Kisses Are Off Limits, But a Little Peck Should Be Fine...
I finally managed to shake off the princess, who kept trying to hold me back, and stepped out of the room.
Whew… After all, even if I tried to run away, someone like her could catch me in an instant.
I have no idea why she keeps looking at me with such desperate eyes.
It’s almost like she thinks I might actually try to escape.
But why would I?
I may like a challenge, but I’m not the type to tackle the impossible. Especially not when my life is on the line.
“Ugh… Having too much money really is a problem.”
I wandered down the hallway with a heavy coin pouch dangling from my body.
If anyone saw me now, I’d probably look like a Christmas tree weighed down with ornaments.
If this weren’t inside the Demon King’s castle, I’d have nothing to say if some passerby stripped me down to my underwear.
But with my now-tiny hands, there was no way I could carry it all, so this was the only solution.
Hmm… The head butler has the key to my room, so I suppose I should go find him.
* * *
While wandering the castle in search of the head butler,
I heard the voices of maids chatting as they cleaned near the end of the corridor.
“Hey, did you hear the news?”
“Haah… Can you stop with the nonsense and just finish cleaning first? What if someone sees us?”
“Aww, come on~ Who’s going to see us right now? Just listen for a second.”
I’m listening, you know….
Something told me I shouldn’t walk down that hallway, so I hid my body.
“So apparently the princess brought in another woman!”
Huh? Were they talking about me?
“What about it? That happens all the time, doesn’t it?”
It happens all the time??
“No, I wouldn’t say anything if it was just a normal woman, but this time…”
The maid lowered her voice, apparently trying to speak quietly.
Even so, it was still loud enough for me to hear everything.
“They say she turned a strapping young man into a cute girl and brought him in.”
“…Huh? Is that even possible?”
Exactly. I’d like to know how that’s possible too.
“Well, with the Demon King around, what isn’t possible?”
That’s true, I suppose.
“Goodness… This time it’s a tutor? I think that’s what they called the position.”
“Yeah, yeah. I caught a glimpse of him earlier—he was quite tall and handsome. Too bad he ended up with the princess… tsk tsk tsk.”
I was pretty tall and handsome, I’ll admit.
…Not anymore, though.
“The princess really is too much. After going through so many women, she still wants more? Changing someone’s gender just to have them…”
“Sigh, I wish I could call pretty girls over whenever I wanted and have fun like the princess…”
“……Huh? You’re into that too?”
“What? Yeah, didn’t you know?”
“…Should we keep our distance for a bit?”
“What? I’m not interested in you either!”
“Fine, I get it, just… step back a little…”
The maids bickered as they rounded the corner and moved away.
I unintentionally learned about an anonymous maid’s sexual preferences.
Anyway, that conversation turned my suspicions into certainty.
It seems the princess is already infamous in the castle as a serial breast-obsessed pervert.
Just as I thought, the way she looked at me wasn’t the gaze of someone looking at an ordinary tutor.
It was more like… a sticky, affectionate stare?
At any rate, it wasn’t the pure look of an innocent student.
Was I really hired as the princess’s courtesan…?
A gloomy thought crossed my mind for a moment, but I quickly shook my head to clear it away.
Even if that were the case, I had no intention of quietly accepting the fate of a courtesan.
I was going to live as a tutor, damn it.
And I had a plan to make that happen.
The brilliant plan I’d just come up with was this:
First, subtly but firmly shake off the princess’s sneaky advances.
After all, my body had been male just a few hours ago. Naturally, it was incredibly difficult not to waver at the princess’s blatant seduction.
But!
I had been appointed as a tutor. I would faithfully carry out my duties!
The plan that would make that possible:
Second, keep the princess so busy she doesn’t have time to think.
Since today was our first meeting, I’d shown far too many openings.
But from now on, I just had to stop doing that.
I’d exhaust her body and mind so thoroughly that any thoughts of me would be completely driven from her head.
I’d make her study and exercise nonstop!
That way, the princess would become the greatest Demon King in history in the blink of an eye.
By then, both the Demon King and the princess would be thanking me.
Hehehe… Even if I do say so myself, it’s an excellent plan.
The fact that ideas like this keep popping into my head is exactly why I was appointed as a tutor in the Demon King’s castle after four years of possession.
I walked down the corridor, admiring my own scheme, until I realized I’d forgotten the most important thing.
…So where the hell is the head butler?
* * *
After wandering the castle for about twenty minutes, I somehow ended up back in front of the princess’s room.
Why is this castle’s layout so complicated…? There isn’t even a simple map anywhere.
Long story short, I couldn’t find the head butler and had come back.
“Ahem, the only person I can ask is the princess…”
So I’d returned to ask her for directions.
It was a little scary. No, actually, it was very scary.
Not just because the princess herself was intimidating.
I was afraid she might look at me with contempt and say, ‘Hmm? Can’t you even find your way around, Teacher?’
If that happened, my charisma as a teacher would crumble from the very beginning, and she wouldn’t properly follow the lessons I gave her.
Then my perfect plan would fall apart.
I needed some kind of safety measure….
“Hmm…”
I stroked my chin in thought.
“Let’s just ask.”
I decided to ask the princess for directions first and think about the rest later.
Teacher charisma or not, I needed to find my room.
The coin pouch was so heavy it was starting to weigh on me. My arm felt like it was going to fall off.
Having steeled myself, I knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Princess…?”
I’d tried to speak in a low, serious voice.
But this damned vocal cord turned even that into a soft, delicate sound.
The door opened slightly.
The princess poked her head through the gap.
“…Teacher?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“What is it? You want to spend more time with me after all, don’t you?”
“Uh……”
That’s not it.
But her eyes were sparkling so brightly that I couldn’t say it outright.
In the end, I chose a more roundabout approach.
“W-well, that’s part of it, but… this is my first time in the Demon King’s castle, so I can’t seem to find my way…”
When I scratched my head in embarrassment, the princess reached out and patted my hair again.
“Aww, so you came back because you got lost?”
“Y-yes…”
The phrase “got lost” made me sound like a lost child….
But it wasn’t exactly wrong, so I couldn’t argue.
…This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
The princess, who had been patting my head like I was a baby, fully opened the door and stepped out.
“Then I’ll take you there. Where do you need to go?”
“Ah, well… whoa.”
I turned to look at her without thinking and let out an involuntary sound.
It was only natural—right now the princess was wearing tight leggings and a form-fitting t-shirt.
In other words, an outfit that emphasized her curvaceous figure even more.
For someone who had been male just a few hours ago, it was an incredibly hard sight to look away from.
“Hmm? What’s wrong, Teach—oh?”
The princess followed my gaze, seemed to realize something, and grabbed my hand.
Then she pulled it straight toward her own backside….
“Want to touch?”
“Y-yes?! No, I can’t!”
I quickly pulled my hand back.
Even though she was the one who took my hand, I was the one who could end up labeled a pervert depending on the situation.
Of course, if both the princess and I kept quiet, no one would say anything to me….
Gulp.
Still, no.
I had just sworn a few minutes ago that I wouldn’t fall for the princess’s temptations.
I couldn’t break that resolution already.
With tears in my eyes, I kicked away the opportunity to touch that plump rear with my own foot.
To hide my frustration, I deliberately raised my voice.
“Ahem! Um, the head butler has the key to my room, so… could you guide me to where he is?”
The princess, who had been licking her lips in disappointment,
“Of course. Naturally.”
nodded without hesitation.
“…Too bad. I thought we were so close.”
I must have misheard that last murmur.
* * *
About five minutes after walking hand-in-hand with the princess,
we met the head butler almost embarrassingly quickly.
Why was I holding the princess’s hand?
I don’t know either.
When the princess said she wanted to hold it, what choice did I have but to let her?
It hadn’t been that long since I decided not to give her any openings.
But showing too much wariness wasn’t good either.
If I rejected all contact and the princess’s eyes flipped, there was no telling what might happen.
That aside, I couldn’t believe the head butler’s room was this close….
Knock, knock, knock.
“Fred, it’s me. Regrita.”
As soon as the princess knocked, the door opened as if he had been waiting.
The butler who emerged was the very picture of a classic butler—an elderly man with white hair.
“What brings you here, Princess, looking for the head butler yourself?”
“It’s nothing special. You’ve heard that my tutor was appointed today, right?”
“Of course. Then the person you’re holding hands with so tightly must be…”
“Ah, hello. Starting today, I’ll be serving as the princess’s tutor. My name is Melly.”
“…I’m Fred.”
Feeling like he was giving me a meaningful look, I tried to let go of the princess’s hand.
But the princess gripped it even tighter and wouldn’t let go, so I ended up looking like a kindergartener introducing themselves to the neighbors while holding their parents’ hands.
Receiving the head butler Fred’s sharp glare was just the cherry on top.
Hey… she’s the one who wouldn’t let go….
“Then, Fred, give my tutor the room key. I heard you have it?”
“That is correct, Princess. Please wait a moment.”
Fred bowed politely and soon returned with a key that sparkled brilliantly.
That… that looks incredibly expensive….
“Here it is. So… Lady Melly?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I carefully accepted the key.
To think I’d live to see a key that actually glittered like this.
“Well then… the head butler is almost always here, so if you need anything in the future, please come by yourself.”
“Hehe… Fred, don’t be too hard on her. Teacher only got lost because it’s her first day here.”
“Y-yes! From now on, I’ll come by myself…”
I realized belatedly that it had been a pointed remark and answered energetically.
I really would come alone no matter what from now on.
The princess’s hand was soft and squishy, which felt nice, but it was way too embarrassing.
I bowed politely to the head butler and headed toward the room indicated on the key.
But…
“Oh my, it looks like Father arranged for your convenience. It would be easiest for the tutor to stay right next to me, after all.”
“H-haha… I suppose so.”
Coincidentally, my room was right next to the princess’s.
…I had been hoping to stay as far away as possible.
It was only when I inserted the key into my door that the princess finally released my hand.
“Then rest well today and I’ll see you tomorrow, Teacher?”
“Ah, wait a moment, Princess.”
I stopped her as she waved and turned to leave.
After walking around holding her hand the whole time, whatever teacherly charisma I had left was completely dead.
I couldn’t let the first button be sewn on so wrong.
So I thought hard about how to regain my charisma.
“I’ve been thinking… It seems like we need a reward system, Princess.”
“A reward system?”
What I came up with was a reward system.
After much deliberation on how to get the princess to listen without upsetting her, this was the system I devised.
It wasn’t particularly complicated.
It was simply…
“Princess, could you come a little closer?”
“Hmm? Sure, okay.”
The princess slowly approached me.
With each step, the sweet scent of her body grew stronger.
I tried not to let myself be enchanted by the fragrance that could easily overwhelm me.
“Kisses are off limits, but a little peck should be fine…”
Chu.
I lightly, ever so lightly, pressed my lips to her soft cheek and pulled away.
“…Huh?”
“Th-this is a reward for helping me today. I-is that okay…?”
Worried that I might have overstepped, I watched her expression carefully.
Though I hadn’t meant to, my face had turned bright red.
My clueless heart had been pumping furiously, sending blood rushing to my cheeks.
If I had been mistaken about everything until now, it would all be for nothing.
If all the rumors about the princess in the castle were nonsense and she had never looked at me that way…
Fortunately, that fear was unfounded.
“…Teacher.”
“Yes, Princess.”
The princess’s red eyes sparkled so intensely it was almost frightening.
Even a ruby meticulously crafted by a master jeweler couldn’t match the brilliance of her eyes.
“The reward system… I like it. We’ll keep doing this from now on, right?”
“Of course. If that’s what you want, Princess…”
“Yes, I like it. It gives me motivation too. I like it a lot.”
Repeating how much she liked it, the princess gently tapped my head.
“I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s lesson, Teacher.”
With a smile so beautiful it took my breath away, the princess said that and slipped back into her room.
“Yes… Good night…”
I answered dazedly a beat too late.
I swore I wouldn’t be shaken by the princess….
But I’m already starting to waver. What do I do?