Almost half a year had gone by since we started living in the tower.
“Only three more days until your birthday, Your Highness!” Alicia chirped as she prepared my tea.
“Now that you mention it, I’m almost nine years old, huh?”
I didn’t feel particularly happy about it. Adding in the age from my past life, I’d be more than forty years old. Birthdays had long since become boring.
Thinking back, time really had passed by in the blink of an eye ever since I started living with Alicia. It had been so much fun that the days flew by.
“Will you be returning to the palace for your birthday?” she asked me.
“Of course not. I’ll still be here the day of.”
“Huh? But…I heard there’ll be a party at the palace. You can’t go to your own party, Your Highness?”
“I’m supposed to be sick right now—that’s why I can’t go and show myself in front of everyone. I already let them know I won’t be attending.”
The excuse wasn’t exactly a fib. Going somewhere with a large gathering of people meant I’d hear numerous inner voices. If I put myself in a situation like that, I was bound to feel ill.
“It’s fine. I’m sure Mother and Father are willing to celebrate it with me later.”
In all honesty, I would’ve been much happier celebrating my birthday with people I loved as opposed to suffering through a suffocating party full of strangers.
“His Majesty and Her Majesty, huh? You must be looking forward to that!”
“Yes, I think it’s been almost three months since I saw them last. When they stop by, I have to be extra careful with my magic.”
“Don’t worry.” Alicia offered me a gentle smile. “You won’t use your magic unless you want to. You haven’t used it on me at all, right? That’s proof!”
“Ha ha ha. It’s thanks to you that I’m able to control it, Alicia.”
Even now, my magic did not affect Alicia. I relaxed, no longer afraid that I might accidentally hurt her. That peace of mind occasionally helped me stop myself from eavesdropping on my parents’ inner voices.
“I’m glad to be of assistance!”
“I still need more training, though. I won’t be able to succeed my father in this state.”
It was already difficult just to stand in the same room as other people, let alone face a crowd. If I didn’t get better, I couldn’t think about taking the throne. Instead, I’d have no choice but to hole up in the tower my whole life. Even if I had a regular job, I’d still need to interact with people. For me, someone unable and unwilling to deal with people, staying here would make me the happiest. That said, if I just took the easy path, I would get in a lot of trouble… The world was a cruel place.
“I know! Let’s throw our own birthday party!” Alicia proclaimed.
“A party? Here?”
“You heard me! On the day of your birthday, Your Highness. Would you like to invite anyone else?”
“Sadly, I don’t have any friends besides you. Oh, there was that boy…” For an instant, I thought back to a boy I briefly interacted with before my confinement. “No, never mind. Having you here with me is more than enough.”
“C’mon, it’s a special occasion. Let’s invite him! I’ll reach out to him lickety-split!”
“Um, he lives far away. He can’t just say yes and drop by.”
“Aw, all right… Wait, then how did you meet him, Your Highness?”
“He tagged along with his father, who came to the palace for work,” I explained. “This was back when I still lived in the palace. I was wandering around like usual and happened to make his acquaintance.”
“Ooh… What’s his name?”
“Wilhelm.” When I closed my eyes, I remembered our first meeting as clear as day. “You look pretty, just like the moon.”
That was weird for eight-year-old me to say, but thinking back on it, he didn’t speak in a childlike manner, either. No… Maybe he was able to say such things because he had the innocence of a child.
“He might be willing to come to your birthday party, Your Highness. I’ll ask!”
“That’s even worse!” I groaned. “Please don’t. If he’s coming to the palace for the other party, we can’t have him here in the tower. Won’t he find out I’m skipping out on the main party?”
“Oh, that’s true.”
“Right? So let’s just have the birthday party be you and me. Ah! Why don’t we sneak outside?”
“To our usual forest? We can bring lunch along with us!”
I giggled. “I’m looking forward to it!”
Time whizzed by as we planned my birthday party. Before I knew it, the big day arrived. I was officially nine years old.
“Aren’t you ready yet, Alicia?” I said, waiting for her alone in the tower. I waited and waited, but she didn’t return from the palace. I knew she was getting our lunches packed and ready, but it was taking her far too long.
“Hm?”
For the briefest of moments, I sensed Alicia’s magic. Did she just use magic? She hasn’t used Dichotomy even once in my presence, though. Why would she use it now?
Filled with a strong sense of foreboding, I dashed out of the tower. It was like when we played together, only this time I was chasing down her magic.
“She’s not here.”
Alicia was nowhere to be found—instead, I discovered several men sprawled out on the ground between the tower and the palace.
“What in the world is going on?” I muttered. Channeling magic into my words, I yelled into one of the men’s ears: “Wake up!”
“Urgh…”
“Stay put and answer my questions!” I ordered. “Where is Alicia, the girl who was here just now?!”
“We tried to capture her because she overheard our conversation,” one man groaned. His eyes were vacant; only his mouth moved.
“Where is she?!”
“I don’t know. She’s probably at our base.”
“And where is that?”
“In the North Ward of the royal capital, second floor of the Crimson Horse Tavern…”
“Noted. What are you after?”
“The death of Crown Princess Luxeria.”
“Who is behind this?”
“It is—aaaugh!”
The man burst into flames before he could answer my question. His cohorts ignited at the same time. Sensing magic, I whipped my head back to find another man lurking behind a tree. Just as I readied my own magic, he shrouded himself in fire.
“Ugh! Come on!”
What should I do? What’s the right move?
I was alone. All the palace guards were unfortunately attending my birthday party. There was no time to stand here and worry—taking time to find the guards and explain the situation would be a waste. Besides, even if I was the target, I refused to run or hide. Alicia was too important to me.
Alicia… My precious, precious friend.
I would be fine. I had powerful magic, after all—that was my key to saving her. That didn’t mean I was fearless, though. Facing the culprits and wielding my magic were both terrifying prospects. But if I couldn’t use my magic now, when would it ever be useful?
Shaking off my fear, I ran straight for the Crimson Horse Tavern.