Chapter 5: The Emperor’s Daughter Who Was Forced to Go Bomb Fish

“Lord Simar, I heard Little Ye has arrived?”

Just as the atmosphere grew heavier and Simar was certain he was about to be carved into eight pieces, a gentle voice rang out at the perfect moment.

Accompanied by the maids’ startled cries of “Madam!”, the study door was flung open with a “BAM!”

A woman hurried in, wearing a loose, lazy-looking house-robe that still clearly marked her as a countess. She was soft and beautiful, around twenty-five years old, and slightly out of breath. In her arms, she cradled a swaddled infant.

“Haa… haa…”

The moment she entered, her gaze locked onto the beautiful girl—both familiar and unfamiliar—sitting across from her husband.

“Little… Ye?”

She called out softly, voice full of disbelief.

“Mm. It’s me.”

“Nara… I mean, Lady Nal.”

The Night God silhouette that had been condensing behind her, ready to apply pressure to her shameless friend, instantly dispersed back into pure mana. Ye Lalar quickly reverted to her normal appearance, as if nothing had happened.

She had almost called the woman by her old name from seven years ago, but seeing the change in attire and status, she corrected herself in time and offered a gentle smile.

“L-Little… Ye?”

“So… all those rumors outside… are true?”

Like Simar, Lady Nal had always found the rumors about Ye Lalar and the rebellion hard to believe.

But now, seeing with her own eyes this girl who looked almost nothing like the boy from seven years ago, she had no choice but to accept the truth.

“Well, the details are a little off.”

Ye Lalar gave a helpless smile.

She walked over naturally, asking, “Is this your child?” and took the baby from Nal’s arms.

At the same time, she glanced at Simar—who was currently celebrating having narrowly escaped death—and signaled him to briefly explain the situation to his wife.

Ten minutes later…

“So… that’s how it was…”

Nal sat beside Ye Lalar, gently stroking her hand, eyes filled with pity and heartache.

She could hardly imagine what this child—barely seventeen—had been through.

“No, it’s fine. It’s all over now, isn’t it?”

A shadow flickered in Ye Lalar’s eyes, but it quickly vanished. She played with the baby—who for some reason was unusually affectionate toward her—and smiled as she answered.

—Yes, it was all over. She had already decided to start a new life for the time being.

“…”

Nal merely pressed her lips together at the reply.

She didn’t believe a word from this overly mature child.

Her thoughts drifted back seven years, to their first meeting at the empire’s border.

Back then, she had been nothing more than the personal maid who grew up with young master Simar.

She had buried her love deep in her heart, content merely to stay by his side forever.

Yet in those short few months of cooperation, Ye Xu had seen through the sincere, burning feelings she hid inside.

After that, acting only as a “business partner,” he had repeatedly created opportunities for her and the young master.

In the end, three years after they parted, she and Simar had gotten together, and just one month ago, she had given birth to the fruit of their love.

Though they hadn’t spent much time together, that boy from back then was one of the only two people she wanted to thank for the rest of her life.

And now, Ye Xu—no, Ye Lalar—was…

“Rustle…”

The sound of her robe brushing against the sofa was soft.

To Ye Lalar’s surprise, Nal suddenly opened her arms and gently pulled her into an embrace, letting Ye Lalar’s head rest on her shoulder.

“Mm, yes. It’s all over now.”

“You’ll live with us from now on, okay? With our family.”

Nal tenderly stroked that heartbreakingly beautiful yet sorrow-tinged face and spoke softly.

“Heh.”

Standing off to the side, Earl Simar—who had been punished for his earlier tasteless joke by being made to stand on his hands against the wall—watched the scene with a relieved smile.

—At least his life was safe, right?

“Hey-up!”

After silently counting to ten minutes in his head, Simar flipped back onto his feet, clapped his hands, walked behind the sofa where Ye Lalar sat, and pulled out another document from his breast pocket.

“Ye, I know you probably don’t care…”

“But you’re now officially a citizen of the Ross Kingdom.”

“There’s something I think I should let you know.”

Ye Lalar turned her head in confusion, returned the baby to Nal, and took the document to read.

A moment later, understanding dawned on her face.

As a nation directly bordering a massive magical-beast territory, the Ross Kingdom faced immense defensive pressure.

For this reason, the kingdom enforced a highly militarized policy.

All noble children of appropriate age were required to enroll in the nearest magical city’s Magic Academy.

Commoners who displayed sufficient talent could also receive state-sponsored compulsory education at the academy.

What Simar needed to inform Ye Lalar of was this:

With her current identity as his “younger brother” and at the perfectly eligible age of seventeen, national policy required her to attend school.

Of course, treatment differed between nobles and commoners.

Nobles were required to attend mainly to ensure they didn’t become complete wastrels and could at least be useful in emergencies.

Commoners, after finishing compulsory education, were forcibly drafted into the auxiliary forces.

Only those with exceptional performance could be knighted and earn the right to pilot a Magitech Knight.

Looking at the enrollment certificate bearing her name, Ye Lalar slightly furrowed her beautiful brows.

School? Her?

Who was qualified to teach her?

These so-called Magic Academies were roughly equivalent to universities on Earth, all established and managed uniformly by the Magician Association.

Four-year program, weekends off, fixed holidays.

Before commoners entered, they first spent two years in kingdom-run preparatory schools learning basics.

Mornings at the academy were theory and magic studies; afternoons were elective—alchemy, magitech engineering, or Magitech Knight piloting training.

She had zero interest, and even less desire to play the “hiding my strength while enjoying campus life” trope.

So she was about to refuse on the spot.

But—

“Smack!”

The next instant, the soft flesh of both her cheeks was gently pinched.

Nal grabbed her face, forcing her to meet her eyes, and put on a deliberately fierce glare.

“No. Refusals. Allowed!”

“Wuuuu…”

“W-Why not???”

Faced with Ye Lalar’s confusion, Nal had no intention of explaining.

She simply gazed at this child who was far too mature for her age, heartache growing deeper in her eyes.

—There wasn’t a single trace of what a seventeen-year-old boy or girl should have.

At ten, he had mastered vast knowledge and built Magitech Knights on his own. At twelve, he had already led armies into battle.

She had missed out on everything her peers experienced.

From the moment Nal learned Ye Xu—now Ye Lalar—planned to flee here, she had prepared everything.

Since Ye Lalar was nominally Simar’s younger brother, and the elder brother was like a father, then as Simar’s wife, she was naturally the elder sister.

And an elder sister was like a mother—she would fulfill that duty.

She was determined to let this child experience everything she should have had!

“Wuuuuuuuu!”

Ye Lalar tried to resist, but in the end her only achievement was having the noble and beautiful face of the Emperor’s Daughter kneaded until it was bright red. She could only humiliatingly accept the arrangement.

Watching Ye Lalar lower her proud little head in defeat, Nal looked up and exchanged a smile with Simar standing behind the sofa—both their eyes warm with unspoken understanding.