[63] Vacation in Illunia [11]

"Hey, Lena de Feron, is she really taking sleeping pills to sleep?"

"..."

A line I couldn't just ignore reached my ears.

Curiosity got the better of me, so I quietly listened in on the conversation.

"Berius definitely said so."

"Ah, that idiot?"

I asked Armonia.

'Who's Berius?'

[It's the name of the prince we saw yesterday.] '

Ah, I see.'

I vaguely remembered, but I didn't care enough to recall it properly.

The guy who called him an idiot was the heir to a marquis.

The fact that he spoke about his own country's prince in such a way meant the prince really was an idiot.

Come to think of it, when I first saw him, he did seem like someone who lacked judgment.

"Where did you hear that from?"

"Not sure exactly."

"But even if she takes sleeping pills, she'd lock her door, right? Is there anyone here who can pick locks?"

"What do you take us for…? Do you think we'd learn such a petty skill?"

What kind of nonsense is this? What they're planning is something even trashy thugs wouldn't do.

"Berius is holding onto the key, just in case there's an emergency and they need to wake her up."

"Ah, then we just need to take the key."

"But they say the sleeping pills are weak, so she might wake up. We'll need some rope and cloth."

"She's a war-hardened woman, so it'll be tough without tying her up."

"So, when are we doing it?"

"Let's do it after the guys who came here to have fun leave."

I carefully opened the back door and left the warehouse.

'Let's go.'

[Won't you listen a bit more?]

'No, I'm done.'

I was so dumbfounded that I didn't want to hear any more.

I get it.

The princess is damn beautiful.

And if they're planning to do it after I leave, it's meaningless.

I left the warehouse and carefully made my way back to the garden, making sure not to be spotted by the giant monster.

When I arrived at the garden, Lena had already brought a cart filled with food.

"…Did you go to look for your companions?"

"No, I just stopped by somewhere."

I sat down on a chair at the lavish dining table in the gazebo.

The quick-witted princess immediately began placing the food on the table.

It was exactly enough for one person.

There was still enough food for one more person left in the cart.

"The rest is for when your companions arrive…"

"No, no one's coming. Put that down too."

"…?"

I looked at the princess, who had a puzzled expression, and said.

"Sit down, let's eat."

***

"…Where am I?"

When Lena opened her eyes, what greeted her vision was a dimly lit corridor bathed in the hues of twilight.

"That's right, I was heading back to my room after finishing my duties."

She muttered to herself unconsciously and began walking down the corridor.

As she walked, she noticed a group of people engaged in conversation.

They were men around Lena's age.

"..."

She had no intention of eavesdropping, but they were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice her at all.

"Lena de Feron, she's still a virgin, right?"

"Probably not. She must've been taken a few times during the war."

"She must've fucked a lot with the soldiers during the war."

Lena frowned at their vulgar conversation. She felt utterly lost on how to handle such situations.

Their conversation showed no signs of stopping.

"Should we take responsibility and try her out?"

"Yeah, let's give it a shot."

"Damn, because of that bitch, we ended up like this. She owes us, right?"

Lena's legs almost gave out, and she nearly collapsed.

The men's conversation, filled with encouragement and subtle hints of shifting their burdens onto her, made her eyes well up with tears. She clutched her chest and barely managed to keep herself upright.

The men had already disappeared.

"That's right… it's because of me."

She muttered to herself and began walking again.

But this time, she saw a group of noblewomen.

They didn't notice Lena and started their conversation.

"Did you know the men are planning something weird with Lena de Feron lately?"

Without realizing it, Lena hid behind a nearby pillar and crouched down.

"Shouldn't we tell someone about this?"

Lena couldn't help but smile.

'I have allies.'

The thought that she wasn't alone made her heart soar.

The noblewomen were always quick to shift the blame onto her whenever something went wrong.

She had been wrongfully accused, whipped, and starved because of them.

But at this moment, Lena felt endlessly grateful to them for thinking of her.

However, her soaring heart came crashing down in an instant.

"If something happens to her, there'll be no one to take the fall!"

"Exactly, those stupid men don't realize how useful she is."

"Ugh! So annoying! If only the demons could see her face, we could sell her off and return to our country!"

The words of the women no longer reached Lena's ears as she hid behind the pillar.

All she could see were the tears falling onto her sleeve.

Lena cried silently for a while before shakily getting up.

"I… I need to go. If I sleep… everything will be resolved…"

If she could just sleep, she could forget about this situation, even if only for a moment.

Even if hell awaited her the next day, she could be happy for that brief moment.

As Lena staggered down the corridor, a young man came running towards her.

"Princess!"

"Haa… haa…"

It was Berius, with a serious expression on his face.

Lena tried to calm herself down so as not to alarm him, wiping away her cold sweat as she asked.

"What's the matter, Lord Berius?"

"Well…"

Berius's behaviour was typical of when he had caused some trouble.

Suppressing her frustration, Lena asked again.

"…What happened?"

"You told me to organize the warehouse, right? I'm the prince of Bethel!"

"Ah…"

Lena began to feel dizzy.

Whenever Berius caused trouble like this, all the responsibility fell on her.

At first, she had taken on everything to help the young prince adjust.

But his immature behaviour showed no signs of improving.

And whenever he caused trouble like this, the punishment she received was always the same.

She had to roam the demon king's castle without sleep, replacing depleted mana stones.

She began to feel a weariness she had never experienced, even after fighting for three days and nights on the battlefield without rest.

Suddenly, Berius grinned and said.

"Good news, Princess!"

"…What?"

Berius's last words were the final blow.

"You said you couldn't sleep, right? Aren't you glad you won't be bored?"

"Ah… ah!"

Lena's vision began to blur, and everything disappeared.

When she opened her eyes, a man was standing in front of her, handing her a handkerchief.

"Are you okay?"

***

"…I'm sorry."

The princess wiped her tears with the handkerchief I handed her and stood up.

She turned her head to dry her tears with the handkerchief.

As I watched her, I received a communication from Armonia.

[What did you do this time to make her cry like that?]

'…I didn't do anything.'

[Huh?]

'I didn't touch a single thing.'

I forced her to sit and eat with me by bringing up Gardia after she refused to sit at the table with me.

After we finished eating and she began to feel drowsy, I cast a sleep spell and entered her dreams.

This time, I followed her secretly without manipulating her dreams, wanting to learn more about her.

But it was a mess.

The princess, who was specialized in war and combat, was good at hiding her presence, and she often overheard the gossip of the people she had no choice but to live with.

The content of that gossip was enough to irritate even me.

'What a bunch of trash…'

[Are you angry?]

'No, I'm just annoyed. This woman is also an idiot.'

From what I saw, she seemed to have known about the men's plans for a while.

But there was one thing I couldn't understand.

'Why did she entrust the key to that prince brat?'

I don't think of him as a cat.

He's a rat.

She entrusted a fish to a rat.

The most ridiculous thing was the prince.

'That brat followed the princess around, claiming to like her, but he's the root cause of all this.'

The root of all evil that turned the princess into this state was the little brat.

He caused trouble every day, and the princess took the fall for everything, gradually wearing her down.

'That brat almost died to Gardia last time, and he changed after that.'

[His attitude before and after that incident did change significantly.]

It was fascinating how the brat who growled while hugging Viola and the one who trembled in fear in front of me in the guest room were the same person.

But the brat I saw in the princess's dream was definitely the same as the one I first met.

The brat's last words even made me open my mouth in shock.

I almost wanted to believe I had manipulated it myself because the line was so absurd.

In other words, the reason he was so excited about the princess wasn't just because he liked her, but also because she was like a protective shield for him.

The princess regained her composure and handed the handkerchief back to me.

"I'm really sorry."

"Well, people need to sleep too."

"I'll go clean up the dishes now."

The princess began loading the dishes onto the cart.

I had something I was curious about, so I asked.

"Ah, there's something I want to ask."

"…Yes, what is it?"

"Do you have anything you like?"

"…No."

What a liar…

I didn't expect her to tell me.

"Alright, put those down and come back. Let's stay a bit longer."

"…Yes, understood."

After the princess returned the dishes, I didn't cast any sleep or dream spells and simply enjoyed the garden quietly.

Whether it was out of guilt or pity for her, I let her find some peace in the garden.

***

"She really likes you."

"Hehe, isn't it cute?"

"Ugh… I'm tired…"

When I returned to the guest room in the evening, Viola was hugging Beatrice on the bed.

Seeing them like this made me want to pounce on both of them.

'One's a succubus, the other's a bit clueless about sex. Isn't this a perfect setup for a threesome?'

[….]

Watching the two roll around on the bed made me think about taking Beatrice along.

'How much would it cost to register Beatrice?'

[35,000 Enel.]

'Is it because her abilities are mediocre…?'

It wasn't a bad price.

If the princess were to join, she'd be living in the ship's corridors for a while.

The living quarters were all Viola's, and buying new ones would cost 100,000 Enel, so it was a bit tight.

Even though it's just the corridors, they're ridiculously wide and long, so I could sleep there too if I laid out a blanket.

Still, it's a much better life than here, so she shouldn't have any complaints.

"Beatrice."

"Ugh… why are you calling me?"

"By the way, why did you come here again?"

"…Eek! Stop it~"

She suddenly changed the subject.

Despite being scared of Viola, she came here every day.

'Does she like Viola that much? But she still seems scared of her.'

[This is just my personal opinion.]

'?'

[I think she might be coming here for you, Guardian.]

'Me?'

I was puzzled by the sudden remark.

We didn't really have any connection.

[On the first day, when she came looking for you, her reaction was like that. I think your pheromones might be affecting her.]

'…A succubus… a cat girl… that makes sense?'

Beatrice had been quite proactive since the first time we met.

I thought she was just like a cat…

A cat girl with a keen sense of smell and a lustful succubus.

It made sense, but I wasn't entirely convinced.

'She keeps ending her sentences with "nya," so it's hard to tell.'

[Why don't you ask her directly?]

'Do you like me? Something like that?'

[…? Guardian, that's incorrect grammar.] 

'...There's a place that likes this kind of thing.'

Armonia, who didn't understand old-fashioned slang, watched as I approached the two on the bed.

Now that I paid attention, I could see Beatrice glancing at me.

"Viola, sorry, but can I talk to Beatrice for a bit?"

"Of course! Come back soon, Vera-Veratrice."

"Ugh… It's Beatrice…"

What kind of name is Vera-Veratrice…?

I took Beatrice outside the guest room.

Her tail and ears were a mess, and she looked up at me weakly.

"Ugh… what is it?"

I looked down at her arrogantly and said,

"Hey, do you like me?"

Beatrice looked up at me with wide eyes, frozen in place, and said.

"…Are you crazy?"

***

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