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… - 35-36

Chapter 35: The King’s Lament, and the Clock That Was Set Ahead

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(Head Maid Margaret’s POV)

I hurried through the royal castle late at night. Just a short while ago, I had received a sudden summons from His Majesty the King. I had not been told the reason, but there was only one possible explanation for being called at this hour.

It concerned the repeated “pressure” from the House of Falkenberg.

The red moon visible through the corridor windows stirred an ominous premonition. Suppressing the unease rising in my chest, I stopped before the heavy door of the King’s study.

“……Enter.”

The voice that came from beyond the door sounded parched and hollow, bearing no trace of the former “Lion King.” I steadied my breathing and quietly entered the room. The chamber was filled with towering stacks of documents, the smell of ink, and stagnant air. At its center, His Majesty sat glaring at a single letter as if trying to bore through it.

“Your Majesty, you summoned me?”

“……Mm. You have come, Margaret.”

His Majesty raised his face, but his eyes were deeply sunken, making it obvious that he had not slept for days. In his hand was, as expected, a letter bearing the crest of the House of Falkenberg.

“I will ask you directly. ……How is Lilianna’s condition?”

A confirmation, before getting to the main matter. I chose my words carefully as I answered.

“…She is stable for the moment.”

I reported the facts as they were.

“She ran a high fever once this evening, but she has since regained consciousness and recovered enough to take small sips of water. However…”

“……However, what?”

“The crystallization of her body has begun. At present it is limited to a slight hardening at the fingertips of her left hand, but…… If these seizures continue, there is no telling when it may spread to her entire body.”

For now, it was still within an area that could be concealed by clothing. But it was an unmistakable omen of death. If another major seizure occurred, she might never awaken again. Lady Lilianna now stood upon such fragile ice.

“I see… So she will follow the same path as Eleanor, after all.”

His Majesty collapsed forward onto his desk, his body trembling as though stifling a sob. The terror of the curse that had stolen his beloved wife now once again gnawing at his beloved daughter.

“The reason I called you is none other than this. ……Look.”

His Majesty flicked the letter before him with undisguised bitterness.

“A demand bordering on a final ultimatum has arrived from Duke Falkenberg. ‘Should anything happen to Her Highness the Princess, it would be a loss to the nation. She must be joined with my son at once and her noble blood preserved for future generations,’ he says.”

Bang!!

His Majesty slammed his fist onto the desk.

“Those damned hyenas……! Even while my daughter suffers upon her sickbed, do they see Lilianna as nothing more than a ‘magic reservoir’ or a ‘tool for breeding’?!”

“……”

His Majesty’s anger was entirely justified. And yet, at the same time, their argument was, under this nation’s law, a correct one. Preserving the royal bloodline (and its magic) was the greatest duty of the royal family. If Lady Lilianna were to die unmarried, the kingdom’s magical system would face the brink of collapse. Should he allow his daughter to recuperate as a human being, or use her up as a tool to protect the nation?

His Majesty was now being forced to make the ultimate choice.

“……Margaret.”

“Yes.”

“Proceed with the preparations for the ritual.”

His Majesty spoke as though carving pieces from his own soul.

“It will be next month. Next month, we will conduct the marriage ceremony between Lilianna and Leonardo.”

“Your Majesty……! That is far too soon! She has not yet recovered!”

“That is precisely why!!”

His Majesty shouted. In his eyes shimmered sorrow, like tears of blood.

“We do not know when her condition may suddenly worsen, or when she may lose consciousness! …If we do not complete the wedding while she can still stand, while she is still conscious, the royal family will be devoured by the nobles!”

It was a cry of anguish. To protect the kingdom, he had to sell his own daughter. The desperation to create an accomplished fact “while she is still alive” was close to shattering His Majesty’s heart.

“If it is next month, we may be able to stabilize her condition enough for her to stand, if only for a few hours during the ceremony. ……I beg you, Margaret. Make that child into a bride.”

With trembling hands, His Majesty took up his pen and signed the reply to Duke Falkenberg. The scratching sound echoed like an execution order for his daughter.

“……I will fall into hell, will I not? As a father who sold his own daughter.”

“……No, Your Majesty.”

I bowed deeply. I, too, who could not stop this, shared the same guilt.

“I shall accompany you. ……Even to the depths of hell.”

Thus, the die was cast. The time left for Lady Lilianna was one month.

O God. If You are there, please grant that child a miracle. Please send someone—anyone—who can overturn this hopeless fate.

Praying so, I quietly gathered the documents, dampened by my lord’s tears.

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Chapter 36: The Forbidden Forge and the Corroding Mind

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(Alto’s POV)

Bzzzzzz…!!

An unpleasant sound echoed through the silent research chamber of the ruins. Above the workbench, a silver ore fixed in midair was faintly vibrating, pressed by an invisible force field.

“Focus, Arto. Your output is wavering.”

Gideon barked the sharp instruction while glaring at the numerical values floating in the hologram.

“That ore has the property of repelling all magical interference. Half-baked magic power will do nothing more than brush its surface. …Pry it open. With that ‘magic power’ of yours, forcibly rewrite the material’s structural information.”

“Ghk… I know!”

I held out my right hand, releasing jet-black magic power from my fingertips like threads. Cold sweat dripped from my forehead, leaving dark stains on the workbench. I wasn’t melting it with heat. This ore was an extraordinarily tough substance that wouldn’t suffer a single scratch no matter how much high heat you applied or how hard you struck it with a hammer.

That was why I wasn’t processing it physically, but conceptually. I was using my “darkness” to tear through the ore’s resistance to maintaining its material “form,” forcibly fixing it into the shape of a ring. But it was an ordeal beyond imagination.

…This feels disgusting.

A violent wave of nausea surged up from the pit of my stomach. The more magic power I used, the more I could feel the “darkness” inside me being activated.

『More.』

『Destroy everything.』

A sticky voice echoed deep in my head. Was it my own thoughts, or the will of “something” at the source of this power? If I let my guard down, I felt as though my ego itself would be swallowed up, and not just the ore in front of me, but the entire ruin would be annihilated.

“Don’t be afraid!”

Gideon’s furious shout dragged my fading consciousness back.

“Don’t let it consume you! Control it! That power is a part of you. Don’t be used by the tool, master it!”

“…U-OOOOOO!!”

I clenched my back teeth so hard they felt like they might shatter, and poured the darkness in even deeper.

Crush the fear. Grip the reins of that monstrous power. If it’s to save Lilianna…

Bzzzt—BZZZT!!

The silver ore scattered sparks like black lightning. The solid mass began to warp, twisting like sugar candy. From there on, time felt eternal. Adjustments measured in millimeters. A perfect circular structure, tailored to Lilianna’s slender finger while efficiently blocking magic power circuits. I fused the knowledge from my previous life—topology and fluid dynamics—with Gideon’s ancient knowledge—nanomachine control theory—converging them into a single form.

My vision blurred. I couldn’t feel my fingertips. Even so, I didn’t stop releasing magic power.

“…Just a little more. Stabilize the atomic bonds… There! Fix it!”

At Gideon’s shout, I severed all magic power at once.

Kiiiinn…

A sharp cooling sound rang out, and a small metal ring dropped onto the workbench. It rolled, chimed clearly, and came to a stop.

“Hah… hah… hah…”

I collapsed to my knees on the spot. My entire body felt as heavy as lead. My heart hammered wildly, and my lungs creaked with every breath.

“…Magnificent.”

Gideon stepped closer and lifted the ring with a pair of tweezers. Using a magnifier-like device, he carefully inspected every detail of the ring.

“Zero impurities. Shape deviation under a micron. …And above all, this overwhelming rejection response.”

The moment he tried to send a faint trace of magic power into the ring, pale blue sparks snapped across its surface. It didn’t just block magic power, it dispersed the very energy that touched it.

“With this, it will work. Whether it’s interference (access) from the heavens or even the will of a god, this is the strongest firewall, a physical rejection barrier.”

“…So it’s a success?”

I stood up on unsteady legs and accepted the ring. It was heavy. Its appearance was a dull silver or rather, a simple ring with a unique matte finish that seemed to absorb light. It held no heat. It was as calm and cold as a stone that had always been there. This was the crystallization of my darkness and ancient wisdom. The final hope to keep Lilianna alive.

“I thank you, Arto.”

Gideon looked at me with a seriousness rarely seen on his face.

“To think someone would truly give form to my theory. …Now you’ve literally obtained a weapon to pick a fight with a god.”

“I don’t intend to pick any fights.”

I clenched the ring tightly and slipped it into my clothes.

“I just want to protect someone precious to me. …If anything gets in the way, god or not, I’ll crush it.”

Gideon gave a short chuckle and operated the terminal on the workbench, opening the ruin’s entrance.

“Go. Dawn is breaking.”

I nodded and headed for the exit. My body was in shambles. My magic power was limitless, but after running nonstop since yesterday without sleep, my body was screaming in protest. And yet, once I took a step forward, my stride felt strangely light. Hope—that I could save Lilianna—filled my heart.

Wait for me, Lilianna. This time, I’ll keep my promise!! I’ll cut through the chains that bind you.

As I stepped outside the ruins, pale violet morning light streamed through the gaps between the trees. A long, agonizing night came to an end. Fixing my gaze toward the royal capital, I squeezed out the last of my strength and broke into a run.

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