TN: Rushed translation, if there is any weird sentences or something is hard to understand, please tell me. Please enjoy for now.
The door was slowly opened after receiving the knock and Mary who had been thinking of escaping unexpectedly strengthened her expression.
There was no doubt that the people in that room were people reigning on top of this country. They were people who hold the authority when the King and Queen were absent.
Even though she was a daughter of Albert House, to Mary who wasnât a heir, they were an existence she couldnât oppose.
When she thought such people are waiting inside, chill ran down her spine, and even though she was confused, she was still trying to find way to escapeâŠ
Mary could only widen her eyes at Alicia who came running to hug her with tears in her eyes.
âMary-sama, everything suddenly become like this, I donât know what I should doâŠ! â
To Alicia who were hugging her while sobbing, Mary also didnât know what to do.
Usually people would gently rub Aliciaâs shoulder while trying to comfort her, but she couldnât do something that friendly-ish, and in this situation, even Mary couldnât keep her calm.
If it was allowed, she would peel Alicia off of her and together with Addie, they would bow their head and dashed out of the room right this moment.
âWa, please calm downâŠâ
âMary-sama, please stay beside me. Iâm so scared, my Aunt still havenât come but everyone keep talking, I donât know what is happeningâŠ! â
âI, Iâm staying here as wellâŠ? â
No way, Mary looked around the Parliament Room.
The authorative figures were staring at them. Even the appearance of her father, who should have been familiar, it felt intimidating at this place, and let alone saying something, she couldnât meet his gaze. That was not her father, that was the current head of Albert House, second only to Royal Family.
Furthermore, there were not enough seats, well-known scholars and representatives of each house are lined up along the walls, and even though she was Mary Albert, she felt crushed under the suffocating atmosphere.
Several chairs were placed to face those people. It was closer to an interrogation rather than a meeting. Mary trembled when she imagined herself sat there.
Donât joke with me. Itâs impossible. A frog in front of a snakeâŠno, itâs more like putting tadpoles in front of legendary serpent. Even a few minutes would be unbearable.
Actually, Patrick who sat on those chair looked pale. There were none of his usual dignity, but it couldnât be helped in this situation.
Instead, it was admirable that he could keep being sober. Speaking of the coldness and the weight of the air in this room, if you were a regular man, you would lose to the sense of intimidation and will defect to the interrogator side even if you have to forsake Alicia.
Even that Patrick seemed to loosen his expression when he saw Mary and Addie. To the expression that showed relief because they got friends, Mary raised an objection inside her heart.
Stop it, donât joke with me.
I am not in a position to be in such a place, I donât have any relation to the royal family, Iâm not even the heir of Albert family.
Thatâs why, stop! Donât pull on my sleeve, I have no obligation to sit with you! !
âE, everyone, saying Iâm the princess⊠and say Iâm notâŠI, to accuse me of stealing the seal, thaâŠeven though thatâs not trueâŠâ
Aliciaâs appeal, which does not get pretty clear, justified the confusion of this parliament. No matter how much you call them the Supreme Council, they couldnât investigate the identity of the Princess who appeared so suddenly. And moreover, it was a girl from countryside.
Of course, it goes without saying that each ambition and desire is involved, no matter what the truth or falsehood is inside, there may be those who are plotting to use this turning point as well.
Thatâs why Mary was trying to find a way to retreatâŠbut she realized Alicia was gripping her dress with trembling fingers.
Of course. Someone who thought herself as a commoner, enrolling into Carelia Academy who was filled with noble and finally getting used to life within that academy were now faced with this commotion.
To be surrounded by people who she thought were above the cloud, and with those scary expressionâŠA princess or not, a teenage girl would cry under the pressure. Even Mary would cry if she was the one under scrutiny.
Because she understood, she couldnât shake Alicia off of her.
Mary Albert was not so inhumane she would throw away Alicia here. No matter how much sarcasm she threw because she wanted the downfall, they were girls of same age. Although she was not one who will hug the other girl back at this kind of place.
Besides, Alicia was wearing that bracelet, and when Mary wanted to shook Alicia off, she stopped at the sound of jingling bracelet.
Even though it was just cheap ornaments, why on earth it seemed like resonating with the one she hid in her pocket.
âI donât know about princess⊠this seal is my protective charm⊠Auntie and teachers at the orphanage taught usâŠ. to say I steal thisâŠâ
Please believe me, Alicia looked up at Mary while trembling. Those teary eyes, if Mary uttered one word of doubt, they surely would be broken.
Looking back at those eyes, Mary couldnât even nod.
Purple eyes as the sign of descendant of royalty on a face that looked like the Queen. Holding a royal seal when she was kidnapped⊠everything was just like the game. If you thought based on that memory, there was no doubt that Alicia was the princess.
However, in other words, Maryâs proof was only a game. And itâs not something she could say, âthis is a game I played on my previous lifeâ.
Above all, she couldnât say that everything is happening just like the game. Mary herself was the most notable difference.
Perhaps it might not be as the game is.
Just by following the story, the result might be that Alicia was not the princessâŠ
For example, a girl with blood relation to royal family, or a girl adopted into the royal family because they like her, or for any other reason, âthe result would be like the gameâ, Alicia would be a princess but her identity might be different.
With those unease welling inside her, she turned to Addie who stood beside her with puzzled look. He also wondered what to do in this situation, his expression taut.
Considering his position, that much was obvious. In this room, aside from the maids who were standing nervously on the side, he hold the lowest position among them all.
What to do, she didnât have any confidence.
To be sure Alicia was the princess just like in the game, her anxiety rose up.
Was it good to believe in the memory of the game that far? Above all, she herself was an irregularity as opposed to the gameâŠ
Thinking that farâŠMary touched the bracelet hidden inside her skirt.
It was a DoraGaku official goods, but it never appear in the main story. Not as âMary Albert from the gameâ, just as Mary who received something from Alicia.
In the first place, Mary herself didnât care about in-game Mary or Alicia.
Not caring about the villainous noble daughter role, Mary was only interested in her downfall.
She didnât learn how to erase her engagement to Patrick from the game, she also didnât stick close to him like in-game Mary, simply thinking âah, weâre probably going to be engagedâ because of their position. There was no reason to get angry nor be in his way even if he was interested in other woman beside herself.
Alicia as well. Even if she was the heroine of DoraGaku, Mary had no reason to hate her. For Mary, not only Patrick, the other capture targets had nothing to do with her.
The villainous noble daughter Mary Albert was not Mary. If there was no feeling to change, âI wonât become a villainous daughter!â is not something to say intentionally.
Being only interested in her downfall, she had no interest even to the game in her past life. Of course, to her self in the past life as well.
She was using the memory from that life, but the character she liked in the past, what she expected when she played the game, those didnât matter.
After all, it was a dead woman and a villainous daughter inside a screen.
To her past-self, in-game-Mary, there was no obligation to be concerned with those.
I am myself. The one who received the bracelet was her.
Thatâs why, Alicia who was here in front of herâŠ
With that thought, against Alicia who was still crying, Mary grabbed her shoulder tightlyâŠ
âDonât cry, you bumpkin! â
And scolded her as usual.
âŠeasy to say, the atmosphere was frozen that second.
But to run here would tarnish the name Mary Albert, besides there was no way to retreat, with that determination Mary put more strength to her hands which was gripping Aliciaâs shoulder.
âI donât care if you are a princess or not, but you are still a bumpkin!ăTo cry pathetically like this, donât destroy the dignity of this parliament room with your countryside stink! â
âPatrick, you too!ăWhy are you silent as well!ăThe one you fall in love with is not the princess, but this bumpkin girl, right! You were prepared to throw away your family name for this bumpkin who stinks of the countryside, did you not! â
âEven though it was annuled, as my former fiancee, donât show such an unsightly figure! â
Mary walked down the parliament room while scolding them both.
And then, sitting on a vacant seat, she turned her gaze toward the esteemed figures, and bowed her head gracefully once.
âPardon me for the unsightly scene, please continue the conversation.â
Of course, the meeting didnât resume, but a strange atmosphere started to drift in.
Only Patrick and Alicia, who reseated herself beside him, showed a joyous expression and nodded to each other, as if showing their renewed resolve.
However, Mary at that time,
âThis is not a downfall, this is a road straight to executionâŠâ
Her bravery a while ago had run off and left her pale.
To speak sharply in front of these important peoples, if Alicia was determined to be the princess, it would be a lese majeste, because if not, it would break the parliamentâs image.
Above all, in a dignified place like this, to say âcountryside stinkâ and the like. No matter her position as the daughter of Albert House, it was not something forgivable.
âI really did it this timeâŠâ
Mary who spoke those words like an impulsive crime, Addie who was pale and stiffened at his masterâs eccentric behavior,
said with a voice that echoed inside the room, bowed his head and took a seat. Of course, on Maryâs side.
A mere attendant, whose position is the lowest inside the room, even if they had enough seat for everyone, this act was unforgivable. And when the scholars and nobles were standing, Addie boldly sat down.
Of course, as his master, Mary could only widened her eyes, âAddieâŠ? â and called his name in wonder.
âWhat are you thinkingâŠâ
âI did say I will follow you wherever you go.â
âWe, well, you didâŠâ
âI will follow you even to the gallow.â
To Addie who was laughing awkwardly, Mary could only laughed back as she narrowed her eyes in momentary defeat, âFoolish man.â