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… - 49

Chapter 49: The Hollow Prince and the Muddy Hero

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(Alto’s POV)

“…Head Maid—no, Margaret-san. You really are a sly one.”

I stared down at the invitation in my hand with a bitter smile. I had known Margaret, the head maid, since the days when I used to frequent the underground archive. Back then, I still didn’t know that Lilianna was suffering from a grave illness. In the underground archive, Lilianna always had eyes sparkling with curiosity. She never tired of asking me about the “mysterious things” of this world. When I answered while mixing in knowledge from my previous life, she would laugh with genuine delight.

When the two of us got so absorbed in conversation that we lost track of time and stayed until dusk… It was Margaret who, while scolding us with “You’re overdoing it,” secretly brought in portions of meat and warm soup for two.

Until the very moment Lilianna suddenly collapsed in the library that day, I never realized that she had been smiling while hiding an illness that could lead to her death. Margaret had been like a mother figure, watching over our time together warmly, yet always with concern.

“You understand the meaning of my bringing this here, don’t you, Alto-sama?”

Margaret adjusted her glasses with her fingertips and fixed me with a serious gaze.

“This is not merely permission to attend the ceremony. …It is a ‘pass’ to reclaim the princess.”

“I know. You’re telling me to march in through the front gate and boldly snatch her away, right?”

“That phrasing sounds terrible. Please call it ‘welcoming her home.’”

Margaret’s lips softened into a faint smile.

“When that child’s mother—the late Queen—was drawing her final breath, she grasped my hand and said this: ‘Please take care of Lilianna. Protect her, so that one day she may truly smile from her heart.’”

Her voice grew slightly moist.

“From that day on, I have served Lilianna-sama as if she were my own daughter. …And the only time that daughter of mine could truly smile and say she was ‘having fun,’ even while hiding the pain of her illness, was during those hours she spent with you in that underground archive.”

Margaret bowed deeply.

“Please, protect that child’s smile. …Those calm, happy days when you ate the soup I made so eagerly, and the princess watched you with such joy… Please give those days back to her.”

“Yeah. I promise. …I’ll never make her cry again.”

Margaret wiped away her tears and left the room without a sound. Left behind, I clenched the invitation tightly. The wish of a second mother, and the feelings of the woman I loved. Bearing all of that, I could not afford to lose. My resolve was set. But my opponent was the nation itself.

I slipped out of the dormitory and headed for the abandoned warehouse behind the academy, now Gideon’s hideout.

Bang! Bang! Bzzzzzt—!!

Deafening metallic clanging and sparks echoed from inside.

“Hey, Gideon! Are you there?!”

“Shut up! I’m at a critical moment!”

Gideon, covered in oil, stuck his head out and yelled back.

“…You’re tinkering with the bike again, aren’t you?”

“Of course. You think I’d leave my masterpiece as scrap? And besides… Judging from that look on your face, you’re planning to pull off something ‘big’ again, aren’t you?”

Figures. We really were bound by rotten fate. I grinned.

“Yeah. There’s a wedding in one week. I’m going to steal the bride.”

“Pfft—hahahahaha! First you kill a god, now you’re stealing a country?! You really never get boring!”

After laughing his fill, Gideon turned serious.

“So it’s Leonardo von Falkenberg, huh. …That’s a troublesome opponent.”

“Yeah. That insufferable ‘genius’ from our class.”

“Genius? Hah. Don’t make me laugh.”

Gideon snorted disdainfully.

“His magic’s nothing more than party tricks, lighting a flame on his fingertip. But in this country, the very fact that a man can use magic is treated as a miracle. That alone gets him worshiped.”

“So he’s not actually strong?”

“No personal combat ability. But his family is one of the wealthiest on the continent, with blood ties to a neighboring royal house. …Power, money, and the brand of being a ‘chosen man.’ In some ways, he’s worse than the Demon King.”

Gideon twisted a wrench.

“Fine. I’ll turn Sleipnir into a monster machine using parts we swiped from the Demon King’s castle. …One week, huh? Let’s blast the loudest engine roar imaginable instead of wedding fanfare.”

“I’m counting on you, partner!”

And then, the next day…. I saw firsthand what that so-called “amazing power” really was. The front gate of the academy was wrapped in shrill cheers and murmurs. Students parted to form a path, bowing as if welcoming royalty. A lavish, white-painted carriage came to a stop.

Stepping down was a man with golden hair and eyes like the open sky. Leonardo von Falkenberg. Despite being a classmate like the rest of us, the fabric of his uniform was clearly custom-made luxury, and a crest-bearing medal gleamed on his chest.

Tch. The same flashy entrance as always.

As I watched from the shade of a tree, Leonardo suddenly stopped and turned precisely in my direction. Our eyes met. After whispering something to his attendant, he walked over with graceful steps. The students around him glared at me as they cleared a path.

“Well, if it isn’t Alto-kun. …You were gone for several days. I thought perhaps you’d been expelled.”

Leonardo’s voice was sweet and utterly arrogant. He stopped in front of me and gave me a glance as if I were something filthy.

“I just took a few days off. …You’re awfully polite to come say hello, Leonardo.”

“A greeting? Hardly. I merely wanted to confirm whether a stray dog had wandered in.”

Leonardo sighed and raised his index finger.

Pop.

A small—truly tiny—flame lit at its tip. A weak flame, no stronger than a lighter. And yet, cries of “Kyaa!” “Amazing!” “Leonardo-sama really is special!” rose from the surrounding female students.

…This again. He always showed this off in class and got treated as something special.

Seriously? This is enough to be called a ‘genius’?

“Did you see? This is proof of a ‘chosen human.’”

Leonardo extinguished the flame proudly and looked down at me.

“A man loved by magic power, and you… Barely scraping by with depleted magic, struggling just to keep up with class. …The only reason Lilianna ever took pity on a failure like you was because illness dulled her judgment.”

For a moment, I didn’t understand what Leonardo was saying. Lilianna must have said something to him. Realizing that, I glared at him.

“Lilianna’s eyes aren’t clouded.”

My astonishment at his words turned into anger. Was Lilianna being stripped of her freedom by a classmate who lorded himself over others with nothing but family pedigree and a trace of magic?

“She doesn’t want a mere ‘pedigree’ like you. …She looks at the heart.”

“Heart? That’s just sour grapes from a poor loser..”

Leonardo chuckled.

“She is a royal ‘tool.’ And I am the most fitting ‘frame’ to display it. …Politics don’t run on vague things like love or hearts.”

Instead of grabbing my collar, he brushed the dust from my shoulder with his handkerchief. He never once treated me as an equal human being.

“I’ll invite you to the ceremony. I’ll even prepare a special seat just for you.”

He took a fresh handkerchief from his attendant and carefully wiped the hand that had touched me.

“Just sit there sucking your fingers and watch. Watch how she shines beside the ‘real thing,’ me. …Oh, and do try not to come dressed in rags, won’t you? You’ll lower the dignity of the venue.”

Leonardo laughed loudly and departed with his entourage. All that remained was the scent of expensive perfume and an overwhelming sense of disgust.

He wasn’t strong. He was simply a deluded man of power who never doubted that he stood at the center of the world. That was precisely why he was so dangerous. From the start, he had been treating Lilianna’s “heart” as if it didn’t exist.

“…Fine.”

I clenched my fists. A magic knight order? The Lion King? Compared to this guy, those didn’t even come close to how infuriating this was. I ran toward the warehouse where Gideon was waiting.

One week from now… I would shatter that insufferable pride along with everything it stood on.

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