I Want to Get Married...!
The next morning.
"Ugh...! Ugh...!"
Era was grunting as she struggled to carry a massive pile of laundry.
"...What are you doing now?"
It was a bundle far bigger than her own body. A huge stack of clothes, with very few of her own mixed in—most of them looked like they belonged to other people.
"Hup...! Hup...!"
The laundry pile was so enormous it completely blocked her view. She staggered left and right, swaying dangerously.
Sway. Sway. Sway...
Then—!
"...W-whoa, whoa!"
Thud.
'Oh dear.'
I couldn't even help her because I was tied up... Era landed hard on her backside along with the laundry, and the clothes exploded outward in every direction.
"...Owww."
She must have hit the ground pretty hard. She sat there dazed, rubbing her sore bottom.
...At that size, wouldn't it act like an airbag? The impact absorption should be decent—
"......"
I kept watching her, and then...
'...This is so embarrassing. Hehe.'
For some reason, she seemed even more scatterbrained than usual today.
"...Hey."
"Yeees?"
"...What exactly are you doing?"
"I have to do the laundry..."
"...Is all of that yours?"
"Nooo~"
Era answered while picking up the scattered clothes one by one.
"This is the neighbor's, and the neighbor next to them, and the one after that—"
"...That's enough."
"Okay~"
Once she'd gathered all the collapsed laundry, Era tried to stand up again while hugging the massive pile.
"Hup... hup..."
She wobbled again.
"W-whoa!"
Thud.
She dropped it again.
"......"
"......"
"...Era."
"Yeees?"
"...Do you do this every day?"
"Yes!"
"...Sigh."
I let out a long breath.
"...Why are you the one washing everyone else's laundry?"
"It's my job!"
...A job, huh. So she does earn money while living like this.
"Job?"
"Yes, a job!"
...But if she's working this much, why is she still so poor?
"...Then how much do you get paid for this?"
"About... one gold per household? That's a lot, right?"
"...You think one gold is a lot?"
"Isn't it...? Hehe..."
'A single meal at the Imperial Palace costs over a thousand gold...'
'And even if we convert it to my original world's standards...'
Here, one gold would be worth roughly three to five hundred won at most.
...Looking at the clothes, there were about eight households' worth.
"So you're not even earning eight gold a day?"
"...W-well, that's plenty! Isn't it?"
Era stammered awkwardly, clearly hit where it hurt.
I hadn't expected the wages in this rural village to be that high anyway.
"Ha..."
Really, this was just...
'When I get back to the Imperial Palace, I should call for her. Even as the seventh prince, taking in one extra mouth to feed shouldn't be impossible.'
...No, honestly, this was just too pitiful.
"...Yesterday I played because of Your Highness, so today I have to work extra hard!"
"Look at you. Why is that because of me? Huh?"
"Then should I say thanks to you?"
"...Wait, is 'thanks to you' the right way to say it? I don't know... heehee."
...She really was strangely airheaded.
'How has someone this incompetent managed to survive alone until now?'
"Anyway, so today—!"
"Ah!"
Suddenly, Era stopped mid-sentence as if something had occurred to her. She shuffled closer to me.
"Your Highness~"
"...What."
"I have to do the laundry today..."
"And I... have to go outside..."
She made a troubled face.
"...I can't leave Your Highness alone, so what should I dooo?"
'...?'
"...Just untie me."
"Yeees~?"
Era giggled. It was the laugh of someone who had no intention of doing that.
'...As expected, this approach won't work.'
But then...
"Your Highness, you really won't run away, right?"
"...I won't."
...Of course I would.
"Really?"
"I said really."
Obviously a lie.
"Really really?"
"...I'm not saying it again."
"Really really really?"
"...Hey."
"Hmm... I understand."
"Yes! I'll untie you!"
...Huh?
Era looked at me again.
"...I said I'll untie you. Aren't you happy?"
"...?"
For a moment, I was stunned.
"...For real?"
"Yes!"
Then Era came over and cut the ropes binding me with a bread knife. It was way too easy...?
"..."
Not just my ankles—my wrists too. I rubbed my wrists while staring at her.
"...You're really letting me go?"
"Yes~"
"What if I run away?"
Era grinned brightly.
"You won't run away though."
"...How do you know that?"
"Because Your Highness said you wouldn't? I believe in the sincere prince~"
'This girl...'
...She trusts people way too easily.
"Your Highness doesn't lie, after all."
Once again, she looked at me with those pure, clear eyes like last time, but...
This time, I wasn't falling for it. This time, I was definitely going to escape!
Era stood up and turned around to gather the laundry. The moment her back was facing me—
"...Even if I let you go anyway."
"...?"
She spoke in such a tiny voice that I thought I'd misheard.
"...You won't be able to leave this village."
"...!"
"Hehe."
A soft little laugh.
I froze solid.
"...What did you say?"
Era turned back to face me. Just like always. Grinning brightly.
"Yeees~?"
"...What did you just say?"
"I didn't say anything?"
So innocently.
"......"
I stared at her for a moment.
"..."
I definitely heard it.
But Era was hugging the laundry and giggling like nothing had happened.
"You're going, right? Together?"
Her tone was exactly the same as usual.
"......"
I slowly nodded.
But that one sentence was now burned into my mind.
'You won't be able to leave this village.'
'...What the hell does that mean?'
Before I could think any deeper about it—
"Hup! Whoaaa!!!"
Era nearly toppled over again while trying to lift the laundry basket.
'No, seriously—'
Who could just stand by and watch that?
"...Give it to me."
"I can carry this much myself."
I snatched the basket from her hands. It was surprisingly light.
"E-eh—!! Nooo! I-I can carry it! G-give it back!"
Era panicked and tried to take it back, but—
"What if I run away while you're holding this giant pile?"
"And if you're the one carrying this, how are you supposed to catch me if I bolt?"
"Uh... um... that's..."
"...Just let me handle it."
"...Okay."
Era looked completely deflated.
"Puuu..."
She pouted her lips as far as they would go.
"...I didn't want Your Highness's hands to get dirty at all."
Was I some kind of bride on her wedding day? She could barely carry it herself, yet she had such high standards.
After we finished organizing everything, we stood in front of the door.
"Just a moment, Your Highness~"
Swish.
Suddenly, Era took off her own coat and draped it over my head.
"...What are you doing?"
"We have to cover Your Highness's face."
"...Ah."
Right. The villagers couldn't see me.
But the coat was so small it only covered my head. ...It didn't match at all.
"...Hey, this is a bit—"
"It's cute!"
"...?"
Era squealed and hugged me tightly.
"Your Highness is so adorable~"
She was reacting like she'd just seen a baby kitten...
"...Shut up."
I roughly pushed her away, but my cheeks were already burning red.
"Heehee."
"......"
"Your Highness~"
"What now."
"Like this~"
Swish.
She grabbed the edge of the coat and let it hang slightly over the side of my face.
"This way, it covers you even better~"
"......"
"Heehee."
Still holding the hem of the coat, Era stared straight at me. Right in front of my nose.
'Hey...'
"...Get away."
"Why?"
"...You're too close. It's uncomfortable."
"I'm covering you for Your Highness! Just bear with it a little..."
"......"
In the end, I snatched the coat from her and pulled it down firmly over my head.
"...Happy now?"
"Yes~"
The satisfied look on her face made me want to say something, but...
"...Sigh."
How could I say anything when she made a face like that?
Even so, that earlier mutter kept echoing in my head.
'You won't be able to leave.'
This tiny village. A poor village stuck out in the borderlands. Just stepping past the entrance should let anyone escape, yet she said I couldn't...?
'...What does this girl know?'
I glanced sideways at her. Era was bouncing along lightly, as if her load had gotten much easier.
"Mmm~ mm-mm~"
Humming a little tune.
Exactly like her usual self. It was hard to believe she was the same person who had whispered those words.
The village was truly tiny. About twenty houses. A dirt path circling the village, one small well. And a single building that looked like a community hall in the center. That was it.
Era walked ahead carrying the laundry, while I followed behind with my face hidden under the coat.
"Oh! It's Era!"
Villagers passing by called out to her.
"Era~ Where are you going?"
"To the washing area!"
"...Who's that next to you?"
The moment I heard that, I almost wanted to run forward and reveal my identity, but...
...I held back. Today I had realized there was something I hadn't considered before.
'These villagers... might be in on it with her!'
'I mean, I've seen the news—people getting kidnapped and taken to remote islands. Who's to say it couldn't happen in a small village like this?'
Besides, everyone here seemed close to Era. Even if they weren't in on it, would they really help a complete stranger like me—someone whose life was completely different from a commoner's? Would they help me over Era, who had lived in the same village her whole life and even did their laundry for them...?
...And if I resisted and got caught here, the gentle Era would disappear, replaced by one holding a club...
Yeah. I had to endure. I would wait until a sure opportunity came.
When the villagers asked who I was, Era paused for a second before answering.
"...He's my relative! Heehee!"
'Relative?!'
"Your relative... Well, I guess that makes sense."
The villagers looked a bit suspicious but didn't press further and moved on.
As they left, Era whispered quietly.
"...Sorry. That was the only thing I could think of on the spot."
"...Relative?"
"Yes!"
"...What kind of relative?"
"Um... cousin?"
"......"
"Fifth cousin? Seventh cousin?"
She looked like she was seriously considering it.
"...Why are you thinking so hard about something like that?"
"You're right~"
"We'll end up as zero-distance relatives anyway~ Right?"
...There she goes again...!
"You—!"
Because I let her get away with things, she says whatever she wants.
Just then, another old woman passing by spoke to Era.
"Era~"
"Hello, Grandma!"
It was someone else this time. An elderly woman.
"...Who's that next to you?"
"...My relative!"
"...Oh, is that so?"
The old woman glanced at me briefly.
"This grandma thought our Era had brought home a man and assumed he was her boyfriend~"
Boyfriend?
"What do you—"
Before the words could leave my mouth—
"R-reallyyy? Do I really look like that??"
Era jumped in first.
"Of course! You two look like such a perfect couple~"
"He... heehee..."
Era looked at me and smiled. It was darker and more satisfied than before.
"Anyway, a cousin, huh... Can't be helped. This old lady thought our Era was finally getting married~"
"M-married...!"
The word "married" seemed to completely short-circuit Era's brain. She went completely dazed, eyes spinning.
"..."
Watching her from behind, I thought:
'She really is something else...'
"Well, have a good time~"
The old woman left behind what felt like a massive storm.
"M-married... I want to get married...!"
...And one girl was still caught in the middle of that storm.
After arriving at the washing area, doing the laundry (I tried to help, but since I had zero experience in both my previous life and this one, Era proudly declared "This is my specialty!" and I was half-forcibly removed from laundry duty...), we were on our way back home.
"...Something feels off."
The words slipped out unconsciously.
"Hm? What does?"
"No... never mind."
...I couldn't see any path leading out of the village.
One might ask how a village could have no exit, but... there really wasn't a 'path'.
What I meant was: one side was ocean. Another was a mountain valley. Another was a cliff. The last side was a plain with the capital visible in the distance, but strangely, it was completely blocked off by a tall iron fence covered in sharp barbs.
'Isn't that a bit random...?'
I thought, but...
'Maybe it's to keep out wild animals...? There are monsters here too.'
It probably wasn't a big deal—I brushed it off.
...Come to think of it, something seemed to be shimmering on that barbed wire. Heat haze? It wasn't even that hot out.
Well, this world could be different.
I looked around the completely enclosed village once more.
"...You won't be able to leave."
...The words Era had muttered earlier came back to me.
'...So it wasn't a lie.'
After walking and walking and walking the same path for a long time, we ran into yet another villager near the house—this time a middle-aged woman.
"Era!"
"Hello, ma'am!"
'She's really popular, huh.'
'Well, it's a small village. Everyone probably knows each other...?'
"...Who's that next to you?"
"...My relative!"
"...Oh, is that right?"
The woman looked me over briefly before turning back to Era. Her expression changed slightly. It became a little stiff.
"...Era, have you heard?"
"Heard what?"
The woman lowered her voice.
"...They say the Maryeokche has been roaming around lately."
"......!"
My back stiffened instantly.
'Maryeokche?'
"They're looking for something... It's so scary I can barely sleep."
"......"
"They won't come to our village, right?"
"...Of course not, ma'am."
Era answered playfully, but she wasn't smiling like usual.
"Our village doesn't have anything special~"
"...True. Still, be careful."
"Yes!"
The woman glanced at me one more time before walking away.
Era tried to hum like she usually did.
"Mmm~..."
She stopped after one bar.
"...Mmm~..."
She stopped again after another.
...Was her nose stuffed? The notes weren't coming out properly.
Anyway...
'Maryeokche, huh...'
Inside the coat, my mind began to race.
'Maryeokche.'
'If it's the Maryeokche, then surely...'
The memories came back to me one by one. The setting I'd read in the original story.
Every human in this world possessed something called Star Veins inside their bodies. They were magical pathways created six hundred years ago when fragments of a shattered moon fell from the sky and fused with human bodies.
You could think of them like veins and blood.
And the color of those Star Veins determined one's social status.
Platinum for the imperial family.
Gold for dukes and marquesses.
Silver for counts and barons.
Bronze for knights and commoners.
And black.
Black Star Veins were considered less than human. Or more precisely—
Complete outcasts.
It had been briefly mentioned in the original work. Anyone with Black Star Veins had to be reported immediately upon discovery. The organization called Maryeokche existed specifically to hunt them down.
The reason was the unique danger of Black Star Veins. People born with them had extreme difficulty controlling their emotions and had a history of going berserk and causing countless casualties. That was why they were strictly controlled.
The original story hadn't gone into too much detail, but regardless—
If someone with Black Star Veins was discovered, the Maryeokche would take them away.
And those taken by the Maryeokche...
Never returned.
"Gulp."
I swallowed without realizing it.
'In the story, almost all Black Star Vein users had already disappeared by my generation, and the Maryeokche only operated in the central capital area. So why are they all the way out here in the countryside?'
But... wait a second?
'...Hold on.'
'The fact that the Maryeokche is coming...'
'Isn't that actually an opportunity?'
The Maryeokche was an official imperial organization. They answered directly to the emperor. If I just revealed my identity, they would escort me straight back to the palace without question. Finding a prince in a remote border village would actually be a huge achievement for them.
The moment the Maryeokche entered this village—
'Game over. My victory.'
'This is it.'
'This is perfect.'
'I'll just wait for the Maryeokche to arrive.'
Having made up my mind, I turned to Era beside me—
"...Era, you—"
"......"
...Era?
"...?"
Era had stopped walking. She stood completely still, still holding the laundry.
She wasn't grinning like usual.
She wasn't humming either.
She was just... standing there.
"......"
Tremble tremble tremble—
Her hands began to shake more and more. Those small, pale hands. The trembling was faint at first, but it didn't stop. It grew stronger and stronger until it spread throughout her entire body.
"...Era?"
I called out carefully, but she didn't respond.
"...Era."
Only on the second call did she slowly lift her head.
But her gaze wasn't on me. She was staring far into the distance, somewhere beyond the village.
Her eyes...
'......'
They weren't the usual bright, giggling black eyes. They weren't the soft black eyes I'd seen when she woke up either...
They were frozen. Terrified.
Without thinking, I stepped closer to her.
"...Hey. What's wrong?"
She didn't answer. She just let out a soft...
"...Ah... ah..."
Moan while trembling all over.
"...Did you see something? Huh?"
...Still no answer.
Her small shoulders kept shaking.
"......"
It was strange. This wasn't the Era I'd seen so far. She wasn't grinning, she wasn't being clingy. This wasn't the Era who always followed me around so shamelessly.
She was just a small girl, completely terrified of something.
"...Era."
A gust of dusty wind blew across the dirt path. It wasn't even that strong, but—
"Ah... ugh..."
Her hands were shaking so badly that—
Flutter.
She dropped the laundry she was holding.
"......"
Even though I'd offered to carry it, she had insisted on carrying her own clothes. That single piece of clothing fell with a heavy thud onto the dirt ground.
Era stared down at it for a long time.
"Agh... ah... haa..."
She tried to bend down to pick it up, but her hands were shaking too much to grab it properly.
I quietly...
"......"
Then slowly bent down and picked up the laundry for her.
"Haa... haa..."
Still frozen and trembling, Era looked at me. Her body remained bent over as if she were still trying to pick it up.
"..."
I set down the laundry basket I was carrying, brushed off the fallen clothes, and placed them back on top of the pile.
"I don't know what's going on... but let's go home for now."
"......"
"...It's okay."
Nod. Nod.
Era slowly nodded at my words.
When I took a step forward, she finally followed, one step at a time.
"..."
And all the way home, Era didn't smile even once.