Chapter 16

Last time I saw her, Sena was wearing a school uniform, but this time she was dressed in lighter clothes.

A white blouse and a navy cardigan.

A clean and elegant outfit that suited her perfectly.

Her hair was lightly braided, giving off a strong lady-like vibe.

Honestly, I might be the only one still wearing a school uniform on weekends.

If you’re from a family well-off enough to attend the Academy, you probably brought your entire wardrobe with you.

Even the Princess used to have a whole clothing warehouse back in the day.

I miss my past, and I miss hers too.

Well, now it’s just two sets of uniforms.

And one of them is so bloodstained that I’m down to a single set.

I tried really hard to wash it myself, but water alone wasn’t cutting it.

I can’t go out in front of others wearing blood-soaked clothes.

The Princess must always be elegant and dignified.

“Princess. Sorry to ask right away, but can I ask you a question?”

While I was absentmindedly scanning Sena up and down, she, who had been quietly observing me, spoke up.

Her tone was even more subdued than before.

She looked gloomier than me, and I’m at rock bottom both mentally and physically.

Come to think of it, she came when I was delirious with a high fever, so this might be the first time she’s seen me bleeding.

Sena’s in a different class, so she wouldn’t know how I’m usually treated.

Ah, before that, our first meeting was when I fell down the stairs.

I had a cut on my forehead then too, and it bled.

So why is she overreacting now?

Curious, I tilted my head and pressed the wound on my forehead again.

A sharp pain brought me back to my senses.

“…I should really take it easy.”

“Huh? What?”

“Oh, I wasn’t talking to you, Sena.”

I guess the Princess’s antisocial tendencies have rubbed off on me.

Lately, no matter what I do, I get lost in my own world and my reactions slow down.

Even when I’m so depressed I don’t want to do anything.

Even when my whole body trembles like I’m about to collapse.

As the Princess, I always have to appear composed.

I should really stop escaping reality.

Alright, focus.

I need to make sure this poor girl, looking at me with trembling eyes, doesn’t get hurt anymore.

I asked Sena, who still looked uneasy.

She probably thought my earlier comment was directed at her.

It wasn’t.

“So, what’s up?”

Finally snapping out of it, Sena asked the question I expected.

“How did you hurt your forehead?”

“I fell down the stairs.

Just like I did in front of you last time.”

“…You got that from falling?”

“Is there a problem?”

I answered honestly, but her expression still seemed unconvinced.

She kept glancing at my forehead and then continued, sounding skeptical.

“…Well, that wound looks like someone deliberately tore your skin and messed it up multiple times.

Unless it was done maliciously over and over… it couldn’t look like that.”

Sharp.

Or maybe it’s just that obvious how bad it is.

I mean, I’ve been reopening and stopping the bleeding dozens of times over the past few days. It’s a miracle it’s not worse.

Lately, there’s been pus mixed with the blood.

It might rot and fall apart soon.

I guess her reaction is understandable.

Of course, I’m not going to tell her that.

I said I wouldn’t lie, but I never said I’d tell the whole truth.

It’s better to avoid causing unnecessary worry.

So, I deliberately acted like it was no big deal.

Because it really isn’t.

“I told you, it’s nothing.

As you’ve probably heard, I haven’t been bullied these past few days.”

“That’s… true.”

Guess she’s heard something.

Then what exactly are you curious about?

Do you think I did it to myself?

If so, I’ll give you a mental round of applause.

Seriously.

I deliberately raised my voice and smirked.

“Or do you think I did it to myself? Hah.”

“That couldn’t be… right?”

Yeah, that’s right.

There’s no way you’d imagine that the Princess, who’s known to be sharp and strong-willed, would be so broken by school bullying that she’d self-harm.

Even I think that.

If it were just the pure Princess without “me,” she probably would’ve starved to death in her room.

Or maybe she’d have gotten poison and taken her own life.

She couldn’t have endured the process of becoming ugly.

In fact, the current Princess, who fears death and pain, might have been shaped by “me.”

We’ve been chipping away at each other’s edges and grafting them onto ourselves.

I guess you could call this a kind of dependency.

Ah, I see.

Maybe we’re practically married, Princess.

At this point, you could call it a common-law marriage.

We’re living together, and we’ve merged physically and mentally.

Yeah.

Sorry.

That was nonsense.

I pressed my forehead hard again.

The wound I barely managed to keep closed was on the verge of bursting.

I stopped halfway because I couldn’t show Sena the sight of blood flowing, but thanks to that, the pain only reached a frustratingly teasing level.

I shouldn’t get used to this.

This is bad.

“Ah, ah, it hurts, doesn’t it…? Just a moment. Let me heal you.”

Seeing me like that, Sena was startled and approached.

She probably thought I was pressing my forehead because the wound hurt.

It wasn’t exactly like that, but I didn’t bother to deny it.

I had no intention of rejecting her kindness now.

Sena’s small, warm hand gently wrapped around my forehead.

The warmth of another person, which I hadn’t felt in a long time, felt quite nice.

Last time, it felt cold because of the fever, but now it seems her body temperature is quite high.

The faint white light of magic concentrated on the wound and shone down.

It was so bright that I closed my eyes without thinking.

Before long, the stabbing pain gradually disappeared.

The white light faded, and Sena rubbed the wounded area a few times before removing her hand.

I also raised my hand to touch it.

It had completely returned to how it was before, without even the feeling of new skin growing.

As if time had been reversed.

Magic really is convenient.

If the princess had even half of Sena’s abilities, life would’ve been much easier.

Unfortunately, she had no talent whatsoever.

In magic, physically, academically—nothing.

That’s why she became so obsessed with dignity, etiquette, and others’ opinions.

She hated people but still wanted their approval.

“Thank you.”

I smiled.

I had decided to obey the words of humans like Sena.

Whether she continued to appear before me, provoking the princess’s inferiority complex, or tormenting me with pity, all I had to do was smile.

It’s easy. Being a doll.

If you don’t think of yourself as human, everything becomes comfortable.

The princess just couldn’t accept that she was worse than the trash in her class.

Without realizing it, I scratched where the wound had been.

Ah, right. It’s gone now.

For some reason, I felt a strange sense of regret and pressed the area firmly.

It’s getting hard to stay in the same place any longer.

Let’s head back.

Strangely, after the healing magic, I spoke to Sena, who seemed dazed.

“Thank you for the treatment. It’s completely healed.

If there’s nothing else, may I go now?”

“…Princess.”

Huh.

Her expression got worse.

It was a look that seemed like she might cry.

The same look she had when she pleaded with me last time.

Something must be wrong, but I couldn’t figure it out.

As I stiffened and just stared, she slowly continued.

“How long has it been since you’ve eaten?”

“……”

I let out a sigh without realizing it.

I was trying to leave quickly to avoid this.

Before I could answer, Sena, with a calm tone that contrasted with her expression, quickly recited what she had figured out.

I tried to interrupt, but it was no use.

“Before using healing magic, I always use insight magic to accurately assess the body’s condition.

That’s why I get close.”

“…There seems to be a misunderstanding.”

“I’ve thought something was off since last time.

Your condition is worse than that of the slum residents.

This level of malnutrition lasting for nearly a week can only mean you haven’t eaten anything at all.”

She took a step closer and placed her hand on my shoulder.

Her eyes were filled with sticky emotions.

I couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, but I could tell there was pity, worry, and a bit of anger mixed in.

“Princess… if this continues, you’ll really die.”

I forced the corners of my mouth, which I had been holding up, to drop.

No need to emphasize it.

I already know.

“Was the wound on your forehead really from a fall?”

No, it wasn’t.

You really are sharp.

Or should I praise your magical skills in this case?

“I don’t know. Nothing.

The princess seems like a completely different person from the one Hans mentioned.”

I don’t know either.

Who is this “her” that Hans mentioned?

We’re here now.

Back then, and now, I’ve always been weak.

What exactly was he seeing?

What did the princess look like in his eyes?

I really don’t know.

Nothing.