NOVEL WEB Ch49 - Michela and the Green Princess
49: Michela and the Green Princess
“My brother has finally made his decision. I am very pleased.”
“May his path be blessed with much happiness.”
I look down from the window at my brother greeting our father, offering the deepest bow. The surrounding staff do the same. My brother, riding on the sled, gradually moves away…
Whether he will succeed in his first love and be united with Lady El remains uncertain, but please show me, Michela, that you will protect the woman you fell in love with. If so, I might finally take an interest in romance myself.
I instruct the staff on the next steps: investigating the damage to the town, collecting lost items from another world, and reinforcing castle security.
“Well then, let’s head to the tower.”
I ascend the stairs with a worried voice, showing concern. The warmth from the heating makes me sweat lightly on my forehead. I cool down with ice magic.
At the top floor, I burst through the door with a loud bang, startling the person inside.
A beautiful foreign maiden with long black hair is quietly sitting, her back against the wall with her legs stretched out on the bed. A silver chain is fastened around her ankle, clinking delicately as she pulls her foot back.
“Earlier there was a large tremor. Are you alright, Jade Princess?”
There is an iron grille between us. I ask gently, and her emerald-green eyes pierce through me with intensity.
Ah, she seems quite lively, which is good. I deepen my smile. Even her slight trembling is rather endearing.
“Jade Princess, we still do not know the cause of the tremor. We are currently investigating. I am truly glad that there were no issues with the heating equipment. Please continue to stay here.”
The princess turns her face away. How different she is from before, when she used to hurl angry and defiant words.
It seems the incident at the Winter Festival was quite a shock for her.
“I have contacted King Raomei. They will come to take you away as soon as possible.”
“You told Father?!”
The princess’s face turns pale, and she starts to blame me, accusing me of involving the country and other such things.
Oh my, it’s not just amusing—it’s more like my insides are boiling with glee.
“Of course, I have consulted everything thoroughly. I regard this as a major issue between nations.”
“—!!!”
Does she think she can be treated as a cute troublemaker? Sending spies into the Felsnow Kingdom, scheming, and even provoking Lady El at the Winter Festival. It’s outrageous.
The princess and her companions had planned to disrupt the Winter Festival’s tree and cause confusion, but they noticed my brother on the way to the square. The princess inadvertently approached and noticed Lady El and the others, showing a face of great shock.
She collapsed immediately after challenging Lady El, as she had no resistance to the winter cold.
Fenrir was furious at having his enjoyment ruined, so she should be grateful for not being turned into ice.
I’m glad that the unicorn was able to erase her memory and that Lady El finally showed a smile.
“Your subordinates have already told everything. Be prepared.”
“You talked about it…!?”
The princess blames me for revealing everything, claiming it is ironic.
“If everyone had remained silent, the crown prince, who was the mastermind, would have blamed everything on you alone and escaped responsibility.”
“…! Please refrain from tarnishing my family!”
“Oh, my apologies. It was just speculation.”
The rumor that the princess is blindly loyal to the crown prince seems to be true. Raised like a flower without understanding politics, and only able to live by being used in the struggle for succession… I feel sympathy, but there is no mercy from me.
“By the way, are you aware of how much you and your companions troubled and tormented my brother, Christopher?”
This family was the one truly wronged.
“I never meant to… I only admired him!”
Even now, she gazes dreamily into space, blushing at the mention of my brother’s name. Listening to her lengthy, love-struck tales, my gaze gradually grows colder. Perhaps freezing her will make her silent.
My brother’s kindness is both a blessing and a curse. He tends to attract troublesome individuals. It’s good that he could temporarily retreat to the snow-covered mountains.
“When will Prince Christopher arrive?”
“He will not come.”
Ignoring the ongoing love talk, I give the princess a sharp response and turn on my heel.
I suspected that the tremor was caused by the princess, a powerful user of green magic and controller of green fairies, but after meeting her, I am certain that’s not the case.
The cause must lie elsewhere.
There is no one in the Green Nation with magical skills surpassing hers, so it must be something else. I hope it’s not due to human reasons.
I leave the tower.
“Michela.”
“! Your Majesty.”
I am called and bow. A monster owl is perched on my father’s shoulder.
“This is… a messenger from the snow-covered mountains?”
“Yes. They want us to investigate whether the tremor occurred only in the Felsnow Kingdom or if it affected surrounding countries as well.”
“It’s concerning.”
“Yes. We need to send messengers to other countries. It will take at least ten days one way…”
“Since we are focusing on domestic measures, let’s aim for the fastest possible communication. There are limits to how quickly people can convey messages.”
“Indeed.”
The monster owl hoots in dissatisfaction. It must want to bring back results immediately.
“But we have no further means of communication. Even the fairy’s voice only reaches within the country and its territories…”
“…”
“Your Majesty, it seems there’s a green fairy in this country, right?”
“That seems to be the case… So?”
“If we capture it, the situation will be resolved quickly.”
“It will also serve as evidence.”
“Let’s consult with Lord Fenrir and the others!”
At this moment, we might have been showing black smiles. The owl was trembling.
…Oh!?
A giant ice magic circle suddenly appeared in front of us, and I instinctively stepped in front of my father to protect him.
< < Royal family of Felsnow!! > >
The booming voice belonged to King Oberon and Queen Titania of the fairies. I felt relieved. It seemed to be the same magic as when they previously interrupted… ahem, participated in the meeting.
“Here”
My father and I bowed deeply toward the magic circle.
From the magic circle emerged two large snow fairies and four snow fairies with dark skin who looked exhausted. The large snow fairies made ice swords and bowed to us with knightly respect.
I reflexively returned the gesture… but who are these people!?
The snow fairies are usually gentle and kind, and should be poor at combat. I waited, bewildered, for further explanation.
< The two snow fairies that Princess Winter infused with magical power are exceptionally strong. They will serve as protectors for Princess Mischela and the others in case of any unforeseen events. >
“Please convey my heartfelt thanks to Lady El!”
I clasped my hands and offered a prayer of gratitude. How kind they are. After dealing with Princess Emerald, I felt even more healed.
< The four connected by the chains were originally green spirits. They have now been turned into snow fairies by Lord Fenrir, so they won’t cause trouble. However, since they are not accustomed to the cold and will weaken if left in the snowy mountains, please manage them at the castle. They should disclose any information they know. >
“Leave it to me.”
This is my area of expertise. I’ll interrogate the former green fairies and have them contact the Green Country once they recover their strength.
Fortunately, Princess Emerald is knowledgeable about handling fairies. I’ll ensure that we address the incident properly.
< < Farewell!! > >
The magic circle disappeared.
“All the cards have fallen into place at the perfect timing. Let’s move forward with enthusiasm, Your Majesty!”
“Yes, Mischela possesses both luck and talent.”
My father chuckled softly.
“What’s the matter? You seem unusually cheerful…”
“No, it was amusing how much your actions resembled Christopher’s.”
“Oh… I was unaware.”
I felt embarrassed and my face grew hot. When I was in the magic circle, my brother had shielded me and scolded me to have the awareness of a future queen. I ended up doing the same thing.
“I will reflect on it…”
“Indeed. If you were to fall while protecting me, what would become of the future of this country? You must not misprioritize.”
“Yes.”
It was painful to hear. I will never forget his words. —Future Queen. My long-held dream has been acknowledged. My eyes welled up.
“Of course, as a father, I am pleased to know you are cherished. Although it is a bit disappointing that my daughter is stronger, it is truly reassuring.”
“Father…”
I took a deep breath and opened my eyes wide.
“I will become a splendid queen!”
“I have high expectations.”
He told me to rely on family when unable to be compassionate, and my eyes became misty. As a queen, I must prioritize the operation of the country.
“…Thank you, Father. But first, please allow me to start training.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’m concerned about the locations of the interdimensional lost items. The tree at the gate, the reindeer sleigh waiting area, and the corner of the knight’s training grounds. All were places where Lady El stayed. It might be a coincidence, but as the future queen, I suspect a connection.”
“I see. Then let us trust Princess Winter.”
“Thank you. Of course, I also believe it’s not her malice, but perhaps an unconscious wish is attracting the tremors and lost items.”
“I understand.”
My father patted my head.
“The crown is not yet here. So the suspicion rests with me for now. Mischela, you should trust Princess Winter.”
“Yes!”
We will face this situation together!
Looking up at my father’s gentle ice-blue eyes, I nodded lightly.