Chapter 7: Just for Show
âHuh?â
Milia looked at me, her expression unreadableâdispleased, conflicted.
I must have said the wrong thing.
But I didnât regret it.
When I heard that Milia was getting marriedâ
To someone I didnât even knowâ
A hollow ache settled deep in my chest, as if something had been ripped away.
To her, I might not be special.
But to meâŠ
She was more than a friend.
More than a comrade.
She had always been someone irreplaceable.
âL-look⊠itâs just a marriage in name only. That way, Milia wonât have to go through with something like thatâŠâ
I forced the words out.
But the truthâthe real reasonâwas my own selfish jealousy. My possessiveness.
âYou, uh⊠I mean, yeah, thatâs true. But if you do that⊠youâll regret it, you know?â
ââŠI wonât.â
âNo, you will. Werenât you the one who said you wouldnât take a concubine? What are you gonna do when you meet someone you actually like?â
Someone I like�
I already have.
I like Milia. I donât need anyone else.
But that wasnât the answer she wanted to hear.
âIâll think about it when the time comes. Iâll make sure this doesnât cause any trouble for youâŠâ
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâ
Miliaâs expression remained conflicted.
âŠWas she happy? Upset?
Or maybe both.
Her gaze dropped, as if she couldnât look at me.
After a brief hesitationâ
ââŠAre you really okay with this?â
Milia lifted her eyes.
They glistened, just slightly.
âOf course. Besides, this way, I donât have to go looking for a fiancĂ©e either⊠or something like that.â
ââŠIdiot.â
She punched me in the chest.
Weakly. Gently. Almost like a caress.
ââŠYouâre definitely going to cause me trouble, you know.â
âItâs fine. Iâve caused you plenty of trouble too.â
ââŠBeing a royal son-in-law is no easy task, you know?â
âIf I managed to slay an evil dragon, I think I can figure this out too.â
ââŠYeah. Youâre right. Thatâs true.â
Milia smiledâher usual smile.
But her eyes were still damp.
âWell then⊠I guess that makes meââ
âYeah. Iâll be your âfiancĂ©.ââ
That day, everything changed.
From travel companions to âfiancĂ©s.â
Even if it was just for show⊠I was still happy.
Even if Milia didnât see me as someone she could love romantically⊠I still loved her.
âŠSure, it was underhanded of me to take advantage of her vulnerability like this.
But still...
Things moved forward at a breakneck pace.
The moment I told my shitty old man, âIâm getting married to Yusuke~,â he just nodded and accepted it without a fuss.
Jane handled all the paperwork like it was nothing.
The official ceremony would be through the church, so that was still on the horizon.
Before I even had time to process it, news of our impending marriage had spread among the nobles.
Of course, some idiot aristocratsâwho wanted to claim the Heroâs power for themselvesâtried to object. âHow dare you let a royal marry some uncivilized commoner with no title!â they whined. But my shitty old man shut them down before they could make a scene.
âŠNot that it meant things were going to be smooth sailing. Trouble was brewing, as always.
What a pain.
At the very least, I didnât have to attend those god-awful fiancĂ©-hunting soirĂ©es anymore.
Though apparently, theyâre still going strong for the rest of the desperate young nobles. Seriously, why are there so many free-love nobles in this country? Well⊠I guess itâs to be expected when the king himself is like that.
Anyway.
I was assigned a new room in the royal castleâs residential wing.
A room for me and Yusuke.
Yeah. Weâre living together now.
âŠLook, I want to buy a mansion outside the castle and move out ASAP.
But right now, with no house, no furniture, and no maids to handle the upkeep, thereâs no other option but to put up with this cohabitation arrangement.
âŠNot that I hate it or anything.
Itâs just⊠you know. Iâd like some private time.
Oh, and thereâs only one bed.
Which means we have to sleep together.
My heart cannot handle this, and I am getting exactly zero proper sleep.
Yusuke, though?
Totally fine. No issues whatsoever.
What the hell.
Anyway, weâre both trying to adjust to this new life together. Trying.
Butâ
âUgh, dammit⊠this is such a painâŠâ
âPrincess, please mind your language.â
Janeâs voice carried the usual exasperation as she scolded me.
I groaned, slumping over the desk.
In front of me was the wedding schedule.
Apparently, the castleâs butlers, maids, and a bunch of other people who actually know how weddings work had drawn up all these meticulous plans.
Butâ
âDo I really have to do all this?â
âYes, you do.â
âCome on, canât we justââ
âNo, we cannot.â
âUghhhâŠâ
Apparently, itâs going to be a huge ceremony.
All the influential figures in the country will be there, which means Iâll have to greet them, go through all sorts of formalities, and at the very least, memorize everyoneâs names and faces.
âŠYeah. Just thinking about it makes me want to scream into a pillow.
Most of it can be summed up as âugh, what a drag.â
Butâ
ââŠHey, whatâs this?â
I frowned, eyes scanning the schedule.
Right in the middle of the ceremony plans, there it was:
âThe Kiss of Vows.â
âŠMe and Yusuke. Kissing.
In front of everyone.
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâ
No.
No, no, no, no, no. Absolutely not.
Okay, maybeâmaybeâI could do it. I could put on my usual public face and somehow pull it off.
But Yusuke?
The guy doesnât even know the first thing about women. Can he really pull off a kiss in front of a crowd?
I could probably force myself to go through with it, but if he hesitates even a littleâif he looks inexperienced or flusteredâthose damn idiot nobles will definitely start picking apart our engagement.
There are already plenty of nobles eyeing Yusuke, trying to drag him into their families.
They havenât given up yet.
And if my marriage to Yusuke falls apart, theyâll swoop in like vultures.
Okay, fine, logically speaking, a single kiss isnât going to ruin everything. But still⊠I canât shake the feeling that this could cause trouble.
Not every noble is a dignified, self-aware servant of the state.
Some of them are just selfish idiots who would do anythingâeven skirt the edge of the lawâjust for their own benefit.
ââŠSigh.â
I exhaled slowly and set the documents on the edge of the desk.
Iâve had this habit of putting off unpleasant things since my past life, and clearly, that hasnât changed.
âŠMaybe Iâll talk to Yusuke about it when he gets back from work.
Heâs out on a monster-hunting expedition today.
I was planning to just send a carriage to pick him up, but⊠I changed my mind.
I should use these little moments to show off our âlove,â after all.
So, I decided to go pick him up at the knightsâ headquarters.
Most knights, unlike regular soldiers, come from noble families.
Actually, scratch thatâ90% of them are nobles.
Theyâre usually the second or third sons who wonât inherit their family estates. Instead, they gain combat experience hunting monsters or cracking down on bandits at night. When war breaks out, they take command of conscripted soldiers.
Theyâre professional warriors, after all. Different from regular citizens who only fight when duty calls.
Itâs not just about rigorous trainingâthey study battlefield command, tactics, and military theory too.
Yusuke, though? Heâs still pretty green in that area. Ridiculously strong, sure, but when it comes to handling people? Yeah⊠total rookie.
In times of crisis, heâs expected to lead from the front as the Hero, rallying troops just by being there.
A symbol of hope.
âŠWhich is all well and good, but for now, I just need to pick him up.
The knightsâ headquarters is a fair distance from the royal castle. Far enough that youâd need a carriage to get there.
Today, Janeâs handling the reins.
Apparently, itâs rare for a maid to be skilled with horses, but⊠well, Janeâs good at everything.
Cooking, laundry, cleaning, administrative work, secretarial duties, driving, basic self-defense, covert operations⊠and probably more I donât even know about.
She calls herself a âtop-tier maid.â
Honestly, that barely covers it. But I guess being a royal maid comes with insanely high expectations.
Eventually, we arrive.
The knightsâ headquartersâand, incidentally, the training grounds.
Itâs not as grand as the royal castle, but definitely fancier than your average nobleâs estate.
Looking at the hitching posts⊠all the carriages are here.
So, theyâve already returned from the expedition.
Just as Iâm thinking that, the doors to the headquarters swing open.
A familiar face steps out.
Yusuke.
I reach for the carriage door, ready to step out and put on a show for the onlookersâ
But thenâ
My hand freezes midair.
âŠWhatâs this?
Thereâs a woman with Yusuke.
They seem awfully friendly.
Sheâs wearing half-plate armorâa female knight? Thatâs rare.
Judging by the lack of embellishments on her gear, she doesnât hold a particularly high rank. Sheâs chatting with Yusuke, smiling brightly.
And heâs smiling back.
âŠThis is nothing like how he acts when women approach him at soirĂ©es.
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâ
Ah. I see.
So Yusukeâs got a spring in his step too, huh?
No wonder he never showed interest at those noble gatherings.
Well, our marriage is just for show anyway. If he wants to take a concubine, a knight from the order shouldnât be a problem.
Is that why he agreed to marry me?
âŠNo, thatâs not like him.
So, itâs just a coincidence, then.
Stillâa good coincidence.
The weight on my shoulders feels a little lighterâ
ââŠâŠâŠâŠTch.â
Even as I tell myself that, I canât fully accept it.
Right now, Iâm irritated.
I know why Iâm irritated.
And I also know this irritation is completely irrational.
Ugh, damn it.
My hand tightens around the carriage door handle.
I take a slow, deep breath. Steady.
Then, I step out of the carriage.
I walk toward the knightsâ headquarters, my steps firm.
I am the Ninth Princess, Miliarena.
No personal feelings. No unnecessary thoughts.
I am the Ninth Princess.
âŠIâm fine.
âYusuke, Iâve come to pick you up.â
See? My voice doesnât waver.
ââŠHuh? Wait, Miliarena? What are you doing here?â
No sign of panic. No guilt.
Well, I did tell him he could take a concubine. Itâs not like he has anything to be nervous about.
The woman beside him blinks in surprise before bowing her head.
âItâs a pleasure to meet you. My name is Shena Lioleto.â
Shena, huh? Shena.
Her hair is unusually long for a knight.
Lean but muscular.
Her chest⊠well, itâs hard to tell under the armor, but it seems small.
âŠIâm cuter.
ââŠUm, is there something on my face?â
âHuh? No, nothing⊠Oh, Iâm late with my greetings, arenât I? Iâm Miliarena, the Ninth Princess.â
âY-yes⊠Iâm aware.â
We shake hands.
âŠA flicker of distaste crawls up my spine.
Itâs irrational. Unfair. But instinctive.
I sigh inwardly and shift my gaze to Yusuke.
âWell then, weâll be taking our leave now.â
âY-yes⊠It was an honor to meet you, Princess Miliarena.â
I donât look at her as she bows deeply.
Instead, I grab Yusukeâs arm.
âWaitââ
âJust come with me.â
I pull him along, shove him into the carriage, and climb in after him.
A signal to Jane, and the wheels begin to roll.
The knightsâ headquarters fades into the distance.
Silence.
Yusuke isnât saying anything.
I glance at himâhe looks⊠uneasy.
Did he pick up on my mood?
âŠPathetic.
If my feelings are this obvious, Iâve done a terrible job concealing them.
ââŠSigh.â
I rake a hand through my hair and finally turn to face him.
âYou seemed pretty chummy with that person back there.â
âHuh? Oh, you mean Shena?â
âYeah.â
âHeâs been teaching me a lot about the knights as my senior since I didnât know anything when I joined.â
âOh, is that so? Thatâs great.â
âŠ
Wait.
Did I just say that out loud?
I blink, stunned at my own sarcasm.
âUm⊠Miliarena?â
âWhat?â
ââŠIâm sorry. Did I do something wrong?â
ââŠWhy would you think that?â
âWell⊠you seem kind of mad.â
Ugh. Even if you think that, donât just ask me directly.
I let out a slow breath, irritation deflating just a little.
âItâs nothing. Seriously, you didnât do anything wrong.â
âBut⊠oh, Shenaâs not a bad person, you know. Itâs fine.â
ââŠHuh?â
âŠ
Wait a second.
Does he think Iâm suspicious of Shena? Like I suspect some hidden motive?
Just as I open my mouth to argue, Yusuke keeps going.
âWell, heâs the nephew of the knight commander. Heâs really patriotic, and compared to the other knights, heâs been really kind to meââ
Heâs really laying it on thick.
Wait.
Heâs the nephew of the knight commander? Heâs patriotic?
ââŠHuh?â
I blink.
I turn to Yusuke.
âHe? Nephew? Who are you talking about?â
âUh⊠Shena?â
I blink again.
ââŠShenaâs a guy?â
âHuh? Yeah, Shenaâs a manâŠâ
âŠ
Oh.
Oh.
So I was completely mistaken from the start.
Well⊠that makes sense.
Sure, his face was feminine, and his hair was long⊠but if someone had told me he was just an androgynous-looking guy, Iâd have believed it.
And his name⊠now that I think about it, it could be a guyâs name too.
âŠ
God, I want to crawl into a hole.
ââŠHaaaaaah~â
I let out an involuntary sigh, long and heavy.
I feel like dumping all these tangled emotions straight into the void.
âWhy are you sighing like thatâŠ?â
âDonât worry about it. I just had a weird misunderstanding, thatâs all.â
âBut if Shena being a girl is causing some kind of troubleââ
âShut up. I told you not to worry about it.â
âOw.â
I punch Yusukeâs shoulder.
My weak punch lands on solid muscle.
The only damage dealt? To my own fist.
I bite back a wince and discreetly cast a healing spell on my hand before crossing my arms.
âYouâre marrying me⊠well, itâs just for show, but still, youâre marrying me, right?â
âJust for show⊠well, yeahâŠâ
âSo, naturally, I thought, âOh, is he already chasing after other women?ââ
ââŠHuh?â
âI was thinking, âAt least wait until after weâre married and things settle down before taking a concubineâŠââ I grumble. âYou know, considering all the trouble Iâm going through. I was kinda pissed.â
âWait, no!? I wouldnât do something like that!â
âYeah, I figured. Sorry for doubting you.â
âExactlyâŠ! Do I really look like the kind of guy who wouldââ
âYou donât have the guts for something like that, Yusuke.â
âW-well⊠I guess I donât.â
ââŠPfft.â
âW-what? Why are you laughing? Thatâs mean.â
âHehehe, sorry, sorry.â
I canât help it. His reaction is just too good.
Yusuke sighs, but thenâhe laughs too. A quiet, relieved chuckle.
âŠI really do enjoy being with this guy.
And if Yusuke feels the same way⊠maybe that thought makes me a little happy.
But, ahâŠ
With this atmosphere, itâs kinda hard to bring up the topic of the wedding⊠and the kiss of vows.
Well.
That can wait until we get back.
Unpleasant things can wait.
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