Veltia was going to start planning her future.

Her power had awakened, and she’d have to study magic from now on. She was going to become a mage in the future. There weren’t many mages in the Empire, but they were all elites. The highest title in the world of mages was Archmage, and even the Empire had only a handful. She could also choose to become a knight. Joining the White Night Knights someday wasn’t out of the question, either. Of course, above all else, she had to avoid a political marriage.

In the Empire, people were judged by the strength of their magic and whether they could become a capable mage. An excellent mage could make an enormous difference on the battlefield. That was why so many people would do anything to become one. But few people possessed magic, and even those who did weren’t guaranteed to become mages. Many were forced to change careers because they lacked the talent. Veltia’s magic had first awakened when she was three. Unable to control that power, she’d hurt the Empress, and she’d felt guilty about it ever since.

She still couldn’t let the incident go. But because of it, she’d resolved to study hard and learn to control her power. That way, she wouldn’t hurt anyone else if her magic went out of control.

Fortunately, she’d been born into the royal family, so she had access to the best education and excellent tutors who taught her personally. An ordinary commoner would never have had the chance to study like this. For the first time, Veltia thought that being born into the right family could be pretty useful.

And so, she began a life of studying every day, with her schedule packed full. In the mornings, she studied magic, history, math, and classical literature. In the afternoons, she took etiquette lessons, and her evenings weren’t free, either—she had piano lessons. The next morning, she’d be off to the training grounds for swordsmanship, then back to etiquette in the afternoon. The cycle went on and on, with a different schedule every day.

She was only five, and she was already exhausted.

This was worse than senior year of high school.

Were all nobles’ lives this exhausting?

But she couldn’t let herself become a useless princess. She had to take her fate into her own hands, so she never complained. She figured that since she’d been born into the royal family, doing her part was only natural. But she stood out so much that both the Noble Faction and the Royal Faction had their eyes on her. At a meeting of the Imperial Council, the ministers brought up the question of who would be the next heir.

“Your Majesty, forgive me for speaking frankly. The Empire is stable, and conflicts have grown fewer. We believe it’s time to begin considering the next heir. Choosing one as soon as possible is an urgent matter for the Empire.”

The Emperor sat on his throne and listened to his ministers’ petition. He was considering the matter himself. He’d always felt that the sooner an heir was appointed, the better—but it gave him a terrible headache.

“Who do you believe would be best suited to the position of heir?”

He still hadn’t decided which prince or princess to appoint.

“Your Majesty, Prince Karen has been clever and capable from a young age. He began studying magic at seven, and he’s already a mage-in-training. His future is bright. I believe he’s the best candidate for Crown Prince.”

“Your Majesty, Princess Leona is highly accomplished in swordsmanship and has the support of the Knights. We believe she’s the best candidate for Crown Princess.”

“Your Majesty, Princess Veltia has been bright from a young age and has read widely. Even Professor Zemorall, who’s notoriously hard to please, has praised her. With the right guidance, she’s the perfect candidate for Crown Princess.”

Yes. Whenever the subject came up, the ministers would trot out these three and heap praise on them—but they never offered anything substantial.

Of course, all three children the ministers had mentioned were exceptional. But none of them quite met the standard for an heir. The Emperor had considered it, too. The Noble Faction supported Karen, while the Royal Faction backed Leona. As for Veltia, she was the youngest, but she’d already won the support of various professors and nobles. Her potential was considerable, too.

If it were up to the Emperor, he’d choose Karen. He was the eldest, and his abilities were good enough. He was the best choice to inherit the throne. Leona wasn’t bad, either, but the Emperor wasn’t sure if she was suited to rule. As for Veltia, she was the one he wanted to choose least of all—not because she wasn’t capable, but because he couldn’t bear to part with her. She was so little. She should’ve just been a sweet little princess. Who could’ve guessed she’d be so talented and love studying so much?

If only his youngest daughter hadn’t loved studying so much—if she’d spent every day wanting to play, eat, and enjoy herself—then he wouldn’t have had to worry. Only two people would’ve been arguing over the heir’s position. But now Veltia was in the running, too, and the ministers kept petitioning him every day. He was nearly driven mad by it.

Veltia had no idea that all her hard work—studying every day so she wouldn’t become a useless princess or end up in a political marriage—had drawn the Empire’s attention behind the scenes. People were privately saying that she wanted to join the struggle for the throne. If they knew she was only studying hard to avoid becoming someone’s political bride, they’d probably spit up every last drop of blood.

At Costa Palace, Veltia finished a full day of studying, took a lovely bath, and felt ready to drop into bed. She was only a child, yet she had so much to deal with. She figured she was better suited to being a lazy couch potato. After all, she’d been an adult once before, so this wasn’t that hard for her.

“A personal knight?”

The head maid was brushing her hair and brought up the subject. That was when Veltia remembered she was already five and still didn’t have a personal knight. She hadn’t gone out much before, but now that her power had awakened, it really was time to think about choosing one.

“Yes. You’re old enough to consider it. Tomorrow, you can choose your sword.”

Lal, the head maid, brushed Veltia’s hair, looking even more excited than the princess herself.

The personal knights assigned to princes and princesses were known as the Empire’s swords. Becoming one was the highest honor a knight could receive. After all, there was no greater joy than protecting the royal family. Many people would compete to become the Empire’s sword, but only one could be chosen. Every selection left many knights disappointed, and if they missed their chance, they had to wait for the next one. Of course, if a prince or princess dismissed their personal knight, there’d be another chance to choose one. But that hardly ever happened. Out of respect for the royal family’s dignity, royals didn’t change their personal knights lightly. Most knights chosen for the role served their royal for life.

“I’m not really interested in this sort of thing…”

Veltia frowned. As someone from the twenty-first century, she wasn’t sure what to make of choosing a personal knight.

“Oh, Your Highness, what are you saying? Choosing your sword is very important. If you go and choose one yourself tomorrow, I’m sure you’ll find someone you like.”

“Lal, bring me some milk. I’m going to bed.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

She’d never imagined she’d actually have to choose a personal knight like some noble. Choosing one meant that knight would protect her for the rest of their life. It felt like a tremendous responsibility.

Early the next morning, Veltia washed up and enjoyed a lovely breakfast. She was already thinking about going back to bed for a nice long nap. The maids dressed her with great care and brought out a beautiful gown. To be honest, she’d resisted wearing dresses at first, but after a while she’d gotten used to them—or maybe she’d just gone numb to it.

“Your Highness, you look wonderful! You’ll be the prettiest one there today. No, I’ll make sure you’re the prettiest one there.”

“Your Highness’s skin is so lovely. I’m terribly jealous.”

“Your Highness shouldn’t wear makeup. At your age, you should keep your natural look.”

“Your Highness is a peerless beauty even without those vulgar things. There’s no one in the Empire more beautiful than you.”

The maids dressing her was one thing, but they always had to flatter her, too, and they did it with such conviction. Still, Veltia didn’t mind. She was easygoing by nature and never gave the servants a hard time. She was considerate of them, too, so the maids and attendants at Costa Palace got along well with her and were more than happy to serve her. Even her brother Karen said she didn’t put on airs around them, which was rare. Few nobles were thoughtful or caring toward their servants.

All Veltia could think was: I’m a good person from the twenty-first century. I can’t just turn into some wicked young lady.

She changed into her new gown, and the maids carefully fixed her hair. Then the attendants led her to the selection hall. As soon as she entered, she saw row after row of knights standing at attention. They wore different clothes and came in different shapes and sizes, but every one of them wore a respectful expression.

“We greet Her Highness Princess Veltia. May the sun forever shine upon Kasleno.”

Everyone who entered had to bow to her. That was one of the perks of being royal. Back in her old life, no one had ever bowed to her. At first, she hadn’t been used to seeing everyone bow, but now it felt perfectly normal.

Well, being born into a good family was a talent in its own right.

She looked over the people in front of her. Every one of them was different, but they all had the same hopeful look in their eyes. They wanted to be chosen. After all, serving a princess was the highest honor, and that was what they’d all come here hoping for. But most of them would leave disappointed. Only one person could be chosen.

Veltia walked along the red carpet and climbed the steps. She took her place at the top, and the selection ceremony began.

To be honest, she didn’t really want to choose anyone. It seemed like a hassle. But as a member of the royal family, she needed a personal knight to keep her safe. The palace was so complicated, and who knew what might happen? Besides, she couldn’t stay inside the palace forever. If she went out, she’d need a knight to protect her. She started to worry. One by one, the candidates had such intimidating faces. A few of them looked decent, but they seemed too weak.

Suddenly, her magic sensed something in one spot. She turned to look in that direction. At the front of that row stood a woman. She wasn’t breathtakingly beautiful, but she was pretty, with delicate features. In Veltia’s opinion, a little makeup could’ve made her quite cute. She wore a gray-blue knight’s uniform, and her hair fell to her shoulder blades. Her expression was indifferent. Her purple hair looked a little curly, as if she hadn’t done much to take care of it.

Veltia smiled.

The woman froze, apparently surprised that the princess was looking at her. She lowered her head. Her indifferent expression gave nothing away as she pulled her cloak tighter around herself.

“Mm. I’ve decided. You.”

Veltia pointed at the woman and smiled.

If she had to choose someone to serve her, she’d rather choose a woman. It wasn’t that men were bad, but she preferred women.

Besides, her magic had already sensed that this woman was extraordinary. She wasn’t just any ordinary person.

At her gesture, the ceremony ended ahead of schedule. Everyone let out a disappointed sigh, though they could hardly argue with her choice. They could only watch as the woman walked to the red carpet and climbed the steps. She clenched her fist over the left side of her chest and knelt on one knee, performing the knight’s salute.

“Case Howard swears in the name of an Imperial mage to serve Princess Viltia Goresh Capedia for life, to be Her Highness’s sword, to slay all her enemies and keep her safe.”

Veltia nodded. She took the sword from the attendant knight and laid it on the woman’s head. In her still-childish voice, she said:

“I accept your oath of loyalty.”

That day, she gained a personal knight.

No one dared question her choice. In fact, they said she had an excellent eye, because she hadn’t chosen an ordinary knight—she’d chosen a Royal Knight.