Youngest 178

178

When I turned around, I found a pretty face with dazzling blonde hair, wearing a gentle smile.

“Licht…! Your Highness!”

Since we were at the imperial palace, I made sure to address him with care. Licht laughed aloud and placed the book in my hand.

“Yes, Lady Rubian.”

He replied playfully, then leaned in close and whispered quietly.

“There’s no one else here right now.”

His cotton-candy-soft blond hair lightly brushed my cheek as he moved past me.

“Oh.”

So that means I don’t have to keep up this awkward formality?

Licht gazed down at me quietly, then naturally guided me back to my seat.

“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

“Yeah. But how did you know I came to the palace archives?”

Genuinely curious, I asked, and his lovely eyes crinkled with a faint smile.

“How could I not know you were here?”

Did he put a bell on me or something?

“I made sure the door guards would let me know.”

I see.

‘Come to think of it, he’s gotten really tall, too.’

I tried secretly standing on tiptoe to measure up, but gave up—no matter how far up I stretched, I could only reach his shoulders.

Why? Is it only the water of the Mage Empire that’s lacking nutrition?

‘It’s not that I’m small. He’s just too tall!’

It reminded me of a friend who also went through a growth plateau, according to Father…

‘Khalid must be shorter than Licht, too. He probably feels a bit bitter about it.’

They were on bad terms already—the gulf might just deepen.

“Rubian, did you have breakfast?”

Just then, Licht tapped my fingertips and asked.

“I did.”

“Perfect, then.”

He took a box of pretty desserts from his pocket and handed it to me.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Macarons!”

“Try them while you read. Tell me how they taste—you need to. They were a bit difficult to bake…”

His last words were so soft I barely caught them.

“A taste test?”

If anything, I’m confident about that.

I delightedly opened the strawberry macaron first and took a bite.

“Hm, the crisp texture is satisfying, but the chewiness could be better. Above all, the filling should probably be increased by about twenty percent for a better overall balance. The homemade filling is nice, but in this case, I actually think store-bought jam might be better—”

“That’s enough, really. It’s fine.”

Licht stopped me, looking rather dejected.

‘Oh no, is this from someone he knows?’

I probably should have phrased it more diplomatically.

Still, they tasted good overall, so I nibbled away while scanning the documents.

“By the way, how’s the search in the Mage Kingdom going lately?”

I lowered my voice and asked.

Licht turned the macaron around in his fingers, then answered quickly. Perhaps it really was a shop he knew.

“It’s still the same—we haven’t discovered anything yet. But we plan to deploy a new exploration vessel soon.”

“A new one?”

I asked, flipping through the pages.

“The Mage Tool Production Tower… Oh, you know about that, right? His Majesty recruited outpost mages who didn’t return to the Mage Kingdom, and had them make magical devices.”

“Of course, I know.”

Supplying mana stones to that production tower is my job, after all…

‘And I’m a mage myself…’

Though for now, I had to remain in hiding. Licht knew that as well, and so even when we were alone, neither of us brought it up explicitly.

“They’ve developed a new exploratory magical device, and we’re going to launch a vessel equipped with it. So this time…”

Licht’s turquoise eyes sparkled.

“We should see some meaningful results.”

Faster than I expected.

‘I only sent the blueprints not long ago.’

I had designed the blueprints for the new magical tool. Supplying them with my mana stone shop too, I figured it would be completed soon, but not this quickly.

After a moment’s thought, I gestured quietly to Licht. He, as if waiting for it, leaned in close.

“You know, the latest reports say the fog around the sea seems highly likely to be illusory mist. So, I’m thinking about another tool that could help disrupt it—”

Just then, a group of maids passed by, chattering noisily outside. Caught whispering secrets, I jumped in surprise.

“Ahem! If you look here, there’s a phrase… that says we… might want to bring this home, yes? Ahem, ahem!”

I jabbed at a random spot in the book and said, ad-libbing, and Licht smiled.

“Aha.”

He placed his finger next to mine and slowly traced the sentence. My finger was gently nudged aside, and he grinned teasingly and whispered,

“It’s a really good book.”

“You are…”

“Yes?”

“Stop staring at me like that!”

I shook my head vigorously.

Ugh, almost got seduced again.

Licht laughed quietly, then straightened his body from his exaggerated lean.

“Oh, by the way, I heard Lord Liam Zevert stopped by the palace.”

“Huh? My brother came? What brings him outside the academy, for once?”

“He must have someone to meet for his research. But really, when is he ever going to graduate?”

That was precisely my question.

Ever since Liam joined the university research division…

He was a lost cause.

‘It’s not that the academy won’t let him go.’

“My brother’s the one who won’t let go of the academy…”

The headmaster, Odely, had begged him to graduate, even in person.

‘I’ve dedicated my soul to the research division.’

“No one asked you to. Please just turn in a dissertation.”

“I have submitted it, though.”

“In the proper field, submit something relevant! I can’t give you a passing grade like this! If you love the academy so much, just graduate and take a professorship! Special appointment! You pass! Salary, at Professor Yuliope’s level!”

“See you next year with another, even more intriguing, research topic.”

“Aaaaargh!”

Thus…

He was on his way to becoming a fossil of the academy.

‘Anyway, I should pay my brother a visit!’

Though truthfully, I’d run into him at the bookstore two days ago while buying a self-help book.

“Oh, that reminds me—a celebration banquet is coming up soon!”

I added, the thought occurring suddenly.

“That’s right. Khalid…”

Licht caught himself and corrected,

“Sir Khalid will be returning.”

“Sigh… You two should try getting along.”

“That was a deliberate formality, Rubian. Pick up on it, please.”

He added softly,

“I suppose the king of Kassalia will be joining him as well.”

That was news to me.

“Huh? Why?”

“This year, the Round Table will be held here in Babylon. The king of Kassalia asked Sir Khalid to act as his escort.”

Ugh, as if my poor puppy isn’t busy enough—now he has to be a bodyguard, too?!

I squinted and inwardly cursed the king of Kassalia.

“But… Isn’t the Round Table always held in the summer? Why come so early, in winter?”

“It’s being held in the spring this year. And His Majesty made a special invitation as well.”

“Why?”

“There are a few reasons, but… This might be the most notable.”

Licht handed me a stack of newsletters. Whether from Kassalia or other nations, they were international reports.

Oh, world affairs.

A jewel of the palace returned after fourteen years! Kassalia’s First Princess steps onto the stage at last!

Controversy over the princess’s legitimacy— Kassalia Royal Family: “There is no room for doubt.”

Princess Sevelena: “Turns out my family was royal, that’s all. Status isn’t important.”

So…

“So they found their long-lost daughter? She’s the princess?”

“That’s right.”

Licht nodded.

“Wow, that’s hot news.”

So you find out you’re a princess all along?

I always thought that was a cliché, and yet here it was, happening right nearby; I couldn’t help but be intrigued.

“Literally, the king of Kassalia found the daughter he lost in the early days of the Human–Dark Beast War. She managed to survive among the western forest tribes of Eosia.”

“Oh…”

I’d pretended to be from Eosia once myself…

At that, my eyes caught on the second headline.

“But what about the legitimacy controversy?”

“The king searched so desperately for his daughter that it attracted plenty of imposters hoping to seize royal property. But…”

“But?”

Licht smiled faintly and added,

“Princess Sevelena brought back an item from the forest tribe of Eosia that helped prove her claim.”

“What kind of item?”

“I’m not sure of the details… but apparently it’s a secret technique unique to the eastern forest tribes of Eosia.”

I blinked.

Eosia was a federation of tribes, famous for its advanced medicine and pharmacology.

Every village had its own closely guarded recipes and medical knowledge, a lot of which remained secret from the world.

‘I used that as my cover to pretend to be Eosian once…’

It was actually a mage’s knowledge, but I’d claimed it came from being the son of an Eosia apothecary.

“So what is this secret technique?”

“A potion that determines blood relations.”

Wait—a twenty-first-century DNA test in potion form?

“Well, apparently her physical features matched too, but that was decisive.”

“I see.”

It was quite an interesting story, but ultimately, it wasn’t really my business.

‘I’ll have to sneak a peek when she arrives!’

Will I get a chance to talk to her?

‘Will she show up wearing a crown?’

Well, she is a princess after all.

“Hm.”

I idly turned the page, lost in my pointless musings.

Of course, back then, I had no way of knowing what kind of butterfly effect the princess of Kassalia would have on my life.