Ch.40There’s No Way I Could Ever Be Happy

# The Princess and the Moonlight Sake

Three days had already passed since I began living with Princess Kurumi.

It was like the calm before the storm.

The mansion had been incredibly peaceful during that time.

From meals to any slightly bothersome tasks, the servants somehow knew exactly when to appear and took care of everything for me.

Even though I was merely a “guest.”

‘This feels more like staying at a Japanese ryokan on vacation…’

It was so comfortable that I couldn’t tell if I was here to work or to enjoy a holiday.

Still, there was one thing I never forgot to do right after waking up each morning.

“Sophia. You’re here?”

“Yeah. I see you’re ‘suffering’ quite a bit today too, Shinwoo.”

“Haha…”

It was greeting Sophia, who arrived early each morning.

She had been quite upset about my cohabitation with the princess.

On the first day, I secretly watched her because I was worried.

And there she was, standing guard all day with her cheeks puffed out like a blowfish.

“You were that angry?!”

I judged the situation to be serious.

So to soothe Sophia’s sulking heart, I made it a point to meet her like this.

“You probably haven’t had breakfast yet. Go inside and eat.”

“Huh? No, I don’t usually eat breakfast anyway.”

“?! How can you skip the most important meal of the day! Just go eat with that princess already!”

“Ah, okay…”

Despite everything, Sophia was still meticulously concerned about my health.

“I’ll see you again before you leave this evening.”

“Yeah. See you then.”

After that, I went back into the mansion and respectfully greeted Princess Kurumi, who was just waking up.

Then, as usual, we sat facing each other in the tatami dining room for breakfast when—

“I feel like drinking some alcohol today.”

It was a sudden “incident.”

“Alcohol… you say?”

“Yes. Alcohol.”

Hearing the word “alcohol” from the princess’s mouth was unexpected.

Of course, she was already an adult past the legal drinking age, so she was certainly old enough to drink. But it still felt strange.

That’s because people from noble Hunter families with dignified images never speak of desires like alcohol, women, or gambling in front of others.

‘To think I’d hear such words from a princess of a Hunter family… and one of the World’s 10 Great Families at that…’

In the original story, just having a drinking session with a Hunter family required hundreds of hours of persistent gameplay and good luck.

‘Does this mean she trusts me that much?’

In the original work, the princess was just a minor character who appeared briefly for world-building.

Seeing Princess Kurumi openly expressing her desires to me made me feel oddly proud as a veteran player of the original game.

Then the princess continued:

“There will be a full moon tonight.”

“Really? That should be beautiful.”

“Yes. That’s why I want to wet my lips with alcohol while using the moon as a side dish.”

Using the moon as a side dish while drinking.

It sounded like a scene from a martial arts film—quite elegant.

I thought I should eat dinner alone tonight so as not to disturb the princess’s drinking time.

As I was nodding at this thought:

“So, Mr. Shinwoo.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Drinking alone is too lonely. Could you join me?”

“…Pardon?”

Just like that, I was given the opportunity to share a drinking session with the princess.

***

Alcohol possesses a mysterious power.

People call this power “alcohol,” and despite knowing it only brings harmful effects once absorbed into the body, the reason people drink is quite simple.

It’s because alcohol has the power to grant “courage” in exchange for “health.”

“…Gulp.”

As the weather forecast predicted, a bright full moon hung in the Korean night sky.

With the sliding doors connecting to the garden wide open to view the sky, Princess Kurumi sat across from Shinwoo at a table adorned with luxurious side dishes.

She was the first to pour alcohol into his cup with both hands.

“This is sake, which is very popular in Japan. I had the servants bring it since I heard it was available in Korea as well.”

“Oh… sake.”

“Do you like alcohol?”

“What?! Ah, well… I don’t dislike it.”

“I see…”

The way of drinking sake might seem similar to Korean soju at first glance, but it was slightly different.

For example, the two facing each other didn’t clink their cups together but merely made a slight gesture of doing so before taking a sip.

Gulp.

“?! This sake is quite strong…”

“Hehe. Yes. The stronger the alcohol, the stronger the taste.”

“I see…”

The average alcohol content of sake is 15%.

The premium sake that Princess Kurumi had brought this time had an alcohol content of 25%.

Because of this:

“Have another cup.”

“Ah, yes…”

Gulp.

“One more…”

“Again?! Ah, yes…”

Gulp. Gulp.

“Another cup.”

“Yes, yes…”

Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.

It was a situation where he couldn’t refuse the cups offered by the princess.

According to Princess Kurumi’s plan, Shinwoo had downed three or four cups of sake for every one she drank, and his face was quickly turning red with intoxication.

“Ugh, ugh…”

“Mr. Shinwoo?”

“Hmm… yes… Princess…”

“……”

After confirming his nearly delirious state, Princess Kurumi, who was also slightly tipsy, quietly stood up.

“I’ll sit beside you for a moment.”

“Mmm… okay…”

She sat down next to him, close enough for their shoulders to touch.

Thump-thump.

A moment of silence.

Princess Kurumi glanced at Shinwoo, who was just about to fall asleep.

Putting him to sleep was her ultimate plan, but since he was still awake…

With the honesty that comes with intoxication, Princess Kurumi didn’t want to waste this moment.

So, with a slightly fearful heart, she decided to ask questions she wouldn’t normally dare to ask.

“Um, Mr. Shinwoo… what do you think of me?”

“What do I… think of you…?”

“Exactly what I said. What do you think of me, Kitsune Kurumi?”

An annoying woman.

A woman who follows him around reluctantly.

A woman who can’t properly converse with people.

Or perhaps a pitiful woman.

She wondered if that was how he normally saw her.

With such thoughts, Princess Kurumi regretted her question seconds later, unsure what answer she would receive.

“…A good person.”

“…Pardon?”

“Kind… pretty… someone who actually feels very lonely… someone I want to take care of…”

“…!”

Hearing a response far better than she had imagined, she felt intoxicated even though she hadn’t drunk much.

So, gathering courage, she asked another question:

“Then… what would you do if you could have your way with a woman like me…?”

“Have my way… with Princess Kurumi…?”

“Yes! I-I mean… literally, if you could make a woman like me obey you…”

“Well… if such a pretty woman… became mine… as a man… of course… I’d have to devour her…”

“D-devour?!”

Hiccup!

Surprised by his direct answer that skipped dating and other trivialities, Princess Kurumi was so shocked that she hiccupped.

Her face was already as red as a ripe tomato, even redder than Shinwoo’s.

Wobble, wobble.

Meanwhile, Shinwoo was now truly on the verge of passing out.

Seeing that he would soon fall asleep, Princess Kurumi swallowed hard with a trembling heart.

Rustle.

In preparation for what was to come, she loosened the upper part of her kimono that she usually wore tightly, and asked him one last question in his half-asleep state.

“Um, Mr. Shinwoo, so…”

Gulp.

“Would you like to… ‘have sex’ with me?”

Already asleep, Shinwoo couldn’t answer her question.

Instead, as if his instincts were saying yes, his head fell right into Princess Kurumi’s ample cleavage.

“Huh?! M-Mr. Shinwoo…”

Even when called, there was no response from the completely asleep Shinwoo.

After confirming that he was fully asleep, Princess Kurumi asked the servants to clear away everything from their drinking session.

Then, once the room was empty, she immediately turned off the lights, placed Shinwoo on her futon, and climbed on top of him.

It resembled the woman-on-top position she had seen in sex education.

“Mr. Shinwoo, today is my ovulation day.”

“ZZZ…”

“For today, I’ll just receive your seed, and from next time, I’ll serve you wholeheartedly while I’m awake.”

“ZZZ……”

Shinwoo gave no response as he slept.

Princess Kurumi carefully placed her ear against his firmly toned chest.

Thump-thump.

The fierce beating of his heart, like that of a beast.

Along with the thick scent rising from his body.

She licked the beads of sweat flowing down his neck with her long tongue.

Like a dog that had found a bone, she was no longer a princess but a female animal, her hips swaying vulgarly as if wagging a tail.

‘Delicious… I love it… I love it so much… Mr. Shinwoo…’

Then she gradually felt something poking her groin from below.

It was time for her to carry out her “deed.”

“Mr. Shinwoo… I love you…”

To death.

No, even after death.

The time she had left to live was just about a year.

But the time it takes for a baby to grow in a mother’s womb is about 10 months.

Even with only a year left, there was enough time to conceive and give birth.

A child of hers and Mr. Shinwoo’s.

How wonderful, lovely, admirable, and beautiful would it be?

It would be the most precious gift in this world.

When that baby grows up and reaches an age where it can speak, what would it babble?

Born only to lose its mother after a few months, despised by the family as an illegitimate child, and created without the man’s consent—what would that child first say at its mother’s grave?

What would it be?

“Mother…”

“Mom…”

Being in the same position, Kurumi already knew very well.

“Why did you give birth to someone like me?”

“Why did you bring someone like me into this world?”

Thud.

Realizing this reality, Kurumi’s tongue, which was about to enter Shinwoo’s lips, stopped midway.

What she was about to do wasn’t “sex” born of love.

It was nothing more than “rape” where only one side feels pleasure.

What sin would Mr. Shinwoo and her baby commit to suffer after her death?

With this thought, Princess Kurumi moved away from Shinwoo’s body.

“Sob… hic…”

She could only shed tears endlessly.

At this deplorable situation.

At the reality where she couldn’t even freely carry the child of the one she loved.

At the fate of being born unwanted, having her lifespan stolen by a monster, and never getting it back until death.

Kurumi, who had tried to find happiness, returned to cold reality like the fluid flowing down her legs that would never meet its purpose.

And then, the next day.

“Mr. Shinwoo. Thank you for your hard work. I’m much better now.”

“Princess Kurumi…?”

“So, please leave my mansion now.”

Afraid of becoming any happier, she pushed away her last chance at happiness with her own hands.