Chapter 11
Thus, their life in the royal capital began.
They didnât want to accumulate too many belongings, but to live properly, some necessities were unavoidable.
Large items were difficult to carry, and after the two of them finished setting up the furniture, they decided to take a short break in the living room.
Drinking the tea Erich had prepared, Chloe finally let out a breath.
(Ah, it would be nice if there were something like an item box from games.)
Something that could store anything and retrieve it instantly.
Of course, food wouldnât spoil no matter how much time passed.
Hot or cold items could be stored exactly as they were.
If only something like that existed.
The moment she thought that, a screen appeared before her.
“Whaâ?!”
“Chloe?”
Erich, who had been relaxing on the living room sofa, looked surprised when Chloe suddenly raised her voice.
“Whatâs wrong?”
“Um⌠this screen⌔
“A screen?”
He looked at Chloe strangely as she waved her hand in the air.
“Is there something there?”
“âŚYou canât see it, Erich?”
Looking at the title of the screen, it read: Chloeâs Item Box.
(Could it be⌠I can really use an item box now?)
To test it, she picked up a brand-new towel from the room.
(How do I put it in? Maybe I just need to think about moving it into the item box?)
Move to item box.
The moment she thought that, the towel in her hand disappeared.
New Towel Ă1
Seeing it displayed on the screen, she couldnât help but exclaim in admiration.
“This is amazing! This could be really useful!”
“Chloe, what have you been doing this whole time?”
To the puzzled Erich, she excitedly explained everything that had just happened.
“So thatâs what happenedâI can use an item box now. Isnât it amazing?”
“âŚIâve never heard of such a spell. Chloe, you can do something like that too?”
At his serious response, she tilted her head.
“Huh? Isnât this normal in this world?”
If this were a fantasy world based on games or novels, she had assumed it would be common.
But Erich shook his head.
“No. Most magic is used for attacks. Occasionally, someone can use healing magic. Thatâs about it.”
“I see⌔
It seemed this wasnât a world based on games or novelsâjust a different world from her previous life.
“Then why can I use magic like this?”
“I thought so when you broke the princessâs surveillance magic, but⌠Chloe, you might be a witch, like the princess.”
“A-a witch?”
From the perspective of her previous life, the word didnât carry a good image.
Something evil that harms peopleâor a target of persecution, like in witch hunts.
“Is that⌠a bad thing?”
When she asked anxiously, Erich shook his head.
“No, not at all. Itâs true theyâre feared because of their power, but as long as they donât harm others, theyâre respected.”
Saying that, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder, as if to reassure her.
“So donât worry. In this country theyâre called witches, but in other places, theyâre referred to as saints or sages.”
“I see⌠Thank you.”
âWitchâ sounded frightening, but âsaintâ or âsageâ didnât.
Relieved, Chloe looked up at him.
“So⌠the princess of this country is also a witch like me?”
“âŚYes.”
At the mention of the princess, Erich made a visibly displeased expression and nodded.
He must have truly disliked her.
Even so, he told Chloe everything he knew about witches.
“The princess is the first witch born in this countryâs long history. Because of that, she never properly learned to control her power and behaves selfishly. People even say it wouldâve been better if she hadnât existed.”
“That bad?”
The princess seemed far worse than Chloe had imagined.
(Well, she is Prince Kirifâs half-sister. I guess it runs in the family.)
She could only hope that the crown prince, whom she had only ever seen from afar, was a decent person.
“Since I didnât even know I could use magic until now, that means Father and Prince Kirif didnât know either, right?”
“Thatâs right. And itâs better that way. If they had known you were a witch, thereâs no telling what wouldâve happened to you.”
“âŚYeah. I think so too.”
Cassandra could act selfishly because she was a princess.
It was allowed for her.
If Chloe had been discovered as a witch before regaining her past life memories, it would have been terrifying to imagine.
She would almost certainly have become a puppet, doing exactly as her father commanded.
“In fact, I feel like I should thank Prince Kirif for breaking off the engagement.”
“Yeah. I think so too.”
Erich nodded in agreement and gently touched Chloeâs now-black hair.
“A man who canât see this beauty because heâs blinded by something as trivial as color doesnât deserve you.”
“âŚ!”
Her former fiancĂŠ Kirif had called her plain, unremarkableâa woman without charm.
Even after regaining her past life memories, she hadnât forgotten the pain of those words.
But now, it felt as though those painful memories were being erased by Erichâs gentle words.
“Thank you.”
When she smiled and said that sincerely, Erich narrowed his eyes, as if looking at the dazzling summer sun.