Alma POV 5/5
Since that day that Dagger was able to reveal to me what did my parents had that I haven't stopped looking through the library's secret room for an anti-magic artifact, but no matter how many Dagger absorbed, there wasn't anything like it.
Well, he got more energy out of it and gained more useful abilities, but they were nothing game-breaking, but were convenient and made him into a competent fighter.
There was an ability named Spatial Storage he got after absorbing a spatial pouch, so now he became spatial storage for my things.
Aside from that, we emptied this secret room which I had accessed by moving a certain book in the bookshelf, it was all filled with dust, so one had entered in that place for eons… I just hope I don't get found out… haha…
I had begun to snatch books and steal them this time, preparing myself for an eventual escape from Greenwood whenever I and my sister get captured.
This wasn't my idea, but Dagger told me that he could aid me at that moment, but for that, we would need to first prepare… Abusing his Spatial Storage, I began to steal all matter items I could find around.
As the princess, I had access to almost the entire palace, but there were magic barriers around the prohibited me from walking out, so I could wander all I wanted but not get out, the barrier would stop me and only me too… What a pain!
Well, I still did what I could, the storage had a near-endless capacity, it was a legendary artifact after all. I gathered books, gadgets, weapons, pieces of armor I found around, food, clothes, pencils, and… yes, magic cores!
Now that I could do whatever I wanted, I was able to collect mana cores however I wanted, or well, they couldn't give them to me explicitly but being able to freely move let me go around, there were usually a lot of mana cores in certain areas where large artifacts that fueled the palace with light were.
I moved underground until I found a large wooden box, it had over a hundred mana core! But if I take them all, it will be pretty suspicious, so I only took around 20. They were all Rank 1 or 2 and would serve as fuel for Dagger whenever he ran out of it from the artifacts he had absorbed.
They seem to be refilled every weekend, so I came every weekend to pick 20 of them, and sometimes I got greedier and took some more, it seems that it wasn't that noticed.
I had taken so many things I had begun to forget how many things we had, but everything was worth it anyways… I had decided that it was pointless to convince my parents, they were below some kind of spell, the only thing I could do is actually wait for my little sister to be born, grow, we go to Greenwood, we escape, survive, and find a way to destroy the spells on our parents to finally come back here to confront them… Hopefully, it can go as I want…
But you never know what might happen around the corner, everything is quite dangerous in this world… So I have to prepare even more things.
And how will I hide Dagger? Well, he has collected some abilities to help him with stealth, such as camouflage, mana presence negation, and hiding veil. I wish I could equip him and use him, but I actually can't without my mana being poured on him.
Well, or maybe I could if he likes to eat miasma…
Meanwhile, while waiting, Rose came with some new teachers that began to teach me basic etiquette, how to dance, and even how to talk like a lady. It was very annoying, but I guess they did this so I could grow into a decent young lady, as I was reaching maturity in a few years.
I had already fully accepted my identity as a girl, so I guess there's nothing I can do other than do as they say and be a fine lady, but even then, it is very annoying! My past life as a gross and fat male otaku is not letting me go accordingly to these teachers, so they have a hard time trying to teach me properly.
Nonetheless, after many weeks, they had been able to ground these ideas and thoughts into my mind, and even my way of talking was becoming more eloquent and refined, and even how I express myself, from my words to my expressions, alongside the various customs that young and pretty ladies do was taught to me…
Sigh… What an annoying thing… I don't know if I will ever manage to get back to how I used to be, to be honest… Well, that might be for the best. I had begun to be happy with my body at this point, not like I can change it anymore…
My parents had begun to imply something about an arranged marriage with a talented genius from a neighbor elven kingdom… And I honestly don't want to! I don't even know if I will begin liking men at some point, but I would prefer to just like girls…
Of course, in life, nothing goes your way…
…
My mother's baby is going to be born soon, perhaps in a month and a half more… and today, I get to meet a kid.
Yes, yes, this kid is… my future husband, what a bliss.
I hate royalty and they arranged marriages!
I slowly walked through the corridor with Rose at my side, she had made me extra pretty today, I looked like a living doll, with a beautiful pink dress, my hair made into classic drill-like pigtails, and a bit of makeup here and there over my already young face to look even fresher…
When I entered the room, a young elf boy greeted me, of about my age. His hair was blonde and reached his shoulders, he had sharp emerald eyes, and a slim physique, wearing a white and green-colored prince uniform.
"A-Ah! I-It is a pleasure to meet you… Y-You're as beautiful as I was t-told..." he said timidly, averting his gaze from mine.
"Ugh…"