Episode 10. The princess’s first love (4)
“This is…… ?”
As soon as we teleported, we let go. Maria moves away from the tax collector and sneaks up on me.
“Sekul’s famous garden…… Is not anymore.”
Because of the damage caused by the warriors’ sparring, only a few weeds were growing on the ground.
Still, the superb view was not bad.
Looking at the huge nature from a high place, I feel at ease somewhere.
“It’s a bit cold… ….”
Faded golden hair fluttering in the wind. The cool breeze and low temperature of early spring made the tip of her nose red hot.
“Because it is getting early spring now.”
I took off my coat enchanted with warmth and put it over her shoulder.
To be honest, I was cold too, but I managed to hold on because her inner clothes were also enchanted with keeping warm.
“It will be warm to wear.”
“Ah… ….”
Princess Se-Ri looks at me bewildered with her round eyes. It seems surprising to me that a guy who doesn’t talk too much is considerate.
I know how to be considerate. It’s because I’m trying to limit my skills.
“Come on.”
“Oh, yes.”
At my words, Se-Ri grabs her coat collar and puts it on properly.
“Isn’t it okay not to give it to you? I am from the imperial family.”
Maria complained. It seems that he still has a crush on the people of the Hwang family.
“Then will you block the wind with magic?”
“If Master wants it, I will do it.”
“It’s done.”
I hate being cold, but sometimes being like this isn’t bad. It’s romantic. Something like this
“It’s warm… ….”
Princess Se-ri muttered as she looked down at her coat.
“…… Oh, there, but… Prause.”
“What is it?”
“Why did you bring me here?”
“The sunset here is pretty.”
“Yes…… ?”
It is still before the sun sets.
You can tell by the sunset why the villagers called this hill in Sekul a specialty.
I was amazed every time I saw the sunset over here. The sunbeams slowly disappearing over the mountains were so beautiful that there was something to look at without thinking.
She intended to show the sight to her as well.
Of course, before that.
I should start by restoring her self-esteem.
“Is that the only reason?”
“…… Because it looks hard.”
“It’s hard… Can you see it?”
When the princess entered her room, her expression was darker than ever.
She tried to hide her feelings by laughing at me, but before that, I saw her crying face.
Seeing that, I couldn’t bear to let it go.
So this is just a light ‘capriciousness’. Meaningless.
“I know how you have been treated.”
She has been despised by the people around her in order to survive after being excluded from the competition of the princes.
No, I’ve been patient.
However, due to the evaluations around her, her mental strength and self-esteem eroded little by little and hit the floor.
Knowing that, I told her to continue on her way.
Because I thought that was the only way for Princess Se-ri to live.
Because I thought that was right.
But I’ve decided not to think about that anymore.
Even if this world contains the game world view of ‘The Three Warriors of Pretium’, it is a game and this place is reality.
“…… I’ve said it before. You are not incompetent.”
“Incompetence…… ?”
“Yes. Not incompetent you.”
“Ooh, don’t be funny!”
Rarely, the princess tax collector shouted.
As expected, I must have accumulated emotions. There wouldn’t have been any opponents to solve until now, so it wasn’t strange that they piled up.
“How do you know that? You and I had never met or talked until the New Year’s party. It’s the third time we’ve met, and in the meantime, you’ve been living the life I’ve lived…… Can you tell?”
Three times…….
Certainly, from her point of view, it may have been three times.
But I wasn’t.
I knew everything about her past, how she lived, and what she wanted to do in the future.
It may have been her one-sided conversation, but I’ve seen and talked to her countless times.
“…… If you want to stop pretending to be incompetent, you can.”
“Yes?”
Okay, you can quit now.
As long as I made up my mind to make her her own emperor, there was no need to make her her own.
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“You can prove your competence. No need to notice other princes.”
“What are you saying… ….”
“Seeing that you don’t understand what I mean, you must be a foolish princess.”
“Ba, stupid?! I’m not stupid!”
I know. She wasn’t stupid
She was a rather wise human being.
It was true that there was nothing special about her compared to the other princes.
However, she had a different way of thinking than her princes.
That is a way of thinking that excludes the authority of the imperial family when faced with a problem.
In general, the princes have lived under the emperor since they were young, and if there is something they don’t like, they use the power of the imperial family to seduce others.
That’s why the princes’ way of thinking was basically based on ‘coercion’.
But Princess Se-ri didn’t.
Because I have been subjected to power since I was young, I knew that coercion was not an unconditional solution.
So she was able to arrive at the optimal solution by listing as many cases and possibilities as possible.
That was the secret of her wisdom.
She was unlucky, so her wisdom was her weapon.
I think this wisdom will save the empire and other races in the future. It actually happened in the game too.
“Whose faction did I say I belong to?”
“…… !”
“I am your power. Wherever you go, you don’t have to bow your head. There is no need to tremble in fear. If someone tries to kill you, don’t worry, I and my disciples will protect you.”
Well, it’s not me who actually kills, but the warriors!
“Prause… ….”
“Does this make you feel safe?”
The golden eyes of the princess waver. Before long, water formed around her eyes, and a drop trickled down.
“Ah, oh… ? Why are you crying?”
I hurriedly wiped her tears with the back of my hand, but the bursting tears began to flow non-stop.
I lower my head, probably because I don’t want to show my crying face.
It is not an illusion that it feels familiar to cry silently. He looked at his trembling shoulders and gently patted his back.
“Why are you crying… ….”
“Shh.”
At Maria’s grumbling, I put my index finger on her lips. She gazed at the distant mountains without hiding her disapproval.
I know that Maria hates the imperial family, but she was an ally.
I have to explain to Maria about her later.
As time passed, I could only hear the sound of swallowing mucus from time to time as if I had calmed down.
“Have you calmed down?”
“Yes… …. For a moment, I felt so relieved that I showed an embarrassing appearance uncharacteristic of a princess.”
Se-Ri sniffles and raises her head again. The corners of her eyes were red, and the whites of her eyes were congested.
“Isn’t it okay? She’s a human before she’s a princess.”
“…… I really don’t think I’ve ever heard of something like that.”
“I guess so.”
“Is this because I like it too?”
It was a strange nuance.
It felt like I interpreted it differently from what I said before. Is it an illusion?
“I like your wisdom.”
“Are you shy? Come now?”
“No.”
“Yes. I will do it like that.”
What is it? This reaction. Not to adapt.
It feels like there is something you want to hear blatantly.
I have a sense of what it is, but I had no intention of mentioning it on my side. It doesn’t make any sense to do it.
“By the way, Prause, you know that there is no one in my power in the imperial family, right? If you do something wrong, the imperial family could become your enemy. Is that okay?”
“I have no intention of turning the imperial family itself into an enemy. All I want is for you to live to the end and become emperor. It would be difficult for the imperial family to become enemies.”
“Is that possible?”
“It is possible. Because I am.”
Even if I didn’t exist, you were destined to be.
Because the warriors, Duke Tori would have pushed your back.
“If you say it with such conviction, you have no choice but to believe it even if you don’t want to believe it.”
“I see.”
“Then Prause…… My only power in the world… No, it’s on my side. Lol.”
Sherry laughed.
It wasn’t a laugh to erase emotions, but a light smile freed from worries.
“Are you ready to become emperor?”
“…… If I become emperor, will I have to kill my older brothers with my own hands?”
I hesitated for a moment to answer her question that penetrated the core.
No matter how much people hate themselves, brothers are brothers. I can’t imagine how painful it is to kill her family, but I had no choice but to force it on her.
“I will not kill you with your own hands, but I will at your command.”
“I can’t kill you, right?”
“There may be a way to not kill you, but it will put you in danger.”
In other works, princes and princesses who did not become emperors get married or live in other positions in the imperial palace, but such hopes did not exist in this world.
It was because if I let another brother live in this world, I would start a rebellion in every way.
Especially the force pushing Prince Chris.
There was a route that the nobles who were dissatisfied with her ascension to the throne once overturned it.
But even if you go that route, in the end, Seri will be crowned emperor.
The problem was after that.
Even if you take the treason route, it can lead to a happy ending, but it becomes a ‘time game’ because the war between man and man takes place while the empire is greatly weakened.
If you are a person with good control, you will say that the time game is rather good and proceed smoothly, but for a person with a bad hand like me, it was the worst progress.
That means I had to start over from the save point because of that route. Damn.
Of course, there was no such possibility in this world.
Because I have two dukes that are the most popular in this world after the imperial family.
The Duke of Tory and the Grand Duke of Rexton.
I was thinking of taking advantage of Grand Duke Todia soon. Later, he planned to meet the Duke of Calus in the east as well.
Anyway, if you keep your dukes neutral or bring them to my side, there will be no failure in the succession war in any route.
Even if she leaves her heart weak.
“…… Okay.”
“You cannot become an emperor with poor resolution. If the other princes knew that I had joined your faction, they would be the first to kill you in the event of a succession war.”
Perhaps all of her princes will join forces to suppress her.
If the princess is killed by another faction, everything will end.
No matter how much I helped her, she had no right to directly ascend to the throne because she was not from the imperial family.
Even if it happened, there was no way I could suddenly run the country.
So this was the worst situation I could consider.
“Choose. Will I live like a bird in a cage under the watchful eye of the crown prince for the rest of my life, or will I become the emperor and enjoy everything?”
“Everything… ….”
She murmurs and ponders seriously.
Her
I told her to choose, but even if she said no, I would make her emperor.
Even if it means officially announcing that I will join Princess Seri’s power.
So this was the selfishness I forced her to see her happy ending.
“…… Then can I put a condition on it?”
“Conditions?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
She stares at me undisturbed.
I could feel the determination in his eyes. I don’t know what the condition was, but I felt like I should listen to it anyway.
Because she is solidifying her determination to become her emperor right here.
“If I become the emperor…… The engagement will end anyway……. Can you stay by my side ‘for the rest of my life’?”
“…… What?”
I couldn’t believe my ears at Princess Seri’s words.