Ch.185185. Isn’t Killing the Simplest Method?

“Why are you suddenly going into the forest?”

After two days of light shopping and touring various attractions in the Lumestia territory, I smiled faintly at Jawill Wilson’s question.

“I need to go home now.”

“If you’re going home, shouldn’t we find a coachman and carriage?”

“Didn’t you clearly say two days ago that you had a ‘head’?”

“Yes, I said I had a head.”

“And didn’t I clearly say I would be riding a dragon carriage?”

Jawill Wilson, who had been wearing a puzzled expression, quickly turned his head toward Lucien before looking back at me.

“Surely you don’t mean we’ll be riding our Lucien?”

“Now your brain is starting to work.”

“That’s unacceptable! How could you think of putting both our weights on such a delicate child as our Lucien!”

“A delicate child…”

Jawill Wilson displayed frantic movements with an urgent expression.

“This is no time for this. I’ll go back down to the territory right away and find a coachman and carriage.”

“I’m telling you there’s no need for that.”

Unable to stand by any longer, Lucien pinched Jawill Wilson’s collar with his fingers.

“Uncle, it’s okay. I can carry you.”

“No! That’s impossible. What if our Lucien gets even the tiniest scratch on his back?”

“I’ve carried Father many times before.”

At that, Jawill Wilson glared at me with wide-open eyes.

“Young Master, I thought you cherished Lucien as much as I do. I’m truly disappointed.”

“Jawill Wilson, have you never seen Lucien in his dragon form?”

“…Not properly.”

“During the Monster Wave, you were defending at the gate rather than the castle walls, so you might not have seen him properly, but surely you saw when Lucien burned down the Cardrian family mansion?”

“Given the war situation, I couldn’t enter the Cardrian territory directly. I just told Lucien the location and waited in a nearby territory.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Th-that’s not what’s important right now!”

“Then you take a carriage, and I’ll ride Lucien.”

Jawill Wilson raised his voice again, his face flushing red and blue.

“Young Master!! Please cherish our Lucien!!”

“But Lucien actually likes transforming into a dragon occasionally. Didn’t he say it helps relieve some of his stuffiness?”

Jawill Wilson’s gaze immediately turned to Lucien.

“Lucien, is that true?”

“Yes, I’m a dragon, not a human. Returning to my original form is naturally enjoyable.”

After hearing Lucien’s words, Jawill Wilson stroked his chin with a troubled expression.

It seemed better to show rather than tell a hundred words.

I opened my mouth toward Lucien.

“Lucien, let’s depart now.”

With those words, Lucien walked steadily away to create distance between us, then tightly closed his eyes.

Of course, Jawill Wilson desperately tried to stop him until the end.

“Lucien, don’t just do what your father tells you…”

It was natural for his words to trail off.

Lucien’s body gradually began to emit a golden light, and then large scales covered his entire body.

The size was truly overwhelming.

Jawill Wilson gulped audibly.

“Wh-what in the world…”

I placed my hand firmly on the shoulder of the stammering Jawill Wilson.

“Look at that. Do you think our weight would cause even the slightest damage to those scales?”

“N-no, but… are dragons normally this big?”

“Why? Do you regret using the word ‘delicate’ earlier?”

Jawill Wilson couldn’t continue speaking.

Was it because his nephew had suddenly grown so large?

There was a look of mingled sadness in his eyes.

“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you getting on?”

I climbed onto Lucien’s back and nodded my chin, at which Jawill Wilson, with his head deeply bowed, finally spoke.

“Haa… alright.”

*

“Wellsran, what on earth is going on here?”

“I-I’m sorry. Selden Alphonse left immediately, saying he had urgent business…”

The Etherian Princess sat on the outdoor terrace, her shoulders trembling with apparent anger.

Wellsran the butler stood beside her, flustered, and the atmosphere was very cold.

“I did exactly as you said, but I’m asking why Selden Alphonse left the palace without even properly saying goodbye.”

“…Did he really not say anything else?”

“Yes! As you advised, I pretended to be uninterested and busy, but there was no reaction at all!”

Wellsran felt extremely wronged.

It had all started with the Etherian Princess’s question.

-What kind of women do men like?

When the Etherian Princess asked this, Wellsran recalled her bright, innocent childhood self.

He was so moved he trembled.

Since her uncle’s death, she had never asked anything except questions about the imperial family.

But now.

A question about romance—what a beautiful moment!

The Etherian Princess had always been sensitive about succession disputes.

So Wellsran asked for time to prepare an answer and spent several days crafting a thoughtful response.

-Men feel pressured when women are too forward. A woman should know how to play hard to get.

-Play hard to get? How?

-Act like you’re not interested. Until now, Your Highness, you’ve been too pushy.

-With whom?

-Aren’t you sharing your concerns about Selden Alphonse?

The Etherian Princess spoke with a reddened face.

-Was it that obvious?

-Yes, so from now on, you should stop pushing and start playing hard to get.

-And what happens then?

-If Your Highness, who has been pursuing him, suddenly stops, Selden Alphonse will feel something is missing.

-And if he feels something is missing?

-He will approach Your Highness.

The Etherian Princess’s face reddened again.

Come to think of it, just as Butler Wellsran said, she had always been the one approaching Selden Alphonse.

Moreover, hadn’t she visited Lake Territory twice?

-Wellsran, if I do as you say, will Selden Alphonse really take a more active stance?

-Yes. Men are simpler creatures than you might think. If you follow my advice, Selden Alphonse will be absolutely desperate for Your Highness.

-…Desperate is a bit…

-What does Your Highness lack? Any man would naturally react that way.

The Etherian Princess stroked her chin and asked.

-Selden Alphonse is visiting the palace regarding the Monster Wave incident. How should I behave?

-Act as if you’ve completely forgotten about the Monster Wave in Lake Territory.

-But we’ve already discussed the Monster Wave?

-Still, you should act as if you’ve forgotten. Your Highness has many concerns beyond just Selden Alphonse, don’t you?

The Etherian Princess nodded with a rather satisfied expression.

However.

The Etherian Princess was unaware of one fact.

Butler Wellsran, who had been handling imperial affairs since childhood, had never once had time for romance.

And now, back to the present.

“How are you going to fix this?”

“Y-Your Highness… you must remain calm in times like these.”

“Do I look calm to you?! Selden Alphonse left the palace without even saying goodbye!!”

“Perhaps he truly had urgent business?”

The Etherian Princess, who had been hesitating, folded her arms heavily.

“…I acted uninterested, but there was little reaction.”

“How could you expect results on the first try?”

“Then how long must I pretend to be uninterested?!”

Butler Wellsran’s forehead was drenched in sweat.

The books had clearly stated this would be effective.

He needed to somehow navigate this difficult situation by recalling the contents of those books.

“Th-there’s another method.”

“Another method?”

“The most effective approach is to make Selden Alphonse jealous.”

“Jealous?”

“Show interest in another man in front of Selden Alphonse.”

“And that works?”

Facing the still skeptical Etherian Princess, Wellsran straightened his back.

“Let me give you an example. If Your Highness discovered that Selden Alphonse was interested in another woman, what would you do?”

The Etherian Princess spoke without a moment’s hesitation.

“Kill her, of course.”

“…Pardon?”

“Isn’t killing the simplest solution?”

Butler Wellsran barely concealed his shocked expression and cleared his throat.

“Ahem!! Anyway!! Your Highness, you would certainly feel displeased, wouldn’t you?”

“…Now that I think about it, just imagining it makes my blood boil.”

“That’s why we need to provoke jealousy.”

The Etherian Princess tilted her head.

“Then I need to find a man…”

At that, Wellsran’s eyes lit up as if he’d had a realization.

“For maximum effect, you should choose someone from Selden Alphonse’s circle.”

“Hmm… really?”

“When Your Highness meets Selden Alphonse again, I think it would be excellent to choose the most handsome person among his companions.”

“The most handsome person…?”

“Selden Alphonse needs to believe that Your Highness is interested in another man, doesn’t he?”

“That makes sense. As expected, Wellsran, your knowledge of love is impressive.”

“You flatter me.”

Leaving the satisfied-looking Butler Wellsran behind, the Etherian Princess smiled faintly.

“I should start right away.”