CH 2

Chapter 2: Town girl on the frontier 1

Oh divine one, how can one atone for the sin of falsehood?

❂

As she approached the empty lot on the outskirts of the town, Ernesta’s gaze always flew to under the big tree. It was a habit she had.

Eight years ago, she had met a wounded wolf here and treated its injuries.

It was like a fairy tale memory, and she was afraid her family would faint if she told them. So she kept it to herself.

It had been a golden wolf. However, since she was only ten years old at the time, it was more likely that the fur was just a brown color illuminated by the moonlight.

The image of the wolf had become vague now, but she would be so happy if she could meet it again. But the fact that there was no news meant that it was probably doing well somewhere. That was enough for her.

Ernesta smiled faintly and faced forward.

The sound of cicadas chased her from behind. Her body, which had been working hard to gather herbs, was complaining of severe exhaustion. But it was almost time for the sun to set, so she had to hurry home.

Ernesta adjusted the basket with the herbs on her back and began to walk, her braided brunette swings.

As she approached the town center, the streets became more crowded and the shops across the road became lively. Lamps hanging on the eaves shone and reflected in deep green eyes, and the bustling town was filled with people from various countries.

Weisberg was located close to the eastern border and adjacent to the werewolf country, Shenka. Even before forming an alliance, there were quite a few people coming and going from that country, and it was a famous town for transportation.

Then, there was a blacksmith called North Star down a narrow alley. This was where Ernesta lived with her foster parents and it was also an important shop they managed.

However, when she returned home after a few hours, her house looked a little different from before.

First of all, there was an unfamiliar carriage parked in front of the shop. It wasn’t glamorous, but it looked sturdy and robust.

And above all, she could hear noisy voices coming from inside the shop. Upon hearing the bickering voices, Ernesta sighed in exasperation.

Surely, a strange customer had come and was causing trouble.

In this town where a motley crew of people come and go, it was not unusual, so without any particular feeling, Ernesta pushed open the door. But what she saw there was a slightly different scene from what she had expected.

“Please go back! I can’t grant such a request!”

Anyone who met him would, without exception, rub their heads against the ground and beg for forgiveness. His words and the aura emanating from his back had an immense power.

“Please! This is a crisis for the Bral Empire…!”

The man with an unrecognizable face was rubbing his forehead on the floor with a desperate cry. He had a noble appearance, but his groveling posture made him lose all his dignity.

Ernesta’s foster father, Bruno, faced the man. He was a big man with bulging muscles who seemed to be a blacksmith, and while he was actually gentle and family-oriented, his face was twisted with anger now.

As soon as Bruno saw Ernesta, he raised his eyebrows. He untangled his crossed arms and gestured for her to leave this place.

It was clear that a considerable abnormal situation was occurring, and Ernesta felt that she had to lend her father a hand. However, during that brief hesitation, the man who was kneeling down noticed Ernesta’s presence and turned around to face her.

The man was probably around fifty years old. His face, marked with wrinkles, twisted in distress. However, when he caught sight of Ernesta, his eyes widened as if they were about to overflow.

“Ermengard-sama…!”

For Ernesta, who had a complicated background, that name was special.

Her unseen elder sister. And the name of the first imperial princess of our country, whom she would never meet.

Ernesta was born as the daughter of the current emperor and empress of the Bral Empire. The only thing that was different from the norm was that she was the younger twin.

In the Bral imperial family, twins were considered ominous. If twins were born, the younger child would be immediately killed, and it would never be made public.

The second imperial princess was lucky. Isolte, who was the palace’s astronomer at the time, offered to become her foster parent.

If such an offer was made, permission would be granted on the condition that the child was raised in the common people’s area. And so, Ernesta has been raised as a regular citizen until today.

“I can’t believe it, they really are identical…! What a surprise!”

The man sighed in admiration and was at a loss for words. Just from his reaction, Ernesta realized that he knew about her origin.

“Ernesta-sama! I am Benjamin Von Engeberg!”

The man—Engeberg—now prostrated himself before Ernesta.

“W-What is it? Please raise your head…!”

“I have been sent by His Majesty the Emperor to request your assistance.”

Engeberg did raise his head, but he remained sitting on the floor without making any further movements.

Ernesta looked at Bruno with a perplexed gaze. He repositioned his arms without changing his furious expression and shouted at the emperor’s messenger without regard for his status.

“I told you to leave! Don’t come here asking for this child’s help now. Have some shame!”

Judging from his tone, it seemed that Bruno had already been informed of the situation. He was completely enraged and there was no turning back, but she couldn’t just chase the messenger away without knowing the reason behind it.

“Calm down, Dad. I can’t just ignore their request without even listening, especially since they did something for us before.”

“Forget what they did, Ellie. You don’t owe them a thing!”

Ernesta was almost killed at birth and abandoned by the country’s authorities. It might not seem like a big deal now, but…

“This person is a noble. We could easily threaten and make them obey us, but they are willing to have a sincere discussion. If we just reject them without any explanation, it will damage the reputation of North Star.”

When facing her father head-on and making her point, he sighed and shook his head.

“…Fine. I didn’t want to introduce you to them because I knew you would say that.”

Bruno understood his daughter’s stubborn personality well. Ernesta felt sorry for her father’s consideration and turned back to Engeberg.

“Indeed, I am Ernesta Gentner. Please tell me your story.”

“Ernesta-sama…! Thank you very much!”

Engeberg lowered his head, his voice trembling with emotion. Then, he told her an incredibly sudden and unexpected story.

“I humbly request that you marry in Shenka in place of Ermengard-sama!”

“…Excuse me?”

Ernesta’s response was rude, given the content of the request, but Engeberg seemed not to mind at all.

“Surely you know that Ermengard-sama will soon be marrying King Ivan of Shenka, our neighboring country?”

“Uh, yes… I’m aware of that. It’s a national celebration.”

Shenka, the neighboring country, is a unique nation with a small territory mainly inhabited by werewolves. Despite its small size, it boasts military power comparable to that of a large country due to the outstanding martial skills of its individuals, making it a peculiar country.

They generally have high physical abilities, and it’s interesting to see everyone who comes to this shop buying big weapons. They have both wolf and human forms, and they give the impression of being generally hearty and serious people.

“As a matter of fact, Ermengard-sama was very reluctant about this marriage. And finally, she ran away all by herself.”

It was a sudden and unbelievable story.

The first princess ran away without any companions? If that were true, it would undoubtedly be a major event that would shake the entire country.

“Ermengard-sama was an artist who devoted herself only to painting. Her farewell letter only stated that she would go and paint the world… So, while we searches for Ermengard-sama, we would like you to marry into Shenka.”

“W-Wait a minute! This conversation is jumping around too much!”

Bruno nodded sullenly in the back. He must have been thinking the same thing and asking the same questions.

“Normally, shouldn’t the marriage be annulled?! fraud on a national scale is unacceptable!”

“Shenka and us had finally formed an alliance a year ago. We must solidify our relationship through marriage, and it would undoubtedly cause a significant rift if we were to cancel it at the last minute. By the decree of His Imperial Majesty, this plan was put into action.”

Ernesta felt dizzy. She had tried not to think too much about her birth parents’ personality, but it seemed that she couldn’t expect much from them.

“But, won’t they notice that we’ve switched? I don’t have the education of a princess.”

“That won’t be a problem. Ernesta-sama and Ermengard-sama are incredibly identical, so no one will undoubtedly notice.”

“Even so…! Is it really possible to find Ermengard-sama?”

“At present, we are doing everything in our power to find her. It is only a matter of time until we discover her whereabouts.”

With no rebuttal, Ernesta fell silent. His eyes held no lies, only a deep earnestness, despite the outrageous plan.

“I cannot handle such a great task. Even if our faces look alike, I am not a princess.”

Ernesta listened carefully and came to that conclusion.

Yes, such a lofty role did not suit her. She lived day by day helping out at the shop, hoping to someday marry someone and build an ordinary household. She believed without a doubt that no matter how she was born, her family who raised her was the most important, and she did not want to worry them.

However, Engeberg did not back down easily.

“Of course, if you were to take on this duty, we will prepare an appropriate reward. Is it possible that Isolte-dono is currently ill?”

Bruno’s reaction to the remark was quicker than Ernesta’s. It seemed that he had not heard it before, as he turned his sharp gaze towards the messenger.

“I don’t recall ever saying such a thing.”

“It’s something that can be understood with a little thought. When I arrived, a pharmacist came out of this shop. Inside, there were two men, you and who seemed to be your son, and both of you looked healthy. And the person who actually took in Ernesta-sama, Isolte-dono, has not shown her face during this crisis. Therefore, it should be assumed that it is Isolte-dono who is sick.”

Ernesta and Bruno both gasped at the sharp insight. Meanwhile, Engeberg calmly continued to present his thoughts.

“There are a large number of medicinal herbs in the basket that Ernesta-sama is carrying. Therefore, it is natural to assume that Isolte-dono’s condition is expected to continue in the future.”

It was an undeniable fact, derived from his tremendous powers of observation.

Ernesta was left speechless, but her father did not seem to be.

“…What are you trying to say?”

Bruno intimidated the messenger with his deep and rumbling voice. Despite the intimidating tone, Engeberg did not show any signs of fear and accepted the ultimately affirmative response.

“If you accept, we will provide you with our country’s latest medical treatment.”