My Beloved Princess ~The Boy Called Incompetent Rises with Only a Sword and the Princess's Devotion~

Lamplight illuminated the room brightly.

In the simple interior furnished with only the bare minimum necessities, no large mirror stood. Holding a small hand mirror as substitute, Kuroyō vacantly gazed at the beauty inherited from her mother. She suddenly recalled Ōka’s radiant smile and tried imitating it with a grin, but couldn’t smile well, and only an awkward smile remained in the hand mirror.

And immediately, she returned to her original meager expression.

A sigh escaped.

“Why can’t I smile naturally?”

She tried pulling up the corners of her mouth with her fingertips, but her stiff facial muscles were far from creating a gentle smile. Drawing her eyebrows together in a figure eight, she made a slightly troubled face. On her emotion-scarce noble countenance, cold beauty was just mechanically plastered there.

To be precise, it wasn’t that she couldn’t smile. On that night when her fate was decided, when Kishō had proposed eloping with her, laughter had welled up from the bottom of her heart and she’d been able to smile naturally. However, Kuroyō ordinarily couldn’t smile like that. Because her emotional fluctuations were few. Always observing from above and calmly judging matters, her expression was always cold and mechanical.

Kuroyō had been born as Princess fifteen years ago, with Dragon Emperor Kōren as father and his consort, General Consort Rakuyō, as mother.

General Consort, representing rank within the pack, was an honorable position serving as second rank—supreme commander of military affairs. Inevitably, as that daughter, Kuroyō’s rank had been at considerable heights from birth.

The dragonkin tribe’s pack was a female society. As packs grew larger, the pack’s male master came to entrust the pack’s management and operation to his consorts. Naturally responsibility arose there, and the consorts had to devote themselves so the pack would develop better.

Kuroyō had been drilled in that imperial education since childhood. From ways of thinking to expand packs, to methods of ingenuity. From the mindset of standing above people, to techniques of grasping people’s hearts, and then to the various strategies and schemes deemed necessary evils.

What particularly influenced Kuroyō was the teaching that pack interests must be prioritized over individual interests. That teaching continuously preached from childhood had resulted in killing herself as an individual, and her emotional fluctuations decreased.

“Perhaps I became a woman lacking charm from disciplining myself too much.”

A murmur leaked from Kuroyō’s mouth.

However, Kuroyō didn’t resent her mother Rakuyō. Though she had the desire to be doted on by her beloved, she thought that role didn’t necessarily need to be played by herself.

In a pack, handling all roles by oneself was impossible. People had strengths and weaknesses, and each person should take charge of their strong areas. That’s how packs were formed, developed, and grew. The role of receiving favor and bearing children was the same.

Tightly gripping her fists, Kuroyō nodded with determination.

“That’s precisely why I must fortify the flanks with consorts possessing broad talents.”

Expanding the pack and protecting many dragonkin women. That was the duty of powerful dragonkin as Kuroyō conceived it, and the righteous path to aim for. And by the pack developing, military power would be arranged and they could secure their own safety too. Pack expansion was a rational strategy combining both ideals and practical benefits.

“Wait for it, Kishō. I’ll select excellent consorts worthy of you.”

She placed the hand mirror on her study desk. Then Kuroyō took out a bundle of parchments from the drawer. Each parchment was densely covered with writing.

“However, it’s not like anyone excellent will do. What the pack needs is harmony. And what harms the pack is jealousy. Therefore, personnel like Ōka are ideal.”

The imperial education was granted by her mother Rakuyō. Among it, what her mother particularly fixated on was the concept that “jealousy is evil.”

‘Jealousy is an evil emotion that collapses packs. If you’re wise, you’ll be fine. Learn to control it well.’

Her mother had passionately explained it wasn’t someone else’s problem. That even the Dragon Emperor’s pack had once nearly collapsed due to jealousy. In bed before sleeping, instead of reading picture books, she’d told young Kuroyō this over and over.

“Therefore, jealous women aren’t worthy as consorts.”

What Kishō, who could become a hegemon in the near future, needed was only those who could offer pure devotion. Whether to reach the height of prosperity or take the path of ruin—depending on the consorts entrusted with the helm, the pack’s fate would be decided. Therefore, the selection of the six consorts must never be neglected.

On that point, Ōka was ideal personnel. The generosity to accept Kuroyō who’d come later, and moreover, to yield the position of first consort. And devotion offered where the person herself didn’t know.

That was the very ideal image of a consort Kuroyō envisioned. Therefore, Kuroyō respected her from the bottom of her heart.

“Yielding the first consort position—no matter the circumstances, that’s not normally possible. If driven to that necessity, could I yield like Ōka did?”

She lowered her gaze to the bundle of parchments once more.

That was the maximum devotion she could currently offer. The fruit of her efforts.

“I’m a clumsy woman. So right now I can only do this much.”

If that shy person saw this, what kind of reaction would he show? Imagining that figure, Kuroyō floated a smile.

“That’s right. Kishō is shy and bashful. So I devised a plan.”

That strategy had a different purpose from the harem plan, and was a scheme that even deceived master Kishō. Deceiving the master to whom loyalty should be pledged was normally an absolutely forbidden technique. Conduct unbecoming of a wife. But unless she did this, surely he wouldn’t shout his love.

“Hehe, I’m a bad woman. Even while saying there’s no need to compete for favor, I’m plotting like this.”

Kuroyō’s conspiracy had begun long ago.

From that time when they’d accomplished their escape from the Beast King Forest.