episode_0087

[…Was it true that Pasible Youngsik fell for the witch?]

[It seems so. Judging by how they are together.]

[By the way, doesn’t the witch seem to like Pasible Youngsik too? It doesn’t look like unrequited love…]

[They seem like lovers. Judging by their sweet appearance, it seems like they haven’t been dating for long. Hmph, who would have thought that quirky witch would make such a face.]

[Quite sweet. It’s a pity, but nice to see. Hehe, when things are good.]

Walking closely beside Kal, the witch’s sensitive ears catch all the whispers around them.

Lovers, like a painting, a well-matched pair.

Just hearing the embarrassing words made my face flush as if it would burst.

Could everyone please stop gossiping?

I feel so embarrassed I could die!

Just Kal’s thick arm around my waist is overwhelming my mind.

How do I explain this?

Is it the sense of having an ally who will always support me?

The feeling that no matter what problem arises, with him by my side, I can overcome it?

I don’t know, these indiscernible emotions swirling in my head are driving me crazy, especially with the absurd compliments from the nobles around.

“Ah, ugh…”

My mind seemed to have shut down completely.

I just wanted to run to a secluded place where no one was around to catch my breath.

“…Kal.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think there’s a quiet place in the palace? I’d like to rest there for a bit if there is.”

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, I spoke in a hesitant voice, and Kal, looking awkward, slowly responded.

“Feeling tired?”

“…Yeah, a little.”

“Then wait a moment, I’ll go talk to Her Highness and come back.”

After finishing his words, he hurriedly ran ahead and soon began conversing with Cecilia.

From the casual manner of their conversation, it seemed possible to take a short break and return.

Returning with good news, Kal took my hand and led me to a secluded place, where he anxiously checked my body.

“Are you feeling unwell? If you’re not well, speak up. We can ask for permission from Her Majesty and go back.”

“Oh, no… I’ll be fine after resting a bit. I just… suddenly felt tired.”

“Was pretending to be lovers that exhausting? Maybe I’m…”

“Don’t blame yourself, idiot! The outcome was still fine…”

Entwined at the waist, we seemed remarkably close, fortunately, no one had ever questioned our relationship. In fact, they were all too busy praising us. Of course, that made my head spin, but still.

“Phew…”

A place almost devoid of people.

Standing alone with him in such a quiet and serene place, my heart gradually began to relax.

Indeed, crowded places aren’t my thing. Just standing still makes me dizzy enough.

It’s already tough just standing there; imagine trying to act all lovey-dovey on top of that?

Why did I agree to pretend to be lovers? What’s the point of that darn wish…

“This is annoying.”

“…?”

With eyes full of complaints, I looked at him, and Kal tilted his head in confusion.

“Did I do something wrong today?”

“Maybe you should reflect on yourself for the answer?”

“…Maybe I overdid it a bit.”

Scratching the back of his head with an uncertain tone, Kal.

Intentionally putting on a stern expression, I nudged him.

“Then shape up, okay? Isn’t pretending to be lovers while lacking consideration for your partner a bit too much? Will you act the same even if we really date?”

“Sorry.”

“Fine, don’t apologize to me, treat your future lover well.”

“Got it.”

He nodded apologetically, and upon seeing his expression, I felt a bit relieved and started to head back to the Alhyeon room.

However, danger always strikes in an instant.

“Oh? Yeong-ae! Look over there! Pascal Yeongsik and the witch are having an argument in that secluded place…!”

“Really? Where…?”

Suddenly confronted by noble Yeong-ae’s, we found ourselves in a crisis as the fact that we were not lovers was exposed.

What should I do? If we get caught like this, things could really go south!

Moreover, if we’re seen walking arm in arm despite not being lovers, wouldn’t we be viewed as a strange couple?

That won’t do. I have to do something, anything.

Yes, maybe using this method will help us avoid suspicion…!

It’s embarrassing, but I can’t appear as a woman who gives herself physically when we’re not even dating.

Having made up my mind, without a hint of hesitation, I pulled him close with all my might.

Resting my face on his chest, I whispered softly, a voice too low for Yeong-ae’s to hear.

“Hug me.”

“…What?”

“I said, hug me.”

As affectionate and gentle as possible.

As I added more words, he looked at me with a puzzled expression and shook his head.

“Is this enough?”

“What?”

“Don’t make a big deal out of it. It can’t be helped.”

“…?”

Before I could express my doubts, his rough lips lightly touched my forehead.

Chuwp –

“Eek?!”

A fleeting warmth on my forehead.

Caught off guard by what happened so quickly, I stood there dumbfounded, hearing the sound of Yeong-ae’s voices fading away as they left in a hurry.

“Oh, my… Crescent Yeong-ae… It seems we interrupted a good moment…!”

“S-such impolite behavior!!! P-please leave quickly. It’s not noble to interrupt such things, Rite Yeong-ae…!”

With the two unwelcome guests gone, the quiet space returned. I began to slowly replay what had just occurred.

So.

Did I really just receive a kiss on the forehead from him?

Really?

“…”

Turning my head towards him like a broken machine, he avoided eye contact and mumbled.

“H-haha… As long as the outcome is good, isn’t that all that matters? Come on! Let’s go back to Alhyeon room! The misunderstanding is cleared up! We’ve calmed down somewhat, haven’t we?”

“Karl.”

“Yes.”

As I spoke in a stern tone, his attitude quickly became polite as if ready to kneel down at any moment.

It’s as if he’s become a pitiful criminal awaiting punishment. Seeing this, my heart softened again, and I let out a long sigh.

Really, why am I so lenient only with this guy?

If someone else made such a mistake, they’d probably be in for a scolding or worse.

“Sigh.”

…Well, maybe it’s because I owe him a lot.

Thanks to him, everything has been resolved, right? It’s just a minor incident…

I cautiously took his hand and began to speak with determination.

“From now on, no nonsense. We’ll pretend to be lovers or whatever it takes, like a Stroheim.”

“Got it.”

“…Let’s go. We don’t have much time left until Alhyeon, right?”

“That’s true.”

Nodding, he wrapped his arms around my waist once again.

In response, I quietly placed my other hand on my chest to hide the pounding of my heart from Karl.

—–

“Welcome, brave warriors who vanquished the Empire’s foes.”

“We behold the Empire’s sun.”

I had worried that my always unpredictable companions might cause trouble when we reached Alhyeon, but thankfully, perhaps due to Cecilia’s advice, they didn’t display any completely erratic behavior.

Of course, they wore expressions openly showing boredom, so I couldn’t say everything was perfectly fine, but at least there were no accidents, right?

The emperor seemed to realize that those in front of him were not ordinary beings and skipped the pleasantries as much as possible.

He immediately moved on to the most important topic, discussing rewards for subjugation.

“I will try my best to accommodate your demands. We have defeated the empire’s enemies, what can’t we do? However, the empire’s resources are limited. Remember, there are things that are simply impossible to provide.”

“Please specify the scope. I would like to estimate and decide how far it is feasible.”

“Just tell me, and I will respond with ‘possible’ or ‘impossible.’ That should suffice, right? But please make reasonable requests. Time for me to spend with you is limited.”

Even as he faced them, paperwork continued to pile up.

Upon the emperor’s regretful remark, his companions began requesting quite normal and modest things.

Hellion Elf, Veldem, asked for a set of barbells and dumbbells with adjustable weights.

Orc gourmet, Kotas, wanted to eat imperial cuisine with the emperor for three days.

Bombmaster Dwarf, Strohheim, requested a vast desert for weapon experiments.

Battle enthusiast Draconian, Louis, asked for a greatsword with exceptional fire resistance.

Priestess, Alain, simply asked for a substantial amount of gold coins to use until death.

Cecilia, who had briefly served as a companion, requested help finding a man worthy of being her husband.

That left only me and the sword guy.

As I pondered what to ask for, the swordsman spoke up first, pointing at me casually.

“There’s nothing particularly worth asking for, so may I delegate my request to Beatrice?”

“…Are you sure? This might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“I won’t regret it. I truly don’t desire anything.”

“Hmm…”

The emperor, momentarily lowering his gaze, then turned to me and posed a question.

“So, witch, have you decided what you want? You are the last one.”

Tick-tock-tick –

The emperor urging me on, indicating time was running out.

With a wry smile, I made two requests.