*
Sofia sent Licht back and invited Pina to her bedroom.
“…Sofi, was this really necessary?”
“Don’t you find it nostalgic?”
She even added a postscript asking her to come in pajamas.
“Pina, it’s been a while, and I’m glad to see you looking so cheerful.”
They were two high-ranking women having a pajama party, dressed in impressive black and white attire with frills. If the people from the empire or the northern regions saw this scene, they surely wouldn’t be able to close their mouths.
“…Yeah, thanks to Licht.”
“You’re something else, aren’t you? How did you even meet that guy?”
Sofia recalled the Black Knight, who remained unfazed even when she threatened him with her spear. Despite freezing every part of him except for his neck, he expressed his affection for Pina Grancia in a chillingly rational manner.
“At first, I approached him to learn swordsmanship.”
“Must be because of Drake Style, huh? Most of it has to be learned through practice.”
“Exactly.”
Sofia made a face, wondering if that was why he looked so fit compared to the other imperial citizens who manipulated mana. He had shown immense skill even when suppressing the Apostles of Fury—at least on the level of a Sword Master, if not Grand.
“So you got close while teaching him swordsmanship? To the point where you consider him precious?”
“More like, he treated me kindly even after he learned my identity.”
So, she thought, they got close while sharing sword techniques. But realizing her deduction was off, Sofia felt a bit of disappointment.
“He was so nice, treating me like a friend even though he knew I was a princess. I liked that.”
“…Really? With no ulterior motives or hidden agendas? You’re quite pretty, you know.”
Pina Grancia was objectively a beauty, even to the Northern Duchess. She had the perfect proportions, and after her coming-of-age ceremony, she had become even more enchanting.
“She’s a bit of a perv, but her reactions are just too cute.”
“Well, whenever you’re next to her, you seemed to be desperately holding back, looking up at the sky.”
If she were to walk around without her helmet, she would steal the gazes of all passersby—a truly captivating wolf.
No wonder Sofia felt a complex about her own body next to Pina. Though Licht seemed a bit oblivious,
“He’s a cute puppy. Licht.”
“If you think of people that way, you’ll be in for a surprise, Pina.”
“But Licht is like a puppy who’s scared of people…”
Sofia thought it seemed more like Pina cherished Licht too much that she wanted to protect him, drawing a smile on her face.
“What does he look like? He’s always hiding his face behind that helmet, so I can’t really tell.”
“He’s ugly. Really.”
Being the strategist she was, she kept testing Pina. One thing was for sure: there were signs of feelings deeper than mere affection.
“Even if he’s really ugly, you want to cherish him? Enough to give him your tail?”
“…Yeah.”
As Pina spoke with a tone reminiscent of thoughts about Licht, her icy expression softened slightly.
“Licht… I don’t want him to be taken by someone else.”
A person who hates lying with a passion fought hard, using even lies to avoid losing a man.
“I want to get closer, to be special… but I don’t know how.”
In that moment, the pure heart of the girl with pure white wolf ears and tail resonated, and the Northern Duchess had a realization.
My friend is experiencing her first love.
Pina was covering her face with her hair, feeling bashful. An empty glass that should be filled with the wine of love.
“So, Sofi.”
“Yeah?”
But it was still an emotion that had yet to mature.
If this continued, the moment she lost her innocence would surely come crashing down. Pina had even bared her fangs at Sofia when her purity was at stake.
That’s why she determined to protect it. After all, love was an emotion that inherently distanced itself from calculated individuals like Sofia.
“So what’s today’s recommendation?”
“You told me before, Pina.”
Sofia opted for a roundabout way of speaking—she shouldn’t offer easy advice on things she hadn’t experienced herself.
“It’s a novel called ‘How the Queen Captures the Knight.’”
“…That’s an interesting title.”
She pulled out a book she had prepared earlier from the shelf. Not only had she changed the content, but she had also altered the cover—a short story collection completed in half a day with help from the northern folks.
“This romance novel is a bit special.”
“It’s about a queen and a knight falling in love, right?”
Rustle, rustle. The sound of the pages turning filled the air. In truth, she simply twisted the story of Pina and Licht.
“You know, Pina, it’s common for knights to capture queens, right?”
“In chess, it’s pretty usual?”
“Of course.”
It wasn’t particularly challenging. The Black Knight and the Princess—it was like the black knight and white queen on a chessboard.
“In this novel, chess pieces appear as people.”
“…That sounds cute.”
In this case, the queen loved the knight. But if the knight was trying to escape, what would be the best course of action? She pondered.
“The plot goes that the white queen falls in love with the black knight.”
This was a story containing the results of that pondering.
“Where did the white king go?”
In actuality, if Licht were to marry Pina, he would automatically wield power similar to hers because he would be the spouse of the Empress.
“The king abandoned the queen to save his own skin.”
This was a slight adaptation. After all, reality and books do diverge.
“How cruel…”
“That’s true. He is a king, after all.”
Sofia was incredulous after hearing Licht lament about being unable to fulfill his princely duties. Even Emperor Rock had risen up from being a mere woodsman solely through strength.
There seemed to be a myriad of similarities. The emperor appeared as a war hero wielding an axe, uniting four divided nations into one empire.
Likewise, Licht was a hero who even defeated the Demon King of All Knowledge, yet the notion he could not marry a princess seemed profoundly ignorant of the ways of the world.
“So, while observing another knight protecting the black queen, the white queen feels envy and struggles to capture him…”
“They would only run parallel, since they can’t move the same way.”
If resistance was too strong, she could simply toss a title of count and marry him off as a noble afterward.
Pina, the sole heir to the Grancia Empire, had the means to confine Licht into the underground forever without anyone knowing.
Even if the emperor or the people protested, what difference would it make?
The princess of unassailable authority—this was Pina Grancia.
“Even a queen has limits…”
“If a knight decides to run away on his own, he can’t be caught.”
In the end, if she truly wanted it, the knight could become a white king, but that would be too direct.
“True. They seem to get closer yet remain distant… unable to meet at all.”
“Sounds like me and Licht…”
Unlike Licht, Pina was honest about her feelings. Thus, Sofia waited for her to spill her thoughts.
“That makes me curious now.”
When Pina’s expression changed slightly to understanding, Sofia asked a few questions for clarification.
“Pina, do your heart race when you’re near Licht?”
“…I’m not sure.”
Seeing the Northern Duchess’s serious condition disappointed Sofia. Clearly, Pina had shown affectionate behaviors, like scratching his chin or playing with his tail.
Yet Pina claimed she didn’t know if her heart raced—no matter how inexperienced Sofia was in love, she understood the basics.
“Really? You’ve never felt it? Think hard about it, Pina.”
“…Ah, I have.”
Watching Pina clap her hands as if realizing something made Sofia’s face brighten, but that excitement faded once more.
“When I’m close to Licht, his heart races.”
“Is that it?”
“Right, and when I feel that… it feels like my long-silent heart starts to beat alongside his, bringing a sense of comfort.”
The Northern Duchess felt a wave of déjà vu. She had heard something like that before, and memories flashed through her mind.
“Could it be Pina… did you try a Dragon Heart transplant?”
“…Huh? Of course I did.”
The magical circuits of a nation’s princess were intertwined with those of a single man. No wonder the aura she felt from him felt slightly different from others.
“Pina, do you even know what will happen if His Majesty finds out!!”
“He’s important to me, Sofi.”
He would likely unleash a torrent of wrath, determined to eliminate the man who had saved both Pina and her mother.
Sofia thought about how the queen, Bellin Grancia, had fallen victim to the Magic Hat and how Rock had dealt a devastating blow to the remaining forces of the Hero Church.
They had remained inactive for so long out of fear of provoking Emperor Rock, a wolf tribe member who placed family above all else.
“Licht has saved my life countless times, but I couldn’t return the favor.”
“That doesn’t mean you should throw your life away! You could have died with him!”
“The warmth and comfort I received from Licht are beyond description, Sofi.”
Pina unknowingly poured out her passionate feelings for Licht. Saying love was insufficiently captured in words and even actions felt lacking.
“Our mother was also saved by Licht.”
“What…? Wait, if that’s true…”
If it was true that Licht rescued the queen presumed dead, then Licht’s claims about social class would mean nothing.
Was he simply ignorant of such things as a hero from another world? Dennis and the Celestial Demon also had odd common sense.
“To me, he’s more of a hero than a hero himself. So please, don’t say anything reckless, Sofia Coldheart.”
With her golden eyes shimmering, Pina revealed her true feelings, expressing her clear anger that no one could speak ill of the person she loved.
“If that’s your opinion… then I understand.”
“I’m sorry for saying harsh things, Sofi.”
Seeing the determined look from her childhood days, Sofia had no choice but to retreat.
“It’s alright. I asked without thinking. So do you know how the queen captures the knight?”
“What is it?”
As their conversation naturally drifted from novels to love, Sofia aimed to offer solid advice on love.
“By using every possible method.”
Such fervent feelings seemed too passionate; she felt that even bringing it up might get her head chopped off. Hence, she decided to avoid directly discussing love.
If Pina awakened her feelings for Licht and started a romance, that blade would surely swing towards the North. Instead, Sofia offered story-based advice.
“Maybe serve him delicious food to capture his stomach…?”
Though she hadn’t dated herself, she knew what worked to win over men. Her cold, calculating nature shone brightly.
“Or just charge in there and make him all dizzy and overwhelmed.”
It was the kind of advice fitting for Sofia, the ruler of the North. If one wasn’t her ally, she would entice them, and if that didn’t work, eliminate them.
“Licht was different; he didn’t budge at all from my advances, Sofi.”
“He seemed to be responding, didn’t he? He doesn’t seem like the type to be uninterested.”
Sofia recalled how Licht had fidgeted awkwardly whenever Pina was close by, and continued speaking.
“That time with the Apostle, when I asked him to kiss me, he rejected me…”
“…”
Even the notion of a national princess attempting a kiss being turned down was quite shocking. Pina was practically a beauty who could have saved countries in her past life.
“If he brushed off such a charming girl, then yes, he’s definitely a misfit!”
As Pina’s ears and tail drooped when Sofia mentioned Licht rejecting her, she grabbed Pina’s cheeks, trying to lighten the mood.
“If he rejected such a cute girl, calling him a misfit makes sense!”
Sofia began to tease the playful side of her friend to boost Pina’s spirits.
“Hehe, you could be right.”
Seeing Pina chuckle softly, Sofia stopped the teasing and approached the bookshelf again.
“Oh, Pina. There’s a famous hot spring not too far from us in the North.”
Her strategist brain whirred quickly, and she pulled out a thick book detailing famous places in the North—one she’d just read in front of Licht.
“It’s really good for your skin! How about we stop by before returning to the Empire?”
“Good for my skin…?”
Considering what she’d seen in the North and Pina’s recent behavior, Sofia made her calculations.
By saying that, she hoped that the possessive Pina would take the lead.
“Even for burn scars… it’s great!”
“Really? There’s a wide variety of baths.”
She decided to keep the existing mix-gender baths a secret. If she mentioned that, it was likely that the clueless Licht would run away, but Pina with her curious nature would probably check it out.
“Thanks for the recommendation, Sofi.”
If she could lead Licht in by disguising it as a male bath, then the plan was set—like setting a trap for a wolf.
How to capture a knight by a queen truly lay in the fact that queens can’t easily capture knights alone.
“I can’t go because I’m busy, but enjoy yourself, Pina!”
Then, she could use other pieces like rooks or bishops to isolate the knight.
Sofia’s smile turned sly as she narrowed her eyes, plotting her next move.
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