Chapter 20
“Chobi.”
Panting, I stepped in front of Chobi and blocked her path.
Chobi, who had been humming to herself, flinched and stared at me with a startled expression.
“S-Saintess.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I was taking a walk around the imperial palace……. Is there some kind of problem……?”
“Hufferson said you hardly ever leave the laboratory.”
“Well, the weather was nice, so I kept walking and ended up here~”
“……You weren’t following His Majesty’s route, were you?”
Chobi lowered her gaze and pretended not to hear.
I held out my hand toward the glass of water she was holding.
“Give that to me.”
“T-This one’s not allowed.”
“You put medicine in it. I saw everything, you know?”
Just a moment ago, beside the building where His Majesty was due to arrive, Chobi had been mixing medicine into that glass of water.
Whether she’d been lying in wait to give it to His Majesty, or for some other reason—
Either way, the glass Chobi was holding was dangerous.
He wouldn’t even look at it if I gave it to him, but His Majesty—so gentle-hearted—might actually drink it…!
“Hik. How did you see that?”
“Give it to me.”
“N-No.”
Chobi hid the glass to the side.
I wrapped my hand around Chobi’s hand holding the glass.
“You weren’t planning to give that to His Majesty, right……?”
“Well, when I thought about it, it seemed like you wouldn’t use it, Saintess~”
“Hey! Even so, how could Chobi use it instead!”
“I’ll make sure to show you His Majesty the Emperor’s smile. Please trust me!”
“I said that’s enough……!”
Chobi was a formidable opponent—someone persuasion just didn’t work on.
Thinking it might be better to just knock the glass over, I tightened my grip.
But Chobi’s strength was nothing to scoff at either.
We struggled tensely, the cup caught between us.
“I’m telling you, this way is the easiest……!”
“Using medicine to manipulate someone’s heart…… that’s not right……!”
“It’s only for 24 hours……!”
“Even so, feelings of love should be natural……!”
“Saintess? And…… the Head Researcher?”
“Huk.”
“Kyaa!”
The appearance I’d been dreading—His Majesty.
Chobi and I stopped struggling and looked up at His Majesty, breathing hard.
Huff. Huff. Seeing him from afar earlier was one thing, but up close he’s even more handsome—
No, that’s not the issue, I still haven’t knocked the glass over—!
“What exactly are you two doing right now……?”
The one who acted first was Chobi.
Seizing the moment when my grip loosened, she raised the glass toward His Majesty.
That’s—!
“Your Majesty! Aren’t you thirsty?”
“I’m thirsty!”
“Ah…….”
Gulp.
“…….”
Gulp. Gulp.
I thought, I’ve messed up.
But I couldn’t stop drinking.
I couldn’t leave even a single sip.
“S-Saintess?”
Only after draining the glass completely with my eyes squeezed shut did I bow my head deeply.
Chobi called out to me in a fluster.
“……I’ll be going now.”
I’ll keep my eyes on the ground. Then I’ll lock myself in my room alone until the effects wear off.
I brushed past Chobi and His Majesty.
“Saintess.”
“Saintess!”
Could it be that I’ve even fallen for the hem of his trousers? My heart’s racing over His Majesty’s uniform fit.
“Head Researcher. I’d like to have a brief talk about what’s going on here.”
“Ah, um, well……. I…….”
Behind me, I could hear His Majesty pressing her and Chobi stammering helplessly.
I wanted to help, but first, it was more important that I lock myself away somewhere with no one around.
‘But does this thing even work? I don’t feel any different from before I drank it.’
Now to the right.
Groping my way through my memory toward the direction of the Prodinta Palace, I suddenly collided with a massive obstacle.
It was so solid I fell flat on my backside—like I’d run straight into a wall.
“Ow……. A wall? Since when was there a wall here……?”
“Are you all right, Saintess?”
“…….”
Deep-set eyes, firmly closed lips. A T-zone so sharp it put a Moai statue to shame.
Dark-blue hair slicked back with pomade, calm green eyes settled like a quiet forest.
Even the neatly raised collar of his uniform was no joke.
Have I mentioned it before?
If ascetic sexiness were ever born into this world as a human being, it would look exactly like this.
“Captain Henkel.”
“Yes.”
That low, resonant voice that felt like it could drill straight down into the ground.
“……Why is the captain standing in front of me?”
I’m doomed. Completely.
Feeling the heat rising to my flushed cheeks and my heart pounding faster than usual, my reason sobbed somewhere deep in the abyss.
From the day he left his hometown, Allend’s days had always begun in the early dawn.
That hadn’t changed even after he became Emperor.
Nights were always restless, and dawns were full of wandering thoughts.
Sleep never returned, and there was nothing in particular to pass the time.
Being alone wasn’t bad, but when idle thoughts drifted back into the past, it became troublesome.
So every day, he went to his study.
“Meo-ow.”
At early dawn, his familiar, Ru, who had made a round of the palace grounds, slipped in through the study window where Allend was.
Ru jumped onto the desk and rubbed its face against Allend’s hand.
Judging by how it begged for food the moment it arrived, there must not have been anyone hiding around today.
On days when Ru spotted the Saintess, it would come back acting innocent before asking for food.
Allend brought his index finger to Ru’s mouth.
Holy power flowed from his fingertip into Ru.
The black tail swayed low, as if pleased.
“Good work.”
“Meow.”
For the first time in months, Allend felt true quiet as he turned the pages of a book.
‘It’s quiet.’
For over a decade, dawns like this had been routine, yet after only a few noisy months, it now felt strange. The thought made him smile faintly, and he touched the corner of his mouth.
‘This isn’t bad.’
In any case, the Saintess was someone whose life he was responsible for.
From the beginning, whether or not she possessed holy power hadn’t mattered.
“The summoning circle is glowing! The Saintess is coming!”
“C-Crazy.”
What mattered was the vow he’d made that day—to protect her for life.
He never imagined that vow would one day make life feel enjoyable.
Strangely enough, whenever he was with the Saintess, there were many moments that made him smile.
How long had it been since he’d smiled from the heart?
There were no romantic feelings between a man and a woman, but if they were to spend a lifetime together, this much enjoyment seemed acceptable.
‘A lifetime.’
The corner of Allend’s mouth lifted just slightly—so subtly that even he didn’t notice.
Nor did he notice that his hand, turning the page, lingered for a long time on an illustration of a squirrel that resembled the Saintess.
Knock, knock.
At the sound of a knock, Allend lifted his head and looked toward the window.
At some point, dawn had broken.
“Come in.”
The person who entered was Henkel Levarten, Captain of the Imperial Guard.
This too was part of the daily routine that turned like a wheel.
Reports on incidents from the previous night, or the list of people entering and leaving the palace that day.
But today, Henkel was different.
The man who always maintained a calm expression now glanced anxiously at the door.
He seemed unsure whether he should close the slightly open door or not.
“Is it happening again today?”
“……Yes. That is correct.”
At Allend’s question, Henkel nodded with an awkward expression.
Allend rose from his seat and walked to the door.
Passing through the wide-open doorway, the two men stepped into the corridor and turned their gaze toward one spot.
“There she is.”
“She’s over there.”
A shadow that began at the corner of the corridor stretched long across the floor.
When they silently watched, a face peeked out from the corner like a puppy.
A mysterious pair of eyes, like the night sky, widened slightly in surprise before hurriedly disappearing behind the corner again.
“It seems you made eye contact with the guard.”
“……Yes.”
“She doesn’t even look my way.”
Allend’s smiling eyebrow twitched slightly.
“……My life is completely ruined.”
My heart.
You little—
“I didn’t know you were such a reed in the wind!”
I clutched my chest.
Come out here. Let’s talk, you and me!
“Waaah…….”
Curling up on the stairs, I wrapped my arms around my knees and buried my face.
“What is this…….”
Chobi’s claim that it would only last a day was total nonsense.
It’s already been three days.
My heart raced madly whenever it was Captain Henkel, and I kept following him around.
……From morning to night.
I could probably list everything the captain had eaten over the past three days.
“Captain Henkel…….”
Aaaagh!
Why am I blushing and muttering “Captain Henkel……” like this?!
I smacked my forehead against my folded arms.
‘Get a grip!’
I hate myself like this too.
But now even my brain had been swallowed up by fake emotions.
Still, maybe it’s a good thing His Majesty didn’t drink that potion.
I saw him again today. That shining blond hair, sculpted features, that dark-blue hair that perfectly matched the subdued emotion of the early dawn—
“Get out.”
Out of my head. Get out.
“My ultimate favorite is His Majesty, okay…….”
But if Captain Henkel and His Majesty were both drowning, who would you save first?
A devil’s whisper echoed in my mind.
To test my loyalty with such a flimsy scenario—
Of course……!
“His Majesty is good at everything, so wouldn’t he be good at swimming too……?”
I slapped my own mouth for muttering that.
How long am I supposed to live carrying this agony?
Knowing full well that these feelings are fake—created by a potion.
Feeling depressed, my eyes stung as if tears might fall, and I sniffed.
“Chobi…….”
Chobi had disappeared since the day before yesterday.
Hufferson said she hadn’t returned home, so she had to be somewhere inside the imperial palace.
But no matter what, I couldn’t hear her voice or find her anywhere.
So whenever I had time, I just sat in front of the laboratory, waiting for Chobi to show up.
“I might really go tell the God Seikan.”
Not that I even had a way to tell Him.
As I said it out loud anyway, I heard a sharp intake of breath.
I quickly lifted my head.
“Chobi!”
Chobi was standing there, carrying luggage over both shoulders, looking like she was about to flee in the dead of night.
“S-Saintess!”
Chobi immediately prostrated herself flat in front of me again.
I don’t think I’ll ever get used to other people doing this—but with Chobi, I feel like I already have.
“I-I’m sorry. But last time, you swore in the name of the God Seikan, so you mustn’t hold my mistake against me…….”
Was that oath supposed to mean that?
“I don’t want to.”
Chobi’s shoulders jolted in surprise.
Seeing that she couldn’t argue back, it seemed she’d twisted the situation to suit herself.
“We’ll talk about that later. The effects of the potion won’t go away. You said it would definitely be over in 24 hours, didn’t you?”
“Effects, you say……?”
“Wanting to see him, feeling embarrassed when our eyes meet, my heart racing…….”
My voice trembled even as I spoke.
Those green eyes. That heavy, resonant low voice.
Captain Henk—!
Smack.
“Get! A! Grip!”
“S-Saintess! Why are you hitting your forehead with your hand?!”
“No, I’m just…… having a brief battle with myself…….”
This is serious.
I need to get out of this situation fast.
“Anyway. Give me the antidote.”
“Uh……. Saintess.”
Chobi gave an awkward smile.
“……Don’t tell me.”
“There isn’t one. An antidote.”
