Ch.371[Chapter 371] Kidnapping

Sir Dominic had to visit twelve convenience stores and supermarkets before he could finally buy a single pack of portable tissues.

They seemed to be quite high-quality, giving off a subtle pleasant scent.

After paying for the tissues, Sir Dominic opened his inventory and placed them inside.

Only then did he realize something.

Couldn’t he have just bought a 12-pack or 18-pack, taken one out, and stored the rest in his inventory?

If he had done that, he could have bought tissues at the first convenience store and returned right away.

Realizing this, Sir Dominic let out an involuntary deep sigh.

They say if you’re not smart, your body suffers—and Sir Dominic’s overly straightforward thinking was causing his body to suffer indeed.

But it was all in the past now.

Regret couldn’t change what had already happened.

With that thought, Sir Dominic headed toward where Unryu Hime and Alice would be waiting.

He needed to deliver the tissues, after all.

“Huh? Sir Dominic? There you are!”

Just then.

Sir Dominic turned his head at the sudden familiar voice.

There stood Sir Dominica in casual attire.

“Sir Dominica? What brings you here? Did something happen at home…?”

Even as he asked, Sir Dominic thought this possibility was extremely unlikely.

If there had been a problem at home, she could have just called.

“Nothing serious. I just thought your guests might need various things, and wondered if I could help.”

Sir Dominic tilted his head at Sir Dominica’s words.

Weren’t he and Alice out shopping for necessities?

Why would they need to buy more necessities?

Sir Dominic couldn’t understand what Sir Dominica meant.

Noticing his confusion, Sir Dominica explained the situation.

“Well, women need many different things.”

“So, you’re here to buy—”

“Things that would be embarrassing to show to a man.”

“…?”

Sir Dominic gave another puzzled look at Sir Dominica’s words.

What could possibly be embarrassing to show to the opposite sex?

“…Underwear and such things.”

“Ah.”

Sir Dominic finally understood what Sir Dominica meant.

“If it’s that sort of thing, it would indeed be difficult for me to help.”

Sir Dominic agreed with Sir Dominica’s point.

“That’s why I followed you. In case they needed such things.”

“I see.”

Sir Dominic nodded.

“But there seems to be no need to worry.”

“…? Why not?”

“Because Unryu Hime is with her.”

Sir Dominic thought about Hime whom he had just met.

Hime seemed to take good care of herself, with skin like white jade and well-groomed ebony hair.

With her advice, Lady Alice wouldn’t have any difficulties.

“…Hime?”

However, Sir Dominica frowned as if something about Sir Dominic’s statement bothered her.

Sir Dominic might be oblivious, but Hime was extremely wary of any woman who approached him.

As a woman herself, Sir Dominica understood Hime’s feelings to some extent.

That’s why she couldn’t imagine Hime helping Lady Alice—if anything, she would be guarding against her.

“…Are they together right now?”

“Yes. Lady Alice suddenly burst into tears, so I went to buy tissues…”

Sir Dominic stopped mid-sentence.

He realized he still hadn’t delivered the tissues.

Though his conversation with Sir Dominica had been brief, considering how long he’d spent searching for tissues, Hime and Alice must have been waiting for quite some time.

“I should probably get back quickly.”

“Really?”

Sir Dominica looked at Sir Dominic upon hearing his words.

She shrugged once and asked him:

“Can I come along?”

Sir Dominica asked if she could join Sir Dominic.

Half of her motivation was the pretext of helping Sir Dominic, Hime, and Lady Alice, while the other half was curiosity about how Hime and Lady Alice would react around Sir Dominic.

Sir Dominic nodded at Sir Dominica’s request.

“Of course.”

“Great.”

Sir Dominic began walking with Sir Dominica.

If Hime and Alice hadn’t moved, they would still be waiting in the same place.

…

Hime and Alice were still exchanging moves with incredible intensity.

“I’ve known Sir Dominic since he was a conscript… since he was young.”

“In other words, you conscripted Sir Dominic when he was still young and made him fight?”

“And conversely, if I hadn’t conscripted Sir Dominic then, the Sir Dominic we know today wouldn’t exist.”

“…I’ll admit that. But what does that have to do with your interest in Sir Dominic?”

“Well, how can you so definitively categorize human emotions?”

“So you don’t know.”

“It’s a complex feeling.”

They continued to check each other, almost crossing lines but never quite doing so.

For some reason, though both had zero romantic experience, isn’t it true that the most entertaining fights are the desperate struggles between the weak?

The intensity between Hime and Alice resembled a hamster and a rabbit having a staring contest, but to them, it was very serious and important.

Anyway, Hime and Alice, who had never met such evenly matched opponents before.

They continued checking each other until they finally grew tired.

When had either of them ever engaged in such a proper battle of wits with another person?

Now that they had run out of things to say to check each other, all Hime and Lady Alice could do was glare at one another.

Their gazes were so intense that sparks seemed to fly in the air between them, but they only glared without taking any further action.

Finally, this second round—if it could even be called that—of their staring contest ended with a single comment from Hime.

“…Sir Dominic is taking quite long.”

“…Indeed.”

Hime and Alice momentarily set aside their rivalry and began thinking about Sir Dominic.

Hime stretched her neck to look in the direction where Sir Dominic had disappeared.

But there were only a few passersby on the street, with no sign of Sir Dominic.

“I wonder how far he went?”

“How would I know—”

“Hello there, beautiful lady?”

While Hime and Alice were anxiously waiting for Sir Dominic, a remarkably handsome man suddenly appeared between them.

A stunningly beautiful man wearing an elaborate dragon robe—it was the king.

“May I ask if you have some time?”

The king addressed Alice in an excessively sweet, cloying voice.

Alice felt goosebumps rising on her arms from the sickeningly sweet tone.

“I’m sorry, but we’re waiting for someone right now.”

Hime sighed and spoke to the king.

“I’m sorry, but we’re quite busy.”

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

“…!”

The king responded boldly to Hime’s words.

His statement meant he had no interest in Hime whatsoever and wouldn’t even bother speaking with her.

Realizing this, Hime raised her voice in irritation.

“How rude! Anyway, we’re waiting for Sir Dominic. So—”

“I know. I was just with him.”

Hime was speechless at this unexpectedly rude person’s words.

“You knew and still approached us?”

“What a strange thing to say. Of course I approached because he’s not here.”

Hime realized the king was a strange person.

A normal person would have backed off seeing how uncomfortable they were, but the man before her seemed to lack even that basic awareness.

In fact, Alice kept glancing at Hime, startled by the sudden appearance of this stranger.

As if asking if she knew him.

But from the king’s perspective, his current behavior was perfectly natural.

Having lived his life getting everything he wanted without lacking anything, the king didn’t truly believe that when others refused him, they actually meant it.

Usually, there was always a reason behind refusals.

Either they lacked money, or they needed more threats, or they needed more persuasion.

Having only met such people, the king couldn’t recognize Hime and Alice’s refusal as genuine, despite their clear expressions of it.

It was typical of someone who had maintained human relationships through money and power.

“Is it money you lack? I can give you money.”

“Are the conditions not right? I can meet whatever conditions you want.”

The king continued to persistently cling to Hime and Alice.

He still didn’t believe they were genuinely refusing him.

Above all, Alice was the first person the king had fallen for at first sight.

He thought he could make some concessions.

But that only went so far.

As the rejections continued, the king felt he could no longer be patient.

“This won’t work, that won’t work…”

The king began to get angry at Alice’s continued rejection.

And finally, he made the worst possible choice.

“I’ll just take her with me and make her love me.”

The king’s twisted love, twisted values, and twisted thoughts mixed together to form a twisted conclusion.

“…? What do you—”

Hime questioned the king’s muttering.

But that question would remain unanswered for now.

Because the king thrust an electric shock device into Hime’s abdomen.

“Ungh!”

Hime collapsed from the sudden attack.

She fainted from the electric shock powerful enough to instantly kill an elephant.

The king watched with indifferent eyes as Hime slowly collapsed, smoke rising from her body.

Then he turned to look at Alice.

The electric shock device in the king’s hand began to emit a crackling sound, releasing terrifying electricity.

As expected, the king’s next target was Alice.