Chapter 74 Interlude – The Glass Princess Under a Spell
Marietta-Noll-Ivelpe.
That is my name, given to me as the second princess of the Kingdom of Ivelpe.
I am a member of the modern royal family, carrying on the will of Noll-Ivelpe, the first king and one of the heroes who fought against the “Night Witch.”
The name “Noll” is always engraved upon us, the royal family of Ivelpe Kingdom, as proof of our duty to protect the people from the “Ragment,” a calamity left in this world. It is the shape of our will and responsibility.
Looking at other royal families, such as the “Leuville” who inherit the name of the first king Berg Leuville, I believe the members of each allied country share the same sentiment.
Among them, the Kingdom of Ivelpe holds a particularly strong hostility towards the “Ragment.”
In this harsh and severe snowy country, the threat of the “Ragment” has taken many lives. Because of this, the duty imposed on us, the royal family, is heavy and painful.
My brothers, my sister, and I have received strict education since childhood.
To be strong in this beautiful yet harsh country.
Of course, we were taught etiquette, but the techniques for subjugating “Ragment,” which is the royal family’s duty, were especially drilled into us rigorously.
However, when it came to the techniques for subjugating “Ragment,” I was inferior compared to my excellent brothers and sister.
Unlike my siblings, I couldn’t form a contract with a “spirit,” and people around me secretly called me the “Glass Princess.”
Having only a lovely appearance as my sole merit, lacking the strength necessary for royalty, as fragile as glass – it’s in poor taste to confine what could be summed up as “failure” into such a decorative name as “Glass Princess.”
That’s why I was uncomfortable with my brothers and sister. I was uncomfortable with the concept of family.
Everyone else had the power of “royalty carrying Noll’s name” and fulfilled their roles.
Only I was a useless, fragile “Glass Princess.”
Among them all, I was most uncomfortable with my brother Noel.
The way he would complete even the harshest training without complaint, going through it all so effortlessly.
… After all, wouldn’t you feel the same? When someone easily accomplishes what you can’t do no matter how hard you try, as if it were simple – you can’t help but want to look away.
It was at such a time. As part of an exchange between allied countries, I was to participate in a party showcasing new magical tools held in the Kingdom of Leuville.
It wasn’t uncommon for me, whose only merit was my appearance, to participate in such parties. No, these were the only occasions where I, the “Glass Princess,” could be of any use.
(… Ah, I can’t take it anymore)
Snap. I heard the sound of something like a thread breaking inside me.
There wasn’t any particular trigger. Nothing special had happened.
When I woke up in the morning and was absentmindedly staring at the ceiling, the thread suddenly snapped.
And so, I slipped out of the room I was staying in and ran out into the town alone.
Although I hadn’t been able to contract with a spirit, I had still received training as royalty. Sneaking out without anyone noticing was no challenge at all.
I had no particular destination, but I just ran desperately.
An unfamiliar town. A distant country. Everything I saw should have been fresh and new, but at that time, everything just passed by like fleeting scenery.
“Hah… hah… hah…”
When I stopped to catch my breath, greedily sucking air into my lungs, I found myself alone in a dimly lit alley. Unconsciously, I had chosen a place out of sight while running away.
Of course, I didn’t even know the way back (though I had no intention of returning).
I didn’t have anything particular I wanted to do. I just sat down in the dim alleyway, unable to do anything but hang my head.
“Running away from home?”
“… Eh?”
I looked up involuntarily at the question.
A boy about my age, wearing a robe with a deep hood, was staring intently at my face.
“Me…?”
“Yeah. You. I’m asking if you’ve run away from home.”
“Um… Yes, I have…”
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if this could really be called running away since I hadn’t particularly planned anything and had just acted on impulse. But thinking calmly about my actions, I realized it was nothing but running away from home.
“I don’t know which noble family you’re from, but you shouldn’t be wandering around in a place like this. Go back home quickly.”
“H-How did you know I’m from a noble family?”
“There’s no one else who speaks as refined as you do.”
“Ah…”
My cheeks flushed with embarrassment at his obvious observation. To hide my embarrassment, I pulled my hood down further over my eyes.
“Besides, that robe. It has a concealment effect, right? Nobles often use them when they go incognito. I’ve seen various types of those robes, but the one you’re using is quite powerful. The only people who could get their hands on something like that are either court magicians skilled enough to make them themselves or high-ranking noble ladies.”
This robe is designed for disguise, made to look ordinary on the surface. Despite that, this boy saw through it and recognized it as having high-level magic imbued in it.
“… You’re not an ordinary person either, are you?”
“Who knows. I’m just an utterly ordinary brat you can find anywhere.”
“Ugh…”
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My head spun for a moment at the crude words I’d rather not utter myself.
“…”
This slight sense of incongruity I felt towards him was probably due to some kind of perception interference magic.
I wasn’t certain. It was just my intuition, but… whether it was his hair or his eyes, I could tell he was hiding something about his appearance.
However, I had no intention of prying. He had seen through me as a noble lady (strictly speaking, I was royalty from another country, but he hadn’t quite figured that out), but he didn’t seem inclined to inquire further. We both likely had things we’d rather keep hidden, and he seemed to understand that as well.
“If you’re going to run away, you should avoid this area. A weak little lady like you wouldn’t last half a day here. If you’re incredibly lucky, you might just get robbed of everything. If you’re a bit lucky, you might end up sold to slave traders.”
“And if I’m unlucky…?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“… I’ll refrain from asking.”
For the sake of my own peace of mind, I decided not to inquire further.
“Thank you for your kindness. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”
Although I had run away from home without any plan, I certainly didn’t want to meet a terrible fate.
I tried to leave that place – tried to leave…
“Hey, do you even know the way out?”
“O-Of course I do! At least that much…”
“Oh, really? By the way, that direction is exactly opposite to the exit.”
“…”
I couldn’t even look him in the eye after his exasperated correction.
“Geez… Can’t be helped. Come on, this way.”
“Um…”
“You’re slow on the uptake, aren’t you? I’m saying I’ll take you to the exit.”
The boy was brusque, but I could feel a hint of concern from the hand that grasped mine.
“… I know you probably don’t want to hold hands with someone like me, but don’t let go. A fluffy person like you looks like they’d get kidnapped in no time.”
“I-I don’t mind at all!”
“Well, if that’s the case…”
I couldn’t bring myself to shake off his awkward kindness. After all, it was probably what I had been yearning for in that freezing country.
There was no one in that country who would take my hand like this…
“H-Hey! Why are you suddenly crying!?”
“Eh…? Ah…”
Only when I saw his flustered face did I realize.
It seems I had been crying without realizing it. I had been crying, apparently.
“I-I’m so sorry. I’ll… I’ll stop crying right away… so… so…”
…Please don’t abandon me.
“…”
His hand let go. Instantly, my heart turned cold, and my feet felt frozen in place, unable to move.
The cold gazes of the people around me in that snowy country flashed through my mind.
The Glass Princess, beautiful only in appearance. The useless Glass Princess. The failure of a Glass Princess.
The weak and pitiful Glass Princess, born in a harsh and freezing land—
“…I’m not gonna leave you behind or anything.”
He awkwardly patted my head through the hood of his robe.
Clumsy and awkward hands. But kind hands trying to comfort me.
“So stop crying. I don’t really know how to comfort people.”
“…Yes.”
The tears that had been falling stopped. It was so sudden, even I was surprised.
“Thank you. For not… abandoning me…”
“I know I’m not a great person, but I’m not cold-hearted enough to abandon someone in a place like this.”
“…You’re so kind. Very different from my brother.”
“What, did you have a fight with your sibling?”
“No… There’s no way we could fight. That person isn’t interested in me at all.”
“Hmm… So basically, you ran away from home because you weren’t getting attention?”
“That’s not it! I…”
If only that had been the reason for running away, how much better it would have been.
“I… I’m a failure. My brothers can do anything, but I’m the only one who’s useless… I tried my best. I’m working hard. But… somehow I just felt like I couldn’t try anymore…”
I ran away.
Listing out the facts makes it seem so pathetic and shameful.
“…Hey, you. Do you have time?”
“Huh…?”
“You do, right? Since you’re a runaway girl.”
He took my hand again and started walking quickly in a direction different from the exit.
“W-Where are we going?”
“Where? Well… to a good place.”
“A-A good place…?”
And so, the place I was brought to was—a space swirling with dazzling interiors and quiet frenzy, bustling with adults’ desires turned into chips.
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