Besides, my past-life memories had made it hard for me to get used to my pampered life in the palace. Being confined into this tower was a godsend.
“So is that why you…Your Highness chose to live in this tower all alone? And why you can’t hire me?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But, Your Highness, I don’t think you can hear my inner voice.”
I froze momentarily at her curt remark. That was an answer in itself, so I forced myself to ask, “Why do you think so?”
“Well, ’cause you were surprised when I told you what His Majesty said. You didn’t know I was picturing him.”
I was surprised that she managed to notice. It was clear that I couldn’t lie my way out of this.
“Yes, you’re right,” I said. “For some reason, I can’t hear your thoughts… Actually, I’d like to ask you why.”
“Why? Um…”
“The only explanation I can think of is magic. What is your magic?”
“M-magic? Um, my magic’s called Dichotomy. I can make barriers that attack people or protect me. But I haven’t used it in a long time.”
“Barriers, huh? I doubt that’s the reason. I’ve met plenty of people who could make barriers, but they still couldn’t defend against my magic. Oh! Hmm… Alicia, can you try channeling your magic?”
“Huh?” She frowned, reluctant. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m allowing you to use your magic. Rather, I’m hoping you will.”
At that moment, I sensed magic flowing out from her. Ah, so this is why.
“Alicia…your magic is very strong.”
Her magical power was so concentrated, it was practically suffocating; someone without magic would probably have fainted on the spot.
“Uh, yeah. Oops, that’s not right… Yes, it is.”
This must be what shielded her from my magic and why she didn’t want to use it. I figure it’s also why she’s so unsettled.
“I think this is why I can’t hear your inner voice. I’ve never felt so much pressure from someone else’s magic before,” I said. Since I had vast amounts of mana myself, I had never felt the palpable power of someone else’s magic. Yet right now, Alicia’s was bearing down on me, deflecting mine.
“Um, so is it okay if I work here?”
“No.”
Just because she could counter my magic didn’t mean I was comfortable with the idea of her living with me.
“What?!”
“A no is a no. I will not change my mind.”
“May I ask why? If I can block your magic, it should be fine, right?”
“My magic grows stronger by the day,” I said, my voice rising as I went on. “You might be able to block it now, but I don’t know if that will always be the case! One day, you will—”
“Hey, Your Highness… I’ve been wondering. Can your magic do more than let you hear somebody’s thoughts?”
So she realized it… Some things truly are better left unsaid. It was too late for me to regret my words now, though.
“When you were telling me about your magic, you said it ‘affects the hearts of others.’ But you coulda just—uh, you could have simply told me you can hear people’s thoughts. And while I’m sure everybody hates that you can hear them, I don’t think that’s enough to put them in danger. But it feels like this whole time you’ve been worried I’ll get hurt. So, um, I thought maybe you can do more than hear thoughts…”
I heaved a sigh. She’s a very perceptive girl. Even though she phrased it as a hypothetical, I could tell she was certain of it. I couldn’t fool her with flimsy excuses anymore.
“Yes, you’re right,” I admitted. “When I say my magic can affect the hearts of others…I mean I can manipulate them with my magic.”
I detested my awful magic. No matter how hard I wished it would disappear, it only grew stronger—and the voices filling my head compounded along with it.
“I used to be in a sour mood all the time because I had so much trouble sleeping. Even if I closed my eyes and covered my ears, I could hear someone else’s inner voice. It didn’t matter what time it was—morning, afternoon, or night—I could always, always hear them. And when I couldn’t take it anymore, I pressed my hands to my ears as hard as I could and shouted, ‘Shut up!’”
“That’s all it took?”
“Yes, that’s right. I think my voice must have accidentally sparked my magic. The maids who heard me collapsed.”
When it happened, I watched them fall to the ground. I was stunned; it had happened out of nowhere, like they fell asleep in an instant.
“Luckily, they all woke up the next day. That’s why I thought it would be all right to let my guard down… But I shouldn’t have. They stopped responding to anyone after that. They just stared into space with vacant eyes. No one knew why it had happened. Even the doctor who examined them eventually gave up. I started to think maybe I was the one responsible, and that suspicion snowballed into fear.”
Is it because of me? I thought back then. Because I screamed for them to shut up? I kept trying to persuade myself otherwise, but I gradually grew more afraid.
“I tried yelling at them to go back to normal…and they did.”
I was relieved that they recovered, but it became clear that it was all caused by magic—my magic.
“What everyone initially thought was mere mind-reading magic turned out to be powerful mind manipulation. I’m capable of things like brainwashing and hypnosis. If I make even one wrong move, I can break someone’s mind.”
It was a terrifying ability, especially in the hands of a small child. With so much mana flowing through me, I couldn’t even control it.
“My father chose to confine me after that. I’m sure you agree with his decision after hearing my story. Even I’m afraid of myself, you know. When I was still around other people, I felt like my magic might explode at any moment and break someone else. I got lucky last time, since the maids went back to normal—the idea of my next ‘accident’ being permanent frightened me so badly I couldn’t sleep. Father saved me from that torment, so I can’t thank him enough.”
I watched Alicia, analyzing her reaction. Though I expected her to be fearful of me, her expression hadn’t changed much.
“As I said earlier, my magic gets stronger every day. You may be able to defend yourself now, but that might change in the future. I can’t let you put yourself in danger by being here.”
“Can I ask a question, please?”
“What is it?”
“You’ll become the queen one day, won’t you?”
“Did…did Father say that?”
“Yes. He said that’s the way things are. Is that why your confinement here is a secret?”
“Indeed. In this kingdom, the eldest child inherits the throne regardless of their gender. That means I’ll take the throne after my father. It would be detrimental for the public to hear that the next queen is confined to a tower, so only my father, my mother, and a few trusted subordinates know about it. The rest of the kingdom was told that I’m recovering from an illness.”
The true nature of my magic was also kept secret. Using Heart Realm, I’d removed the memory of it from all of our servants. I could control or break absolutely everyone with Heart Realm—save for Alicia. If my ability was misused, the results could be catastrophic. No one could ever know the truth of my imprisonment.
“If you’re going to become queen, you’ll have to leave the tower eventually…right?”
“Yes, I will. I must learn to control my magic before then.”
“How are you s’posed to test out your control over it?”
“I…”
“If you’re gonna be all by yourself, you have no way to check. But you’ve gotta be able to control it someday, so you have to practice. I’ll stick around so I can help…Your Highness.”
She had a point. I would have to learn how to control my magic one day. Even if I did end up having a younger brother or sister, as long as I was alive, I would be the one to take the throne.
I felt grateful that Alicia was willing to help me practice. Well, polite gratitude alone was expected of me as a princess. My true feelings went beyond that—I was moved. This was the first time someone outside my parents had volunteered to be with me despite knowing about my magic. Here I thought no one else would ever accept me.
“…Very well. You’re hired. It seems I’ll be needing you.”
“Thank you so mu…ah…achoo!”
Her loud sneeze came as no surprise, considering the amount of dust in here. I was surprised she managed to hold it in for so long.
Crash!
I whirled around at the loud clatter behind me. The remainder of the shelf I had haphazardly propped up fell—it was a miserable sight.
“This is rather sudden, but…could you do something for me, Alicia?”
She offered a wry smile. “Yes, I’ll go clean that up.”