episode_0309

The expression on Gyeommyeojoshaegiwat’s face stiffened slightly upon hearing Lily’s words. It seemed as if she didn’t expect the words that came out of her mouth.

Feeling a sense of crisis that the hero’s expression might not be to her liking, Lily quickly supplemented the words she had just spoken.

“Yes, the heroines that you are planning to abandon and discard. To be honest, each and every one of them is a character with a story to me. Did I not say that? I’ve only seen 24 endings from my past life.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Even if the male characters don’t know, the female characters are characters who have seen solo endings at least once. In my opinion, they are all deserving of happiness without exception.

But to see those characters being ridiculed by you, struggling, and eventually facing heartbreak, I just can’t stand that. I can’t bear to watch them cling to a love that won’t be reciprocated, it’s just not in my nature.”

“…”

“I’ll help them as much as possible without affecting the main storyline. After all, your demon subjugation party is already practically complete. No matter how much you’re the protagonist, I can’t tolerate you treating the heroines like trash.”

Despite making a big decision and speaking her mind, Lily felt a bit scared after actually voicing her thoughts.

She cautiously set up her guard, fearing that the hero might see her as a hindrance to the story and cause harm. Thankfully, the response from Gyeommyeojoshaegiwat was affirmative, supporting her.

“Alright, then do as you wish.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. Since I have no intention of being involved with the heroines in this world. If there’s a way for them to be happy even after I’m gone, then that’s better.”

The anticlimactic response was more disheartening than Lily had expected, and at the same time, a strange anger towards the hero welled up within her.

It was a situation where she realized that he simply dismissed the attention of other heroines as ‘annoying’ when she would have been happier than anyone else.

“Fine, do as you please. I’ll do as I please.”

“Okay. Take care, Lilgeolchang.”

“…Tsk.”

Lily, unable to hide her displeasure, stood up and left.

Leaving Gyeommyeojoshaegiwat alone at the table with one empty seat, the elf quietly muttered as she watched Sirena, who had passed out after drinking like water despite saying that elves don’t get drunk in the forest.

‘I’ve never once viewed my relationship with these girls as trash.’

They were so precious to him that he was only preparing for a farewell that would cause them the least amount of pain.

The misunderstanding between the two of them would not be resolved until a distant future.

***

The next morning in the Blackwood family’s carriage.

After about 30 minutes on the carriage, Isabelle, sitting across from me and Edan, cautiously studied my expression.

“Rilis, are you feeling unwell?”

“Huh?”

“You seem a bit off since earlier… Are you feeling motion sickness from the carriage ride after a long time?”

“Is that so, Rilis?”

The conversation I had with that annoying guy the day before left me feeling a bit down, and it seemed like I couldn’t manage my expression properly because of it.

Isabel’s scrutinizing gaze didn’t seem to be a good sign, and even Ethan seemed to be checking on my mood belatedly.

“No, Lord Ethan. It’s just… something from last night that’s bothering me a bit.”

“Last night? Did something happen that day?”

“I think I might have had a bit too much to drink, that’s all. It’s not because of something else.”

I couldn’t reveal that I had talked to a hero from a past life, so I just made up a suitable excuse.

“Really? Are you feeling unwell? Should we stop the carriage and take a break?”

“It’s not that bad. The distance from Luminoir Academy to Blackwood is quite far, so if we stop now, we’ll be late getting back. Besides, remember the time we almost got into big trouble during our camping trip before.”

“What? Big trouble? Did something happen while I was asleep that day, Rilis?”

“….”

“Well, the campfire went out once in the middle. We hurriedly lit it again.”

“Losing warmth in the cold dawn is a big deal. It didn’t mean anything else.”

“Oh, I see. Well, keeping warm is important during camping…”

We both quickly changed the subject, as we had decided not to talk about the bandits we had defeated while camping.

Although revealing it wouldn’t shock Isabel too much, I still hoped she would remain innocent until the end.

Talking about fighting, power struggles, bloodshed, and sometimes murder happening at the academy and then saying such things was a bit awkward, but that’s how it was.

“If you’re tired from motion sickness, you can lean on my shoulder, Rilis.”

“No, I’m not really feeling motion sickness, so it’s not that tiring.”

“If your shoulder isn’t comfortable, how about lying on my knees?”

“What?”

“Since my father isn’t here today anyway. Even though the carriage is narrow, I think it’s enough for you to lie down.”

“….”

I suppressed the fleeting desire to lie down and reluctantly shook my head.

Even though I had crossed the line with Ethan, acting on my desires so openly in this situation… I still felt a bit embarrassed.

“It’s okay, Lord Ethan. You don’t have to worry so much.”

“Actually, it doesn’t matter if it’s not motion sickness or a hangover. If you want to lie down on my knees, you can.”

“What?”

“I actually wish you would lie down. It’s going to take a long time to get to Blackwood, right? So, wouldn’t it be nice to spend time like this until then?”

“….”

“You don’t have to be embarrassed anymore, Rilis. You’ve been walking around the academy with me arm in arm and holding hands.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Well, what can I say if he puts it like that?

It was a fact that I had engaged in various acts of intimacy with Ethan over the past semester.

I only had about two and a half years left to stay by Ethan’s side, so I had a desire to try out various things during the time I remained his lover. No matter how much my body had become that of a woman, the desire to be in a relationship was not easily extinguished.

But that’s only something you can boldly do when there are a lot of people around, not in a carriage where Isabelle is clearly watching. It felt a bit awkward to do such things in front of her so openly.

“It’s okay. Isabelle might feel a bit uncomfortable sharing the same space if you and Lord Edan show affection.”

“Me? Oh, no! I don’t care at all, so don’t worry and stick with Lord Edan!”

“Isabelle said she’s okay with it, Rilis.”

“Oh, no… Still, it’s a bit embarrassing for me that Isabelle can see it…”

“Rilis, I closed my eyes! I’ll keep them closed!”

“Are you still feeling uncomfortable being seen, Rilis?”

…”

No, seriously.

I don’t understand why they get along so well only in situations like this. Anyone would think Isabelle is Edan’s personal maid.

Of course, I know Isabelle is only reacting like this because she’s thinking about me.

Even in the game, Isabelle was a character who would betray the Blackwood family and put herself in danger for Rilis’ happiness.

And now, Isabelle probably thinks that I’ll be happy if I get along well with Edan, so she’s behaving like this.

I was grateful for her consideration but also felt strangely embarrassed. In the end, it felt like I was reporting to her that she finds happiness in being affectionate with Edan.

“Rilis? I said I closed my eyes, right?”

“Rilis, come over here and lie down.”

…”

In the end, unable to resist the intimacy between the two lovers… or rather, pretending to be unable to resist, I quietly rested my head on Edan’s lap as desired.

A knee pillow between lovers.

It felt somewhat different from the knee pillow I had imagined in my past life… but I accepted it because it wasn’t too bad.

In my past life, I was still myself from my past life, and at least physically, I was a woman now.

“Wow…. Why is this, why is this, why is this so…?”

“…Isabelle, are you really keeping your eyes closed?”

“Oh, um! I am keeping them closed properly, so you don’t have to worry, Rilis!”

It was a response that clearly seemed like she was peeking at me and Edan with her eyes wide open, but it was an audacious answer.

Until we stopped talking for a moment to rest, I kept my head on Edan’s lap, feeling a bit drowsy, and during that time, I made eye contact with Isabelle sitting across from me about five times.