Ch.61Hello, sir… BLEEEEGH!

“Hello, Mother.”

“Mother?”

When Rolling first heard those words, she thought for a moment she must be dreaming.

And for good reason—”Mother”?

That’s usually what a daughter-in-law calls her mother-in-law.

No matter how successful she had once been as a Hunter in America, the idea of having a princess from one of the World’s 10 Great Families as a daughter-in-law seemed absurd.

‘I must have been really busy lately. Now I’m having such strange dreams.’

Rolling pinched her cheek to wake herself up quickly.

Stretch.

But.

“Ow, that hurts?!”

It hurt.

It hurt even though it was supposed to be a dream.

Which meant that the situation unfolding before her eyes wasn’t a dream but reality.

“M-M-M-Motherrr~?!”

The hospital room, which should have been quiet, instantly turned into a scene of chaos.

Shinwoo was equally surprised.

“Princess?!”

So that kiss she gave me that day wasn’t a coincidence after all.

Princess Kurumi, facing a human other than me—

Rolling—was smiling politely and even bowing respectfully, despite being born into the Kitsune Family with the worst case of misanthropy in human history.

“Yes. I’ll be in your care from now on, Mother.”

“Uh, no, ah, um, no, uh, I, um…?”

Auntie looked at me with a nervous, sweaty face in response to the princess’s attitude.

‘What on earth is going on?’

She mouthed those words to me.

But.

‘I have no idea…?’

How would I know?

The last time I saw Princess Kurumi was exactly one week ago.

It was right after defeating Amaterasu, when the curse of limited lifespan that had been placed on her body was just lifted.

Since she was in her kaijufied state, we couldn’t have a proper conversation. I just silently patted her head and left.

Of course, there was the minor detail that I somehow became her “life savior.”

‘…Could that be it?’

One of those classic clichés you only see in hero stories.

Was Princess Kurumi following the typical female lead narrative of falling for someone who saved her?

If so, this was serious trouble.

I still had mountains of things to do, and this wasn’t just about having a pretty girlfriend.

It meant I had caught the eye of a princess from one of the World’s 10 Great Families.

I was already getting a headache thinking about what kind of butterfly effect this might cause in the “Noble Council Part” later on.

Above all, the idea of someone like me having that kind of relationship with Lady Kurumi…

‘I’ve never even dated before…’

Forget dating—I wasn’t used to receiving affection like this at all.

That’s the kind of family environment I grew up in.

I never even knew my mother’s face, and my father was the kind of person who just drank alcohol every day.

I had gotten somewhat used to “family affection” after meeting Sophia’s family, but…

Beaming.

‘This is too much for me…!’

Being loved by someone of the opposite sex.

My reaction was almost identical to a foreigner trying Korean fire chicken for the first time.

It meant I had absolutely no tolerance for it.

“P-Princess Kurumi. What brings you here today…?”

“Of course! I came running as soon as I heard Shinwoo was very sick!”

Even when I tried to change the subject to shift the atmosphere, Princess Kurumi’s conversation always included me.

“I came to nurse you back to health with the utmost care!”

“My, my, the princess herself offering to nurse you. Our son is quite something~”

“Auntie…”

Meanwhile, after her momentary surprise.

Rolling seemed to be secretly enjoying this scene.

She looked down at me lying in bed with a sly smile, giving me a wink as if to say “good luck.”

‘This is driving me crazy…’

Anyway, since she came because of me, I couldn’t just send her away, and to begin with, she was a princess—not someone I could dismiss as I pleased.

“Shinwoo! Just leave everything to me and rest comfortably in bed!”

…Are you hungry?

The princess began approaching with seductive steps, licking her lips.

Seeing Princess Kurumi like that, I resigned myself to whatever might happen.

“Yes, I’ll leave it to you then…”

I relaxed, thinking she would just keep me company, but.

Slide.

“Oh my. I should make my escape now.”

“…?”

The VIP hospital room door opened carelessly again, just like a regular hospital room.

Immediately, Rolling jumped to the window beside me and escaped from the hospital.

‘……What?’

Wondering what was happening, I looked at the window and then turned back to the open door.

That’s when I saw her.

“Huff…”

“……”

Her—staring at us with dark shadows under her eyes.

Sophia, looking like she was ready to kill someone right then and there.

“……”

“…Who is she?”

“……Your sex partner standing behind you.”

“S-sex…?”

“No, she’s not!”

“Sex partner, I mean. You fucking bitch.”

“S-s-s-sex…!?”

“That’s not true!!”

I hurriedly tried to correct Sophia’s statement.

But had she already firmly believed those words spoken in anger?

“Wawawawa…!”

Princess Kurumi’s face turned as red as a radish after hearing the vulgar word “sex partner” that came with such a huge shock.

Now I wouldn’t be surprised if she despised me rather than liked me.

I had apparently been branded a complete pervert.

…But.

“A-as expected of Shinwoo! You’re so passionate, like a manly man!”

“…?!”

“What…”

“W-well! This isn’t the Edo period (or Joseon Dynasty in Korea)! There’s nothing strange about a young man having experience with the opposite sex!”

“Um, Princess…?”

“Oh, and just for reference, I’m still a ‘virgin’!”

I didn’t ask?

More importantly, am I supposed to hear such intimate secrets from the princess?

Haven’t I just been branded as someone extremely suspicious for hearing this conversation?

As such fears suddenly rushed over me.

“Hey, you princess bitch! Living together is one thing, but why do you keep hitting on my Shinwoo!”

“Oh my god?!”

Sophia, who had been holding back with lifeless eyes, finally snapped. She strode forward and grabbed Princess Kurumi by the collar, her eyes burning with rage.

“S-Sophia, calm down!”

“No, I can’t calm down!!”

Even when I tried to stop her, Sophia shouted at me with such force it seemed like fire was spewing from her mouth.

That’s how powerful her spirit was, and how tremendous her hatred.

It meant she was beyond reasoning.

But.

“Hey, you might have been born into a good family, but you seem to think you can have whatever you want. Do you know what relationship he has with me…”

“I-I can’t… take this anymore…!”

Before Sophia could fully express her anger.

“Urgh…!”

“Huh?”

Princess Kurumi had been holding back all this time, trying to show her best side to Shinwoo.

But the fact that she was not just seeing but actually touching a human pushed her misanthropy to its limit.

“Uweeeeek!”

“Wh-what?!”

Eventually, the princess began vomiting as she usually did.

“Sophia! Princess Kurumi can’t touch humans because of her misanthropy!”

“Oh… right! She’s a Beast Hunter too!”

Shinwoo tried to get up from his bed to handle the situation.

But what was wrong with her now?

“…Urp.”

“Sophia…?”

“N-no… h-hold it in… hold it…”

“Don’t tell me you too…?”

As the Korean saying goes, “Follow your friend to Gangnam.”

Seeing Kurumi vomiting profusely after being grabbed by a human seemed to have triggered Sophia’s own suppressed misanthropy.

Of course, like a professional, she tried to endure by swallowing her saliva.

“Uweeeeek!”

But it was too much.

“Uweeeeek!”

“Uweeeeek!”

“Uweeeeeeeeek!”

“Uweeeeeeeeeeeeek!”

Just like wanting to go to a Chinese restaurant after watching someone eat black bean noodles, this was a natural “chain reaction.”

And so, like a fuse to a bomb, Sophia began vomiting alongside Princess Kurumi.

“B-brother…”

“Lia?”

“Help me…!”

Lia, who was standing in the shadow of those two, wore a truly troubled expression.

***

It was after finalizing the long-awaited “Korea Can Do Well Alone!” project with Lee Jin-ah.

Late at night.

Just as Donzo was leaving the Korean Hunter Branch.

“W-wait a moment!”

Someone came running breathlessly, calling out to him as he was about to get into his limousine, escorted by bodyguards weaker than himself.

It was none other than Lee Heejeong, who was hoping to transfer to the Hunter Association’s US headquarters.

“A-are you Donzo Mykree?! One of only seven National Authority-Level Hunters in America! Currently serving as a US Congressman!”

“Hey! What rudeness is this, suddenly rushing up…!”

“Stop. Haven’t we met before?”

The bodyguards grabbed Lee Heejeong as she tried to approach Donzo.

Then they tried to roughly send her away.

But Donzo stopped his bodyguards and got back out of the limousine he had just entered, facing Lee Heejeong.

“If someone rushes up to a stranger like this, there must be a good reason. So let’s hear what she has to say.”

I want to seize this opportunity!

Sensing this feeling from Lee Heejeong’s rude behavior, Donzo allowed her to speak.

Her lips spread into a wide smile.

“Please…! Scout me as a researcher for the Hunter Association’s US headquarters!”

Knowing it was presumptuous but determined not to waste this opportunity, she revealed her true intentions.

“Then, I’ll help you too!”

“Hmm? You? How exactly?”

“It’s simple!”

She easily crossed a line that shouldn’t be crossed.

“You know the USFK withdrawal plan you’re working on! Don’t you need a Korean researcher for that?”

“?! How would someone like you know about… What are you trying to say?”

“It’s simple! I’ll help with your USFK withdrawal plan—I’ll even create ‘controllable monsters’ if needed. So please take me to America along with the USFK withdrawal.”