Lately, Ada Somerset had taken to sneaking into her brother Rupert’s workshop as a hobby.

With her tiny body, she moved quickly, thinking that no one would notice her. However, not only Rupert but all the household staff knew about her excursions.

So, why did Ada insist on sneaking into the workshop despite others knowing?

It was to read the secret fairy tale books hidden there.

“Ah! Shoot!”

Ada, still short in stature, dragged over a chair to reach the secret fairy tale books her brother had hidden, but even then, it wasn’t quite enough.

As she stretched with all her might, her fingertips finally hooked onto one of the books.

Thunk!

But as she pulled out the book, she lost her balance and fell off the chair.

The book she had worked so hard to retrieve landed with a thud on Ada’s head.

“Waaah!!!”

She only wanted to read the secret fairy tale book, so why did she have to get hit and hurt her head? Feeling wronged, Ada burst into tears, forgetting that she had snuck into her brother’s workshop.

Ada’s cries brought everyone rushing to the workshop, from Count Bradley to the butler Alain and the maids.

“Ada, what happened?”

Count Bradley gently comforted the crying Ada. Although she was still sniffling, trying to explain through her tears, her words were unintelligible.

She only pointed with her small finger to a specific spot.

At the end of her pointing finger was a book.

“Trying to read Rupert’s book again.”

Since it wasn’t the first time this had happened, Count Bradley could guess the situation.

Rupert never showed his new book drafts to anyone until they were finished, and Ada often caused trouble trying to sneak a peek.

Once, she had spilled ink on a nearly completed manuscript.

Although Rupert usually laughed off his sister's mischief, his eyes turned predatory when he saw the ruined manuscript, which had startled everyone.

Of course, Rupert had regained his composure and merely gave Ada a few light taps on the bottom.

Even fearless Ada had been scared enough to be cautious afterward.

“Ada, if you keep this up, your brother might spank you again like last time.”

“Hic… Ada… hic… book…”

Though her words were still garbled by tears, Bradley could roughly understand what she meant.

“She came to see the book, but the chair toppled over, she fell, and then the book hit her head, so she feels it’s unfair.”

“Even if your brother isn’t around, you shouldn’t sneak into the workshop. There are dangerous tools here, and you could get hurt.”

Count Bradley admonished her as butler Alain picked up Ada, who was calming down, and soothed her, resolving the situation.

The gathered staff returned to their tasks one by one, and Count Bradley moved to put the book back on the shelf before returning to his office.

“The Ice Kingdom?”

The title caught his eye as he placed the book back.

It seemed to be Rupert’s new work after The Little Mermaid, and the title felt different from his previous fairy tales.

“Should I take a look?”

Although his son’s fairy tales were wildly popular, Bradley, an older man, had never found them particularly interesting.

However, the title piqued his curiosity, with its mention of ice and a kingdom.

Count Bradley sat at the workshop desk and opened the book to the first page.

“Welcome to the capital, young master.”

Estevan, the guild leader, greeted me warmly, but I could only scowl.

“I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

“Haha, but isn’t this your first time in the Imperial Capital?”

Of course, if I had come for sightseeing, I’d have happily explored the city and visited various places.

But I was here for a one-on-one meeting with the princess, and I was far from happy about it.

“I’m already tired from handling a banquet, and now I have to go to the Imperial Palace without rest.”

I should be working on my next project during this time, and the thought of wasting time irked me more and more.

Most of all, having to face the princess in the royal palace was frankly terrifying.

Wasn’t the downfall of our family due to the Imperial Family? The fact that I’d received a handwritten letter from the princess before made me feel uneasy about the continued entanglement.

“As long as I don’t run into the third prince.”

So far, everything was manageable. In the original novel, the princess was just a minor character.

But if I were to encounter the third prince, the main character, it would be a big problem.

I’d already met the heroine, Amelia, twice, and it was never good to be entangled with the main characters of the original novel.

I might be confronted by the third prince later, demanding why I was meddling with his woman. Or, if we happened to meet and he remembered me, acknowledging me at the academy could be troublesome.

I aim to graduate quietly from the academy and return to my family to enjoy a peaceful life in this world.

That’s my only goal.

The Imperial Capital was indeed a world apart from the provincial estates.

The wide boulevards were spacious enough for two carriages to pass simultaneously.

The buildings along the street were neatly constructed according to their respective plots.

Especially since none of the buildings were single-storied—all were at least two stories high—it almost felt like being in a modern city.

“How many multi-story buildings are there in our territory?”

Comparing it to the capital was laughable, but I hadn’t realized the disparity was this vast. It made me want to develop our territory further.

“How could I develop such affection for it after only living there for a few months?”

The thought was a bit bittersweet. In my previous life, my hometown was just one of those places I wanted to forget.

“Young master, we’ve arrived. Please step out.”

Lost in thought while admiring the scenery, I didn’t realize the carriage had arrived at the Imperial Palace's main gate.

The guild leader said he would wait there until the meeting was over.

“It might take a while. Please return first.”

“It’s fine. It’s an investment for an important business partner.”

There was no reasoning with him. He said it was an investment, but he had some other motives. Not that it was a bad thing for me.

I wasn’t familiar with the streets of the capital yet. Having someone to take me there and back was convenient.

“Please stop. What is your purpose here?”

Once I stepped out of the carriage and approached the palace gate, I was met by guards and a knight.

Their equipment looked shiny and expensive, suggesting their strength matched their appearance.

“I am Rupert, the second son of the Somerset family, here to paint a portrait of the princess.”

I introduced myself and presented my identification badge from my pocket.

While commoners received wooden badges from the lord’s castle, which were often forged, noble badges were impossible to counterfeit.

The ID badges jointly developed by the Imperial Family and the Mage Tower contained the owner’s blood, allowing the guards to verify authenticity with a sensor.

“Verification complete. Welcome to the Imperial Palace.”

Once the verification was complete, the palace gates opened. Of course, it wasn’t the massive main gate that opened, but the smaller side gate.

“This place is incredibly massive.”

The Imperial Palace was said to have been built with the help of dwarves, and it was so enormous and grand that it was overwhelming.

Even as a modern person, I was impressed; I couldn’t imagine how much more so it would be for the people of this world.

My awe was brief as I entered through the opened palace gate. A chamberlain was waiting to escort me to the princess’s quarters.

“The princess awaits. Please follow me.”

As I followed the chamberlain, I thought about how rare it was to visit the palace.

I took the opportunity to explore and take in the sights, thinking I might use it for future reference in my work.

“Oh, that’s an interesting style. That looks like a medieval design, and what’s that? Why is there an octagonal pavilion?”

The palace was a bizarre mix of Western, Eastern, medieval, and modern designs. It was fascinating, like being in a Universal Studio.

While taking in the sights, I eventually arrived at a gold-painted building that resembled a Middle Eastern mosque.

“This is the princess’s residence. Please wait here while I announce your arrival.”

The chamberlain who had led me to the princess’s quarters went inside to announce my presence.

“Whew… Please let there be no trouble today.”

I could only hope nothing went wrong as I waited outside the princess’s quarters.

“Sister, is something happening today?”

“No, but why do you ask?”

The third prince of the Borus Empire, Edrick Bell, greatly admired and liked his older sister, Princess Eolin.

His older brothers were either uncontrollable scoundrels or womanizers, which embarrassed him.

But his sister Eolin was truly a role model.

She was a woman of great strength, willing to stand up to their father, the Emperor, if something was unjust.

“She should have been the crown princess.”

He still believed that, but the Emperor opposed it, and more importantly, she didn’t want it, so it never came to be.

His respected sister had recently seemed upset, but then she appeared happy, which relieved him.

Today, he noticed her humming a tune, so he wondered what had brought about this good mood.

She insisted nothing had happened, but Edrick sensed something had.

So Edrick quietly asked Aiton, the princess’s chamberlain.

“What’s going on to make her so happy?”

After glancing around, Aiton carefully replied to Edrick’s question.

“Well… today, the author of her favorite book…”

Aiton couldn’t finish his sentence due to a sudden announcement.

“Your Highness, Rupert, the second son of Somerset, has arrived.”

“Really?! Bring him in immediately!”

The princess’s excited voice. Edrick tilted his head, unsure who Rupert was, and turned to Aiton for clarification.

All Aiton could do was silently massage his temples, watching the princess brim with excitement.