Chapter 90: Princess

Having been awarded the title by the emperor and even receiving an apology from the nobles who had tormented Noah, we were guided to a room in the Imperial Palace.  

As I followed the court maid, Noah suddenly grabbed my waist and pulled me close.  

“… Ian.”  

“Yes?”  

“Thank you.”  

Noah suddenly started crying. Her sorrow was so overwhelming that I felt tears welling up as well.  

Fortunately, she held back from sobbing too loudly. She seemed to understand that openly crying in the Imperial Palace would draw unwanted attention.  

“Hey, my Noah. Don’t cry.”  

I quickly crouched down and wiped away her tears, trying to soothe her. The maid stopped and waited for us.  

Seeing this, I gently embraced Noah and patted her back with a soft “tuk-tuk.” It was a method usually used to comfort newborns, but surprisingly, it worked like a charm for Noah as well.  

“Ugh, sorry… I’m not—hic! But the tears just won’t stop… .”  

“It’s okay. You can cry as much as you need. Just… maybe not here.”  

I signaled the maid to continue walking. Understanding my intent, she picked up the pace, guiding us to our rooms 1.5 times faster than before. Once we arrived, she quickly handed me the key and disappeared.  

Our rooms were across from each other, but before anything else, I took Noah into her room to help her calm down.  

‘It’s huge.’  

As expected of a room meant for entertaining royal guests, the space was overwhelmingly large. It was so vast that I doubted any sound would leak out, no matter how loud we were.  

“Alright, Noah. You can cry all you want here.”  

“Ugh, uh-huh—! Aaah!”  

The moment I gave her permission, Noah, who had been holding back, buried herself in my arms and burst into tears.  

I gently stroked her back, unconcerned about my clothes getting wet. When she eventually grew too exhausted to stand, I scooped her up and carried her to the bed.  

Sitting on the magically soft mattress, I held her in my arms, silently offering comfort.  

“… It must’ve been really hard, huh?”  

“I was scared—hic! And Ian just kept saying everything was fine!”  

“… Oh. Was that my fault?”  

“Hic! Ian isn’t wrong!”  

It was difficult to figure out how to console her. After a while, when she finally cried herself to sleep, I carefully laid her down and left the room.  

‘… Will she be okay?’  

I worried that she might feel uneasy without me there, but she wasn’t a child. She would be fine.  

While taking care of Noah was important, there was something else I needed to do.  

Back in my room, I immediately rang the bell hanging from the ceiling.  

A short while later, a maid hurriedly knocked on the door.  

“Did you call for me?”  

“I’m hungry.”  

“Shall I prepare a meal for you?”  

“Please. A lot of it.”  

“Yes, understood.”  

The maid bowed and left. I waited for the food to arrive.  

Not long after, there was another knock at the door.  

‘Already?’  

Feeling that everything in the Imperial Palace moved at a breakneck pace, I opened the door—only to find a woman with radiant golden hair standing there.  

She looked at me and murmured,  

“We finally meet.”  

“… Who are you?”  

“You don’t know me? Really?”  

She sounded genuinely shocked, as if my lack of recognition was inconceivable. Then, after a moment of hesitation, she awkwardly lifted the hem of her dress in a formal greeting, though it was clear she hadn’t done it in a long time.  

“Nice to meet you. I am the second heir to the empire, the princess. Ivenoah Friedrich.”  

“… Princess?”  

“Yes, I’m a princess.”  

After introducing herself, Ivenoah studied me, as if expecting a reaction.  

Awkwardly, I introduced myself in return.  

“… It is an honor to meet the flower of the empire. I am Marquis Ian Clark.”  

“You’re a marquis?!”  

She gasped in surprise, muttering to herself as if the news was earth-shattering.  

This woman was… unusual.  

*** 

If I had to describe Princess Ivenoah Friedrich in one sentence—  

She was someone who lived entirely in her own world.  

‘… What is she doing here, barging in like this?’  

Even though she was the princess and the second heir, she wouldn’t inherit the throne unless the crown prince above her perished.  

Unlike Earth, where power could be seized through political maneuvering, in this world, authority was determined by strength, and strength naturally attracted influence. As a result, conflicts between royal siblings rarely occurred.  

Moreover, if a precious Summoner were to die in an accident, it would be a significant loss—not only for their family but for the entire human race.  

Because of that, younger royal siblings were treasured by both their fathers and older brothers, regardless of succession rights.  

“Are you uncomfortable in any way?”  

“… Not really.”  

There were plenty of things that were uncomfortable, but saying so outright would be reckless. No matter how bold I was, I had no intention of making an enemy of the Imperial Family.  

The royal family wielded the greatest power in the human world. Though I had received a title, I knew I would inevitably face scrutiny in the future. There was no reason to provoke their ire.  

“You don’t seem very comfortable.”  

“… I’m just hungry.”  

“Oh, have you not eaten yet?”  

“No. I just got back from my mission.”  

“My apologies.”  

Saying that, Ivenoah stood from the bed where she had been sitting.  

I assumed she was finally leaving—but instead, she strode straight to the door and vigorously rang the maid’s bell.  

Whether it was magic or not, I waved the silent bell, and before long, the maid arrived with a straw.  

“You called… Whoa, Your Majesty the Princess? What’s going on…?”  

“Look, order your meal quickly.”  

“Y-yes! I’ll bring it right away!”  

***

[Third Person POV]

At the princess’s command, the maid hurriedly ran off and soon returned with a cart laden with food.  

Considering the time, the order Ian gave earlier should have just finished. But given the timing, it almost seemed as if the princess had ordered the meal in advance and had it delivered immediately.  

The princess must have been thinking the same thing because she pointed at the food with a triumphant expression.  

“Come on, don’t hesitate. Eat.”  

Ian hesitated for a moment, looking at her smiling face, then offered a silent apology and started eating.  

The only thing he had eaten in the past eleven hours was a rice ball—emergency rations at best. His dizziness was getting worse.  

“You there.”  

“Yes? Please speak.”  

“No, not you. You…”  

“…Erm, yes please speak.”  

“This probably won’t be enough. Bring more, in the same amount.”  

“Yes, I understand.”  

Ian placed another order with the maid before resuming his meal.  

As an aristocrat, it wasn’t easy to eat neatly while consuming so much food. But he couldn’t afford to worry about etiquette in front of the princess.  

It was only after he had eaten quite a bit that he realized the princess had gone unusually quiet. Sensing something odd, he looked up to find her staring at him with a slightly shocked expression, her eyes trembling.  

“…What are you looking at?”  

“—I didn’t hear that wrong, did I?”  

“What?”  

At that moment, as Ian chewed on his meat, he realized his mistake.  

His eyes widened, his fork paused mid-air, and he blinked in disbelief.  

The person sitting across from him wasn’t just a noble or a maid. She was the empire’s flower, one of only two direct descendants of the emperor.  

More than that, she was a princess, beloved by both the emperor and the crown prince.  

‘What did I just say?’  

Ian replayed his words in his mind.  

[No, not you. You…]  

Only then did he understand why the maid had stiffened at his remark.  

He had just spoken so casually—no, rudely—to the princess, right in front of a maid who served the imperial family.  

‘I’m screwed.’  

Ian set down his fork and knife, wiping his lips with a napkin as he frantically thought of what to say.  

Was this salvageable?  

Would anyone believe it was just a slip of the tongue?  

If he were accused of disrespecting the royal family, he could be tortured and forced to hand over his summon. That punishment would be carried out immediately within the capital.  

‘What do I do?’  

While Ian was deep in thought, the princess, who had been staring at him, suddenly moved closer.  

“It’s my first time!”  

“…What?”  

“It’s the first time someone has ever said that to me!”  

Ivenoah clutched her forehead as if she couldn’t believe what had just happened and fell into her own world.  

“Now, I’ll feel an unexpected attraction toward you, and in the end, I’ll pledge my eternal love!”  

“…What? No, hold on.”  

“But our love will be doomed from the start due to our parents’ opposition, and social standing! Ugh, but with the power of true love, we’ll overcome even that—!”  

“Hey, what are you talking about?”  

Ian’s voice turned low and stiff as he called her “you” again.  

Hearing that tone, Ivenoah’s heart pounded.  

She froze for a moment, trembled slightly, then looked at Ian with wide eyes before suddenly grabbing her cheeks.  

“Ah—! That tone, that expression… How could it be so…?”  

She gazed at him with flushed cheeks, as if a long-held fantasy had just come to life.  

“Yes… It must be terrifying to be with a princess. But don’t worry. I’ll do my best to convince my father…!”  

“…Have you been reading some strange, delusional books?”  

“It’s not a delusional book!”  

The princess, clearly offended, stepped toward him.  

“Don’t belittle the Villainous Princess!”  

“No, that’s absolutely a delusional book…”  

Were all the female cadets in the Academy living in a fantasy?  

Not long ago, a book about “b0y love” had become a bestseller. Was the princess reading something equally ridiculous?  

Ian stared at her, feeling an ominous sense about the Academy’s future.  

Realizing how close she had gotten to him, Ivenoah let out a small sound, took a step back, and cleared her throat.  

“Hmph. Anyway, you’re the first person I’ve ever had a real conversation with.”  

“…Your Majesty the Emperor or His Majesty the Crown Prince must have spoken with you.”  

“Family doesn’t count!”  

This was like something straight out of a novel.  

And, just like in those stories, the princess believed Ian had to take responsibility… for ‘taking her first time.’  

“Will you take responsibility for taking my first?”  

Clang!  

“…What?”  

The sound of a dish breaking echoed from outside.  

The princess tilted her head and looked toward the door.  

Through the slightly ajar entrance, the maid peeked in, her entire body trembling.  

“…Your Majesty the Princess? Did I just hear that wrong?”  

“Oh.”  

Ivenoah let out an awkward chuckle, unable to answer.