Chapter 264
Chapter 264
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 263. The Fox's Prey (2)
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「….」
A long silence stretched out between the two rooms, separated only by the wall.
A few minutes later, Lea finally spoke up.
「Come over here for now.」
Her voice as the princess had grown much calmer.
In response, I pushed against the wall with the framed picture and slipped straight into her room.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
Lea lay sprawled on the white bed, wearing only her white dress shirt.
Propped up on her elbows with her chin resting on the back of her hand, she looked up at me from beneath the fluffy covers.
“You’ve already done plenty of excusing yourself.”
I’d actually considered saying “Boing!” the moment I entered.
But I held back, figuring it would kill the mood dead.
“It was just a mishap that happened while fulfilling my duties as your guard knight.”
“Your lip’s curling up.”
Lea spoke to me with a sensual gaze fit for a queen.
“Haha… So, to what do I owe the summons—.”
I laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of my head.
She gestured with her eyes toward the tray on the table.
It held light snacks prepared for royalty.
Biscuits, tea, and even wild strawberries.
Everything was clearly top-quality at a glance.
“I called you to eat together. I figured your room wouldn’t have any.”
“Understood. My mouth was getting lonely anyway—perfect timing.”
I chuckled and fetched the tray.
Then I gently set it down on the white bed.
Lea sat up beside me as well.
I’d assumed as royalty she’d expect me to handle everything, but she deftly offered me a teacup with practiced hands.
“Ah, thank you….”
As I took the cup, the princess slowly tilted the teapot.
It was a new feminine side of her I hadn’t seen before.
‘No, maybe she’s changing bit by bit.’
“Drink up. The herbs from the southern region have such a nice aroma.”
I took a sip following her words.
I didn’t usually drink tea, so I couldn’t tell much difference.
But Lea seemed different.
The princess held the cup to her sharp nose and slowly savored the scent.
After one sip, a smile naturally bloomed on her lips.
She’d always been sensitive to fragrances, it seemed.
“I notice it every time, but you really seem to love tea.”
“It calms the mind and body. I drink it especially often during these official schedules.”
Normally, she only drank tea.
As royalty, getting pastry crumbs on her lips wouldn’t look dignified.
But for some reason, she picked up a biscuit this time.
She placed it between her red, fresh lips and crunched down.
The subtle sweetness spreading in her mouth must have pleased her, as a faint smile appeared.
「….」
I stared openly at the sight.
At the crumbs falling onto Lea’s voluptuous curves.
“Your Highness, may I show you an even tastier way to eat it?”
Lea brushed off her dress shirt.
Like an elite soldier eager for new knowledge, she showed interest in the lesson.
“What is it?”
“Here, take a look.”
I took a biscuit from the tray.
Then scooped up a dollop of cream cheese and piled it on.
Top it with a wild strawberry for decoration…
And a luxurious strawberry cream cheese canapé was complete.
“Eat it in one bite like this—.”
I popped the creation into my mouth.
I closed my eyes and savored it.
“Mmm—strawberries and cream cheese are always perfect.”
「….」
Lea blinked her blue eyes at my sly display.
She looked like a lioness facing fresh prey.
“Putting toppings on food like this… it’s a first for me.”
The princess replicated my steps exactly: biscuit topped with cheese.
But in placing the strawberry on the cheese, she slipped up.
The cheese-smeared strawberry plopped right onto the white bed.
“What a waste….”
Reflexively, I picked up the strawberry from her thigh.
And popped it straight into my mouth.
「…!!」
The princess froze at the sensation on her thigh.
But I ignored it and scolded her instead.
“You slap reprimands for negligence on your knights’ desks without missing a beat, but you can’t manage this one.”
Chuckling, I made a fresh canapé.
Then held it close to her lips.
“You’re the one who made me flustered….”
Lea took the canapé into her mouth.
Chewing away, she mumbled in a voice suddenly cuter than before.
“When did I ever make you flustered?”
“It happens. You’re clueless when it comes to this stuff….”
I tilted my head at her words.
Unlike when she was seducing me directly, she seemed sensitive to being touched.
“Who told you about the negligence reprimands?”
Lea slowly wiped the cream from her lips with her thumb.
Damian and Richard came to mind, but I stayed loyal.
“It’s the talk of the town. They say the First Imperial Princess is colder than anyone when it comes to work.”
“I’m not that bad. I just treat my subordinates coldly on purpose until they get competent.”
Lea gazed into empty space, as if reflecting on herself.
Bracing her hands behind her, she spoke in a relaxed tone.
“I mastered what I wanted to learn by devoting myself steadily, after all.”
So that’s why the mood was turning steamy bit by bit.
From under the office desk that time to this natural moment now…
I nodded slowly, looking at Lea still wearing only her dress shirt.
‘Back at the knighting ceremony, she was the Ice Queen incarnate….’
Bathed in sunlight on the snowy white bed, her skin looked incredibly warm now.
Her golden hair glowed softly in the sun.
“This time it’ll work.”
Not wanting to lose, Lea grabbed a biscuit at my words.
She focused on the new art of piling cream cheese and strawberry.
“Soon you’ll be topping everything perfectly.”
I tilted my head at her meaningful mutter.
Clueless to the implication, I munched on a biscuit.
Lea popped her successfully made canapé into her mouth.
Eyes closed, she savored the thick texture of the cream cheese and the strawberry’s sweetness.
“Mmm….”
Her lips smeared with white cream cheese.
Gently brushing biscuit crumbs from her ample chest, she said.
“Eating something sweet does make it better.”
She’d already eaten three canapés.
With a deep breath, she undid one button on her taut dress shirt.
“I never touched stuff like this before—worst for self-management.”
Lea glanced at me.
Her usually sharp, decisive face smeared with cream, she chuckled.
“It’s all your fault.”
“Pardon? What did I do—.”
I laughed cheekily.
The princess stroked her lower abdomen and said.
“You keep bringing me delicious things, awakening me to sweetness.”
Come to think of it, she did seem subtly plumper.
But it didn’t detract from the First Imperial Princess’s inherent beauty.
Her already lovely skin now had a luster, brighter tone—actually more appealing.
“But doesn’t it feel good?”
I looked with her toward the window opposite the bed.
A sky as blue as an emerald sea filled our view.
Just like our current mood, soft fluffy clouds drifted peacefully on gentle waves.
“Yeah… I do feel like I’ve been smiling more lately.”
Lea stared blankly with a relaxed expression.
She who’d spent her life tormented by state affairs and the empire’s welfare alone.
In this life, she seemed to have set down some of that burden, a faint eye smile on her lips.
Yet with the future altered, new changes had arisen.
“But there’s still one worry.”
“What is it?”
Lea eyed the imperial uniform draped over a chair.
It bore a golden lion badge symbolizing royalty.
“The noble council is recommending me as the next emperor…”
“Those old fogeys?”
They’d clung to the crown prince before, but now latched onto Lea after his demotion.
Impressive opportunists.
“Yeah, even Father asked my intentions.”
“What did you say?”
Curious myself, I asked.
“Since Leon refused the throne, I’m next in line as the eldest daughter.”
But Lea sighed deeply, the throne clearly burdensome.
“Still, after Father passes, I’d planned to leave the empire—do I even qualify?”
Indeed, in her past life, she’d fled the crumbling empire with her retainers.
She’d planned the same this time, but I’d stopped her at the party.
“So I said even after ascending, I’d share power with Irina and Lydia.”
“That makes sense. All three of you are exceptionally capable.”
They’d been ruling the empire’s regions separately from the start—natural progression.
With the dignified eldest, Lea, as figurehead, it’d look proper.
“But some nobles worry sharing power could spark civil war.”
“Fair point. Nations ruled in rotation by siblings rarely end well.”
I agreed.
Lea slowly turned, staring straight at me.
Her gaze made my dark eyes blink.
“Why…?”
Lea said nothing for a moment.
Instead, like a lioness, she crawled toward me on all fours, slowly bringing her face close.
“Is there a crumb on my face or something?”
Her beautiful skin shifted downward with gravity.
The crumbs on her chest all fell to the tray.
“No, nothing like that.”
The princess smiled a fresh, vibrant smile she showed no one else.
Then she slowly placed her palm on my face.
“You just said nations ruled in rotation by siblings end badly.”
“I did.”
Lea gently rubbed my cheek with her finger.
Like a mother tending her son.
“Siblings fight because their only bond was their parents.”
Her face drew closer.
A sweet pomegranate scent began to waft.
“But we’re different.”
Lea gently wiped biscuit crumbs from my lips.
Then whispered hot breath into my ear.
“We have you, beyond just our parents.”
Like a lioness mounting her prey, Lea slowly pressed her body against mine.
I gradually found myself lying back on the bed.
“That convinced the nobles.”
Lea said from atop me.
Like a wild strawberry atop a biscuit.
She learned so fast.
“Ahem….”
Backlit by the sun, her blue eyes shone with a halo.
Swallowing deeply, she stared down at my face.
But soon the princess slid off my thigh.
There was still work to do.
“I should clear the tray.”
That let me sit up and catch the tray she’d nudged aside.
It had nearly spilled, staining the white bed.
“Good thing.”
I said rising from the bed.
Lea, sitting alone in the corner, asked.
“What?”
Turning to her question, I looked down at my dutiful princess with fatherly pride.
“That I seem to be a pillar of strength for you princesses.”
Lea gazed blankly up at me standing tall.
Her eyes turned wistful, like looking at family, as someone came to mind.
“You really do resemble him.”
The princess chuckled and lay back on the bed.
Then called to me heading for the passage.
“Leaving already?”
“Yes, you seem ready to sleep, so I’ll catch some rest too.”
Lea checked the wall clock.
Over four hours until the party.
“Hmm—.”
Lea pulled the covers lightly and inhaled the fluffy soap scent.
Bored by the bland smell, she stared at me.
“Come back over here.”
She occasionally mixed in royal speech patterns.
I approached again in response.
Then…
Lea pulled the covers to hide her lips.
With her other hand, she showed the bead from earlier on the trip.
“The bed seems spacious.”
I stared blankly at the infamous bead.
Gazing at its smooth surface gave me a strange feeling.
‘You bring it out often. Hypnosis or something?’
No odd sensations in my body.
“Even in the same suite, they put a better bed in here for me.”
“I see. The sheets are definitely plusher.”
Lea hid her face more at my agreement.
“So… taking a nap here will boost your efficiency.”
Even here, her work ethic kicked in.
A brazen, cute excuse.
“Understood….”
Finding it adorable, I chuckled and sat on the bed again.
Praising her formerly stoic courage, I lay back lightly on the sheets.
Even her subtle blank expression brightened.
“It really is comfy. Sleepiness hits the moment I lie down.”
I said gazing at the ceiling relaxedly.
“I told you it’s a good bed. Ahem….”
Lea placed the bead between us, as if finalizing the hypnosis, and commanded.
“Now sleep. The party will make tonight a long one….”
“As you command.”
I closed my eyes gently, complying.
Lea whipped her head away and fell asleep more purely than expected.
‘Was it really just a kind offer…?’
Doubting the First Princess’s sincerity, I relaxed.
Surrendering to the truly plush bed, I tried to drift off.
But.
A faint pencil scratching came from Lea’s side as she turned.
「…?」
Feeling off, I peeked up.
And saw the princess jotting in a small notebook.
「Primary hypnosis: Success in petting head while working brain.」
「Secondary hypnosis: Success in getting into bed and asleep.」
「Now for tertiary, I can command freely… Tonight, even bolder….」
Lea smiled with a girlish freshness she’d never shown, excited for the party.
「…!!」
At the rustle of her turning back, I hurriedly pretended to sleep again.
Lea slowly waved her hand over my face.
“Sleeping so deeply, Mikhail.”
Her voice was satisfied with the hypnosis’s excellence.
Thinking no more worries, she buried her nose in my neck.
Like a lioness leaning on her mate.
“Fwaaah….”
Lea savored my scent over the bland soap.
Inhaling it steadily seemed to calm her body; she closed her eyes.
“Would’ve been better if I’d laid him down before washing.”
Thinking her perversion totally unknown to me made her heart race, it seemed.
Yet she tried to hold back.
Pretending to reassure her prey, she settled in for sleep herself.