I remember the day I left.
[I’m going to do what I do best.]
Even though several years have already passed, the moment of our parting is still vivid in my mind.
[So you stay here and do what only you can do, Mikhail.]
When I said that, you looked as though you were about to crumble.
[I’ll be back soon, so prepare a grand victory banquet for me.]
Seeing you, who had always been so strong, show such weakness for the first time, I had no choice but to turn my back on you.
Because I was afraid that if I didn’t, my resolve would waver.
It was still the early days of the kingdom’s founding, when we were only just beginning to establish its foundations.
Of course I couldn’t help but worry about leaving your side.
I had always wanted to be your strength.
A steadfast friend who would share both your joys and sorrows, forever.
But before us was a pitch-black hell with its jaws wide open, and someone was needed to block the entrance to that Black Rift.
[…I’ll wait for you, Iserna.]
The last voice of yours I remember carried sorrow and desperation.
Believing that I would surely return, you must still be waiting for me even now.
That one certainty was what kept me going.
It was what guided our steps all the way here.
“Finally.”
The victors looked absolutely wretched.
It was only natural. We had endured for so long without a single resupply until we finally took the last demon’s life.
And yet, every face was filled with delight and joy.
It was as though they had forgotten all the exhaustion and hardship of the past, shining more brightly than ever.
“We’re going home.”
Some to the arms of their parents,
some to the arms of their lovers,
and some to homes where children they had yet to meet were waiting for them.
“You’ve all worked hard.”
I cleared my throat once before addressing everyone.
“Take a month to celebrate to your hearts’ content, then let’s meet in front of the Imperial Palace.”
Almost everyone except me had a family waiting for them.
It was only right that they should see them first and share in the joy of our victory.
“I’ll go ahead and prepare for the victory ceremony.”
“Yes, Captain!”
Everyone looked at me and answered energetically.
…I can’t remember the last time these guys were this united.
They were a bunch of eccentrics who caused all sorts of unbelievable trouble at every opportunity.
Mikhail, now I’m coming back to you.
It took far too long to keep my promise.
“Expeditionary Force, dismissed!”
“Haha…!”
“I can… I can go home!”
One after another, people burst into tears and laughter from sheer joy.
I turned my head away, feeling as though I might start crying too.
We used the power of magic to clean ourselves up, then changed into the new clothes we had saved for this very day.
Once we were all dressed as neatly as we had been on the day we left, we looked at one another and chuckled.
“Captain, when you get back, you have to date someone!”
“We’ll be cheering you on…!”
These guys?
The moment I quietly clenched my fist, they scattered with screams of “Aaaah!” They sure were quick to catch on.
‘Well, whatever. I should try everything I haven’t had the chance to do.’
Romance and marriage would be among those things.
Though I’d have to retire first.
I took a return scroll out of my spatial bag.
We had come a long way, but the journey back would take only an instant.
The coordinates were fixed on Mikhail, so tearing this would transport me directly to his side.
[Come to me first. I won’t compromise on this.]
[…Even if you end up catching me in an embarrassing situation, I’m not responsible, okay?]
I gave him fair warning, so it should be fine.
I just hoped I wouldn’t end up dropping into somewhere like a bathhouse.
“Let’s go.”
I took a deep breath and tore the scroll.
The magic contained within whirled violently, and a burst of light exploded forth.
As I felt my body being pulled upward, my vision was filled with white.
The only thing that remained was the sound of my heart pounding wildly, as though it might burst from my chest.
The capital.
The Imperial Palace.
Mikhail.
The moment I pictured the coordinates I needed to return to,
“…Ah.”
A strange sensation passed through me.
It was as though the place I had left behind no longer existed in this world.
Just as I felt something terribly wrong, as if the coordinates had shifted, the force pulling me suddenly disappeared.
A brief fall began at the same time.
Thud!
The impact came before I could even regain my balance.
“Ugh…!”
I could tell from the low groan and the sensation beneath me.
I had landed on someone, not the floor.
I wanted to get up immediately, but the aftereffects of spatial travel were worse than I had expected.
My body had somehow landed safely, but my senses were returning incredibly slowly, leaving me unable to move even a fingertip.
Just as I managed to move my eyes and tried to see who was pinned beneath me, my field of vision suddenly spun.
In the blink of an eye, our positions had reversed, and I found myself pinned beneath him instead.
“I must have told you several times. I don’t need some bedroom maid. You’d better get out of here right—”
The moment his eyes met mine, he abruptly stopped speaking.
“……”
His widened eyes looked both surprised and flustered.
I could only stare back at him in silence.
‘Who is this man?’
First of all, he wasn’t Mikhail.
His scent of mana was identical to the one I knew, but everything else was different.
His face was frighteningly handsome, with sharp, perfectly sculpted features.
His pitch-black hair seemed to absorb all light, while his cool golden eyes exuded both dignity and strength.
“What are you? How did you get in here?”
And his voice.
That deep, resonant voice that made my heart tremble was something I felt I could never forget after hearing it just once.
‘Did I faint?’
Could I have lost consciousness without realizing it and somehow ended up dreaming?
Perhaps he misunderstood the dazed look in my eyes.
“Just because you like a man doesn’t mean you can recklessly throw yourself onto his bed. A beautiful woman like you needs to be even more careful.”
The sharpness in his eyes softened slightly.
“I would normally throw you out immediately, but… the situation is rather convenient.”
‘Perhaps I can avoid becoming the princess’s plaything after all.’
He muttered the last part to himself.
“…Let’s do this. If you promise to become mine, I’ll give you whatever you want.”
Huh?
‘What did he just say? Whatever I want?’
I had been so captivated by his appearance and voice that it was only belatedly that I processed the meaning of his words.
“Even though I’m in this position, I’m not so irresponsible that I can pretend not to know the woman I spent the night with.”
W-What? Spent the night?
Did this man think I had secretly snuck in here intending to throw myself at him?
‘…Well, I did end up climbing right onto his stomach.’
The situation had definitely gone very wrong.
‘Then again, it would be strange for him to be this lenient.’
If it were me, I’d throw an assailant like this straight out the window.
Maybe it wasn’t just Mikhail’s scent of mana that they shared. They seemed to share that foolish kindness, too.
“Can I take the way you’re looking at me… as your consent?”
‘Huh…? No!’
I tried to tense my abdomen somehow and force out my voice.
But no sound came from my opening lips.
I hadn’t expected the aftereffects of the return magic to last this long.
No one had ever told me about this.
Or perhaps there had been something wrong with the magic scroll?
“…Does that mean you want me to kiss you? I can’t tell whether you’re shy or bold.”
The misunderstanding…
The misunderstanding was getting deeper and deeper…!
“I suppose I should consider myself lucky that, strangely enough, I like you too.”
So that was why his face and the back of his neck seemed red. Apparently, my face was exactly his type.
No, I did like this man’s looks too, but this was getting a little….
“It might be awkward since it’s your first time, but if you don’t like it or it hurts, tap my shoulder. I’ll stop.”
He gently brushed my hair aside and whispered.
Soon, his breath brushed against the tip of my chin.
‘W-Wait!’
It only took an instant to realize that he was too close for me to escape.
‘Huh? Really? Is this really happening?’
As if it were a lie, a soft sensation touched my lips.
“……!”
Comments (0)