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Chapter 16
It wasn’t only the man’s sudden appearance that surprised Logan Bergen. The strength behind the princess’s sword was far greater than he had expected. She was still a child — surely unable to exert her full power — yet the weight and finesse in her movements were remarkable.
She wasn’t truly a match for him, of course, but this wasn’t an opponent he could treat carelessly. Though her skill was laughably small compared to that of a Transcendent like him, her swordsmanship, for her age, was nearly on par with that of a trained adult.
Having assessed the situation, Logan Bergen raised his voice.
“I am Logan Bergen, former Duke of the Bergen Duchy! Who are you calling a spy!?”
“And how am I supposed to believe that? Prove it. Prove that you are Logan Bergen.”
Adeline’s commanding tone never faltered as she swung her sword again, not stopping for even a breath. At this point, Logan couldn’t take it lightly anymore. He had no desire to use force against his own granddaughter, but if he didn’t act, she might actually stab him.
He regretted having entered the imperial capital unarmed — as custom demanded that weapons be left at the gate. Still, there was a part of him that was strangely proud. To see his granddaughter wield a sword so impressively, even if it was pointed at him!
With a sigh, Logan channeled mana into his hands to protect them and clapped his palms together, intending to catch the oncoming blade. If he could just seize the sword, she’d have to stop her attack.
But as he reached out, he noticed a faint aura of mana shimmering along the blade. The force behind her strike was far from negligible; if he carelessly tried to catch it, he might even lose a hand.
Yet he was the Duke of the North. A mere child’s mana couldn’t even scratch his skin. Adeline’s swordsmanship might be fierce, but this was the man known for blocking a black bear’s claws with his bare hands.
Easily disarming her, the Duke blinked in surprise as Adeline leapt back gracefully, landing atop a tree branch. What—?! Was she a squirrel, not a princess?!
Whether he was shocked or not, Adeline showed no hesitation. She muttered words that only mages typically used, and mana gathered swiftly into two flaming arrows.
She had lost her sword and immediately switched to long-range magic combat — incredible adaptability! He had assumed she was only a swordswoman, but she could use magic too?
Logan blinked rapidly, half thinking his eyes deceived him. But the blazing arrows were already flying straight toward him — fast and dangerously close. If he didn’t act now, he’d take a direct hit.
He could easily shield himself with mana, but doing so would ruin his finely tailored clothes. Clicking his tongue, Logan snatched a round emblem from his belt.
“Damn it! Look at this! Would you still doubt me after seeing my identification!?”
At his shout, the flaming arrows dissolved midair, fading into sparks. Adeline, who had been preparing to attack again, froze in surprise.
“…Are you really my grandfather?”
“Of course I am! What in blazes made you mistake me for a spy!?”
“Well… you were hiding in a tree and staring at me. I misunderstood.”
Logan’s expression turned grave. Was the imperial princess really living under assassination threats? What was the Emperor doing about it?
As he fumed, the nanny Emma and chamberlain Harry Rubin burst into the training yard.
“My lord! You can’t just storm into the Astia Palace unannounced like this!”
“Hmph! Who dares stop me from visiting my own granddaughter!”
“Even so, you should’ve paid respects to His Majesty first before meeting Her Highness.”
While they argued, Adeline quietly sheathed her real sword. If her nanny found out she had drawn a real blade, she’d probably faint. Now was her only chance to switch it with a wooden one unnoticed.
Feigning innocence, she replaced the weapon, dismissed the chamberlain with a glance, and stood before the former Duke.
“Judging by the chamberlain’s reaction, you truly must be the former Duke of Bergen. It’s an honor to meet you, sir. I am Adeline Terraden, Crown Princess of the Empire.”
“Ha! You were just trying to kill me and now you talk like that.”
“It was a misunderstanding, Your Grace. Why would I ever attack a stranger, let alone my own grandfather? Had I known who you were, I’d have dropped my sword in shock, not raised it.”
“You make two of those ‘misunderstandings’ and someone will end up dead, girl!”
At his outburst, the nanny mumbled incredulously,
“How could anyone die from a wooden sword? The former Duke must be joking…”
Logan nearly choked. The cheek of this household! The brat he had found on the road from the North had been bold, but this granddaughter of his took boldness to another level entirely.
Adeline studied her grandfather, who was now sipping his tea with a sour expression. Her earlier words had been a complete lie, but as soon as she’d noticed his northern attire, she had guessed he was likely a northern noble. What she hadn’t expected was that he would be her maternal grandfather.
After all, she had never met him before in her life.
Now that she looked closely, though, she could see it clearly — his eyes were the same color as her late mother’s in her portrait, his features strikingly similar. It was strange that she hadn’t recognized him instantly.
She gave a polite bow.
“Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Adeline Terraden, Crown Princess of the Empire.”
Silence.
Even after her bow, the former Duke gave no reply. His stiff demeanor made Emperor Kallas’s expression harden. The maids and attendants around them were equally tense. The only one unbothered was Adeline herself.
“I behaved rudely earlier. I hope Your Grace won’t take it to heart.”
“Hmph. Logan Bergen.”
His curt tone showed clear disregard, but even that brief acknowledgment eased the tension slightly. Emperor Kallas recognized that Logan was being his usual obstinate self — but this man was not just anyone. He was the Emperor’s father-in-law, the father of the late Empress Amelia, and Adeline’s grandfather.
So Kallas spoke next.
“Did you come here to serve as Adeline’s instructor, Lord Bergen?”
“Isn’t that obvious? You’re the one who sent me the letter, Your Majesty. To think you’d work an old man like me — I’ve even handed my title down to my son already!”
Kallas pressed a hand to his forehead, exasperated. He couldn’t assert his imperial authority as he would with other nobles; this was his father-in-law.
Adeline stepped in smoothly.
“His Majesty is not at fault. The letter was sent at my request. I wished to learn directly from the former Duke of Bergen.”
“Hmph. And why me? Surely the Empire has no shortage of capable tutors. The Grand Duke Odelon could teach royal governance, or professors from Clionas Academy, perhaps.”
“The Grand Duke is occupied managing his own fief. You, on the other hand, have recently stepped down from active duty, yet your experience and wisdom surpass his. The Academy professors are learned, but they lack knowledge of real politics. Scholars rarely understand what goes on behind the scenes of the Empire. That is why I sought your guidance, Grandfather.”
“And why should I oblige?”
“Why should you…? Do you not wish to help me, Grandfather?”
“Ahem!”
“Was my request so unreasonable, then? Please answer me, former Duke.”
Logan’s eyebrow twitched. He didn’t want to say yes — but he couldn’t quite say no, either. Yet Adeline gave him no time to hesitate.
“It seems you are unwilling. I understand. You may return to the North. As you said, there are others who can teach me. I apologize for troubling you with such a long journey. And Your Majesty, forgive me as well for the inconvenience. It seems I was too forward with my request.”
She rose from her seat gracefully.
“Then I shall take my leave. Please, continue your discussion. Former Duke, I wish you a pleasant stay in the capital.”
But as she turned to go, Logan caught her wrist and forced her to sit again.
“Hmph! How can I return to the North when the Empire’s only princess is under threat of assassination?!”
Kallas’s expression changed instantly.
“Assassination threat? What are you talking about?”
“Ask your daughter yourself, not me!”
All eyes turned to Adeline, who lowered her gaze with an embarrassed smile.
“During training, the former Duke appeared so suddenly that I mistook him for an intruder. I thought, perhaps, it was one of those assassins from the old stories. I overreacted, that’s all. Thankfully, he showed his identification, and the misunderstanding was cleared. There’s no danger, Father — I was just being foolishly imaginative.”
Her calm dismissal of the entire incident made Logan’s eyes narrow. To twist the story so neatly that even an Emperor would take it as a childish misunderstanding… that took skill. She had attacked him with mana-charged sword strikes and flaming arrows, yet now she acted like an innocent girl embarrassed by her own clumsiness.
And to make it worse, Emperor Kallas seemed to believe her completely. Logan was speechless.
“You could at least try not to lie so blatantly,” he grumbled.
Adeline turned and smiled sweetly.
“Lie? Oh, I see — you’re still angry with me, Grandfather. Perhaps my apology wasn’t enough. But really, weren’t you the one who startled me first? If you want to continue this argument, shall I call my nanny and chamberlain as witnesses?”
“What?”
“It was nothing serious. Please, let’s just consider it an accident and move on. If my apology wasn’t enough, say so plainly — but don’t trouble His Majesty with talk of assassins just to embarrass me.”
Her words silenced him.
If she truly had been targeted before, why hide it? Why pretend it was nothing? Logan couldn’t understand.
But Adeline’s expression remained serene, betraying none of her thoughts. Inside, though, she was troubled. She had revealed too much — shown swordsmanship and magic both, and even mentioned assassins — all in front of her grandfather.
She had overreacted out of habit, still haunted by memories of assassination attempts during wartime. If only she’d known it was Logan, she’d never have made such a mistake.
Still, she had managed to smooth things over well enough — for now. Her grandfather sat there, speechless, unsure what to make of her.
In her past life, when she had ascended the throne, Logan Bergen had already been dead — killed in an “accident.” She’d never known the details, only that the former Duke had perished at sea in the western waters.
At the time, she had been too overwhelmed by her coronation to look into it. The Grand Duke Odelon, then serving as regent, had dismissed northern protests, calling it a simple accident not worth further investigation. And so, the truth of his death had been buried — along with her memory of him.
