Princess Teresa

In the hot summer days of June, Ian was changing into the outfit Leni had prepared for him. Unlike before, Ian had grown so tall that Leni now had to look up at him. In contrast, Leni’s height appeared quite short.

Come to think of it, Leni was now in her mid-thirties. The youthful age she’d been when Ian was born was long gone—now she fully looked the part of a seasoned palace maid. As Ian watched her silently, he spoke.

“Leni, don’t you want to get married?”

“Me?”

Leni, straightening Ian’s outfit, looked up at him in surprise. She wondered why he was suddenly asking about marriage. But soon she smiled and said,

“Why would I want to get married? I plan to serve Her Highness the Consort for the rest of my life.”

“Still, don’t you want to? If you’re even a little interested, I could introduce someone.”

“Oh my, from you, Your Highness?”

“I may not know that many people, but I do have connections to introduce a decent husband.”

“No thank you. I’m never getting married. If I did, I’d have to leave Her Highness’s side.”

“But still. Don’t you want to have your own life? Start a family?”

“Thank you for your concern. But my family is here. Well then, I must go see Princess Charlotte now. I’ll be off. Hoho.”

As she left without showing the slightest interest and said she had to go to Ian’s little sister, Ian thought, People of this era really didn’t think freely. Shaking his head, he turned his thoughts to what lay ahead.

‘Another royal dinner today, huh.’

He had to attend the monthly royal dinner, which meant dressing up unnecessarily again. Meeting other royal family members was always uncomfortable. Especially the envy and wariness in their eyes—it was exhausting.

‘Ever since returning from war, I’ve been getting a lot of uneasy stares. At least before, people ignored me and it was peaceful.’

His growing fame brought more and more watchful eyes. Though Ian had no interest in the throne, others couldn’t stop themselves from being cautious. At least no one had acted directly yet. Maybe it was because all he’d done was study and stay low since gaining fame.

‘Honestly, I’d use mental manipulation if I could… but that’s not an option. Too bad.’

It was frustrating that he couldn’t use mental manipulation on large groups. During the war, he had used it once to sway the tide of battle against a crowd—but that was more of a one-time trick that wiped their minds afterward.

‘I can’t control that many minds while keeping them sane.’

Still, he was slowly improving over time. That was a relief. Of course, he had no desire to use that power on the royal family. He only wanted to use it on people who would actually help him.

As he stepped out of his room, Ian realized it was probably time to start talking about independence. He’d been so busy studying and working that he hadn’t thought about it, but now that he was of age, it was time to leave the palace.

‘Housing isn’t urgent.’

He could just stay in the dorms at the academy, or worst case, live in a hotel. Honestly, it was mostly because he didn’t have enough money to buy a house yet. He had investments, so his bank balance wasn’t empty—but it wasn’t enough to buy property either.

‘Good thing I’ve got my medal pension and living allowance. Without that, I’d be broke.’

Being royalty and having received the highest medal—Dimeria—was a blessing. While thinking all this, he stepped outside and waited. Before long, he spotted his mother and little sister approaching. At their sight, he clapped and called out cheerfully.

“Wow!”

“Brother, how do I look?”

“You look beautiful. And of course, Mother looks absolutely stunning as well.”

“Really?”

“Thank you, dear. You always say the sweetest things. Hohoho.”

Both his mother and sister were dressed very extravagantly. As always, Ian wondered why they went through so much trouble just to eat. Everyone dressed up and came to the dining hall in order to show off and not fall behind others.

‘Ever since I gained fame, Mother and Charlotte have had to dress up more too.’

Being too successful was a problem of its own. Anyway, Mother soon suggested they head to the dining room. Being too late would draw attention—while nothing would be said, people disliked it when someone of lower rank arrived after them.

Though Ian wanted to delay as much as possible, he didn’t want to give them an excuse to talk. So they left the concubines’ residence and walked down the still-splendid corridors. When they arrived at the main palace, the royal guards bowed and opened the gates for them.

Their respectful demeanor was surely due to Ian’s fame.

‘I guess I’m used to it now—it doesn’t feel awkward anymore.’

At first, the respectful treatment had felt strange. But after a few times, he had adapted. They said humans were creatures of habit, and it was true. They entered the main palace and headed toward the royal dining room.

“Please, go ahead.”

As expected, the guards at the entrance respectfully opened the door. They stepped inside. The grand hall was spacious, and many people were already present. All the concubines and their children had entered after Ian’s mother.

‘Fifty concubines now, huh.’

Back when he was thirteen, there were thirty. Now, at eighteen, there were already fifty. What stood out was that some of the newer concubines didn’t seem much older than Ian himself.

‘It’s seriously overcrowded now.’

There were already so many concubines, and with children added, the numbers had increased drastically. That’s why they weren’t using the old dining room anymore. This new, larger space had been converted from a small banquet hall.

As they entered, many eyes turned toward them. Quite a few people bowed to Ian’s mother—mainly the newer concubines in the back. She nodded lightly in return, acknowledging the greetings.

‘Mother is getting much more respect these days.’

That, too, was thanks to Ian’s success. Honestly, some of the newer concubines were quite arrogant—backed by the power of their noble families.

‘Still, none of them dare act out openly.’

Just as not everyone can be called a war hero, the title came with immense fame and high standing. In a way, even ten years later, Ian would still be seen as a popular figure. Still, that didn’t mean he could act however he pleased. In some ways, being a war hero was more of an honorary position.

“Have a seat. Charlotte, you too—sit down now.”

Ian pulled out the chairs for his mother and younger sister to sit. His actions drew curious glances from others. A few seemed even envious—after all, none of the other princes ever did something like that. They were all arrogant and full of themselves, so such behavior was unthinkable.

‘Well, I learned this in my previous life, after all.’

No matter how rough he had been, Ian had received some level of education. That was likely what enabled him to behave this way. As he sat down himself, he noticed the Ninth Consort and her son, Prince Dian, seated nearby, and he greeted them.

“Good day.”

“Yes, welcome.”

“Dian, have you been well?”

“Ah, yes. Brother Ian.”

Dian still had a timid demeanor. Ian thought it was fortunate that he hadn’t gone to war. After Ian, no other prince had been sent into battle. If the war had broken out just a year later, Dian would’ve been next.

‘I still feel guilty when I look at him.’

He couldn’t help but feel a bit remorseful. In the past, he’d used telekinesis to deliberately injure Dian. That fall had left a knee scar that Dian still carried. Ian often found himself feeling guilty when he saw him.

Just then, a sharp voice called from another side.

“You’re ignoring me now?”

“Ah, of course not. I was just greeting others. Lady Melissa, have you been well?”

That was Melissa, the Seventh Consort. She had only daughters and was still as irritable as ever. Though she no longer acted as openly dismissive as she once did, she clearly understood her position. Sitting beside her was a woman with bright blue hair—Princess Teresa, Ian’s older sister by one year.

“How have you been, Sister?”

“Who knows. I might be sold off somewhere soon, so it’s hard to say.”

“Teresa, must you speak that way?”

Her mother, Consort Melissa, urged her to quiet down. Princess Teresa turned her head with a pout. From her reaction, it was clear the time had come for her marriage to be arranged. While such arrangements usually happened earlier, the war had delayed things.

‘Even Charlotte might have her partner decided before long.’

She was only eight now, but Ian’s own engagement to Michelle had been arranged early, so who knew when Charlotte’s match might come? But for that to happen, Ian would have to raise his fame again.

‘I’m still in the middle of studying, so that’ll have to wait. Maybe next year I’ll get a chance.’

He felt a bit anxious, but reminded himself he needed to lay the groundwork first. Meanwhile, the flow of people entering the dining room was slowing.

He spotted the Seventh and Eighth Princes—both of whom had been injured due to his actions in the past. Their wounds had healed, but they no longer looked like they once did. Then the Queen entered, followed by the King, and the meal began.

Because of a past assassination incident, no sharp objects were ever allowed in the dining hall. The food was always served directly on the plates. Dishes of every kind were laid out, including a tuna-like fish caught only in the southern seas.

‘As always, the food culture here is incredibly extravagant.’

There was no sense of restraint. But then again, with so much national wealth, it made sense that they could afford to go all-out like this. Still, Ian wondered if this kind of extravagance might become burdensome in the future. Especially since there were already plans to build new battleships after the recent war with the Empire—which would cost an enormous sum.

‘Good thing we’re still receiving reparations from the Nubea Kingdom.’

Though they were being paid in installments, the war reparations from Nubea were helping maintain a financial buffer. Thinking about that, Ian felt lucky. If they hadn’t won that war, things would be a lot more difficult now.

While he was thinking this, his father, the King, raised a wine glass and spoke. It wasn’t anything new. As always, he offered wishes for the peace of the kingdom and stability of the royal family. Ian found it all performative.

‘If he truly wanted peace and stability, he shouldn’t have stirred up conflict in the first place.’

The war with the Doicheun Empire had been triggered by the Kingdom’s unnecessary weapons sales to the Leman Federation. Times like this made Ian think monarchy only worked when the ruler was wise.

The meal continued. Meanwhile, Ian couldn’t help but notice his sister Teresa, sitting beside him, repeatedly filling her wine glass and drinking.

“Teresa. That’s enough.”

“No~ I’m gonna drink. When else would I get to drink like this? This is good stuff too. Way better than what I usually have.”

“Can’t you please stop?”

Consort Melissa, trying not to raise her voice during the formal dinner, looked flustered. Though Teresa drank often, she had never gone this far. Worse still, this was a royal family gathering. Any disruption would be a serious problem.

Others around them had begun casting glances at Teresa. Despite the stares, she continued gulping down wine, clearly already drunk.

‘This is going to be a disaster.’

It had been a while since there’d been a scene at a royal dinner, and Ian sensed one coming. His prediction proved correct. Drunken and unsteady, Princess Teresa suddenly stood up and called out to the King.

“Faddher! I haff… something to sayyy!”

All eyes turned to her at once.