My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 114

“I will go alone to see Princess Seri.”

I turned to my companions and said.

If Princess Seri had a yandere trait, there was no benefit in taking other women along.

Moreover, it would be more comfortable for the person who felt self-deprecating for messing up to go alone than to have several people swarm around them.

They seemed to understand this as they nodded without further comment.

“Either go to the training ground first or rest in the room you were in before.”

Without waiting for a response from my companions, I turned my body. After taking three steps, I stopped.

“Ah… I hope you’re not thinking of eavesdropping. If you do, I might get a bit… angry.”

I couldn’t help but recall the time when my companions had eavesdropped on my conversation with Urka. They flinched and pretended to be busy. It seemed they really did have intentions to eavesdrop if I hadn’t said anything.

And so, I strolled down the corridor alone. I ascended to the third floor where Seri’s room was located. In front of the door stood a Beastman Maid, fidgeting while holding a tray.

“What’s going on?”

“Ah, Lord Praus. Well….”

“You’re refusing to eat, aren’t you?”

I said boldly, knowing full well that the result she brought back was likely nothing, which would have crushed her self-esteem just as quickly.

Surely, she was berating herself with a thousand different imaginations.

It was a behavioral tendency typical of those whose self-esteem had severely dropped.

“Yes, that’s right. She hasn’t had a proper meal for two days now. I was hoping she’d at least open the door for me….”

“Give that to me, and you go handle your other business.”

“Huh? But….”

“You’ll only be a distraction. I’ll pull the princess out, so you handle your duties.”

“Understood. Well then, I’m counting on you.”

How devoted she was, even though she wasn’t her master.

Of course, it was because her charge was a princess, but every little action was filled with genuine sincerity.

If one were in their right mind and saw this, even the princess would be moved. What a pity.

I stood in front of Seri’s door.

“Hmmm….”

With this state of affairs, I wouldn’t be able to say proper comforting words.

Assuming she liked me and considering her yandere traits, I figured that a bit of physical affection would reassure her.

Allowing physical contact with a yandere trait isn’t exactly a wise choice, though.

Still, the reason I came here was to make use of her. It would be troublesome if I crumbled just because I took a misstep.

So, what I had to do was to ‘comfort’ her to restore her self-esteem.

Knock, knock.

I gently knocked on the door.

“It’s Praus. Seri, open the door.”

There was no answer. I felt a presence inside, but honestly, I wasn’t sure.

Knock, knock.

Still no response. I pressed my mouth against the crack of the door.

“To what extent are you planning to let down my expectations? I’ve never thought of you as a weak person.”

I pressed my ear against the door and heard what sounded like fabric rustling. Thankfully, it seemed she was listening.

“Seri, are you thinking of going back a few months? If so, you’re mistaken. There’s no longer a place for you there. You can’t go back. The moment you give up here, the justification for protecting you disappears.”

It felt very much like a threat, but I needed her to come out first for any conversation or physical touch to happen.

“If what you want is indeed that, then I’ll give up on you as well.”

With that last line, I fell silent.

Though I said that, I couldn’t give up on Princess Seri.

After all, there was no one in this world who could replace her. To create the ultimate route I envisioned, I had to get her on the throne no matter what.

I took a step back from the door. Intentionally, I made loud footsteps as I moved toward the staircase.

This was bait.

If she truly had a yandere trait, she wouldn’t be able to withstand this implicit signal of my intent to never return. Not at all.

Now, what will you do, Princess Seri?

Creak!

“W-Wait a moment!!”

With the sound of the door opening from behind me, a hurried voice echoed in the corridor.

I turned around with relief in my heart.

There stood Seri, wearing a silk slip dress with a cardigan, her eyes welling up with tears.

Her tousled hair and the dark circles under her eyes made it abundantly clear how much she had been agonizing inside that room.

“…You came out.”

Upon seeing me, Seri shook her head vigorously.

“No…! I don’t want to…!”

Tears began to gather in her golden eyes and then fell in drops.

“P-Please don’t abandon me….”

Saying that, she crumpled to the ground and began to sob. Her head gradually lowered until it touched the floor.

Seeing that, my mind froze.

I thought I needed to say or do something, but my body wouldn’t respond.

It seemed her condition was far worse than I had imagined.

“I don’t want to be abandoned…again. I don’t want to die….”

Lack of affection. A drop in self-esteem.

The trauma of being abandoned by someone she trusted.

And the sense of helplessness that she couldn’t do anything at all.

All of these were gnawing at her mind, leaving her in a wretched state. If she had grown up with a bit more love, she would never have shown such a pathetic appearance.

No matter how much I intended to use her, seeing a person so broken like this was hard for even me to bear.

I bit my lower lip hard enough to draw blood. Finally, my stiff body regained movement.

First, I glanced around. Thankfully, there was no one passing through the corridor.

I quickly approached her. Setting the tray down on the ground, I grasped Seri’s shoulders.

“Seri.”

“Huuh! Sniff!”

She was only sobbing with her head lowered.

Damn it, I can’t comfort her with this tone.

“Seri, I don’t know how to be gentle.”

I tightened my grip on her shoulders.

“Did you say you didn’t want to be abandoned?”

She shook her head vigorously. Afraid to show her tear-streaked face, she kept her gaze down.

“Then prove your worth. This is what you need to do for yourself, not for me.”

Showing such a weak demeanor would not be acceptable if she wanted to be recognized by the nobility.

“I can put you on the throne, but it’s not enough to just get there; you need to keep proving it once you are. You were rejected during the last noble meeting because you were seen as incompetent, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

“Seri, I believe you can prove yourself and stand proudly as Emperor before the nobility.”

Sniffle. She lifted her head.

Her eyes were bloodshot from how much she had cried. The corners of her eyes and her nose were red, and her face was a mess of tears and snot.

I took a handkerchief from my pocket and gently wiped her face.

“But… Lord Praus will abandon me if I lose my value…”

“To me, you are someone I absolutely cannot abandon. The reason you didn’t open the door was… I was just using a bit of a tactic to get you to open it.”

Normally, cutting off a character like this would be the quick thing to do, but I had no option to abandon her.

“The ones who don’t open the door won’t just be tossed aside!”

She punched my chest with a whiny voice. It clearly struck my muscle, yet it still felt a bit like my bones were being hit.

“Rise up now. Being a princess isn’t light.”

I helped her up. I gently ushered the still sniffling Seri back into the room.

I seated her on the bed and retrieved the tray I had set on the floor, closing the door behind me.

I placed the tray on the table.

On the tray lay a now-cold soup, sandwich, and a portion of roasted chicken.

“Don’t bother the servants. You’re still living here, aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry…”

She still gazed down. I sat beside her on the bed, just in time for her to begin speaking.

“I…I realized something.”

The little hand resting on my lap trembled.

“The only thing I can take pride in is Lord Praus. I’m not competent… It’s Lord Praus who made me appear competent. But do you still see potential in someone like me?”

“I do. Don’t you?”

“…”

“You seem to have no confidence in yourself at all.”

I could understand.

Even if she had debuted properly at the first noble meeting, it was all contrived.

For someone with weak mental fortitude like her, if someone targeted her weaknesses, she would crumble and fall apart completely.

So rather than blaming her, I had to blame myself for being complacent.

“I’m sorry. While you believe in me… I can’t believe in myself.”

“Then… believe in me.”

“Huh?”

“It means to not doubt anything I say, do, or think until you gain confidence in yourself.”

I was confident I wouldn’t do anything that would bring her harm. While the process might be painful and difficult, ultimately, I could give her what she desired.

And most importantly, these words would serve to reverse her obsession into a strength.

To not doubt means I could manipulate her as I wished.

In simpler terms, it could be considered gaslighting.

“I’m the one who has shown you a way to survive. I’ll take full responsibility for this, unlike others. So trust me. Trust me until you can believe in yourself. Can you do that?”

“…Yes, I can do it.”

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and nodded vigorously.

“Good.”

I stood up and grabbed the tray I had placed on the table. I set the tray down on her lap.

“The first thing you need to do for that is to eat this.”

Though it had gone cold, it was food made with care for her.

“Eat.”

“…”

Slowly, she began to spoon the soup. After slurping the cold soup, she reached for a sandwich and took a bite.

Munch, munch.

As I watched her slowly chewing, I sat back down on the bed, gently patting her back while she ate.

“Well done.”

“I didn’t do anything… Why are you praising me? Is eating this something praiseworthy?”

The tray and spoon shook in her hands. As the clattering grew louder, I placed my hand over hers.

“Even if I say not to doubt me.”

“I want to know the reason…”

“You believed in me and studied politics, and you went to the noble meeting. That alone is enough for you to be praised. If the results were poor, reflect on it and think about what to do next. Then, one day, you’ll grow enough to believe in yourself.”

“You said you weren’t gentle… and here you are lying.”

I comforted her in such a way, and she said I was kind?

Thinking about it, why do the people around me say that I’m kind even when I speak roughly?

“…Does that mean I can keep liking you?”

“…Huh? What did you say?”

I momentarily lost my train of thought and didn’t catch what she said.

She shook her head. It seemed she had no intention of answering, as she widened her mouth and started to eat the sandwich.

I stared at Seri in confusion but let it slide as inconsequential.

Still, I was relieved she seemed to be coming back to her senses.

Now, I’ve tied one up successfully.

Next up is the pink-haired cat girl.

I thought these characters in this world required quite a bit of effort, and pondered on what to say to the next target.