Chapter 17

In the still swaying carriage, Laby decided to gather her thoughts until they reached the academy. Along with the sound of the wheels turning, she slowly rewound her memories. It had been a continuous series of changes, and there had been few opportunities to think calmly and steadily. Across from her, Fer still had his arms crossed, silently sulking. It was just right for masking the awkward atmosphere.

***

It had been 16 years since Laby was born as Laby. However, it had been 10 years since she became Nella's slave. When Laby was six, Nella arrived at the Heathfen family mansion as an orphan. She remembered her pitiful appearance. But this girl, the same age as Laby, soon transformed into a charming figure. With her charm, she was doted on by the servants and liked by everyone.

Laby, though she was a cute child at the time, was still somewhat clumsy, shy, and envied Nella, who could effortlessly spread her charm to everyone. With her engagement to Baldo decided, she had vowed in her small heart to live more skillfully and nobly. However, it all crumbled in an instant.

She was made to wear a collar that never left her neck and given strange commands. At first, she couldn't understand. But Nella patiently taught her. "Act strange." And it had to be done gradually, little by little, so that no one would notice. It was as if they were doing a two-legged race. Like misbuttoning a shirt, or secretly discarding puzzle pieces from the edges.

By the time others noticed her strangeness, the mad girl was complete. At the same time, Nella secured an absolute position in the Heathfen family.

She stopped eating. She was short-tempered and lacked any grace. Sometimes she couldn't even hold a conversation. When her parents tried to show her to a doctor, she went into a wild frenzy. That was not allowed. Nella had forbidden her from showing the mark of subjugation to anyone. If she were to show it, she was ordered to bite her tongue and die. It was a desperate struggle. She didn't want to die. Their worry turned to resignation, and their resignation turned to rejection, not long after. The same went for her younger brother, Fer.

(To begin with, the subjugation magic is just too bizarre...)

On Earth, there was a technique called hypnosis, but she had heard that even if you commanded someone under hypnosis to die, it would be meaningless. If the person didn't truly wish for it, the command would be futile. But subjugation magic was different. If Nella commanded, Laby had to do as she wished. If she were told to die, she would have to die.

If she resisted poorly and was even slightly suspected, it would be the end. So Laby chose to run away. Fortunately, the fact that subjugation magic itself was a taboo saved her from Nella giving her dangerous commands. But if it were known that the magic had been broken, who knew what would happen. Nella's power was far too dangerous.

In the past, just being in a carriage made her feel sick, but thanks to her special training, she could now suppress it to just a slight wobble. The past Laby struggled to get through each day, but now she thought she could look forward to a little bit of academy life. She took a deep breath of the outside air to calm herself.

(Nella's goal is to be with Lord Baldo, right?)

Currently, Laby is the fiancée, but of course, the engagement will be broken soon. Both families chose her based on status alone, and they knew it was impossible for an uneducated Laby to become the mother of the country. When she learned this fact, the past Laby was deeply shocked, but she also understood it was inevitable. Yet, the fact that the news of the engagement's cancellation had not arrived was because Baldo's side was refusing it.

Laby wasn't so young that she would jump for joy at this. So she stopped thinking deeply. If the engagement were to be broken, Nella had ordered her to go wild and die rather than break up with Baldo, but she was relieved that it wouldn't come to that. The past Laby was always ashamed and couldn't bear the thought of adding more to her burden.

But the current Laby could understand Baldo's thinking. Breaking up with Laby would mean nothing to Baldo. If he broke the engagement with Laby, another proposal would come, and it wouldn't mean he could be with his beloved Nella. Baldo, as a prince, had the common sense of a typical young man. He knew he couldn't marry a mere maid, and meeting his fiancée Laby was the same as meeting Nella.

By the time he graduated from the magic academy and the succession to the throne became concrete, a new fiancée would be chosen. That's why he delayed the cancellation of his engagement to Laby and continued his secret meetings with Nella.

Indeed, it was impossible for Nella and the prince to be together. But in the game, why does Nella end up with the prince? It's because she is discovered to have rare magical power, and the church declares her a saint with unseen magical power. To combine this magical power, she becomes engaged to the prince.

Magical power combines to create a bloodline.

Nella, who was only nominally an orphan, was of baronial blood. Now officially named Harry, she must have gained even more power, but that aside, (unseen magical power, and subjugation magic...). Some people knew the term "subjugation magic," but no one knew the depth of its power. Laby knew this fact only from her knowledge of the dating game. When she saw the detailed setting quietly written in a corner of the official website, she felt a strange sense of dissonance.

Something is wrong, Laby frowned. Her body swayed from side to side. Something felt stuck in her throat, and her stomach churned. "Ugh..." What came out was a different object. It was because she had been misbehaving and not staying still in the carriage.

She barely managed to hold it back. While she was relieved that she had managed, the thoughts she had been thinking seemed to have disappeared. No matter how much she hit her forehead, they wouldn't come back. As Laby was thinking this, Fer, by accident, stood up, lost his balance, and hurriedly sat down, pursing his lips and turning his face away from Laby. He still had a young look on his face.