Chapter 48

“Your bed is over here.”

“Did you prepare it in advance?”

“Rather than preparing, this is the only room I could stay in. I originally intended to rent the best suite at this Tarakan Free City hotel, but as you know, someone has taken it over.”

Hmm, Lilian… has she brought this disaster upon herself?

“Anyway, you should get changed and rest. I was just about to rest myself.”

“…Yes.”

Nodding, I set my sword aside and plopped onto the bed. But with my wide-open eyes, sleep was nowhere to be found. Eventually, I got up and let out a small sigh. The princess seemed to be already asleep, breathing softly.

This young lady is unafraid of me. It’s because she doesn’t know what’s lurking inside me that she can sleep so comfortably. Right now, there’s nothing, but there’s a wildness within me, a wolf that could gulp down a little princess in one bite.

…Wait, is she really that small? If the princess is small, then I’d be like some microscopic organism. Hmm. Let’s think of her as a big princess instead. Anyway, this wolf prefers its prey to be larger. Of course, I don’t have the courage or the means to do anything.

All I have left is this modest little chest that proudly stakes its claim. With no sleep coming my way, all I could think of were strange thoughts. I slowly opened the window and stepped outside. Sure, I could use the front door, but where’s the fun in that?

Lightly moving my body, I landed safely outside, still gazing at the bustling street filled with people.

Of course, since I was in my pajamas now, I had no intention of mingling in those crowds. I simply watched the people who were smiling and laughing.

Unlike the proper young lady that is the princess, most nobles were quite accustomed to being awake late at night. The banquets themselves were held in the evening, but for male nobles, it was common to have drinking gatherings that went on until the early hours. Of course, it wasn’t much different for the women either, as tea parties usually ended around dinner time, but most of the social events took place at night.

Charity balls, reading clubs, healthy discussions on fashion (healthy discussions that mostly ended in fights), horseback riding events, and so forth—most of these activities happened in the evening. After all, nobles had their own businesses to attend to, and only after taking care of them could they enjoy themselves. Naturally, just because they didn’t work for a day or two did not mean they would starve, but many tenants and employees under them depended on their bosses not taking a day off.

Therefore, those noblemen who viewed practicing noblesse oblige as a virtue preferred to handle all their duties before meeting anyone. To accommodate such gentlemen, the women’s events also ended up being held in the evenings after all the work was done.

Thanks to that, the Tarakan Free City, known for its noble gatherings, also had many shops open until late at night. I stared at the throngs of people again before heading back inside through the window. There sat the princess on the bed, looking at me. When did she wake up?

“Where have you been?”

“…Did you wake up?”

“Hmm. I’m quite awake at night.”

“Since when have you been awake?”

“Since you opened the window and went out?”

The princess tilted her head, slowly approaching me. Perhaps noticing my thin clothing, she draped her outer robe over my shoulders and let out a soft sigh.

“For now… why don’t you at least wash your feet? They’re all dirty.”

“Ah.”

Going outside barefoot was quite disastrous. Sneaking a glance at my dirtied feet, I hurriedly washed them and cleaned the floor I had stepped on. Even though the princess said I didn’t have to, it was a matter of my own feelings. Once I finished cleaning, she quietly came closer to me.

The princess’s violet hair was the first to catch my eye. After that, her eyes glimmered like red flames came into focus. Unlike my blood-red eyes, hers shone with the brilliance of rubies. I held my breath for a moment before taking a deep breath. It felt like her gaze pierced right through me.

No matter how much I thought about it, it didn’t feel real. What reason could such a beauty have for liking me? Besides, there was also the barrier of gender between the princess and me. The empire doesn’t permit same-sex marriage. While it wasn’t as if homosexuality were outright banned, the societal climate made it clear that same-sex relationships were frowned upon.

In such an empire, it wasn’t just scandalous for a royal, who should serve as a role model to the many nobles, to like someone of the same sex. There was even a possibility of losing my head over it.

Either way, a gap in status still existed between us—commoner and royal. This gap wasn’t something easy to overcome, even if we were of different genders. I expected the princess to reject any confession, and that’s why I’d said what I did. Of course, my response had been more of a hesitation, but still.

Maybe if we stuck together a bit more, my thoughts might change, and I figured she’d forget about any confession naturally. I didn’t want to let go of the rope that was the princess. Right, I was clinging to her out of my selfishness. Suddenly realizing that, I bit my lip tightly. Blood seeped from my compressed lip, and as the pain brought me back to my senses, I looked at the princess.

“…You.”

Surprised by my sudden action, the princess looked at me with wide eyes. Well, no wonder she was surprised. I hadn’t spoken at all and suddenly bit my lip hard enough to draw blood. Yet, to her, I had to say the words I least wanted to hear first.

“I’m sorry.”

Just five words. But the princess nodded with a bitter expression, as if she read something from my response. Even if it was selfish, I liked the relationship I had with the princess. Was it right to say I was happy that a woman like her cared for me? While I was sorting through those feelings, the princess chuckled softly.

“Hmm, I see. Is that your answer to the confession? Well, whatever.”

“…Huh?”

“Regardless of how you answer, I will continue to like you anyway.”

With a refreshing declaration, I stared blankly at the princess. Her violet hair swayed gently as she spoke. Only then did I finally meet her gaze. Flames blazing. Though I couldn’t tell what was captured in those eyes, the fire was as immense as a volcano.

“…I don’t know if I should say this, but are you really okay with that?”

“It does hurt a bit. But I’ve been trained to be someone who never gives up. What I desire must be attained.”

In the end, wanting to keep you close is my own feeling, she added with a sweet smile. Looking at her, I felt like my worries until now were foolish, and I couldn’t help but smile back.

#

The next morning. Dressed in maid attire, I finished getting ready to go see Lilian. Behind me, the princess rolled around in bed and opened her mouth.

“Are you going to see your ‘young lady’?”

“Yes.”

“I’m a bit jealous.”

As she said that, the princess was unusually dressed in comfortable clothes, with crumbs from a snack scattered on her lips. How can a person be so on and off like that? Sighing softly at her messy appearance, I tidied up the room before I left. The princess mumbled that I didn’t have to, but I replied, “It’s just a habit from my job.” And then, seeing the princess begin to make a mess again, I bolted out of the room.

“Hey, you there… maid. Can we talk for a moment?”

As soon as I went out, a man in a black suit grabbed me, and I tilted my head in confusion. Then he quietly spoke up.

“Hmm, your description fits. Hey, maid. Yesterday at 6 o’clock, what were you doing?”

“I was accompanying my young lady.”

If it was six o’clock, that was when I was busy tending to Charles’s limbs. Momentarily flustered, I managed to keep my composure and replied without showing any sign of distress due to my stiff expression. At least my answer didn’t contain any hesitation, so the man in the black suit didn’t seem to doubt me.

“You couldn’t possibly wield twin swords with those limbs, could you?”

“…That is true.”

The other man, eying my arms and legs sticking out from the maid’s outfit, said as much, and the man in the black suit nodded as if he were convinced.

“Is there something going on?”

“Nothing much, just go.”

The man replied while holding an unlit cigarette in his mouth and then vanished. What, is he leaving? I thought, as I cautiously made my way back to the hotel suite where Lilian was asleep.