“You, you—no, are you…?”
After Aier collapsed, Denno, the young man from Mines Town, stared blankly at the girl standing before him.
He had never been good with words, but now he was completely tongue-tied.
Milin Klauschel—for any youth born after the war in Northland, this was a name known by all.
She was the beloved child of that couple revered as idols by the world, and the only cherished daughter of the living legends of the Brave’s Party.
Denno, too, had grown up listening to stories of the Brave’s Party and her parents.
His family had once been a poor miner’s household in Mines Town, one of the three provinces—Foothills Province.
After the Duchess came into power, their whole family began living a much safer, well-fed life thanks to the Prosperity Policy and the Sage’s improvements to mining technology and equipment.
“This year, why not try participating in the Martial Tournament at the Crown Festival in Crown City? See if you can get the chance to assist the Duchess…and help me witness the coming-of-age of the daughter of all Northlanders, our only Princess… I remember that day… she even gave me a flower.”
Those were his bedridden father’s wishes.
When his father still had his legs, he’d attended the Crown Festival as the miners’ representative eight years ago.
It seemed he had seen the young Princess back then, and the memory never left him.
So Denno brought his pickaxe and came to Seles City for the festival, signing up for the Preliminary Competition of the Martial Tournament.
He knew his own strength—he was only a miner with a bit more muscle than most.
He never expected to make it through the Preliminary Competition, nor stand on the final day’s stage to face the Duchess and Princess up close.
What he hoped was that, during the Flower Crown Parade on the third day, he could at least catch a glimpse of them from afar on the parade float, fulfilling his father’s wish—
“Hey, hey? You’re speaking too softly. This Lady can’t hear you at all.”
And now, when the Princess stood living and breathing before him, beaming so close, he finally understood the feeling his father had lying on that bed.
How could it be that, just from seeing this girl once in his childhood, she’d lingered in his thoughts ever since?
Because her beauty was as overwhelming as her presence.
Just standing there, she commanded all eyes in the room. Every smile, every gesture sent ripples through one’s heart.
“Are… are you the Princess?”
Looking at her was like gazing at the sun. Denno fought hard to suppress his dizziness, forcing out the words.
“That’s right. This Lady herself. Do you know anyone else with this name?”
The girl flicked her red hair with a flourish. Her actions and attitude brimmed with pride and confidence, yet there was nothing off-putting about it—almost as if she had been born this way.
“I—”
“No!”
The girl angrily cut him off, her order catching his declaration of surrender in his throat.
“I saw how seriously you fought just now. You looked so happy when you won. Don’t you want to keep winning? Or, is it that when you saw your opponent was this Lady, you lost your nerve?”
“I must ask you not to spoil the Lady’s fun.” At this moment, a maid also walked into the arena.
She picked up the contestant list from the fainted tavern host Aier, and calmly continued to preside over the match:
“As everyone can see, my Lady is also one of the participants in the Preliminary Competition. I ask that the rest of the contestants treat her well—also, sir, please don’t try to run off and inform everyone about this… at least not before my Lady finishes her match.”
With Feiyin’s announcement, a man who’d been trying to sneak upstairs to spread the explosive news that the Princess was here sheepishly stopped in his tracks.
Everyone gathered in the sunken hall fell into a silence so complete you could hear a pin drop, as if the earlier noise had been an illusion.
But it lasted only a moment before the crowd exploded into chaos at this most unexpected of surprises.
“I’m betting on the Princess to win… ten ‘Hero’!”
“Out of the way, you big oaf, don’t block my view of the Princess—”
“Where’s my pen, paper? I have to sketch this down, I have to!”
“Now that’s what I call an atmosphere. I don’t know why the emcee suddenly fainted, but if you’re taking over, Feiyin, there’s no problem.”
Milin scratched her head as she looked at the two staff collapsed on the floor, then turned her gaze back to her opponent.
“Shall we begin?”
“Please, please wait a moment, just a moment…!” Denno felt he had never wracked his brain for words this hard in his life.
He dashed to the waiting area, rummaged through his belongings, and returned to Milin clutching an object.
“Do you remember this bouquet? My father made it into a specimen… He met you eight years ago at the Crown Festival…”
Denno was determined not to lose this chance to fulfill his father’s wish… but a moment later, he realized just how foolish his own actions seemed.
She was Northland’s Princess, after all. How could she possibly remember something she’d casually given to a lowly miner eight years ago?
“Ah. Are you Uncle Prun’s son?” Milin looked closely at the flower specimen, carefully preserved in a book, and clapped her hands.
“You… actually remember his name?”
“Why wouldn’t I? He’s a very kind uncle, I liked him a lot. How is his health? I recall his legs weren’t doing too well back then… He gave me a beautiful stone as a birthday present. So I went to Mother’s garden and picked this flower for him.”
“Father… Father is well. He had hoped to see what you look like now, in person. But just as you said, his legs have given out… He’s always been grateful for your mother’s care for us miners, and for the flower you gave him.”
“That’s good to hear. I heard mining is very dangerous work. Be sure to take care, all right?”
“It’s fine, my father is already of age, he doesn’t need to work in the mines anymore—”
“I’m talking about you. You’re a miner too, aren’t you? So you have to be careful, too.”
Seeing the genuine concern and worry in the girl’s eyes, Denno felt tears slide down his cheeks.
“Eh? Why are you crying all of a sudden… Are you hurt somewhere? Or did my words just now remind you of some old injury or hidden pain, and now it’s hurting—”
“Lady, please stop with your wild imagination. Not everyone has a dramatic backstory like those characters in your little notebook.”
“Where did you see my notebook?! No, I— I never wrote anything like that…!”
Watching the master and maid clowning around in front of him, Denno smiled honestly.
Now, he understood his father’s feelings, and why he had encouraged him to come to Crown City and take part in the Martial Tournament.
To serve this girl and her mother… what an exhilarating thing that would be.
Isn’t it far more interesting than silently facing stones under dim lights?
Even if the chance was slim, he wanted to give it his all.
“I have no more questions. Sorry to have kept the Princess waiting.”
He picked up his pickaxe and readied his stance.
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