Revolutionary Princess Eve

Chapter 10

“Uh... hm...”

No matter one’s intelligence or ignorance, there are things a person should know not to say. From an alchemist’s point of view, Rosenitte’s statement could be taken as an insult to the entire field.

Along with Eve, Brigitte stared coldly into her cup of tea. Even Rubens and Icallis were starting to sweat. The Emperor kept opening and closing his mouth, struggling to settle on an expression.

He finally gave an embarrassed chuckle.

“Haha, Rosie... I am touched by your affection, but I don’t think lavender blooms this time of year. You needn’t waste your time walking to the garden.”

“Oh! But there must be some in the greenhouses, right? I’ll bring you those.”

“That’s all right, Rosie.”

“If you say so...”

Since Rosenitte was his majesty’s favorite daughter, he had chosen to overlook her mistake. He surely would have been furious if Brigitte or Eve had spoken with such folly.

Rubens decided to change the subject. He’d thought of the perfect thing to bring up.

“Oh, I nearly forgot! Rosie’s birthday is coming up, isn’t it?”

“My goodness! You’ve remembered, Rubens. Yes, I’ll finally be turning 18 next week,” Rosenitte exclaimed.

“That means you’ll be able to select a personal knight of your own. All the subjects have been looking forward to this day. It will be a celebration for the entire empire!”

“Oh, dear brother... It’s something every member of our family does.”

Rosenitte spoke with a false modesty, everyone knowing she’d cajoled her father earlier into holding a huge birthday celebration for her sake.

She adopted a worried expression and turned to the Emperor.

“Father, I’m actually a bit concerned about the selection ceremony,” Rosenitte said.

“Hmm? Why would you be worried?” the Emperor replied.

“I’m embarrassed to say it, but I have no talent in alchemy or magic. I’m not sure I’ll be able to ‘imprint’ a homunculus properly.”

“There is no need to worry, Rosie. Being of imperial blood alone will grant you more than enough power to control a homunculus.”

“But it requires more talent if the homunculus is special, right? What if I were to fail the ritual? I’m not sleeping well these days because I keep thinking about it.”

“Oh, child, you will do just fine,” said the Emperor compassionately. Rosenitte’s pink, ruby-like eyes shone as if filling with tears at a new thought.

She covered her mouth with a frail gesture and lamented, “Ah, Eve wouldn’t have to worry about such things...”

“...”

Her intention in drawing Eve into the conversation was obvious. The seventh princess was infamous for choosing to break with imperial custom and not select a personal knight of her own. Eve made the perfect target at a moment like this.

As expected, the affable mood around the table immediately turned as cool as the tea.

Here it comes. Thanks so much for that, Rosie.

Everyone turned to look at Eve. She’d received all these cold looks before, but they still hurt.

The Emperor said in a despondent tone, “Yes, Eve is very talented indeed. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if she were capable of having at least three personal knights under her control at her current skill level.”

“My goodness, really? Eve, you’re so incredible!” Rosenitte said.

“Oh, but what good is such potential when she has no intention of ever taking on a personal knight?”

The Emperor gave a long sigh. He pressed at his temples as if his headache had returned.

“Eve, I’d prefer you to start complying with our imperial traditions. Thinking of this frustrates me to no end. You’ve inherited such impressive alchemic talent from me, and you just let it rot. Tsk.”

“...”

“The personal knight system is a Hadelamid custom that has been unbroken for half a millennium, and you are the only family member in history to reject it. Is it your intention to act like you’re not one of the family?”

“Father...”

“Ugh, no, forget it. Let’s not talk about this any longer. There’s no point in hearing your answer.”

“...”

His majesty must have wanted to drop the subject because of the thoughtful tea Eve had brought him that morning. He finished what remained in his cup and grumbled, “You’ll refuse again anyway. You’re obstinate, just like your mother.”

“Actually, no, Father.”

“What?”

The emperor was taken aback. He stared at Eve, surprised.

“What do you mean, ‘no’?”

Eve smiled to herself, thinking,

Thanks for the opportunity, Rosie.

Eve spoke her next words in a measured tone.

“Father, I’ve given this some careful thought, and I’ve come to realize the error of my ways. I have caused you too much grief by rebelling and refusing compliance with our traditions. Upon this reflection, I felt truly remorseful last night.”

“Eh? What?”

The legs of Eve’s chair scraped the floor as she stood without the help of a servant. She raised the hem of her dress slightly and bowed to show politeness and sincerity. She formally requested, “I’d like a personal knight of my own, Father.”

“...!”

Everyone in the Emerald Hall grew wide-eyed. Even Sedella was shocked, nearly overfilling Brigitte’s tea cup. The Emperor shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Brigitte, Rosenitte, Rubens, and Icallis all shared similar expressions.

The Emperor’s uncertain reply came after a long pause.

“Uh... Eve, you... Hm, let me see if I have this right... You said you do wish for a personal knight?

“Yes, Father.”

“Y... you’re serious? I have not misheard you?”

“Correct, Father. I would indeed like to have a personal knight.”

“Hah...”

The Emperor’s gray-blue eyes blinked several times. He sat dazed for a minute, then gulped down all of his hot tea and stared at Eve again.

“Eve! You’re finally behaving maturely!”

“I apologize for all the stress I’ve caused you up till now, Father.”

“Truly. But that’s all in the past now that you’ve seen reason. You may raise your head and sit. Let’s talk while seated comfortably.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“Now this calls for a celebration! This is a tremendous moment!”

His Majesty looked so happy that he could have jumped up and down in his seat.

Eve’s siblings were experiencing different feelings, of course. Rosenitte, who’d purposefully started this conversation to harm Eve, was the most startled of all.

Wait, this isn’t what I wanted to happen.

The Emperor leaned forward in his seat, ready to pelt Eve with questions.

“When do you wish the ceremony to be?”

“If you’ll grant it, I’d like to have an informal ceremony today. For me, the imprint ritual isn’t something that will require much prior preparation.”

“But are you sure an informal ceremony would be enough?”

“Of course. Next week is Rosie’s ceremony. I believe mine should be as minimal as possible so that Rosie gets the attention for her big day.”

“I’m touched at your love for your sister,” the Emperor said.

It took Eve some effort to keep her expression and tone from turning frosty.

“I do not want to sound discourteous, but I did not make this decision solely for Rosie’s sake. Rosie is beloved by all your subjects. Drawing their goodwill through Rosie’s celebration is an excellent means to build public favor for our family. Be it great or small, I believe this will have some positive influence on your reign. For these reasons alone, it is right for us to solely promote Rosie’s selection ceremony, and avoid any distractions from my own sudden ceremony.”

“Oh! Your thoughts run deep. Eve, I see now that you are not only kind, but also possess a head for politics.”

“You flatter me, Father.”

The Emperor looked extremely gratified, as if he was looking at the perfect daughter.

“Good, good. I’m proud of you. If you want the ceremony to be today, does that mean you’ve already chosen a homunculus to be your knight?”

“Yes. I do have a homunculus in mind.”

“Wow!” the Emperor exclaimed, extremely interested. Everyone in the Emerald Hall was now bursting with curiosity.

“Who is it? Do tell, Eve.”

It was finally time to mention him. Eve realized that she was suddenly extremely nervous and had to take a deep breath.

She met her father’s gaze and said clearly,

“I desire Mikaelis Agnito as my personal knight.”

“Huh? Who?”

The Emperor did not recognize the name.

Oh, whoops. Mikael hasn’t made his entry into the imperial palace yet.

No one here would know his name because he was currently in prison. Because of the timing, she’d have to use his better known moniker. She didn’t like using Mikael’s nickname, but she didn’t have much of a choice.

“The man I’m referring to has been known as... the Monster of the Floating Prison.”

“...!”

She glanced around the table. Their faces were even more shocked than when she’d initially declared that she wanted to take on a personal knight. The Emperor’s expression hardened as he gazed at Eve, his lips becoming a thin, stern line on his face.

As usual, Rubens was the first to set the mood by breaking the tense silence. He gestured angrily at Eve and shouted,

“Eve! What the hell are you thinking?”