The Fourteenth Princess stood gracefully in front of the Hero, extending her hand with a cheerful smile, just one step away.
"Nice to meet you! You must be the Hero that my uncle, the Count, mentioned in his letter. I am the Fourteenth Princess of this Kingdom, and I will be the witness at your knighting ceremony."
"Please teach me a lot!"
Within just a step's distance, the Princess's face, the metal rings on her hands and neck, and the reflection in her pink pupils all became clearly visible.
Reflected in those pupils was the somewhat stiff face of the Hero, who found that the various ceremonial knowledge she had forcibly memorized was completely useless in front of the Princess's unexpected act.
There was no sign of the terminal illness the Hero had imagined on this Fourteenth Princess.
However, the Hero could feel her emotions—curiosity, recognition, admiration... and a bit of hidden envy that was soon replaced by a seemingly innate strength and optimistic demeanor.
