I Raised Snow White!

I snatched the invitation to the coven from the Princess’s hand, almost as if I were taking it away.

The Princess pouted and glared at me, saying I had taken the gift that Fran had given her.

“Ah, s-sorry. Just wait a moment. Fran, why on earth are you giving something like this to Titania?”

“There isn’t any particular reason for giving her the invitation. It’s simply that, as a Princess, she seems to have considerable talent as a ‘witch,’ so this was the most valuable item I could give her.”

I couldn’t help but frown at Fran’s mention of the Princess’s ‘talent’ as a witch.

While I already knew she had potential as a witch due to the ‘witch ending’ with the dwarf fairies in the game…

I looked at the ‘coven invitation’ in my hand with a sour expression.

“…No, this won’t do. If you want to give her a gift, pick something else. Something not related to ‘witches.’”

“Why is that? I’m not telling the Princess to become a witch. Besides, just getting acquainted with the coven witches could be helpful to her later on.”

“Well… that could be true, but…”

Fran calmly began to explain what the ‘coven’ was.

A gathering of witches, a place where talented ‘witches’ come together to share their knowledge.

And, like how Fran is a doctor, each of them is an ‘expert’ in their own field.

Although I knew most of this, the Princess, hearing about the coven for the first time, perked up her ears and focused on Fran’s words.

For a Princess who had lived her entire life in the palace, stories of the outside world were bound to pique her curiosity.

Fran explained that these women could surely help the Princess in difficult times, and she pulled another ‘coven invitation’ from her pocket and handed it to her.

I swiftly snatched the letter once again from Fran’s hand just as she passed it to the Princess and shook my head at her.

The Princess, having her gift taken away twice, puffed out her cheeks and held out her hand, asking for it back.

“No.”

“Why…? Fran gave it to me… It’s my birthday present…”

“…Regardless, it’s a no.”

Because I didn’t want you to become a ‘witch.’

Fran was already involved, but I didn’t want the Princess to get further entangled with other ‘witches.’

I knew too well how everyone looked at Vivian, who was already rumored to be a witch.

I knew that even if she was careful, if she were exposed, the consequences would be severe. I couldn’t help but worry as I looked at the Princess, who was on the verge of tears, and shook my head firmly.

“No means no! Not all witches are as good as Fran! There are some who even eat people, do you still want to go?!”

“There aren’t any man-eating witches in the coven, though.”

I tried to ignore Fran’s interjection and looked at the Princess with a serious expression.

She looked at me, her eyes wide open, as if unafraid of the idea of man-eating witches, and extended her hand again.

“Give it back!”

“No! There’s no good in getting mixed up with witches!”

“But Her Majesty the Queen is a witch too! You told me she was a good witch!”

“T-that’s…!”

My previous words had come back to bite me, and I couldn’t help but grimace as I looked at the Princess.

It seemed she had no intention of backing down as she approached me, trying to snatch the letter from my hand.

I raised the letter above my head, and she began jumping in place in front of me, demanding that I return it.

Just as I was wondering what to do, Fran pulled out several more invitations from her pocket and showed them to the Princess.

“There are plenty more here.”

“Wait…!”

Seeing Fran holding a handful of invitations, the Princess’s eyes lit up, and she quickly snatched one, tucking it into her pocket.

The sight gave me a headache, and I found myself rubbing my forehead.

‘I really don’t want her getting mixed up with witches…’

As I let out a deep sigh, the Princess began glancing at me nervously.

Did she think I was angry? She peeked at me a few times before eventually hiding behind Fran.

I sighed heavily again and slumped into a chair, staring at the Princess as she peeked from behind Fran’s back.

Then, Ainsel, who was hanging around her neck, made a suggestion.

“L-Later, if the Princess goes to the coven, she can go with Vivian, right? I know you’re worried about her, but… you really don’t need to be. It’s not such a bad place.”

“…Fine, if you put it that way, I understand.”

As I nodded, the Princess’s face lit up with joy.

Holding Ainsel around her neck, she began hopping in place.

“…Is it really that exciting?”

“Yes!”

Seeing the Princess laughing happily, a pang of guilt pricked my heart.

After all… I may have said she could go to the coven, but I didn’t really intend for her to.

Even if she had an invitation to the coven, it wouldn’t be easy for her to go.

Just as I hadn’t been able to go to the coven, the Princess, being a ‘Princess’ of the kingdom, would have difficulty leaving the palace freely.

So, I only gave her permission verbally, hoping that as she grew older, she would come to understand her situation and naturally give up on the idea.

While I was thinking this, Fran, who had been patting the Princess’s head, nodded as if she understood and spoke soothingly to her with words I hadn’t expected at all.

“It’s a relief that Vivian has given her permission. If you’d like to go to the coven, you can open the letter anytime. I’ll personally come to escort both the Princess and Vivian.”

“Huh?”

As I stared wide-eyed at Fran, she showed me the invitation as if it was obvious. And when she opened it, an alarm sounded—beep-beep—from the necklace around Fran’s neck.

“As you can see, I’ve set it so that an alarm alerts me whenever the letter is opened. And, as a skilled witch, I can arrive here in an instant. I can also quickly escort you to the coven’s meeting place. As I said, I am an excellent witch.”

Fran placed her hands on her hips, proudly puffing out his chest to show off his competence.

‘So… if the invitation is opened, Fran will be instantly alerted, and she can show up here and take us, almost like teleporting… I thought it was just a simple invitation…’

I swallowed hard, realizing the invitation had more features than I’d expected. A variety of uses came to mind, but I quickly shook my head to clear those thoughts.

Whether she understood my thoughts or not, the Princess was simply thrilled, bouncing with excitement in front of Fran. Wondering if I should confiscate the invitation, I reached out my hand to her—

“Titania, I’ll hold onto the invitation for now. If you want to go later, just make sure to tell—”

“No! I’ll keep it!”

The Princess quickly dodged my hand and ran to a corner, curling herself around the invitation protectively. She even growled at me to stay away.

It reminded me of a child clinging tightly to their New Year’s money, not wanting their parents to take it. She clutched the invitation as if she didn’t trust that I’d give it back later.

They say taking back a gift is the worst thing to do…

“Indeed. It seems Vivian doesn’t understand a human’s heart.”

Even Ainsel and Fran, shaking their heads and whispering, seemed to agree.

Feeling like I’d somehow become the villain, I had no choice but to withdraw my hand from the Princess.

To meet her gaze, I crouched down in front of her as well. When I did, she looked up from her curled position, meeting my eyes with a cautious glance.

“…Alright, I won’t try to take it back anymore. But, if you ever open the invitation, you must, absolutely must, let me know first. Understand?”

“Hehehe! Yes! I promise!”

The Princess, who had been tightly curled up, suddenly stretched out, then leaped into my arms. Well… how could I say no when she asked so sweetly?

I hugged the Princess, who had nestled into my arms, and sat back down in the chair. Watching her gaze at the invitation with such joy on my lap made me feel like everything would be fine.

‘Yes… it’s not particularly dangerous. I can think of the invitation simply as a tool that alerts Fran.’

Later, if the Princess ever faced a real danger, this invitation could let her call for Fran’s help. Maybe even other witches would come to her aid.

‘Yes, let’s just think of it as a simple “insurance policy.”’

Trying to ease the strange anxiety in my chest, I rubbed my cheek against the Princess’s face.

She giggled, squirming because it tickled, but I held her head firmly and continued to nuzzle her cheek.

After our little party ended, the next morning, Fran informed the Princess that it was time for her to leave.

“Are you really going to leave…?”

“Yes, since Ainsel, my patient, has recovered, it’s time for me to go. I have many patients waiting for me where I come from, so I must go.”

Before she left, Fran packed her sparse belongings and crouched down to make eye contact with the Princess. She avoided her gaze, turning her head away instead.

In the end, the Princess quickly trotted over to me and hid behind my skirt. Fran reached out her hand toward the Princess, who looked as if she didn’t want to see her go.

“Princess, a final farewell.”

“……”

Pouting her lips, the Princess looked at Fran, then reluctantly extended her hand and took hers. She tried to shake it up and down when—

Pop!

Fran’s hand came off at the wrist. Although startled by Fran’s sudden joke, she didn’t react with surprise this time; instead, she scowled and threw her detached hand back at her.

“Heh, one final Fran joke.”

“I don’t like it!!!”