OKOBORE HIME TO ENTAKU NO KISHI
The Leftover Princess and the Knights of the Round
Story by: Riine Ishida
Art by: Ichiko Okiya
iii
Brought to you by:
AQUA Scans
Credits:
Raws: Icarus Bride
Translation: Crystal Hikari
Proofreading: Scylla
Quality Checking: Mizuouji
Translator’s notes:
The j.a.panese honorifics were kept in the translation of the dialogues of
the characters to show the respect or adoration shown by the characters.
Footnotes were provided upon the first appearance of the honorific in
the chapter to explain it.
Thoughts are signified by ‘italics’.
EPILOGUE
- 5 -
“Do not let anyone come into my room! I feel awful with this
runny red nose, painful throat, and coa.r.s.e voice! I shall charge
treason to anyone who dares come in here!”
“…is what my master has said so please withdraw for now.”
Friedhelm and Guido wanted to visit their sick younger sister
but she would not even let them come in. Duke told Leti to at
least let them see her, but she was indignant about it; insisting that
ladies had their own circ.u.mstances that were to be respected.
“Such bad luck. To be the only one down with a cold out of
the four of you who got drenched in the rain.” Guido said, making
it unclear if he was being sympathetic or being sarcastic.
“But in the end we weren’t able to know who the attacker was.
The Order already conducted an all-out search but found nothing,
right? If only I’d seen his face…” Friedhelm was one of the
victims but he immediately lost consciousness after being hit by
the attacker and fortunately, he was not wounded.
“If only we had moonlight instead of rain, I might’ve seen his
face clearly. Anyway, Astrid seemed to have given him a fatal
wound so let’s just hope he’s already dying somewhere out there.”
Duke, the other victim, said. But he, on the other hand, knew who
the attacker was but was pretending not to.
- 6 -
Leti"s testimony of the incident was the main source of
information for the investigation and her testimony was far from
the reality of what really happened. Her testimony went like this:
Duke noticed the a.s.sailant first but he, as well as
Friedhelm, was knocked down. Lastly, the attacker was
fatally wounded by Astrid but was still able to escape and
is currently on the run.
When Duke regained consciousness, Leti coaxed him into
saying that Astrid drove the enemy away and that he was not able
to see the attacker’s face because it was dark. Duke glared at Leti,
communicating with his eyes that she would explain herself later,
and followed what his master said and has pretended since then
that he had not seen the attacker’s face.
When the two princes gave up and said their goodbyes, “Go
ahead and stay like that forever”, Duke knocked on Leti"s door
informing her that her brothers had left.
“They went home already. Was that really fine?”
“Yes.”
- 7 -
The voice from the other side of the door was a bit coa.r.s.e.
Duke relayed his get-well-soon-wishes and then stood away from
Leti"s door.
Just as Duke left, Leonhardt, Leti"s full brother, came in with a
book and a big package in his hands.
“Hey, hey, hey, Ane"ue1
! I’ve brought you the book compiling
the ‘post-death’ theories on King Alexander; ‘cause I know you
wouldn’t want to read heavy literature even if you have a lot of
time because of your cold.”
Leti put on her dressing gown, stood up, took the book from
Leonhardt, and scanned it. He then placed the package on the side
table.
“I do not remember asking you to bring me a stupid book.”
“I had a hard time doing research on that book, you know?
You see, most of the time, searching for historical doc.u.ments is a
fruitless effort. If you’re not m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.tic in nature, you won’t
survive being a historian.”
1 Ane"ue: A j.a.panese honorific used to address one’s older sister. More oldfashioned
than the common Onee-san
- 8 -
“I do not care about your m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.tic tendencies,” retorted
Leti, but her brother did not mind her at all and continued on with
his story.
“The most ridiculous post-death theory actually has proof, you
know? All the random coincidences are connected, though the
argument itself is still weak. So here it goes. Three days after the
execution of King Alexander, there was information about a blond,
blue-eyed man boarding a ship headed to the South. Now,
remember that according to historical records, a faithful knight of
the Lion King dragged his body outside the country for three days,
right?”
“So you are saying that the blond, blue-eyed man boarding the
ship was him since the time frame and their features matched?
And then?”
“And then a year after that,” continued Leonhardt, “There
came a story about a pirate from the West a.s.sailing the Southern
Seas. You see the fair complexion of Westerners stands out among
the tanned skin of the South so that’s how they identified the
pirate. So the connection is that this pirate is said to be the blond
mans who was on the ship and who was, in turn, thought to be
King Alexander. In other words, this pirate is believed to be King
Alexander.”
- 9 -
“Quite forced, is it not?” Leti understood the point but was
not convinced at all.
“The story does not end there. A few years later, a Westerner
with blond hair and blue eyes was adopted and was made king
through a marriage to a princess of a kingdom by the sea.”
“Another forced connection. So to summarize, the blond man
who was on the ship to the South was King Alexander. He became
a pirate and conquered the Southern Seas, married a Southern
Princess and in the process became that kingdom’s king.” It was
so absurd and unbelievable but that was exactly what cheered Leti
up.
“I wonder if we can find a picture of the adopted king.”
“Thought you’d say that so I brought this with me.”
Leonhardt picked up the package on the side table and showed it
to Leti. “An artist descended from the Royal Family left a portrait
of the king and it was included in King Karlheinz’ Art Inventory.
But ironically, this painting debunks the whole theory. The man
here does not look anything like King Alexander if we compare it
to his portrait in the Gallery of Kings. Hahahaha.”
Lion King Alexander’s portrait displayed in the Gallery of
Kings was highly exaggerated and dramatized to make him look
- 10 -
like an evil man and that, according to Friedhelm, was enough to
warrant him the t.i.tle of the Murderer King. But Leti knew that said
portrait was nowhere near looking like the real Alexander for she
had met the real Lion King in the Knight King’s s.p.a.ce. However,
the portrait of the adopted king was…
“…No, this looks like him.”
The portrait of the groom reflected Alexander’s mature yet
child-like, haughty face. It was a better depiction of the Lion King
than the one in the Gallery.
“Oh…I see,” said Leonhardt.
- 11 -
- 12 -
Karlheinz probably came up with the same conclusion as Leti
did. He might have learnt about the book, found the portrait, and
thought that it looked like Alexander. So he included the absurd
book and the portrait in the Royal Inventory, thinking that the
theory was likely to be true.
“Thank you. That will do. I shall take a rest for now,” thanked
Leti.
Leonhardt found his sister satisfied and left her to rest. Leti
closed her eyes after she heard the door shut and hoped to meet in
her dreams the king turned pirate turned king again. But as soon as
she closed her eyes, she felt the wind blowing inside her
supposedly closed room.
“—You know, you should ask Duke to teach you about
proper etiquette around ladies.” Leti woke up and pressed the
temples of her throbbing head. She was not sure whether her
headache was due to her fever or to the new visitor.
“Your Highness! What I did last night was inexcusable,”
begged Astrid, deeply bowing his head before Leti.
“What is inexcusable is what you did just now. Entering the
room of a sick lady without permission, and through the window is
- 13 -
unheard of.” Scolding younger people was not a part of Leti’s
hobbies but she had to teach Astrid proper manners.
“Anyway, putting that aside, it was fortunate that Duke was
the only one who saw you last night. I have already warned him
off so there is no need for you to worry.”
“But to raise a sword against a member of the Royal Family
means rebelling against this country. I should be sentenced to
death…”
“But I do not see you at fault. You are still young. It is better
to die after you have served the kingdom with everything you have.
You have just started and have not given anything at all, correct?”
“Yes!” Astrid smiled happily in answer to Leti"s question. His
smile was not his usual refreshing smile. It was a very humane
smile, a smile that had overcome pain and hurt.
“Why did you save me, Your Highness? I’m sure killing me
was easier?”
When Astrid fully a.s.similated with the Ghost Energy, he was
able to see fragments of its old, old memories and in the process
learnt about Leti"s true ident.i.ty by piecing together the memories
and the conversation between Leti and the Ghost Energy.
- 14 -
“Duke was fond of you. I was certain he would be saddened if
you had died. Be grateful for having such a good senior.”
“Thank you very much!” Astrid bowed his head once again in
thanks.
“About the Knighting Ceremony, I do not have any plans on
binding you to it. Go ahead and freely choose your master.”
“I will!”
Astrid became a knight of the Knight King because he
received one of the Swords of Promise, the Sword of Light. But
Leti told him he should not mind it at all because it was something
that had to be done due to the situation.
“…uhmmm… Your Highness?”
“What?”
“I–I have already decided on who I want to be my master but
I want to be like Duke-senpai 2
. He chose his master and was
chosen by his master. But right now, I don’t think the master I
want to have will want to have me.”
2 Senpai – a j.a.panese honorific used in addressing one’s senior
- 15 -
Leti sighed at Astrid’s seriousness for she was certain that
anyone would want to have Astrid as a knight because of his
talents.
“Then you have to work hard. I had to work hard to get Duke.
I would have to check my diary to know the exact number of
times he refused me for I have already lost count.”
“I will!” replied Astrid and he went out again through the
window. This time, he remembered to make his footsteps heard,
which Leti thought to remind him again that it was during these
times when he should actually be silent. But she, in the end felt
tired, knowing that reprimanding him would be meaningless.
“Hey, I heard footsteps just now…did he come?”
“Yes, a little while ago. You do not have to worry. Everything
is over.”
Duke went inside Leti"s room after hearing footsteps rustling
outside. He scanned the room and found the lock on Leti"s
window open. He thought it was unlikely for the sick Leti to get
up only to unlock the window, thus his conclusion.
“Any plans on filling me in with the details?”
- 16 -
“I would not say I do have any plans. Let me think about it.”
Leti sighed, thinking how she would explain the reality that
sounded like it was straight out of a fantasy novel. That she was
the reincarnation of the Knight King Christian and that Astrid was
overtaken by an ancient enemy of the Knight King that took the
form of a paper knife and that to save Astrid she had to grant him
the Sword of Light, one of the Swords of Promise.
“Sorry about what happened. In the end, you had to fix
everything on your own. And to think I’m the one Astrid relied on,
too.”
“Do not be sorry. This problem was something personal in the
first place. You need not feel responsible about it. I have to finish
personal matters on my own. That’s it, the end. Say anything more
about it and my fever will rise.”
‘I, unlike you, could not save someone simply because I like them. I guess
I should be thankful for you, Duke, for providing me with an excuse.’
Duke looked like he wanted to say something more but
respected Leti"s wishes.
“Duke, how are your wounds?”
- 17 -
“Fine. I was not wounded in any fatal areas. I’m alright… How
‘bout Astrid?”
Duke had to be the one to settle things about the incident in
place of Leti, who had to rest due to her cold so he had yet to have
the chance to talk to Astrid about the incident.
“…He is probably fine. He will be a good knight. I heard he
has already set his heart on someone to be his master. I hope that
person will be a good master to him.”
“I see…I wonder since when? Do you know who?”
“I did not ask that much. Only that he also wants his master to
choose him.”
The best possible candidates for the master Astrid wanted was
either Friedhelm or Guido but if he really thought about it, there
was no need for him to check on Seventh Heaven or Valkyrie if
Astrid wanted to join them.
‘Then could it be…it’s possible…but…No, no, no, no. He might have
fallen in love with some n.o.ble lady out there…what is this feeling…?’
Duke kept on denying one possibility he thought of by
thinking of other possibilities but the more he did, the more he felt
something he could not name. The feeling was not anger, shock,
- 18 -
nor was it unpleasant either. But it was not a good feeling and
Duke added another crease on his forehead, trying to figure out
what the feeling was.
Tonight in the Knight King’s s.p.a.ce was One-armed King
Oswald and Administrative King Karlheinz. Leti asked Karlheinz
immediately about her most recent finding.
“King Karlheinz, have you encountered the portrait of an
adopted king in a kingdom across the Southern Seas?”
“I, at least the current me, have yet to see one. Is it something
interesting?”
“Yes. How unfortunate that I cannot talk to you about it.”
They, the reincarnations of the Knight King, would never
meet in reality, but here, in the Knight King’s s.p.a.ce, they could
cross time and share with each other their memories.
- 19 -
Realizing that Karlheinz would not include the absurd book
and portrait in the Royal Inventory with no particular reason, Leti
decided to change the topic.
“I recently cleansed one Ghost Energy left in my era. They are
very taxing.”
“That was a hard job you completed, Queen Leticia,” praised
Karlheinz even though in reality, he was the one facing more
difficulties than Leti. She, in turn, told him to do his best and that
everything would turn up fine. She then asked the other king who
came from a time after hers.
“King Oswald, does Ghost Energy still exist in your time?”
“I have not come across one yet…but if a Ghost Energy
comes out right now when the war has turned for the worst, the
kingdom might as well fall and crumble…”
Oswald’s words were filled with truthfulness that neither Leti
nor Karlheinz could laugh at it. Oswald was just as dark as usual;
and to think he could just be a man of action all the time and not
only when it was needed.
“Is King Karlheinz’ Art Inventory still intact?”
- 20 -
“Yes. It is still safe in the castle for now but it might just be a
matter of time…”
“If you are already short on funds, selling them is one way to
support yourself financially. That is one of its original purposes
after all.”
Karlheinz did not collect those masterpieces solely because he
was a lover of the arts but rather thought that the inventory could
serve as a collection of items that could be sold in the future. Well,
what could one expect from the “Administration King” who, with
his superior abilities on policy and planning, rebuilt the kingdom’s
nearly non-existent budget.
“I just hope there will still be citizens left who will give me a
t.i.tle like the Administration King and the Heartbreaker Queen.”
“Eh?”
“Ho.”
Leti knitted her eyebrows at the unexpected words. What did
One-armed King Oswald say again? Administration King of
course referred to Karlheinz, so the Heartbreaker Queen was…
- 21 -
“Ack! No, I did not mean to… Aaah. And Queen Leticia said
there was no need for her to know the future. But please, do not
let it bother you. You have a proper t.i.tle. A great one!”
“…What do you mean?”
“Ah, just like the Heartbroken King Ludgar, you have a
different t.i.tle aside from your proper one…and that is the
‘Heartbreaker Queen.’”
Leti"s eyes opened wide, her body shaking in anger as she
heard Oswald’s explanation.
“Oi! Princess! Are you alright!?” Duke jumped into Leti"s room
when he heard her scream. But what he saw was Leti standing
right in front of her bed and her body shaking.
“—Tell me, am I the sensual type?” Leti turned her head and
asked Duke, her eyes were still and gla.s.sy.
“No? …I mean you’re more of the stoic type.”
- 22 -
She did not hate men but she was not interested in them either.
That was how Duke comprehended his master.
“Yes. Exactly…so how can that possibly happen?”
Leti turned again and looked at her bed, thinking how in the
world she could get such a t.i.tle in spite of how she was.
‘The Heartbreaker Queen? Of all the t.i.tles I could get, why Heartbreaker?
Just how many men did I gather that even my citizens knew about it?’
A name such as this would make her a laughing stock, just like
the Heartbroken King Ludgar, despite everything they would have
achieved.
“Future Queen Leticia‼! Come here and explain yourself‼!”
Duke silently slipped out of his master’s room for he was
certain he would be receiving the bulk of Leti"s anger.