Volume 4 Chapter 17 – Always the Substitute Princess | Amurality

| Amurality-Jil-Vincarea

“Fufufu.”
“Today, your mood seems particularly good.”
Thinking of my beloved child, who grows day by day, naturally puts me in a good mood.
“Because she kicks my belly!”
“That’s good. She seems like she’ll be fast on her feet.”
Today, she’s especially energetic. She must be eager to come out. I’m eager to meet her, too.
“That’s right! I wonder when it’ll be—I want to meet her soon.”
“Well, well, if you rush things, she might turn out like your sister used to be.”
The wily knight, Owen, teases with a mischievous remark, taking advantage of the fact that my sister and I get along well to say whatever he wants.
“That’s rude to my sister!… Well, yes, you’re right… I definitely don’t want her to be like my sister used to be. I definitely don’t want to be pushed around. Let’s wait patiently and calmly. That’s better.”

Yes, that’s right. My sister is graceful now, but she used to be… quite a handful. I’d almost forgotten how many times she put me in danger, especially in this peaceful time.
Even as a young girl, she was quick-witted and constantly coming up with pranks, often dragging me into them.
Usually, I ended up as the culprit.
“That’s right, that’s right.”
Knight Owen, always smiling, comes from a family that has served our royal family for generations, and he has protected us since we were little.
Since the hero came and freed our country from its tragedy, Owen has been full of smiles.
I sometimes wonder if it’s suitable for a knight to be so cheerful, but remembering the helplessness we felt back then, his smile brings me happiness.

“By the way, Lady Amurality.”
Suddenly, with the same calm expression, he straightens his posture and asks. His narrow eyes remain steady.
“What is it?”
“Yesterday, I was organizing the treasury. We no longer need sacrifices.”
That’s right. The negative cycle that had plagued our royal family is finally broken. Ah, she kicked again. This little one…
“Yes, that’s true.”
“Both the peace brought by the hero and the past tragedies are important events for the people living in the Vincarea Plains. They must be remembered.”
That’s true.

Here in the Vincarea Grasslands, at the deepest part of a vertical dungeon called “The Abyss,” lived a giant monkey demon, Bismanidel, who craved the blood of our royal family.
Traditionally, the eldest daughter of our royal family would become a dancing princess, sacrificed to prevent a breach and stampede from The Abyss.
I, loving my sister dearly, intended to become the sacrifice in her place, as she was the current dancing princess.
Then the hero came, rescuing me, covered in wounds, defeating the great demon, silencing the dungeon, and ending the tragic cycle of our royal family…
…my beloved husband.

It felt like I had become the Ice Shrine Maiden from a hero’s tale.
My sister was frustrated—she had always loved that story the most. Hehe, serves her right.
But even though I became friends with him first, she made her move before I could… Well, it’s okay now.
Ah, another kick. She’s such a handful, this little one…
“That’s right.”
“That is our role—to stand between the past and the future, connecting them.”

Yes, the tragedies of the previous generation are over. Knight Owen’s beloved former dancing princess, my aunt, did not survive.
“…Yes, that’s true.”
“However, while we no longer need sacrifices, the items used for subjugations and rituals are relics linked to previous heroes. They are treasures of our grassland tribes and symbols of the royal family. We can’t simply discard them, nor should we neglect them.”

Right… hmm? I understand what he’s saying, but… this tone feels a little too instructive… like he’s leading this conversation in a bad direction…

“Yeah… right?”

“So, with that in mind, there’s been a suggestion to set up a special exhibit room to display these items for the public.”

…This has definitely already gone through my sister. Absolutely! She’s tricked me again!

“Oh, is that so? That sounds… like a good idea.”

“Indeed, indeed. Now, we have… a few sacred treasures that, no matter how hard we search, cannot be found.”

I knew it! This isn’t an innocent search for a culprit; it’s a staged interrogation of a known offender! He’s smiling, but it’s not a real smile!

“I-I-I have no idea!”

“I haven’t even accused anyone yet.”

Oh no! I jumped the gun! Owen’s eyes are narrowing! His smile is terrifying! Old traumas are resurfacing!

Since childhood, my sister always pinned her pranks on me.

Because she resembled my aunt, until my sister confessed, Owen always thought I was the culprit.

And since I’d get nervous even when I was innocent, he never really believed me! Owen, you jerk! Idiot!

“Y-Yeah, well… Really, we must ensure everything is managed properly.”

“Indeed. A strict punishment must be given to the one responsible for management.”

“N-No! We can’t do that!”

I can’t let the blame fall on our people because of my sister’s antics.

It was her idea to take the treasures out of the vault in the first place! She said if we didn’t, no one would ever find out!

Wait! My sister’s the one who even suggested the exhibit to Owen. Definitely!

This is just like when Kyosuke-sama says, “toudai moto kurashi!”

“However, a light punishment would diminish the value of these sacred treasures and, by extension, erode royal authority.”

“What?”

“Huh?”

“I… I… can’t! I’m sorry! I confess! I gave it to the Shrine Maiden!”

…In the end, I’m the one apologizing…

In times like these, honesty is best. I’ve learned that from experience. Though, just once, I wish my sister would apologize sincerely too… Is that too much to ask?

“Well, considering that she saved this country, and these sacred treasures were tokens from past heroes… Just make sure to report it next time. Please.”

“Y-Yes.”

“You’re about to become a parent, after all.”

“Yes.”

That’s right! I won’t let myself be dragged around by my sister anymore! Even if they’re only half-siblings, there’ll soon be another child with her blood in this generation!

…I need to be careful.

“But really, if I may ask, why did the Shrine Maiden take such an item? Surely there were more powerful magical tools available? I hear that artifact can’t be recreated nowadays; it relies on magical energy, stationary and mass-produced as it is. And it was useless for capturing Tabismanidel’s swift movements.”

“I-I don’t know! It’s… embarrassing, really!”

I truly didn’t know!

I was tricked by my sister from the start!

I mean, who would ever think of using a sacred treasure to record… personal matters?

The [Monolith of Events] wasn’t meant for that! It was designed to collect data to help locate the demon’s weaknesses!

Only my sister would think of using it that way! And she found every one of my weak points!

…Even now, just remembering it is mortifying. And it wasn’t just me; there were also some… shared moments between us as sisters.

The Shrine Maiden even used medicine as an excuse.

She’d say things like, “Since we’ve taken it, once or twice doesn’t matter,” or “To show the hero our strong sisterly bond,” or “To commemorate this life with the hero,” always nudging me forward!

If we’re going to record anyway, wouldn’t it be better to capture the hero in action? His cool training scenes, his daily life, or even just him drinking tea! There were so many other options!

I can’t show any of this to my child! …Though, I have to admit… Kyosuke-sama was wonderful at night…

“…Embarrassing? Well, very well. Please be mindful of this in the future. I implore you! Understood?”

“Y-Yes.”

………I’ll watch it again tonight.