Chapter 30

It had been two months since Lilianna ran away from home.

Wilfred, my brother-in-law, and Cornelia, my sister-in-law, went to a rural town where "a powerful magic was observed," but Lilianna was not there. Instead, they found something that suggested Lilianna had used magic, as if to create a trap. It seemed that Lilianna had set it up to escape from her family. I could sense this from the stories I heard.

The people of the Ajette family were grieving even more dramatically, saying, "She wanted to escape from us so much." The mood in the Ajette household, which had briefly brightened when a clue was found in the rural town, had become even worse.

It wasn't this gloomy when Lilianna had just run away. Now, even the servants in the house look gloomy. Because her whereabouts couldn't be traced immediately, no one knows where she is or can even guess. Whether she is in the country or has gone abroad, no one even knows if she is alive. But if she had the time to set up such a misleading trap, she might still be alive and well. No, no, it's scary.

"Al, why didn't you praise Lili? You always praised her so much, to the point of making me feel sick."

"Well, because the world of creation isn't something that can be easily judged... I really thought she would get better, that's why I said that... Wilfred, you're the one who—"

"What do you mean?"

"You were boasting about the first female winner of the swordsmanship tournament. You didn't praise Lili, even though she was the best when compared directly."

At first, right after Lilianna ran away, everyone was competing to say, "Maybe it was because I was the one she was closest to in the family." Now, knowing that the youngest princess was hurt without ever being praised, they are blaming each other for the cause.

I went to the private salon to greet them before going to school, but I saw something unpleasant in the morning. But I couldn't just skip the greeting. Every day is like this.

Those people still think that Lilianna ran away based on a misunderstanding, and that the problem is that they loved her so much but couldn't convey it. They are waiting for the day when Lilianna will return home, understanding their true feelings and clearing up the misunderstanding.

I'm terrified that the truth about the hunting party might come out. I didn't think it would end up like this. I just wanted to show her the reality of my life, how much I have and how I'm not grateful or satisfied. I thought if Lilianna saw me using "Light Magic," which she had been trying so hard to master but couldn't, and saw me shine and be praised, she would be very jealous. So I wanted to go deep into the forest and show her that I could defeat many strong monsters.

I was annoyed by her exaggerated worry that it would be dangerous and that I would get hurt. I was frustrated that she was so against my success. But I never wanted to seriously injure her or kick her out of the house. How unlucky I am.

I thought she had it easy and should pay a little for it. I didn't know that Lilianna, who always praised the family, had never been directly praised by them and was so twisted.

That girl is crazy, isn't she? Everyone else praises her, but she acts like a victim just because her family didn't say it. I just wanted to teach her a lesson, but it turned into a big deal. I'm the one who's in trouble. It wasn't intentional. I didn't know it would end up like this, so I'm not to blame.

"...I'm not to blame."

I mumbled this to myself, not speaking out loud. I have to smile when I get off the carriage. I'm "the earnest Nina." The difficult Cornelia, my sister-in-law, who even used the excuse of convalescence to stay away from me, is the one I care about, the earnest and pitiful Nina.

"Nina, you need to try harder to control your power. Your method won't work on large monsters, and it's necessary to protect yourself."

The old lady, a mage who came specially from the church for my Light Magic lessons, is nagging again. At first, I felt good about the special treatment, but I quickly got tired of it. No matter how much I try, she never praises me and always points out trivial things, which makes me lose motivation every time.

Amando, who studied Light Magic, understood this. He praised me a lot every time I purified a monster.

I was taught that Light Magic is a special existence that can directly purify monsters. I didn't understand the complicated explanations about interfering with miasma, but it was a powerful magic that could kill monsters just by bathing them in light. However, now I'm told that purifying them completely makes them unusable as alchemy materials, and I need to learn to heal injuries and diseases, which makes me very angry.

There are potions for injuries and diseases, so why not use them? "There are still diseases without cures, so Light Magic is very important," but that's the fault of those who can't make the medicine. I think it's wrong for great mages to not make medicine and rely entirely on Light Magic.

At first, when I purified a caged monster, not only Amando but everyone around me praised me. When I healed someone who was injured in a mock battle, they said my Light Magic made the wounds heal strangely, and Sheila, the old lady, said I needed to start over with basic magic control. In the practical magic class, the other students are using magic on targets, but I'm only doing basic exercises like focusing magic at my fingertips.

Of course, this practice is full of complaints and is not at all fun. The other day, the history teacher said my handwriting was messy and made me copy a whole notebook using a children's alphabet chart. This is bullying. The teachers are using their position to bully me because I'm a commoner. It's really the worst.

"Even with small monsters, your method will quickly deplete your magic. First, practice releasing your magic in a thin stream without a large release..."

"U, uh... I'm sorry! Because I'm a commoner... I can't even do such a simple thing properly, I'm sorry!"

When I apologized loudly, I could see some students who were looking at me out of the corner of their eyes turn to look at me. The old lady looked surprised, and I apologized as "the pitiful Nina" for not being able to do what I was told, saying, "I'm sorry, I need to cool off," and ran away from the training ground. This way, I would be seen as a pitiful child who couldn't take the bullying because I was a commoner and cried.

Once I entered the school building and cut through it, I escaped to the forest-like area with the botanical garden. I sighed. I'm in a bad mood, so I'll skip this class.

Before the next class, I'll go back to the classroom and pretend to have been crying, saying, "I'm sorry for my inadequacies."

"Oh... The atmosphere at the mansion is terrible... How did it come to this?"

No, I know. It's all that girl's... Lilianna's fault.

I sat in the shadows of the bushes, staring blankly at the sky, thinking about the future. The Ajette family is so focused on finding Lilianna that everyone is tense and irritable, and I don't even want to go home.

I want to leave, but I have nowhere to go. I thought I would be happy, but I shouldn't have become a foster child in that house. If I could change it, I would want to be in a different family.

But it's impossible for me to say that.

Amando, and the others in the same group that day, Annabelle and Marisella, are accomplices and won't say anything that would expose me. But I'm afraid that if I accidentally say something strange, it might make everyone think I did something wrong.

If that happens, the responsibility for Lilianna running away will be placed entirely on me. I have to avoid that.

Ah, I wish Amando, Annabelle, and Marisella would all die. No, it would be enough if they just disappeared like Lilianna.

Just as I was about to sigh deeply, I heard a voice that made me almost scream in surprise.

"...Have you found any leads on Lilianna's whereabouts?"

"Yes... As the prince predicted, if she is pretending to be a commoner, she might have become an adventurer. We are investigating new registrations of adventurers in the country with the guild's cooperation..."

"We considered the possibility that she is in disguise, but no one matching Lilianna has been found. It's possible that she hasn't taken any noticeable actions yet..."

"Or perhaps she has already left the country."

"It's unfortunate that we have to act separately from the Ajette family. As students, there is a limit to what we can do."

The people who came to the bushes where I was lying were the prince and the people introduced as his attendants. They called him "Your Highness," so it must be the real prince.

The content I heard made my throat tighten in panic. They are searching for Lilianna without the Ajette family knowing...?

"There's no choice... We know that the Ajette family is hiding some information about Lilianna's disappearance."

"It's regrettable that we couldn't protect Lilianna's personal maid before she disappeared. The maid also has no trace of her whereabouts within the country."

"Should we seek the help of the Döberny family as planned? They seemed to have some information..."

What should I do, what should I do?

My heart was beating so loudly that I was worried they would hear it and realize I was hiding here. My throat and chest hurt, and I couldn't breathe properly.

I was suffocating, but I couldn't breathe, and my vision gradually went dark.

I couldn't process the rest of their conversation.

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Finally, the book production is complete! I'll work hard to update again!

The release date is December 15, so don't forget to set a reminder on your calendar!