Chapter 24

The next morning.

When I opened my eyes, the sun was already up.

Feeling a bit empty beside me, I turned my head and saw no one there.

From the direction of the closet, I could hear Ariana’s footsteps, careful as if trying not to wake me.

Looks like I overslept.

I often stay up all night in my room because I can’t sleep, but I ended up sleeping more soundly in Ariana’s room.

The dream was a bit unsettling, but that’s nothing new.

It seems like all the bad impressions I had built up over time crumbled in just one day.

Strangely, her space felt incredibly comfortable.

“Ugh…”

I sat up and stretched a little.

The muscles that had stiffened from staying in the same position all night relaxed, and the sensation of blood flowing felt good.

A small groan escaped my lips.

Ariana, who was buttoning her shirt in front of the mirror, saw me sit up and quickly finished before approaching.

“Good morning.”

“…Huh? Oh, yeah. Good morning.”

I was momentarily stunned when she suddenly greeted me out of nowhere.

I had thought it was just because it was early morning when she let me stay over.

I didn’t expect the same vibe to continue into the morning.

Must have been impulsive.

She took a step closer and continued.

“Are you feeling okay?

If there are any side effects, let me know. I’ll treat you.”

“No, I’m fine, ugh.”

“…Princess, you seem like the type to endure pain without saying anything.

Excuse me, but I’ll check just in case.”

Ariana carefully but quickly felt around my body.

Hey, if you know it’s rude, don’t do it.

I felt an unpleasant sensation, like bugs crawling on my nerves, and tried to push her hand away.

Of course, with my strength, I couldn’t even push her away, let alone stop her.

In the end, all I could do was try to reason with her.

My voice, which no one ever listened to, was like a useless chicken bone.

Even though I knew the outcome would be the same, I had no choice but to repeat the futile resistance of the weak.

Once again, my voice just echoed aimlessly in the air.

“I’m really fine, so stop.”

“……”

“I said I’m fine. I’m okay.”

“……”

“I don’t like it? I clearly told you to stop.”

“……”

“Stop it.”

“……”

“Please… just listen.”

“……”

“Ah, please, please, please, pleaase! Just stop!

I told you not to do it. I told you to stop so many times!

Why does no one ever listen to what I say!?”

“Just a little more.”

“…Ha, haha.”

Normally, I wouldn’t react much because of the princess, but today, strangely sticky emotions welled up.

It felt like the princess was feeling the same way.

In the end, I couldn’t hold back.

For the first time since I came into this body, I gritted my teeth.

Still, I held onto a faint hope that something might change.

Of course, all I got back were a few business-like words.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

After that, I stopped talking altogether.

Yeah, this is how it always ends.

No matter what I do, what I think, whether the other person has good intentions or bad.

In the end, my free will doesn’t exist.

I guess I’m really just a doll, no joke.

Every time someone treats me like this, I feel like I’m moving toward something worse than death.

“There’s no major issue.”

“…Is that so? That’s a relief.”

“I washed your uniform.

Can you put it on by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll help you.”

“……”

What am I even talking to right now?

Thin air?

I don’t know.

At least one of us isn’t human.

After the probing hands left, hands holding the uniform approached.

One by one, white fabric was draped over my still-underwear-clad skin.

I completely relaxed my body, but Ariana skillfully dressed me.

She spread my arms, slipped on the sleeves, and buttoned up.

She put my head through the hole, adjusted the collar, and put on the skirt.

Like dressing a doll, she handled my body freely and soon finished dressing me more neatly than I ever could.

“Done. Any discomfort?”

“……”

“Then I’ll brush your hair.”

Without a moment to waste, a hand holding a brush approached.

The brush gently swept through my hair, smoothing it out.

My hair, white like an old man’s but fine like freshly woven silk, was more carefully groomed than usual under her hands.

Even though I hadn’t washed my hair, the brushed areas felt moist, as if damp.

Must be some kind of magic.

This is really convenient.

The magic I can’t use always seems so useful.

It’s the opposite.

The things I can use are useless, aren’t they?

I already know, so no need to emphasize it.

But facts should always be clear.

What a hassle.

“Good. Now next…”

Even after putting down the brush, Ariana showed no signs of stopping.

She probably intends to do everything she can for me.

The moment I thought of that sentence, a bit of annoyance started to rise.

The nausea I had been feeling reached its peak.

I really felt like I was going to spill everything onto the floor.

I called out her name as if I was being chased.

Fortunately, this time, there was a response.

“Ariana.”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“Can you please stop now? I don’t know what you heard yesterday, but please just consider it all the ramblings of a crazy woman. Please.”

“No, Princess.”

“…It’s hard. I can’t take it anymore. I’m going to break.”

“I’m sorry. But it’ll be okay. You’ll get used to it soon.”

“…No way.”

“It definitely will.”

“……”

I bowed my head deeply, feeling like I might cry for no reason.

No, actually, my vision was blurring. I tightly closed my eyes to stop the tears from flowing.

This time, she’ll probably try to wipe my tears.

If that happens, I might really vomit everything inside me and pass out.

No matter what, I can’t show that kind of appearance.

It’s obvious that she’ll use it as an excuse to get closer.

I forcibly swallowed my tears and the naturally roughened sound of my breath.

Fortunately, Ariana didn’t seem to notice and continued to touch the area around my head.

Is this fortunate?

“……”

“……”

Even when I completely closed my mouth, this strange situation continued.

The distance and tone were all awkward in some way.

My condition is strange, but hers seems equally strange.

We’re not in a relationship like this.

I’m the victim, and you’re the perpetrator.

Unless you’re wearing a really thick mask, you wouldn’t act like this without feeling guilty.

I wish you had continued to torment me like before; it wouldn’t have been this hard.

Because I was starting to feel a little closeness.

I don’t know.

I’ve never been the perpetrator.

Since I came here, I’ve always been thoroughly the weak one.

I can’t understand their thoughts at all.

“…It’s okay. It’s a bit disappointing, but it’ll be late if we continue. Shall we go?”

Hearing her voice signaling the end, I opened my eyes.

A single tear I couldn’t stop flowed down, but I quickly wiped it away with the back of my hand.

Fortunately, that single tear didn’t lead to a flood.

I’ve been crying a lot lately.

Maybe it’s starting to dry up.

“Princess, give me your hand.”

Ariana was holding out her hand to me.

I looked at her for a moment, then took her hand.

She pulled my arm as if she had been waiting and helped me up.

Her carefulness in holding me until my legs stopped shaking was unnecessarily meticulous.

This kind of small consideration torments me terribly.

After all, you’re not going to save me.

Things don’t change overnight.

“…Hypocrite.”

I didn’t expect you to become like this.

I let go of her arm and muttered softly.

Ariana, perhaps not hearing me, walked towards the door first.

Or maybe she heard but pretended not to.

Either way, nothing changes.

Whether she heard and ignored it or it didn’t reach her.

It’s clear that she has no intention of changing this relationship.

I stood still for a moment, then followed her out of the room.

The mood, which wasn’t bad until I woke up, had now fallen to the bottom.

I should have just gone back to my room yesterday.

If I had, I wouldn’t have known about this situation until morning.

Only belated regrets swirled in my head.

***

Although my mood was at its worst, being with Ariana meant I could avoid meeting other people.

But that expectation was shattered within less than a minute of starting to walk.

A familiar voice calling me came from the other end of the hallway.

Turning my head, I saw a girl who looked somewhat haggard compared to before, looking in my direction.

The girl, Sena, ran over and grabbed my shoulder.

“Princess!”

“…Sena?”

“Where on earth have you been! You suddenly left during class and didn’t come back to your room all night, making us worry! The maid and I kept looking for you, but we couldn’t find you anywhere, what the…?”

As she poured out her scolding, she finally noticed Ariana standing next to me and trailed off.

“Ariana Wharton…?”

“…Princess, who is this woman?”

Sena, who knows what I’ve been through, seemed to recognize Ariana’s face.

Ariana, who didn’t know Sena, slightly tugged at my sleeve.

At the very least, neither of them had a positive reaction.

I had a strong预感 that something troublesome was about to happen.

“…I’m really going crazy.”

I heard something snap in my head.

Please, just stop.

This is the limit.