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~

Chapter 7: Pressure

The next day.

Once again, in the time before my duties as court magician began.

For the third day in a row, I walked down the corridor leading to the princess’s office.

…In the end, while working yesterday, I thought about what to do with the princess.

But really, it felt like there was almost nothing I could do. The choices were pretty much decided by process of elimination.

The method Suu mentioned to make her hate me wasn’t completely off the table, but it didn’t feel right to jump straight into that. Besides, yesterday the princess said she wouldn’t let go even if she hated me.

On top of that, I never really had close friends growing up, so the princess was actually my very first friend. It would be a lie to say I had no resistance to losing that. So my first move was pretty much set.

That’s why.

“I’ll tell the princess everything and have her arrange a meeting with His Majesty. All right, let’s go with that.”

I walked toward the familiar door that had come into view.

Then, facing the door, I called out and knocked.

Right after that.

“Albert! Come in, please!”

“Excuse me.”

When I stepped inside.

The princess rose from her desk, her slightly duller silver hair swaying as she hurried over to me with quick steps.

“Albert. Yesterday, um, I’m sorry for raising my voice? I just got carried away. But even so, you came to see me again today…! You really are kind, Albert…”

“Both yesterday and coming here today are for my own reasons, so the princess doesn’t need to worry about it.”

“Yeah…!”

The princess smiled dreamily today too, like a relieved child. And just like yesterday, she still seemed as childish as when we played that game.

Even so. When she left yesterday, the princess was pretty upset. So why was she in such a good mood today?

That question crossed my mind right when.

“Albert. You were wondering just now, weren’t you? Why I’m so cheerful.”

“Uh. Yes, that’s exactly it…”

“Hehe. That’s fine, Albert. I’ll tell you specially. I’m in a good mood right now.”

The princess giggled softly and took another step closer to me. At a distance almost touching, letting her sweet scent drift toward me, she spoke while playfully tugging at the hem of my clothes.

“Albert. Saying we’re getting married… that was a lie, right?”

When she said that, she looked somehow triumphant and mischievous. She stared straight into my eyes.

The only thing to note was this. Though the princess asked with a smile—her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

I felt an unspoken will that lies wouldn’t be forgiven and dodging wouldn’t work.

“…Did you perhaps investigate me after yesterday?”

“Yes. I had the shadows look into you, Albert… Whether you were doing anything private, exchanging letters outside the palace. I had to find out where your wife was.”

“And… Princess, you look a little sleep-deprived?”

I could faintly see signs of fatigue in her hair and complexion.

At that comment, the princess brushed her hair back with her hand, looking embarrassed as she spoke.

“…You noticed. Actually, I didn’t want Albert to see me like this? But yes, you’re right. I wanted to hear the reports coming in as soon as possible. I stayed up all night yesterday.”

“That… must have been really hard for you, and for everyone handling the investigation.”

“Hard… yes, it was. I think it was hard. But. But you know.”

The princess said this with a suspicious glint in her eyes.

“If that little bit of hardship lets me know Albert’s true feelings, it’s a small price, right?”

“So,” the princess continued.

“Hey, Albert. Why did you lie? There must be some reason—”

That question carried a heavy sense of pressure.

But deep inside it, there seemed to be an anxious, uneasy feeling… like a child waiting nervously for a parent to come home.

—

Chapter 8: Things Start Moving

Well. Why did I lie, huh.

If I said it straight out, it would be “because His Majesty threatened me.”

Even I know it would be bad to say that. The princess might explode again.

So, little by little, fill in the moat from the outside. Make it understandable that I accepted His Majesty had his own reasons.

I rehearsed the content of the talk one more time in my head. Okay.

“Um, Princess.”

“!”

“It might sound like unrelated talk at first. But it would help if you listen for a while.”

“Yes, I understand…! I can listen properly to Albert’s talk. Leave it to me.”

“Hehe, good girl. Then.”

I started talking to the princess, who had a tense look on her face.

“First. Indeed, the marriage that I gave as the reason for resigning… This is a lie, I’m sorry.”

“As expected!”

“As the princess guessed, there is no one who would marry me. Haha, even I thought it was a bit of a stretch.”

“…! That’s not true! I really believed it, that Albert was getting married…”

Indeed, the princess believed it. I am still sixteen, and even as a court magician, I am at the bottom with no opportunities to meet anyone.

While remembering and smiling bitterly.

“But when I found out the marriage was a lie. Hehe, um…”

“What is it?”

“Ufufu. I felt relieved. That Albert hadn’t been stolen.”

Oh… Again, those eyes that feel a bit menacing. They are the usual beautiful deep purple, but the color seems deeper than usual, or like there is no light in them. And just now, did she mutter “I absolutely won’t let go”?

And more than that. Continue.

“Okay, let’s get back to the topic. From here, it’s about why I told such a lie.”

“! Yes, please…”

“Then, I’ll talk. Currently, His Majesty has only two children who share his blood—His Highness the Crown Prince and the princess. And the problem is that the one popular among the nobles and the kingdom’s people is the princess.”

“Yes. So?”

“In other words, there is already a spark in the palace. Over who will be His Majesty’s successor.”

The princess frowned at those words.

Yeah, from the princess’s view, it’s just everyone around her making a fuss on their own.

I continued for now.

“So. His Majesty is worried about that situation, and especially concerned about excessive expectations gathering on the princess. Since the official successor is His Highness the Crown Prince, that’s natural. What he focused on there was—the princess’s magic instruction.”

“Albert’s.”

“Yes. Me, the newest in the court magician group, who can’t even use unique magic. There’s no way such a man could teach the princess control of unique magic. On top of that, making those around think so has meaning in itself. It was probably a desperate measure to prevent the princess’s influence from expanding further.”

This isn’t what His Majesty told me, so it’s just my guess. But I’m confident it’s not far off.

Now. Having said this much, how is the princess… Yeah. She isn’t raging or anything.

Rather, she seems somehow relieved? Her cheeks relaxed in relief, and she openly let out a sigh of relief.

Well, I don’t know what she’s relieved about. Given the princess’s state yesterday, I honestly thought this content might be dangerous too, so I’m glad it was okay.

Okay. Then, quickly reveal that it was His Majesty’s orders, and propose peaceful negotiations.

I thought that lightly, but I was apparently underestimating the situation all along.

“!?”

From the princess, who was fine until just now.

A sudden rising pressure and flickering silver magic power.

I, who had lowered my gaze in relief, hurriedly looked up, and right after seeing the princess.

“Good. Then as expected… that king trash ordered you to quit… Pushing everything onto Albert so I wouldn’t find out…”

!? Trash?

The light disappeared from the princess’s face, as if coated thickly with pitch-black hatred.

When negative emotions rode on that cold beauty, it was terrifyingly menacing.

The princess clenched her fist tightly… Whoa, blood is dripping!

Without me saying everything, she figured out the circumstances this time, directing jet-black hatred toward His Majesty.

“Princess, wait, please calm down. I was convinced by His Majesty’s words. In fact, no matter what His Majesty thought, things were moving in a direction that would keep the princess safe!”

“It’s fine. There’s no way you could refuse in your position. Even the words just now, how much of them are really yours… It wouldn’t be strange if he made you say them—”

Ah, no good. The princess’s eyes are completely fixed.

She probably had a guess even before I explained. Come to think of it, the princess is a genius perfect in every field. What I can infer, the princess can figure out too.

But still… she wouldn’t go charging at His Majesty like this, right? Considering risk and return, no way that princess would do something like—

“If things stay like this, who knows when the ‘Call Village Tragedy,’ that foolish choice, might turn toward Albert personally… I’ll proceed as planned.”

“Huh… what? Just now, Princess, Call Village… Ah, of course, in the process of investigating me—!”

The Call Village Tragedy—the day my hometown Call Village vanished from this kingdom’s map. After that event buried from the kingdom’s history, my heart has been empty ever since.

It’s an incident that affected me greatly even though I didn’t lose my life… This is the worst timing for it to be known. When I want to make His Majesty’s impression better if possible.

And what does proceeding as planned mean?

Right when I felt a bad premonition.

Suddenly.

The silver magic power flickering around the princess’s body swelled explosively along with her anger.

“…! Bad—”

The magic power that burst out filled the room, and right after.

A shattering sound rang only in my head.

The vast magic power said to be the reincarnation of King Atlas broke the anti-magic barrier secretly set up.

And that means a powerful silver wave passed beyond the room’s walls.

The shadows guarding the princess from unseen places appeared one after another from beyond the door or above the ceiling.

And the princess said.

“I will kill the king. All hands, begin operations as arranged.”