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… - 24

Chapter 24: The Glass Slipper Shatters

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(Head Maid Margaret’s POV)

“My apologies. At the moment, Princess Lilianna has entered deep meditation.”

In the silent corridor of the detached palace, I coldly turned away the young maids who had come to report.

“Th-this late in the day, is it…?”

“Yes. She is unifying her mind in order to decipher ancient magic. I will stand guard before the door. No one is permitted to enter. Not even if you come as a messenger of His Majesty the King.”

Overwhelmed by the force of my tone, the maids hurriedly departed with a chorus of “Our apologies.” After confirming that their footsteps had faded into the distance, I let out a small, trembling breath.

“…Lying truly is exhausting.”

Of course, beyond the door, in her private chamber, there was no sign of my mistress, Princess Lilianna. By now, she should have been in the underground archive. At the side of that boy in the dusty uniform.

As the head maid of the royal family, I knew this was an unthinkable act. If it were exposed, I would be dismissed on the spot and at worst, executed. But I had no intention of stopping her.

……Because of that day. Because of the “final promise” I exchanged with Her late Majesty the Queen, Princess Lilianna’s mother.

~.~.~.~

“……Margaret. Please, take care of that child.”

The Queen, lying on her sickbed, had gripped my hand with fingers like withered branches. Even then, their tips had already begun to change into half-transparent, rigid crystal.

“That child was born with magic power far surpassing mine. Magic power like a vast ocean that cannot be contained by a single vessel……”

“……Your Majesty.”

“That child’s body cannot withstand her own overwhelming magic power, and it will slowly, but surely be eroded from the inside. ……At this rate, she will not last beyond eighteen.”

Magic Crystallization Syndrome. A disease in which magic power exceeding the vessel’s capacity erodes the body from within, ultimately transforming the person into a beautiful crystal statue and killing them. It was an incurable and bizarre illness suffered only by women of extraordinary magic among successive generations of royalty.

Princess Lilianna was sixteen now, but in just two more months she would turn seventeen. She looked beautiful and perfectly healthy on the outside. Yet the erosion of her magic power continued relentlessly, like sand falling through an hourglass.

I checked the late-night meal prepared atop the wagon—premium roasted veal and a fresh fruit tart—and slid it onto the magic circle drawn in the corner of the room. This was a short-range teleportation formula paired with the barrier deployed by Her Highness.

Currently, the entire lowest level of the library was covered by a powerful cognitive interference barrier personally cast by Princess Lilianna. A space completely isolated, both physically and magically. The only one permitted to enter was myself, entrusted with the “key” of magic power by Her Highness.

I stood beside the wagon and channeled my magic. My vision warped, and after a brief sensation of floating, the very quality of the air changed. From the clean scent of the detached palace to the smell of old books and mold. From beyond an iron door came the sound of animated voices deep in conversation.

“……Pardon my intrusion.”

When I deliberately put on a bright voice and opened the door, the boy—Alto-sama—jerked his shoulders in surprise and immediately straightened his posture.

“Ma-Margaret. ……You’re early.”

“I have diverted the eyes of the others. ……Please, here.”

I pushed the wagon forward and arranged the dishes before the two of them. At the aroma of the roast, Alto-sama swallowed audibly. Though he maintained a curt attitude toward Her Highness, he never once refused the meals set before him.

“……It’s lavish again today.”

“The poison check has already been done, so please rest assured.”

“……I never thought you’d put poison into something you made.”

He muttered this under his breath and stuffed his mouth with meat. At his healthy appetite, Her Highness narrowed her eyes happily.　

“……Hey, aren’t you going to eat too, Princess? Today’s meal is especially good.”

Alto-sama roughly cut a piece of meat and placed it onto Her Highness’s plate. For a moment, Her Highness blinked in surprise—then smiled as if a flower had suddenly bloomed.

“Oh my, how delightful. ……I shall partake.”

Her Highness picked up her fork. At that moment, I did not miss the faint tremor that ran through her fingertips for just an instant. The stiffening—a precursor to crystallization. So as not to let Alto-sama notice, Her Highness naturally readjusted her grip on the fork and brought it to her mouth.

“Mmm……! It truly is delicious. When I eat with you, Alto-sensei, it feels twice as good as usual.”

She smiled as if savoring the taste. Eating normally. Smiling normally. Living normally. Yet her body was screaming in agony. I knew that recently, Her Highness had been secretly taking painkillers in the middle of the night. The progression could not be stopped. But Her Highness would never give up.

Even knowing the cruel death sentence of “no more than eighteen years,” she continued to frequent this basement, using Alto-sama’s extraordinary knowledge to try to overpower her cursed fate.

“……Say, Alto.”

“What is it? I’m eating.”

“If I were to go somewhere far away……Would you continue deciphering this magic?”

Suddenly, Her Highness stopped her meal and spoke. Her tone was so light, as though she were merely discussing tomorrow’s weather. Alto-sama, chewing on bread, frowned suspiciously.

“Huh? Somewhere far away… Are you studying abroad or something? I’ll help, but do the deciphering yourself. I’m busy.”

“Heehee, you’re right. ……Yes, indeed. I will do my best.”

Her Highness smiled sadly, yet with a hint of quiet satisfaction. Alto-sama did not know…. That the “somewhere far away” she spoke of might be a place from which she could never return… Nor that the girl smiling before him was burning her life away in a precarious balance, like walking atop thin ice.

Ah……O God……

I stood by the wall, gazing at the two of them as if in prayer.

Please, stop this cruel progression. Do not steal the future from one who so desperately wishes to live and fight. And may the day never come when Alto-sama, knowing nothing, looks upon an empty seat where she once was and falls into despair.

The clinking of tableware and their laughter echoed through the underground archive. It was a peaceful scene, like the calm before a storm, so happy it nearly brought me to tears.

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