In the Nasuverse (TYPE-MOON), I Created a Magical Family Lineage

Anastasia Romanova, the youngest imperial princess, was indeed only thirteen or fourteen. Still in the pure and innocent stages of youth, she couldn't quite figure out how to respond to what was happening.

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, blooming into a radiant pink under Lucan's gaze. She was stunned—and then stunned again—her silver hair gently lifting in the warm breeze pouring through the tall window.

Realizing her identity had been so quickly and easily uncovered, despite thinking she had hidden it so well, she gave up trying to keep up the charade.

"Th-that's right," she stammered. "I am Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova!"

Lucan mused that her name was quite the mouthful. Judging from her reaction, she'd most likely snuck out of the palace without permission.

He didn't reply immediately. Instead, he glanced down at the scattered books and smiled.

"So, Your Highness, would you like a hand?"

Anastasia rubbed her slightly swollen ankle and hesitated before finally nodding.

Her ankle was sprained.

She clearly couldn't stand on her own.

Just as she expected Lucan to reach out and help her up, he instead turned toward a nearby bookshelf and retrieved a cane hidden among the tomes, handing it to her.

"Here."

"..."

Why was there even a cane in the library?

"You want to know why?" Lucan said as he saw the surprise on her face. "Because clumsy girls like you show up more often than you'd think."

"There are other girls who come here?" Anastasia asked, curiosity piqued.

Then she caught herself—

"Wait, who are you calling clumsy?!"

As expected—not only was she clumsy, she was also adorably slow on the uptake.

Lucan chuckled without replying. Of course the Kremlin Library wasn't open to the public—only the royal family had access. Should he mention that her dear mother, the Empress, had once taken a tumble here too?

"Hmph... I get the feeling you're thinking something rude." The youngest princess of the empire looked at him with narrowed eyes, though she didn't press the issue. She leaned on the cane, wobbling slightly as she got to her feet.

"Um... you're the librarian, right?"

There was hesitation in her voice, but when Lucan nodded, she took a deep breath, seemingly bracing herself.

"Then... could you tell me where Lord Lucan is?"

Lucan wasn't surprised. He already knew the three imperial princesses were curious about him. But without his permission, Nicholas II had kept them from visiting. That was likely why Anastasia had snuck off on her own.

She looked around at the labyrinthine maze of towering bookshelves that surrounded them. Sunlight filtered through dust motes in the air, but aside from the shelves and countless books, the place seemed deserted.

This place was like a maze.

She had climbed up earlier to get a better view—which is exactly why she had fallen.

She clearly had no idea that the tall, handsome boy standing before her was the very 'Lord Lucan' she was seeking.

"So you snuck out of the palace just to meet this 'Lucan' you're talking about?" Lucan said, amused.

"Of course! Father praises him constantly—he always calls Lord Lucan great, holy, and sacred! I imagine Lord Lucan must be a true sage, a messenger of God... I thought he'd be enormous, with thirty-six wings, just like the angels in the Bible..."

Am I supposed to be Cthulhu now?

Lucan laughed inwardly at the girl's absurd fantasy.

It was probably that exact unrealistic image that prevented her from realizing that he was the Lucan she spoke of.

"Wait, no!" Anastasia suddenly backtracked. "Who said I snuck out?!"

"You did." Lucan pointed to his eyes.

She instinctively touched her own.

"See? You're admitting it."

She realized she'd fallen for another of his tricks!

"You... villain..."

She grumbled under her breath but wisely chose not to argue any further. Perhaps it was her personality, or simply habit, but she had none of the haughty, commanding demeanor typical of imperial princesses.

"D-do you or do you not know where Lord Lucan is?!" she asked, puffing up slightly to change the subject.

Now that the embarrassment had passed, Anastasia puffed her cheeks and straightened up, leaning on her cane. Her fluffy white dress sparkled in the sunlight, her chest heaving slightly as she opened her lips to speak again—

Lucan was just about to reply when another voice cut in from behind her.

"Lord Lucan, the books you requested have been sorted."

A man in a butler's uniform emerged from behind the towering shelves.

The actual librarian.

He bowed respectfully toward Lucan.

Lucan, who served as a librarian himself in many ways, didn't feel this counted as deception. Who said a library could only have one librarian?

He simply nodded and said, "Thank you."

Anastasia blinked.

She looked at the man, then at Lucan.

Realization struck, and her pale face flushed red once more.

"You... you're Lucan?!" she stammered.

"What a shame," Lucan teased. "I was hoping I could hide it a little longer—just to hear more about how monstrous I am in your imagination."

Dead.

Anastasia felt completely mortified.

She mentally replayed everything she had said earlier—it all made her sound like a clueless countryside girl. Absolutely unbecoming of a princess.

She'd never live this down.

...

[System Message]

[You watched as Anastasia went from stunned to beet red, and finally ran off in a panic—completely forgetting she had sprained her ankle. You found it amusing, but also knew that her impression of you was now deeply etched in her heart. This encounter helped further your goal of forging ties with each member of the court, laying the groundwork for future political influence.]

[At the same time, you couldn't help but marvel at how youth always burns so brightly—even though you yourself weren't that old.]

[This was your first meeting with the Empire's last imperial princess. A meeting between a 'nation-toppling fox' and an 'immaculate princess.' You remembered her story in history—the young girl many pitied after the Romanovs' execution.]

[You felt that pity as well.]

[Later that night, you heard from a servant that Anastasia was reprimanded by Nicholas II for sneaking into the library.]

[The next day, Nicholas II visited. You casually mentioned that you bore no grudge against the girl—for you, her unexpected intrusion had added some amusement to your day.]

[Nicholas II nodded thoughtfully, then gave you a meaningful smile. He brought up Anastasia in conversation more than once, which surprised you a little.]

[Before leaving, he invited you to attend the court ball two days later.]

[You accepted. It was about time to step out and meet more members of the imperial family and nobility—to push your future plans forward.]

[Two days later, at dawn, you donned your priestly robes, dressed formally, and headed for the palace banquet.]

[Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra had been waiting for quite some time at the palace gates.]