6 – An Unexpected First Meeting – 6

 

‘From now on, it’s important.’

 

I’ve already finished discussing with Priscilla about what and how I should tell.

 

Priscilla was fine as long as I was there and basically delegated all authority to me, but she forced me to come up with thoughts I never had for more hugs and more hand-holding.

 

It was surprisingly effective.

 

‘I can’t give away too much, nor should I only lie.’

 

Priscilla said that the crown prince sometimes had an uncanny intuition that could feel strange at times. She didn’t want to think about what happened if she impulsively lied and got caught.

 

Of course, if she didn’t get caught, that would be the end of that.

 

Unless there was evidence, it would be virtually impossible to discern the truth and lies from the atmosphere alone in what she said. Even with a peculiarly keen instinct.

 

“Regarding the incident on the first day of the entrance ceremony——”

 

“Before that.”

 

The crown prince stopped her with a chin gesture.

 

“You’re sitting too far away. I can’t hear your voice properly. Come closer.”

 

“… I shall follow.”

 

It was a ridiculous claim. The distance between the crown prince and her was no more than about three meters at most. Since there was no reason to refuse, she obediently got up.

 

“You should come closer. It’s still not enough.”

 

The order didn’t end in a single time. After several trials and errors, she could only stop after narrowing the distance enough to touch the prince’s leg if she reached her hand out.

 

‘What the hell is this?’

 

Her mind was confused. It seemed as if the carefully constructed plan was crumbling. Did he command this knowing that he is a man and she was a man?

 

She had a hunch that things weren’t right from the day she smiled at the entrance ceremony. She didn’t think he was really into men. She struggled to suppress her worrisome thoughts and opened her mouth.

 

“It is true that Priscilla Agnes is very versed in magic——”

 

“Wait a moment.”

 

What was he nitpicking at this time. Despite being absurd in her mind, she obediently followed the order.

 

“You can call me normally. There is no need to hurry and call me formally because you’re in front of me.”

 

“… It is believed that your highness knows that Priscilla is very versed in magic.”

 

“Obviously, I do.”

 

Only then, the crown prince nodded affirmatively. He seemed so cheeky.

 

“Priscilla used her talent to independently study magic. Then, unfortunately, she was caught in a unique curse by handling ancient magic incorrectly.”

 

Only half of it was true.

 

Priscilla did indeed independently study magic and get caught in a unique curse. But, that was based on an original novel and was an event of the next year. It is a story far removed from Priscilla at this point.

 

Even so, if I were asked for evidence, I could bring it. It’s probably preserved like a shrine in the magic specimen storage of the Agnes mansion.

 

“A curse?”

 

“A curse that makes one see a dreadful future.”

 

Perhaps the phrase ‘seeing the future’ couldn’t be skimmed over lightly, as the prince’s eyes narrowed slightly.

 

“Should I take it as gaining the power of foresight?”

 

“It’s not something you can call like that. She’s just in the position where only a snippet of the scene keeps coming up. This is why I expressed it as a curse and not a blessing.”

 

This is also half-true. Priscilla was not repeating a snippet, but from the age of 15 to 20, she was stuck repeating her life.

 

“…I understand. You’re saying that the dreadful future changed by meeting you on the first day of the entrance ceremony.”

 

“You put it correctly. Would it not be possible to have a strong reaction as the bleak future she’s been seeing for four consecutive years changed for the better?”

 

This was nothing but the absolute truth.

 

I stopped speaking purposely here. The crown prince seemed to be engrossed in thoughts as he tapped on the sofa lightly. If my prediction is right, the next question the crown prince would ask would be….

 

“Is there anything you know about the dreadful future that Agnes saw?”

 

‘Right.’

 

I knew it. This is the real crux. I quietly chose the next words to speak.

 

“Yes, your highness.”

 

“Tell me. I’m curious about what future it was.”

 

I told him about the so-called ‘Academy Demon King Invasion Incident’ that would occur in Aria and Brünnhilde’s second year, according to the original story.

 

The only lie I told here was that the incident was supposed to occur during the next semester, not this year’s entrance ceremony. Everything else was a faithful relay of the original content relayed by Priscilla.

 

From noble mtl dot com

 

In that incident, the crown prince dies. The Demon King, who appeared abruptly when the prince visited the Academy after his graduation, declares, ‘You’re now of no use,’ and kills him by piercing his heart.

 

As a result, those who were close to the crown prince were labeled as traitors, and the story was about the brave warrior Brünnhilde trying to clear out the misunderstanding when Aria also made it onto that list of traitors.

 

$….$

 

The crown prince, on hearing my explanation, appeared to have fairly complex feelings. It was natural, considering he’d just heard he would be killed by the Demon King with his own forces being decimated as traitors.

 

‘I’ve got his attention.’

 

Now, the odds of the original story unfolding in the same way have all but disappeared. Priscilla hadn’t hoped for this, but would be delighted when I told her later.

 

I didn’t initially plan on going this far. I was just going to come up with a few excuses to get by, but Priscilla had suggested that it would be nice to win over the crown prince, so I added a few more details.

 

Although it differed quite a lot from the plan I’d made at the entrance ceremony, it was all for the better.

 

‘It was a dream, huh…. I’ve heard that the eldest daughter of Agnes family’s emotions are half-dead, but I didn’t know it was this serious.’

 

She was probably in a half-broken state mentally before she met me. There was no need for me to correct her while she made her own misconceptions.

 

‘Interesting.’

 

The crown prince uncrossed his legs, smiling smugly. One of his black shoes, precariously balanced, fell from his foot.

 

Bare foot without even a sock was revealed, a faint floral scent wafting from it. A red manicure was painted on his toenails.

 

‘A…man…icure?’

 

What on earth is his deal?

 

Amid my confusion, the crown prince extended his right leg. Thin to the point of being unbelievable for a man’s, it went over my left shoulder.

 

The sensation of him wriggling his toes was transmitted from my shoulder. All I could do was to try to suppress the urge to grab his ankle straight away and slam it onto the floor.

 

Oblivious of my inner turmoil, the crown prince nonchalantly broke the silence.

 

‘Do you know why I said it’s interesting?’

 

‘I’m sorry, Your Highness. I don’t know.’

 

I clenched my teeth and replied. Just tolerating my rising disgust was hard enough.

 

‘Because I also had a similar dream. Just once, though.’

 

‘…Excuse me?’

 

I lift my head, taken aback by this unexpected confession. Priscilla never mentioned the prince having dreamed of the Demon King’s attack.

 

‘It may not have been a dream, but a hallucination. It feels like such a distant memory, but now that you’ve mentioned it, it all comes back. I die in the dream just like you’ve described.’

 

—At the hands of the Demon King.

 

The Crown Prince, who murmured the last part like a whisper, leaned forward provocatively. He rested his chin on the back of his hand, his elbow on his knee. He didn’t stop wriggling his toes on my shoulder.

 

His other hand, not supporting his chin, stretched out towards me. Judging from its height and direction, it was aimed at my right cheek.

 

‘It’s such an ‘interesting coincidence’. Agnes and my dreams matching so precisely. Wouldn’t you say so, Mira Crate?’

 

Encasing emphasis around the word ‘coincidence’, his hand got closer. He was about to hold my cheek–

 

-Whoosh!

 

‘…What?!’

 

–but suddenly pulled away. There was severe confusion on the crown prince’s face. I, who wanted to get out of this situation, also paused.

 

The crown prince stared at his tie with wide eyes, then made a frantic hand signal to me.

 

‘Back off.’

 

‘Your Highness, just now–‘

 

‘I clearly told you to back off.’

 

‘Yes, of course.’

 

Without a word, he stood up. After quickly composing himself, he almost ran out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Could it be that he would be charged with a crime later? If so, it would feel slightly unfair.

 

‘Sigh…’

 

Whatever happens, he could think about it later. Right now, there was something far more important. He took off his school coat, glanced around, and then snapped his fingers.

 

The coat turned to ash in an instant.

 

‘I should get a new one later.’

 

And on top of everything else, it seemed like a bad idea to involve Priscilla in turning the crown prince into an ally.

 

Even after Mira Crate left, the crown prince remained stunned for a while, muttering into thin air.

 

“Dolores.”

 

“Yes, your highness. Do you want me to bring back that Mira Crate?”

 

From the shadow of the sofa, a maid emerged and knelt down. The crown prince, lowering his head, untied his tie, or rather, looked at something beneath it.

 

“I should contact the old man.”

 

“Do you mean Lord Matopju? Please give me your order.”

 

“Tell him that the necklace of the changeling is broken.”

 

At the same time as Dolores, who had been trained never to be surprised, flinched, the crown prince pulled out something that had been hidden beneath his tie.

 

It was a necklace with a gold-inlaid blood-red gem. The gem, which looked precarious just from its shape, couldn’t withstand much and completely split into two pieces in his palm.

 

Then the crown prince’s body began to change.

 

His waist became thinner, his hips and pelvis protruded nicely, and his body’s overall curves became much more fluid. His face also changed, from a neutral feeling to a purely feminine one as his eyelashes grew longer.

 

The biggest change was his chest. His once flat chest transformed into a large curve, the fullness of which could be seen even above his uniform.

 

“Mira Crate.”

 

The Crown Prince, now Laura, who had changed from a gender-neutral handsome man to a beautifully-glowing woman, uttered the name of Mira Crate with a cold smile on her face.

 

Even Laura didn’t know exactly what had just happened. Something felt off, and then the necklace, which was also a protective device, was simply destroyed.

 

It was a necklace that Matopju had personally made for the protection of the heir. It had incredible durability, resisting both magical and physical impacts without a scratch.

 

Yet it was destroyed by something she herself couldn’t identify. It was impossible not to be surprised.

 

“…I’ve been thinking about what I just did, Dolores.”

 

This wasn’t a question requiring an answer. Dolores, keeping her head down, listened attentively to her master’s words.

 

“But no matter how hard I think, I can’t find a reason why I acted so emotionally.”

 

“…”

 

“I’ve been wondering since the enrollment ceremony. I still do not understand why I accepted his proposal.”

 

“…”

 

Dolores remained silent. It was hard to believe from the prince who always acted rationally.

 

“It’s really strange. When I look at him, I feel a sense of calm, but at the same time, it feels like I’m not myself anymore.”

 

Laura smirked as if she couldn’t believe her own words.

 

“The daughter of the Agnes family, she was intensely fixated on Mira Crate.”

 

Many had seen them holding hands or arm in arm. There were even plenty of people who had seen them embracing.

 

The common testimony was that Priscilla was the one leading the relationship. If anything, it felt like Mira was just going along with it.

 

“Truly brazen.”

 

A glint appeared in Laura’s eyes.

 

“So greedy, trying to keep such an interesting thing to herself.”

 

The intensity was enough to make even Dolores flinch, even though it wasn’t directed at her. But the intimidation quickly dispersed. Dolores wondered if this was also the influence of thinking about that man.

 

A magic circle appeared from Laura’s hand. Illusion magic consumed her body. The fluid curves that shaped the female body transformed back to the robust lines of a male. As she returned to her usual form as the Crown Prince, Laura spoke, almost spitting her words.

 

“I’m not feeling well today. Please understand that.”

 

“Yes, Your Highness.”

 

In reality, compared to the necklace that changes one’s figure, illusion magic is just simply deception. If someone even dared to touch it, they would immediately reveal it was magic.

 

However, there wouldn’t be anyone who would dare to touch the prince’s body, so it could be a sufficient temporary measure until the necklace is repaired. Laura left the room with a cold smile.

 

Dolores, who was left alone, lifted her forehead from the floor only after the prince’s footsteps had faded away. She immediately disappeared into the shadows and headed straight towards the teachers’ personal room.

 

The prince didn’t seem to be attending afternoon classes due to illness.