episode_0003

Elin, frozen stiffly, just blinked.

Luke spoke first, because he couldn’t just stand there in the hallway like this.

“I would like to talk about it further. Can I come in?”

“… … Yes.”

Only then did Elin start to move creakingly.

The trembling stopped when Natia disappeared.

Elin’s appearance now… was like a doll with its strings cut off.

Squeak-

Elin’s room is revealed with the sound of hinges squealing.

“This is my room.”

“Excuse me.”

A desk, a chair, and a bed.

A worn-out rabbit doll is placed on top of it.

This is the princess’s room.

It was so simple and bleak.

“Can I sit down for a moment?”

“… Yes.”

Luke sat down on the chair.

Ellen sat on the bed opposite.

And I kept glancing toward the door.

As if ready to jump out the moment someone comes.

I was just trying to talk a little bit.

This won’t do.

“Your Majesty, would you like a cup of tea?”

“Tea… ?”

Elin blinked her large eyes.

Luke took some tea leaves out of his bag.

“Cameral. This is a car that claims to instantly solve insomnia. You look tired, so I think it would be a good idea to close your eyes for a bit.”

“Now is not the right time… ?”

No, you need to sleep now.

Otherwise I’m going to fall over.

“It’s okay. I’ll wake you up right away.”

“Um… .”

Her unfocused eyes were saying that she really didn’t know why she had to sleep.

Then he quickly took out the magic kettle and brewed some tea.

I didn’t prepare the kettle in advance.

I just secretly brought it into the subspace because it was in the meeting room earlier.

It’ll be okay if I put it back later.

“It’s hot, so drink slowly.”

Elin held the teacup in her small hands.

“… Are you really going to wake me up?”

There was no doubt in those faded eyes.

“If my father finds out, he’ll be so angry… .”

Fear.

It was the main reason why Elin couldn’t sleep.

From now on, it’s an emotion that Luke will gradually erase.

“I’ll take responsibility. Don’t worry and sleep well.”

“… Really?”

Luke nodded and held out his pinky finger.

“I can promise you with my fingers crossed.”

“… Yes?”

It seems like you didn’t realize what it meant.

“If I’m lying, you can cut off my fingers.”

“There’s no need to do that… .”

Elin sipped her tea little by little with wavering eyes.

For a moment, it seemed like Luke felt afraid too.

Maybe it’s just my mood.

New liquid- New liquid-

Elin, who had emptied her teacup, quickly fell asleep.

How tired must one be to fall asleep right in front of a stranger?

“Much better.”

Fortunately, the tea seemed to be working, and his face looked relaxed.

He pulled the blanket up to Elin’s chest.

Then I saw it.

Feet slightly sticking out of the blanket.

A dark, purplish bruise that covered the small sole of her foot.

The tops of his feet were covered with scars from burst wounds and blisters.

My eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.

Yeah, that’s what Elin was being treated like.

The air in the room feels stuffy.

The princess who couldn’t be saved 9 times.

The main character of [Raising a Princess].

Elin Bertain, hated by everyone, is right in front of you.

For a moment, the image of Elin meeting a terrible end flashes through my mind.

Luke shook his head.

“This time it’ll be different.”

Ellen will be happy.

Because Luke will make it so.

“First of all, when you wake up… … .”

While Ellen was taking a deep sleep for the first time in a long while, Luke made a plan in his head.

* * * * *

“Hmm… ?”

It was exactly four hours later that Ellen opened her eyes.

“Are you awake?”

Luke put down the coffee he was drinking and got up from his chair.

Elin, who had been blankly watching the scene, blinked.

“… … ?”

He rubbed his half-asleep eyes with the back of his hand.

“… … gasp.”

It bounced up slightly in place.

The stupid hair also stood out.

It was a great expression of emotion for Ellen.

“Did your father come to visit you…?”

That’s what you ask as soon as you wake up.

He answered with a sigh.

“Yes, the Duke didn’t come.”

“Whew… .”

“Do you have any special reason to come to see us?”

“… Not really.”

Elin, who had been sweeping her chest, shook her head.

When the fear passed, all that remained was a creepily expressionless face.

“I think you’ve gotten a little more tired.”

Separately, Ellin’s dark circles were reduced by almost half.

I can’t believe I got this much effect from just 4 hours of sleep.

From now on, I should drink some tea every night before going to bed.

“… Why is the room so warm?”

Ellin tilted her head, holding the blanket tightly in her small hands.

“I warmed it up with magic.”

Exactly.

I snapped my fingers.

The warmth that had spread throughout the room disappeared in an instant.

“읏… .”

Immediately, Ellen began to tremble.

Perhaps because the room was used as a warehouse, the cold air quickly seeped in.

Luke cast his spell again.

“You can do this too… .”

“Your Highness will learn from now on.”

“Um… .”

At those words, Ellin’s already dark complexion darkened even further.

I glanced at Luke.

I opened and closed my mouth for a moment.

“If you have anything to say, please say it.”

“… … Even if you teach me magic, it probably won’t be of much use.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I can’t handle mana at all. …Of course, I can’t handle anything else either.”

It was just like the game setting.

Elin, who had no talent whatsoever other than magic.

The reason she was hated by everyone was because of her talent.

“Your Majesty, you just don’t know how yet. That’s why I came here to tell you.”

“… How?”

“I wasn’t good at magic from the beginning. Rather, I didn’t have any talent like you, Princess.”

“… Really?”

That’s a lie.

The Bucklin family is a magical powerhouse.

Luke Bucklin was born with a natural talent for magic.

“Yes, so I had a pretty rough childhood.”

But let’s put the truth aside for now.

Because now white lies will be powerful.

“But after going to the academy, everything changed completely. Even someone like me can learn.”

Actually, I almost got kidnapped by the professor several times.

Didn’t Lanian try to take you to graduate school just before the interview?

“The top graduate of the academy came to teach the princess himself. I’m not bragging, but it’s a rare opportunity.”

“Chief… … .”

“This is an achievement made through endless effort.”

Elin asked with her eyes still blank.

“Then can I become like you, teacher…?”

A faint glimmer of hope.

It was a small spark that could have died out at any moment if not paid attention to.

All Luke has to do is blow air on the sparks to make them burst into flames.

“Of course. But there are things you must keep in mind to become like me.”

“… ?”

“First. Treat me comfortably.”

Luke raised his index finger.

“I am the princess’s person. There is no need to speak highly of yourself, and it is more comfortable not to speak highly of yourself.”

“… Really?”

“Yes, much better.”

Next, the stop was unfolded.

“Second. Treat me comfortably.”

“… ? Same as the first one.”

“No. It doesn’t mean you can just talk comfortably, but you don’t have to watch what I say.”

“Huh?”

“No matter what happens, I will never punish the princess. I won’t tell the Duke or any of the other servants.”

He wiggled his other pinky finger.

“I can promise you with my fingers crossed.”

“But… if you did something wrong, you should be punished, right?”

Elin said it lightly as if it were common sense.

No, at least it was common sense to her.

For a child who has been beaten every day, discipline without corporal punishment would be unimaginable.

Luke’s ‘Proper Elin Raising Plan’ includes ‘Teaching Proper Common Sense’.

“Corporal punishment is not the only way to correct mistakes. If you are curious, why don’t you try making a mistake? Since I am also in charge of etiquette education, I will show you how to punish you.”

“… I’m not curious.”

Have you ever imagined a punishment worse than corporal punishment?

Ellen wrapped herself in the blanket and stepped back.

“Anyway, what I want to say is this. Your Highness, you don’t need to watch what I say.”

Even if I say this right now, Elin won’t let her guard down.

Still, we have to approach it slowly like this.

“From now on, I will always be on your side, Princess.”

“My side… ?”

I wonder if it feels awkward.

Ellen muttered that she was on my side a couple more times.

Gulp.

Then a cute sound echoed through the room.

It wasn’t a sound coming from Luke’s ship.

Then there is only one culprit.

“Are you hungry?”

Ellen nodded.

In contrast to his expressionless face, his small ears were bright red.

I asked, pretending not to see anything.

“What would you like for dinner?”

“… The chef must have set mine aside.”

“Do you eat meals separately?”

Ellen nodded.

No matter what, we are a family connected by blood.

Are you saying that you don’t even want to look at me while eating?

Well, it was good, since Luke didn’t particularly want to see any of the Bertain Dukes.

“Then let’s go to the restaurant.”

“Yeah.”

Elin nodded slightly and got down from the bed.

“… Ugh.”

And he let out a soft groan.

It was a very faint sound.

Of course, Luke wasn’t the one to miss that.

“Ah.”

I looked down at Ellen’s feet.

It was so covered in bruises that it was hard to find a single healthy part.

Just standing would be quite painful.

“It’s okay. I can walk.”

Ellin, sensing the gaze, walked towards the door as if nothing had happened.

… How can you be okay with that frown?

It hurts just to look at it.

Did you know that the Duke had come earlier and run out enduring the pain?

My mouth feels bitter.

“Your Majesty.”

“읏… ?”

Elin flashed.

I put it back on the bed and wrapped it in the blanket.

Ellin’s expression, dried like kimbap, was blank.

As if he didn’t realize what had just happened.

“If the chef has set aside some food, you can take it and eat it, right?”

Nod nod.

“Then I will go to the restaurant, so please wait a moment.”

“… Do you know where it is?”

“I am a space series wizard.”

Fortunately, using spatial magic I was able to get a rough idea of the mansion’s layout.

It felt like a 3D map was being drawn in my head.

“Anyway, I’ll be back soon, so stay still on the bed.”

It meant that you shouldn’t walk around because your feet will hurt.

Elin’s body froze.

“You can move. No, just stay still.”

I thought he would really do whatever I told him to do, so I took him out of the blanket again.

Ellen sank into the blanket like a wooden puppet at the end of a play.

Luke, after confirming the scene, came out of the room.

“… Phew.”

As soon as I came out, I sighed.

Elin’s condition was more serious than expected.

So much so that I feel sorry for not coming to you sooner.

Luke brushed his hair back, closed his eyes, and concentrated.

Mana waves spread out into the surrounding area.

The layout of the mansion slowly entered my mind.

“The kitchen is… not far away.”

Luke stepped into the kitchen.

The wounds on Elin’s body keep coming back to me.

Tiny feet covered in bruises that couldn’t be hidden.

Fingernails that are all bitten off and a mess.

That won’t be the end.

There are probably a lot of wounds even in the areas covered by clothes.

Luke made a promise, his fists clenching without him knowing it.

I’ll get you out of Bertain, Elin.

And I will definitely make you happy.

Even if everyone in the world hates you, I will be your only ally.

I’ll make it so that no one can bother you.

I will do whatever it takes to prevent the bad ending.

Just show me your bright smiling face.

Because that’s the happy ending I want.