Bibliophile Princess: Volume 5 (eBook)

Yui (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2021
250 Seiten
J-Novel Club (Verlag)
978-1-7183-0862-6 (ISBN)

Infos

Tensions run high at the palace with the arrival of Maldura's delegation. Chris is more aware of their delicate situation than he'd led Eli to believe, but even Sauslind's handsome prince can't anticipate the betrayal of a close ally. Now he doesn't know who he can trust, and the political world is in an upheaval. Allegiances shift as various factions make their move. People Eli and Chris once thought of as friends may now be enemies. Can they sniff out the traitors before it's too late? Or will this nightmare tear them and the entire country apart?

Textauszug

Arc 1: Dreaming of Winter’s End

Chapter 1: The Prince’s Test

It was an overcast day, where only a thin stream of sunlight managed to find its way through the gaps of gray clouds. The blizzard continued without letting up. Those in the palace feared the Malduran delegation would be delayed, but as if purposefully aiming to catch Sauslind off guard, they arrived earlier than anticipated.

Since Maldura’s winters were even more frigid than Sauslind’s, they were all dressed in thick layers. The garments themselves were formal, albeit without mantles attached, but in an apparent display of wealth, they were made from extremely expensive material. Their extravagant appearance made the delegates too intimidating for most normal people to approach.

Ordinarily the palace’s audience chamber was only open for special ceremonies, but this was a unique occasion. The most prominent nobles and ministers—anyone with influence in the kingdom—were gathered inside. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to call these people the backbone of Sauslind’s political power. And yet, these sly old foxes gaped when they laid eyes upon the man representing the Malduran delegation.

The foreign prince stopped at the foot of the stairs leading to the throne, the spot where other nobles ordinarily paid their respects. He moved without an ounce of hesitation. Judging by his appearance, he was in his mid-twenties. The atmosphere around him and his general demeanor were so warm and inviting it was almost a disappointment—completely contrary to people’s impressions of Maldura. He had a lean, wiry frame and slightly curly black hair. Even under the scrutinizing gazes of the Sauslind elite, he looked perfectly relaxed. The smile on his face was ambiguous and difficult to read.

In response to the king’s welcome, the foreign prince gave a fluttering bow. “Likewise, it is an honor to make your acquaintance, King William of Sauslind. I am the second prince of Maldura, Reglisse Carranza, son of King Orzeno.” By Sauslind’s standards, his manners were a bit peculiar. Nonetheless, his gentle expression concealed any tension he might be feeling, and he moved with grace, showing no signs that the crowd’s attention unnerved him. He proudly lifted his head after bowing, his eyelids still shut.

Maldura’s prince was blind.

This revelation stunned the nobles. If I hadn’t been informed beforehand, I might have gawked like they were doing. Instead, I was surveying the people around the prince.

Ian, of the Black Wing Knights, had already informed me of the prince’s disability, but the way Prince Reglisse conducted himself almost made me question whether those eyes really were blind. Pretender or not, the man was dignified enough to silence anyone who might have mocked him for his handicap.

So this is the man slated to be the next king of Maldura, I thought as I scrutinized him, surprised.

The king and queen exchanged some formal conversation with him before Father turned to me. “During your stay here in Sauslind, my son will be the one keeping you entertained. I hope the two of you will be able to form a strong friendship, given that you will both be leading countries in the future. Chris?”

At his prompt, I stepped forward. All the eyes that had been gathered on the foreign prince now focused on me instead. I had an air of royalty about me, I could tell—whether Reglisse could see it or not. I had my family’s characteristic golden blonde hair and sky blue eyes. I was so used to being the center of attention that pride oozed from me, as was only fitting for someone of my position. It was something my mother had drilled into me since I was a child, and it was far too late to change it now.

I knew from experience the effect my presence and appearance had on other people. The other members of the foreign delegation, as well as the nobles from Sauslind, were either overwhelmed by my company or captivated enough to hide any hostility they may have otherwise felt.

A smile spread across my face. “I am Sauslind’s crown prince, Christopher Selkirk Ashelard. Your travels have brought you far. I heartily welcome you to my home. Considering how close we are in age, I hope we can use this opportunity to grow closer to one another.”

Despite his inability to see, Prince Reglisse turned his face directly toward me. Either his hearing was that keen or he had a knack for sensing a person’s presence.

He gave another fluttering bow and introduced himself once more. There was a trace of a smile on the edges of his lips. After stating his name again, he then said, “I hear you’re the pride of Sauslind. You’re even famous in other countries for being noble and wise. There have been rumors of you for quite some time now.” His voice carried a subtle barb that only a few people present reacted to.

I continued smiling, as I always did, and replied, “Yes, well, rumors do tend to take on a life of their own, but I will be careful not to betray people’s good impressions of me. That said, rumors often carry the biases of whoever speaks them. I am more intrigued by what they call you in Maldura: ‘God’s Beloved Prince.’ I’ll be sure to evaluate how accurate that name is with my own eyes.” I glanced over at him, but Prince Reglisse only gave a gentle smile. It was the nobles standing a few steps behind him who seemed taken aback.

Before Sauslind’s higher-ups could break out into whispers, Father uttered some platitudes and drew our formal welcome of the Malduran delegation to a close. Real diplomacy, where veteran aristocrats from both sides would mingle and do their secret maneuvering, was planned for later.

~.~.~.~

One obvious method for diplomacy was to socialize. With that in mind, I invited the Malduran delegation to an evening party. Spring was the real season for such mingling, but even though it was still winter, the special circumstances prompted an even larger turnout than I’d anticipated. Sauslind’s people still had a deep-seated aversion to Maldura—that hadn’t changed—but this was a rare and unusual occasion. People were prioritizing their curiosity over their caution.

I, of course, was the host for the evening’s festivities. I knew most of the nobility were less than fond of Maldura, so to entertain our foreign visitors, I invited a range of people from outside the aristocracy. There were young people who had just reached adulthood, mid-rank civil officials who had their hands deep in national politics, and middle-aged merchants who were the heads of their own companies.

The Malduran delegation was already fitting in well with the other attendees.

“The Epic of Elbara. It’s beloved by the people as a poem depicting the founding of our nation. It’s about as famous as Sauslind’s Hero King,” said Prince Reglisse. Out of concern for his disability, he had a special maid and guards attached to him. He was still unmarried and had made it apparent that he’d yet to settle on an engagement.

The person engaging him in conversation was Lady Anna Hayden, daughter of Earl Hayden. Said earl was also known as the Guardian God of the West, and he oversaw one of our border regions, the Edea Domain. Lady Anna was dressed in evening attire, and her eyes radiated with an inner strength that mirrored her father’s.

“The Epic of Elbara is said to be based on Ryzanity,” she said. “Elbara was the one who established Maldura. In other words, your founding king was a follower of Ryza. That’s why Ryzanity has become the national religion for Maldura, yes?”

Lady Anna displayed an extraordinary level of knowledge of history, which seemed oddly out of place at an evening party. Nonetheless, the man escorting her was no less knowledgeable as he smiled and cut in. “No, that’s not necessarily true. There are two theories about the Epic of Elbara. One is that it originated in the fallen empire, and the other is that it started as a folktale. It’s a bit too narrow-minded to discuss history solely from a religious perspective, Lady Anna.”

The man who refuted her was Elianna’s older brother, Alfred Bernstein. He was also an aide to the prime minister. As was characteristic of the Bernsteins, Alfred didn’t normally take part in social functions like this, but this time, he had gone out of his way to make his presence known. He was here as a sort of stand-in for his absent sister, lest the foreign delegation or the other Sauslind nobles forget her or her determination to establish peace between our nations.

Prince Reglisse smiled warmly. “I heard that Sauslind has a number of scholars who are knowledgeable about other countries and their histories, but I’m surprised you have female civil officials. My country could stand to learn from your example.”

Lady Anna hesitated to respond, embarrassed to be seen as a pioneer of female academics. “Even in Sauslind, there aren’t very many like me. The only reason I was able to obtain this position was thanks to Lady Elianna’s suggestion.”

“Aha.” The prince’s smile broadened. “The crown prince’s fiancée, yes. My country owes her a debt of gratitude as well. I would have loved to meet her. It’s a shame she couldn’t be here.”

Up until this point, I had only listened in on the conversation from the background, exchanging pleasantries with other guests, but Prince Reglisse’s voice was filled with so much emotion it drew my attention. My smile grew even wider hearing my...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 29.10.2021
• Reihe/Serie: Bibliophile Princess
• Reihe/Serie: Bibliophile Princess
• Illustrationen: Satsuki Sheena
• Übersetzer: Alyssa Niioka
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Historische Romane
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• Schlagworte: cute • Light Novel • Medieval • Princess • Romance • royalty • strong female lead
• ISBN-10: 1-7183-0862-0 / 1718308620
• ISBN-13: 978-1-7183-0862-6 / 9781718308626