Ch.31The Princess Likes You!

People always make the same suggestion, even though they know it’s futile.

Friend.

In other words, a playmate.

Perhaps they pitied me for wearing a blindfold whenever I went outside, disgusted by everything in the outside world.

It was unnecessary sympathy and needless worry.

Because I didn’t particularly take this blindfold off even at home.

“…They’re late.”

I had no choice but to meet this guest recommended by the Hunter Association of Korea.

Princess Kurumi headed to a specially prepared tatami room for meeting outsiders.

A thin cloth, just transparent enough to see silhouettes, was installed in the center of the room. The guest who would soon arrive was scheduled to meet the princess with this cloth between them.

“It’s going to be pointless anyway…”

Kurumi went to the back of the guest room and sat on the cushion that had been prepared in advance.

Then she tried to sense the presence beyond the cloth that concealed her.

Born with a Beast Hunter constitution, she could sense the loathsome presence of humans through her senses alone, even without seeing them.

She planned to chat with the guest for about 10 minutes when they arrived, just to avoid being rude, and then politely send them away.

That’s when it happened.

Slide.

‘They’re here.’

She heard the sound of the sliding door opening.

Kurumi remained quiet, planning to greet the guest first when they entered.

But what was this?

“…?”

The sliding door closed again, but no one entered.

She couldn’t sense any loathsome human presence in the room.

Perhaps one of the mansion’s servants had opened the wrong door and closed it again?

After about 5 minutes of wondering when the guest would arrive…

“Excuse me.”

“?!”

“Um… should I have greeted you first?”

Though she clearly couldn’t sense any presence beyond the cloth, she heard a human voice.

Kurumi was startled for a moment.

‘Ah, I see. The staff must have arranged for remote communication to accommodate me.’

The reason the sliding door had opened earlier—it must have been to bring in equipment to replace the actual guest with a TV screen or something similar.

…That’s what Princess Kurumi initially thought.

“Hello.”

“Oh, yes. Hello.”

“…?”

Were electronic devices so remarkable these days?

There was no electronic tone at all—it felt like having a conversation with a real person right in front of her. Kurumi unconsciously said:

“It feels just like talking to a real person.”

“…? Um, I am a real person though?”

“……What?”

“Pardon?”

A moment of silence.

After that, though it was truly unbelievable, it wasn’t remote communication using machines.

‘They’re… right in front of me now?’

Upon realizing she was actually meeting a real person.

Yet not feeling even a hint of the loathsome presence she normally would, Princess Kurumi held her breath for a moment.

Then, in a manner unbefitting a noble, she wiped away a drop of cold sweat from her forehead with her hand.

“Could you come over here for a moment?”

“…Excuse me?”

This would normally be against the rules.

But just in case, truly just in case, Princess Kurumi wanted to confirm directly and asked the person? beyond the cloth to come to where she was.

“Isn’t crossing this cloth… forbidden? The servants warned me quite severely before I came in…”

“It’s fine if I permit it.”

Of course, it wasn’t fine.

For someone of world nobility to allow an ordinary human to sit at the same level without any compensation.

Especially since, judging by the tone of voice, the other party was likely a “man.”

This was what could be called a “shameless” act that could potentially tarnish the family name itself.

But even for a princess who always restrained herself, endured everything, and remained quiet.

“Qu-quickly, come over! Quickly!”

“Oh, yes!”

A feeling she simply couldn’t contain.

Not a monster without the feeling of revulsion, nor a human steeped in revulsion.

Rather, like someone who combined only the advantages of both—a human who didn’t evoke any feeling of revulsion at all.

This was something she had never even dreamed of before, nor imagined could exist. Princess Kurumi shouted in excitement at the possibility that such a being might be right in front of her.

Swish.

Through the thick cloth that only showed silhouettes.

“……”

A man kneeling on one knee in front of her, close enough that she could feel his warm breath.

There was still no revulsion in the presence she sensed.

This was the first time she had ever sensed a human presence without feeling revulsion, but she would likely never forget this sensation for the rest of her life.

That’s how much this meeting with this man was becoming a sparkling, irreplaceable treasure for Kurumi.

“Is this alright?”

“Ah, yes…”

Normally, being this close to an ordinary person would make her feel not just revulsion but even “murderous impulses.”

But now there was none of that.

Even though his heavy body was completely blocking her slender frame, far from feeling uncomfortable, her heart was racing for an entirely different reason.

‘What is this feeling…?’

This feeling was a first for her, so she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

However, Kurumi was certain that it wasn’t bad, at least.

After all, it felt like someone had painted vibrant red on a black and white canvas that had only ever contained those two colors.

Like a child seeing a color for the first time, her eyes shining—that was exactly how Princess Kurumi felt right now.

And then the princess crossed a line.

Tap.

“Ah! I-I’m sorry!”

“Huh? No, it’s nothing…”

The man in front of her was so fascinating that one of her demurely folded hands unconsciously reached out and touched him.

The sensation she felt for that brief moment was incredibly firm.

From what she could sense of his presence, he was kneeling on one knee, looking down at her.

So the part she had just touched must have been around his collarbone?

Thinking about it again, normally the princess would have fainted at the fact that she had touched a person, but strangely now, the red feeling from earlier intensified even more, as if about to explode.

In fact, steam was rising from Princess Kurumi’s head.

But as they say, only the first step is difficult; everything after becomes easier.

“Excuse me…”

“Yes. What is it, Princess?”

“Um… if it’s alright, may I touch you a bit more?”

“……Pardon?”

The princess was well aware of how shameless and perverse her request was.

In fact, as soon as she finished speaking, she covered her face with both hands out of embarrassment.

But this was the first time she’d met someone like this!

Here was a person she could communicate with who, strangely, didn’t repulse her.

While this might seem ordinary to regular people, for a Beast Hunter—a human born perceiving their own kind as repulsive beings—such cases were extremely rare… no, they simply didn’t exist.

That’s why she couldn’t help but go crazy with excitement, despite knowing how embarrassing it was.

Like Columbus discovering the New World.

Just as Columbus wanted to be the first to set foot on the newly discovered American continent, Princess Kurumi wanted to touch the man in front of her a little more.

But with no answer forthcoming, she fidgeted her hands back and forth, practicing patience upon patience.

Just then.

“Yes, well… if that’s what you want?”

Like giving food to a hungry puppy, the man beyond the blindfold agreed.

Squish, squish.

Immediately, Kurumi began by feeling his facial features to understand his appearance.

“Amazing…”

“……”

Squish, squish.

“What’s your name?”

“My name, you ask?”

Having roughly grasped his facial features, Princess Kurumi now placed his thick, rough hand on her palm.

And led by instinct, she was even sniffing quietly, trying to memorize his scent.

Meanwhile, the answer came from beyond the blindfold.

“My name is Han Shinwoo.”

“Han, Shinwoo…”

Han Shinwoo.

Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo.

Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo Han Shinwoo.

Good, now she had definitely memorized it.

Kurumi resolved to write it down later in Japanese, Korean, and English to remember it in writing as well.

“What do you usually do?”

“Usually?”

“Yes. Hobbies, work, things like that…”

Normally, this meeting should have ended by now… no, it should have ended long ago.

The promised 10 minutes she had initially planned had already passed while she was smelling his scent.

But strangely, for the first time in her life, Kurumi wanted to extend this time a little more… no, much, much more.

So she asked all sorts of strange questions.

Just to keep him by her side a little longer.

“I don’t have any particular hobbies, and as for work, I’m a Hunter Meister.”

“Meister… so that’s why your hands are so rough.”

“Haha, well… I suppose so?”

Hunter Meister.

A mere equipment maker who cleaned up after Hunters—infinitely insignificant compared to herself, a daughter of one of the World’s 10 Great Families.

But strangely, when this man said he did it, it seemed impressive.

She could feel his hard work.

With these thick, rough hands, pulling iron, hammering, wiping away the thick sweat flowing from his body…

…Slurp.

How strange.

As she imagined him sweating, saliva pooled in her mouth.

But it felt like her stomach was growling from a desire different from hunger.

Princess Kurumi didn’t understand this feeling.

All she knew was that she wanted to put the fingers of the man whose hand she was holding beyond the blindfold into her mouth, just for a moment.

As her reason was gradually being pushed aside by instinct…

“Princess. It’s almost time for your lunch.”

Just as she was about to strangely suck on one of the man’s fingers she was holding…

Kurumi Princess finally came to her senses upon hearing the servant’s voice from beyond the room.

“Eh, eh? …Ugh!”

“…Princess?”

“Ah, s-sorry. I had fun today. You may leave now.”

“What? Oh, yes…”

That was a close call.

She almost did something so embarrassing it would have been utterly inappropriate for a daughter of a noble family.

Moreover, this would have been disconcerting for him as well.

‘I don’t want him to hate me…’

To think that a princess of world nobility would be concerned about a commoner’s opinion.

However, Kurumi didn’t find this strange at all.

Because if she abandoned these thoughts and acted arrogantly, causing him to dislike her, she would feel like dying right then and there.

It was easier to be considerate like this.

Then.

“Um, excuse me!”

“…?”

Sensing his presence moving away, she blurted out words she couldn’t hold back.

“Wh-when can we meet again? Us…”

“Meet again?”

Hearing his questioning voice, Kurumi’s heart sank for a moment.

‘Could it be that he didn’t like me?’

Well, she had suddenly tried to touch him, secretly smelled him, and even tried to s-suck on his finger.

Perhaps this had been extremely rude to him.

“Ah, ahhh…”

No.

She had to hold onto him.

Even if she had to rub her hands together in supplication.

Even if she had to strip off her clothes and prostrate herself.

As Kurumi was contemplating, about to plead with the man beyond the blindfold…

“Well, whenever you call for me, Princess.”

“…Ah!”

His willing answer that he would come whenever she called.

At this, Kurumi, who had regained her bright childhood smile for the first time in a long while, immediately said:

“Then… then let’s meet again tomorrow. We still have a lot to talk about.”