episode_0115

Zeros becomes lovers with Katlena and has a relationship with her.

However, despite these facts, Zeros had to make another decision as she had advised.

‘Certainly… it would be impossible to just leave Princess Maeb alone in the current situation.’

From the beginning, if the other side is oblivious, they would already know what kind of relationship there is between themselves and Katlena.

Nevertheless, considering the fact that she was so affectionate towards him, it was likely that, as Katlena had said, she would not give up on Zeros no matter what she did.

‘Come to think of it… Could this be the reason why the plot changed from the original? Certainly, now that I think about it, there’s no other way to explain it…’

Now that I look back on the situation, there were certainly situations where I could have secretly planted a flag on the princess, and that was the part where the original and the story diverged in relation to Princess Maeb.

In other words, the reason Princess Maev returned to the academy to become a teacher was because of Zeros.

‘Haa… No matter what, it’s like that. I knew he had a bad personality to begin with, but he did this because of me.’

From an objective standpoint, there were honestly parts that I didn’t quite understand.

He himself was not that good-looking, and his fighting skills were nowhere near that of Princess Maeb. If we were to talk about his status, he was literally no better than an insect compared to the princess.

However, despite this, the princess harbors deep affection for him, and for this, she is forced to make a choice that could change her life.

In addition, in the process, she had to endure humiliating acts as she had to give a hand to Elios, who could be called her destined rival.

No matter how much he thought about it, Zeros couldn’t easily understand why she would take such a risk and show interest in him.

‘We just happened to talk a few times and somehow I ended up saving your life once… but things got to this point because of something like that.’

As he thought about that, a story that Katlena had told him a while ago suddenly came to Zeros’ mind.

He’s the best man in her life. And… she’s not the only one who thinks this way.

This could be seen as a simple expression of affection from the lover’s perspective, but at least in the current situation, he could recognize that the princess was looking at him in that way.

‘Haa… Well, at this point, no matter how much I think about it, there’s no clear answer to this question. What’s important is not the cause, but what I should do from now on.’

Zeros, who had prepared himself mentally in this way.

Before his eyes, he began to see the sight of that place that he had become so accustomed to, but which made him even more nervous today than usual.

“..whoa..”

The door to the teachers’ office where I spend time alone with Princess Maeb.

In front of him, Zeros calmed his mind and slowly opened the door.

“Teacher, I’m here.”

“Yes. Come on. Zeros.”

Princess Maeb, who always smiles when looking at herself.

But at this moment, Zeros could notice one thing that was clearer than before.

It was… the sight of Princess Maeb slightly blushing and turning her head away from him.

‘You’re embarrassed.. I’ve seen you do this all along, so why did I only notice it now?’

Zeros lets out a deep sigh as he finally realizes how serious his insensitivity has been.

However, regardless of such feelings, Zeros began to calmly look for an opportunity to put into action what he had previously thought of, and without noticing his state, Princess Maeb began to take out the documents she had prepared in advance as usual.

“Okay, let’s get to work today. The midterms are coming up soon, so if we don’t prepare for them in advance…”

At that moment…

“Princess Maev!”

“Huh?”

Zeros suddenly cuts off his words.

The princess began to feel a little embarrassed by his voice, which was different from usual and seemed to contain some kind of determination while also being serious. Zeros looked straight at her face and spoke with a slightly embarrassed expression.

“Actually, I have something to ask you, Your Highness. If you don’t mind, could you please answer?”

“Do you have a question? What is it? Well, if it’s something I can answer, then that’s fine.”

Maeb answers Zeros’ question with a slightly nervous voice.

To this, Zeros looked straight into her eyes and began to tell her the story he had prepared in his mind.

“Your Highness. Your Highness… what exactly do you think of me?”

“ㅁ..What? What..what is that..”

“It means exactly what it says. In fact, I have been thinking about it ever since the princess saved me while getting hurt. Even if she is my disciple, there is no reason for her to hurt herself and do such a thing to me, a commoner. Then, I suddenly remembered what the princess said before.”

The moment he spoke up to that point, the princess flinched slightly without realizing it, and Zeros spoke to her in a clear voice.

“That story you told me when you first met me… That story about how you liked me.”

“!…That.. That’s. Umm..That.. So..”

Zeros suddenly begins to attempt a frontal breakthrough.

Princess Maeb felt deeply embarrassed by his unexpected attack and began to stutter.

‘Ah… no, what is this… why is this kid who usually just stays on the defensive suddenly starting to attack?’

Princess Maeb had always done her best to convey her feelings for Zeros.

However, when Zeros started talking actively about this, she didn’t know what to do…

Zeros continued speaking to the princess who was acting so flustered without hesitation.

“Honestly, at first I thought about just pretending not to know about this. As you probably know, I already have someone I like… someone I love deeply. But… I thought about the princess who kept showing interest in me, and I couldn’t do that.”

“!…”

The moment Zeros said those words, a possibility regarding the current situation suddenly began to arise in Princess Maev’s mind.

That’s the person who has been supporting Maev’s actions all along.

It was about Princess Elios’ movements.

‘Could it be… After the previous incident, did Princess Elios give orders to Zeros? To not get any closer to me? That’s probably right. I started to feel the danger that Zeros’s heart might waver if things continued like this…’

In retrospect, it was a miracle that the arrogant and jealous Elios had just sat there with his arms folded while he was trying to convey his affection for Zeros in such a conspicuous way.

If Maeb was in the same situation, she would have done whatever it took to keep her man from being taken away.

‘But no matter what, to use such a vicious method… It seems like you’re trying to ruin our relationship by letting Zero know about my feelings for him, but that can’t be happening. After all, I’ve come this far… I can’t just give up on Zero like this..’

So, I made up my mind again,

Princess Maeb corrects her expression.

And, looking straight at her face, which seemed to have regained some stability, Zeros continued speaking in a clear voice.

“I want you to be clear. Your Highness… Your Highness… What exactly do you think of me… Your student in front of you, Zeros?”

“… Sigh..”

Zeros demands that she speak clearly about her feelings.

And Princess Maeb had no intention of making excuses or diluting the story.

‘If I deny my feelings here, it would be essentially playing into Elios’s plan. Declaring with my own mouth that I do not love Zeros would be tantamount to giving up on him completely. On the other hand… if I tell the truth here, my relationship with Zeros will become estranged again for a while, but I can leave open the possibility that we can achieve a reversal in some way in the future.’

Even if it fails right away, if you make it clear to Zero that you like him, it could be a reward in its own way.

Maev, who had made that decision, looked at Zeros and spoke in a clear voice.

“Yeah. I like you. No.. I love you. Zeros.. you.”