Dela and Sonia’s lies no longer worked.
“It seems the princess cried out of fear that Monia would disappear.”
Delight accurately caught onto my intentions.
You’re still quick to catch on in this regard, just like before.
Feeling proud, Delight and I locked eyes.
Plus, his eyes lazily curved.
Surprise! Why are you smiling so nervously!
Even if it’s still a baby who doesn’t know anything yet, there are instinctive things they know.
Delight reached out his arms towards me.
And then he clapped his hands.
That’s telling me to hold him now.
Ugh. Can’t help it.
Poof.
As soon as I reached out my arms towards Delight… he hugged me as if catching me.
“It’s like saying you instinctively like me.”
Smirk.
Delight proudly lifted the corners of his mouth, as if showing off to everyone.
“Look at this. You smile when you hug me.”
“Ehehe……hehe……!”
As a result, Delight’s smile became even more satisfying. It seemed like things were going my way.
‘But why do I feel so humiliated?’
It feels uncomfortable as if being manipulated by Delight’s words.
“This practically proves it.”
Thanks to that, Delight was convinced of what Dela and Sonia had done.
Moreover, there was nobody here who dared to refute Delight’s words.
“And there will be proper evidence.”
Looking at Monia as if Delight knew everything, he spoke.
“Monia, you must have kept records meticulously while taking care of the princess every day.”
“…Yes? How did you…?”
“I’ve seen you keep records even when you were by the empress’s side.”
“………….”
Why didn’t Monia mention that if she knew about it?
My momentary perplexity faded quickly.
“I won’t mind if there are criticisms, just submit it.”
“I might change my mind.”
“What kind of criticism did you write…! I’ll write the memorandum, so don’t worry.”
Even with Monia’s faint voice resisting, it was still uneasy. But Delight remained firm.
“I’ll deliver it to the prime minister.”
Finally, Monia responded with some relief.
‘What on earth did you write?’
It seemed she had written quite harsh criticisms for Delight, which was why Monia couldn’t bring herself to reveal it even in this unjust situation.
So, I was curious too.
It was when I was pondering if there was a way to secretly observe.
“We, we have committed a sin worthy of death.”
Dela and Sonia, who had been lying flat on the ground, gasping for breath, turned contemplative and begged for forgiveness.
“It was out of guilt for not taking care of the princess properly… we were afraid.”
“For someone with guilt, you sure were thieves too.”
Just then, his assistant, who had stepped back at Delight’s shout, appeared.
He also had a sack slung over his shoulder.
“When we searched the maids’ quarters, we found these.”
Swish-
As he emptied the sack onto the floor, various items spilled out.
I was still young, so apart from basic clothing and baby necessities, they were of no use to me.
However, that didn’t mean the items given to me were limited to those.
Being a princess, I had been provided with various jewels and accessories since before birth.
Items that should have been carefully stored even if I didn’t use them.
“It seems they’ve been consistently stealing the princess’s belongings.”
The assistant reported without hiding his disappointment.
It’s inevitable for someone negligent of their duty to not just have one fault.
Initially, it might have been about conveniently passing off the work to Monia and neglecting me, but as time passed, attention would have turned to the surroundings.
Meanwhile, Dela and Sonia had been very efficient in their thefts.
“But they stole more than I thought… without even being discreet about it. Just from this alone, I can guess what kind of situation it was.
It was while Dela and Sonia were examining the stolen jewels.
“…It’s not just jewels they stole.”
The assistant muttered with a slightly surprised voice.
That’s why once you cross a line, it becomes dangerous.
Perhaps… it wouldn’t hurt to cross the line a bit further.
While the assistant was inspecting the stolen items, he grasped something and showed it to Delight, opening his mouth.
“It’s a magical stone.”
“A magical stone? Where did this come from… Surely…”
Delight furrowed his brow.
There’s only one place where a magical stone could be found in the princess’s chamber.
It’s the protective magical stone installed to protect both the chamber and the princess.
So, finding a magical stone among the maid’s belongings means…
“They swapped the protective magical stone.”
As expected, Delight quickly surveyed the chamber, grasping the situation.
“Who knows the location of the protective magical stone?”
“Only the mage in charge of the protective spells, Monia who attends to the princess, and the two maids know.”
His assistant responded as if waiting for Delight’s question.
“Monia, guide us to the location of the protective magical stone. And make sure to check everything.”
That single command was enough.
The mages who had arrived unnoticed soon inspected the protective magical stone installed in my chamber.
“This magical stone seems unusual here.”
“This side seems unusual too.”
Soon, it was discovered that they had been replaced with counterfeit magical stones.
“If we hadn’t looked closely, we wouldn’t have noticed at all.”
“……Counterfeit magic stones have gotten this far.”
Delight muttered in a dangerous tone, seeming angry.
“Seeing that there’s no mana inside at all, it’s a low-quality item.”
“It’s like a toy fit for a child. It has no protective function whatsoever.”
Delight’s face was already coldly frozen.
Forgery mana stones existed even when I was alive.
As long as wars persist and powerful sorcerers exist, the importance of mana stones will never diminish.
However, mana stones are not infinite.
Finding mines where mana stones are discovered was also a challenging task.
Naturally, magical stones were always precious and expensive.
Because of this, there began to be incidents of creating counterfeit magical stones to deceive.
However, even so, Delight’s reaction seemed a bit exaggerated.
As Delight inspected the fake magical stones, his gaze suddenly fell on me.
“Has there really been no problem with the princess all this time?”
Delight’s face contorted in an instant as he spoke heavily.
“Summon the court physician.”
Embracing me protectively, Delight urgently gave orders.
“We need to make sure there’s no issue with the princess.”
The princess’s chamber, which seemed neglected until now, was thoroughly guarded by the protective magical stone.
If there had been even a slight problem with me inside, the protective magic would have activated to protect me.
However, if it had been tampered with by counterfeit magical stones, the protective magical stone would not have functioned properly.
‘He must be worried about what might have happened to me all this time.’
Isn’t that… admirable?
It was when I looked at Delight with admiration.
“The consequences of their actions while I was absent must be dealt with.”
Delight, who had been concerned about my condition, warned Dela and Sonia.
“First, confirm the princess’s condition and then send the two maids to prison for their actions.”
“Understood. I will take action immediately.”
“Also, install even stronger protective magical stones in the princess’s chamber than before. And keep the counterfeit magical stones here separately. I will recheck them later.”
Delight displayed a menacing demeanor towards Dela and Sonia as if he would kill them on the spot.
Yet, he still cared for me.
It meant that no matter how important the matter was, ensuring my safety and health was more important.
This is quite touching.
Wait a moment. If the court physician is coming…
It won’t just stop at checking my physical condition.
“Your Majesty, the court physician has arrived.”
“Quickly, examine the princess.”
The court physician approached me immediately and examined my condition.
After examining me thoroughly, he spoke.
“The princess seems to be fine. However… I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to examine her.”
“Not appropriate? Is there a problem?”
“The princess doesn’t possess any mana at all.”
The court physician spoke gravely without daring to look at Delight.
“…What?”
As expected, the court physician who came to examine me was a specialist in treating mages.
Their concern wasn’t whether I had mana from the beginning, but rather how much potential I had.
But no matter how many times they examine me, the result will be the same.
“As I mentioned, Princess, you have absolutely no potential to become a mage. It would be best to call a regular physician.”
The court physician also seemed to have concluded that there was no hope, as he decisively pronounced in a trembling voice.
At the same time, everyone who heard his words seemed crestfallen.
It was as if they had realized that the magical stone mine they had been fantasizing about in front of their eyes was nothing but an illusion, and a sense of loss was fully revealed.
‘Yes, just believe that I have no mana.’
That’s exactly what I want.
I silently lifted the corners of my mouth and made a resolve.
The daughter of Delight, who had become a monstrous mad mage, would not bloom as a mage. That’s what I decided.
In this lifetime, I will never become a Grand Mage or anything of the sort.
୭ Click this ‘louyve’ bellow to see other project by me˚. ᵎᵎ
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