Volume 9 Chapter 9 The Delicate Princess, Flavia
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I walked through the wide marble corridor of Astoria’s royal palace, my body wrapped in flowing garments that hid its lines. The polished stone gleamed beneath my steps, and the banners and crests on the walls testified to Astoria’s long and proud history, rivaling that of my own fallen homeland, the Quvarian Empire.
From childhood, I had been taught only one lesson: be beautiful. Not wise, not clever—just graceful, modest, and still. I was molded into the perfect imperial bride, not meant for politics, only for a marriage to strengthen alliances. Thus, I became adored, cherished, and married away to Astoria’s crown prince as nothing more than a gentle princess to be admired.
Yet, I did not take pride in this role. Like my sister Sheryl, I longed to show ability of my own, but such dreams had been denied me. Since leaving Quvar, however, every whisper I heard carried only dark tidings of my homeland. Once one of the Four Great Nations, Quvar was now looked down upon, its strength eroded by wars, territorial losses, and scandals. Each rumor pressed heavily on my heart.
”You’ve kept me waiting,” I said softly.
”Ah, Flavia. You are beautiful as always,” Clovis answered.
At the corridor’s end, my husband waited with warm brown-gold hair and gentle eyes. From the day of our wedding, he had loved me sincerely—not merely as a pawn of politics, but as a woman. And though our marriage had been arranged, he never ceased to admire my beauty and kindness.
He took my hand, and together we walked to a secluded garden. A fountain murmured there among vivid blossoms, the air alive with fragrance.
”Your Highness,” I whispered, “people do not speak kindly of Quvar these days.”
”That is unfortunate,” Clovis replied. His calm tone betrayed nothing, though he already knew the truth—Quvar’s reputation had sunk beyond repair.
Astoria was different. Rich farmlands, thriving trade, steady governance: a nation called the “Emerald Jewel” of the continent. Where Quvar bullied its neighbors with force, Astoria nurtured trust and flourished. By contrast, my homeland was now derided as the “Bloodstained Jewel.”
Ten years ago, Quvar betrayed its ally, the Northern Kingdom. That act had marked the beginning of its downfall, a fact even Clovis’s tutors never failed to repeat.
”I wish to bear your child soon,” I told him, lowering my eyes. “But the Empress says it is too early. Could you not speak on my behalf? I long to present you with our baby.”
”I too would love a daughter like you,” he said gently, though concern clouded his gaze.
For whispers of Quvar’s collapse were not merely rumors. Rebellions in Lesta and Seron, the semi-independence of McGaref, and the bitter clash of old nobles against Sheryl’s reformists—all of it pushed the Empire to the brink. Even worse, the supply of magic stones, lifeblood of our world, was vanishing.
Clovis remembered Maribel, the Witch of the Four Seas, reporting only yesterday:
”We scouted the Depths of the Labyrinth. But there were no monsters there.”
”No monsters?” the court had murmured in disbelief. Without monsters, there were no stones. Already the guilds’ reserves were gone, and only the royal treasury remained to stave off disaster. With winter coming, lives would freeze away.
”We discovered the current of magic itself was disturbed,” Maribel had continued, kneeling before the king. “In truth… one of the Underworld Gates has opened.”
The council had erupted. The gates, sealed and guarded by each of the Four Great Nations, were never to be unbound. Yet suspicion fell at once on Quvar, desperate for soldiers to crush its enemies.
If it were true, then my homeland had doomed not only itself, but the world.
Clovis pressed a hand to his stomach, the weight of it all gnawing within him. The king, his father, did not fail to notice.
”Clovis,” he said gravely.
”Yes, Father.”
”I know you love Flavia, and she is indeed a fine girl. But remember—you are heir to this throne.”
”…I understand,” Clovis murmured.
* * *
”Is something troubling you, my lord?” I asked later, tilting my head.
”Forgive me. Only lost in thought,” he said.
”Ah… could it be you wish to do it here?” I teased with a blush. “Wait, I shall have the maids draw the curtains… ah, Your Highness, please hold back just a moment longer.”
I leaned close, and he kissed my cheek. His arms encircled me with strength and tenderness. And in that embrace, I felt—for just a fleeting moment—that love might shield us from the storms gathering beyond Astoria’s walls.
Notes:
• Quvarian Empire – Ruling kingdom. Harsh world, restricted freedom.
• McGaref – Fortress city, adventurer hub.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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