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 3

Chapter 3: Threatening the King

And so.

The princess stared at me with resentful eyes, just like a sulking child.

In the end, that day passed without any further argument, and I was let go.

The princess bit her lip, silently pushing me out of the room with forceful shoves. She really did look like nothing more than a pouty child.

But whether the princess accepted it or not, my resignation had already been officially accepted. For the princess who would lead this country, it was probably just a momentary whim.

We should both act like adults, I muttered in my heart as I left her.

And then, dawn broke.

The next morning.

I was in the court mages’ dormitory, packing my things to move out by the end of the day.

Suddenly, someone knocked on my door.

“Yes? Who is it?”

So early in the morning.

With a slight bad feeling, I went straight to open the door.

“Um… Who are you? And what do you need—wait, aren’t you…”

“Sorry for coming so early. There’s urgent business.”

“Urgent business?”

The robe he wore had a griffon emblem sewn on it. That proved he was a member of the court mage corps, just like me.

I recognized his face too. He was the one who often talked with the corps leader, the leader’s aide, I think.

What could someone like him want…

“The corps leader wants to see you. I don’t know what he plans to say to someone quitting today, but come anyway.”

I see, a summons from the corps leader. Even though I was no longer a court mage starting today, I could not ignore it.

So.

“Honestly. Why do I have to come out this early for someone like you…”

“Ahaha. Sorry.”

I followed behind him as he grumbled, walking through the palace for a while until we reached the corps leader’s office.

“Corps leader, excuse me. I’ve brought him.”

I did not get along well with my colleagues. The way he treated me was very rude.

But the corps leader did not scold him for it. The dignified, bearded leader waiting for me behind his impressive desk spoke to the aide who had brought me.

“Good work. You may leave now.”

“Huh…? Um, usually I stay here too—”

“No. What we are about to discuss is confidential.”

Confidential? This suddenly felt very suspicious.

The aide glared at me with clear displeasure on his face, but he still left the room quietly. It was not my fault.

Once he confirmed we were alone, the corps leader spoke.

“Albert Call. Starting today, you are promoted to senior court mage.”

“What? But I was supposed to have resigned as of yesterday.”

“…Ah, no, my earlier statement was not accurate. The promotion happened yesterday, before your resignation was accepted. And toward you, now an officer—I will exercise the right of special talent preservation. This means you can no longer freely resign of your own will.”

“Wh…”

Special talent preservation? That was the measure to secure people vital to the nation’s survival and prevent them from going to other countries.

That had nothing to do with me… Whoa. The corps leader’s face looked extremely grim.

I got it now. This was definitely that. The princess had done something.

“A senior rank is not normally given to someone like you who does not even possess unique magic… You would not refuse it, would you?”

The corps leader was clearly in a bad mood.

And as just a low-ranking member, I could not refuse the wishes of the princess or the corps leader, which seemed to follow proper rules.

What worried me was how the princess had made the corps leader go against the king’s orders. That was probably the reason for his bad mood.

“So, what is your answer, Call?”

“…Yes. I humbly accept your instructions.”

The corps leader snorted. He probably thought I had asked the princess to cancel my resignation. What a mess for me.

“If that is the case, we are done here. You have no further business staying, do you? Senior Mage Call.”

“…Yes. Then, excuse me.”

I bowed to the silent corps leader and left the room.

And of course, there was only one place for me to go next. The princess’s office.

At this time, she should already be starting her governmental duties.

I hurried to the office, confirmed her reply to my knock, and entered.

“What… Y-Your Majesty the King?”

“…You are Call.”

Sitting at the desk facing the princess was a middle-aged man with golden hair, looking every bit the nobleman. The princess’s father, His Majesty the King.

Hey, princess. Why did you let me in when His Majesty was here…

Besides, they were definitely just talking about me. Walking in on that made me look like I had no sense of timing at all.

“We will talk later… Killriera. Anyway, I am not satisfied with this. The mage corps leader is quite angry too, and what you did is nothing more than buying time.”

Wow, the tension was thick. I see, since he could not say he was the one who fired me, he came under the pretense of protesting from the corps leader.

But the princess said nothing back, keeping a cold expression. His Majesty sighed, turned on his heel, and walked toward the door—toward me.

I silently stepped aside, but as he passed, His Majesty said quietly,

“You’ve wormed your way in nicely. From now on, I will show you no mercy.”

No, it’s a misunderstanding.

…What should I do about this? I did not like being misunderstood by the corps leader, but if the king saw me as an enemy, I was really in trouble.

But I did not think he would listen if I tried to explain, so I could only give an awkward, troubled smile.

His Majesty glared at me as he prepared to leave.

That was the moment.

“If you try to directly harm Albert in any way. Then I will use every authority and ability I have—to usurp the throne.”

“!”

Huh? She really should not say that… Normally, that would mean instant imprisonment.

The princess’s face did not look like she was joking at all.

She did not show anger, just closed off her heart and directed an icy gaze at His Majesty. Her expression was simply that of someone stating a fact calmly.

And the worst part was that she said it from a position where it was not entirely impossible. Look, even His Majesty’s face paled a little…

“N-No, that is not it, Killriera. I am not trying to ignore all your wishes. I just thought perhaps someone bad was influencing you…”

“So that means this. That I, whom Your Majesty entrusts with important state affairs, am someone who cannot even make accurate judgments on my own.”

“I-I did not say that…”

He backed down before the princess’s icy sharp words. Even His Majesty seemed at a disadvantage against the princess, said to be the second coming of the first Atlas king.

“A-Anyway…! I am not saying we have to decide everything right now. I will take this matter back and think about it carefully myself. We will talk after that.”

His Majesty said that quickly, added “Excuse me,” and left the room almost like he was fleeing.

“Whether you think carefully or not… I will never change my mind. Well, whatever—”

Then the princess looked at me, the only one left in the room.

The change was striking. It was like spring plants sprouting from ground that had been tightly frozen through winter. Or like a young child rejoicing at finding their parent.

The princess smiled brightly, a little shyly.

“Good morning, Albert. You came to see me this morning? …I’m happy.”

What a difference from just moments ago.