CH 2

God King8-10 minutes 23.04.2023

Bridget was born as the eldest daughter of the noble family known as the “Flame Clan.” The Meidel family, an esteemed noble lineage, was called so because they were skilled in fire magic and were all born with dazzling red hair.

In the Kingdom of Fielido, it is a longstanding custom that when children turn five, they must go to the temple and form a contract with a spirit. The residents of the spirit world, a fantastical realm inherently incompatible with the human realm, sometimes grant people the right to wield a portion of their power.

For example, if a contract with a water spirit is made, the child is guaranteed a talent in water-based magic. With a wind spirit, they’d have a talent in wind-based magic, and with an earth spirit, they’d be proficient in earth-based magic.

On the other hand, if a child is not blessed with a contracted spirit, they will not possess magical talent. For both the children and their parents, the contract ceremony holds significant meaning as it determines their future.

When Bridget turned five, she too faced the contract ceremony at the temple. Even now, she remembers that day eleven years ago as if it were yesterday. It’s something she will likely never forget.

“…Bridget Meidel, daughter of the Count, your contracted spirit is… Nameless.”

The priest’s voice, tinged with confusion, announced this.

A great murmur spread throughout the temple, and young Bridget, fearfully looked back to see her parents’ faces. They were filled with expectation just a few minutes ago, but now they were plastered with sheer disappointment.

Nameless spirits referred to the so-called lesser spirits. They were remnants of spirits too weak to do anything other than drift through the air, and they were no longer given names as spirits in the human world. Thus, they were all collectively called Nameless.

For commoners, forming a contract with a Nameless spirit would not be unusual. Some families would even rejoice, considering it fortunate just to have made a contract.

However, for the daughter of a count, particularly the rightful heiress of the distinguished Flame Clan, forming a contract with a Nameless spirit was an unprecedented event.

This incident spread rapidly among the people as an unheard-of affair. In the same year, the young heir of the “Water Clan,” a family often mentioned alongside the Meidel family, contracted with not one but two of the highest-ranking spirits, further adding to Bridget’s tragedy.

Upon returning home that day, Bridget’s own father grabbed her arm and shoved her left hand into the roaring fireplace. Overwhelmed by the heat and pain, she screamed and resisted, but her father did not relent. The terrifying punishment continued until others intervened.

After the priest who treated her injuries had left, Count Meidel insisted, without remorse, that he had merely intended to redo the contract.

“If she were truly my child, there’s no way she would contract with a Nameless spirit. So, I made her touch the flames to verify.”

It goes without saying that Bridget could no longer consider the man who said such things as her own flesh and blood. She began to cover her scarred left hand, which bore the remnants of the burns, with a glove that reached up to her elbow. The wound was so deep that even the high-ranking priests who used healing magic could not completely heal it.

While Count Meidel received sympathy for these events, the eyes of the people looking at Bridget only held mockery. At the tea parties and gatherings where the sons and daughters of nobles were invited, Bridget was openly ridiculed and gossiped about by the other children.

Before long, the nickname “Red Fairy” began to circulate, signifying the incompetent Bridget Meidel.

The fairy race, considered inferior in terms of magical power among the spirit species. Many children laughed, saying that the name fit Bridget perfectly, as her birth and abilities did not align.

――Amidst such painful days.

At an invited tea party, Bridget had a fateful encounter that would change her life. It was her meeting with Prince Joseph, the third prince.

Without speaking to anyone and sitting in a corner with a gloomy face, Bridget was approached by Joseph, who casually spoke to her with his escorting knight behind him.

“Lady Bridget, do you have anything you particularly like?”

As the handsome prince stood before her, the tongue-tied Bridget struggled to respond. Suddenly, he asked her such a question. Without thinking, Bridget answered.

“I like spirits.”

“Really? Why is that?”

And then she immediately regretted it. It was common for her to be ridiculed in this manner. She shouldn’t have responded so honestly.

But――lying itself was against her nature. Thinking so, Bridget blushed with nervousness but firmly said.

“… They are frightening, but… I think they are very beautiful.”

“Wow, that’s lovely.”

Indeed.

It all started with just that.

However, the third prince―Joseph laughed and said it like that.

For the young Bridget, those words became an unbelievable salvation.

Perhaps Joseph had taken a liking to Bridget as well, as a formal decree from the royal family soon followed, and the two became engaged shortly after.

Bridget was overjoyed. Naturally, she became very attached to Joseph, her only ally.

――But.

Over time, Joseph, who had been her savior, changed.

“I love cute, foolish girls the most.”

One day, he coldly said something like that.

Bridget was troubled. Because she wanted to be as close as possible to his ideal woman as his fiancée, but she couldn’t quite understand what Joseph meant by that.

Hesitantly, Bridget asked.

“…What do you mean by a foolish girl?”

“That’s right. Just like that.”

“Eh?”

“Seeking answers from others without knowing anything. I think you’re quite foolish right now, and I like it.”

As Bridget stood there dumbfounded, Joseph seemed to be in a better mood.

Such incidents continued to happen almost daily.

“I like girls who look good in pink. I bet their minds are just as colorful.”

“How about making a fuss every day to distract me from my boredom?”

“You should cake on more makeup. So much that even your original face becomes unrecognizable.”

“It’s the worst when a girl has better test results than her fiancé. Can’t you even pay attention to that?”

Bridget tried her hardest. Desperately, she changed herself to fit Joseph’s preferences. She changed over and over again. She threw away all her favorite clothes. She filled her wardrobe with pink. She changed the way she talked. She changed her attitude towards others. She acted haughty and became disliked. She replaced all her makeup tools and applied thick makeup. She got half the test questions wrong.

She discarded and painted over everything, every part of her former self.

Because, ( I want Joseph-sama to… think I’m cute)

―That’s right.

That’s why, at first, it was certainly something like a faint love.

But what about now?

Even if she tries to think about it, Bridget can’t quite understand it.

Unlike when they first met, there is no trace of consideration in Joseph’s eyes when he looks at Bridget. His narrowed eyes, mixed with disdain and disgust, are certainly not those of someone looking at the girl he willingly engaged himself to.

(Besides… there’s no need to think about it anymore)

She is appalled at herself for trying to rethink things now. While hugging her knees on the bed, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

Everything is already a thing of the past.

(Because I… was rejected by him, our engagement is broken)