Chapter 51
Cadyan looked so shocked that he even trembled at his own guessing skill that got even the distance exactly right.
I know that feeling.
That was how I felt when I got a perfect score on an exam by guessing.
From that day on, I thought the God of Guessing was my guardian deity.
I even thought that when I became an adult, I’d buy a house with lottery money.
Reality? My fifty thousand won turned into ten pieces of paper with numbers on them.
I got excited thinking about steak, then lost a week’s food budget and starved.
But now I’m rich enough that I don’t have to rely on luck anymore…!
Did my life finally bloom after coming to this world…?!
No. I’m totally screwed right now.
You idiot, just quietly stan your favorite. Why… why…!!
“Saintess.”
Hufferson’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Right now, the Saintess—”
“Me…?”
“—your friend is being pushed away.”
Hufferson stated it as if he could see through everything.
I hadn’t even said much yet.
Do love experts really see things like this…?!
“Pushed away?”
“In relationships between men and women, you can’t just pull all the time because you like them.”
Oh. Push and pull.
Right, I shouldn’t just pull His Majesty nonstop either… Wait, why am I thinking about seducing His Majesty?
This is ridiculous.
“And in my opinion. That damn knight—no, that partner—might be trying to put your friend into a net.”
“A net?”
“Not me, but sometimes there are bad people like that. People who don’t date just one person, but put several people into their net and enjoy it.”
“…He’s not that bad of a person.”
Hearing that makes it sound like His Majesty is managing a harem or something.
Of course, Hufferson doesn’t know that my ‘friend’ is me and the partner is His Majesty, but still…
I unconsciously stared at Hufferson with half-lidded eyes.
Hufferson took a deep breath like the situation was serious and asked me,
“Did that man ever say he’d do anything for your friend?”
“……”
“If the Saintess wants it, anything,” is practically His Majesty’s catchphrase, but…
“Did he say he wants to be by her side all the time but can’t because of circumstances?”
“……”
He did say that while explaining the ‘24-hour guard knight’ thing…
“Or did he say not to go anywhere else because he’d be anxious if she wasn’t by his side?”
“Don’t disappear without saying anything again.”
“…Gasp.”
I sucked in a breath.
No way. Our His Majesty…!
My shocked eyes met Professor Hufferson’s extremely serious eyes.
Hufferson slowly nodded and delivered his conclusion.
“He’s a bad guy, Saintess. It’s a net.”
Even though Hufferson said that, I couldn’t accept it.
Even if he’s a fictional character, come on.
That’s too much of a definitive judgment.
Our His Majesty might have a rough personality, but he’s not some trash managing a fish pond…!
“Ugh. I’m so pissed….”
I punched the cushion I was hugging.
Hufferson just gave counseling without knowing anything, so it’s not his fault, but I was still upset.
“His Majesty, His Majesty…!”
“What about me?”
“U-uaaah!”
I screamed reflexively at His Majesty’s sudden voice and turned around.
Gasp. Heart stop.
His Majesty looked at me with an exasperated expression, then walked toward me like he expected this.
“H-how did you get in?!”
“Through the door.”
Following His Majesty’s thumb pointing behind him, I saw my tightly closed door.
The maids who were here earlier and today’s guard knight, Dune, were nowhere to be seen. It was just His Majesty and me in the room.
“I told everyone to leave. The maids called you a few times, but you didn’t respond.”
“Ah… ha.”
I must not have heard because I was lost in thought.
His Majesty strode over and plopped down on the sofa across from me.
My head and eyes followed his movement.
His Majesty sitting on the camel-colored velvet sofa with luxurious gold decorations.
Even sitting comfortably with his legs crossed, his dignity overflowed.
And the white emperor’s uniform.
Someone who could wear something that hard to pull off better than a model—only His Majesty.
The scene felt unreal, like I was facing a 3D character made in a game.
There’s no way someone that handsome exists in the same reality as me…!
His Majesty’s blue eyes blinked at me at regular intervals as he crossed his arms.
‘What, is he seducing me right now?’
…As if!
I wanted to get up and slam my head into the wall.
Get a grip, idiot. Eyelids naturally open and close!
“It’s hot. So hot.”
My face was heating up.
I’m hot right now because—yes, because the room is hot.
Not because I feel something weird about His Majesty.
But just in case His Majesty misunderstood,
I fanned my face repeatedly and made excuses.
“Haha. It’s hot. The weather must be getting warmer these days.”
“…Saintess, it’s winter.”
“Right. Winter.”
Ugh. My face must have cooked all the way to my brain.
Why make such a seasonless excuse of all things?
Embarrassed, I changed the subject.
“Did you come to eat?”
“No.”
His Majesty took out a familiar furry ball from his chest.
“Al!”
Silver fur, ridiculous doll eyes.
I exclaimed in delight.
I reached out, thinking he’d hand it over, but His Majesty held onto Al and didn’t give it to me easily.
“You said you were curious about what was inside the doll.”
“Did you find out?”
“Of course.”
What is that smug expression.
Cute—Shin Ari1 is banned from speaking in my head immediately.
Shin Ari1 out. Shin Ari1 out.
“So… what’s inside…?”
Anyway, I got a little scared at His Majesty’s words.
The true identity of what I’d been calling a box or an egg.
I could have given it a name, but I didn’t.
I was afraid I’d get attached.
And it felt uncomfortable naming something whose identity I didn’t know.
Please don’t be something spiritual…!
“It’s Darkness.”
“Darkness…?”
The darkness I know is that black, gloomy…
While thinking about the word, I remembered hearing it somewhere before.
When I was learning about this world’s lore.
Prime Minister Ebon definitely said—
“Gasp. That monster.”
“Pyu….”
“…It’s not, but it’s dangerous…”
I lowered my voice while glancing at the sulking Al.
A monster that eats people with holy power.
So the ‘(former) box, (current) egg’ was that…!
‘It’s not scary at all compared to what I imagined…?’
When I heard about it from Prime Minister Ebon, I thought it was some demon-like thing.
But it just looks like a fuzzy ball that goes ‘pyu, pyu.’
Still…
‘I probably can’t keep it forever.’
Getting close to Darkness is an act of opposing God Seikan.
‘Al… no, Darkness…’
I looked at Darkness with a lump in my throat.
“Pyu, pyuu….”
I listened to your sleep-talking, gave you holy power…
Watched you move inside Al…
Sniff. Memories flashed through my mind and it hurt, but it couldn’t be helped.
‘If I keep you by my side, His Majesty will be troubled…!’
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Even though I’m a selfish person who prioritizes my favorite,
At least…
“Please spare its life—!”
“Take it.”
“Huh?”
I shouted as if I were about to kneel, but His Majesty placed Darkness on the table.
“Pyu, pyu!”
Darkness bounced into my arms.
My heart felt full like reuniting with a child I’d just started to get attached to, but worry came first.
“Is it okay for me to keep it? You said it’s Darkness. If others find out…”
“They won’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I sealed it myself.”
As if it were obvious, His Majesty snorted lightly and declared.
He clearly meant, “Do you think something like that would happen when I sealed it?”
If today’s concept is ‘not hiding how awesome you are,’ I fully support it.
A competent person bragging about being competent is thrilling. Cool.
After that, His Majesty explained Darkness’s condition in a way I could understand.
He blocked its power, so it can’t use it, and it can’t come out of the doll.
He cut off its energy so others can’t detect it.
It can’t even absorb holy power, so it won’t grow stronger.
In short—
“So now it’s just a talking, moving doll?”
“Yes.”
I looked at Darkness.
From my experience, it seemed to understand most human speech, even if it couldn’t talk.
That means it understood our conversation too.
“Are you okay with that?”
“Pyu!”
Darkness wiggled on my hand.
Is that a yes? If it hated it, it would’ve jumped away or something.
“Then from now on, your name is ‘Pyu.’”
“Pyuu, pyu!”
His Majesty said I named it too casually, but Pyu seemed satisfied.
Now that I knew its identity and dealt with it, I chatted with Pyu peacefully.
Then His Majesty, who was drinking tea across from me, suddenly chuckled.
I reflexively turned to him, and—gah. Heart skip.
He was smiling softly…!
This time, this really is seducing me…!
“Why, why are you laughing like that?”
I already knew.
My face must be completely red.
I thought I was doomed as I heard my trembling voice, but His Majesty said,
“You seem a bit strange today, Saintess.”
“M-me?”
I asked in shock.
“Your mouth corners.”
He held his thumb and index finger in front of his lips and tilted the ends of his fingers.
“They keep relaxing and stiffening. Like someone trying to forcibly stop themselves from smiling.”
Ugh, ughhh.
…Ughhhhhh.
‘I want to cry.’
Such a playful gesture.
He definitely doesn’t know he just set my heart on fire.
My chest felt tight, but it was clearly good.
But there’s no way things will work out with His Majesty, so the future feels bleak.
I was about to explode thinking I’d have to live with these feelings forever—
“Did something happen?”
“I like you.”
……
My mouth acted on its own and caused an accident without any consultation.
