The man’s complexion darkened,
yet the Imperial Princess wore an incredibly bright expression. This strange contrast created an atmosphere as different as light and shadow.
It was simply because the Princess had always been oblivious to the feelings of others.
From the beginning, she had read the emotions of others through the “Dragon’s Eye.” There was no reason for her to pay attention to others, and she felt no necessity to cultivate related abilities.
“Social awareness” was part of sociality.
Naturally, it was something she should have learned from a young age, and her unfortunate childhood was sufficient to rob her of that sociality.
Thus, the man could not speak carelessly.
Perhaps it was because it was the first time he had seen the Princess with such a pure smile.
After hesitating for a while, he finally let out a vague question.
“…Are you talking about a ‘pet dragon’?”
“Yes! Because, there’s already Senior Rainelle for a pet dog…”
As she uttered that, the Princess again glanced at the man’s reactions.
Seeing that, the man closed his mouth once more.
Then his lips made several futile opening and closing movements before ultimately letting out a sigh as if he had given up.
The Princess felt restless in the midst of that negative atmosphere.
No matter how oblivious she was, it was impossible not to notice.
The man’s gaze rarely appeared to be in pain.
The fact that he could not look her in the eye and was avoiding her gaze was a clear indication.
It meant he was struggling to bear her appearance.
Of course, the uniquely oblivious Princess interpreted it in a somewhat different way.
Not long after, fear began to well up in her eyes.
“I-I’m sorry. Sir Ian… I was too presumptuous, wasn’t I?”
It was an unexpected apology.
The man had no idea why, but the trembling eyelids hinted at the storm brewing in the Princess’s heart.
Ultimately, the man could do nothing but stare at the Princess once again.
From his deep-set gaze, there was no sign of confusion or embarrassment.
Only a tragic resolve to see how far this would go was visible.
As it turned out, the Princess instantly responded to his painful expectations.
“I-I’m sorry for daring to have a pet… after making that mistake with Sir Ian! I-I’m sorry. I did wrong… I won’t overstep my bounds anymore. So please don’t abandon me…”
The Princess pleaded with watery eyes.
The man, perhaps suffering from a headache, pressed his forehead and let out a groan.
It was the first groan he had let out since coming to this world, but the Princess had no way of knowing about that monumental record.
Her pitiful pleading continued.
“I’ve already apologized to my sister… but that might still not be enough, right? Until Sir Ian’s feelings are resolved, please feel free to ask me for anything…”
“…Anything you say?”
The man’s eyes filled with a hint of interest at that moment.
Unfortunately, the Princess didn’t notice that suspicious sign at all. She was just clinging to him, crying her heart out.
“Yes, yes! I’ll do anything! Even if I have to give up all my possessions…!”
The man fell silent for a moment.
His indifferent gaze now glimmered with fragments of emotion. It was indeed a sentimental reaction that he hadn’t shown in a long time.
Before long, a heavy vow slipped from the man’s lips.
“Can you promise? That you will do anything I ask.”
As if agreeing without needing to say more, the Princess nodded with glistening eyes. Her fervent movement revealed a desperate spirit.
“Yes, of course…”
“Then let’s go on a trip.”
That single line was the signal.
The Princess’s body froze in place, and her bewildered gray eyes turned to the man.
Regardless, the man only let out a sigh.
“I said let’s go on a trip, Your Highness. Let’s go together.”
His tone was indifferent, but the impact of his words was akin to a bombshell.
It was clear what it meant for two young men and women to embark on a trip together.
The Princess, who had grown up in the Imperial Court, surely knew this.
The girl stammered, unable to articulate coherent language.
After a long moment of being unable to gather her wits, she finally cleared her throat and straightened up.
Then she subtly started to assess Ian’s complexion.
His gray pupils were slowly tearing vertically. That was proof he was using the “Dragon’s Eye.”
She had said she would no longer rely on the “Dragon’s Eye,” but it was an ability she had used her entire life.
In a moment of crisis, it was impossible not to depend on it.
At that moment, the situation was perhaps beyond urgent and could even be termed an emergency.
For the Princess, it was only natural to use the Dragon’s Eye.
However, her opponent this time was particularly mismatched with her.
She could not read the man’s psychology at all. She couldn’t even catch the faintest hint of his emotional undertone.
This implied two possibilities.
First, the man’s prowess was such that it reached the level of a Master.
Second, his emotions had already dulled to the point of not being visible.
Either way, it was not something to be discussed lightly for someone in their youthful twenties. Hence, the Princess was only more confused, stammering and unable to focus.
Eventually, she found herself blushing deeply, bowing her head.
In a timid voice, the girl asked,
“B-but if we do that, there will be rumors…”
“Is that a problem?”
At the second question tossed her way, the Princess began to tap her index fingers together.
Glimpsing at the man’s reactions, she ultimately had to lower her head even further.
Her face was already warm enough to flush. She could almost see steam rising from her head.
“W-well, it’s not that it can’t be done…”
“Then get ready. We need to leave within two weeks.”
Faced with the continuous firm requests, she could do nothing but respond softly.
“…Yes, Sir Ian.”
Only then did the man seem satisfied and turned his back.
He appeared to be intending to head somewhere else immediately.
He was about to take a step forward when he suddenly added, as if he had just remembered,
“Oh, and.”
“Y-yes…!”
The flustered Princess was astonished and could only reply that way.
It seemed like a silly response even to herself, so she lowered her head once again. Meanwhile, the man didn’t seem to care at all.
“…Please tell the Emperor to beware of the old lion.”
With those cryptic words, the man left.
Left alone, the Princess could do nothing but tilt her head in confusion for a while.
“An old lion? Who is he referring to?”
Of course, that worry didn’t last long.
She already had an immediate issue at hand.
A trip with her crush and upperclassman.
Though there was a deadline of two weeks, she still had time to prepare. Shi-en sank into her thoughts with a racing heart.
W-what should I do about underwear?
Surely there should be a line to uphold as the Imperial Princess, yet she found herself thinking of the bear-themed underwear in her drawer.
Unaware of the man’s true intentions.
“…It doesn’t matter; I won’t be the one to bear the burden.”
Leaving behind that bitter muttering, the man moved on.
It would be truly interesting to see how the Emperor would react upon hearing this news.
It was a trivial revenge from a human whose memories were sullied.
After hearing all the stories, I left Ceria’s hospital room.
To take the Princess away while leaving Ceria behind.
It was a judgment whose intentions I could not fathom at the moment. Objectively speaking, there was no doubt that Ceria was a superior combat asset compared to the Princess.
She had a wealth of battle experience and had coordinated well with my team through the trials.
In fact, one could argue that her skills surpassed those of the Princess.
While the Princess was the top of her first-year class in the Magic Department, Ceria was the leader of the second-year class in the Swordsmanship Department.
What was particularly irritating was the fact that he referred to it as a “trip” for the Princess.
The place my team was heading to was neither a peaceful nor a serene resort.
It was a battlefield where one had to risk their life.
How disappointed would it be to call it a “trip” when heading into a remote area fraught with dangers? Not to mention that the Princess was still just a fresh first-year student.
She had never faced an enemy, nor had she ever defeated one.
Both scenarios required a steadfast heart.
The only consolation was the fact that news of all this had yet to spread widely.
Since Ceria learned from “me” who came from the future, I figured that my unexpected honeymoon trip with the Princess might come to light later.
Just thinking about the reactions of the people who would hear that news was terrifying.
First and foremost, I was most worried about the Emperor. There would surely be many others pushing through to verify the truth of the rumors.
By sheer coincidence, I happened to encounter one of them.
No, to put it more accurately, it was fate disguised as coincidence.
Because the figure with the hooded hat clearly seemed to be searching for a specific person.
With the hooded hat surveying the area, it quickly spotted me and ran over with a bright smile.
Without hesitation, a small figure leapt into my arms.
“…Master! Heehee.”
It was Senior Elsi.
Ever since she confessed to me, Senior Elsi had been approaching me without any hesitation like this. At times, her lack of boundaries surprised me.
Just now, she was burying her face in my embrace and rubbing against me.
I let out a sigh, clearly feeling conflicted.
It wasn’t a bad feeling that a beautiful girl like Senior Elsi liked me, but I had a small wish that she could be more mindful of the time and place.
This was a temple.
One of the most inappropriate spaces to discuss matters of intimacy between men and women.
A few priests who happened to pass by had frowned.
I stroked Senior Elsi’s head, trying to soothe her.
“Elsi, it’s good to see you. But for now, could you please get off me…?”
“The Dragon’s Eye doesn’t permit pets in the temple.”
However, before I could even fully persuade her, a lofty voice tickled my ear.
From the end of the hallway, a woman with silver hair was walking toward us.
Just by the impressive curves of her figure, it was clear she was the Lady Virgin Saint.
The sudden appearance of a formidable opponent caught me off guard. Senior Elsi’s gaze instantly turned icy.
She promptly clicked her tongue and pulled away from my embrace.
Yet, she made sure not to fully relinquish her grip on my arm.
“Hey, breasts. Who do you think you are to meddle? I’m trying to spend some cozy time with Master…”
“It’s merely a little sad to see someone cling after being rejected.”
With that, the Lady Virgin Saint offered a faint smile and made the sign of the cross.
“Would you mind considering Ian’s feelings as well? I’m sure he wouldn’t be in a good mood…”
“…Aha.”
However, Senior Elsi’s response was lukewarm at best.
It was far from the Lady Virgin Saint’s expectations.
When her rosy eyes expressed confusion, Senior Elsi’s expression turned into a deep sneer.
“Didn’t you hear? I confessed again. And I wasn’t rejected.”
That wasn’t entirely untrue.
I had decided to hold off on giving a response to her confession, so it could not yet be considered a rejection.
To be honest, I didn’t know how my feelings would be when that moment finally came.
However, considering the misinterpretation that could arise from that remark, I had no choice but to offer a wry smile.
How troublesome it was.
I hurriedly attempted to clarify the misunderstanding.
“No, you shouldn’t say it like that. You might lead the Lady Virgin Saint to misinterpret…”
However, I could not finish my statement properly.
There was not a hint of movement from the Lady Virgin Saint.
Yes, there was not even the slightest stir.
I turned to the Lady Virgin Saint with a bewildered expression.
There she stood, frozen in shock, her beautiful features frozen in a smile.
The misunderstanding was gradually triggering a butterfly effect.
