Chapter 19

"No!!!"

"Ahahaha. Look at your face. Don't worry. It's just a fairy tale. Dad won't let the princess be taken away, right?"

But it was taken away….

If things had gone as usual….

"And even if it was taken, you wouldn't just become a foolish subordinate to the evil king, right? You'd just storm in and get rid of the evil king and save our princess."

I don't think so. It won't be that easy….

I hid my complicated feelings and said,

"Dad, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Ability users have to go to the battlefield if the Emperor orders them, right?"

"Huh? Yeah, that's right."

"But didn't you say before that you don't have to go?"

"Yeah. Our princess doesn't have to go."

"Why? I'm your daughter, so I'm an incredibly strong ability user, right? Then I should go."

"No, you don't have to. Dad has a way."

"What way?"

"Anyway, it's fine. Oh, I'm sleepy."

Dad avoided answering and pulled me into a hug.

I swallowed a bitter smile.

I could guess Dad's plan even without hearing it.

Dad will soon go to see the Emperor in private. And with 99.9% probability, he will probably ask for my military exemption.

The card Dad will offer to the Emperor for negotiation is obvious.

To become a dog that obeys the Emperor's orders without question.

To go to war, do everything he's told….

'A good king can only become a subordinate to a bad king.'

Because the protagonist has a weakness.

Namely, his daughter.

'This time, the Emperor must have called Dad because of the war.'

Enoch Rubinstein went to the battlefield countless times to get his kidnapped daughter back.

Then, when he learned that his daughter had died, his blade turned against the Emperor.

'But even if I hadn't been kidnapped by the Emperor, Dad still wouldn't be free. He would negotiate with the Emperor to keep me from going to the battlefield.'

In the end, the good king will become a pawn in the bad king's meaningless slaughter war.

Dad, the protagonist, is a righteous person who hates the empire's tyranny, like a conquest war….

"There, Dad can do anything for our princess."

Yeah, he's also someone who would willingly take up a sword for me.

"If the protagonist isn't happy, it's not a happy ending, Lilith."

"Dad can't live without the princess."

My thought that the existence of 'daughter' was just a trigger for the original story's progression was wrong.

Living as the Emperor's puppet.

Deciding to take revenge.

Ultimately succeeding in the revolution.

All of Dad's actions had a 'goal,' and that goal was me.

What I thought was a happy ending in the original story was, in the end, a definite tragedy for the protagonist who lost his goal.

'After the original story ends, Dad might have followed me to death.'

If that's the case, what I need to do is….

Not just help Dad to achieve a peaceful ending as in the original story.

'I have to survive. I have to be safe by Dad's side, no matter what happens.'

After the original story ends.

For the protagonist, Enoch Rubinstein's happy ending.

Somehow.

"Dad, me too."

With a firm resolve, I snuggled deeper into Dad's embrace.

"I can do anything for Dad…."

* * *

The highest class, Dos (Dos).

And,

Quarto (Quarto).

Septima (Septima).

Octava (Octava).

Noveno (Noveno).

Finally, the lowest class, Dies (Dies).

There is an entity that encompasses ability users classified into six classes.

That is,

Primera (Primera).

The existence of Primera is the source of magic.

An omnipotent being closest to a god.

That's why only one is born per generation.

Since the founding of the empire.

Only from the royal family, the Pavillion, has it been produced,

the class of the 'Emperor.'

* * *

"The class of the 12th Prince has been determined to be Quarto (Quarto)."

Bang!

At the report from the advisor, the Emperor shattered the glass he was holding.

Red blood splattered his hand but quickly healed without a trace.

"Why doesn't a Primera appear?"

The Emperor has seen 14 children so far, but there has been no Primera.

The people are restless due to the absence of the next Primera.

"It can't be that one will never be born."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. You are still young and healthy, so you will surely see the next Primera."

The advisor tried to calm the angry Emperor.

The Emperor, Nicholas von Pavillion, with his fair hair and green eyes, had a handsome appearance.

He was 48 years old but looked like a young man in his twenties.

This was because the lifespan of a Primera was twice that of an ordinary person.

"Our Sir Enoch has returned."

"Yes."

"I'm surprised he returned so willingly."

"According to the report from the knights, his daughter wanted to stay in the capital."

"Hahaha!"

The Emperor burst into laughter.

"How ridiculous. Not knowing why her father fled with her 7 years ago…."

I could imagine Enoch returning to the capital at the request of his naive daughter.

"Well, it's for the best. That's what I wanted."

7 years ago, when Enoch deserted.

The Emperor was furious.

His absence was a significant loss of military strength.

But there was no way to force him to return. Enoch was too powerful….

"Patience is rewarded. If I had forced Enoch to submit back then, I would probably have already been in my grave, drained of my life force."

The Emperor laughed softly.

Primera, unlike other ability users, consumed life force rather than mana.

The omnipotent Primera could brainwash and control ability users, but it required a significant amount of life force.

Especially in the case of a strong ability user like Enoch Rubinstein.

But.

"Does he even know what I've been waiting for these 7 years?"

There was a way to control Enoch without brainwashing.

7 years ago, what Enoch wanted to protect was none other than his daughter.

The Emperor knew that his daughter would soon become his weakness and waited quietly.

Until Enoch's world had only his daughter left.

Until his daughter became a whip to control him.

"Sir Enoch will soon bring me a grand return gift."

The map covering the wall of the room.

The empire had almost swallowed the entire continent.

Yet, a few countries that had not been absorbed were thorns in the side of the Conqueror, Emperor Nicholas.

But soon, only the name of the empire would remain on the continent.

Now that Enoch Rubinstein has returned.

* * *

The next morning.

"Oh, oh, oh. You're so beautiful, Miss."

"What bag would you like to wear? The bear bag that goes on your back? Or the rabbit bag that goes on your side?"

I started a busy day with the maids.

"Today, I want the rabbit!"

"Hehehe! A rabbit that looks like Miss!"

"Okay, I'll go with the rabbit!"

"What are you going to play today?"

"In the morning, I have to attend class…. Can I have a snack after class?"

"Of course, Miss. I'll prepare milk and chocolate macarons for you."

"Then, are you going to the study now? I'll get your things ready."

While Jet and Jun prepared my class materials, I sat on the bed, swinging my short legs.

'So short…'

Short. Terribly short.

It's not growing.

If I keep growing this slowly, my true identity will be exposed to everyone.

'I need to move quickly.'

I need to rescue Chessier first, then enter the ability user training facility as soon as possible.

Ability users must go to the training facility to receive the Emperor's power to use their abilities.

Only the Emperor can open the 'Core' in the hearts of ability users.

And I need to open my Core and use my ability as soon as possible.

I need to use my ability to consume life force to grow like others.

'That way, I can hide my true identity…'

"Did you hear that, sister?"

"What?"

My ears perked up at the voices of the sisters busily preparing my things.

"This time, it's a miss again. The 12th Prince's class is Quarto."

"Really? I thought it would be a Primera this time."

Jun's words made Jet's eyes widen.

"There are many rumors that the gods have abandoned the royal family. It's been so long without a Primera."

"Come on, it can't be. It will appear soon."

They were talking about the royal family.

I pretended not to care, swinging my feet and humming a tune.

"That's so strange. Until now, the first or second child was always a Primera."

"True. There are so many princes and princesses, but there's still no crown prince. Is this the first time?"

The absolute power ability user, Primera, who is born only once per generation.

Until now, without exception, they have only come from the royal family.

Only a Primera among the Emperor's children could become the crown prince.

But.

'Emperor, you can keep having children. But will a Primera ever appear?'

A Primera will not appear from the royal family this time.

The Primera, who is born only once per generation, is already….

"Could it be that it has appeared from another family?"

…correct.

"Ha. That's ridiculous."

"Hehe…."

Cold sweat trickled down my forehead.