kscans

Chapter 1 - The Liberated Lady

A cheer went up from the crowd.

Petals of every color fluttered through the air as a man and a woman walked by, smiling amidst the blessings of the people. They were this country's Crown Prince and the Crown Princess he had chosen. At this very moment, their wedding reception was in full swing.

Gathered in the hall were the nation's nobles and dignitaries. The King and Queen were, of course, also present, smiling as they offered the couple their unending, congratulatory applause.

The wedding ceremony itself was already over; those gathered here were exclusively nobles of the realm and invited guests from other countries. With so many familiar faces in attendance, the bride and groom, as well as their friends, all wore relaxed smiles.

The story of their romance had been passed down among the people of the country like a fairytale.

The beloved young lady who, through a fateful encounter, won the Crown Prince's love from the duke's daughter originally destined to be his bride.

That was how she was known, the girl who had become an object of adoration for commoners and lower-ranking nobles alike. Her wavy, light blue hair, which normally fell to her shoulders, was now elegantly gathered beneath a maria veil. Her eyes, the same pale blue as her hair, sparkled like aquamarines. She was of a pleasant height, neither too tall nor too short, and her voice was as lovely as the chiming of a bell.

Her name was Falty-Ardia. She was the daughter of the Ardia Count Family and had been a student at the Royal Academy, which was attended by both nobles and commoners. Due to her excellent grades, she had also been a special scholarship student.

It would be no exaggeration to call her a perfect girl. She was equally kind to everyone and never showed favoritism. The entire academy buzzed with rumors of what a truly wonderful young lady she was.

Cast into a position completely opposite of her was the duke's daughter, Lupia-Calmond.

As the daughter of the venerable Calmond Ducal Family, she had been the Crown Prince's fiancée since childhood, enduring a strict education to prepare her to become Crown Princess. She had been told time and again that she would one day stand by his side as his queen, but...

In the blink of an eye, Falty had stolen that place from her. It wasn't as if Lupia had been slacking in her studies.

"...Congratulations."

A low murmur, unbefitting of a blessing, was whispered in a small voice.

Her emotionless, dark eyes reflected the smiling couple, but Lupia no longer cared. It felt as if a fog had settled over her mind, and she wanted nothing more than to leave this place. That, however, was impossible, as she was held fast on both sides by two young lords who were close aides to the Crown Prince.

Faster, I need to get out of here, faster.

Ah, how utterly disgusting this is.

She desperately suppressed a wave of nausea, holding on by a thread, but the two men at her sides ordered her to smile. She heard a sound, like something snapping. With eyes filled to the brim with fury, she shot a glare at the two of them, and their bodies seemed to freeze in terror.

"And who, precisely, do you think you are ordering around? My engagement may have been dissolved, but I am still a daughter of the Calmond Ducal Family. Your families... if I recall... are of baronial rank, are they not?"

How could they possibly think they could stand up to the sheer presence of Lupia, who had been raised her entire life with the words, "One day, you will be queen"? The personal knight of the Calmond family, standing at attention behind Lupia, let out a quiet sigh.

"Mere sons of barons, ordering me around? Who in the world do you think you are...?"

Lupia's quiet question held a bottomless rage that left the two men speechless. They instinctively put a little distance between themselves and her.

"...To force a person who is feeling unwell to remain standing, and then on top of that, to demand words of celebration... I have taken careful note of your faces and names. You can expect a formal letter of protest from my family in due course."

With that cold declaration, Lupia turned to leave.

"Alf, with me."

Calling out to Alfred, the personal knight who had been waiting behind her, Lupia quickly walked away. Her face was deathly pale. The fact that she had endured so much despite feeling so ill was a testament to her incredible mental fortitude.

Without a single falter in her step, she left the grand hall of the royal palace where the reception was being held and slipped into a nearby anteroom. The moment the door closed, Lupia reached her limit. She broke into a run, rushing into the attached lavatory.

"My lady!"

She heard Alfred's voice, but it was too late. She stopped fighting the nausea welling up inside her and emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl.

It's so sickening, I can't stand it. Please, someone, make it stop.

She had never loved the Crown Prince, but she couldn't bring herself to like Falty, who had trampled all over her years of hard work.

"...Huh...?"

That's strange. But... I'm Falty's best friend, aren't I?

No, that's not right. She is no best friend of mine.

Then why?

"...My head... isn't... working..."

Even after emptying her stomach, the heartburn and a fresh wave of nausea assaulted her. This has never happened before, Lupia thought in confusion.

"...Ngh... ugh..."

Wondering if she could vomit again, she unhesitatingly stuck her fingers down her throat. Let them say what they will about a duke's daughter behaving in such a manner. Right now, all she wanted was to be free of this wretched feeling.

"Gah, hack...!"

She tried desperately, but only stomach acid came up. There was nothing left to expel, yet the discomfort lingered.

Along with it came an incomprehensible thought that seemed to blanket her entire mind: I must congratulate Falty.

It wasn't that she and Falty were on bad terms, nor did she particularly care about her one way or another. So why were her own thoughts so contradictory?

Falty is a precious person to me, a dear friend.

No, that's wrong. She's just a classmate from the academy.

It was a bizarre sensation, as if two versions of herself were whispering to her from either side.

Lupia staggered to her feet, rinsed her mouth at the washbasin, and finally emerged from the lavatory. Her complexion had gone beyond pale to an ashen, deathly gray.

Alfred, realizing this was serious, rushed toward her, but Lupia held up a hand to stop him.

"...It's fine. More importantly, has anyone come?"

"No, my lady. No one has come here."

"I see. That's good, then. ...I'm going to rest for a little while, so don't let anyone in. There was a cot in here, wasn't there?"

"Yes, my lady. ...I shall send word to the ducal estate and arrange for a carriage."

"...If you would, I'd appreciate it."

Placing her absolute trust in Alfred, who had protected her since childhood and at times been strict with her, Lupia walked unsteadily toward the bed. She removed her earrings and pendant, slipped off her heels, and lay down on her side so as not to ruin her hairstyle.

At the same time, she sighed, thinking what a disappointment she must be as the daughter of the Calmond Ducal Family. Her years of rigorous education to become Crown Princess, the relationship she had built with the Crown Prince, the trade negotiations with foreign countries that she had been entrusted with—was all of it, every last thing, to be snatched away by Falty?

Certainly, Falty was lovely, and she would undoubtedly be a greater comfort to the Crown Prince than Lupia, who had always interacted with him with the cool detachment of a fiancée candidate. But this was a marriage that concerned the politics of the nation. If the King and Queen had so easily approved of her, then there was nothing Lupia could have done.

Still, she had failed to fulfill her role as a duke's daughter. For that, she felt deeply sorry toward her mother and father.

"I suppose... it's over now..."

There was no one to hear the words she murmured to herself.

Just as she closed her eyelids, intending to sleep for a little while, the sound of something shattering echoed through the room. Crack.

"...Huh?"

She managed to push her heavy body upright and looked around, only to find the world had turned to black and white. Wondering if something was wrong with her eyes, she looked at her own hands and saw that her color remained.

Only the colors of the scenery around her had vanished entirely.

"Wh-what is..."



"Huh?"

A monotone voice echoed. She frantically looked around, but of course, there was no one else in the room. Even when she deployed her innate mana and used detection magic, there was no trace of another presence.

"What's... happening..."



"The real world... huh?"

With another sharp CRACK!, color flooded back into the world.

"Wh-what... was that...?"

And just like that, the nausea that had plagued her was gone. The heartburn, the discomfort—it was all gone.

While she felt a wave of relief at finally feeling better, the words 'liberation from the System' and that inorganic voice spun in her head.

"It said something about an... 'ending'...."

She frowned at the unfamiliar term, but there was no one here who could answer her. For now, she decided to prioritize going home. Vomiting had taken a toll on her stamina. Thinking she needed to recover even a little, Lupia lay her body down once more.