Teacher of the Imperial Family’s Bastard - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The Sacrificial Princess (3)

Noble blood is blue.

This does not mean that nobles are a different species from common humans.

It simply means they must be coldly rational, to the point that their blood might as well freeze.

This is the context of the saying.

‘Defective inventory.’

This little crouched girl, Aria Ortaire, was a troublesome defective inventory.

Though she inherited imperial blood, half of it came from a commoner, leaving her without any true legitimacy.

Yet, she was still a member of the imperial family.

Someone who, despite her unworthy birth, had to be respected.

Someone who, due to noble obligations, must be treated with respect.

Therefore, what she had to do was also predetermined.

‘Marriage.’

As an imperial member, fulfilling her duty.

Given that Aria was born of common blood and could neither step into nor be involved in politics, her only duty was marriage.

Herein lies the reason she’s considered defective inventory.

The noble families don’t want Aria.

They’re obsessed with legitimacy.

This is especially true for nobles of count rank or higher, those who would even be considered for marriage into the imperial family.

They refuse to allow anything lowly to mix with their bloodlines.

So who would Aria marry to fulfill her duty?

A lower noble family, perhaps of baron rank or lower, or a wealthy commoner.

It would be someone on the outskirts of the central nobility or those desperate to enter the political scene.

And that’s where the problem lies.

Aria, after all, carries imperial blood.

That means any lowly person who marries her would inevitably get entangled in the central political struggles.

Who would be willing to take that risk?

Only someone mad for power.

‘Historically, they’ve been a handful, those kinds.’

How many incidents have such people caused in Ortaire’s history?

Even I can name several notorious individuals.

In any case, let’s summarize.

It’s not a good look for a member of the imperial family to grow old and die in the palace without ever being married.

But trying to marry her off only invites problematic matches who, historically, have caused incidents.

Aria, by her mere existence, created this dilemma.

From the crown prince’s perspective, she was a source of chaos in his reign.

She was also a living reminder of their father’s infidelity.

So it was understandable, to some extent, that he couldn’t bring himself to love her.

‘Still…’

I had hoped otherwise.

I naively thought that if it weren’t for the empire’s crises, she might have had a chance to live like everyone else.

I was optimistic, perhaps because I pitied Aria.

I wished this time would be different.

While I was lost in thought, the crown prince asked.

“How did you end up coming together?”

I looked quietly at the prince’s face.

Did he dislike it?

‘No.’

There was no such expression.

But neither did he seem pleased.

If anything, his face was blank.

That was the extent of it.

I responded.

“We met on the way. As it’s my first time walking alone in the palace, she guided me.”

Aria snapped her head up and looked at me.

What?

I had to lie, at least, to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

“Hmm…”

The prince hummed briefly before nodding.

“I see. Third princess, you may leave. Thank you for guiding us this far.”

A cold command, but words of thanks nonetheless.

It was the moment those words left the prince’s mouth that—

Fwoosh!

Aria’s eyes opened wide, and she beamed a bright smile.

Then she spoke clearly and loudly.

“Yes! I am forever grateful for your grace, Prince Brother!”

Grateful? Prince Brother?

The odd choice of words was the least of my concerns.

That cold compliment genuinely overjoyed Aria.

How could she be?

I found it strangely unsettling.

At that moment, Aria glanced at me.

“Next time, don’t get lost!”

She giggled, branding me as someone who gets lost.

Well, I started this, so what could I do?

“…Yes, I’ll be careful.”

I bowed deeply.

Aria soon left, hurriedly walking away with the prince’s servants.

“Now, everything seems settled. Thank you for your trouble.”

“Not at all. I didn’t have any trouble since I was guided here.”

“Did you truly get lost?”

The prince asked, still watching Aria disappear in the distance without looking at me.

I also averted my eyes from him.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“…Let’s leave it at that.”

The prince’s expression didn’t soften, but he didn’t continue the topic either.

“Now, let’s start our discussion.”

No further mention of Aria was made.

* * *

The prince’s swordsmanship lessons were nominal.

Both sides knew that from the moment this arrangement was made.

The prince wanted me as his advisor.

I sought the glory of becoming the imperial family’s mentor from the House of Pharos.

This was agreed upon beforehand.

Thus, we discussed future matters instead of swordsmanship during today’s first lesson.

This had been anticipated, yet the prince still handed me a sword.

But that didn’t last long.

There were more urgent matters to discuss.

“Your official appointment is set for the grand banquet in ten days. I think we should discuss the current power structure a bit, as things change rapidly here. You’re aware of that, right? I’ll brief you on the key issues.”

My official appointment would take place at one of the two annual imperial grand banquets.

Although it’s mostly just a larger version of a regular noble gathering, where the emperor delivers recommendations, it was the perfect occasion to announce my role as the prince’s tutor and declare Pharos’ involvement.

We talked for quite some time, and eventually, the time allotted for the prince’s lessons ran out.

“Hmm, I was hoping to get some advice on swordsmanship too, especially on your sword style…”

“Why rush ahead when you’ve barely started walking? That would be too soon for you, Your Highness.”

The prince was irritated.

But facts were facts.

Sword mastery, after all, requires an understanding of swordsmanship beyond what the prince currently had.

He’s still growing, and if he tried to wield such techniques now, he’d only ruin his form.

For now, I planned to guide him on stance and practical skills.

The lesson ended, and I prepared to leave the palace.

It was then that I saw Aria.

“…What are you doing here?”

Aria was hiding behind a tree on the garden path leading out of the imperial palace, staring at me with wide eyes.

Suddenly, the earlier events came to mind.

I thought about the future too.

Pitiful girl.

That’s the only thought I had.

She had no bright future ahead of her, and even the moments she would likely remember as happy were overshadowed by rejection from the entire imperial family.

I couldn’t help but feel troubled inside.

Meanwhile, Aria let out an exclamation.

“Villains are so sharp!”

“Even a fool would notice if you’re staring so openly. And my name is Yuren, not villain. Yuren Pharos.”

“Hmm! Pharos!”

That’s a family name… Well, whatever.

The timid girl from earlier was gone, and now she was energetic again, truly childlike.

As I approached, Aria beamed and said:

“I came to thank you! Aria is a princess who knows how to repay kindness!”

“Hmm?”

“You protected Aria, didn’t you! Prince Brother is very busy, but thanks to you, he didn’t scold me and even praised me!”

She shrugged her shoulders proudly.

Ah, she was talking about the lie I told to cover for her.

“It’s nothing. We did walk together, after all.”

“But, Pharos! A person must always express gratitude when they’re helped!”

Aria bowed her head.

“Thank you—”

“Royals shouldn’t bow so easily.”

I pressed her forehead up, straightening her posture again.

She still smiled brightly.

Then, out of nowhere, she said something unexpected.

“As a token of gratitude, I’ll share a secret with you!”

“Oh?”

What could it be?

Something about palace intrigues?

Or perhaps information on other nobles?

I thought that this little girl, wandering around the palace, might have picked up on some useful tidbits.

After all, the imperial palace was hardly a place where secrets stayed hidden for long, as even the emperor’s affairs were common gossip.

With my appointment coming up in ten days, any information could be helpful.

I listened intently, only to hear…

“Actually, Aria is cotton candy!”

“…What?”

“Aria is a princess of the Cotton Candy Kingdom! She’s on a secret mission here in the palace, but this is top-secret, so only you and I know, Pharos!”

She spouted nonsense with a serious face, as if it were the absolute truth.

It suddenly dawned on me.

‘Ah, she’s still a kid.’

I let out a sigh.

The anticipation I had felt was replaced with a sense of disappointment, a bit of a letdown.

And yet, this little kid didn’t seem to have any awareness of that.

Her mouth kept running.

“The Cotton Candy Princess tastes like a mix of strawberry and chocolate! Strawberry and chocolate are the best fruits, but this one is so sweet that only noble people can taste it! That’s why the oh-so-noble and delicious Aria has to hide her identity! If not, the bad guys will steal the Cotton Candy Kingdom!”

Shh! Shh!

Aria excitedly continued making snake-like sounds with her mouth.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

‘Ah, it’s just a child’s make-believe.’

Well, everyone has an innocent time in their lives.

Didn’t I have one too?

‘Back when my dream was to become a fountain.’

Unfortunately, I never became a real fountain.

But I did get to become an adult who makes champagne towers.

Maybe that’s achieving half my dream.

In any case…

“Aria must find the legendary cotton candy to become the most delicious cotton candy ever! The legendary cotton candy is in the royal palace’s treasure vault…!”

“Yes, yes, is that so?”

I cut Aria off.

The secrets of the Cotton Candy Kingdom could wait for another time.

At least this gloomy child was smiling now, so that was something.

The future seemed bleak, but between the worst and the lesser evil, this was the lesser evil.

Even though there were still things that bothered me.

‘When the time comes…’

I’d be able to help. For old times’ sake.

But that time wasn’t now.

Politics is a tricky business, the more you get involved, the greater the risks.

There’s no need to poke a hornet’s nest.

“I’m busy, so I’ll be going now.”

I had to inform my sister about the appointment ceremony.

That’s what I was thinking when—

Tug!

Aria grabbed the hem of my trousers.

She looked like she had something to say, her lips moving hesitantly as she crouched down again.

“What is it?”

Even when I asked, there was no immediate answer.

I waited quietly.

It seemed like it was something I needed to hear.

And what I finally heard was:

“O, O-brother, is Lord Brother very busy…?”

Of course. As expected.

At this moment, I learned a bad habit of this little kid.

Whenever she had to reveal her true feelings, she would lower her head and smile awkwardly, like a fool.

I recognized this behavior.

In the future, Aria would always lower her head and give a bitter smile when she had to show her true feelings.

“…Yes, a little busy.”

Another sigh escaped my lips.

I couldn’t bring myself to walk away, so I crouched down beside her again.

She’s just so pitiful, isn’t she?

In a palace where everyone looks at her with disdain, the only one who treats her with any semblance of professionalism is the Crown Prince.

That’s why she clings to him.

“Y, yes…! He’s busy, huh…!”

Her lips pouted.

This was different from the future.

The woman never showed her discontent with her expressions.

At least, not until the very end.

Suddenly, the Crown Prince seemed like a jerk.

No matter his position or excuses, what did it all lead to in the future?

Regret.

The Crown Prince knew it in his heart.

This kid had done nothing wrong.

As a ruler, as a soldier, the Crown Prince was perfect.

But like many great kings, he was terrible at managing his personal life, from lovers to family.

I knew it was unnecessary interference.

But even so, I couldn’t help but hope that this poor child wouldn’t keep depending on someone like that and end up hurt.

“…Thinking about it again.”

“W-what?”

“I think His Highness really is a villain. He’s pretending to be busy way too much.”

And in that moment—

“N-no! Take that back!”

Aria sprang to her feet, her eyes squeezed shut as she spoke.

“Lord Brother is a hero, a cotton candy knight!”

I furrowed my brow.

* * *

The evening at Dawn Palace came with two meals.

One for the master of the palace, Calios, and one for his greatest ally, Erilda.

“There’s a lot of talk about the appointment ceremony. The part about swordsmanship… since it hasn’t been confirmed, no one’s saying it’s credible, but the rumors about his private life are problematic.”

Erilda was full of complaints.

“It’s your decision, so I’ll follow it. But from now on, you need to control Yuren Pharos’ actions. Taking on a troublemaker as a teacher, even if it’s Pharos, and even if it’s about legitimacy, it won’t be looked upon kindly. Especially for this ceremony…”

The meal had already been set aside, and Erilda’s mouth was spilling nothing but concerns about the appointment ceremony.

Calios listened with one ear and let it out the other.

It wasn’t that her words weren’t important, but something else was on his mind.

“…Calios. Are you listening to me?”

“Oh, sorry.”

Calios recalled the events of the day.

―Did you really lose your way?

―I don’t understand your intentions.

―…Let’s leave it at that, then.

Yuren had lied to him.

Calios knew it.

Yuren wasn’t someone who would lose his way in the palace.

From the past few visits to the palace, it was clear that Yuren knew the layout, even in the areas he hadn’t been shown.

And yet, he claimed to have lost his way.

Moreover, Yuren’s actions were always intentional.

Which led to the question:

‘Why did he do it?’

And why had he led him to the 3rd Princess?

Calios furrowed his brow, then asked Erilda.

“Erilda. How are things with the 3rd Princess these days?”

“Huh? Over there? Same as always. People trying to court her with gifts and letters… aiming for a place in central politics. There’s already competition brewing among them.”

It was ridiculous enough to laugh.

Sending love letters and gifts to a six-year-old.

And they were fighting over it, too.

‘Are you asking me to help? Is that what you want?’

He couldn’t do that.

Getting involved in that fight would make things strange.

It wasn’t because he had anything against Aria personally, but from an external standpoint.

If rumors spread that she was close to him, the fight would escalate.

That’s the kind of position the Crown Prince holds.

One’s involvement could irrevocably change the fight surrounding the 3rd Princess.

Indifference was the answer.

He reminded himself of that conclusion.

But…

‘…….’

Calios couldn’t shake the discomfort.

He recalled Aria’s downcast face.

He asked himself inwardly:

‘Do you think I’m making the wrong choice again?’

Confusion deepened.

———