The Figurehead Queen Is Strongest At Her Own Pace

by Yu Sakurai

  Ilius wasn’t a sore loser.

  As of late, his time had been occupied by Sumia—covering up her birth name and circumstances, while also taking care of the girl who was now to live as a baron’s daughter. The pair would be enrolling in the academy together this year, and Ilius was busy tutoring her, being sure she wouldn’t fall behind in her classes.

  But I can give it all a rest when school starts. Once I have more free time, I’ll claim the title of top student for myself.

  Ilius was determined to put all his effort into his studies…

  ◇　◇　◇

  HOWEVER…

  “Damn that foolish prince!!”

  He’d saved his most incriminating insults for a time he was alone in the library.

  With a quill in one hand, Ilius was hard at work on an essay for his literature class. It wasn’t a particularly difficult topic, but the problem was that this was Fritz’s homework in the first place.

  He says he’s too busy, so that means I have to do everything for him…?

  This was far from the first time it had happened either.

  He wanted to say no, but as the third son of a duke, there was no rejecting a demand from the crown prince.

  Six months had passed since the school year began, and Fritz was only getting worse about forcing work on him.

  Just what does Prince Fritz think homework is for? Does studying even mean anything to him?

  As irritating as it was, Ilius had orders from his father to cozy up to the prince.

  Ilius had succeeded in getting closer to Fritz under the guise of being his friend, but on the inside, the whole thing just made him feel humiliated.

  His Highness never has to study, and I lose all the time I could spend working on other affairs…

  He thought back to their second round of exams.

  Ilius managed to score the top grade on the first test of the school year, but when it came time for the next round of exams, the title returned to Laetitia.

  Once again, his loss was by a slim margin. It only made the prince’s habit of shirking his responsibilities all the more upsetting.

  Plagued by frustration, Ilius rose from his seat and went in search of a specific book to use in the prince’s essay. He only needed it for one quotation, but he wanted to confirm he had it memorized correctly.

  With a rough idea of where it was, Ilius began to scan the spines of each book until he spotted it on the shelf. However…

  “Not you again…”

  He was reaching out for the book when his fingers collided with those of Laetitia. Her long blonde hair swung lightly around her body. For whatever reason, the two of them always seemed to be after the exact same books.

  “Move your hand. I found it first.”

  “No, I was reaching for it before you were.”

  Neither party was about to give in.

  We had to find a compromise that first time we were both after the same book…

  That was three months ago now.

  Strangely, the more often they were forced to share books, the more annoyed they became with each other, and the facade of friendliness between them started to crumble.

  Neither of them felt like they had to hold back anymore. They always let each other have it.

  “I’m going first today. I won’t need it for long, and I’ll let you have it after that, so wait for me to finish.”

  “…Why do you get the right to make that decision?”

  “Because I’m extremely busy.”

  “That’s not a real answer.”

  Despite her complaints, Laetitia sat down in the seat across from Ilius, where he was working on the essay. She opened up another book, and Ilius took that as a sign that she agreed to wait for him.

  Silence returned to the library. The only remaining sound came from the turning of their pages.

  …She’s an interesting girl.

  Ilius had shifted his gaze from the pages of his book to Laetitia herself.

  She was reading a particular book on sorcery that was famous for its difficulty to comprehend. The look on her face was enthusiastic, though also perplexed at times. At one point, her brow became particularly furrowed.

  Did she run into a tough passage?

  Laetitia’s intense scowl suddenly changed to one of relief, which lit up her whole face.

  It appeared she’d managed to interpret the text she was reading.

  Ilius watched her smile grow. She looked so truly happy.

  “…Why can’t you do it like that all the time?” he murmured to himself.

  “What was that, Ilius?”

  “…I didn’t say anything.”

  Ilius returned his gaze to the book.

  Laetitia Gramwell was being avoided by almost every other student at the academy. On top of being a duke’s only daughter, she was the kingdom’s future crown princess.

  Laetitia was also a model student, with grades that earned her high rankings in class, and on top of it all, she never failed to conduct herself in a perfectly respectable manner.

  But more than any of that, the reason no one ever tried to approach her was undoubtedly because of her overwhelmingly sinister natural smile. She had only a few friends in this school—everyone else was completely terrified of Laetitia, avoiding her at all costs.

  Those people must be blind… Wait, what am I thinking?

  Ilius pushed up his glasses, as if to brush off the thought that had just snuck its way into his mind.

  Laetitia was his academic rival. Their only interactions were the very occasional conversation. Ilius didn’t want anything more or less from her, and yet, for some reason, he found his heart unsettled.

  “Hey, Laetitia.”

  “What?”

  “……”

  Ilius couldn’t find the words to respond.

  He’d opened his mouth without thinking, just to quiet his noisy mind, but it wasn’t as if he actually had a question lined up for her. Looking for any suitable topic, he finally landed on something he could use.

  “Why are you always after the same books as me?”

  It was a strange phenomenon that just kept occurring.

  Ilius never hated the library showdowns and blunt exchanges he shared with Laetitia. For that reason, he never thought about it more than necessary, but he was coming to realize that even for a coincidence, this was becoming extreme.

  “Oh, you haven’t figured that out yet?”

  “What, do you have an idea?”

  “It’s because of Prince Fritz.”

  “…His Highness?”

  “He asked you to do his literature essay, and that’s why you were looking for that ancient literature reference book, right, Ilius?”

  “Yes…”

  It was an open secret that Fritz was always off-loading his homework onto others. There was no reason for Laetitia, his fiancée, not to know that either.

  “I wanted to be of help to him as well. You know how he struggles with literature, right? I thought I should double-check the information in that book to help him make progress on his homework…”

  “…Sounds like a real nuisance for him.”

  “…I know that.”

  Laetitia smiled bitterly.

  The pained expression on her face was the result of her deep feelings for Fritz. For some reason, that irritated Ilius.

  His Highness has no interest in studying in the first place.

  Of course his fiancée was worried—Fritz’s grades at the academy were incredibly poor. That appeared to be why she was always visiting the library, looking for books that could be of help for Fritz’s assignments. Along the way, Ilius and Laetitia continuously found themselves after those exact same books.

  “…Put in all the effort you want, but it’s not going to help. His Highness only wants someone who will do his homework for him, not someone to actually teach him anything.”

  “…You’re probably right. But what if he changes his mind along the way? Besides, re
reading information like this also helps me with my own studies, so it’s not a waste in the end.”

  “…That’s a good way to look at it,” murmured Ilius, turning his face away from her.

  Just because she’s his fiancée doesn’t mean she needs to worry about him that much.

  By neglecting his assignments, Fritz was missing out on valuable knowledge he needed to have as a member of the royal family.

  Even Ilius had some initial success with getting Fritz to study, but now, he’d all but abandoned his academic responsibilities completely. Ilius was left with only one method to cozy up to the prince—taking on all his school assignments.

  The prince was a true fool, which made it all the easier for Ilius to manipulate him.

  For Ilius, that was the only side of Fritz he needed to know… But Laetitia still saw the prince as someone she wanted to help.

  It’s not like Laetitia has all the free time in the world either…

  She’d worked hard in life, and it showed. The refined manner in which she conducted herself, the grades that put her at the top of their class—none of these were handed to her on a silver platter.

  Even outside her academic education and the training she received as a noblewoman, Laetitia was undertaking all sorts of preparations to become the future queen.

  She’s working her fingers to the bone, while His Highness is just…

  Fritz didn’t deserve Laetitia as his fiancée.

  Being with him was nothing more than a waste of her kindness and time.

  There simply must be a man more worthy of being Laetitia’s future husband out there.

  That thought, along with some slightly more tender emotions that came with it, began to take root in Ilius’s heart.

  I’ll force Sumia and His Highness closer together, until she takes the position of Prince Fritz’s fiancée away from Laetitia.

  A few days later, when his father laid out the next steps in their family’s plot, Ilius joined in with an idea or two of his own.

  Side Story 2

  The New Pup

  WHAT would you do if you were reborn?

  It’s a silly little question.

  I remembered discussing this topic with friends in my past life. Of course, I never really gave it much thought—it was just a fun topic for conversation.

  I didn’t even remember my answer anymore.

  “…But now, this is definitely what I want.”

  I stared at the row of dishes in front of me, murmuring under my breath.

  On the day I regained my past-life memories, a single wish took shape in my heart. It was something I thought would prove impossible, but now, in this moment, it had come true.

  “What’s the matter, Your Majesty…?”

  Oops. That was close.

  I’d just suddenly frozen in place.

  I smiled at Gilbert to distract from his question and picked up a spoon. It was time for the first bite. Dipping into my bowl, I dug out a scoop of light-pink ice cream.

  Strawberry ice cream.

  The treat was cold and smooth on my tongue, and as it started to melt, I could make out the sour-sweet taste of the berries. It was the same flavor I remembered from my past life. I felt myself break into a smile.

  “This is delicious…! It’s like I’m eating strawberry snow!!”

  “Hehe. I’m glad you like it.”

  My heart was leaping for joy just like Gilbert’s was. His eyes lit up.

  I don’t mean to exaggerate, but this strawberry ice cream was my dearest wish.

  Since I died in my past life while walking my dog, Jiro, I never got a chance to eat my homemade strawberry ice cream that day. That fact was a bitter regret of mine, as a lover of food.

  Of course, I was plenty curious about everyone I left behind—Jiro, my family and friends, and even my work—but all I could do was accept that there was no going back to see them again.

  I pushed away my sadness with that explanation and instead focused on something I actually was capable of doing in this world—creating strawberry ice cream.

  The one thing I wanted more than anything after being reborn is to eat strawberry ice cream.

  Sure, I’m a bit of a glutton, but I can’t tell a lie when it comes to my appetite.

  I’d been busy as of late with the chiffon cake preparations for His Majesty’s birthday, but the weather was a bit warmer today, so I decided ice cream would be a nice treat for the kitchen staff.

  With the help of Gilbert and his extensive cooking knowledge, our venture was a success.

  “Thank you, Gilbert. You’ve helped grant a wish of mine.”

  “Your Majesty…?”

  Gilbert stared at me, spoon in hand and confusion on his face.

  Well, that makes sense.

  I couldn’t tell him about my past life, but I still wanted to share my appreciation.

  “Your Majesty, you wanted this ice cream that badly…?”

  “I certainly did, and it was delicious. I never thought I’d be able to eat it, so I guess I froze up with emotions for a moment there.”

  “…Yes, I see how this ice cream could send one into fits of delight.”

  Gilbert gave a deep nod. It seemed he was taken with his first taste of the sweet ice cream.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind us chefs taking the rest of it?”

  “Of course not. It was supposed to be a present for all of you in the first place. I’d be honored for you to eat it. Although…” I paused to look around the room. “I guess Berry’s not here today. I’d like you to leave some ice cream to offer her too.”

  “Of course. That Gardener Cat is our strawberry ice cream patron, after all… Or should I say, paw-tron.”

  The two of us smiled. Our minds were filled with images of the tiny little Berry.

  It was Berry, the Gardener Cat, who gifted us with these strawberries in the first place. They weren’t widely available, both within Wolfvarte and Elltoria, so at first, I thought strawberry ice cream would remain a distant dream.

  But thanks to Berry, we could now stuff our mouths with homemade strawberry ice cream of our own. I wanted her to try it too, as a token of my appreciation, but she didn’t seem to be around today.

  “That’s strange. She can usually tell when we’re making something with strawberries.”

  “Is she somewhere in the house?”

  Maybe she’s going on one of her little patrols? Or she might be out in the forest, keeping an eye on her hidden strawberry patch, watching the berries grow bigger for another day.

  “Gilbert, may I borrow a basket? I’m going to bring the ice cream to Berry.”

  ◇　◇　◇

  I quickly found Berry out on her rounds.

  She was returning from the direction of the strawberry patch, her tail bouncing with each step. Lucian opened the basket in front of her. Immediately, Berry dashed more than fifty feet to close the distance, perhaps catching a whiff of strawberries. She didn’t hesitate to make use of all four of her legs this time.

  “You’re so fast…!”

  “Mrow mrow? Meow meow meeeooow?”

  Berry did laps around Lucian and me, pressing us for more information.

  …So cute.

  She stared up at the basket and twitched her little nose.

  “Are strawberries like catnip to you, Berry?” I asked.

  Her green eyes were pointed straight at me.

  “Catnip? I don’t care about whatever that is. I want strawberries! Strawberries!!”

  Was that what she just said to me?

  I took out the plate of strawberry ice cream, and Berry was already standing on her hind legs. She couldn’t wait.

  I set the plate on top of the basket lid and handed Berry her tiny silver spoon.

  “Here. Eat up.”

  “Mrah!!”

  Berry let out a cry, perhaps one of thanks, and dug her spoon straight into the ice cream. She brought the scoop up to her mouth.

  “Hraah?!”r />
  Berry’s whiskers perked straight up. Her tail puffed up, and she was frozen in shock.

  Does she not like cold things?

  I watched her with concern, until the cat finally unfroze and sprung back into motion.

  “She takes a bite, stares at the spoon, then goes in for another bite…over and over again.” Lucian seemed amused as he observed this pattern.

  “‘When I put the spoon in my mouth, the ice cream just melts into a puddle all on its own. I’m not even chewing it, but I can taste the strawberries. How strange.’ Or something like that?” I added my own dubbing of Berry’s thoughts.

  The way she looked so entranced by the ice cream on her spoon was amusing.

  “Lucian, how about we have our dessert out here?”

  “Of course. Please have a seat.”

  I sat down atop the blanket Lucian had spread on the ground.

  Along with the ice cream, I had used some strawberry jam in a cookie recipe. Since it was nice and sunny out today, I was in the mood for a little picnic.

  I watched Berry, still in a standoff with her spoon, and took my first bite of cookie. It was light and crisp, and as I chewed, I felt the sugary, fragrant sensation grow in my mouth.

  Some of the cookies were light pink in color, since we mixed strawberries directly into the dough. Others were baked to a nice brown hue and topped with a dollop of crimson jam and a sprinkling of nuts to give them some texture. Others were shaped into small hearts, stars, and even paw prints, thanks to the new cookie cutters I had transmuted.

  The last thing in my basket was a cherry pie the chefs made for me one day earlier. When I bit into a slice, I tasted the sweet, juicy cherries hiding beneath a layer of flaky crust.

  “Yum, what a treat! It’s truly the perfect day for a picnic.”

  Strawberries and cherries—I could never get enough of any treat that used these sweet, seasonal fruits.

  Smacking my lips in satisfaction, I saw that Berry had finished her ice cream and was now eyeing my cookies.

  “Would you like a cookie too, Berry?”

  She nodded and stretched her front paws out toward me. I placed a brown paw-print-shaped cookie on top of her smooth, black paw pads.

  Berry clutched the cookie between her two paws and began to nibble at it. I could hear the tiny crunches as she ate. She finished her snack in an instant. Next, I handed her one of the stained-glass cookies.