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… - 5

Chapter 5: The Princess’s Self-Restraint and Alto’s Peace

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

(Lilianna’s POV)

“…I will go there myself.”

Just as I was about to head for the salon doors, Leonardo—a fiancé candidate—stepped in my way, blocking me with a sardonic smile.

“Please wait, Your Highness. Surely you do not intend to set foot in such a ‘trash heap’ with those noble feet of yours?”

“…Step aside, Duke.”

“No, no. For a princess to charge into the old dormitory merely to see someone… That would drag the dignity of the royal family through the mud. What do you think would happen if His Majesty found out!?”

The head maid, her face pale, also moved to block my way and whispered urgently in my ear.

“Your Highness! Please reconsider! If it becomes known that Your Highness is giving him ‘special treatment,’ what do you think will happen to him!?”

“…!”

At the head maid’s words, I froze in place. The duke pressed his advantage, hiding his mouth behind a folding fan.

“That is correct, Your Highness. This academy is an ‘auction hall’ after all… If there were a man branded as Your Highness’s ‘favorite,’ how do you suppose the other men would treat him…?”

He wore a malicious smile as he said that.

“If it were me, I would crush him first.”

“…How despicable.”

“This is a noble society, Your Highness. …For now, quietly observing may be what is best for that man.”

I bit my lip in frustration, but the duke was right. If I rushed to Alto right now, he would make enemies of every man in this academy on his very first day. That had to be avoided at all costs.

Alto…

I glared in the direction of the old dormitory.

…For now, I have no choice but to endure.

I had waited ten years. I could not burden that child with unnecessary hardship. I sank back deeply into the salon sofa and whispered to the maid.

“…Very well. Report Alto von Kirschwasser’s movements to me in detail… Every single one of them.”

(Alto’s POV)

 I was inside the room at the very end of the old dormitory. I had managed to make the dusty room livable using ventilation and wet wiping—techniques drawn from my past-life knowledge—and then sat down on the bed.

…It was quiet. Perfect. The walls were cracked, and the floor creaked. But it was a million times better than the glaring, glittering air of that “auction hall.” I recalled the commotion in the courtyard. The princess had probably been appraising the new students. But that was a world completely unrelated to me.

What business would a woman standing at the very pinnacle of this world possibly have with a fallen noble, much less someone like me? It was laughable. I remembered the moment my mother ran off with that “handsome man.” In this world, what “women” sought from “men” was status, looks, or future prospects. I had none of those.

All I had was the “knowledge” I had crammed in to live up to my father’s expectations and the “magic power” that absolutely must never be discovered. Even if she knew my name, it was probably nothing more than having glanced at the “list of recommended students.”

“Oh, so there’s one like this too.”

By the moment I was assigned to the old dormitory, I should have already fallen outside the scope of her interest. I hoped that these peaceful days would continue all the way to graduation.

And then the next day. At last, my academy life began. I focused on only one thing, just as my father had instructed, studying. At the entrance ceremony in the great hall, I chose a seat in the very back corner, against the wall. From here, no one would pay attention to me.

The student representative giving the speech was a man named Leonardo, the heir of a ducal house. With smooth words, he spoke of how outstanding he was and how he would contribute to the academy. The way his gaze kept flicking toward one specific point was truly ridiculous.

Then, as the representative rising from the middle division, Princess Lilianna stepped onto the stage. The moment she stood, the air in the hall changed. The men held their breath, and the women looked on with admiration.

So this is the bearing of someone at the “top.”

Every time she spoke, fervent sighs spilled from the men.

“Ohhh…”

“What merciful words…”

…Is this a cult gathering or something?

…I simply watched the bizarre spectacle from my seat in the far back corner. The princess never looked in my direction even once.

…Good. What a perfect start. I would continue to play the role of a “mob character.”

Watch me, Dad. I will absorb all the “knowledge” this place has to offer.

The first lecture was magic theory. Naturally, I sat in the very back row. The instructor spoke of this world’s “common sense.”

“Magic power is a divine blessing bestowed only upon women. Magic power in men is practically nonexistent—”

While stifling a yawn, I scribbled formulas for magic control in the corner of my textbook where no one could see. The fundamental premise of this world’s magic theory was wrong.

Men have no magic power?

Then what, exactly, was this thing swirling inside my body like an ocean? The level of this academy didn’t seem like much either. At this rate, I should be able to devote myself to “studying” for three years without anyone noticing.

At the time, I truly believed that…. That I would be able to graduate peacefully and without incident after three years.

I had no way of knowing that the princess was having every single one of my actions—“sitting in the corner during the entrance ceremony,” “yawning during lectures”—reported to her in detail through her maids. I had no idea that she was clutching her head and murmuring “Why…?” and that every night she was wishing to meet me, whispering, “Alto… Please come see me…!”

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー