Chapter Text
The Just Princess and the Foul Witch
Chapter 1: Tea and Ladybugs
“Princess, remember! You only got half an hour before your tutor arrives!” My personal maid and assistant, Ecclesia, shouted worriedly at me, but I had stopped paying attention before she even started, running excitedly into the royal garden.
It had been months since I got to play in the garden!
Since I contracted that weird disease that turned my lungs on fire, I have been bedridden and surrounded by boring adults all day. Even the pain became boring after three months, and when I started getting better, and it stopped hurting, it was just boring.
They didn’t even let me study or see my brothers and sisters!
Who cares if now my chest is always on fire?! That blue flame is pretty and doesn’t hurt, so why was I imprisoned in my room because of it?!
Well, now that I’m free, they’ll pay for it by having to find me in the Royal Gardens! I’ll hide so well that they’ll never find me!
With my objective set firmly in my mind, I ran through the perfectly cut grass and beautiful bushes and flowerbeds of the garden. My scarlet hair flew behind me alongside the layers of my dress, the soft and slightly chilly wind feeling like heaven after being locked up for so long. Even my flame felt good in the morning air.
Hehehehe, I had forgotten how good everything felt! I can’t wait to play here with big s- “…Uh?”
I stopped in place as my eyes fell on an unknown figure. It wasn’t one of the guards, nor one of the maids. It couldn’t have been any of the workers, since it was a kid, just like me. But I didn’t know her. The only kids at the palace should be my siblings and me, so…
“Who are you?” I approached the girl, taking a good look at her.
She was crouching down in front of the bushes, as if hiding, so I couldn’t tell how big she was, but she must have been around my age. She had straight black hair that reached just below her neck, and was wearing a short black and wait dress with enough frills and layers to not look cheap but not enough to scream royalty.
“Wha-?!” The girl, startled, fell backwards into the grass. “Ah, it flew away!”
“Flew away? What…?” Looking at where she was looking, I noticed a ladybug passing by me, coming from where she was a moment ago. And with her on the ground, I could see what she was holding. In her hands, there was a pencil and an open book with a half-finished drawing of a ladybug, surrounded by many small notes. Between her legs there was another book, but while that one also depicted ladybugs, it looked like a complete one with better drawings. Like some biology book or something. “Uh, where you… Drawing that ladybug?”
“Ah, yes! Master told me to look into something that catches my interest, and practice studying and recording it! I came to the gardens because I was sure I would find some insects to use for this! They can be fascinating lit- Ah!” The girl seemed to be about to go into a long rant, but suddenly looked at me and quickly got up to bow to me. “I’m sorry, your highness! I forgot my manners!”
“I-It’s fine.” I was a bit too bewildered by the girl to take offense at such a trifling thing. Especially when she seemed so absorbed in… Whatever she was doing. But still, after a year of manners classes, I was not letting my own fall too! “I’m the Fifth Princess of Great Exardia, Elizabeth Rose! Introduce yourself! And… Why insects?”
“A-Ah, yes!” She finally stood straight… Or close to straight, as she seemed way too relaxed for someone meeting a princess. That let me get a good look at her face. It was what I expected of a girl my age, but she had strangely sharp, golden eyes that almost seemed to glow, but was probably just the sunlight. “I’m Shiori Novella, Archivist Apprentice under the Royal Archiver! And it's insects because I like them!”
“Grandpa Thomas took an Apprentice?” When did that happen?
All I really remember from the old man is Father being frustrated at him not getting an Apprentice to take on his place when he retires, and him complaining about not finding anyone with the potential to take his place. Even though there are at least a dozen archivists working under him. Oh, and that he’s always screaming that nobody listens to him.
Wonder why he dislikes them so much.
“Yeah, he took me in like two weeks ago after I snuck into the palace while following Mom as she came to work!” She what? “She works as a Maid, so finding a way to get in from the things she said about the palace was easy, so I snuck into the Archives to read whatever I could find, and when Master found me, he made me his Apprentice!”
“…Cool.” More than anything, I’m impressed she could just sneak into the palace like that. I’m pretty sure that’s trespassing, but things seem to have ended fine, so I won’t think about it. “An Archivist Apprentice… So, is that book you’re writing in…?”
“Oh, it’s my personal archive!” She happily opened it in front of me. It was halfway through it, but it was completely full of drawings and writing about various stuff. “Master told me that the most important skill of an Archiver is to be able to treat and record any information in the most accurate and unbiased manner possible, so while he fights with the other Archivers over them not doing it right, he has me walking around writing about anything I come across, and he judges it and gives me pointers before I go home!”
“I’m pretty sure they aren’t actually fighting… Right?” As I thought about that, I continued to look at the pages as she passed through them. There must have been dozens, if not hundreds, of drawings inside it about all kinds of things, from insects to furniture to old lady Menaca, the Court Mage. “You’re good at drawing…”
“Thanks! Mom taught me!” Her smile grew even more as she explained how she did some of the drawings with what her mother taught her. “Before she became a Maid, she was an Artist! So she has been teaching me for as long as I can remember! It’s very useful to draw the insides of insects as I record them, since none of the books I can find actually show and explain how they work or look!”
“Insects have insides?” Aren’t they made of yucky goo or something?
“Of course they do! See this cockroach? If we look inside…!” Pointing at the drawing of some insect I had never seen or heard of, she started rambling about everything she knew after opening one while it was alive. It was gross, but almost hypnotic.
Before I knew it, Ecclesia had come to find me and take me to my tutor, so we just waved at each other as we parted ways. And as I walked away alongside my maid, taking one last look back, I saw Shiori crouching in front of a flowerbed, drawing a rose.
A small thought crossed my mind, about how all the adults seemed to look only at the flame in my chest, worried looks clear on their faces. But those sharp and piercing golden eyes never looked away from my own.
“Delicious!” Shiori’s eyes almost shone in excitement as she ate a macaroon from her plate, taking a quick sip of tea to gulp it down.
“Is it? They seem kinda normal to me.” The Maids always bring them at tea time, so while I love them, they aren’t particularly special, right? “Well, eat as many as you want!”
“Will do~.” She didn’t have even the tiniest bit of shame or hesitation about taking that offer to heart. And when only a few of them were left, she quickly took out her personal archive and started drawing one of them.
If anything was special and unusual here, it was probably her.
I normally have my tea time alone. Sometimes I join my older siblings when they are not busy, and rarely I get to spend that time with father and mother since they are the busiest people in the whole Kingdom. So, having Shiori accept my invitation to have tea together, and Ecclesia allowing it, feels… Nice.
And seeing her happily drawing and writing about a macaroon somehow made it even more special.
“…Thanks.” The writing didn’t stop, but I did stop mid-sip of my tea as she spoke. “For inviting me. Princesses are busy all the time, right? So I didn’t know when to meet you again, or even if I could. Next time, I’m inviting you to Dad’s sweet buns! They are great!”
I lowered my teacup, a smile spreading through my face. She wasn’t even looking at me, and she hadn’t even stopped recording whatever she was recording about a macaroon. She was completely inside her own little world. And still, she opened a window for me.
“I’m looking forward to it!” I could see Ecclesia making a worried expression, but I ignored her. “I wanted to see you again, too! I feel like big brothers and sisters are kind of ignoring me since I got my flame, and you were fun and interesting when we met, so I convinced my maid to let us have tea together!”
And it only took four days of annoying her and giving various arguments on why she should let me!
“Uh, that’s strange.” What was actually strange was her looking up from her book, looking at me with confusion. Her sharp golden eyes pierced deep into mine. “Doesn’t the Azure Fireblood run in the royal family? Prince Edmund contracted it 130 years ago, not too far after Princess Emilia 162 years ago. And King Aldebaran, 420 years ago, had two brothers and one sister who had contracted it. It’s harmless and even beneficial when treated properly, and any of them could just randomly combust one day, so why would they ignore you for it?”
I had a moment of silence before I slowly blinked once. Then twice. Silently looking at Shiori as she grew more confused. “How… Do you know about all that?”
It runs in the royal family? This is the first time I hear about that…
“Well, I got a cousin at dad’s hometown that got regular Fireblood, so it was one of the first things I looked into when I went to the Royal Archives and the Royal Library.” She said without a second thought, still confused at my reaction. “They didn’t tell you? It’s not like the information isn’t there. And it’s a pretty good thing to have, it makes your heart stronger and able to beat faster! Also, it looks cool!”
I looked at Ecclesia, but she just returned her own surprised look. She didn’t know about any of this either. Something that Shiori seemed to notice.
“Uh, strange. Did nobody look into it? With such a great library, I thought everyone in the palace would be devouring those books whenever they had the time.” Her confusion was somehow the greatest in the room. That she seems even more surprised than I, despite what she just told us, had me awestruck.
“I guess this is why we have Archivers…” We should listen more to Grandpa Thomas… “You really know a lot…”
I heard some Maids and even a few of my siblings murmuring that there must be something wrong with me, that I must be cursed or something, because of my flame. I ignored them. I feel fine, so they must have been mistaken, even if it hurt a bit to hear it. But to think this is just something that happens in our family…
“Of course!” She crossed her arms, her face brightening with pride. “My dream is to know everything there is to know! So I study as much as I can!”
“Everything…” Is that why she became an Archiver Apprentice? “If you learn everything, wouldn’t that make you, like… The smartest person ever?”
If she knows everything, then she can solve all problems, right?
Wait, isn’t that the same as being God?
“Ohhhh, I like how that sounds! Shiori Novella, the Smartest in Great Exardia! No, the Smartest in the World! No, in All the Planes!” She looked very excited at the prospect, her eyes finally separating from mine to look at the ceiling. Or maybe past the ceiling, those golden orbs piercing through the ceiling and looking beyond what I can see, the room falling into a strange silence. “…And what’s your dream, Princess Elizabeth?”
It took me a moment to process what she asked, still stuck in the weird ambient from a moment ago. “Ah! My dream?”
It was a very unexpected question, and one that took me a moment to think. It wasn’t something I had given much thought about, but at the same time, there were things that easily came to mind. Things that were cool. Things that I felt were my responsibility as a Princess of Great Exardia. And things that I thought everyone should aim for. “If I had to say something… Then, my dream is Justice.”
Shiori raised an eyebrow and her book, passing a page to write down what I was about to say.
Suddenly, I felt a terrible pressure fall on me. This wasn’t just a conversation with another kid as we drank tea and ate sweets. Right now, she wasn’t looking at me as another girl my age, she was looking at me as the Apprentice of the Royal Archiver, ready to write down my words for what may end up becoming an eternal record in the history of our Kingdom. Something that future generations would read and would define their view of me.
It felt crushing. It felt like it was something of a magnitude I didn’t understand, but I was at least aware of it being way too big. I wanted to just change the topic, act as if I said nothing. But then, she started to write, despite me not answering yet.
The recording had already started. And I felt like I wanted to cry.
…Pull yourself together!
I’m Elizabeth Rose, Fifth Princess of Great Exardia, Daughter of the Great King Gardio!
If people will read about this, then I’ll give them the best answer I possibly can!
“…As a Princess of this Kingdom, and as a resident of this world, I can’t tolerate evil!” I quickly put the words together in my head. What felt right, and what I thought was right, combining it into the best approximation of my feelings and thoughts I could. Even if it took a bit too long to think how to continue from there. “…I don’t like that people have to live in fear of other people. Everyone living under the crown should be able to look at each other without worrying about what the other person will do to them. I will become Queen, and create a kingdom where justice stands above all, where all the good people can live happily and in peace, while all criminals are punished and made to regret their actions so they become good people again!”
I breathed heavily, having lost my breath from speaking so much nonstop and making my flame grow. Giving me time to see Ecclesia beside the door, seemingly awestruck by my discourse, while Shiori was writing wildly. It was almost as if she was possessed by something, writing a whole page and then moving to the next, seemingly filling half of it before she started drawing. And as she did, she broke the silence. “That’s so cool! Then, I’ll be the smartest, and you’ll be the strongest! You’ll beat all the bad guys, and I’ll write how and why they did what they did!”
My flame grew warmer. I wouldn’t even call this a dream, as I haven’t really put any of this into words, not even in my own mind, until now. It was just what I felt. And still, she was taking my words for it, as much as she takes her own.
“The strongest…” I… Like how that sounds… “Maybe I should get a tutor to teach me how to wield a sword…”