Yuri walked down the corridor and stood before the meeting room door.
The voices grew clearer.
“No, so why are we supposed to…”
“There are enough knights in your territory already…”
“You should be the ones to…”
Yuri smiled bitterly.
Since its founding, Briol had been a land of knights. Under the banner of Erich Briol’s sword, fulfilling the duties of a knight was the pride of the nobility.
But that was now just a story of the past.
They clung to what they had and only sought to grab more.
And what had become of them in the end?
Yuri adjusted the hilt of his sword at his waist.
Like the knight who had given him this sword, they had been buried as bare bones.
Just as he was about to burst through the large door, Kerry stopped him.
“Wait a moment.”
“The Third Prince.”
“What is it?”
“You were about to kick the door open, weren’t you?”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“I’m sure you were. That’s a disciplinary offense. Cut it out.”
“Then how do you want me to open it?”
“By etiquette—knock first…”
“Fine, fine.”
Yuri nodded, deciding to yield for now.
He knocked lightly.
Tap, tap, tap.
No, seriously, are you ignoring me?
You’re the one not listening to what I’m saying!
The argument continued inside.
He could easily picture his father sitting there, ears blocked with mana, dozing off.
He knocked again.
Tap, tap, tap.
Still no response. The shouting inside only grew louder.
What could be so urgent to cause such a fight?
He knocked once more.
Bang!
The door shattered.
All the nobles sitting in a circle turned their eyes to him.
Two men who had been standing and pointing fingers at each other froze, staring wide-eyed.
The noble closest to Yuri called out.
“Third Prince?”
His gaze dropped to the floor.
“Y-you broke the door…”
“Oh, sorry.”
Yuri bowed politely.
“I knocked, but no one answered. I guess I used a bit too much force.”
“No, how did you break that door…?”
Yuri was a swordsman skilled in the Maname method. It wasn’t surprising that he could break down a single door.
But this time was different.
The meeting hall’s door was made of thick steel, precisely because no one was allowed to disrupt the Senate’s sessions.
Even most knights couldn’t dent it like that.
For five years, Yuri had kept a low profile, but now his presence was firmly etched into the minds of the nobles.
“Well, since it’s come to this, might as well make some more swords out of this fine steel. Ha ha ha.”
He laughed, but no one joined in.
Clearing his throat, Yuri said, “I’ll be attending as well.”
The nobles’ gazes shifted toward the head seat.
Fiore nodded.
Yuri squeezed between two nobles sitting near the door and took a seat.
They shifted uncomfortably.
“You okay?”
“Yes…”
“Mind if I have some of that?”
“P-please, go ahead.”
“It’s good. Here, have some of mine too.”
Grabbing the refreshments prepared for them, Yuri munched away, sharing the cookies Maid May had given him.
The hall remained silent, all eyes fixed on Yuri.
Holding his drink, he gestured with his chin.
“Carry on.”
“Um…”
But everyone just exchanged wary glances.
With Fiore sitting quietly, Yuri took it upon himself to run the meeting.
“You two who were pointing fingers at each other earlier, stand up again.”
“Huh?”
“You’re supposed to continue.”
The two hesitated but stood up. They had been quick to argue before, but now that the floor was opened, they were quiet.
One of them stammered, “W-well, so…”
Yuri let the words wash over him and glanced at a man sitting in the corner.
Lian Flandre.
A distinguished knight and the father of Roland.
In his past life, he had led Briol’s army. He never shied away from the front lines, and ultimately returned as a corpse.
His end was said to be heroic.
A knight wasted too soon.
While Yuri was lost in thought, the hall grew noisy again.
Countless arguments flew back and forth, but the conclusion was always the same:
“I don’t want to go. I don’t want to send troops.”
Yuri chuckled at their blatant self-interest.
Genard, sitting quietly in the corner, said nothing. He was smart enough to know that sometimes silence was the best strategy.
Then, suddenly, Yuri caught Fiore’s eye.
…
Though his father seemed only skilled with the sword, he was just as adept at reading people’s hearts.
A faint shadow crossed Fiore’s eyes, as if he guessed why Yuri had come.
Yuri smiled confidently for him.
The bickering continued.
“So, the territories with more resources should send more knights…”
“What do you mean by ‘more resources’?”
“Obviously, based on taxes…”
Yuri raised his hand.
One by one, the shouting nobles fell silent.
“We need to decide…”
The trailing voice of a noble lingered in the hall.
Once all eyes were on him, Yuri spoke.
“I’ll go.”
The nobles stared at him, stunned.
“I said, I’ll go.”
Only then did their eyes widen.
Yuri stood up.
“I will join the allied forces myself. So show some sincerity. Do your duty as nobles, so that the name of Briol is not disgraced.”
The third prince, not yet even eighteen, declared his intention to go to war.
While the nobles gaped in surprise, only Fiore responded to his declaration.
“I wish you luck, my son.”