The Invincible Aloof Yandere Princess Falls in Love with Her Younger Court Mage's Fatherly Warmth! ~She Clung to Him So Much That the King Fired Him. When He Made Marriage His Official Reason for Resigning Under Royal Order, the Light Vanished from the Princess's Eyes~ - Volume 1 - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Loyalty in the Shadows

Several figures dressed all in black crowded the princess’s office.

They all stared fixedly at me, sitting alone on a single sofa.

No emotion showed in their eyes… or rather, no emotion showed except for one girl who openly glared at me with clear displeasure. …Well, I’ll set her aside for now.

All right, then… how am I going to slip out of here?

As I thought that, a voice called out to me.

“—Albert Cole.”

“…Albert is fine, you know?”

“Then, Mr. Albert.”

The voice belonged to a young girl, one that still carried a trace of childishness despite her firm tone.

One of the shadows—the girl who had been staring at me with feelings spilling openly from her eyes—looked smaller and younger than me.

Dressed entirely in black with even a hood over her head, she walked straight toward me, her short golden hair peeking out and swaying as she came.

Or so I thought.

“Ah—!”

She tripped and fell flat.

No graceful recovery like a true shadow would manage. She just crashed hard onto the floor.

An awkward silence fell over me and the other shadows. No one said a word.

She lay there sprawled out. Should I help her up? Is she okay?

As I worried about that, the girl slowly stood up as if nothing had happened. Then she looked at me with a calm face.

“Sorry. I got carried away.”

“That looked like it hurt… Are you all right?”

“No problem. I am an elite, after all.”

She said that with a blank expression, but she rubbed the spot where she had hit the floor with one hand.

I watched her with concern, and she suddenly glared at me sharply.

“What?”

…Hmm. She’s the same as always.

I had known her face for a little while now, but she clearly did not think well of me. Plus, this time I was the reason her master, the princess, had headed into danger. She had to hold a grudge.

Even so, I deeply regretted my part in all this.

The princess had started taking reckless actions, yes. But more than that, I regretted twisting her so much that she felt forced into them.

So I had to slip out of here somehow and stop the princess before something irreversible happened.

That said, given how the princess was acting, she might hurt herself the moment she saw me. …In that case, maybe I could get the watching shadows to help?

Shadows were loyal followers who simply carried out their master’s orders without question. I thought about using that trait to create a chance to talk with the princess… but the problem was how to persuade beings like them.

I racked my brain for a good plan, but nothing came. Then the shadow girl in front of me opened her mouth.

“—You spineless coward with no balls.”

…Huh? Did she just say something pretty harsh?

“You enjoy the enviable position of receiving our master’s favor, yet when exactly do you plan to use that ridiculously huge power of yours—?”

“!”

…What she just said.

It almost sounded like she approved of me taking action.

I could hardly believe those words came from a shadow. But the other shadows said nothing and simply watched me.

So that means…

In other words—it’s like that, right?

And so,

We now raced quickly down the corridor, the shadow girl leading the way.

Maybe because the princess was making dangerous preparations, the halls felt emptier than usual. The few people we passed all seemed in a hurry.

From the atmosphere, it looked like full-scale action had not started yet. We had to reach the princess fast.

Thinking that, I gradually picked up speed. I struggled to keep up with the girl who now ran at an impressive pace.

“This guy is a mage, yet why can he keep up with us?”

The girl muttered in wonder.

Of course, no ordinary person could match that speed with just their body.

“—I’m using body reinforcement. If I boost my physical abilities with magic, I can manage somehow.”

“Hmm. Eavesdropping is still as rude as ever. So the trick is magic. It doesn’t seem like an inherent spell, so if I learned it too, I could be of even more use to our master…?”

“It’s a technique anyone can do with a bit of magic power. Want me to teach you sometime? …Assuming I don’t get banished from the palace.”

“I’ll take you up on that.”

Her face stayed blank as always, but her voice sounded a little brighter. She really wanted to help the princess that much.

I smiled softly at her, then spoke up about something that had suddenly occurred to me.

“By the way, could you tell me your name? We’re comrades heading to stop the princess together, after all.”

“A name, huh. True enough—for this moment only, and even though you’re the root cause of the problem, a partner is a partner. I don’t really want to tell you, but I suppose I have no choice.”

She really did not want to tell me… This girl was incredibly honest and had her own unique rhythm.

“Sorry if I’m forcing you?”

“It’s fine. —I am Karen of the shadow clan. I bear the name ‘Flower of Silence.’”

“Karen, then. What about the other two?”

I asked that and also got the names of the two shadows running behind me.

With simple introductions, our group of four grew a little closer.

Then ahead of us appeared a heavy crowd of people.

This was the large hall connecting to the audience chamber and the king’s office area. We had made it in time before breaking through.

I could not see the princess, but she had to be inside that crowd.

So now,

“—As planned. Ready?”

“Yes, no problem. Leave it to us.”

Karen and the others nodded confidently.

While they approached the crowd, I slipped away partway.

I carefully gathered and refined my magic power in preparation for what came next.

…Ah, is it starting?

“—Master, master. Something terrible has happened.”

Karen and the others charged in, raising their voices.

The crowd consisted of knights, mages, and shadows. Plenty of people naturally recognized Karen’s face, so no one treated them roughly.

They seemed to reach the center of the crowd—the place where the princess was.

“Master—. I have something very serious to report to you.”

“—You. Why are you here?”

Against Karen’s somewhat relaxed tone, the princess’s dignified voice rang out. Maybe because she saw the three who were supposed to be watching me, her tone sounded grave.

Most people would shrink under such a voice from the princess.

“Hmm. Our master’s sharp gaze is irresistible.”

Karen was too bold. Was she okay?

“—Don’t joke around in this situation, Karen. I ordered you to keep an eye on Albert. So why are you here? What is this ‘serious matter’?”

“Oh, Master, please calm down… Of course I came because of that Albert person. We told him we didn’t want to, but he wouldn’t listen. —In the end, he even started hurting himself without hesitation…”

“! …No way, Albert is injured!? Where is he! No, what do I do…!”

I heard the princess’s panicked voice.

Good. This way she probably won’t hurt herself the instant she sees me.

Maybe it’s time for me to step out. I’ll amplify my voice with magic—

“—Princess. I’m right here.”

“Ah, Albert…!? Clear the way there! Hurry!”

Ignoring the startled murmurs around her, the princess spotted me through the opened gap in the crowd and called out.

“Albert, Albert! Your injury! Are you okay!?”

The princess’s face showed genuine worry for me from the bottom of her heart. She shook her silver hair wildly and tried to run toward me.

That was the moment.

“—Master, forgive me.”

From behind the princess, who kept her eyes fixed on me,

Karen was approaching—