episode_0192

Episode 192. The First Night

****

Everyone has imagined it. The perfect confession, the picture-perfect lover, the perfect day, and finally, the perfect first night.

Mint was lying next to me. She was still holding my hand tightly. Her nails were digging into my palm.

I’m not sure if it’s perfect.

What is confession… … .

It didn’t seem like everything went according to Mint’s plan. He was scared and made a lot of excuses, but that was more honest.

“Ang.”

The princess bit my ear from the side.

“Oh, Your Highness.”

“This time, you’re taking the princess’s virginity. You’re such a sinful man… … .”

It was a sound that could not help but be disconcerting. There was a faint mark between the shadows of the white blanket. As if it were proving specifically what had happened last night.

“No. Your Majesty.”

“Should the teacher take responsibility?”

The princess hugged me from behind. I ran my fingers through Mint’s hair and stroked her head. Mint smiled brightly.

As always.

“I love you so much. I don’t know what to say. Every day you spent with me was like that.”

“Thank you.”

Mint lay back down with an expression that seemed to hold the world. I looked down at Mint.

“I still don’t know. Some people say that they’re just used to it because they’ve seen it before. But I’ve never felt that way.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a feeling that comes from familiarity. If it was just a mistake due to familiarity and lack of experience, it wouldn’t be good every time I see it.”

“I know it’s a bit odd for me to say this, but since it’s the princess’s feelings, her thoughts will be right. Just take other people’s opinions as a reference… … .”

Mint nodded.

“Sorry for saying something weird.”

“It’s okay.”

“Teacher, are you still imitating a polite person? I thought you would stop when you became really close with the teacher.”

“What?”

I scratched my head.

“Can you really be polite?”

“No, that’s not it.”

That’s true.

Mint met my eyes. Her eyes were pretty, but a little burdensome.

A gaze filled with infinite affection and trust. I moved my finger in front of the princess’s face.

“This may be a familiar word to you, teacher. I can put my life in your hands. I trust you enough to risk everything.”

“There’s no need to do that.”

I’ve held the lives of many others in my hands. The princess must not have that happen again.

I hope Mint never gets sick again. I hope she never has to entrust her life to anyone else again.

The princess looked up at the ceiling, as if she could see the sky above it.

“There are still a few days left until the Imperial Festival. I hope we can go to the banquet hall together and have fun. And when we return to the Academy… … .”

Even if I go back?

“I wish we could be together sometimes like usual. Oh, but if the teacher is busy, there’s nothing I can do. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yes.”

There’s no big difference. Before or now. I’m a person who is favored by Mint, and that won’t change even if I go back.

There may be a difference in that responsibility has increased.

****

bang!

And Mint’s head exploded. Not really, but metaphorically. It was just that her emotions were getting intense.

Have I ever been as happy as I have been in the past few days, as I have been today, as I am now? I was so happy, I thought my head would burst.

I felt like my heart, which had been beating nonstop since yesterday, was going to break down.

My legs were a little sore though.

Still, that was a minor issue.

Mint stretched her slightly sore legs and got up.

The person Mint loved really accepted the engagement as planned. Although reluctant, he also received the royal family’s approval.

Now, what? All that remains is being together.

Will there ever be another day this happy? Will there ever be another person this happy? Do other people think this way about their lovers?

I don’t know.

I thought mint probably wouldn’t be it.

Other people’s lovers might not be their mentors, their saviors, or heroes who save countless lives. Isn’t that a little different?

Is this too arrogant of a thought? I don’t know.

Even though I stomped my feet and clenched my hands so tightly that my nails pressed into my palms, my emotions didn’t calm down. What should I do, really?

The solution was always the same. There was no other way than to spend time with the teacher and calm my excited mind.

I’m glad it’s a feasible method.

“Let’s go. I have something to show you.”

Again, a dry, polite reply came back.

The teacher didn’t seem to feel the same level of emotion as Mint, as he didn’t open his mouth or stamp his feet.

There was nothing to regret.

It has to be different.

To the teacher, Mint was just a cute lover, but the teacher meant many things to the princess. Benefactor, mentor, hero, and a few other titles.

****

anyway.

But the sun rose. No matter what great things happened to some great person, the movement of the celestial spheres paid no attention to such things.

If I were to lie in bed all day… … well, there was no reason not to, but I decided to go out and enjoy the rest of the festival.

I left the princess’s room with Mint’s arm linked. Mint still had a slightly dazed expression and unfocused eyes.

I was a little worried, but it’ll be okay by the time the sun rises. Probably.

Mint was wearing a red dress with an eagle design embroidered in ornate gold thread.

It wasn’t an outfit you saw often.

Since he usually wears his academy uniform or something similar, he may have worn it to match the festival atmosphere.

There was nothing cuter than a white shirt and a bow tie, but in the end, it was the face that completed the outfit.

“The dress is pretty.”

“Oh, really? That’s good.”

As befitting the title of the best daughter of the empire.

The saying that clothes make the man makes the woman is meaningless.

No matter how fancy the dress was, or what kind of clothes she wore, they wouldn’t have been able to take anything away from Mint’s beauty.

So, in that respect, he didn’t look much different from his usual self in uniform.

Although it is a breathtaking sight.

“Now that I think about it, I forgot something.”

“What is it?”

“Yesterday, I stocked up on the most expensive wine the empire could buy. But I was so excited that I didn’t even think about it.”

Come to think of it, it seemed like there was such a thing as fine wine in the stereotype of a perfect day that appears in novels and such.

“Let’s eat later.”

“Yeah.”

Mint brushed off my concerns about the wine as if they were nothing, and I continued to follow her. Where are you going now, though?

“Arrived.”

Mint waved her hand, and several of the golden barriers that had filled a certain hallway disappeared. We opened one of the iron doors and went in.

“Where is this?”

“Gardens in the sky.”

I’ve worked in the royal family and have visited here many times for various reasons other than work, but this is my first time here. I don’t know why.

“The Imperial Hanging Gardens were originally only open to the family. With one dedicated gardener.”

“Aha.”

Mint chose a suitable bench in the hanging garden and sat down. I sat down next to her.

“That’s why.”

“That sapling?”

“It’s a small tree that we call the tree of life, and there’s a rumor that if you eat its fruit, you’ll gain magical talents… … .”

The water of life that Mint was looking at was certainly surrounded by light, as if it were a work of art.

I nodded.

“Is it real?”

“It depends on how you think about it. That’s the first step of consciousness, eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil from the water of life.”

I think Mint mentioned that yesterday.

I think there was a brief conversation about him saying he’d teach me magic if I got married.

Mint was crying and trying to cover it up, so I thought she was just making a fuss, and I thought about it for a moment. Is that true?

“Eating that doesn’t mean you can use magic. But since it’s part of the ritual, I guess it’s related.”

“That’s amazing.”

“The tree of life will bear fruit soon. There will be something for you, teacher, soon.”

The Hanging Gardens were warm, as if it were midsummer. Perhaps they controlled the internal temperature with magic or artifacts?

anyway.

Mint took out a staff from somewhere and ran the tip of the staff over the leaves of the water of life. Yunseul passed through the leaves.

“How is it, thank you?”

“Thank you.”

“It’s still dry these days. If the teacher had been emotional about everything, I don’t know if I would have liked it as much as I do now… … . Maybe that kind of calmness would be good.”

Mint is a bit immature. One emotional and unstable person is enough.

My personality was the complete opposite of Mint’s. That might be why I liked Mint more.

“From today, you are also family to me, teacher.”

It’s strange when you say it like that.

I briefly played with the ring on my left ring finger. Of course, Mint had the same ring on her hand.

Engagement?

I wonder if it will start to feel real after a few more days.