Chapter 2

"Damn it!" Rabi clenched her fists. She was overwhelmed with a mix of frustration, regret, and various other emotions. She looked down at her thin chest. When she peeked carefully, she saw that the mark of subjugation was indeed gone. She trembled with joy.

"This isn't a dream...!!"

She couldn't bear the thought of the maids hearing her voice. She quietly but deeply rejoiced. To confirm her current situation, she began to recall her past memories.

First, the name of this otome game is "Welcome to the Hedgehog Forest." The protagonist, Nella Harry, is modeled after a hedgehog and has a cute, petite appearance. Each of the male characters also has an animal model. Among fans, it was jokingly called "Animal Kingdom," but generally, it was known as "Harinez."

Incidentally, the catchphrase of "Harinez" is "The best bad ending for you," which seemed to be a challenge to the otome game genre, a message from the creators that no matter which character you choose, other than the prince, you won't end up with them. In fact, no matter who you choose, the protagonist ends up marrying the prince as a false union for the sake of the country, with the true love being with you. This bittersweet ending, known as a "merry bad ending," was so heart-wrenching that it captured the hearts of a niche audience, earning it the title of a hidden masterpiece. However, as someone who preferred happy endings, I found it interesting but not quite my cup of tea.

Incidentally, the prince's route alone had a happy, fulfilling ending, which made the catchphrase seem out of place, and I remember wondering why.

Anyway, Nella Harry is a girl with chestnut eyes who can charm many men, always smiling, cute, and seemingly without a hidden agenda, like an angel.

--- From the player's perspective

Nella was originally an orphan. The story begins when the Duke of Heathfen, Rabi's father, took pity on her ragged appearance and hired her into the household under the pretense of protection. Thus, Nella became Rabi's personal maid. Rabi, in turn, bullied Nella mercilessly. One day, Nella's magic awakened, and it was revealed that she was the long-lost daughter of a baron. She then enrolled in the magic academy and, at some point, was discovered to be the Holy Maiden. Rabi was subsequently condemned along with Nella and her surroundings for past sins. No matter which route you took, the main plot remained unchanged, and the end result was always execution. Mercy was not an option.

But the truth was different. Nella had been controlling Rabi. She had inscribed the forbidden subjugation magic on Rabi and commanded her to "bully" her.

Rabi never wanted to do such things. She insulted and mocked Nella in public, making her feel humiliated. Originally, Rabi was a kind-hearted girl. The pain was so intense that her chest felt like it was about to tear apart.

--- Nella, please. We're friends, right? I don't want to say or do these things. I'll forget everything, please.

I'll forget everything. Please, she begged Nella every time they were alone. Nella would smile quietly and gently hold her hand.

--- Yes, we are friends. So, I'm asking you, just that.

She repeated this over and over. Rabi thought it would eventually end. She endured this for ten years. But now that she had recovered her memories, she laughed at her own foolishness.

The subjugation magic is forbidden in the country. It's unknown why Nella could use it, but there are only two ways to break it: the target's magic must surpass the caster's, or one of them must die.

Rabi, as a noble, had embarrassingly low magic power and could use very few spells. Typically, nobles accumulate vast magic power by overlapping bloodlines. While it was shameful, it was common for nobles to hide their total magic power, so she never felt inconvenienced by this. However, the subjugation magic was different.

Since it was already forbidden in the country, few knew about it, but her game knowledge included information about the subjugation magic. The subjugation magic allows control over someone with lower magic power. However, there is one day each year when the total magic power swells. Today, coincidentally, was that day for Rabi. It was known as the Day of Light.

Still, Rabi had been controlled for ten years. They should have met on this day several times. Therefore, there was only one possibility: Nella's magic had weakened. There is a day when magic power diminishes, called the Day of Shadows, the opposite of the Day of Light. Today, by coincidence, was the same day for both Rabi and Nella.

Magic power is proportional to body size. Rabi was six when Nella cast the spell on her. Although it was a small amount, Rabi's magic had grown. Today, with her magic power swollen by the rain, she finally managed to break the subjugation magic. However, the same applied to Nella. If Rabi regained her sanity, Nella would meticulously and carefully reapply the spell, making it unbreakable. Nella, like Rabi, had turned sixteen, and her magic had grown far beyond what it was in the past.

Rabi despaired. Originally, Nella had no intention of freeing her.

Even in the original story, something felt off. The villainous lady, who was nothing but bones and skin and had no trace of beauty, wielded power at the magic school and jealously tried to get closer to the prince, her fiancé, and the heroine. Her bullying was so obvious and foolish that it was a mystery why it wasn't discovered. Moreover, Rabi was literally represented by a rabbit. Her silver hair and red eyes, now sunken and devoid of cuteness, made the idea of a villainous lady being a rabbit seem strange. This suggested that, in the original story's hidden setting, she was "controlled."

The fact that only the prince's route had a happy ending was also a point of speculation among fans. The idea that the beloved protagonist used the forbidden subjugation magic to bring down her rival, the duke's daughter, was nothing but a bad ending.

The heroine, Nella, hated Rabi. She looked at her with cold, porcelain-like eyes. As Rabi's maid, Nella endured "harassment" but prevented anyone from getting close to Rabi. The mark of subjugation appeared on her chest. If someone saw it during a change of clothes, Nella's actions would be exposed, but she was forbidden from showing her skin to anyone but Nella.

It was a short time before Rabi became a reclusive, physically weak, and foolish lady.