Chapter 16
The Emperor was a handsome man with a neat appearance. Though he was middle-aged, aside from the faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, there was little to hint at his age. His platinum blond hair flowing down his forehead shone brilliantly, and the arms visible beneath his clothes were still firm and strong.
Sitting on the throne, the Emperor felt less like a person and more like a marble statue. A perfect sculpture—yet because of that, he didn’t seem alive.
As I drew closer, that feeling only intensified.
“May this night be filled with imperial grace, Your Majesty.”
Rudolf bowed as he greeted him. I bowed beside him. Since I was younger than Rudolf, etiquette dictated that I wasn’t even allowed to open my mouth here.
“The Fifth Prince and the Seventeenth Princess.”
The Emperor responded.
If words had weight, that single sentence would have crushed my shoulders. His voice was that heavy.
“Congratulations on Your Majesty’s forty-third birthday. May you remain the sun of the Empire for all eternity.”
Even Rudolf’s clear voice seemed unable to reach the Emperor.
“I see. Enjoy yourselves and go.”
That was all. We bowed deeply once more, then straightened.
Just before turning away, the Emperor—who had been looking only at Rudolf—shifted his gaze to me. For a brief moment, our eyes met.
The Emperor’s eyes were ash-gray.
Were the eyes of a thousand-year-old statue like this? I couldn’t read anything in them. Like a mirror made of marble reflecting nothing, I wasn’t even sure I was reflected in his gaze at all.
The Emperor seemed interested in nothing.
A strange man.
That was what I thought as we left his presence.
The original novel, The 13th Princess, was a story about the imperial succession struggle of the Esperusa royal family. And yet, the Emperor barely appeared in it.
Was it because he had no interest in his children’s battles?
In Esperusa, it was considered a virtue for the Emperor not to interfere in the succession struggle. Of course, throughout history there had been Emperors who favored certain children, but at least Imelda’s father had remained strictly neutral.
Perhaps Emperor Lucius had become Emperor that way himself.
That thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Emperor Lucius had once been a prince too. The former Emperor had six children in total. Aside from Lucius, none of them survived.
He was someone who had already won the war we were now facing. And not through a peaceful method like the original heroine—but through blood.
Thinking that way, my back prickled for no reason. I resisted the urge to turn around and look at the Emperor one more time.
As soon as the audience ended, people rushed toward us as if they had been waiting.
“On this night filled with imperial grace, we greet the Prince and Princess.”
A middle-aged man in flashy clothes approached first and greeted us. Rudolf responded warmly and exchanged a few light words.
“It’s been a while, Marquis Millen. How was your trip to Delphoa?”
“It was terrible, Your Highness. Wasn’t this spring unusually cold? We thought the flowers would be in bloom, but frost fell instead. We couldn’t even stay a month before returning to the capital.”
“The children must have been disappointed.”
The Marquis thanked him dramatically, then turned his gaze to me.
“So you are the much-talked-about Seventeenth Princess. Pleased to meet you. I am Pierre Millen, Marquis.”
“Nice to meet you, Marquis.”
I thought of a few more polite phrases, but I didn’t add anything beyond that.
No matter what I did, I would stand out anyway. If I did well, I’d be talked about; if I did poorly, I’d be talked about. So I wanted to avoid creating conversation topics altogether.
Today, I planned to just smile prettily beside Rudolf like a doll.
The Marquis looked slightly disappointed as he stepped back. Immediately, someone else slipped in to greet us.
“How long has it been, Prince Rudolf? You’ve truly become a dignified adult.”
“To meet the Fifth Prince and Seventeenth Princess—welcoming the two brightest stars of Bernas tonight makes my body tremble.”
“Greetings, Your Highness! Could the person beside you be the famous Seventeenth Princess?”
“May this night be filled with imperial grace, noble ones. As for myself—”
People of all genders, ages, and outfits kept greeting me. I returned brief greetings, while Rudolf handled the short conversations afterward.
So this is the social world.
The high-society parties I’d read about in romance fantasy novels were glamorous battlefields. Nobles smiled and chatted, exchanged rumors and information, and occasionally embarrassed villains who tried to bully the heroine.
That description wasn’t wrong—but still…
As I gave what felt like my hundredth greeting, I thought:
Why did no one tell me this was intense physical labor?
All I was doing was smiling and responding to greetings. Just that. And yet, the more I did it, the more my stamina drained away.
Standing in one place was tiring enough, but repeatedly smiling and parroting greetings to dozens of people made my head spin.
Memories of handing out campaign greetings like a machine in front of a subway station flashed through my mind.
Back then I was a healthy twenty-year-old. Now I was twelve, not even past puberty yet!
At least the shoes were comfortable. If Rudolf hadn’t enchanted them, my feet would probably be swollen by now.
“I fear I may go blind from the Seventeenth Princess’s beauty. You’re already so lovely—once you grow up, you’ll surely steal many young hearts.”
“Thank you, Baron.”
The number of people approaching us just to make an appearance was overwhelming. Most of what they said was meaningless chatter, but—
“They say the Temple of Radiance is choosing the next High Priest. What do you think will happen?”
“The price of lumber has risen too much. It may not matter to capital nobles, but for us, it’s a matter of our people’s lives.”
“Have you heard the rumors about pirates around Malt? They kidnap ships, and if ransom isn’t paid, they cut off ears—adults and children alike… Oh! My apologies, Princess, for such harsh words.”
Some conversations were worth listening to.
An unusually cold spring, a baron’s family committing suicide over gambling debts, a shocking scandal that the capital’s most popular actor was actually married…
I pretended not to care and memorized everything.
Information was always valuable—especially now, when I had no clear future plan. I didn’t know how I might use it later, so it was better to remember everything I heard.
Though this was my first time at such an event, it wasn’t as if I couldn’t understand the conversations.
Some whispered names and places matched those from the original story. Listening closely, I could roughly guess why and how events three years—or even later—would unfold.
Just as I was starting to enjoy picking out useful information from the flood of chatter—
“Oh my.”
The people surrounding Rudolf and me all looked in the same direction, visibly shaken.
“Are they coming this way?”
“No way, those two are famous for not getting along.”
“Haven’t you heard yet? Princess Lucillia—”
“Shh! They’re coming!”
People hesitated, then suddenly stepped back, creating distance between us. I turned my head toward where everyone was looking.
Reinhardt was walking toward us. Behind him followed his knight and secretary, Luke Saiton.
I understood why people were tense and cautious.
It was widely known that Rudolf and Reinhardt were rivals. Reinhardt, especially, had a fiery temper—he often turned minor issues into major conflicts.
No one wanted to get caught in the crossfire.
I was tense too. I had no idea how Reinhardt would act.
The last time we met was the day I received Rudolf’s birthday invitation. Reinhardt had gotten angry at me, and I’d snapped back, telling him to just kill me if he had a problem.
I’d even lumped him and Rudolf together and criticized them both…
In the weeks since then, had Reinhardt decided I was his enemy? Or did he still think my life belonged to him?
To find out, I had to face him directly.
I almost sighed, but held it in. Instead, I repeated the thought I’d been clinging to all day.
I am twelve years old. I am an innocent, pure twelve-year-old…
If only I’d had a drink.
Thinking that, I called out in a clear voice:
“Brother Reinhardt!”
Every gaze snapped toward me.
The tense atmosphere shattered instantly, replaced by shock, confusion, and curiosity—emotions conveyed through expressions rather than words.
Feeling all of it at once, I ran toward Reinhardt.
Even from afar, I could tell he was startled.
“You’re so late! I was wondering when you’d arrive!”
I grabbed his hand and looked up at him, about to unleash my innocent little sister smile.
“You—”
But the moment I saw his face, I burst into genuine laughter.
Reinhardt’s expression was priceless. He’d been furious after seeing Rudolf, but when I suddenly rushed over, he froze—unable even to pull his hand away.
He kept staring at me, as if he couldn’t believe his eyes—probably shocked by my dress. To be fair, I’d looked like a total beggar when we first met.
In short, a whole panorama of mixed emotions played across Reinhardt’s face.
Still smiling, I said,
“Brother, you look amazing today!”
That was completely sincere.
Unlike Rudolf, who was dressed head-to-toe in white like a priest, Reinhardt looked like he was shouting I am a prince! with his entire body.
His black outfit was embroidered with gold thread, rubies set in gold decorated his collar, and the cloak wrapped around him to ward off the cold was a vivid red—just like his eyes.
It was almost excessively flashy, but his equally striking face somehow made it work.
He’d be perfect as a tyrant on a romance fantasy cover. Seriously—his face was unfairly pretty.
“Hah.”
Reinhardt laughed in disbelief, then crouched slightly to meet my eye level.
The moment I saw his expression, I was certain.
Reinhardt didn’t see me as an enemy. The red eyes looking at me held concern—not anger.
That realization eased me greatly. Seeing him worry about me even after we’d fought made me feel awkward too.
Still crouched, Reinhardt examined me carefully for a while, then finally looked into my eyes.
His eyes curved slightly.
“You’re really pretty too. I almost didn’t recognize you.”
