Monster Princess

Chapter 12

Translated by Schwarzel
Edited by Schwarzel

Monster Princess

Episode 12

Perhaps because I was immersed in other thoughts for a long time, I was not immediately aware of the situation.

“First Princess, you are holding a book that can only be read here and cannot be taken out.”

At that time, I heard someone’s polite voice next to me.

“Oh.”

As if waking up from hypnosis, I came to my senses. As he said, I stood at the entrance with a book in my hand that should not be taken out of the library.

When I took a step back, the sound of the barrier stopped. After that, I raised my head.

As clear as the morning dew, the bright-looking boy bowed his head slightly in front of me and greeted me.

“Killian Bernhard meets the First Princess.”

At that moment, the description from the book came to my mind.

Silver hair like white snowflakes and purple eyes like being sucked in… …It’s true.

“Please forgive me for not being able to greet you first because I thought you were immersed in deep thoughts.”

Even at the age of 16, which can still be called a child, the features and body boasting amazing balance and beauty seemed to be a sculpture made by a craftsman with great care and beauty.

Killian Bernhard.

The only successor to the Duke of Bernhard, one of the two pillars currently supporting the empire, along with Delphinium, my mother’s family.

Of course, it wasn’t the first time I saw him.

Killian was the eldest son of the Duke of Bernhard, and for that reason, I had sometimes seen him on some official occasions. He was also one of my fiance candidates mentioned in the imperial family five years ago.

Kylian Bernhard was not only outstanding in appearance but also an outstanding talent in many ways. I heard that he was ordained a knight in the spring of this year.

As a young duke who has been confirmed to lead Bernhard, he has the power, and he has the ability to stick his tongue out*(1) in both magic and swords, so his own abilities were excellent. Even his personality is straight and solid without any corners, so he was a role model for nobilities.

Now I understand. That unusual sparkle belonged to the male protagonist.

‘Well. In 「The Shining World of Princess Judith」, he fell in love with Judith, the female protagonist, and eventually, they got married…’

Judith’s future husband.

I failed to control my facial expression for a moment.

I crumpled my face while looking at Killian without realizing it.

Perhaps it was too blatant, the boy facing me paused for a moment. A question appeared on his beautiful face.

By that time, I also straightened my face and pretended to be innocent.

“No, thank you for your consideration. Then I’m busy, so I’ll get going…”

-Piiii!

When I approached the entrance again after leaving Killian a greeting, the sound rang again at the barrier.

There was still a prohibited book in my hand.

Ah shi…

“You must be really busy.”

“Yeah, I’m a little…”

“Do you want me to return the book instead?”

“No, it’s fine.”

It wasn’t good for Killian to find out what I was reading. So I hurriedly went to the bookshelf, plugged in the book, and came back.

“Then I’m really busy, so I’ll get going.”

After that, I escaped from the library for real this time without even looking at Killian’s face properly.

I thought I heard a burst of light laughter from behind, but I believed it to be an illusion.

* * *

“Marina, go first. I will stop by the greenhouse.”

Even after returning to the Imperial Palace, I still felt very uncomfortable. So, in order to change my mood, I decided to do some of my hobbies after a long time.

*Woof woof woof!*

*Woof woof woof!*

However, on my way to the greenhouse, I heard the sound of an animal barking.

“Wow! Hey, are you scared of this bastard? You’re a coward!”

“Hey, don’t do that, Second Prince…”

“What do you mean don’t do that? What did I do?”

The loud sound suddenly made me feel like I was having a headache.

I looked at the two people and a dog arguing at the entrance of the verdant garden with cool eyes.

“I want to go back to the palace. Please let me pass.”

“Who told you not to go? Go!”

“Come on, can you move the dog to the side…?”

“Hey, why are you doing this to my baby who’s not doing anything? Ricky and I will stay still, so pass by.”

A chubby, grumpy boy with brown hair and green eyes was threatening Judith with a Doberman on a leash.

He was Lloyd, the second prince of the same age as Judith.

It’s so weird…

I didn’t know if she was there before, but after recognizing her once, Judith strangely kept appearing.

“Be quiet.”

I didn’t mean to help Judith, but the noise disturbing my tranquility was annoying.

So I beckoned to the place where the two were.

“Argh!”

A golden wind blew around the vines that had descended from the entrance to the garden.

Prince Lloyd and his baby Doberman looked around embarrassingly, trapped in a cage made by a green vine rising in an instant. Judith also opened her mouth surprisedly.

“Is, is this magical power sister Bella’s?”

I ignored them and passed by.

“Where are you? Where are you? Si, sister! I’m on a leash for a hound dog! I, it’s true sister!”

Second prince Lloyd once broke his leg when he was young while acting up especially rudely at me.

Since then he has been afraid of me. In particular, it may have been that he had been scolded by me for letting my hounds out in the past.

I hurried to the greenhouse before the two finds me and become more bothered.

Fortunately, there has been a peaceful walk since then. The weather was very sunny and the vegetation was green today.

“Kyaaaah!”

But that didn’t last long. It was Chloe who appeared in front of me this time. We met face to face and bumped into each other so I could not avoid her. 

‘What, did everyone catch me today? Why do I see one at every passing road?’

“Si, sister? Your hair…!”

I can’t believe the scream is this loud. Chloe was as good as Marina.

Chloe, who was walking gracefully under the parasol that the maid gave her, wearing the same yellow forsythia dress I was wearing the last time we met, dropped her chin as soon as she saw me.

“What’s going on? What’s wrong with your hair…?!”

She was so surprised that she couldn’t finish a sentence properly.

Looking at the reaction, it seems that she hasn’t heard from others yet.

Anyway, I was too lazy to explain again because I had been asked a lot about my hair. So I just tilted my head and said it in a trivial way.

“I just cut it for a change. You don’t like it?”

“Oh, no. You look so cool…!”

Chloe, who was staring at me for a moment, replied with a shivering shoulder as if she had come to her senses at my question.

But the reaction was not as bad as I thought.

Of course, it’s empty talk, but I thought she’d say something weird.

“Because your hair is shorter, somehow… It seems to resemble the main character in 「The Knight of the Starlight Storm」 that I read a while ago!”

…What’s that?

Is it a book that Chloe has been reading? Well, it doesn’t matter.

“Ah, sister Bella. You know?”

But somehow Chloe, who was hesitating with red cheeks, asked me.

“Did, did you throw away your cut hair?”

“No. Why?”

“Then, can I have your hair?”

“Bye, Chloe.”

“Wait, sister…!”

I heard a desperate call from behind, but I just ignored it and walked. Chloe also knew that she had made a strange request, and she didn’t even beg me while chasing me.

And in the greenhouse I arrived at, I again met someone who might have the most meaning in my life.