Overpowered Extra Noble in a Novel

***

Iris Falenburg.

She is the firstborn of the three children born to Emperor Oswell and Empress Piette.

Iris was not much different from any ordinary child born in the Empire.

There was just one special point: she had been blessed with stunning features, so much so that it was as if the grandeur of the founding festival, Irislizet, had been poured into her.

More radiant than her two younger siblings, and even more so than Emperor Oswell himself, she possessed dazzling silver hair and luminous purple eyes.

Perhaps that was why Iris grew up beloved by many, even amidst the heavy atmosphere brought on by the wars.

As much as she was loved, she gave back in equal measure—active and kind, Iris’s childhood was a time of joy and happiness.

“Abba… Father. Today, I made a flower… flower… crown in the garden.”

Oswell, receiving the flower crown while suppressing a wince, gave a light cough.

The sight of her father lying in bed, coughing painfully, was heartbreaking.

Gently laying his hand on his daughter’s head, Oswell looked up at her with a glance filled with worry.

“Ah… What a beautiful crown. Iris, are you practicing your pronunciation diligently? You bit your tongue again.”

“…I am practising. I’ve also learned the names of the flowers used in the crown. Uh, so…”

“Rubine拉萨is.”

“Ah! Ru… Rubine拉萨…!”

Iris frowned slightly, embarrassed, as her words got jumbled. Her ears reddened at her mistake, and Oswell smiled warmly at her.

“Haha… Cough. Hehe…”

“You…!”

When the coughing started again, Piette sprang to her feet in alarm.

Turning to call for help, Piette was unable to move as a small tug on her collar stopped her in her tracks.

Oswell, weakly holding onto his wife’s collar, shook his head slowly.

“I’m fine. Piette, it’s meaningless now.”

“Oswell…”

“I want to read a book to Iris today. Could you fetch it for me?”

Wiping away her tears, Piette carefully handed the book to Oswell.

A story about a silver-haired girl and a young knight. A tale of the founding festival and the eternal duke.

At the approach of her favorite time, Iris’s face, previously sad, lit up with joy.

Looking at her daughter’s radiant face as she looked at the book, Oswell smiled gently and began to speak.

“Let’s see… Today’s story is about a girl who was abducted by half-beasts. The black-haired boy beats up the servants…”

Oswell’s reading session continued late into the night, and Iris happily shared her thoughts and dreams with him, creating cherished memories.

Snap.

Iris looked at the closed book, her face filled with reluctance.

Seeing Iris pout, wanting to read more, Oswell gently stroked her hair.

“There are still many stories and plenty of time. It’s very late today, so let’s continue tomorrow.”

“But…”

This was the one time when Iris, mature for her age, acted like a child her own age.

It was a truly precious time for Oswell. It was painful and heartbreaking to know that his time was running short.

“Would you like to try reading it yourself next time?”

“Me..?”

“Yes. With diligent practice of your pronunciation, you will see the journey of these two characters yourself.”

With a determined nod, Iris replied enthusiastically.

“Yes! I’ll practice hard, and I want to tell you the story!”

Oswell replied with a smile filled with amusement.

However, the day Iris was to show Oswell her practiced reading did not come.

“Oswell!”

A cry of grief from Empress Piette echoed in the room.

It was a rainy day.

Oswell’s expression lying in bed was serene, as always.

But the faces of those surrounding him were distorted.

The once steadfast Piette collapsed weakly, releasing her sorrow.

The heavy and sorrowful atmosphere pressing on everyone’s chest worsened.

Even Iris, upon seeing her father’s peaceful face and understanding the situation, tried to suppress her tears.

“WAHHH!”

“Daddy…! Dahaddy!”

Witnessing her two younger siblings weeping in sorrow, Iris delicately wiped away her rising tears.

It felt like her breath was being choked, and she felt a heavy ache in her chest, but Iris extended her arms and embraced her sobbing siblings.

“Care for everyone with a gentle heart. Do you think you can do that?”

“Yes! I am Daddy’s proud daughter!”

Oswell often spoke with such earnestness, and although Iris didn’t fully understand the meaning behind it, she could feel the intent in his words.

Now, she thought she could understand it a little better.

Iris quietly patted her siblings’ backs.

Thus ended her first farewell.

After the confusion of the funeral at the Imperial Palace subsided, Iris reaffirmed her determination: “If I work hard, I can do it.” But what lay ahead for her was far from easy.

“Princess Iris, as the future leader of the country, you must have a complete grasp of everything.”

“Yes…”

It was the tenth year since Iris’s birth.

She spent her days busily receiving numerous educations and lectures.

Even the robust energy typical of young children began to wane as the education continued late into the night for many years.

Her once soft hair had become dry and brittle, and the once energetic spark in her eyes was replaced by fatigue.

It was unbearably hard and painful, but Iris endured.

“Mom must be more tired.”

After Oswell’s passing, Piette lost her smile.

While she tried to maintain her old self when she was with her children, otherwise she was absorbed in work.

Her once beautiful appearance aged at an alarming rate.

“I have to work hard.”

Doing so would ease her mother’s burdens. Steeling her heart, Iris somehow endured the grueling days, but they eventually came to an end in another manner.

“Cough…cough! Haa…!”

“Mom…!”

It was the twelfth year since Iris’s birth.

Piette suddenly collapsed, coughing up blood.

Her condition was more critical than the late Emperor Oswell’s had been.

While Oswell had still conversed with those around him despite his frail body, Piette remained unconscious after collapsing.

She occasionally contorted her face and convulsed but eventually passed away swiftly, writhing in pain.

The second experience of losing someone precious.

Iris, mature enough to understand the meaning of death, also realized that it was a final farewell.

Despite trying to hold back, tears surged from the depths and continued to flow.

With her head bowed, gripping her clothes, Iris was approached by her siblings.

Thump.

Seeing her siblings comforting her silently while holding back their own tears, Iris sobbed quietly and accepted the death of her mother.

And it was from this point that the atmosphere in the Imperial Palace changed.

“Someone must ascend the throne to lead this country.”

“However, Princess Iris is an innocent child who hasn’t even reached adulthood yet. The same goes for the other princes and princesses.”

“We can guide them from behind the scenes, that’s all.”

At the age of twelve, Iris became the Empress of Altain.

With all her studies and practice, she thought if she worked hard, she could handle it.

The overwhelming responsibility of leading the nation nearly suffocated her, yet Iris steadied her heart and eagerly engaged in state affairs.

However.

“There are those showing suspicious movements using the second prince as an excuse.”

“There are also others targeting the third princess.”

The nobles of the Imperial Palace quietly conversed.

“Is it because of Princess Iris’s age? Also, there are too many bloodlines… ”

“There are too many greedy individuals.”

“There is a good way. Since Princess Iris alone isn’t enough.”

“Indeed. It’s an opportunity to clean up those pesky ones as well.”

And on the day when Iris, exhausted from excessive duties, fell asleep, her two siblings disappeared from the world.

“The second prince has revealed his true colors in a rebellion! Attack his faction!”

“The third princess is dead! Who did this? Royal Knights! What were you doing? Find the culprit!”

“The dirty ones who dared harm royal blood! We shall punish them!”

The shocked news woke Iris, and she collapsed.

As she dozed off in shock, happy memories of the past surfaced in her mind.

She wished, “When I open my eyes, I’ll find myself in the warm room where my family greeted me.”

But when she finally lifted her heavy eyelids, all she saw was the bleak emptiness of her bedroom.

Overwhelmed, she glanced outside the window toward the vast sky.

“Care for everyone with a gentle heart. Do you think you can do that?”

Remembering those words, Iris stood up again. But.

“Ah.”

“I-I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

At a slight bump from a maid, Iris shook her head.

“Are you hurt?”

“N-No… I’m really sorry!”

And the next day, the maid disappeared.

Those who approached Iris mysteriously vanished.

Anyone whom she spoke to casually was found as a lifeless body discarded outside the city walls.

The citizens bowed their heads.

Attempting to share their grievances with the nobility who could offer some help, those who dared speak up were silently hung in the square.

Anyone who associated with her ended up dead.

She stopped sharing opinions, hiding her expressions behind a veil when she turned fourteen.

And the next year, at fifteen when she became an adult, the Chamberlain who returned with difficulty from Eastern Continent bowed his head in tears.

But Iris no longer cried.

Afterward, the Noble Selection commenced.

Without visible winds, the Empire was swept by invisible bloodshed.

Silently, Iris continued her duties.

There’s no one to help me.

There is no knight guarding the silver-haired girl.

All who are associated with me die eventually. Now, I’ve had enough.

Having given up on everything, Iris went through her daily tasks while handling the incoming work haphazardly.

Then, 3 years passed until the present.

A guardian knight surfaced after crushing the schemes of the central nobles and reached the end.

***

“…Your Highness. I…”

Iris looked silently into Cain’s eyes. After several attempts to speak, she finally bowed her head.

“I’m afraid.”

Iris spoke calmly.

“Many have died. Even those who were innocent have left this world. If I continue to stay here as the symbol of Eldain, maintaining the peace as it is now… by letting things stay quiet, the only false peace that prevails, the oppression on someone’s life will disappear.”

How long has it been since she last spoke at such length?

Lowering her head, Iris tightly clenched her uniform as she fell silent.

After a brief pause, Cain approached her.

“Iris.”

Closing the distance, Cain knelt on one knee before Iris and spoke.

“I will be by your side.”

At the warm voice that gently wrapped around her ears, her purple eyes wavered.

“I will absolutely not die. I possess the strength to ensure that, and I believe I’ve shown it through all that has happened thus far.”

Iris slowly lifted her head.

The man with black hair standing before her—his robust build was matched by the heavy black eyes that gazed at her.

“I am your husband, your knight who guards you, and your loyal servant. Give me orders.”

The violet eyes and black eyes locked onto each other.

“Together with the Royal Knights, and along with the Chamberlain and others, I will move forward to look upon the golden fields again.”

Cain extended his hand slowly, just as he had done in the golden field.

Facing the large hand dangling in the air, Iris closed her eyes.

After a small breath, she carefully extended her own hand.

Her delicate hand moved toward Cain’s.

The trembling hand of Iris suspended in mid-air.

Seeing its hesitant motion, Cain gently grabbed her hand.

At the touch, Iris opened her eyes.

“Your Grace… Cain. To my guardian knight, I give the order. Eliminate all that threaten the Empire and me.”

She firmly clasped the strong and warm hand.

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