Taming Her Highness the Princess

31 – Prejudice (3)

The hand holding the sword is shaking. However, this was different from the tremors that came as a side effect of excessive mana use.

This was a trembling that came from the heart, and the target was Irea right in front of her eyes. That was absurd to Perez.

‘…… That I was intimidated by her sister?’

This is nonsense. Irea…… Irea, at least Peres knew, was a fragile child who could easily break down even with minor injuries.

However, Irea in front of me was pressuring herself like a different person. It was so strong that his feet stuck to the ground and could not move.

“Hmm.”

The emperor, who was watching all of this while sitting in the seat of honor, looked at Ireah with interest as she challenged her brother.

A total of six meetings had been held so far, but it was definitely the first time Irea had cornered the prince like she is now. The emperor knew that this was not the will of Irea alone.

‘Did they say Jenial Malai?’

The son of the lieutenant colonel did a great job this time. Didn’t he hold all the will of his weak daughter and teach her how to stand up to her brother?

‘I’m a bastard.’

She looked down on her for risking her daughter’s life, but she was flawless in her education.

However, combat cannot proceed only with spirit. There was no way Irea, who had wasted his mana and missed the sword, could win against Peres with the sword.

Even if the government council continues as it is, the outcome is obvious. So the emperor raised his hand and put an end to the meaningless fight.

Boo woo woo ─

The sound of the horn sounds, announcing the end of the peace, and Irea and Perez, startled, turn their heads and look up at the emperor.

I can feel the flow of time anew that children who won’t get sick even if I put them in their eyes are growing up like this. The emperor with a hearty smile raised his voice through amplification magic.

“Now that it’s over, stop fighting pointlessly. I’ll end this reunion with the victory of the prince.”

Irea and Peres put on a somewhat bewildered expression. After a short silence, Ireah, feeling resentful, took a step forward and put her hand on my chest.

“The match is not over yet! I, I can fight more…… Black!”

Ireah’s breathing is disrupted and her body staggers once. Thanks to her fighting with mana squeezed out beyond the limit, her body came under load.

She must have felt this sensation for the first time as Ireah, who had never fought until her body reached its limit.

Her assertion that she could fight more was likely because she did not know what state her body was in now.

“I just had to stop. Even if I listened to you, Irea, and proceeded with the preliminary hearing, the result would not change. So be stubborn. Knowing how to admit defeat is a virtue that the imperial family should have.”

There was nothing wrong with his father’s words when he suppressed the fighting spirit that was seething inside him for a moment. As Ireah nodded his head and stepped back from him, the Emperor gave a satisfied smile.

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“Both of them showed a good performance in the match. This father is very happy to be able to see your growth with his own two eyes. Especially Irea, she wants to praise this father greatly that you have grown so much. Isn’t that what the ministers see?”

The emperor looked over at the ministers downstairs and said. The ministers, who usually poured out rather harsh words to Irea, bowed their heads deeply in agreement with the emperor’s words, as if they had no choice but to admit this time.

“As Her Majesty said, Her Highness’s skills have improved. If the appearance I showed in the previous Eojeonpyeui was like Gyeokhwasoyang (隔靴搔癢), this time it seems that I showed all my skills.”

“Armory sense is really right. It’s like I’ve seen a bird hatch from an egg and spread its wings and take flight. There really is no such thing as an imperial slant.”

It’s been a long time since ministers are praising my daughter, so I feel better. The emperor, smiling brightly, asked the meritorious subjects sitting on the dogma prepared on either side of him.

“Isn’t that how you see it too?”

First of all, Creveon Eneran, the Empire’s first sword and chief of defense, nodded calmly.

“Yes. It seems to me that Her Highness, the Princess, has put in a lot of effort for this Presidency Council. The movement of Her Highness, receiving Her Highness’s sword, was not possible with a day or two of practice.”

Next, Demar Maleaig, the Empire’s only archmage and lieutenant colonel, agreed.

“The Defense Security Command is right. Compared to the previous consultations, your magical skills have also improved noticeably, so I can’t help but praise Her Highness.”

As the daughter’s praise continued, the emperor laughed heartily and tapped his thigh. It was fun to see her daughter, who was always ignored objectively and subjectively, give a shot to the ministers.

Peres, who was watching from afar, gritted his teeth unconsciously. Although he had won the peace beforehand, looking at the reaction of his ministers and his father, he did not know that it was only a victory with scars.

The royal council is the place to decide which of the two has the qualities of an emperor. Of course, you can’t judge everything just by fighting, but cultivating one’s own strength was one of the emperor’s qualities.

In that respect, Irea received a high score this time. On the other hand, Peres allowed a fatal wound to Irea after being careless.

This meant that Perez’s evaluation would be good at best, but Irea’s evaluation would go up. The battle was won, but the war was lost.

“What a good day today!”

Unable to understand Peres’s feelings, the emperor suppressed his laughter and looked down at the podium. His children were tired of fighting, so it was to finish the peace beforehand.

“I know that you guys are working hard every year, so this father is just happy. I must give you an award and say a few words about me, but before that, thank your teachers for their teachings.”

Jeniel, who was watching from the side of the emperor’s words, steps up to the podium. On the other side, Erete came out and stepped onto the podium.

Erete was still smiling, but her smile was stiff. It was a revealing expression because I didn’t know that Irea would be active like this.

Soon after, Jeniel and Erete, standing next to the prince and princess, bowed lightly and shook hands. A strange war of nerves took place in his grasp.

“You taught Her Highness very well. It is just admirable.”

“Nothing was taught. She is only something that Your Highness realized on her own.”

After a short conversation, Jeniel withdraws his hand. Somehow, I tried to give a word of comfort to Irea, who was downcast, but Peres intervened in the gap.

“As expected, Sir Jenial. The person who taught Irea so well.”

I can feel the strange chill in my voice. Turning his gaze to Pérez, Jenny Earl placed her hand on his chest and lightly bowed his head.

“Your Highness the Prince. I just want Her Highness to enlighten herself-“

“There is no need to be humble. Irea is a child whose temper is weak, so there is no way she can awaken on her own. All of this must be courtesy of you.”

Peres did not acknowledge Irea to the end. It was Jenny Earl who was uncomfortable with it, but he had no choice but to listen with his head down because it was what the prince was saying.

“Unlike Ireah, I have good eyesight, so I value talented people. So I would like to make a proposal to Sir Jeniel.”

“How about a suggestion?”

“Would you like to be my teacher?”

Irea’s shoulders trembled. It was because I couldn’t understand Perez trying to take Jenny Earl right under her nose.

“Older brother. What nonsense are you talking about-“

“Shut up. Aren’t I talking to Sir Jenial now?”

Irea had no choice but to close her mouth when Peres sent her sharp gaze. This, she said, is what Irea has been through so many times that her learned helplessness has come up.

Prince Peres did not hesitate to take away even if he had a good talent, even if he was from Irea. This is because he thought that good talent should always be by his side.

The fact that Irea in the past didn’t show affection to anyone except for Ruinel, deliberately picking up faults and getting angry at everything was also deeply related to Peres’ behavior.

For Ireah, the people around her were people who could betray themselves and leave at any time. In fact, there were quite a few people from Irea who went to the prince’s side blinded by power and money.

She wanted to hold onto her, but there was no reason to hold onto her. The prince is in every way superior to herself, her princess. It was natural for her to go to the prince’s side if she wanted to succeed.

So even if Jenny Earl left for her prince, Irea couldn’t stop it. All she could do for her was that compared to her prince, she was very poor.

“How are you? If you say you will become my person, I will help you with both my mind and body. In the distant future, it may be that you and I are sitting in the high seat and the doctrine.”

Hold my hand as I will guarantee you honor and power. The prince said so, but Jenial answered immediately without thinking.

“I’m sorry, but I will refuse.”

Irea’s eyes widen, and Perez’s eyes narrow sharply. Jenny Earl calmly expressed his opinion with his head bowed.

“There is a saying that a vassal should never have more than one lord. Based on that proverb, I chose Her Highness as my lord, so I cannot serve others.”

“…… Think carefully. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“Even if more opportunities come, my loyalty will not change.”

After speaking, Jeniel looked back at Irea. Jenial spoke quietly to Irea, who was somewhat absent-minded.

“Then I will be waiting for you beyond the middle gate. I will wait forever, so don’t worry, Your Highness, and listen to His Majesty’s instruction.”

Ireah swallowed her dry saliva and nodded her head. Her heart was beating so fast that she couldn’t even speak.

*

Leaving the arena, Jenial looked up at the sky from the aisle between the middle gates. The sky became dark and the stars were rising, as if His Majesty’s teachings were getting longer.

He was bored and looked around, but there was no one to talk to. It was because Louis Nell and his attendants were all waiting outside the arena.

At the time I waited one more time, the sound of a pulley resounded and the middle door opened. When I turned around, I saw Irea walking through the open middle gate.

This is a familiar scene. Irea of the past left the arena, ignoring Jenial who was talking to her here. Then he locked himself in the lotus palace, locked the door tightly, and did not come out for a month.

Her hand grips the handle of her cane, wondering if the terrible past will ever repeat itself.

But seeing the awkward smile on Irea’s face as she walked toward him, Jeniel was sure that the past would not repeat itself.

“Ehehehe… …. I worked hard, but I lost.”

Ireah, smiling broadly, comes closer to her and stops her. Her white clothes were covered in dust from her rolling on the podium. That makes her Ireah uncharacteristically desolate.

“Still, I don’t think it’s bad if it’s this level of performance. She didn’t listen to her comments that at least she wasn’t good enough this time around. Her father seems to be satisfied, and… ….”

She seemed to be speaking as lively as possible, but Irea’s voice was strangely weak. Perhaps she was resentful that even though Irea had tried so hard, in the end she was defeated.

Her resentment was directed at herself, not at others. Jeniel and Luinel tried their best by his side, but the result was a defeat, which was shameful.

So she had no face with Jenny Earl, who risked her life to save her. The thought formed in her mind that if she had worked harder, if she had tried with less sleep, the result might have been different.

“…… According to my father, there will be no next meeting. He said that after he became an adult, he wouldn’t have to keep fighting like this. Therefore… ….”

I ruined her last meeting. She has given her disappointment to Jennie Earl, who believed in her, saved her, and looked at her.

So her gaze keeps going down and her voice keeps getting smaller. She doesn’t want to appear gloomy, but her emotions are not under her control.

“So… ….”

What can I say? What should she say so that she doesn’t hate Jenny Earl? As she thought about that, Jennie Earl took a step closer to her.

“I am proud of Your Highness.”

The sound of Jenial’s words made Irea raise her head. Jenny Earl looked into her Ireah’s eyes and spoke slowly.

“Your Majesty has shown results beyond your efforts at this royal council. So, the outcome of this royal council is no different from a victory for Her Highness the Princess to me.”

“Ah, ahahahaha. What a joke…….”

I tried to laugh it off and say I didn’t need consolation. But my throat is choked and my voice is not coming out properly.

Her forced smile is distorted and tears begin to form in her eyes. It was because it was the first time I had heard a compliment after the palace deliberation.

Irea always had to listen to criticism after her previous evaluation. Her professors, who taught herself, also criticized her princess for her lack of effort and either left for her prince or asked her to resign.

Even so, Jeniel didn’t blame himself. He was just giving warm words of consolation saying that he had done well.

That little warmth caresses Irea’s tears. A drop of tear dripped down her cheek, shining brightly in the moonlight.

“I-I didn’t do very well…… Professor…… So I…….”

She was ashamed of shedding tears without even realizing it, so she tried to defuse the situation, but nothing came out of her mouth. Jenny Earl, who had been looking at Ireah for a while, spoke to her in a low voice.

“Your Highness. With no eyes to see, she doesn’t have to hide her feelings.”

The tears I had been holding back burst out at Jeniel’s words. It was pitiful to see her sobbing while wiping away the tears with the back of her hand under the moonlit night, so Jennie Earl took a step closer to Ireah and held her in her arms.

As I raise my hand to caress his tender back, his cries grow louder. Ireah, who sobbed to her heart’s content, hugged Jennie Earl and expressed her inexpressible gratitude.

The emotion that blooms from that gratitude was love that the princess of the empire should not have for her teacher. The flower bud of love that had been crouching without being aware of it has bloomed as of today.

Jenial didn’t know that, and thought it was just a childish fool of Her Majesty, who was still young, but Irea’s feelings were more complex and intense.

Like that, the night of the royal peace gradually deepened in the love that the girl realized.