Clang─!
Out of nowhere, the sound of a shattered plate echoed.
The eyes of two women quickly fixated on one man.
“….”
And the two women, who had been heated, could only feel utter surprise. The one who had thrown the frozen plate on the floor was none other than Ezekiel.
That wasn’t all.
What they saw on his face was a thoroughly cold expression.
After some time, he muttered as if displeased.
“…Disappointing. Truly disappointing.”
His voice was as chilling as an icicle, causing the two women to flinch. They didn’t even know what to do.
Childhood memories shaped the present.
─You lied to me again about the assignment…
─I’m disappointed.
The memories of being scolded by the teacher for wrongdoings, of being resented… Both women recalled it.
Only then did they snap back to reality and realize what mistake they had made. The conversation they just had was definitely not something to discuss in front of Ezekiel.
Ezekiel shook his head and let out a deep sigh.
“…It would be better to go back to the countryside.”
Just those few words.
“…!”
Just those few words.
But it was enough to make the hearts of the women sink.
Hedera’s eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck, and Solana immediately began to fidget.
Only one man remained.
Ezekiel, and the two women began to read his mood.
Covering my face with my palm, I thought.
‘…What do I do now?’
I could confidently say I had faced countless extremely difficult missions, but I had never encountered anything like this.
Just the fact that the princesses were in a bad mood was shocking, let alone that two princesses openly displayed hostility toward each other.
And the reason for their dispute was me. None other than me.
“….”
Fortunately, Solana and Hedera were temporarily cooling off their fiery spirits.
If you think about it, I had some justification to be angry. I’m a human, not a doll. Yet, to claim ownership like an object in front of the parties involved?
Yeah, that’s right.
Despite that, the reason I wasn’t genuinely angry was….
‘Because I’m the cause.’
Since the incident arose from the letter I wrote, I felt guilty.
“….”
For now, I kept my mouth shut.
Everyone was watching my reaction, so it was actually better to say nothing. The more I spoke, the more I would lose this upper hand.
Of course, amidst all this, curiosity rose within me.
‘The more I think, the stranger it becomes.’
A confession between people of the opposite sex.
Just confessing carries great risks. The possibility of rejection exists, and it could lead to resentment in the worst case.
Yet, I wrote a proposal letter.
Not to an ordinary woman, but to a princess of the imperial family, and I hadn’t been rejected yet. Moreover, the parties were fighting over me.
I’m a person too, so naturally, I didn’t feel bad about it.
However, my head felt like it was going to explode thinking about how to handle it. How on earth could I appease the two princesses whose emotions were already hurt?
‘No, is it three princesses instead?’
…Since I still didn’t know who the one who wrote back was.
In any case, if there was a dispute over one man, the man involved couldn’t be without responsibility. I had to resolve the situation quickly before I was blamed for that fact.
“We didn’t mean anything by it. We just wanted to hear the inspector’s thoughts…”
My head is spinning.
Interrupting Hedera’s words, I pressed my temples.
The fact that I recently had fainted, and that my health wasn’t great originally, helped immensely.
“Uh, sorry.”
The 2nd Princess was apologizing. The 2nd Princess!
The effect was beyond my imagination. The two women closed their mouths tightly and started looking at me cautiously.
I quietly added a remark.
“…With the exchange meeting coming up, my mind is all over the place.”
Then Hedera quietly turned her gaze aside, and Solana let out a deep sigh. It seemed I had managed to prevent the two princesses from clashing head-on for now.
After a while, the princesses spoke up.
“I’m sorry if you’re angry.”
“Inspector, I didn’t mean anything bad.”
I took a breath and nodded.
“I’m not angry. It’s just that my condition is a bit…”
Was it a big comfort just to say I wasn’t angry? Relief spread across the faces of the two princesses.
Hedera hastily added, “No, it’s not strange at all if you’re angry. We caused a spectacle in front of you.”
It wasn’t common for a princess to call her own behavior a spectacle. Especially from the prideful 2nd Princess.
I could faintly sense how much she cared about me.
“Teacher, I’m sorry. No matter what, I should maintain my composure…. It’s just that I’ve never experienced someone bursting in during a conversation…”
On the other hand, Solana’s words contained some substance.
Her apology to me was sincere, but in the midst of that, wasn’t she blaming Hedera for interrupting our conversation?
It was going to be hard to reconcile the two right away. The best would be to make promises here rather than explanations.
I first directed my gaze toward Hedera.
“…Tower Master, I will not betray the Magic Tower.”
I deliberately used the title of Tower Master instead of 2nd Princess. It showed I felt a sense of belonging to the tower.
“That’s…”
“Yes. It means, as an inspector, I will do my utmost in my duties.”
I nodded and asked further.
“But the question you asked earlier wasn’t whether I would choose you as the Tower Master, right?”
Hedera’s question.
It was about whether I would choose a woman as a man.
“….”
“No matter how I answer, the dynamics of our relationship will change from what it has been. It could impact the tower and, ultimately, the Ascension Ceremony.”
“But what can I do? I’m curious…”
Hedera muttered quietly.
Of course, she still couldn’t face my gaze directly.
“The changing relationship doesn’t necessarily imply improvement. What if I don’t choose the Tower Master and quit my inspector role?”
“If you don’t choose me….”
Hedera seemed to want to say something, biting her lips before finally shaking her head.
“…No, that can’t happen.”
In moments like this, Hedera revealed her childhood demeanor. I quietly nodded.
“And above all, we have the exchange meeting upcoming.”
This time, my gaze shifted to Solana.
However, surprisingly, Solana spoke up first.
“I’m fine with anything.”
Solana was now prayerfully holding her hands together, her eyes tightly closed, as if she had regained her composure.
“It’s okay if you don’t choose me, Teacher.”
Solana calmly continued.
“Anyway, if it means you can succeed more, that’s fine. If that’s a choice to focus more on your work, I’ll accept it. I can wait.”
“When will that end?”
“It doesn’t matter when it ends.”
Solana finally opened her eyes slowly.
“…As long as you don’t roll around with another woman while concentrating on your work. If that’s kept, it’s all good.”
She was unequivocally clear about what she wanted.
“Solana, just stay calm.”
“Teacher, I’m calmer than ever.”
Solana smiled brightly.
“I told you, didn’t I? Any girl except me is just a fox woman. So you have to be careful.”
Yet, her tone was incredibly firm.
There was not even a hint of wavering anymore.
“If one day you achieve something and I see you captivated by another woman…. I’ll have no choice but to come forward and punish you.”
“…Punish?”
“Not you, but those women. All of them.”
…What kind of punishment could that be? It likely wouldn’t be simple.
Solana finished her remarks and left first.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave. The exchange meeting is soon.”
Not long after, only Hedera and I were left in the dining hall. Had it been settled for now? I casually greeted Hedera.
“I’ll be going too.”
For now, I aimed to focus on the upcoming exchange meeting.
But…
Hedera’s words caught my ankle.
“…Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
I quietly pondered over the sunweed.
“What should I say…?”
“I have something.”
Rather, it was Hedera who jumped straight to the point.
“For this exchange meeting, I’m going too.”
“Hmm.”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m only accompanying you as Tower Master. Nothing worrying will happen to you.”
Ignoring my words, Hedera continued resolutely, as if declaring war.
“Instead.”
Hedera’s gaze locked onto mine.
“Make sure to give me an answer after the exchange meeting.”
The determination to hear my answer was evident.
“That’s the condition for me to approach you as Hedera instead of the Tower Master during the exchange meeting.”
With that statement, Hedera departed.
Huh─
I quietly exhaled the smoke from the sunweed.
…Was I filled with happiness or was I facing disaster?
The night before the exchange meeting.
Also the last night spent in the infirmary.
Just before falling asleep, I suddenly thought.
‘…It’s a good thing the 1st Princess isn’t here.’
If I had to choose the least predictable princess among the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, it would obviously be Ether. If she had joined us in the dining hall, how much worse would the chaos have been?
…Just imagining it was frightening.
Knock knock─
“Inspector! Inspector!”
At that moment, someone urgently knocked on the door.
A familiar voice—the 1st Princess’s messenger.
…Could it be?
Could it be that the 1st Princess had come to visit? I suppressed my hope and opened the infirmary door.
Fortunately, it wasn’t that.
Since the messenger was alone.
“Oh, Inspector!”
The messenger was sweating profusely as they asked.
“Have you seen the 1st Princess?”
That question gave me great relief. For just this moment, not seeing the 1st Princess was good news.
“Unfortunately, I don’t know.”
I thought the conversation was over.
However.
The messenger’s next words were terrifying.
“…That’s strange? She said she was going to meet Ezekiel.”
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