I Raised Snow White!

Ellie left Vivian’s room and walked down the corridor, beaming with joy at having survived rather than showing a sad expression.

Ellie didn’t care that blood was trickling down her forehead; she was relieved that the incident ended with just a minor wound, so much so that she didn’t even feel the pain.

‘I’m alive! I survived!’

It was nearly a miracle that she had confronted the Queen and only ended up with a cracked forehead. Normally, she would’ve been forced to bash her head on the floor at least ten times and endured a beating before being allowed to leave the room.

“Ellie? What happened to your forehead?”

“Oh…this?”

As Ellie was walking with a spring in her step, a passing maid stopped her. The maid, seeing Ellie’s bleeding forehead, seemed to have a sense of what had happened.

“…Could you gather the others who are resting? I have something to tell them.”

Ellie, looking at the maid who’d stopped her, resolved to share what happened. She was determined to warn her fellow maids not to believe only in ‘rumors’ and then confront the Queen.

*

“Is that really true?”

“I’m telling you, it’s a complete lie that Her Majesty lost her memory! A pure lie! Her dreadful personality is exactly the same as before!”

Ellie, almost like a soldier returning from the battlefield, shared her tale of survival with the other maids.

Then, as if her forehead wound was a badge of honor, Ellie lifted her bangs and proudly showed it to the other maids.

“Still, I’m jealous. Last time, even after banging my head ten times, she didn’t forgive me.”

“Only three times? I had to add a beating on top of ten, and it still stings when I put my hand in cold water.”

“Is there anyone here who hasn’t had to bash their head and got bruised at least once?”

The other maids swallowed nervously as they listened to Ellie’s story.

Honestly, they had all thought the same. If Her Majesty had really lost her memory, maybe they could be a little rebellious.

But seeing Ellie’s wounded forehead changed their minds. Yes, if they defied Her Majesty, they’d end up just like Ellie—with split foreheads, injured palms, and curses toward their families.

‘Ah, if only she had drowned in the lake; things would be so much better.’

Thinking the same thing, the maids sighed deeply. While discussing Her Majesty, one maid brought up the subject of the “witch.”

“Come to think of it… do you think the rumor is true? That Her Majesty is actually ‘that.’”

“Well, considering how she suddenly rose up from her coffin at the funeral, it was creepy… I thought she’d heard me cursing her and risen just to spite me.”

“You too?”

“Who wouldn’t think she’s ‘that’ after seeing that? Her Majesty was surrounded by those rumors long before she married His Majesty. People just kept quiet because there was no proof.”

“But now, with ‘evidence,’ it’d be stranger if people weren’t talking about it.”

The maid who’d brought up the witch story clicked her tongue in disapproval.

The rumor that Her Majesty was a witch wasn’t new.

Initially, many noble ladies had gathered to be chosen as the new queen. These young ladies were selected as carefully as panning for gold, until only five candidates remained.

However, all the other candidates except Vivian withdrew due to various problems—mental breakdowns, family conflicts.

One noble family even collapsed. Just when things were most crucial, scandals about the lady’s father’s corruption and scandalous hobbies suddenly surfaced.

The saying “there’s no dust-free noble” was so common among the commoners that corruption became synonymous with nobility.

In the end, the young lady had no choice but to give up her position as the queen candidate, and the other ladies followed for similar reasons.

Among them, the only one who had no issues or rumors was none other than the current Queen, Vivian Lilienthal. Everyone suspected her, but there was no proof.

Full of suspicion and mistrust.

Vivian rose to the throne coated in these things.

But Vivian, instead of trying to calm the rumors, began beating and abusing her maids as soon as she became queen, so no one could like her.

Rumor had it that on the first night, she beat a maid simply because His Majesty hadn’t returned to her room. But… that’s not something a mere maid should know.

Anyway, that’s why Her Majesty hadn’t been granted the royal surname. Instead of the royal name “Snow White,” she still went by “Lilienthal.”

“Hah… Should I just quit and go back to my hometown?”

“If that were an option, I would’ve left long ago.”

Haa.

At that, Ellie and the other maids all sighed deeply. They hadn’t said it out loud, but they were in the same boat. Why else would Vivian’s maid position be the highest-paid in the royal household?

It wasn’t hard to figure out.

Every one of Vivian’s maids had “backgrounds” that required them to earn a lot of money. Some had to pay off family debts or support families after a noble family’s downfall…

Riiiiip.

Just as they were sighing about their harsh reality, someone tugged on the hem of Ellie’s skirt. She turned to see who it was, but no one was there.

When she looked down, she saw a little girl, causing her and the other maids to freeze in shock.

“P-Princess?! Wh-Why are you here..?”

The little girl with hair darker than ebony and gleaming red eyes like rubies gazed up at Ellie, holding onto her skirt.

“What are you doing?”

“Uh, we were… just resting for a moment. But why are you here, Princess..?”

Ellie crouched down to meet the Princess’s gaze, and the Princess hugged a large book and glanced at Ellie.

Seeing the book, Ellie immediately guessed where the Princess was headed and why she was here. Realizing they’d been chatting in the corner of the corridor, Ellie cautiously asked the Princess.

“Oh… Are you on your way to class?”

“Yes…”

The Princess hid half her face behind the book, as if shy. Smiling at her, Ellie took out a candy she’d hidden and slipped it into the Princess’s hand.

“Just don’t tell your teacher and save it for after class, okay?”

With candy in hand, the Princess grinned in delight and trotted off, her small form clutching the big book, making Ellie worry.

“Be careful, Princess!”

Meeting the Princess occasionally and giving her small treats was one of Ellie’s few sources of happiness in this harsh maid’s life.

The other maids, seeing this, pouted in envy. Many were close to the Princess, but chances like these were rare.

“Whew, thank goodness the Princess hasn’t heard stories about Her Majesty.”

“Huh? Why’d you suddenly bring that up?”

Ellie looked puzzled as if asking what she meant.

“Didn’t you know? After the funeral, the Princess freaks out if Her Majesty is even mentioned. Imagine seeing someone you thought was dead suddenly rise up. She’s just a child; how could she not be traumatized? I get scared just looking at Her Majesty’s face.”

“Oh…”

At those words, Ellie made a pained expression.

‘Poor Princess, especially with His Majesty like that…’

Some rumors blamed Her Majesty for what happened to the King, but Ellie didn’t believe it. If Her Majesty truly had power over the King, she wouldn’t let things turn out this way.

“…Let’s get back to work. Who’s assigned to Her Majesty tonight?”

“Did you forget? You’ve got her all day today.”

“…But I got my forehead busted. Can’t someone switch with me?”

The other maids shook their heads in unison. Then, one by one, they remembered urgent tasks and quickly left. Watching them go, Ellie thought.

Maid friendships really were as thin as paper.

*

After Bainshaw left the room, I crossed my legs and rested my chin on my hand, pondering as I looked at Ainsel. Was it really fair to face a “witch trial” just because of a “resurrection” at the funeral?

Witch trials in this world weren’t unique. If you couldn’t prove you weren’t a witch, you’d be burned alive. But how do you prove you’re not a witch?

No matter how much I explained, I could already tell they’d twist my words to label me a witch. Did I choose to resurrect myself? How was I supposed to know I’d wake up at a funeral?

“…What should I really do?”

-Well, things seem more complicated than expected… Can I retract my offer to help?

“…Are fairies always this heartless?”

-Coming from Vivian’s face, that doesn’t sound right.

Heartless mirror.

With a bit of a cooler head, I thought through several ways to handle this situation.

First, persuade the Council of Elders.

The Council was a gathering of powerful old noble families who wielded considerable influence. They’d try to power-struggle with the King. They were annoying in the game too.

Convincing those stubborn elders would be tough, but if I could somehow show them I’d changed~ and win them over one by one, it might work.

Second, beg His Majesty not to divorce me.

It was absurd to beg a man I didn’t even know to not divorce me, but it was one of the simplest and surest ways to survive.

But… there was a problem with this too.

-The King is in seclusion right now. He hasn’t allowed anyone into his room for… about two years. After marrying Vivian, he suddenly secluded himself, so everyone blames Vivian. But honestly, Vivian did nothing.

The “player” of this “child-rearing simulation game” was basically a shut-in.

The King had secluded himself and hadn’t seen anyone, living in his room. So the Chancellor Bainshaw and the Council of Elders effectively ran the country.

Just from the stories about the palace, I could tell that something was off. The King’s a shut-in, the First Queen is in a strange state, and nothing seemed to function properly.

How does this country even work?

“…I’m going crazy. Really.”

And finally, the third option.

The third option was simple.

“…Ainsel, want to run away with me?”

Escaping the palace with some wealth in hand.

Every instinct I had was screaming to run from this place.

If I stayed here, who knew what strange thing might happen next.