──She had loved fairy tales.
They sparkled, held just a touch of darkness, yet always ended in a gentle world.
They were a little comical, but the people within them still lived their very hardest.
That atmosphere, that beauty — she had loved them all beyond measure.
How wonderful it would be, to live in a world like that. That was what her young heart had once believed.
'It's all right, Sara.'
Her mother told her this, back when she was still a child.
And she pointed. At a character in a picture book — one her mother had loved.
A girl in a beautiful gown, standing on the balcony of a grand castle in the center of the kingdom, gazing up at the starry sky.
'Look carefully. That is what you must aspire to. Every girl's dream.'
And then, in a tone that was itself like something out of a dream, her mother spoke her favorite refrain.
'──Because you are going to become a princess.'
Those words.
It did not take long before she realized they were a curse from which there was no escape.
◆
The Baron Hartmann family.
Sara's family home was, technically, the main branch of a noble household — but it sat at the very bottom of the peerage. There was little difference between it and the estate of a slightly well-to-do commoner.
Because of that, running into family members while wandering through the mansion was hardly an unusual occurrence.
"...Mother?"
A holiday morning.
Having finished breakfast and tidied her appearance, Sara spotted a figure seated in the parlor, poring over documents, and called out to her.
The woman noticed the voice and — in a pleasant mood today — replied.
"Oh, Sara! Perfect timing — come here, dear."
Sara sat down across from her as invited and took another look at the person before her — her mother.
Illumina von Hartmann.
She and Sara shared the same genes — blonde hair, dark blue-violet eyes. Her features were refined enough to be called beautiful, but the slightly heavy makeup, combined with her naturally sharp eyes, might give a harsh impression to some onlookers.
What was truly distinctive, though, was the sheer quantity of accessories — at her ears, her chest, on every finger, along her arms, in her hair — adorning every possible spot. The light refracting off those multicolored gemstones was far too chaotic; the noise of it overpowered any beauty.
In short, she was the very image of a dissipated noblewoman.
After sizing up her mother's... usual state, Sara turned to the documents spread across the table — and was struck speechless.
"M-Mother. These—"
"Yes, you noticed? These are all—"
Marriage
proposals
sent
to you!
In stark contrast to Sara's reaction, Illumina was beaming with joy. She spread both hands over the documents on the table as if showing off treasure.
"Wonderful, Sara! To have captured the hearts of so many gentlemen — I knew raising you was worth every effort! ...But oh, with this many, it's hard to know where to look, isn't it? ...Don't worry, I'll properly 'sort through' them for you."
With that said, Illumina picked up the documents and began reading through them.
"Let's see, this one... the second son of Viscount Kusea... Surely he's joking? A viscount's house of all things thinking they're a match for my Sara? Rejected. Next is... the eldest son of Count Rahtmar. His family standing isn't impressive either, and I've never heard rumors of any notable mages coming from that line. On the decline, I'd say — rejected as well. Next is—"
Without the slightest hesitation, she tossed the letters of proposal aside one after another, each accompanied by a dismissive remark aimed at the sender.
And what's more — these were letters addressed to Sara, yet she discarded every last one without so much as asking Sara's permission.
Naturally, Sara had never asked her to do this, nor had she even been informed that such proposals were arriving in the first place.
"Um... Mother—"
"It's alright, Sara. Leave it to your mother."
Sara could no longer bear to stay silent and tried to speak up, but Illumina cut her off before she could finish and began speaking on her own instead.
"Listen well. Since you were born a noble lady, you must marry a man of as high a standing as possible. That is the greatest happiness there is."
Her tone was gentle, doting — yet beneath it all, a dark obsession glimmered through.
"If you fail to understand that, or if those around you don't support it... you'll end up married off to some wretched place, just like me. Sara, I don't want you to make that kind of mistake. This is all for your sake."
The mother —
From a marquis household
Into a baron household,
Married
off,
A woman
— spoke.
"Don't worry, Mother will handle everything. I'll teach you every technique to capture a gentleman's heart, and the means to marry into a distinguished house — at the very least, a marquis household. You have nothing to worry about. You're a girl with wonderful talent. For your sake, I'll do anything. Yes, I—"
And so the mother — who seemed to be gazing at her daughter, yet was really looking at someone else she had projected onto her —
Spoke as though intoxicated, uttering her usual refrain.
"—
"You will
,
become a princess
!
""
...That was what this was all about.
Her mother, Illumina, had originally been the eldest daughter of a prestigious marquis family.
Apparently, there had been a dispute within her family of origin over the marriage prospects of the daughters. Even Sara did not know the details of what had happened. According to Illumina, "It was all that younger sister's doing. She stole my place through despicable, squalid means without a shred of pride," but it was easy to imagine that her account was colored by considerable bias.
In any case, Illumina had borne the fallout of that dispute and, having passed the age of suitable marriage without finding a match, ended up marrying into the Baron Hartmann family.
She was consumed by fierce jealousy and a thirst for revenge. Even in the Baron Hartmann family—her new home—she ignored her husband, the head of the household, and behaved exactly as she pleased, wielding her former status as a shield, yet none of it could quell that gnawing emptiness inside her.
Unsatisfied, her tyranny only accelerated further. She carried on as though she herself were the rightful head of the household, and in the midst of all that—
Sara was born.
A girl who, from early childhood, possessed uncommon beauty and was, moreover, supremely blessed with a magical gift known as "Dual aptitude."
And so Illumina—began to use Sara as a means of quenching her own unending thirst.
"You will become a princess!"
Those words became her constant refrain.
Despite being born into a baron family, Sara was to be singled out by the scion of a high-ranking noble house and married off to him. Illumina intended to make this fairy-tale rise a reality.
At minimum, a marquis family. With that as her goal, Illumina subjected Sara to every conceivable form of education.
As an instrument of revenge. As someone who would achieve what she herself never could.
—not as a beloved daughter, but as a vessel into which she could pour her own self.
Projection Target
As such.
She was taught the grooming and style of dress that would maximize the charm of Sara's appearance.
She was taught how to use magic to protect and heal others, making them dependent on her.
She was taught the behaviors and personality traits that would tantalize a man's heart and satisfy his pride.
With an astonishingly dark passion—self-love disguised as a mother's affection—she hammered into Sara every conceivable way to capture a man's heart, without a shred of mercy.
In all of this, Sara's own personality, nature, and desires were never taken into account.
Only the ideal image that the noble sons of this country wished for. Any superfluous parts of "Sara herself" that weren't needed for that purpose were carved away and fitted into the mold.
And so was born the current Sara von Hartmann—Illumina von Hartmann's magnum opus.
...Sara thought.
Every man who approaches her invariably praises her. He extols her appearance, her personality, her attitude.
Perhaps that was something to be proud of. But at the same time, she couldn't help but think—
Of course it is. Because she was raised to be exactly that, and only that.
There was no room for "Sara" in any of it. What they saw was something Illumina had created.
—Just the way you are is fine.
Words she had heard again and again from the men who approached her.
Depending on how one took them, the words might sound pleasant. But for her, they were the cruelest irony.
...That was precisely why.
The existence of the boy who had given her the chance to change—who had shown her, through his very attitude, that it was all right to be different—had made her so deeply happy.
"Oh my, is that the end of it?"
As she sat lost in thought, it seemed the "screening" of the marriage proposal applicants had concluded, and Illumina let out a sigh.
Yet her eyes sparkled with delight.
The girl she had raised—Sara—had drawn the admiration of numerous men, just as she had envisioned, and now it was Sara herself who stood in the position of screening them.
That thought thrilled her, delighted her, and fed an irrepressible sense of superiority. In high spirits that practically radiated from her, Illumina turned to Sara.
"You did wonderfully. …Although, among the ones who came today, not a single gentleman really stood out, did he? —And at the academy? Are there any who might meet my standards?"
……By now, the premise had shifted entirely to Illumina choosing on Sara's behalf, and she made no effort to hide it.
Fully aware of this, Sara answered. …With something other than the truth.
"No. It does seem that having been His Highness Aster's fiancée, even if only briefly, continues to leave its mark."
"I see. —Absolutely infuriating. Why on earth did that prince have to fall into ruin? He at least had the eye to choose Sara, but it turns out his actual ability was nothing more than a facade!"
She had been in wild ecstasy the first time she heard Sara had been singled out by Aster, and yet now she tore into him without mercy. Granted, he had already lost his claim to succession, but to slander a former prince this harshly was something extraordinary.
But perhaps it was only natural. There was nothing left in Illumina's mind except the goal of marrying Sara off to someone in a superior position. The moment he ceased to be a prince, Aster had become worthless in Illumina's eyes.
"But if that's the reason, it should calm down with time. My Sara is this charming, so I'm sure she'll be getting approached at the academy again in no time!"
"……"
"Who would be a good match, I wonder? Let me think… Ah, what about him—Clyde von Helmuth, the marquis's son!"
The name of the most talked-about person at the academy right now came up, and Sara's shoulder involuntarily jumped.
"With His Highness Aster gone, Clyde, who was his close aide, must be the center of Class A, right? His family is a distinguished marquis house, and they say he's so beautiful that everyone turns to look. He's a perfect match for my Sara, don't you think? Has he perhaps already approached you?"
"A-Ah, um…"
Confronted with such a critical topic, she flinched slightly but managed to squeeze out the words.
"Clyde, well… first of all, after B Class won the last inter-class competition, Class A itself has been thrown into disarray…"
"Oh, that? Something like that—B Class must have used some underhanded trick, obviously. Sara, you weren't involved in any of that, were you?"
"—!"
Illumina had not watched the inter-class competition.
She loathed it as "fighting with magic is barbaric and no work for a lady," and refused to even watch.
Despite that, here she was, talking like this.
Sara, too, had carried especially heavy feelings about that battle. She drew a breath to raise her voice, but—
—in that instant, the doorbell rang.
"Oh my. I wonder who it could be?"
Sara, with her words caught in her throat, was left standing there as Illumina went to answer the door.
And then, almost immediately, Illumina's voice rang out from the entrance, brimming with delight. Before Sara could even dwell on her unease, the door was already opening.
And so, led in by Illumina, the person who appeared in the living room was—
"Hey there, Sara. —Ah, you look beautiful even on your day off, so domestic and lovely."
Speak of the devil.
And yet the timing couldn't have been worse—the blue-haired boy, Clyde von Helmuth himself, had appeared, calling out to Sara with a face that masked obsession beneath its bright veneer.
This place, the flow of this conversation, and the fact that both this mother and Clyde had shown up together.
No matter how you looked at it, this was no ordinary visit. With a premonition bordering on certainty, Sara hugged her own body.
—But at the same time, she also thought: this could be a chance.
Her mother, who had simply gone along with things until now, and Clyde, who refused to acknowledge anything—this was, in a sense, the perfect opportunity to have it all out.
…She had always known she couldn't go on like this. But knowing was all she could manage; she could never actually act on it.
Yet someone had come along and changed the people around her.
If there was someone who would undo all of that progress, all of those results…
Now it's my turn to change. My turn to do my best.
She recalled the face of the boy who had been the catalyst for that change, drawing courage from the memory.
With determination in her heart, Sara fixed her gaze on the two people standing before her.
It's been a while since we had a character-name chapter.
I'd be happy if you'd keep watching over her efforts. Look forward to the next one too!