Teacher of the Imperial Family’s Bastard - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Sacrificial Princess (2)

When a nation is on the brink of ruin, bandits run rampant.

In hindsight, this adage also applied to the Empire during wartime.

It wasn’t about real robbers rampaging; it was just that the state of the country was in utter chaos.

The war broke out a month after the current emperor’s death, when the second prince completed his coronation and ascended to the throne.

Although I was imprisoned at the time, so I didn’t know the details, my sister, who came to visit me, said this:

—I believe the decadence of the capital’s nobles has reached its peak. Despite the impending war, no one seems to care. His Majesty insists that there is no way a thousand-year-old empire will fall to mere barbarians. He’s more focused on bringing dancers into the palace. His reassurances may have been meant to comfort the people, but isn’t he being overly optimistic…?

The man who became emperor during such a tumultuous time lacked any sense of responsibility or tension.

According to the crown prince, who was also imprisoned,”He’s a child with excessive greed.”What did he do when he ascended to the throne?

He indulged in pleasures with dancers and collected luxurious items for display.

The emperor plundered the people for his own luxuries.

The empire faced not only external threats but also growing internal discontent.

However, there was no one left to speak the truth.

The righteous ones had been purged by the emperor or fled, leaving only a foolish emperor and sycophants behind.

His reign did not last long.

It ended soon after the incident with my sister and our family’s downfall.

—His Majesty has been assassinated.

The assassin was the son of a noble purged by the emperor.

Though I was imprisoned, the crown prince, being a relative of the emperor, naturally heard the news.

Thus, it reached my ears as well.

Some people said the empire would finally find stability.

Most were hopeful that both external threats and internal reforms would soon be addressed.

But their predictions were wrong.

There were two reasons for this: the leader of the barbarians was too strong, and the next emperor was too weak.

The third prince, the younger brother of the crown prince, hanged himself within six months of his reign.

The crown prince commented on his death, saying,”He was a sharp child. He must have realized there was no way out.”

Thus began the era of cowards.

After that, chaos reigned.

Someone had to sit on the throne.

Someone had to bear the suffering and screams of this empire.

But there was no one suitable among those with legitimate claims to the throne.

All the heroic figures who could have saved the empire were dead, and those wise enough to survive had already fled.

So the throne passed from one person to the next, with no one lasting more than a season.

And so it came to be that a mere 17-year-old girl was placed on the doomed throne of this crumbling empire.

—It’s been a while, brother.

That girl was Aria Ortaire, the last emperor of the empire, who had come to release both me and the crown prince from prison.

* * *

Strictly speaking, Aria was not a legitimate heir to the imperial bloodline.

She was the child of the current emperor’s dalliance with a dancer and was referred to as the”half-witted”child, as she had the blood of commoners mixed within her.

Her only value was to be married off to create allies for the imperial family.

But before that could happen, the empire collapsed, and she ended up on the throne.

Everyone predicted she would soon flee or take her own life.

But what followed was surprising.

—Is it still that woman?

Aria endured the empire’s screams alone for four years.

It was astonishing.

Despite the cries for salvation and the curses blaming the royal family, she continued her reign for four years, enduring it all.

It made one wonder if she was some kind of superhuman.

Though I was initially wrong in my assumptions.

When I finally met Aria in person, she was just a girl.

A girl too terrified even to run.

Four years after Aria Ortaire’s reign began, when I first saw her after leaving prison, she looked haggard.

Her face was gaunt, her body thin from malnutrition, and she sat curled up, as if scared.

Nothing about her seemed suited to the throne.

Yet, the imperial robes she wore were luxurious, and the throne she sat on was immense.

To put it simply, it looked like the throne was swallowing her whole.

Despite my own desperate situation, I couldn’t help but feel pity for her.

Not that the feeling ran deep—at the time, I was consumed by my own obsession with the pardon she had promised and her atonement for my family.

My relationship with Aria only deepened because of the crown prince.

—I have a report.

—Once again, my brother hasn’t come?

—Yes, the commander is still recovering from his war injuries.

—…I see.

The prince avoided facing Aria.

He claimed it was due to guilt for abandoning the throne and leading the nation to ruin, along with his determination to fight until the war was over.

But from my perspective:

—I wronged that child terribly. She was so small back then… But instead of seeing her, I saw the political ties she represented, and I was never kind to her.

—It’s just that you’re too ashamed to face her. Stop talking about guilt and resolve…

—Care for a spar?

—…

He had a sense of indebtedness toward Aria.

I didn’t find it incomprehensible.

Since the crown prince avoided it, it fell to me, his lieutenant, to report to her.

After every major battle, I would meet with Aria, informing her of the ongoing war while she grew thinner and more fragile.

As those meetings happened more frequently, we naturally became closer.

Eventually, it became a habit to dine together after my reports.

Though our conversations were rarely cheerful.

—Why do you continue like this? With your abilities, you could flee to another country.

—I have something I must do.

—The restoration of Pharos?

—Yes.

—You’re chasing a foolish dream. The empire will soon fall—what good is Pharos?

—And yet, Your Majesty has sat on the throne of a doomed empire for quite some time.

—…

By then, I had lost all respect for the imperial family.

I felt no need to be courteous to Aria, so I spoke more bluntly than I would with the crown prince.

Each time, Aria would give a bitter smile.

Seeing her, I learned that when someone breaks, they lose even the strength to resist.

Another thing that stood out:

Looking back, Aria showed a strange form of attachment toward me.

—You speak so harshly.

—I apologize. It’s a bad habit.

—You don’t sound sorry. But it’s fine. If you’re the one to fall with me, it doesn’t feel so bad.

—I’m not going to die.

—I am. I’d like to, preferably with you.

It wasn’t romantic love.

It was an attachment born out of her deprivation.

Think about it—no matter how harsh my words were, I was the only person in her life who didn’t blame her.

Aria was cornered, playing the scapegoat for the empire’s woes, a sacrifice to burn alongside it.

To her, I must have been special.

I must have helped her relieve some of the negative emotions she carried.

I, on the other hand, felt discomfort.

Every meal, she would speak of wanting to die, asking if I would die with her.

How could anyone eat properly in such an environment?

Of course, I understood.

Looking back now, I wonder if I could have humored her more.

But at the time, I didn’t have that luxury.

—Please stop saying such morbid things.

As I said before, I had to restore Pharos.

That was the sole reason I continued to live.

In any case, that’s how things were.

We lived through those days, exchanged words, and moved toward an inevitable conclusion.

The night before the capital defense battle—before the battle whose outcome remains unknown to this day.

That day, even the crown prince and I had to admit that defeat was imminent.

Aria called for me late that night.

—…Could you run away with me?

That was the first time I heard her speak from the heart.

She wanted to escape.

As she hugged me, trembling, it was ironically the only time her face had any color—though it was from tears.

I asked her:

—If we flee, then what?

—It’s not too late. We can go to the other side of the front lines. There are many ways to hide our identities. I still have a few valuable jewels. We can take them and go to a foreign country…

Aria spoke for a long time.

About how we could escape, how we could hide, how we could settle somewhere and start a new life. All while smiling bitterly.

—…I could open a dessert shop. I’ve tasted enough to know what works. I’m sure I could manage. I’ve even dreamed of doing that once. You’re strong, so you could do anything. So, why don’t we just… live that way?

At some point, Aria stopped talking.

I knew why.

Because I hadn’t reacted at all.

Nothing about the future she described moved me in the slightest.

That day, when I realized I couldn’t restore Pharos, something inside me crumbled.

I even felt guilty for still being alive.

That moment was agonizing.

That day, for the first time, the people who wanted to die and those who wanted to live were switched.

―Please, send me to the battlefield.

What I remember is the tears.

Even the effort to smile looked so pitiful, it was heartbreaking.

―…You were a truly bad person. From beginning to end.

In my memory, Aria was someone who smiled sadly until the very end.

* * *

“Villain!!! Please spare me!!!”

The desperate little girl, Aria, struggled as I saw the future version of her superimposed over her face.

The more I thought about it, the more an indescribable feeling seized me.

Discrepancy.

Just like the first day I saw Aria sitting on the imperial throne, that same feeling arose as I saw her cheerful self now.

‘Was her expression always this rich?’

No, I can say with certainty—never.

‘Then…’

Does that mean this cheeky little girl will become that gloomy emperor?

It must be another tragedy created by the madness of war.

Even her cheerful appearance evokes pity.

How very like her.

As I thought that, her impudence became a bit more familiar.

At that moment, a maid cautiously approached.

She looked back and forth between Aria and me, looking so pitiful.

‘Did she deliberately choose a maid who seems pitiful?’

That couldn’t be.

She must just know that I’m a troublemaker, hence her expression.

I waved my hand.

“It’s fine, you can go. I’m on my way to see the Crown Prince anyway. I’ll look after her for a bit.”

“B-But…”

“I don’t like repeating myself.”

“Eek!”

The maid, who was stuck between what to do, soon bowed deeply and disappeared.

She still had an uneasy expression…

Do I really look like I might hit the child?

‘…No, I think I may have done that before.’

It’s been so long since my reckless days that I hardly remember what I did.

Anyway, I dismissed the maid and looked at Aria.

I do have a connection with this kid, after all.

Naturally, I’m a bit curious.

How different is Aria in the future compared to now?

“Hiyah…!”

Aria’s eyes sparkled as she opened her mouth wide.

Then she said,

“You’re a good villain!”

“If I’m good, then I’m good. What’s a ‘good villain’ supposed to be? And isn’t this your first time seeing me? How do you know I’m a villain?”

“Sister told me! All handsome men are villains!”

Well, she’s been subjected to terrible early education.

‘Sister? First Princess? Second Princess?’

It’s probably the Second Princess.

The First Princess is obsessed with putting the Crown Prince on the throne, so by process of elimination, it’s her.

Beyond that, the Second Princess is quite famous.

‘They say she has no sense when it comes to men.’

She’s notorious for falling in love with bad men, claiming it’s destiny or something.

Even at this point in time, I know that’s already a thing.

In any case, it’s unfair.

“Not all handsome men are villains. Isn’t the Crown Prince considered handsome by most people?”

Of course, in my opinion, he looks like a sleazy playboy.

“Are you perhaps slandering the Crown Prince, Your Highness?”

I narrowed my eyes and asked.

She was bouncing around so much that I was simply curious about her reaction.

Aria’s eyes shifted away from me, avoiding my gaze.

“…Aria doesn’t know anything about that…!”

Avoidance.

She’s not entirely ignorant of social tactics.

“Well, it’s none of my business. For now, follow me. I’m on my way to meet the Crown Prince.”

“Huh?”

“I already told the maid. I’ll escort you to where the Crown Prince is.”

The mystery was solved.

At this point in time, Aria is just an ordinary little girl.

Realizing that gave me a bit of relief, and also made me think that if she’s doing well, I don’t need to get involved any further in this life.

As long as the Crown Prince becomes the emperor, the chances of the empire falling into chaos significantly decrease.

That means this girl will also live a decent life.

She won’t grow into that gloomy figure, after all.

But.

“Um…”

She looked odd when I mentioned going to see the Crown Prince.

It was as if she was hesitating, unsure about something.

“What’s wrong?”

“B-brother is too busy…!”

“The phrase is ‘too busy with work,’ Your Highness.”

I corrected her, but she wasn’t listening.

She just averted her eyes and mumbled.

“Aria is a good princess…! She shouldn’t meddle in work…!”

“What’s so great about work? Anyway, let’s go.”

“Eek!”

I grabbed Aria by the scruff of her neck and headed toward Dawn Palace.

She struggled as we went, but she was probably around six years old at this time.

A little kid’s strength wasn’t much to deal with.

Just as we entered Dawn Palace, I saw the Crown Prince in the distance and spoke.

“I’m here, Your Highness.”

“Ah! Pharo…”

The Crown Prince’s body suddenly froze.

His expression hardened.

His gaze was fixed on Aria, who was dangling from my hand.

“…The Third Princess.”

Hic.

Aria shuddered.

Unconsciously, I loosened my grip.

Aria, who plopped to the ground with a thud, scrambled to fix her disheveled appearance, then bowed her head deeply and mumbled from behind my legs.

“Brother… Crown Prince! It’s an honor to meet you…!”

The Crown Prince’s face remained stiff.

Aria, who had been so cheeky, had suddenly become deflated.

At that moment, a certain remark flashed through my mind.

—I treated her horribly. She was such a small child, but I got caught up in the political situation tied to someone else, not her. I’ve never been kind to her.

Recalling those words, I felt a strange tightness in my chest.

Of course.

You’d have to be an idiot not to understand.

If you weren’t completely oblivious, you’d know.

Even without the war, this kid probably didn’t live a happy life.

‘Honestly…’

What a cursedly unfortunate person.

———-