Chapter 57
“My Master I!
Duke Clayton de Lebois wants to confirm his feelings with Princess Gracie!
Please choose one of the options below! ▼▼ Option 1. Let him kiss you.
Option 2. Kiss him.
Option 3. Kiss him on the cheek.
Option 4. (Censored). (Auto-execute)”
When did the number of “(Censored)” choices start increasing?! It felt like my airway was tightening with every new threat to my life.
But what could I do? What mattered most were G Corp and 7 billion won!
I couldn’t let myself fall for some handsome, seductive man and lose everything.
Option 3!
“Invalid input.”
Too bad.
Still, being the one doing the kissing was better than being kissed.
“I’ll do it. But you can’t touch me.”
“Huh? O-okay!”
When he closed his eyes after I selected Option 2, I looked at him. Even with his eyes closed, how could someone look this good? It was almost a crime.
I sighed, leaned in, and pressed my lips to his first. The way he trembled as if restraining himself sent shivers down my spine. Maybe it was because the earlier incident was still fresh in my memory, but I felt like if I didn’t tease him just right, he’d lose control.
Judging from our conversations so far, Clayton was the type who’d go berserk once he crossed a certain line.
So I’d better keep it moderate.
When our lips finally met after a bit of evasive movement, he devoured me like a starving beast. His response was so intense that I could barely keep up. His hot breath brushed against my chin as he eagerly explored my mouth, and I thought my jaw might dislocate from the effort of keeping up.
“Mmph…!”
He didn’t even care that saliva was dripping down between us.
I could barely breathe, my eyes burned, and the longer it went on, the redder my eyes became. I started hitting his shoulders repeatedly, and only then did he finally let go.
“You…!”
“S-sorry! I didn’t mean to— It just kind of happened—!”
“You’re not getting another chance!”
“N-no! I’m sorry! I just— it felt too good!”
He pulled me tightly into his arms before I could stand, forcing me back down.
“Are you trying to break my waist again?”
“No!”
Even though he loosened his hold a bit, he still wouldn’t let me go. I honestly had no idea what to do with him. My brain was too foggy to think straight, maybe because of the heat rushing up my head — and why was my heart pounding so loudly?
Wait… that heartbeat wasn’t mine.
“Were you scared? Why are you—”
“Shut up!”
Embarrassed, I smacked his shoulder hard again, but he just looked up at me with a grin, unfazed.
“I really like you, Gracie. You’re the best. The absolute best.”
“Ugh!”
He leaned into me, and I ended up falling backward. He pressed close, his head resting against my chest as if trying to listen to my heartbeat through my clothes.
“What I couldn’t finish earlier… I want to finish now.”
“If you touch me any further, you’ll never see me again.”
“…Got it.”
Then I suddenly remembered something suspicious and asked,
“Hey. By the way— you’re wearing a chastity belt. How the hell were you so calm earlier?”
He pressed his chin against my chest and looked up at me.
“Didn’t you have the key, Gracie?”
“Would I?”
“Too bad.”
He really did look disappointed, so I ended up patting his head. Maybe because he was the safest man in terms of “chastity risk,” my guard kept slipping around him — and that was the real problem.
“Pet me more.”
“What if I pull your hair out?”
“That’s fine. I’ve got a lot of it. It’ll grow back fast.”
“I heard people whose hair grows fast have a lot of dirty thoughts.”
I knew it was a dumb superstition, but I couldn’t be the only one embarrassed here.
“All my dirty thoughts are about you, though…”
“I’m throwing away the key to your chastity belt. You’re never getting out of it.”
“Hehehe.”
He rested his head on me again, as if to listen to my heartbeat, so I had no choice but to stroke his hair gently—until he finally calmed down and let go.
“Your Highness.”
Verdin came to my office. I’d been about to go see Adrian, but since Verdin requested an audience first, I stopped by.
“Oh, you brought Sir Robert Brighton with you?”
“Yes.”
“I greet the Little Sun of the Empire.”
“This is your first time meeting him, right?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
He greeted me with perfect courtesy and then stood before me.
Francis frowned at him, then glanced at me, and I could pretty much guess what he was thinking—so I ignored it.
Quest!
Deyrid Kingdom Citizens’ Favorability Quest!Reward: The Deyrid citizens’ favorability toward you will increase by 10 points per hour instead of 1 point per hour!
Ooh, that’s a great reward.
Which meant, of course, that the difficulty would be hell.
“▼ Assign Robert Brighton to lead an expedition to Envert Island in the Kingdom of Deyrid!
The faster he completes his preparations, the higher the quest’s success rate!”
“Sir Robert.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“You’re related to Joshua, right?”
“…Yes.”
He had a strong, upright face — the kind of man who looked like he couldn’t tell a lie even if he tried.
Robert Brighton
- Commander of the 12th Division
- Affection for Duke Clayton de Lebois: 99%
- Affection for the Bastian Imperial Family: 50%
- Affection for the Deyrid Royal Family: 10%
His loyalty to Deyrid was lower than I expected. Guess he really loved Clayton.
“Did you fight alongside Clayton during the war?”
“Yes.”
“Even when it was against the Deyrid Kingdom?”
“…Yes.”
Loyalty to Bastian confirmed.
“How about the Countess—did she object?”
Since Countess Brighton was from the Deyrid royal family, it was worth asking.
“My mother grew disillusioned with Deyrid.”
“I suppose asking why would be difficult?”
“No, Your Highness. She told me that when she conceived me, she was heavily criticized.”
Ah. Deyrid was known for its obsession with chastity and purity.
Premarital celibacy was a big deal there. That explained a lot.
“▼ Robert Brighton is a virgin.”
“Are you close with Sir Francis?”
“Eh?”
“Oh, just kidding…”
“Yes, we’re close. We get along quite well.”
I figured. Wouldn’t surprise me if he wore a chastity belt too.
“Then, would you be willing to go on an expedition? It won’t be easy.”
“Yes. I’m fine with that. In fact, I recently spoke with Sir Francis about this.”
When I looked over at Francis, he was staring at me like a puppy waiting for praise. Cute.
“I heard you cleared up the misunderstandings.”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Of course.”
So he’d need to prepare quickly. The faster the prep, the higher the success rate.
“How soon can you be ready?”
“How many people should I take?”
“Around thirty. I’ll connect you to my personal mining funds — you can draw from there as needed. And it must be kept discreet.”
“Understood.”
“Outwardly, I’ll make it look like I demoted you for insubordination. My father will be informed, of course.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Press the button!”
When I did, a ding sounded and a map suddenly popped up!
And yet — no one looked surprised!
Why do they get normal reaction filters, but I don’t?!
“So unfair.”
“Pardon?”
“Oh—nothing.”
There were two maps: one for me, and one for Robert. It was definitely a map of Envert Island.
After checking both the map and the note, I handed them over. He accepted them calmly.
“I’ll depart within the day.”
“Good. Quick and efficient. Anything you’d like in return?”
“…Yes.”
Of course. Passionate people always had clear goals.
It was nice when I was in a position to actually grant them.
“What is it?”
He swallowed hard and clenched his fists.
Uh oh. I was starting to get a bad feeling.
“Please… reconsider your relationship with Duke de Lebois.”
Damn it.
“Reconsider? As in—marrying him again?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
So Clayton was really well-liked, huh? I guess the kind of bond you form on a battlefield runs deeper than I thought.
“All right.”
“And also…”
“Yes?”
“Please recognize my mother as a member of the Bastian Imperial family’s cadet branch.”
So he wanted to erase her connection to Deyrid?
“May I ask why?”
He slowly nodded. Out of curiosity, I glanced at Francis — yep, still watching me intently.
Guess I should get used to that.
“I just don’t want my mother to be haunted by old beliefs anymore.”
“What a good son.”
“Being a good son is my dream.”
“Then you won’t be able to get married.”
“Pardon?”
Oops—said that out loud.
He blinked, confused, while Francis chuckled quietly beside me.
“I’m joking. Verdin will handle everything you need.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Verdin, work late tonight. I’ll let you rest tomorrow.”
“The word ‘rest’ terrifies me, Your Highness.”
Verdin brushed his hair back with a sigh.
That tone meant he thought I was the frustrating one — but I hadn’t done anything frustrating!
“Why?”
“Because whenever I rest, Your Highness causes trouble.”
“Then don’t rest. Come back tomorrow and work again.”
“I plan to.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. His professional smile didn’t fade for a second.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Now then—
Time to go see that Adrian bastard.
