Chapter 6

***

As Claudia's uncle and guardian, Hannes had been busy from early morning that day.

He tidied himself up, gave various instructions to the maids, and let all of Claudia's attendants take a break. Instead, he brought the maids who worked at his house to the tower.

In front of Hannes sat a girl with milk tea-colored hair. However, she was not his niece, Claudia.

"Still, it was convenient that Claudia turned out to be a girl without magic."

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Hannes sat down in the chair of the parlor.

"When I heard that an inspection team from the royal castle was coming, I was worried about what might happen. Leonora, I'm glad you have the same hair color as Claudia."

"Oh, don't be so rude, Father."

The nine-year-old girl with milk tea-colored hair, Leonora, turned to her father while eating a snack.

"Claudia is a scrawny, bruised, and miserable child with messy hair. Don't compare her muddy-looking hair to my lustrous hair."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Leonora."

"Besides, it's too late to switch now! We've been using Claudia's dresses, snacks, and jewels all along."

Leonora peered into a hand mirror and narrowed her eyes happily.

"Compared to Claudia, I'm clearly the real princess."

"Yes, that's true. With your fair, translucent skin and well-maintained hair, no one would doubt that you are the real princess."

Hannes sighed in relief.

Although Claudia, the princess, had been abandoned, a monthly allowance was provided for her upbringing to maintain the dignity of the royal family. While it might be a small amount for the royal family, it was a large sum for Hannes, an orphan. He had almost pocketed all of it and spent it with his family, not just for this moment.

However, it turned out to be beneficial in the end. The girl he had raised with Claudia's money, from a young age, had grown into a girl who could pass as a princess.

(Sigh... I panicked when I thought the inspector would see the scrawny, bruised, and silent Claudia, and I would be punished as her guardian. But it was a good idea to kill Claudia and replace her with Leonora.)

He hadn't told his daughter that he had killed the real Claudia. However, she had been excited about the prospect of becoming a princess and had accepted the plan without hesitation. Hannes was proud that she had grown into such a filial daughter.

"Still, I feel so relieved that Claudia ran away! We occasionally met, but she never spoke, even when I hit or pinched her; she was like a doll."

"Haha. But Leonora, you must be well-behaved in front of the inspection team. If they see that 'Claudia' has grown into a wonderful princess, I will gain more trust and more money. You will live a life of luxury as a princess."

"Yay! Hehe, I'm looking forward to it. Father, isn't it time for the inspection team to arrive?"

Hannes stood up, holding Leonora's hand as she got off the chair.

"Yes. Then..."

For some reason, his gaze was drawn to the window.

"..."

He remembered the moment he had thrown Claudia from the upper floor yesterday.

He had dropped her from the 22nd floor window, and the ground below was covered with trees. It was a forest inhabited by monsters, and one could not return alive without using a monster-repelling spell.

There was no need to search for the body; the carnivorous monsters would have taken care of it. However, he hadn't been able to confirm it immediately to avoid arousing suspicion.

(The unease I feel must be due to the tension of deceiving the inspection team.)

Hannes tried to convince himself. However, he had a bad feeling, which was why he had spent a large sum of money to hire several skilled magicians after that.

(I know it was a waste of money. A six-year-old child with no magic couldn't have survived such a fall. Yet...)

The uneasy feeling came from the expression on Claudia's face when he had thrown her out of the window.

(Why did Claudia smile at that moment?)

"Father?"

Looking up at her father, Leonora made a forced smile.

"It's nothing. Let's go, 'Claudia.'"

Together, they headed to the guest room.

Although he had been visiting this tower for six years, this was the first time he had used this room. No guests, not even the king, Claudia's biological father, had ever visited her.

The guests were already waiting and stood up when they saw Hannes and Leonora. Leonora whispered excitedly, looking at the tall man standing in the center of the five.

"Wow. The man with silver hair in the middle is so handsome..."

"Indeed, he is. Among the guests, there is a strikingly handsome man."

"Indeed, he is. Among the guests, there is a strikingly handsome man."

The man with silver hair, tied back in a ponytail, and eyes as red as crimson, glanced at Hannes with a cold look. Then, he knelt in front of Leonora.

"Nice to meet you, Princess Claudia. I am Karlheinz Rainer Exner, the newly appointed head magician of the royal castle."

(Head magician?)

Karlheinz, who introduced himself, looked to be in his mid to late twenties.

Despite his young age, he had been appointed as the head magician in the royal castle, where the best magicians gathered. This was surprising, but what worried Hannes was the reason for the inspection.

(Wasn't the inspection just a formality for the royal castle? Why would the head magician come to see Claudia...?)

"Nice to meet you, Lord Karlheinz."

Leonora, blushing, curtsied slightly.

"I am Claudia Natalia Brightkreuz. I am very pleased to meet you."

"Right away, then..."

Karlheinz stood up and gave some instructions to the four magicians behind him.

"Are you aware of the purpose of this inspection, Lord Hannes?"

"The purpose...?"

"Oh, I see. As the guardian of the princess, you are not aware of the tension with the neighboring countries?"

Hannes flinched at the cold look but also felt a surge of anger. As the uncle of the princess, he shouldn't be spoken to like this by someone much younger. However, Karlheinz paid no attention to him.

He continued in a cold tone.

"The presence of a person with strong magic is a deterrent to neighboring countries. We have come here to re-evaluate the magic of all the royal family members."

"But... about that..."

Hannes cleared his throat, trying to remain calm.

"Princess Claudia was born without magic. This was confirmed by the queen during the evaluation."

"That's true, but the queen was the only one present. However, if Claudia is the king's daughter, it is unlikely that she would have no magic at all."

Hannes felt a cold sweat.

Magic usually flows in people of high status. As an orphan, Hannes and his daughter, Leonora, had no magic.

"But, I, as her uncle, can assure you that Princess Claudia truly has no magic..."

"Then..."

Karlheinz's red eyes looked down at Leonora with disinterest.

"---We will have to investigate whether Princess Claudia is truly the king's daughter."

"Wh-What!?"

To hide his shock, Hannes pretended to be angry.

"Sir, that's extremely rude! Suspecting my sister's infidelity is a grave insult to the king!"

"Terrible, Sir Magician...! I am the real princess!"

Leonora covered her face with her hands and started to pretend to cry. Hannes embraced her, pretending to comfort her.

(Damn, this is going badly. I'll have to stir up trouble and kick these people out without resolving anything...)

Shielding Leonora behind him, Hannes glared at Karlheinz.

"I'm sorry, but Princess Claudia is deeply hurt. I must ask you to leave this place—"

At that moment.

"!?"

A loud thud was heard, and the floor seemed to shake.

"What...!?"

"Lord Hannes, it's an emergency!!"

One of the mercenary magicians he had hired for a large sum of money the day before rushed in, his face pale.

"The barrier has been breached! The barrier that prevents monsters from entering has been broken!!"

"What!?"

The tower was usually surrounded by a barrier to keep the forest's monsters away. It was a classic but powerful spell that prevented uninvited guests from entering.

As long as the barrier was in place, no monsters or humans could enter without being invited by someone inside.

"Impossible! The barrier can't be broken from the outside! Even a dragon couldn't break it!"

While Hannes was in shock, Karlheinz gave orders to his subordinates.

"---All units, prepare for an attack."

"Yes, sir."

As they spoke, the tower shook again, this time more violently. It felt as if it was being hit by a powerful force. Tables jumped, teacups fell to the floor, and ornaments shattered.

At this point, the inspection was the least of their concerns.

"Prepare for combat. Follow me."

"Kyaa!! Father, I'm scared, help me!!"

"Idiot, I'm your 'uncle'!!"

Hugging Leonora, Hannes watched Karlheinz and his team. At that moment, the guest room door was flung open.

"Yaa!!"

Startled by the loud noise, Leonora clung to him. Hannes gasped, seeing a figure in the doorway.

(...A child...!?)

There stood a boy with black hair.

He had a well-defined face, but his eyes were defiant and carried an air of arrogance. The boy looked at Leonora with his dark eyes, then turned his gaze to Hannes a few seconds later.

"---..."

A cold, contemptuous look.

Hannes, who had no reason to be looked at this way by a child, tried to scold him but found himself unable to speak.

"A...?"

His body was trembling.

His knees were shaking so much that he almost fell to the ground. It took him a few seconds to realize that the reason for his trembling was the boy's gaze.

His instincts were unconsciously afraid of the boy.

(Could this kid have broken the barrier? ...He has something that looks like a sword in his right hand...)

The boy exhaled briefly and then turned his gaze to Karlheinz. Seeing this, Hannes felt a bit relieved and managed to speak.

"M... Magician! This child is an intruder!! I don't know who he is, but capture him quickly..."

"..."

However, Karlheinz did not move a step.

As they stood there, the boy's sword disappeared. He stood aside, as if making way for someone, and knelt to take the hand of the person who appeared.

"Wh-What...?"

Hannes was speechless.

The person who appeared, taken by the hand of the boy, was a child who looked familiar yet unfamiliar.

"Could it be...?"

Her hair was a sweet, milky white, like tea with milk. Her delicate hands and feet were accentuated by the frilly dress she wore. Her pale skin had a slightly sickly look, but it also carried a mysterious aura.

She had a beautiful appearance, just like her mother. The eyes she turned to them were like opal gems, shimmering with a variety of colors.

"It's a good time, I'm glad."

The girl smiled brightly and spoke in a slightly lisping voice.

"Good day, foolish uncle."

"K... Claudia...!?"