The sudden town inspection was wrapped up neatly.
It wasn’t like a horde of monsters came pouring out; just a few showed up, and we dealt with them safely.
We only handled a couple of minor issues in the village.
So, we just returned to the castle.
“Sophia.”
“Yes?”
“I like you.”
“Uh…”
Kyle started spewing nonsense right from the morning.
Honestly, I have no idea why he’s saying such things so early in the day.
I just came into Kyle’s room to wake him up.
And out of nowhere, he confesses with absolutely no mood or preparation whatsoever.
Not that it bothered me or anything?
But still, anyone would be surprised hearing something like that first thing in the morning.
It’s not me who’s weird.
If a guy suddenly confesses like that, anyone would feel surprised and a bit off.
*Thump, thump…*
“Young Master, maybe you should get dressed before making confessions like that.”
What’s with confessing while half-dressed?
“If you’re going to confess, at least put on some clothes first.”
I said this while handing him a shirt.
As soon as I passed him the shirt, Kyle finally buttoned it up, looking a bit dazed.
“Ugh… Why are you acting like this these days?”
He wasn’t like this before.
Ever since he confessed once, he keeps being like this.
Every little thing makes him smile at me, calling me pretty, and getting all weird.
No, maybe it’s not only because he confessed.
Kyle has always smiled and said nice things when he looked at me.
“…”
Oh crap.
My thoughts are going down a strange path again.
Why does this keep happening out of nowhere?
“Sophia?”
“Yes?”
“Can you help me with this?”
“Sure.”
As per Kyle’s request, I tied a tie around his neck.
It was an utterly normal action.
But as I tied the tie, our eyes met, and I instinctively glanced down at the tie.
“Sophia?”
“Yes?”
“What are you looking at?”
“I’m just looking at the tie.”
I wasn’t feeling awkward making eye contact with him or anything strange like that.
It’s just that my neck was hurting.
Definitely not that.
So, the morning began.
Just another day that was completely ordinary.
Oh, the only difference was that the Princess and Kyle were teasing me a bit more.
Especially the Princess.
She kept asking me when I was going to start dating Kyle, which was just ridiculous.
As if that’s ever happening!
But I couldn’t really do anything about it.
Both the Princess and Kyle were clearly above me in rank.
All I could do was ask for their understanding or plead with them to stop.
If I told them to ease up… my head might end up on the chopping block.
“Ha…”
“So? Why did you come to find me?”
“Well…”
I was honestly a bit upset for constantly being teased.
What did I do wrong to be bullied by Kyle and become the Princess’s target for jokes?
I was just trying to help Kyle out!
“Is there any way I can get back at both of them…?”
I felt so wronged that I went to find Louise.
Not that I had any plans to do anything drastic.
I just wanted a tiny bit of revenge on them for making me feel weird every day—both Kyle and the Princess.
Honestly, it was frustrating.
I was a few years older than those two!
Especially Kyle.
“Revenge?”
“Yeah. Nothing serious, just something to annoy them a bit. Got any ideas?”
“…”
All I wanted was just a little bit of that.
Just something to make them feel weird like I did, or maybe irritate them a bit.
I didn’t want to hurt them or anything like that!
Oh, but Kyle, just Kyle.
The Princess was still too far away for that kind of relationship.
“What are you specifically thinking of doing for revenge?”
“Um… well…”
So, I started coming up with secret plans with Louise in her room.
Louise’s expression was super cheerful, and I couldn’t help but smile while we made our plans.
Surely, that smile was meant to comfort my friend’s grievances.
After all, Louise was the only one on my side in this castle.
Yes, “friend” is a term that exists for a reason.
*
“Your Highness.”
“Yes? What is it?”
Suddenly, Sophia was addressing the Princess upon her return.
They had the kind of casual conversations they always did.
However, those conversations were usually initiated by the Princess herself.
Sophia never approached the Princess first or requested to talk.
It made sense, given that she was, you know, a princess.
How could you treat someone who’s next in line to the throne casually?
That was completely understandable.
“Could you spare a moment?”
“A moment?”
“Yes, indeed.”
After coming back, Sophia started speaking to the Princess without ever making eye contact with me.
Why was she asking for time all of a sudden?
Did she want to discuss something?
“Of course! I don’t know what it is, but it sounds interesting.”
“Thank you.”
Sophia smiled slightly at the Princess’s words, but it wasn’t the kind of smile she usually gave me.
That was a pity.
“If that’s alright, then just a moment…”
Sophia started inching closer to the Princess.
What on earth was she planning to do?
Did she have something in mind?
“…”
I didn’t know what was happening, but one thing was clear—Sophia was smiling.
Recently, all I saw were her shy and embarrassed expressions…
That cheerful smile really suited her.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes?”
“First, I’ll hold your hand.”
“…?”
Saying that, Sophia reached for the Princess’s hand.
I had held Sophia’s hand a few times already.
It should be fine for her to hold hands.
“Haha… Your Highness’s hand is very warm. I feel good holding it like this.”
“Oh…?”
“You treat the citizens with hearts as warm as this hand of yours. I’ve always respected you.”
“Thank you…?”
Still holding her hand, Sophia went down on one knee with a serious demeanor unlike the usual atmosphere we had.
It was a tone I hadn’t seen from her lately.
“Your Highness, your eyes are beautiful today as well.”
“Uh, yes…”
“Your beauty is so mesmerizing that I’m left feeling envious. Also, your glorious, shining hair is breathtaking. If it’s not too rude, could I come just a little closer to you?”
“Uh…?”
“…”
Suddenly, Sophia started showering the Princess with compliments about her appearance.
What could be the reason for such sudden flattery?
Sure, the Princess was indeed a beauty.
That was objectively true, regardless of my feelings for Sophia.
But why was she doing this now?
This was a person who hadn’t seen the Princess in a good light until now.
Even if she didn’t say it outright, I knew.
“Sure, that’s okay…”
As soon as the Princess consented, Sophia stood up and leaned closer to her.
Her hair almost brushed the Princess’s shoulder, and Sophia’s chest nearly touched the Princess’s face.
“What do you think of me, Your Highness?”
“Excuse me?!”
“I’m being literal here, Your Highness.”
“…”
For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend what I was seeing or hearing.
It felt like my brain stopped functioning.
Did Sophia just say that…?
No, not just that; she was saying this to the Princess she’d known for barely over a week?!
“I… I think of Your Highness…”
“Stop!”
I shouted without thinking.
Even knowing it was rude to raise my voice in front of the Princess, I couldn’t help it.
I had no choice.
I didn’t want to hear Sophia’s response.
“Kyle Duke? Sophia seems weird…!”
That much was obvious.
That’s how I truly felt.
I could only hope Sophia had said something strange as if she’d had too much to drink.
“Your Highness, I am completely normal. I apologize.”
And then Sophia flashed a bright smile at the Princess.
That sight was beautiful.
Yet, simultaneously, I felt a pang of disappointment, a sense of being robbed, the urge to hide it away.
Could this be what jealousy feels like?
“Sophia.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Enough with the jokes.”
“Hm…? Joking? I sincerely…”
“Sophia.”
“I believe you are a prime example of good royalty.”
“…”
Only then did Sophia break into a playful smile.
Seeing that, I realized,
Oh, it was all just a joke.
What a relief.
If she were serious…
Maybe tomorrow, she wouldn’t be able to walk straight.
“Sophia…? You shouldn’t play such jokes…”
“Yes, I apologize. If I upset you too much, maybe you could take my neck instead…”
“No… no need for that… So, um… well…”
“…”
The Princess looked a bit pale.
Her face was flushed, and she kept looking between Sophia and me.
Once again, I was reminded of how potent Sophia’s allure could be.
I wondered if perhaps she had a succubus ancestor somewhere along the line.
I was becoming increasingly worried.
And if she pulled a stunt like this again, I’d have to punish her more severely than I did last time.
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