Princess Ninaev has been looking worried lately. Her eyes look a little gloomy, and it makes me sad.
I don’t remember ever being concerned about someone else before the rebellion happened and I realized I’m not actually special. I never needed to, I just thought all that mattered was that I had fun. But now I want Princess Ninaev to smile.
I like her. She saved me and smiled at me when no one else did.
Her fiance, the person she is supposed to marry, is missing. Commoners get married to people they like, but apparently royalty like Princess Ninaev get married even if they don’t have that sort of relationship. Honestly, I don’t know a lot about love, so I can’t really talk about it, but I think that even if Princess Ninaev doesn’t feel that way about him, at the very least she does care about him.
That’s probably why she wants to do something to help him, but it doesn’t look like she’s going to do anything about her missing fiance.
“Princess Ninaev.”
“Oh? What is it Alice?”
When I call her, she looks at me with a kind smile. Prince Ninaev is fourteen, three years older than me, but she feels a lot more mature. I want to be like her too.
She saved me even though I didn’t care about anyone else but myself. She’s so nice, and I really like her.
“Is your fiance all right?”
“…I pray that he is.”
She says with a smile, but I think she really wants to do something for him. But then why doesn’t she? Is it because she can’t do anything?
“Princess Ninaev, aren’t you going to do anything about your fiance? Like looking for him?”
“Well… Anything I do will have ramifications. It could affect not just me, but other people as well, especially since I am royalty. During the time you spent as the miko, what you did also affected people around you, right? I am concerned about Prince Hicked, but I have to think about other people around me as well. I think you will understand when you’re a little older.”
Says Princess Ninaev.
Being a princess means she has a lot of influence over everyone around her, so she can’t move as much as she wants.
She was sent to this land because she told me what she thought of me, and saved me when my life was in danger. She has influence, but even she didn’t know what was going to happen at the time. But now, she can’t do anything.
What’s the difference? Is it because I’m here now?
“…Princess Ninaev, I’m sorry if I’m misunderstanding, but are you doing nothing because of me?”
I start thinking if maybe she isn’t doing anything because it would influence me too, and it looks like I’m right. I’ve never seen her taken aback like this. She usually keeps her emotions inside.
“Princess Ninaev… Don’t worry about me.”
“Alice?”
“I would be dead already if you didn’t save me. And before the rebellion happened, I only thought about myself and caused a lot of trouble to other people. I’m sure I would’ve died if it wasn’t for you, so my life is here in this place. I want to make up for all the trouble I caused, but… The person I want to repay the most is you. What you want matters to me more than anything else. So I don’t care if you decide to take action and something bad happens.”
I mean what I say.
My life is very peaceful now, but it’s all because of Princess Ninaev. Because she protects me.
I understand very well that it’s because of her that I’m alive.
Even if I didn’t die back then, I’m sure my life wouldn’t be this peaceful.
I really want to make amends for all the trouble I’ve caused, but above all else I want to pay Princess Ninaev back for all she did for me.
“So Princess Ninaev, if there’s something you want to do, do it. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way, and even other people who will be affected would agree. Please do what you want.”
Everyone in this remote region that gets along with Princess Ninaev likes her a lot. Even Hondetta says so. After she was sent to this land because of me, Princess Ninaev worked very hard to build connections to other people. And not the kind of shallow connections I had when I was the miko.
I’m sure there are a lot of people around Princess Ninaev who feel the same way I do, or even more strongly. That’s just the kind of person she is.
“…Alice…”
“I like you a lot Princess Ninaev, so don’t worry about me, and do what you want. I mean it… I want you to act with that in mind.”
“…Yes, thank you Alice.”
Princess Ninaev nods.
I don’t know what she’ll do, but I’ll be by her side no matter what.
—The sister talks with the princess
(The miko’s sister talks with the princess, and wants to be her ally no matter what.)
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i love how much Alice has grown. growing up she believed so confidently that
she was special because she was constantly fed “proof” that this was the case.
anyone who tried to give proof that suggested otherwise was removed from the situation.
so many years being feed that special crap created a situation where with so much “proof” suggesting she was special it would take drastic form of proof to shake that foundation of lies.
and there is nothing more powerful for a wake-up slap than having your life be in danger.
it was the ultimate proof that contradicted everything she had know to that point.
after the foundation was stripped away she was reduced to a lost child adrift in a world that didn’t care. and because of Nina she was given an opportunity to be better.and she took it.
a chance at redemption in her eyes to both herself and all the people who suffered because of her.