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 6

Chapter 6: He’s My Al-kun, You Know

Suu said that with a completely casual look on her face.

But I couldn’t hide my surprise. After all, I had deliberately kept the details vague when I told her.

“…Suu… you know about me and the princess?”

“Yeah, of course I know. The one and only mage that the famous ‘Lone Silver Princess’ ever took as a master—the youngest court mage ever. That’s you, right? Al-kun.”

“…! You know that much…!”

“Hehe. If I want to look into it, it’s easy enough. After all, I—oops. I shouldn’t say too much. Don’t worry about it.”

When she said “after all, I,” she probably meant she could use the maids’ network.

“But this matter is supposed to be under a gag order from His Majesty…”

It’s true that maids probably have the best ears in the entire palace. Still, pushing her on it would probably be bad. It’s forbidden by royal command, after all.

“Um, Suu. It would be better if you don’t tell anyone else about this. If it gets out that you went against His Majesty’s orders, who knows what kind of punishment…”

At the very least, banishing one court mage from the palace would be simple. Better to be careful.

“Hehe. You’re still so kind, Al-kun. But don’t worry. Even His Majesty wouldn’t just throw me away that easily.”

His Majesty wouldn’t throw her away? What on earth did that mean…

“Ahaha, don’t think too hard about it. And of course I won’t tell anyone else about this besides you. I didn’t look into you because I wanted to spread it around. In fact, I’d rather keep it locked up in my own heart as much as possible…”

“Is that so? I don’t really get it, but… well, okay. As long as you’re not spreading it around, I think it’ll be fine for now.”

Probably, anyway. If things go wrong, I’ll just say I was the one who told her. I’m getting banished from the palace anyway, so one more crime wouldn’t make much difference.

But still, for Suu’s sake, I have to warn her properly.

“Please be careful. If you accidentally let something slip in front of someone who knows the situation…”

She might think I’m being annoying, but it’s important. I know firsthand what happens when you go against His Majesty’s plans.

After all, I thought I was getting fired by His Majesty, only to have the princess forcibly keep me here, leaving me stuck between a rock and a hard place.

…Hehe. Thinking about this ridiculous situation isn’t funny at all, but somehow it still feels a little amusing.

I couldn’t help letting a small smile slip out.

And for some reason, Suu widened her eyes in surprise at the sight.

Just like when I played pretend with the princess, I held my index finger in front of my mouth and told her—

“…You’ll end up like me, you know?”

I meant it as a warning to the innocent Suu, who seemed younger than her age. But for some reason, the moment she heard those words, all her usual composure vanished, and her face turned bright red.

“…Y-Yeah…”

Suu murmured that in a voice as tiny as a mosquito’s buzz.

And then.

—The person Albert called Suu, whose real name was Scarlet Clay.

Faced with the fragile yet somehow twisted smile on the boy’s face… she was already beyond help.

What was this pounding in her chest…? It felt so strange, like she was secretly peeking at something she shouldn’t…

Scarlet, who prided herself on being a cool adult, was determined not to let the younger Albert see any of this inner turmoil—but that determination was hers alone. In reality, Albert found her flustered behavior puzzling.

Anyway, left with this unfamiliar emotion she didn’t know how to handle, Scarlet decided to change the subject for now.

“—S-So anyway, Al-kun! Let’s get back to the original reason you came here!”

“Oh. Yeah, that’s right. I totally forgot.”

Albert smiled shyly, looking as beautiful as ever. Her heart gave another loud thump.

While sending him a slightly resentful glare for shaking her heart so easily, Scarlet did her best to act like it didn’t bother her and said,

“I understand you’re stuck between Princess-sama and His Majesty right now—that’s the situation, right? I’m not wrong?”

“Yes. Since we’re here, I’ll just say it—it’s exactly like that. If I side with one, the other gets upset. But when I think about the princess’s future, I feel like His Majesty is probably right, so I’m hoping I can somehow convince her.”

“I see… To be cared about that much by you… She’s supposed to be a genius, so I’d kind of like to talk to her, but maybe not. As usual, it’s no fun…”

“Huh?”

Shoot, I said that out loud again. Scarlet realized it and hurriedly covered.

“N-Nothing, nothing at all! Anyway, it was about what to do with Princess-sama, right? Well, I have a great idea!”

“Oh. A great idea?”

The words that slipped out weren’t a lie. In fact, she thought it was practically the only perfect plan.

A secret strategy to make Albert—whom she couldn’t help liking—hers, while dealing a blow to Killriera, who felt nothing but one-sided rivalry toward her.

—Scarlet didn’t actually hate Killriera. On the contrary, she was deeply interested in the talent said to be the second coming of the first Atlas king.

In her nineteen years of life, Scarlet had claimed the title of genius for herself. Born into an ordinary family in the capital, she had been summoned to the palace because of one extraordinary talent. Surrounded by people whose abilities were far below hers, she unconsciously felt isolated—and sometimes even disgust—and had been searching for a kindred spirit without realizing it.

That was why she had even felt a one-sided sense of kinship with Killriera, another genius. Though they had never spoken.

But then—one day, in a completely unexpected place, she discovered a talent that surpassed her own.

He was not only brimming with ability but beautiful to look at, and his heart was pure. Scarlet, who had never experienced romance or physical love and was still like a child in that regard, fell for him instantly.

The interest she once felt toward Killriera had vanished without a trace. By now, most of Scarlet’s heart belonged to him.

Her innocent first crush had grown into full-blown possessiveness, to the point where even the relationship between Albert and the princess—which she had investigated on her own—felt irritating.

And now—a perfect opportunity had arrived.

Still unaware of the darkness in her own heart, Scarlet gave a thin smile.

To the enchanting, talented boy standing close enough to touch—Albert—she said,

“—Just hurt Princess-sama completely. Make her hate you so much she never recovers.”

And then.

Scarlet, who had just watched Albert thank her and leave, replayed his charming expression over and over in her mind.

She opened her eyes at the sound of someone calling her name from far away.

“…I was in such a good mood just now. Sigh. You’ve ruined it completely.”

She had been savoring the afterglow, but with an irritated thought, she reluctantly stood up anyway.

Then she walked toward the source of the voice.

“—Don’t shout my name over and over like that. I’m right here.”

“Ah! There you are! I finally found you!”

The man who said that was older than Scarlet, yet he had none of the things she wanted.

A long sword hung at his waist, with fine fittings on his uniform. The emblem sewn on his chest was a brave lion.

To the average person, he was unmistakably an elite—the shield and sword of the kingdom, a member of the Great Lion Knights. Yet he clearly spoke to Scarlet with deference.

“Playing maid is all well and good, but today you have to escort at the duke’s party. It’s almost starting, so let’s head back.”

“I don’t think I need to go just for party security. You guys should be enough, right?”

“No, please spare me. It’s a big noble with royal blood too, so we need the prestige. We can’t do it with just us.”

“…If that’s how it is, fine.”

Another ordinary person’s logic, Scarlet thought with a sigh.

But even a situation that would normally annoy her felt like nothing today.

Because soon, he might finally be within reach. The boy Killriera had kept all to herself—Albert.

The poisonous suggestion Scarlet had planted had been flatly refused… but even that cold side of him was attractive, wasn’t it?

Either way, once the king made his move, the situation would change dramatically. That would be the moment to claim that enchanting boy for herself.

It was only a matter of a few more days. She could wait. Today, she would even swallow her irritation at being dragged around by these dull subordinates.

Come on.

“Let’s go already. —Captain Clay.”

—I’ll count the days until that blissful moment when I hold Al-kun in my arms.