Chapter 1: Weight Loss Occurs! ...To the Princess Mia Chronicles

By the time she departed the Gildan domain and finally arrived back at the capital, Mia was visibly exhausted.

“Aaah, for a pleasure trip, this sure has worn me out...”

Employing this and a host of other excuses, she managed to spend a good ten days lounging in bed. Alas, the world wasn’t nearly kind enough to allow her to remain in slacker mode undisturbed. Two days into her bedroom sabbatical, Ludwig began showing up to update her on the empire’s domestic situation. Nevertheless, she refused to stop lounging, pausing only to hear his reports. After all, she was a princess, and princesses had principles. This was a matter of pride. She’d decided to lounge, so by the moons, she was going to lounge, interruptions be damned!

“I have to say... Who would have ever thought that the empire’s low food self-sufficiency rate was the first emperor’s fault...” she murmured as she skimmed Ludwig’s most recent report. “Then again, I guess it’s not all his fault. Outcount Gildan’s actions, at least, are understandable given his situation.”

The climate in his domain was not conducive to farming. He’d given the problem proper thought and was trying to improve the living conditions of his impoverished people. His heart was in the right place.

“But what about the other nobles? How are they seeing this situation and still thinking about reducing their farmland? It seems pretty obvious that the empire will topple sooner or later if they keep at it...”

“That which they do not wish to see, they eventually stop seeing. Such is the nature of man, whose eyes perceive only the things that favor their situation.” Ludwig sighed and shook his head. “If only everyone could be like Your Highness and listen with an open mind, accepting the information for what it is...”

Mia shook her head as well, but in gentle refutation.

“That’s not true... There are times when I also look away from things I don’t wish to see...”

It was a sincere acknowledgment of a bitter memory. She was painfully aware that she’d been guilty of that exact offense. In her mind, she entered the archives of remembrance and reached toward the files of the previous timeline. And then she kept reaching! And reaching! Her metaphorical hand extended all the way to a file from only a few days ago, detailing an experience she’d had on the deserted island.

I...was too embarrassed to read the Princess Mia Chronicles, so I didn’t really give it the proper attention...

She’d distanced herself from unfavorable things. She’d written the book off as unreliable, figuring its excessive exaggeration rendered its content more fantasy than fact. The consequence of her neglect had been that episode in the sea.

I’d never have thought a monster fish like that could actually exist... It was downright terrifying! Judging from the size of the fin on its back, its mouth must be big enough to easily swallow a person whole...

An image of an aquatic titan with massive, serrated teeth appeared in her mind.

There was a passage about that episode. The book told me it would happen. I could have known about it beforehand... Ugh, what a terrible mistake. I should have been better prepared. I was lucky it came for me, so I could fight it off with that magnificently decisive strike of mine, but if it had gone for Anne or Esmeralda first... Or, merciful moons, if it had eaten Abel...

The mere thought of harm befalling those dear to her made her shudder.

This won’t stand. I must do better... Never again. I won’t ever make a mistake like that again. From now on, no matter how uncomfortable the truth is, I swear I won’t look away!

...Just a quick reminder for those of you getting pulled into the seriousness of the scene, the fish Mia defeated was not a man-eating colossus but a moonbow, arguably one of the most docile creatures to ever grace the open waters.

Nevertheless, Mia resolved to revisit the Chronicles once she returned to the academy and properly peruse its contents.

As summer break was drawing to a close, Mia arrived back at Saint-Noel. Upon entering her room, she was greeted by an enthusiastic Bel.

“Welcome back, Miss Mia!”

Something about the girl looked a little different. There was a wholesome glow to her skin. Maybe too wholesome. Her cheeks seemed fuller. Her face...rounder. Mia let out a small gasp.

“My, Bel. You’ve gotten a little chubby...”

“Hm? Did I? Ehe he, are you sure about that? I don’t think I have.”

Bel grinned. Mia sighed.

She must have figured she could get away with eating a lot more sweets while Anne’s gone. Honestly, Lynsha’s far too soft on her...

Then, remembering the haggard sight of her when they first met, Mia reconsidered. Having some extra fat was much better than being skin and bones.

“Bel, you should get some exercise. It’ll be good for you. Go join the horsemanship club and we’ll do some riding together. I’ll teach you to dance as well.”

“Really? You’ll teach me yourself?”

“That’s right. Now that I think about it, when winter rolls around, there’ll be the Holy Eve Festival, which will involve dancing. I intend to make sure that when my granddaughter steps onto the dance floor, she doesn’t make a fool of herself.”

Hearing that she would receive personal instruction from Mia, Bel’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Really? Thank you so much, Grandmother Mia! I’ll try my best!”

Mia gave her a pompous teacherly nod before adding, “Oh, I almost forgot. Bel, could I ask you to show me your copy of the Princess Mia Chronicles?”

“Huh? Sure, of course...”

Though puzzled, Bel promptly went to her bed and pulled a book out from under her pillow.

...What was it doing there? Was she using it to prop up the pillow? Had the venerated book been relegated to the function of height adjuster? Questions that shall remain unanswered...

This girl can be sloppy in the strangest ways sometimes. I wonder who she gets it from...

Mia tilted her head in genuine bafflement.

“Here you go.”

Bel held out the Princess Mia Chronicles.

“Thank you.”

As soon as she took it in hand, Mia frowned.

“My, that’s strange... Is it just me or did this book lose some weight?”

She remembered it feeling heftier. Currently, it was only about half the weight of her diary. She used her fingers to gauge its thickness. It was definitely slimmer than before.

“How odd. Say, Bel, are you sure this book isn’t missing a page or ten?” she asked idly as she flipped it over and continued her careful examination.

Hmm... I don’t see anything unusual...

She’d suspected that someone who knew the secret of the Chronicles had ripped out some of its pages, but there were no signs of vandalism. If anything, it seemed more like a different, thinner book...as if it had been made that way, and this version of the Chronicles had been written as a shorter volume to begin with.

So strange. I wonder what happened to—

Her thoughts cut off when she opened the book, for she immediately realized the severity of the problem. The Chronicles of Saint Princess Mia she held in her hand...was a complete biography, recounting her life from its beginning...to its end.

“Wh-Wh-What in the...”

And if a book that detailed the entirety of her life was thinner than before, then inevitably, her life was...

“I-I-I’m...going to die?! Th-This winter?!”

Mia Luna Tearmoon. Died at the age of thirteen years and eleven months. Killed on the night of the Holy Eve Festival.