4th Princess, Mezlen (1)

The 4th Princess, Mezlen.

One of the heroines of 『Luminor Academy』 and the youngest among the emperor’s direct imperial descendants.

Of course, in terms of birth year, she was born in the same year as the 5th Prince Antonio, but their birthdays were nearly ten months apart, making their actual age difference similar to that of siblings born in consecutive years.

‘Even in the game, Mezlen naturally treated Antonio as an older brother.’

Among the emperor’s direct descendants, the older they were, the worse their relationships tended to be, while the younger ones got along relatively well.

The reason was obvious-the older they were, the more likely they became serious rivals in the imperial succession. For the younger ones, who lacked a solid support base simply due to their age, there was no need to bother keeping them in check.

Rather than wasting time and opportunities on them, it was far more effective to focus on restraining the more formidable candidates like the 2nd Prince, the 3rd Prince, or the 1st Princess.

Even Seraphine, for instance, got along reasonably well with Antonio, likely because she didn’t see him as a rival in the imperial succession. And in reality, he wasn’t.

Anyway, with Mezlen, it was crucial to somehow catch her eye during the first encounter event. Unlike the others, Mezlen was a character akin to a ticking time bomb in many ways.

Having grown up sheltered like a “hothouse flower,” too young to be entangled in the power struggles of her older siblings, she was practically a girl who knew nothing of the world-a description that suited her perfectly.

Because of that, it was necessary to get close to her as soon as possible to preemptively block the troublesome events she would inevitably create.

“Excuse me….”

“Ah, yes.”

A red twin-tailed princess cautiously addressing a passing male student.

Though Antonio was walking a slightly different path from the original story, fortunately, the day the “Imperial Palace Carriage” passed through the academy remained unchanged. After watching silently as the young princess entered through the main gate, seemingly about to cause trouble again, I observed her carefully.

Just in case Mezlen, like Antonio, had become a different character from the one I knew.

“You there, sir… Did you just make eye contact with me?”

“Huh? What do you mean-“

“You did make eye contact, didn’t you?… I know everything, so there’s no need to be embarrassed….”

“…….”

“It can’t be helped… For commoners like you, my beauty is simply too dazzling… I can understand how a plain, ordinary man like you would be captivated by someone as stunning as me….”

Mezlen, with an innocent expression, spewing outrageous words the moment eye contact was made. Naturally, the man’s face twisted in disbelief at her shameless remarks.

“What the- This girl starts spouting nonsense the moment we lock eyes-“

“But you mustn’t fall for me recklessly… Marriage between royalty and commoners isn’t recognized under imperial law, so I, as the empire’s princess, can’t possibly fulfill your expectations….”

“W-Wait, you’re royalty?! M-My deepest apologies for my rudeness!!”

The male student’s expression, which had turned hostile, froze mid-air, and realizing the situation belatedly, he immediately prostrated himself on the ground, bowing deeply.

Since Mezlen had introduced herself as a princess, whether she was truly royalty or an imposter, such a reaction was only natural.

Bowing to an imposter would only be a momentary embarrassment, but failing to bow to real royalty was an unforgivable act of disrespect that could cost one’s head on the spot.

Of course, Luminor Academy ostensibly promoted an “egalitarian” educational environment, so pressuring others with royal authority was impossible. But unless one planned to remain a student at the academy forever, it was only natural to tread carefully, lest karma come back to bite them later.

‘Every time I see this event, I can’t help but empathize with the guy.’

To be honest, the guy hadn’t done anything wrong to Mezlen.

It was Mezlen who approached him first, Mezlen who started the absurd conversation, and Mezlen who brought up marriage based on her delusions.

Yet, the immature princess continued to torment the prostrated man with her ridiculous assumptions.

“It’s alright… Embracing the hearts of commoners who lose themselves in my beauty is also part of the imperial family’s duty….”

“Th-Thank you….”

“But I don’t want to cruelly crush your first love either, so why don’t you work hard from today, accumulate achievements, and strive to become a noble…?”

“Enough. Hurry up and follow me, Mezlen. Sister Sera is waiting in the dormitory.”

“Ah, yes. Brother….”

At least she still properly acknowledged Antonio as her older brother, just like in the original.

Seeing Antonio, who had become much more dependable compared to the original, the two now looked like a decent brother-sister pair.

In the original story, Antonio would have been sighing deeply and dragging his feet like a zombie by now, leaving Mezlen to her own devices.

‘And in the process, Mezlen would get lost on her very first day at the academy, leading to the protagonist’s appearance to help her-that was the Mezlen episode in 『Luminor Academy』.’

That’s why I had been waiting at the main gate for the imperial carriage, but seeing how well Antonio was taking care of his sister, it didn’t seem like Mezlen would get lost after all.

“You there, stand up. My sister has done something a bit thoughtless.”

“N-No! Just having the honor of speaking with Her Highness is more than enough!”

“See, Brother… Even this gentleman says it was an honor to speak with someone as beautiful as me….”

“…You clearly need some proper education from Sister Sera this time.”

…Watching Mezlen’s absurd behavior, I felt my motivation draining away.

Forget about pairing her up with anyone-I just wanted to leave her be.

Of course, the more eccentric her personality, the more devoted she became once she truly fell in love, making her far from an unattractive character.

Having never experienced real love before, she mistook her instinct-driven actions for love, which was oddly endearing to watch.

That’s probably why, in my past life, I enjoyed playing Mezlen’s route-seeing her cling desperately to the protagonist, wondering just how far she’d go, was the fun of her route.

‘I’ll endure it because of our past connection.’

After all, she was a character I had once taken to the ending. It wasn’t strange to wish for her to find good love and happiness.

And most importantly, she was one of Ethan’s potential fiancées.

Though her mind was terminally afflicted with princess syndrome, she wasn’t a bad person at heart. Even setting aside her royal status, as a mage, she was quite skilled, comparable to Agnes or Lilith.

And as mentioned earlier, once she fell in love, no character was as devoted as her.

…If Mezlen really was Ethan’s hidden fiancée, I could leave with some peace of mind.

“…….”

Thinking that the girl before me might be Ethan’s fiancée made my chest ache strangely.

…Even if Ethan were to marry someone else, it would only happen after I left the academy. Since I wouldn’t have to witness it firsthand, there was no need to worry about it now.

“Mezlen, don’t leave all the luggage to Kate-carry something yourself. You have both hands free; are you really going to make the maid do all the work?”

“N-No, Your Highness! I can carry everything myself, please don’t worry!”

“Kate said it’s fine, Brother… Even if my beauty poses a threat to the imperial succession, trying to break my delicate wrists to prevent me from using magic won’t work….”

“You never dared call yourself beautiful in front of Sister Sera, but ever since she enrolled in the academy, your mouth has been running wild.”

“Th-That’s not true… Ah, Brother Antonio used to be so much kinder… What is this imperial throne that’s making you torment your adorable sister like this…?”

“…Now I understand how Sister Sera must have felt looking at me all this time.”

…Was it just me, or had Mezlen become even more of a headache-inducing character now that Antonio was sane?

Seeing him stubbornly drag his sister along despite her ridiculous princess antics, forcing her to carry at least one light piece of luggage, it seemed I could continue supporting his relationship with Agnes positively.

“Ahh, it’s so heavy, Brother… My arms feel like they’re about to fall off… I’ve never held anything heavier than a wand in my life….”

“Quiet, Mezlen. At the Imperial Library, you’ve carried stacks of books heavier than that countless times.”

“…Ahh, Brother is slandering me again… How could you be so cruel…?”

“Prince Antonio, perhaps it would be better if I carried it instead. Her Highness seems to be overexerting herself-“

“You should stop indulging her nonsense too, Kate. If Mezlen becomes utterly useless because of this, will you take responsibility? Even if she’s a princess, sometimes tough love is necessary.”

“…Tough love? Oh no, Brother… Even if we have different mothers, our father is the same, which means we can never be together….”

“Save the sleep-talking for the bed, Mezlen.”

Hmm, what to do?

At least it didn’t seem like Antonio would abandon Mezlen and head straight to the imperial dormitory.

In fact, judging by his attitude, even if she tried to get lost, he’d probably drag her along. This was an unavoidable side effect of Antonio being more competent than in the original.

…Well, what else could I do? I’d just have to force my way in.

“Ahh, I can’t walk anymore… Kate, carry me….”

“Cut it out, Mez-“

“It’s been a while, Prince Antonio.”

“…Lady Lilith?”

If the situation didn’t present itself, I’d just have to force it.

If I didn’t catch Mezlen’s eye today, there wouldn’t be another chance.