Ch.7676. Could it be that they have feelings for me?

I believe that in life, a single word from someone else can determine the course of my existence.

“….What!?”

“I asked if you’ve decided on who you’ll marry.”

The opposite was also true.

I was well aware that a single word from me could have some kind of impact on another person.

But.

I couldn’t bring myself to speak, unable to comprehend why the Etherian Princess was asking if I’d decided on who to marry.

What did she mean by that?

Could it be that she had feelings for me?

Of course, I had heard similar words from the Emperor before.

At that time, since the Etherian Princess had cried and begged to save my life, I thought it was reasonable to misunderstand.

But for the person in question to ask such a question, I had to be careful with my answer.

After staring at the table for a while, I raised my head.

“As you may know from your investigation, I was actually planning to marry the lady of the Parseche family.”

“I know. And that you were the one who expressed the intention to break off the engagement.”

“Most nobles follow the custom of marrying after their coming-of-age ceremony, but I had quite a few reasons to refuse.”

The Etherian Princess showed a curious expression at my serious face.

“May I ask what those reasons are?”

“First, I haven’t yet established my position in the family, so I would feel guilty toward anyone I might marry.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“There would be a lot of talk behind our backs if someone married a good-for-nothing like me. Rumors would spread that their family was being sold to the Alphonse family because they were on the brink of ruin, among other things.”

The Etherian Princess gave a small exclamation and crossed her arms.

“Hmm, so you want to gain qualifications before marrying, is that it?”

“That’s right.”

“Then what’s your second reason?”

“As I mentioned earlier, while it’s customary to marry after the coming-of-age ceremony, I’d rather spend my life with someone I like than with someone chosen by my family.”

“May I ask what kind of person you’d like to be with?”

This was precisely the question I’d been waiting for, so I straightened my back with composure.

“I want a quiet life. A cozy life without competition or anxiety. I want to be with someone who understands that kind of life.”

Even as I spoke, I felt something strange in my heart.

A quiet and cozy life…

Isn’t that a life the Etherian Princess could never dream of?

After that, silence fell for quite a long time.

Long enough for the tea in our cups to dry up and leave stains.

I too kept my mouth shut and fell into thought.

How did she feel when she directly witnessed her father murdering her uncle?

Did she only think about surviving in this hellish imperial family?

To be honest, if the Etherian Princess had been from an ordinary noble family rather than a member of the imperial family, I might have shown interest in her.

Not to mention her appearance, and though she was grumpy, meeting her in person revealed a certain softness to her character.

Wasn’t it evident from how she cried and begged the Emperor to save me?

Even the feelings she showed toward the protagonist “Serion Lycus” in the original work seemed genuine.

The Etherian Princess gently covered her lips with her hand and smiled.

“You’re quite peculiar.”

“Haha! I do hear that I’m a bit unusual quite often.”

“Most people have the same look in their eyes when they converse with me.”

I leaned forward slightly at the Etherian Princess’s words.

“May I ask what kind of look people give Your Highness?”

“A look of fear or dread… It’s obvious enough without having to say it.”

“…I see.”

“However, you looked at me with pity from the beginning. And you still do.”

For a moment, I suppressed the stinging feeling in my heart and continued speaking.

“How could I possibly look at Your Highness with such eyes?”

“Anyway, I’m not saying it’s bad, so I hope you don’t misunderstand.”

Hah…

My mind was in such turmoil that it made me dizzy.

I wanted to offer some inadequate advice to the Etherian Princess based on what I knew from the original work.

To tell her that even if she competed for succession with Princess Sirin, couldn’t she avoid walking the same path her father, Emperor Malius, had taken?

But.

I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

It was unlikely that the Etherian Princess would listen to my advice, but what if she really did?

In the original work, the protagonist Serion Lycus gets caught up in the war between the Etherian Princess and Princess Sirin.

And that becomes the crucial opportunity for Princess Sirin and Serion Lycus to grow closer.

All of that could collapse.

If I changed the history of the novel, the quiet life I so desperately wanted might not come to fruition.

As a reader, I had occasionally read novels where someone was reincarnated as an extra character rather than the protagonist.

And each time, I thought:

Why do they have to meddle when they could just stay quiet?

Even if you don’t become the protagonist in this world, you could just create your own small world and live quietly, right?

Just dump all the troublesome matters on the protagonist.

But.

Even if it changed the content of the original work, my desire to tell the Etherian Princess grew stronger.

Even if there was no succession struggle in the imperial family.

Even if Princess Sirin and Serion Lycus didn’t meet because of it, wouldn’t the protagonist still steadfastly walk his own path? Such hopeful thoughts suddenly came to me.

Why did my thoughts suddenly change?

As we talked, I grew somewhat attached to her, and I just didn’t want to be a coward.

If the Etherian Princess listened to my advice, she wouldn’t have to die at the hands of the protagonist in the future.

“…I dislike all the customs of this world that I mentioned earlier. Including succession struggles within families.”

“Didn’t you just say you wanted to establish your position in the family?”

“That’s simply because I want to erase my image as a good-for-nothing. There’s no other reason.”

The Etherian Princess seemed lost in thought again, staring blankly out the window for a while before slowly rising from her chair.

“…I’ve heard what you had to say. I’ll see you at the banquet then.”

“Understood.”

I spoke somewhat indirectly, but did the Etherian Princess understand?

I too stood up to see the princess off and then leaned back on the bed.

After thinking so much and with the tension now released, fatigue was setting in.

I tossed and turned, trying to catch even a brief moment of sleep.

*

“R-really, you’re not going to the pleasure district?”

“You know I was exiled to Leike territory for going to the pleasure district, yet you still want me to go with you?”

“I heard the pleasure district here is on a completely different level from others!!”

I had clearly beaten him up just half a day ago, but how could this bastard’s brain be so at peace when dealing with me?

It was rather exasperating.

I looked at Leonard and sighed deeply.

“Why did you follow me when I said I had somewhere to go?”

“Well, when you went out at night, I naturally thought you were heading to the pleasure district, so I followed.”

This guy doesn’t need a beating; he needs to be handed over to Seri Familia as soon as possible.

Maybe he’ll come to his senses if he loses a limb or two.

The fact that he remains unchanged no matter how much he gets beaten makes him a subject worth studying.

“Fine, let’s part ways here.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m just going to eat at a nearby restaurant.”

Leonard muttered and turned away dejectedly.

The key point was that I didn’t feel even a bit of sympathy for him.

“Huff…”

After making sure Leonard had turned away, I also started walking.

This place was Lumestia.

Befitting a great city, it was bustling with people even at night.

People staggering drunk.

People raising their voices while talking with friends.

People setting up stalls and selling goods like street vendors.

Colorful, brilliant lights beautifully illuminated the streets, and I was right in the middle of it all.

“Haha…”

A laugh naturally escaped me.

Wasn’t this the very street where Princess Sirin and the protagonist Serion Lycus had strolled and chatted in the original work?

To think that I was now walking this street myself…

It made the feeling of being inside a novel even more real.

Actually, I had no specific destination.

I just wanted to walk this street because it was described so beautifully in the original work.

Step! Step!

I walked slowly down the street, naturally taking in the conversations of the people around me.

That’s when I heard a commotion of people gathering in the distance.

‘Is there something to see?’

I was naturally drawn into the crowd of people with quick steps.

But what do you know, some rough-looking young men were pointing fingers and hurling insults at someone.

It clearly looked like a confrontation had broken out.

They say that after watching a fire, watching a fight is the most entertaining.

With a smirk on my face, I took a few steps closer to get a better view, and that’s when I heard:

“Hey, do you really want to die?”

One person surrounded by the group I mentioned earlier.

Although it was clearly my first time seeing them, I instinctively knew.

At that moment, a shiver ran through my body, and I unconsciously let out a sigh.

‘Hah… This is insane.’