In a Female-Dominant World with a 5:1 Gender Ratio, I Saved a Girl as a Kid, and She Said She Wanted to Be My Bride—Who Would’ve Thought She Was a Princess… - 10

Chapter 10: The Princess’s Anguish and the Misaligned ‘Secret’

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(Lilianna’s POV)

On the terrace of the detached palace, I waited in the night breeze for the head maid to bring him, Alto von Kirschwasser. Beneath my dress, I desperately suppressed the trembling in my knees. My heart was pounding far too fast, far too unbecoming of a princess.

At last, I can meet him.

Ten years. It had been far, far too long. The mysterious boy who had saved me in that forest when I had been crushed beneath a boulder and stood on the brink of death. The one and only benefactor who had preserved my life with holy magic that men were never supposed to be able to use. I had waited… And waited.

When I learned that he had entered the academy through a recommendation, my heart had leapt with joy beyond measure. I had wanted to rush to him at once, cling to him, and say, “Thank you.” And yet..

Why do you avoid me?

He chose the old dormitory, avoided all contact with others, and shut himself away in the library. How many times had I gazed at his profile through the glass of the reading room while my heart was aching with longing?

 That single instant during practical training… The fierce flash of magical power, blazing like the sun itself. There was no doubt about it. That was the same warm light that had saved me. And yet he stubbornly concealed that power, choosing to remain in the shadows. That was why I had no choice but to make full use of my authority as a princess.

 Even if you hate me, I don’t care.

Before those vulgar women set their sights on him, I had to “judge” him and then “secure” him. Otherwise, you would never come before me, would you?

 The heavy doors opened, and the rigid voice of the head maid echoed.

“…I have brought him.”

I took a deep breath and put the mask of a “princess” back on. Keeping my back to the moonlight, I slowly turned around. Standing there was my hero, still bearing so clearly the traces of the boy from ten years ago. The moment our eyes met, my heart throbbed painfully.

“…………Eh?”

His stunned expression…What dwelled there was neither nostalgia nor joy at reunion. It was pure fear and wariness toward an absolute authority. Like a small animal trembling before a predator.

 Yes. Of course. You have no idea that I am the girl from back then. More than that, I must look to him like a terrifying ruler who intends to experiment on him.

It hurt. I wanted to cry. But that was not an option.

“…I have been waiting for you, Alto von Kirschwasser-sama.”

Forcing the emotions swelling up inside my throat back down, I put on a perfect smile and spoke to him. Just as expected, he glared back at me.

“…Why me?”

That short, low question told me everything about the immense distance between us. I dismissed the head maid, leaving us alone. Even when I offered him a seat on the sofa, he did not move a single step from the door, remaining on guard.

“Please state your business.”

 Even that rude attitude felt dear to me right now. But I could not allow it. I had to protect him.

“…First, allow me to apologize for having no choice but to speak with you in this manner.”

In truth, I wanted to speak to him normally, without relying on power like this.

“You are aware of my position. Normally, I am not permitted to have public contact with a specific male student at this academy. …That rule also exists to protect you from unnecessary danger brought from jealousy.”

“…So that’s why you dragged me here like this?”

His sarcasm tore at my heart.

No, that’s not it, Alto… Please understand!

Screaming inside my heart, I placed the greatest “shackle” upon him.

“Everything about tonight, everything that happens here… You must not tell anyone. …Not even if you are questioned by my father, the King.”

 This was for his sake and for mine as well. What I was doing was not an official duty of a “princess.” It was the one and only “secret” that even my father could not know.

His face twisted in despair. Just as I thought. He must be suspicious of me because of that incident. To ascertain his true intent, I touched upon the core of the matter.

“…The other day’s magical practical training. …The incident with the crystal orb.”

His throat bobbed as he swallowed.

Please, Alto. At least tell me the truth… Trust me…

I gazed at him as though praying. But the words that came back mercilessly betrayed my expectations.

“…As the teacher said, that was a malfunction caused by aging equipment. I don’t have any magic power—”

“‘A malfunction.’”

I repeated his words and desperately forced the corners of my mouth upward. If I didn’t smile, I felt like I would burst into tears.

“…I see. That is how you choose to answer.”

It hurt. That great and gentle power that had saved me… He insisted it was merely a “malfunction,” even to me.

What is he hiding to such an extent? Whom is he afraid of? No, this isn’t right. I am the one he does not trust. In his eyes, I am nothing more than an arrogant princess, unworthy of being entrusted with his secret. I can’t go on like this. If I continue speaking with him, my “princess” mask will fall away. I still do not have the right to bare my true feelings to him.

“Very well. You may withdraw for today.”

“…Huh?”

His bewildered voice.

“Eh? That’s it?” That’s exactly the face you’re making. How adorable.

I needed to determine for myself exactly what kind of person you are… Directly.”

Yes. As a “princess,” I judged you as an “irregular.” And I confirmed, without a doubt, that you were still the same kind Alto who saved me in that forest. For now, that was enough.

 I called the head maid back and deliberately turned my back to him. If I kept looking at Alto’s face, filled with nothing but wariness, I felt I would start crying.

“…You must not speak of tonight to anyone.”

I could not bring myself to watch his retreating back. With a heavy thud, the door closed, and silence returned to the spacious room. Left alone in the detached palace, I walked over to the door where he had stood. Lingering there were the dusty scent of the old dormitory that clung to him, and a faint trace of fear. As though embracing the air he had left behind, I pressed my forehead against the door.

“…Alto. You really don’t realize it, do you?”

That you saved me. And what I vowed to you back then while covered in blood.

“…Thank you. I want to be your bride someday!”

I bit down hard on my lip. Our reunion after ten long years had ended in the worst possible way. But—

I will never give up. To protect you in this twisted world, and one day, without fail, to have you see the real me.

Wiping away my tears, I once more lifted my gaze to the moon in the night sky. My eyes were those of a cold, determined princess.

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