Ninym smiled. Somewhere along the way, her words had grown more passionate.

“But no matter the number of wives or children…he only has one heart. Just as there’s one moon and one sun. And until the day his long journey comes to an end, only I may ever fill that position.”

“…I don’t think I get it.” Falanya’s brows creased in confusion.

Her reaction brought Ninym, who let out a small cough, back to her senses.

“W-well, just think of it this way: Marriage isn’t the end goal for all relationships with the opposite sex. Now, let’s retire to your room for the day.”

Upon forcibly changing the subject, Ninym hastened her pace as she shooed Falanya along.

And so, the day of the Imperial Princess’s arrival drew closer.

In the Kingdom of Natra, the short autumn season was drawing to a close, and it was already beginning to snow. Within a month, the townspeople would become used to seeing a world of silver outside.

“All right, I’ll explain one more time.”

Ninym was speaking next to Wein as he stared out at the landscape slowly getting coated with snow.

“The Imperial Princess Lowellmina Earthworld. The second daughter of the late Emperor. She’s the youngest of his five children: three princes and two princesses. According to official documents, she’s the same age as us. On the day-to-day, she shuts herself in the palace, and she’s seldom seen by others. There are more than a few vassals who’ve never seen her, but it’s said that she’s a peerless beauty who charms gentlemen whenever she makes a rare appearance at a soiree.”

“She sounds more fairy than human.”

“Agreed. But with several nobles enamored by her, it’s clear she’s no fantasy or mirage. A few of her most well-known suitors include the sons of Count Lubid and Marquis Antgadull.”

“Geez, both are basically prodigal sons—stubborn and uncompromising to the point that we’ve even heard the rumors about them in Natra. The princess must have her hands full dealing with those suitors… Ninym, I told you these clothes would be too stuffy.”

“Bear with it. You’re welcoming Imperial royalty. You have to look the part.”

Wein fiddled with the collar of his formal outfit. As Ninym had said, it was all in preparation for the arrival of the Imperial Princess later that day.

“Well, as for the three princes vying for the throne…I did some digging and found she’s distanced herself from the political chaos. And they’re scrambling to do damage control, since this arrangement apparently caught them by surprise,” she continued.

“Which means this wasn’t planned by one of the sons. The proposal is getting more suspicious by the minute… Didn’t any of the factions try to stop her?”

“I think they were planning on it, but the only one with the authority to stop her is the Emperor. Now that the throne is empty, there’s only so much they can do.”

“So nobody could stop the princess from leaving. Which brings us to today.”

“They pushed to expediate this process under the pretext of reaching Natra before winter sets in, but I’m guessing her true motivation is to get here before one of the princes becomes Emperor and ends the feud. She won’t be able to make decisions for herself when that happens.”

“Which means this is her only shot, whatever her aim. You know, I wouldn’t have guessed the Empire would be in shambles for this long…”

It’d been six months since the Emperor had passed away, and there was still no ruler to take his place, which even caught Wein by surprise—and he was a foreigner. He couldn’t imagine how worried and impatient those in the Empire were feeling about this whole ordeal.

“The factions have become more hostile toward each other. And their individual provinces are divided in their chosen candidates for the throne, too.”

“It’s been going around that each faction is starting to stockpile weapons, right?”

“Yes. At this rate, they’re en route to civil war. If one of the princes withdraws and unites with another, this would be settled in a flash, but it’d be hard for any of them to back down with the throne dangling in front of them.”

“I mean, if there’s someone else who can get the job done, I’d rather have them do it.”

“You’re the only one who thinks that way, Wein.”

He shrugged his shoulders as if to say You’ve got me there.

“Anyway, I guess unrest in the Empire is here to stay…” Wein complained before letting out a wry chuckle.

Ninym cocked her head to the side quizzically. “What?”

“Just thinking that those guys must be having a hard time.”

“By that, you mean…”

“The three from the military academy.”

Ah. Ninym understood immediately.

Back when the duo studied in the Empire for two years, Wein had lied about his identity to enter the military academy. He’d dropped out of school right before graduation, after the Natra king had fallen ill, but unsurprisingly, he was well-liked, particularly by three people.

Their names were Glen, Strang, and Lowa.

“If all went according to their respective plans, I bet Glen is in the Imperial troops by now. And Strang must have returned to his hometown in the provinces to work as a bureaucrat…which means they both must feel uneasy about the struggle for the throne.”

“And what about Lowa?” Wein asked.

“I’d like to say she’s probably secured her position as something, since she’s as an aristocrat…but her family are low-ranking nobles from the countryside. She told me she’d return home after graduation. Out of the three, she’s the most removed from this whole ordeal.” Ninym giggled. “What if she’s tossed the turmoil aside and is fumbling around with the subject of marriage, just like you?”

“Someone coming to Lowa to ask for her hand in marriage? Point me to a guy who would want that nuisance for a wife. Any guy.”

“I mean, she was popular at school. She’s beautiful. Plus, she did a great job hiding her true personality. Well, no one really went near her since she was associated with us—troublemakers.”

“And now that we’re not there to shield her from the world, I’m sure guys are falling for her left and right. It’s their own fault for being a poor judge of character, but oh boy, my condolences to the guy who ends up married to her.”

Ninym sighed. “There you go, gossiping again… What if I told you I thought she and you had a lot in common?”

“Us? Seriously? How?”

“I mean, you’re both good at acting innocent. You put yourselves first and aggressively go after your goals. You get others wrapped up in your business, plus—”

“Hold it. You think I’m a cocky jerk who feigns innocence and drags people into my problems?”

“Yeah, and what of it?”

“But that’s… Oh…” Wein replayed his past actions in his head, and “…not true” was left unsaid.

A knock came at the office door, and a palace official walked in.

“Your Highness, the envoy for Her Imperial Highness has arrived.”

Wein and Ninym met each other’s gaze.

“It begins.”

“Yes. Let us set off, Your Highness.”

Accompanied by Ninym, Wein headed out of the room. Their destination? The front entrance of the palace. If they listened closely, they could hear distant chatter.

The two arrived at last. In the reception hall, an unfamiliar group was lined up in the large space. The Imperial delegation.

And standing front and center was a girl in a dress and a veil that concealed her visage.

“—Thank you for coming all this way. Welcome to the Kingdom of Natra,” greeted Wein, stepping inside the grand hall.

Everyone in the room turned in his direction.

The envoy examined him with a look of caution and appraisal. There were a handful in the audience that derided him as inexperienced. Their collective gazes were enough to pierce through Wein.

Well, any normal person would lose their composure, but he brushed off their glares as if they were nothing more than a gentle breeze. He sauntered forward until he was right in front of the girl.

“In the stead of my ill father, I offer you the warmest of greetings. I am the prince regent, Wein Salema Arbalest.”

“…I am Lowellmina Earthworld,” she responded in a dignified voice. One might call the tone silvery.

Even the officials observing them with bated breath let out an involuntary sigh of wonder.

……Hmm?

Meanwhile, Wein had a completely different reaction upon hearing her voice. There was no mistaking it was lovely. But that aside, it felt as if he’d heard it somewhere else before.

“Is something the matter, Prince Wein?”

“Ah, no. Pardon me. Your voice is so lovely that it almost captured my heart… But it feels strangely familiar. Have we met before?”

Wein was drawing on every memory, trying to think of a time when they could have met, and he came back empty. Which meant it was all a mistake, and she’d correct him…or that’s what should have happened.

“—Oh my. You caught on fast.”

“Huh?” he croaked out pathetically.

The princess slipped her veil up, fully revealing her face.

It was one that Wein had seen before—along with Ninym, who was standing behind him.

“It’s been a while, Wein,” she whispered for his ears only.

And then Lowellmina Earthworld, who was also known as Lowa Felbis, grinned at him.