Chapter 20

Chapter 20

“That training sounds crucial.”

Even if magic was only a minor field of study for her, Eve was also a mage and understood its significance. Eve ended the tea session abruptly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Then you should go train immediately. I will see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

“...”

Mikael seemed taken aback, but Eve couldn’t discern why. It shouldn’t be that upsetting that their teatime had been cut short. Mikael asked her again, as if needing confirmation,

“So I’m to see you tomorrow? This is all for today?”

“Yes. The first day of any big endeavor should end early.”

“And you’re not planning to summon me in the evening?”

“Would you like me to?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“All right, then. You said you needed to train.”

There wasn’t an ounce of lasciviousness in Eve’s expression as she recommended he go train. Mikael looked dazed, muttering to himself,

“To think she actually wouldn’t summon me!”

“What?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Mikael said, suppressing a bitter laugh.

There was a nasty practice in the imperial family to have newly imprinted personal knights serve their master or mistress in bed on the first night after the ceremony. The pretext was always an “inspection.” Knowing how corrupt the imperial palace was, Mikael had mentally braced himself for Eve to follow the same practice. Eve seemed unaware of all of this, and he felt a pang of embarrassment.

“I shall see myself out, then. Have a good rest, my princess.”

“Yes. See you tomorrow.”

Mikael gave a nod while bringing his right arm to his chest—the customary knight’s bow—and Eve waved him goodbye. Sedella followed behind Mikael as if to see him off. As soon as they were out in the corridor, Sedella closed the door behind her and called to him.

“Sir Agnito.”

“Lady Sedella?”

Sedella’s expression was gentle, but she was not smiling. In a calm but serious tone, she said, “It’s very rare for Princess Eve to serve anyone tea herself. I’ve only seen her do so three times. All three were people that Her Highness Evienrose deeply respected and loved. You are now the fourth, Sir Agnito.”

“...”

“I just wanted to let you know,” said Sedella, making it clear that such a gesture from Eve was not common and should not be underappreciated.

Mikael understood her point. He responded solemnly, “I see. I will take note of that.”

“Yes. Please do,” Sedella replied, finally giving him a smile.

❇

Eve was completely drained from the imprint ritual. She slept for the rest of day and woke up the following morning. She drank a dark earl grey tea Sedella had made for her as she tried to shake off her drowsiness.

“Where is Mikael?”

“He’s waiting in the reception room.”

“Already? I should hurry, then.”

She chose an attire that was far simpler than yesterday’s outfit. Today she chose a modern dress that was popular in the city, featuring vertical stripes of gray and sky blue. She didn’t braid her hair and instead chose a half-up hairstyle pinned in place with a pearl hairpin. After applying minimal makeup and putting on some accessories, Eve walked out to the reception room right outside her bedroom.

“Hello, Mikael. Good morning.”

“Good morning, Princess.”

“Nothing serious happened yesterday, I trust?”

“Nothing worth reporting, no.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear that.”

She noticed that Mikael was wearing a longsword at his waist. It was standard-issue but, being produced by the imperial family, it was still distinguished, just as elegant as the waistline of his tight uniform. Eve walked over to her worktable and made a large amount of the lemon balm rooibos tea which had helped her win favor with her father yesterday.

Before they departed for the main palace, Eve told Mikael, “Mikael, remember you must be polite in my father’s presence.”

“I am aware of that.”

“You also must treat me with the proper formalities.”

“Of course.”

“Would you like to practice before we go?”

“Why all this worry? Do you not trust me?”

“I’m just trying to be careful, is all.”

Mikael seemed to think Eve was overly concerned, but he did as she asked. With a solemn look, he went down on one knee as he kissed her left hand. The respectful kiss left a titillating sensation on her skin. Eve felt a little rattled. Mikael looked up at her with eyes full of deep thought—he looked like he’d served her for at least 10 years.

“I will serve you with all my heart and body, Seventh Princess.”

“...”

The perfect gesture, coupled with his chiseled looks, made him seem a living work of art. Feeling that she was treading on thin ice, she decided to have him stand back up.

“Please rise, Sir Agnito.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Even the way he stood up seemed like a practiced swordsman’s technique, clean and restrained. Mikael returned to his informal tone of address.

“Will you be using formalities with me as well?”

“Yes. Let’s do that in any official setting. I think that would be one of the few things I could do to show that I respect you.”

“If... you so wish.”

Though he pretended to be unmoved, he was touched at how thoughtful Eve was being of him.

Sedella checked the time.

“My lady, you must leave now.”

“Yes. let’s be off, then.”

They headed out and made their way to the palace proper. Upon reaching it, the grand chamberlain showed them to a waiting room, but they hadn’t been sitting long before the emperor summoned them.

“Welcome, Eve.”

The Emperor looked imposing as he sat in his grand throne embellished with gold and rubies.

“I, Seventh Princess Evienrose Chloelle Hadelamid, greet the sun of the empire. I trust you have been well.”

“Yes. Hmm...”

The Emperor’s gaze was fixed on Mikael, who stood bowing slightly behind Eve. He looked like he was appraising some stock as he looked Mikael up and down.

“So you are the famed Monster of the Floating Prison.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I am Mikaelis Agnito.”

“Right. Then you are the same ingrate that rejected my blessing last time,” the Emperor said, wrath building in his tone.

Eve said cautiously, “Please do not be angry, Father. From what I have been able to discover, Sir Agnito did not consciously reject the allegiance ritual.”

“What was it, then?”

“It was as I suspected. There was a problem with his mana pathways. Sir Agnito possesses an unrivaled amount of mana among the homunculi. The suppressors that he wore blocked his mana from flowing for an extended period, which twisted his pathways. As you know, homunculus are meticulously designed, and defective mana pathways will cause serious malfunctions,” said Eve.

“Ah. Was that what it was then?”

Eve had carefully crafted a tale that she knew should satisfy her father.

“Let me ask you something, Eve. How did you resolve this issue?”

“When I arrived, the distortions had already become visible. All I had to do was free some of the choke points to restore Sir Agnito’s pathways to normalcy. It was lucky I was able to do it, in fact.”

“...”

The Emperor’s eyes grew calculating as they looked at Eve.

“You were lucky, you say?” he asked, doubt apparent in his tone. Eve tensed.

The creation of homunculi is the work of the emperor alone. He is the best and only authority on homunculi. Perhaps my lie didn’t sound right to him.

Beads of sweat began forming on the back of her neck. But then the Emperor grinned and the air in the room cleared immediately.

“Eve, what are you so afraid of?”

“Pardon?”

“Why are you so hesitant to reveal your excellent degree of magical control? Do you fear me so greatly?”

“...Your Majesty?”

Eve blinked her amber eyes several times before understanding what he was saying.

Oh, Father! To think you’d interpret this in such a favorable light!

This unexpected situation called for quick thinking. Eve assumed a grave look.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t. Your position, Father, is one that I feel to be exalted and worthy of fear. It is not basic fear that I feel, but rather awe that encompasses respect. How could I not humble and prostrate myself at your feet?”

The Emperor laughed and said, “I did not realize my seventh daughter was such an eloquent speaker.”

He seemed content. He was looking at her with an expression she’d never received in her previous life. It made her feel odd.

“All right. I consider it praiseworthy enough that you have begun to reform your ways to match the customs of the court. I will not burden you right now with anything further.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“You have done good work, imprinting this Monster of the Floating Prison. Even a monster can look quite good, it seems, in an imperial uniform. He looks so tidy and obedient. What a pleasant sight!”

It frustrated Eve that the emperor kept referring to Mikael as a monster. Eve decided to lean on her newly-earned favor and try pushing her luck.

“Father, if I may, Mikaelis Agnito became my personal knight starting yesterday. I do believe a more fitting term of address would be Sir Agnito.”

“Haha! Yes, Eve, you are right. But there is still one more step before he can be regarded as a true knight. Do you agree?”

It seemed the emperor wished to perform the allegiance ritual right away. Even though she’d come fully prepared for this, Eve was still nervous.

The Emperor cupped his chin in one hand. He now spoke in a haughty, blasé tone, saying, “Mikaelis Agnito.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Stand and come near me.”