I Became the Teacher of the Imperial Family’s Bastard

012. Sacrificial Princess (3)

The blood of nobles is blue.

This does not mean that they are a different species from ordinary humans.

It simply means that their blood is so cold that it freezes blue, indicating their need for rational and logical thinking.

This was the perspective of the story.

‘Malignant stock.’

This little runt, Aria Orteair, was a malignant stock that was difficult to handle.

Despite inheriting the emperor’s blood, half of it was that of a commoner, so she had no legitimacy.

Yet, she was still a member of the royal family.

A person who must be respected despite having an unrespectable birth.

A person who must be treated according to the duties of nobility.

Therefore, what she had to do to be treated as such was also determined.

‘Marriage.’

Fulfilling her duty as a member of the royal family.

For Aria, whose commoner blood prevented her from stepping into the political arena, that duty was marriage.

This is where the reason for her being malignant stock comes in.

The noble families do not want Aria.

Because they are obsessed with legitimacy.

Especially the nobles of count rank or higher, who are considered potential marriage partners for the royal family, are extreme in this regard.

They do not want anything lowly to mix with their blood.

So, who would Aria marry to fulfill her duty?

A humble noble family of viscount rank or lower, or commoners deemed wealthy merchants.

They were outsiders who wanted to be incorporated into the central political and noble society.

This becomes a problem.

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Aria is, after all, of royal blood.

That means those humble humans will inevitably get entangled and swept into the central political scene.

Who would be willing to endure such a thing?

Only those mad for power.

‘Historically, they were troublemakers. Those people.’

How many troubles had such people caused in the history of Orteare?

There were many famous names that even I knew.

Anyway, to summarize, it is like this.

It is never a good picture for a member of the royal family to grow old and die in the palace without marrying.

But if we somehow manage to marry them off, the ones suitable for marriage have historically been troublemakers.

Aria, by her mere existence, created such a dilemma.

From the crown prince’s perspective, she was a being who caused chaos in the reign just by existing.

Also, she was a living proof of the emperor’s infidelity.

So, perhaps I understood why it couldn’t be loved.

‘Still…’

I hoped it wasn’t.

If it weren’t for the empire’s calamity, I thought I could live like others, at least with peace of mind.

It was optimism.

I couldn’t help but pity Aria.

I hoped this time would be different.

While lost in thought, the crown prince asked.

“How did you come to be here together?”

I quietly looked at the prince’s face.

Does he dislike it?

‘No.’

There was no such sign.

But it didn’t seem like he liked it either.

Just one thing, indifference.

That was all that was on his face.

I answered.

“I met her on the way. It was the first time I wandered the palace alone, so I received guidance.”

Aria snapped her head up and looked at me.

Well, what now.

Even if it’s a lie, I have to say it to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

“Hmm…”

The Crown Prince let out a brief sigh and then nodded.

“Understood. The Third Princess may withdraw. You’ve done well guiding us here.”

A cold command.

Yet, words of praise.

That was the moment they came from the Crown Prince’s lips.

Fwoosh!

Suddenly, Aria’s eyes widened, and she formed a bright smile.

Then, in a clear, loud voice, she spoke.

“Yes… Yes! Your grace is immeasurable! Brother, Your Highness!”

Immeasurable grace. Brother.

The words were strange, to say the least.

Aria seemed genuinely delighted by that cold praise.

How could she be so?

It was oddly unsettling.

At that moment, Aria’s gaze turned towards me.

“Next time, don’t get lost!”

She laughed, making me out to be someone with no sense of direction.

Well, I sowed the seeds, so what can I do?

“…Yes, I will obey.”

I bowed my head deeply.

Aria quickly left the place with the prince’s servants.

“Well, then it’s roughly settled. Thank you for coming.”

“It wasn’t hard since I was guided here.” “Did you really lose your way?”

The prince asked.

Without looking at me, he watched Aria disappearing into the distance.

I also took my eyes off the prince.

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“…Yes, let’s leave it at that.”

The prince’s expression rarely softened.

But he didn’t continue the conversation.

“Then let’s start our talk.”

After that, there was no more mention of Aria.

* * *

The prince’s swordsmanship training is nominal.

Both sides were aware of this fact from the moment I accepted this position.

The prince wants to use me as his advisor.

I long to grasp the glory of Pharos, the mentor of the imperial family.

This was agreed upon in advance.

Thus, on this first day of class, what we did was not swordsmanship, but a discussion about future matters.

I knew this, yet for some reason, the Crown Prince asked me about the sword.

It didn’t last long.

There were too many matters to decide within the time.

“Your appointment is set for the grand banquet in ten days. For that occasion, we should discuss the current power structure a bit. As you know… the situation here changes so quickly. I’ll inform you of the matters you need to be aware of.”

My official appointment is at the grand banquet, held twice a year, directly overseen by the imperial family.

Though the grand banquet is merely larger than other noble gatherings, with the Emperor personally delivering recommendations for the half-year… it was still a fitting occasion to appoint the Crown Prince’s mentor and announce Pharos’s involvement.

The discussion went on for a long time, and thus, the time allocated for the busy Crown Prince’s education ended.

“Hmm, I wanted to hear some advice on swordsmanship as well. Especially about the sword technique you use…”

“How can you try to run without even walking? That is too early for Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince was taken aback.

Regardless, the truth is the truth.

Swordsmanship is an art that requires an understanding of the sword beyond that of a Sword Master to be utilized.

For the Crown Prince, who is still growing, training without proper understanding would only ruin the sword.

For now, I plan to only correct his posture and teach practical tips.

The class ended like that, and I walked out of the palace.

It was then.

I saw Aria.

“…What are you doing there?”

The garden on the path to the entrance of the imperial castle.

Aria was hiding behind a tree, staring at me with bright, curious eyes.

Suddenly, I remembered what had just happened.

I also thought about the future.

Indeed, a pitiful human.

That was the only thought that came to mind.

For someone whose future is not bright, even this moment, which should be the happiest memory, is shunned by everything in the imperial family.

I was feeling quite suffocated.

In the meantime, Aria exclaimed.

“The villain is really perceptive!”

“If you stare so openly, even a fool would know. And my name is not ‘villain,’ it’s Yuren. Yuren Pharos.”

“Mm! Pharos!”

That’s a surname… well, whatever.

The timid appearance in front of the crown prince was gone, and she was lively again, truly like a child.

As I approached, Aria smiled bashfully and said.

“I came to thank you! Aria is a princess who knows gratitude!”

“Hmm?”

“Didn’t you protect Aria! Brother is very busy with the prince’s affairs, but thanks to you, he didn’t get angry and even praised Aria!”

She shrugged her shoulders.

Ah, she must be talking about the lie I covered up for her.

“Well, it’s true that we came together.”

“Pharos! But when people receive help, they must express gratitude!”

Aria bowed her head.

“Thank you…”

“Royals should not bow their heads so easily.”

He pushed her forehead up, straightening Aria’s posture again.

Aria was still beaming.

Then, she suddenly said,

“As a token of my gratitude, I’ll share a secret with you!”

“Oh?”

What could it be, an incident in the royal family?

Or perhaps information about another noble?

I thought that this little girl, who was running around, might have overheard some stories from the palace.

After all, isn’t the palace a place where even the emperor’s s*xual preferences are rumored?

With the appointment ceremony ten days away, it might not be bad to know.

Thinking so, I listened closely…

“In fact, Aria is cotton candy…!”

“?”

“Aria is the princess of the Cotton Candy Kingdom! Aria has infiltrated the palace on a special mission… This is top secret, only Pharos and Alin know!”

With a serious face, as if there wasn’t a single lie, she spouted nonsense.

I realized something.

‘Ah, this kid is still just a child.’

A sigh escapes.

As much as there was anticipation, there’s a feeling of something deflating.

But does this little one have no sense?

The mouth doesn’t rest.

“Princess Cotton Candy tastes like a mix of strawberry and chocolate! Strawberry and chocolate are the best fruits, but this is so sweet that only noble people can taste it! So the very noble and delicious Aria must hide her identity! Otherwise, the villains will take over the Cotton Candy Kingdom!”

Shh! Shh!

Making snake-like sounds with her mouth, Aria continued excitedly.

I closed my eyes gently.

‘A child’s make-believe play.’

Yes, everyone has had a time of innocence.

Didn’t I have such a time too?

‘My childhood dream was to be a fountain.’

Unfortunately, I couldn’t become a real fountain.

But I did become an adult who bursts fountains with champagne towers.

Isn’t that achieving half of my dream?

Anyway,

“Aria must find the legendary cotton candy and become the most delicious cotton candy! The legendary cotton candy is in the treasure vault of the royal palace…!”

“Yes, yes, is that so.”

I interrupted Aria’s words.

The secret of the Cotton Candy Kingdom can wait until later.

For now, it’s a relief that the gloomy fellow is smiling.

The future is bleak, but among the worst and the lesser evil, it’s the lesser evil.

Even that part still weighs on my mind,

‘At that time…’

I can help.

For the sake of past loyalty.

But now is not the time.

Politics is a game where the deeper you get involved, the more trouble and danger you invite.

There’s no need to stir up a hornet’s nest for no reason.

“I’m busy, so I’ll take my leave.”

I had to inform my sister about the appointment ceremony.

Just as I thought that and stood up,

Thud!

Aria grabbed my trouser leg.

She looked like she had something to say, her lips quivering as she crouched again.

“What is it?”

Even when I asked, the answer didn’t come immediately.

I waited quietly.

It seemed like something I needed to hear.

The story I heard went like this,

“Oh, is Brother busy…?”

As expected, it was the same.

At this moment, I discovered one of this kid’s bad habits.

When revealing her true feelings, she would laugh foolishly and lower her head.

I know this look.

In the future, Aria would always lower her head and smile bitterly when she had to reveal her true feelings.

“…Yes, he is a bit busy.”

Another sigh escaped.

My steps wouldn’t move, so I squatted down beside her again.

Isn’t it just pitiful?

In the entire palace that disapproved of her, the only person who treated her officially was the Crown Prince.

That’s why she clung to that man.

“Uh, uh-huh…! He’s busy…!”

Her lips pouted.

This is different from the future.

That woman didn’t express her dissatisfaction through her expressions.

Not until the very last moment.

Suddenly, the Crown Prince felt like a b*stard.

Regardless of his position or excuses, in the end, what did he do in the future?

It was regret.

The Crown Prince knew it in his head too.

That this little kid had done nothing wrong.

As a monarch, and also as a soldier, the Crown Prince was perfect.

But like any great sage king, he was a man who was disastrously bad at managing his personal life, from lovers to family.

It was meddling.

Even so, he thought, he hoped this unfortunate child wouldn’t get hurt by relying on such a person.

“…Now that I think about it.”

“Hmm?”

“Your Highness, you really are a villain. You pretend to be busy too much.”

It was at that moment.

“Ah, no! Take back those words!”

Aria, who had jumped up, said with her eyes tightly closed.

“Brother, Your Highness is a hero, a cotton candy hero!”

My brow furrowed.

* * *

In the evening at the Palace of Dawn, two meals are brought in.

One was for Callios, the master of the palace, and the other was for his greatest ally, Erilda.

“There’s a lot of talk about the appointment ceremony. It’s about his swordsmanship skills… Since it’s not confirmed, no one speaks of its credibility, but his private life is problematic.”

Erylda repeatedly expressed her dissatisfaction.

“I’ll follow your decision. But from now on, you must restrain Yuren Pharos’s actions. Taking a scoundrel as a mentor… No matter how much of a Pharos he is, no matter the legitimacy, the perception won’t be good. Especially for this appointment ceremony…”

The meal was already forgotten, and only worries about the appointment ceremony spilled from Erylda’s mouth.

Kallios listened to her words with one ear and let them out the other.

It wasn’t that he didn’t consider her words important, but there was something more concerning.

“…Kallios. Are you listening to me?”

“Ah, sorry.”

Kallios recalled the events of the day.

-Are you really lost?

-I don’t understand what you mean.

-…Fine, let’s leave it at that.

Yuren had lied to him.

Kallios knew.

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Yuren didn’t need guidance to navigate the palace.

Considering the past few times he had entered the palace, he had clearly acted as if he was familiar with the unguided parts.

Yet he lied about being lost.

Moreover, his actions always had an intention.

So, he had to think about it.

‘Why did he do that?’

So, did he show the Third Princess before him?

Kallios’s brow furrowed.

Then he asked Erilda.

“Erilda. How is the Third Princess these days?”

“Hmm? There? Same as usual. Those aiming for her send gifts and letters to the palace… How many are there aiming for the central political scene? They’re already competing among themselves.”

It was truly laughable.

Love letters and gifts to a mere six-year-old child.

This behavior of fighting over it.

‘Do you want me to help? Is that what you’re saying?’

No.

The situation would turn strange if he got involved in that fight.

It wasn’t that he had any personal grudge against Aria, but it was for external reasons.

If rumors spread that she was close to him, that fight would escalate further.

Such is the position of the Crown Prince.

Intervention would make the fight surrounding the Third Princess irreversible.

Indifference is the answer.

He recalled that thought once more.

‘……’

Kallios felt deeply uncomfortable.

He remembered Aria’s timid expression.

He asked himself inwardly.

“Do you think my choice was wrong this time too?”

The confusion deepened.

End

ⓒ papapa.

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