I Raised Snow White!

“Frankenstein…”

A name that I absolutely, truly, do not want to encounter.

Imagining a man with green skin covered in scars, I shook my head. Why on earth would Frankenstein show up in Snow White? That would be crossing way too many genre boundaries.

Still, if he was the only ‘doctor’ who could heal Ainsel, then maybe it wouldn’t hurt to meet him just once. Though if he really had screws sticking out of his head like I imagined, I’d probably run for my life.

Now that I thought about it, I remembered there was a ‘witch from another fairy tale’ that once appeared in the game version of “Snow White.” She briefly helped the grown-up princess. I had dismissed it as an homage, but…

Are witches usually like this? Could it be that these characters from other stories also serve as ‘witches’? Just thinking about there being thirteen of them left me dizzy.

Slowly, I opened the Coven’s invitation that the white owl had sent. Feeling an inexplicable fear, I squinted my eyes and gingerly opened the invitation. And as I checked its contents—

“Huh…?”

The invitation was brief.

It simply instructed me to gather in an unknown location on a night when the full moon was out. Seeing that single line, I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

‘How am I supposed to go anywhere in the middle of the night when I can’t even leave the royal palace?’

Technically, I could leave the palace, but I definitely wasn’t permitted to go ‘alone.’ Had I been expecting too much from these witches? I thought they’d use fairy magic or something to teleport me.

‘Well, there’s no choice. If I can’t go to them, I’ll just have to summon them here.’

I took out some stationery from my desk drawer and started writing a letter. Since Ainsel had assured me that the witches knew I wasn’t ‘Vivian,’ there seemed no need to hide the truth.

Though I intended to write a brief summary of what had happened, I found myself filling up more than three pages. I read over the letter I’d written, and a wry smile crept onto my face.

In short, my letter said:

‘There’s madness unfolding here within the royal family. Please help.’

[The First Queen Aurora has taken the corpse of the fairy ‘Leannán Sidhe’ and used it to drain the blood of her husband, the King. As if that wasn’t enough, she then used her corpse to possess the King.

The reason for all this is absurd. It’s because they ‘wanted to become one.’ I think Aurora has been deceived by someone. The King is already dead, and according to Sylph, Aurora will soon follow.

Meanwhile, my friend Ainsel has lost consciousness due to ‘contractal rebound.’ I need the ‘fairy doctor’ named ‘Frankenstein’ who might be able to heal Ainsel. Could you possibly help?]

I carefully folded the letter, placed it in an envelope, and pressed the royal seal firmly on it. Then, I fanned it a few times to let the wax dry.

After confirming the royal insignia was stamped correctly on the red wax, I glanced at Sylph, who was peacefully sleeping on my bed.

Sylph was happily napping atop the blanket, clutching a round magic candy. It seemed she had already finished all the candies I had made, with just one left in her hands.

I gathered what little magic I had left, made three more magic candies, and placed them in front of Sylph. Catching the scent of the sweet magic, Sylph blinked open her eyes and looked at me.

“Can I ask you one last favor?”

Sylph nodded sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

“Please deliver this letter to the witch who sent me the invitation. Or, if you can, give it to that ‘Frankenstein’ witch.”

-That’s an easy task. Though it may take some time, I’ll be back soon.

Stretching her wings high above her, Sylph let out a big yawn and picked up the letter I handed her. Although the letter was three times her size, Sylph folded it down to the size of a fingernail in an instant.

Holding the tiny letter in both hands, Sylph flapped her wings and flew toward the window. I had offered her to stay the night, but she shook her head and urged me to open the window.

-Keep the candy safe, young one. I’ll come back for it soon.

“Be careful on your journey.”

-Hoho, of course. And you, young one, take care in my absence.

As soon as I opened the window, Sylph soared out like a gust of wind. Watching her disappear into the starry night, I felt confident that my letter would be delivered swiftly.

Gazing at the starry night sky where Sylph had vanished, I let out a worried sigh and closed the window. Now, all I could do was wait.

Wait for the King’s corpse to be discovered and for a reply from the witches. Convinced it wouldn’t take long, I turned to look at Ainsel’s body.

Seeing Ainsel still showing no response, I sighed again and collapsed onto my bed. It was late, and I should get some sleep.

There was much to do tomorrow.

Four days passed after that.

There had been no news from Sylph, and Ainsel was still unconscious. And no one yet had discovered that the King was dead.

Every day, Bainshaw would bring food and paint to the door. But now, noticing the spoiled food piling up outside the room, Bainshaw’s expression had grown increasingly grim.

Watching him made me feel like I was holding a ticking time bomb. One that was inevitably about to go off.

Ignoring the guilt creeping up on me, I continued the princess’s lessons. But Ainsel’s absence weighed more heavily than I had expected, especially in etiquette and other lessons she had managed.

On the first day without Ainsel, I remembered the conversation I’d had with the princess. Realizing that Ainsel wasn’t attached to my ear as usual, the princess looked up at me with a slightly worried expression.

“Your Majesty… where is Ainsel?”

“…Ainsel is resting because she’s a little unwell. She’ll get better soon, so don’t worry.”

“T-then, would it be alright if I visit her?”

The princess, unable to hide her worry upon hearing that Ainsel was ill, anxiously asked me. I gently patted her restless head, trying hard to reassure her with a little white lie.

“Ainsel has gone to meet a doctor for a while. That’s why she isn’t here… You don’t need to worry at all. She’s with a doctor who’s very good at treating fairies.”

“Hmm…”

I slipped my hands under the princess’s arms and lifted her high up in the air, seeing her sad expression even more clearly. She didn’t look like she was about to cry, but her face showed the same sulky expression as a child who feels wronged.

To the princess, Ainsel was likely her very first friend, so it was only natural she was quite concerned. But there was nothing I could do. Ainsel still hadn’t regained consciousness.

I let out a small sigh, then carried the princess in my arms as I headed to the classroom. I was worried about Ainsel, but the princess needed to focus on her upcoming ‘birthday party’ even more.

Making sure this clumsy princess could dance a perfect waltz was my current mission. Glancing down at her nestled in my arms, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Rather than worry about Ainsel, let’s focus on your lessons. Do you remember the dance steps I taught you last time?”

“Y-yes…! I practiced them with Ellie! Ellie even said I got them perfect!”

The princess demonstrated one of the dance moves, lifting both arms above her head from within my arms. According to Ellie, the princess practiced this dance every day in her room.

At this rate, someday she might even grow taller than me. Just imagining that possibility brought a smile to my face.

“Then, today we’ll learn a new dance move, just like I promised.”

“Yes!”

Excited for the new dance move, the princess beamed and started humming the song for the dance.

So, after teaching her the new dance steps, four days went by.

Clap, clap, clap!

“One, two, three! One, two, three!”

The princess began stepping to the waltz rhythm in her own way, trying to follow along with my clapping. Her timing was still rough, and her body swayed like a squid, but she had improved compared to before.

If she used to be like a worm, maybe now she was at least a squid?

Though her steps were still unsteady, her form was wobbly, and every second turn she stumbled on her skirt.

“Ah, oops…!”

This time, she stumbled again while spinning in a circle, stepping on her skirt. Watching her, I instinctively reached out to steady her, but the princess regained her balance and continued the steps on her own.

‘Is it because she doesn’t have a lead?’

The princess still struggled with turns. I wondered who would be her dance partner, but it would likely be a noble child around her age if all went well.

In the past, a royal’s first dance partner was traditionally their parent, the King. From the second dance on, it was customary for a child of the same age from the nobility to be the partner. But now, without the King…

Since the princess would enter society after this birthday party, it might be beneficial for her to partner with a young noble of her age and start making her social connections.

Society was known to be a jungle, with separate spheres for children and adults alike. I worried about how this fragile princess would manage in such a harsh environment.

Just as I was lost in thought, watching the princess dance—

Clap!

“Huff, huff…!”

Finishing the last move of the waltz, the princess took a deep breath, wiping beads of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. It was still clumsy and far from perfect, but even finishing the routine was significant progress.

Feeling proud of completing her dance, the princess looked up at me with sparkling eyes, like a little deer. I clapped enthusiastically and lifted her into a hug.

“Just a little more practice, and you’ll have it. Shall we stop here for today?”

“Yes… My legs hurt a lot…”

The princess, tapping her knees while nestled in my arms, rested her head against my shoulder, exhausted. Just as I was about to set her down on the bed,—

Knock, knock—

Someone knocked on the classroom door. Wondering what it could be, I called out for them to enter. Ellie stepped in, her face pale and hands trembling as she looked at me.

Seeing her expression, I knew.

“Y-Your Majesty… the Chancellor would like to see you for a moment…”

“…Alright. I’ll be there soon.”

Bainshaw had discovered the King’s death.