*
“..Gasp!”
I woke up with a scream.
I barely got out of bed. If I had been any later, I would have been in serious trouble.
It was cut off right when Black-haired Pina was strutting over to me, holding her black dress with both hands, looking all high and mighty.
The scene in my dream where the rose vines formed a wolf was both beautiful and, at the same time, gave me the chills.
My entire body felt sticky. The bed sheets were soaked through.
But why is she unbuttoning my shirt?
“Pina… what are you doing over there…?”
She froze with her face as red as a tomato.
The wolf ears and tail drooped down in defeat.
“Ah, uhh… Licht.”
A double-sized bed. A loose tie. A shirt that was already torn apart and completely wide open.
Is all of this really what it seems?
“…Pina?”
“Please don’t wake up… Licht.”
As I tried to lift my chin, Pina gently pressed down on my shoulder, stopping me.
The strength of the wolf was too much to bear. Her breath was trembling lightly.
“I-I can explain everything.”
Pina, looking down at the floor, couldn’t meet my eyes. Her flushed face was barely visible through her white hair.
Oh right, today is my death anniversary.
[Lee Soo-hyun♡Pina Grancia 13% ‘NEW!!’]
At that moment, the status window popped back up in front of me.
The small pictogram next to it was showing our current position in graphic detail.
Move aside; I can’t see Pina’s face!
“Licht, um… I thought you were having a nightmare…”
Thought I was having a nightmare? What did you plan to do about it?
Pina’s voice was getting softer and softer.
Her shrinking figure was cute, like a hamster instead of a wolf. At this rate, I could easily pop her in my pocket.
“I… couldn’t breathe… so…”
Ah, I misunderstood.
Pina’s eyes were red, filled with emotion.
If she really wanted to carry out something inappropriate, she wouldn’t be like this.
“….”
A moment of silence arrived.
We stood frozen, unable to meet each other’s eyes.
Our body heat was clinging together, the warm sensation spreading like ink in water.
“I’m sorry to worry you… I fell asleep right after finishing a swordsmanship technique…”
I spoke first. After all, I was the one who let things get this far.
Pina must have carried me here after I fell from the backlash of the Demon King Kill. The strange rose scent still lingered in memory.
“Oh no… how are you feeling? Are you okay?”
“Thanks to you, I feel like I’ll live.”
Honestly, breathing was easy. Despite all the evidence of torment that had soaked through my shirt.
“..I’m relieved.”
Pina sighed in relief, brushing her chest down. I wonder how worried she was.
Last time, Kainel barely held me back too. A nightmare that only broke with the activation of the Holy Sword!
Black Rose Pina only appears in my dreams. From what Tardun’s messenger said, she seems like an incredibly dangerous being…
‘..But she hasn’t posed a real threat yet.’
She could show up in the Library of Truth and in dreams too.
Not doing what I could have done and failing are two completely different things.
“Licht..?”
“Pina, are you thinking about dyeing your hair black?”
I dropped my hand from my chin.
Pina’s hair is currently white. If the route branching points to black hair…
The most likely scenario is a world line where Queen Bellin didn’t die.
“Why? Don’t tell me you… want white hair too?”
Pina immediately started fussing with her own hair. I regretted that slip of a tongue as soon as I said it.
“..No, I like my white hair.”
The water is already spilled. I need to clean it up. What can I say?
“Really..?”
Swish, Pina’s pure white wolf tail swayed side to side. The fluffy, soft fur looked shiny and splendid.
“White hair shines in the sunlight, making it pretty.”
“Ah…”
Pina’s eyes lit up, and her tail started to wag like a motor.
“You really mean it… Licht.”
She blushed and looked so happy. Her perked-up white ears stood straight.
“In my dream… you appeared with black hair… so I was wondering.”
“..I was surprised.”
Her little smile, as she looked at her wrist, appeared endlessly bright.
“Pina, could you get off me now…?”
I asked Pina to move aside from on top of me. Though she is light, it’s still…
“Ah, s-sorry…”
This time the position was all wrong. Pina is such an innocent girl who knows nothing.
I’m the one who’s messed up. Please get off. For the love of all that is good.
*
As soon as Pina returned to the Imperial Palace, she pulled out something with an ice spell cast on it.
“Ah, I found it…”
The Cyclops-sized chocolate from Licht.
The red rose packaging that read [Valentine’s Day Is Always Today!] looked familiar.
Clink, I poked a few pieces with a fork and ate them with warm milk, the bitter taste was mellowed out.
“..It’s a bit sweet.”
The soft flavor spread in my mouth. It was definitely the skill of the bakery she frequented.
“Licht said it was pretty…”
As she played with the blue rose decorations, Pina mulled over Licht’s words from earlier.
She must’ve realized her hair turned white due to stress.
Just hearing that he liked her white hair was satisfying enough.
“..Hehe.”
A lot happened at Tardun’s shrine.
The shadow of the Magic Hat began to loom back closer. And Licht’s past.
She knew he came from another world but hadn’t known he lost his parents like her.
No, it’s different. Ultimately, it was because Licht retrieved a card from the Magic Hat that the possibility arose for her.
‘Soo-hyun.’
The boy with black hair and brown eyes was impressive. He looked cheerful as a child but…
He seemed to have lost everything in a fire.
“..Woah.”
The chocolate was more bitter than ever. It definitely wasn’t like this before.
Clink, I put down the fork as sharp pains pierced through my heart, gazing down at the leftover chocolate.
‘Is there anything I can do…?’
Nothing. Even the Nameless Saintess surpasses me. I shouldn’t keep feeling like this.
“….”
I bit down hard on my lower lip.
It’s just Licht’s unfulfilled first love. Yet, she often thought about wanting to be that person.
At least if it were her, she would hold him tight and tell him he did well. It’s hurtful, the way he disappeared without a trace.
Before coming here, being a couple… no, thinking about it only makes my throat feel like there’s a thorn stuck in it.
Why is that? It’s none of my business.
“Dijur.”
Pina called out to the butler waiting outside the door.
“Yes, Pina-nim.”
He was a high-ranking member of the Imperial Guard, following the orders of Pina Grancia, the princess.
“..Is there a way I can help the knight?”
Thud, her gaze drifted downward.
She couldn’t think of a way herself, so she sought wisdom from others.
She had been anxious after leaving Licht, who had just woken up from a nightmare. Just imagining him getting hurt fighting the Demon King made her feel like the world was falling apart.
“Knight?”
Cock*, Dijur tilted his head in confusion at the term he just heard.
Though the Imperial Guard and Knights fell into that category, it felt different coming from his princess.
“Are you talking about Licht-nim?”
Surely, she meant the man wearing the helmet of the Black Knight. There was only one man the princess of the Grancia Empire cared about.
“Ah, right. Licht..”
Pina realized she had unintentionally let slip an affectionate nickname for Licht.
“How do you wish to help him?”
Dijur was astonished at Pina’s changed demeanor.
“…I’m scared that he’ll get hurt or be in danger while I’m not around.”
Her fingers fidgeted as she confessed her true feelings.
“In that case… wouldn’t it be best to stay by that knight?”
The butler quickly offered a solution.
Being a princess, being alongside him would surely reduce dangerous moments. With her power and the Imperial Guard, they could eliminate problems before they arise.
“It’s not enough…”
Pina shook her head. Most of her time at the Academy was already spent with him.
“There has to be a way to be a little more helpful to him…”
But it wasn’t enough. What if Licht collapsed again like this?
The possibility of him getting hurt when she wasn’t around terrified the princess.
“Hmm, what about living together in the Imperial Palace?”
Dijur brainstormed all possible options. Pina Grancia wouldn’t easily be denied.
“..Father won’t allow it.”
Leaning back in her chair, Pina sighed.
Last time, there was that wolf king with an axe against Licht.
Pina detested how her father treated someone precious to her.
What’s wrong with Licht? Is it that his good looks attract too many women?
“Then the only remaining option is the dormitory.”
By now, he had gathered all necessary information about Licht. There could be no blemishing on someone close to the Empire’s princess.
“If it’s the dormitory at the Academy, you can still reach Licht in an emergency.”
Though they shared heartbeats as it was.
“…A male dormitory?”
Pina’s eyes sparkled with hope as a delighted expression adorned her face.
“No, it’s necessary for you to go to the female dormitory in case any problems arise.”
If Emperor Rock caught wind of it, it could lead to catastrophic disaster at the Academy.
“Got it.”
The girl with white hair clenched her fists, showing determination.
“Then, I, Dijur, will smoothly complete the necessary procedures for you, Pina-nim.”
“Thank you.”
Dijur bowed deeply and opened the door, exiting.
Left alone, Pina spread her palm to create a magic circle.
“…I can be with Licht.”
Ever since drinking the Moon Potion, Pina’s glass magic had become even more intricate.
“My own knight…”
As she placed a small sculpture on the table, she smiled, purring softly.
*
