episode_0021

“Oh my, it suits you so well.”

The shopkeeper smiled as she spoke. Brushing off the obvious lip service, I stepped out of the store.

The first thing I did after Anna left was enter a clothing shop and change my outfit.

Money wasn’t an issue—I had more than enough to spare—and since there were plenty of nobles who had to dress as commoners for various reasons, the transaction went surprisingly smoothly.

“I’ll take this.” “That’ll be 8 silver coins~”

Now, carrying a large basket and dressed in loose, plain-colored clothes, no one would mistake me for a noble.

Good. All I had to do was casually make my way back to the estate.

Simple. Just walk like I didn’t care, as if weathered by life’s harsh storms.

Though I walked slowly, no one paid me any attention. There were plenty of people dressed just like me right next to me, after all.

Passersby weren’t idle enough to notice who was walking beside them.

Unless, of course, their purpose was exactly that.

“Excuse me. Have you seen a man who looks like this? Black hair, slightly lethargic—”

Clunk—

My heart sank.

Every time she moved, stopping people to ask, her pink hair fluttered beautifully behind her.

I turned on my heel and ran.

I sprinted like I was being chased by demons. The person looking for me was far more terrifying than any demon right now.

Lucilla hadn’t noticed me yet.

“Damn it…!”

Cursing under my breath, I ran wildly. It was a miracle she hadn’t glanced in my direction while searching. With her eyesight, this disguise wouldn’t have fooled her for a second.

Just my luck—the moment I disguised myself, I ran into the one person it wouldn’t work on.

After a few minutes of frantic dodging, my body—as pitiful as my combat skills—screamed for rest.

I collapsed onto the nearest chair and immediately realized:

I was lost.

“Haah…”

A sigh escaped me at my own miserable state.

If this were any other protagonist, they’d be busy making up with heroines who couldn’t stop apologizing. So why was I the one running from them?

Even if I tried to push them away unilaterally, they’d never accept it.

Then again, that stubbornness was probably why they became the Hero’s party in the first place.

“Sigh…”

As I exhaled deeply and stared at the ground, I noticed something strange.

A red dot, like a laser pointer, was fixed squarely on my foot.

“What the—?”

I rubbed at it, but the mark didn’t fade.

Lifting my foot for a closer look, I realized it wasn’t just a stain.

An impossibly thin thread of mana stretched from my foot, leading somewhere unseen.

A tracking spell.

And the only person I knew who could maintain one this effectively for so long was—

As if confirming my thoughts, an unforgettable voice spoke from behind me.

“Found you…”

I wasn’t the one looking for you, though.

Out of the frying pan, into the fire. Or maybe another tiger.

The moment that thought crossed my mind, two hands wrapped around my neck and yanked me backward.

“Ghk—!”

Of course, I struggled to break free, but in the blink of an eye, my limbs were restrained.

Not enough to crush my wrists or ankles, but enough to ensure I couldn’t escape.

“Planning to run?”

“Y-Your Highness! What brings you to a place like—”

“As the future ruler of this empire, it would be disgraceful if I didn’t memorize the capital’s layout. Once I placed the tracking spell, all I had to do was get ahead of you. It was sheer luck that the shop you visited was one I knew well.”

Sheer luck? That phrase didn’t suit Elia Periel.

Despite her extraordinary talent, she worked harder than anyone. Knowing that shop was just another piece of knowledge she’d painstakingly acquired.

Watching her calmly recount her actions as if they were nothing, I felt a faint pang of nostalgia.

To her, it was natural. But to anyone listening, it just sounded like bragging.

Yeah. That complete inability to read the room or people’s feelings was what made her our princess.

“Why are you—”

“You have a lot to explain. Why you chose to sacrifice yourself, why you avoided us, and who that woman was.”

“Woman?”

Though her tone was flat, the emotions beneath weren’t hard to decipher.

Elia was anxious.

Not just about whether they could be forgiven—but whether, in their hesitation, I’d given my heart to someone else.

“Hah.”

Realizing that, I suddenly found it ridiculous.

How hard had I worked to catch her eye, to become like her, to earn even a scrap of her attention—not love?

But now, with the tables turned and everything handed to me, I no longer needed to.

With my head still forced down, I countered her question.

“Sacrifice? What are you talking about?”

“What?”

Same reaction as Chris.

Had they not even considered the possibility that only those present during the regression would remember?

No, even if they had, they’d probably dismissed it immediately. Some nonsense like “The first discoverer of the artifact wouldn’t allow that.”

“I’m terribly sorry, but have I ever met you privately, Your Highness? Aside from briefly passing by at a royal ball, I can’t recall. Perhaps you’ve mistaken me for someone else…”

“You ran the moment you saw me!”

“Well, given the sheer number of crimes I’ve committed, it’s only natural. Seeing not just you, but everyone chasing me, I panicked.”

That part was sincere. Even when I hadn’t done anything, I’d been scared out of my mind.

Elia shook my shoulders slightly, disbelief in her voice.

“D-Don’t joke. You don’t remember? You were part of the Hero’s party. You supported us in every way to defeat the Demon King, yet we cast you aside. And still, you sacrificed yourself for us—”

She kept recounting memories of me and the Hero’s party.

Though she glanced at me repeatedly, I maintained my composure.

In the end, she was the first to break.

“You… really don’t remember?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Your Highness.”

“‘Your Highness’? Call me Elia, as you always did. Wasn’t that what you worked so hard to achieve?”

Ah, right.

One of my attempts to get closer to the party had been insisting we use first names.

At first, they’d been annoyed—”Who does this non-Hero think he is?”—but they’d given up after I kept at it.

Back then, they’d hated it. Now, being asked to call her that again left me cold.

Reading my expression, Elia grew more desperate.

“F-Fine, not Elia. Just ‘Eli.’ Didn’t you always say calling someone by name brings people closer?”

“Would I dare say something so presumptuous to Your Highness? My apologies! Please forgive—”

“I… I just…”

Keeping my poker face intact, I feigned concern.

“This is strange… Did you have a bad dream? Or—ah! An illusion spell! Your Highness, do you remember meeting anyone suspicious? I should inform your father—no, Chris! This is serious!”

“……”

“The Hero’s party and the Demon King? That’s a potent illusion. We should—”

“Enough.”

“Huh?”

Staggering back, Elia released me.

“Don’t follow me.”

“But—”

“I said don’t!”

Choking back tears, she fled into an alley.

For a moment, I considered chasing her—but stopped.

I’d succeeded in dispelling her suspicions.

Only because I felt nothing for this Elia could I pull it off.

Still, I’d flinched every time she shook me.

I needed more practice.

Dazed, I stared at the alley where she’d disappeared.

Even in the first round, Elia had quietly done her part from the shadows.

She’d proven what it meant to show rather than tell.

Whether fighting hordes of demons, defeating them, or pushing me away, her demeanor never changed.

She was the type to deliberate carefully before acting—yet, for some reason, I was the exception to that caution.

I understood.

To her, I must’ve seemed like a useless fool who couldn’t even work hard, all talk and no action.

So I decided to follow her example—show rather than tell.

Don’t worry. I’ll handle everything.

I’ve played enough princess-raising games to be sick of them.

You all just need to follow my lead.

This time, unless I’m certain, I won’t recklessly show my emotions. So unlike Chris, you won’t catch me apologizing out of nowhere.

Please, let it be that way.