Performing these beautiful turns is the noble lady, Nike Lemercier,
also known as Princess Nike.
Her mornings begin early.
While performing her official duties as first lady,
her days consist of lesson after lesson,
followed by lessons,
and still more lessons.
Despite how busy this makes her,
her never-failing smile is the proof of how enriching it all is.
And so, evening falls on another such day.
The Truth
I'm exhausted.
Back to sleep I go.
I don't wanna...
Fine! Geez...
What is it? Hey, it's been a while.
Thanks.
But aren't you busy?
We'll see each other during our official duties today.
You didn't have to come all this way...
Stop looking like you're drawn on paper.
What's that supposed to mean?
It means you look thin.
Let's ditch.
What? Ditch?!
Presented by Anime-Koi
kokoro no okude taita tomoshibi
There's a fire burning deep inside my heart
tayasazu massugu hashiruyo
I'll continue heading straight, never letting it blow away
hiroi sekai de yatto Mitsuketa
I have finally discovered that in this broad world
kimi to iu kiseki kawari wa inai
You are a miracle and there's nothing that can replace you
nagai nagai yoru ga owari wo tsugete
You're the light that shines among a sunrise
hikari terasu asa ga hajimaru youni
And brings an end to my sleepless nights
tonari de warau kimi wo toushite
I take a glance at you as you smile
ima kanjiteru utsukushii mono tachi ga
And I can suddenly feel all the beautiful things
Sekai wo irodoru yo
Filling my world with color
sagasou bokura no shinjitsu
Let's go search for our own truth
Really? The festival for planting season?
It's not the biggest of the festivals, but you'll see stalls you don't normally see,
so I wanted to show it to you.
You've seemed close to your wits' end lately.
Y-You noticed that?
Hey, girlie, you're not half bad!
Back in my home town, I was undefeated at this.
There, there, there, and there!
Big haul we got here!
Well? Not bad, huh?
What are you doing?
We came all this way to the festival! You need to have more fun!
How can I have fun dressed like this?!
What else can you do? You are the king.
You can't walk around town without a disgui—
There are other ways to disguise a person!
Oh, Nike-chan, ain't it?
Wait! Stop it! Let me go!
I'm the Sun King!
Who was that woman?
A friend of mine. She runs a tavern and she's
the chairwoman of a theater troupe.
She runs a clothing shop on the side.
I don't care about that!
If anyone sees me dressed like this, the embarrassment will never end!
Oh, what's the big deal?
It looks really good on you.
No one will even realize that you're the Sun King anyway.
Besides, I always wanted a little sister like you.
Now, let's go! Cheer up, my little sister.
I refuse to accept a big sister like you.
I would never accept a big sister like you!
Hey, you can't say that!
Yes, I can!
Then how about calling me "Onee-chan"?
I am never going to do that!
Excuse me, sir.
Forget it!
Have you paid your bill?
U-Um...
Keep the change.
Th-Thank you very much!
What is it?
It's just that I had a feeling we were being watched.
Give it back!
You're far too young to truly enjoy a festival!
We'll use this a lot more effectively!
Wait! That's the money my brothers and I pooled together.
Later! Take care on your way home.
We can't have any fun off chicken feed like this.
Maybe we could build it up with some gambling?
You two never change, do you?
Boss!
I-It's been so long!
Do these two work for you?
No! They're...
Do you have a place to stay for the night?
Would you like to stay at our inn?
...could never be true.
Country girl!
...you'll pay for it.
It's her!
This is great. If you come along quietly, we'll go easy on you.
I can use it...
God, it's so annoying!
We know each other, we know each other!
Are you two still doing stuff like this?
Yes. Grinding our way up from small things.
We're enjoying this easy mark town!
Don't enjoy it!
Listen, if you ever do something like this again...
D-Don't kill us! Boss!
I told you not to call me "Boss"!
Yes, Boss!
Geez...
Here you are. Are you okay?
Yeah. Thank you, Princess Nike.
Hey, how many brothers do you have?
S-Seven.
I see.
Livi, can we give them the prizes from before?
Y-Yeah!
Now, take whatever you like.
Incredible!
Thank you, Your Highness!
Be careful next time!
It's a total change from before.
She's completely won them over.
Yes... not just the masses.
Even the heart that was closed like an oyster...
Princess Nike, are you the real thing?
Wh-What is it, Livi?
A-Are you shivering?
Even you have something you're scared of?
Shut up. I'm trembling with excitement.
Then you go first.
A fierce battle unfolds outside the office.
Listen, it's seriously dangerous when he gets really mad.
A fierce battle unfolds outside the office.
Oh? Just earlier, you looked the spitting image of a girl.
But when I see you now...
You've grown quite manly, haven't you?
And you're Princess Nike, then?
Your dance earlier was wonderful.
Th-Thanks.
A token of our acquaintance.
Wha-
You bastard!
What did you come back here for?
What a cruel way of phrasing it.
After I came all this way upon hearing
of my adorable nephew's engagement.
Nephew?! Then you're Livi's...
Idiot! Stay away!
Bard-sama?
It's been a while, Neil.
Neil! Why did you let him into the castle?
N-No, I had no idea he was here either...
Well, I asked the maids, and they kindly let me through!
We are the ones who showed him in!
We thought that King Livi knew!
We're so sorry!
Don't get too mad at them, okay?
Um, so who is this man?
Right...
Princess Nike, this is Prince Bardwin Cicil Ifrikia.
He's the previous king's younger brother and His Majesty's uncle.
He served as Prime Minister when His Majesty first ascended the throne.
Prime Minister?
I've never met one of Livi's relatives before...
Former Prime Minister.
He abandoned that important office and disappeared one day.
I don't like to be constrained.
Is that why you play troubadour? That's an enviable position.
It's good to travel.
You can see beautiful things,
and you're free to sing and sleep whenever you like.
And fall in love, too.
You bastard!
But really, Nike-chan, you certainly are cute!
How old are you? Are you interested in older men?
U-Um...
P-Please stop joking around.
Joking?
How sad.
In all my travels around the world,
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,
never have I met a woman of such beauty and gallantry as to make me
think of a young mare, yet with such a bewitching light shining in her eyes.
If you claim to doubt my words,
I shall cut out this tongue with a stroke and offer it to you as proof of my pledge of truth.
Enough already!
No matter how he tries to show off,
he is always still a virgin, you know?
I, with all my experience, would be far more—
Bard-sama,
I will ask you to cease this at once.
Yes, yes.
We'll leave it at that for today.
Well, good bye, Nike-chan.
That... stupid bastard.
Hey, Nike.
Y-Yes?!
Don't start blushing because he flirted with you!
I-I'm not!
The next time you let your guard down with him even slightly,
it's off to prison.
What?!
I guess he can't make it.
He has bigger things on his mind.
It's an exceedingly obvious jealousy, isn't it?
So you think it's just mere jealousy?
Oh? You think it's not?
It would be hard for a weaponsmith like you
to understand the King's relationship to Bard.
He is a child, after all!
Damn it, he's always pissing me off.
What did I do wrong?!
But thinking back,
there was something pretty different about him there...
Squee!
What's this?
Bard-sama!
You're so great!
So handsome!
Bard-sama is as wonderful as ever.
He hasn't lost his touch at all!
It's so electrifying!
Huh?
Princess Nike!
He really is popular, huh?
They just gathered round at the sight of Bard-sama.
Bard-sama is known as the Flower of the Royal Court.
Not only does he surpass everyone in the fine and military arts,
he has the charisma to bring all eyes to him.
He's practically like the sun.
And Livi hates him, right?
Yes, more or less...
Achoo!
Still, it really was strange.
I wouldn't have called them good friends,
but they were always side by side.
Maybe because they were both so superlative, it's like they were on a different plane,
and everyone thought they had a relationship of trust.
The brother of the former king...
Wouldn't he have beaten Livi in the line of succession to the throne?
So why'd he settle for Prime Minister?
I never trusted him.
Majesty!
He was useful, so I used him. That's all.
E-Excuse me!
What's with you, Livi? If you're here, you should say something.
You seem awfully interested in him, don't you?
Listen, you...
How wonderful!
They're all losing their heads over him!
Give that here!
Your Majesty!
I can do this, too...
You can't do it. Could you bring one in a smaller size?
I don't need it! Geez!
My bow!
Your Majesty! Princess Nike!
Did you come here to see me?
Oh... I guess.
That's perfect.
Tonight, Lady Larissa here is holding a banquet to celebrate my return.
I was wondering if you two might attend, as well.
Why would I go for you?
Oh, but the time might be a bit hard on His Majesty.
It'll be past the children's bedtime, after all.
S n a p
Sounds fun! I'll go with you all night if I have to!
That was your boast, eh?
Really. You played right into Bard-sama's hands.
Shut up.
If you were with him, Princess Nike, you could have stopped him.
But he didn't give me time to stop him.
The way he leads people around by the nose like it's nothing...
He hasn't changed a bit.
That's what made him such a shrewd Prime Minister, but...
It's so irritating!
Let's go to the balcony, Nike!
It's too stuffy in here!
Your Majesty! It's disrespectful for the guest of honor to leave his seat...
Well, I guess I gotta.
Darn it. These shoes don't fit right at all.
Is something the matter?
O-Oh, it's just you. Don't scare me like that!
What's the matter? All by yourself, looking so crestfallen...
Oh, I see.
Oh, Livi, what were you thinking?
Bard-sama!
Oops.
Excuse me.
Would you assist me in losing the lady and her friends?
How awful! Princess Nike is suffering a dizzy spell!
I must take her somewhere to cool at once!
Nike's sure taking her time.
Oh, Bard-sama and Princess Nike together! It was wonderful!
Seeing him carry Princess Nike off like a child!
When the two of them are together,
they're as beautiful as a painting.
Perfect for each other!
Your Majesty...
Oh, that's far enough, isn't it? Let me down!
Oh, dear. It seems you don't like me now.
Despite appearances, I'm usually very popular with the women, you know.
I know that! I saw it just now!
What did you come back here for, anyway?
Why go out of your way to come back to the palace after you left?
Just what are you after?
What I'm after, eh?
What are you doing?!
When I saw you at the town festival,
it's true that my heart was stolen by your beauty.
Set that child aside.
I could satisfy you better than he could ever hope to do.
I love you, Princess Nike.
So badly that I want to steal you away.
Bardwin.
Stop saying things you don't mean.
You disgrace those words.
I don't have any experience with this either, but I know this much.
You aren't in love with me in the slightest.
Although I don't know why you're doing all this anyway...
This is incredible!
Nike-chan, you're the real thing!
I thought a little girl like you would be a pushover,
but you actually saw through it!
You're no fool, are you?
In that respect, you're a little bit like them.
Maybe I really could fall for you.
But I'm relieved to know that's the kind of girl you are.
What he's after... Could it be...
Take them!
Both of them.
Have Bard thrown into prison.
Sir!
Livi, she has nothing to do with this.
Quiet. You're both guilty of adultery!
That's absurd! To throw him in prison...
I told you before.
Let your guard down with him even slightly, and it's off to prison.
Livi...
Because I really can have you confined to your room for the rest of your life.
So shut up and listen.
Or what? You don't think I can do anything more than this?
Don't take me lightly! I could burn your whole country to the ground!
Take her away.
Stop it, Livi! Don't hurt her!
No, imprisonment is too good for him.
I'm going to torture him to death with my own hands.
Livi...
Take the Princess to her room. Don't let her out.
Livi! Look at me!
Livi! Hey, Livi!
Livi!
Thinking about you, I call out your name
anata wo omou yonde
I'd throw away everything to be with you
subete nagedashite demo
I just want to see you
aitakute aitakute
I want to be by your side
soba ni ite hoshii no
But I feel like I'm going to break down
dakedo ima kujikesou dayo
My chest hurts
nomikomu tameiki de
from the sigh I'm suppressing
mune ga itai yo
And I'm wondering if you feel the same way, too
anata mo onaji kimochi de irukana
Feeling that I am not alone now
hitori ja naindayone
You'll overcome it; just believe in destiny
shinjite mite norikoerareru destiny
So that we can grab the future for the two of us
futari no mirai tsukamu tameni
We'll continue to live on
ima ga aru to shitte iru kara
While holding onto these memories as the nights go by
donna yoru mo dakishimeteruyo memories
So that I can smile before the morning returns
asu ga kuru madeni mata egao ni nareruyone
The water and rain that's taking us to tomorrow
tsunagu ashita wo ame to misu
Preview
When it comes to him, you act so strange!
What happened to your calm self?
Like I could ever talk with you about anything.
Thank you. You really are great.
Shelter From the Rain