Chapter 288
Chapter 288
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Amid the Fireworks (6)
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Carrying Lydia on my back along the way home.
I spotted citizens heading toward the hill where the grand mansion stood to watch the fireworks.
"Everyone looks so busy."
"Yeah, they do."
Lydia rested her chin on my shoulder, gazing fondly at the happy citizens.
Even in her drunken state, her thoughtfulness toward the crowd was admirable.
"Do you like fireworks too, Your Highness?"
The youngest imperial princess let out a snicker at my question.
But it wasn't her usual sharp edge—it was more of a goofy grin.
"What, do you think I'm some kid or—"
She'd only just turned twenty this year...
Hiding my rising smirk, I replied nonchalantly.
"Then we'll head straight back to the palace."
As I turned toward the eastern palace, Lydia shook her chin no against my shoulder.
Her soft jawline tickled my skin.
"I'm not particularly interested, but you've probably never seen them as a northerner, so I suppose I should show you once."
Her unique way of speaking drew an involuntary chuckle from me.
"Are you sure? It's late—everyone will be worried."
At my sly tone, Lydia pulled a sulky face for a moment.
Then, turning her head away, she murmured quietly.
"It's fine. Anyone would feel at ease with you around."
Hearing that, I stopped dead in my tracks.
"So, where to, then?"
I asked, looking toward the hill where the citizens had gathered.
But the direction Lydia pointed was the exact opposite.
Lower than the Rubintsk mansion, there was another hill over there.
It was a quiet park path with hardly any streetlights due to the lack of foot traffic.
"Take me to the opposite side of the mansion."
"Understood."
I readjusted my grip, lifting her soft thighs higher.
Her sleek stockings made sweat build up easily.
But Lydia didn't complain about the sticky sensation.
She simply entrusted her plump thighs—swollen from the garter belt—to my touch.
――――――.
The path to the Light Halo Hill was incredibly quiet.
Being on the opposite side of downtown, there were hardly any people.
Occasionally, I'd see couples who had slipped away from the crowds for some intimate moments.
But they never climbed to the hilltop—they usually indulged in trysts behind dark trees.
They didn't seem to be here for the fireworks like us, though.
"Is this really a good spot for fireworks? It's so deserted."
I asked as we passed the last stragglers and reached the quiet hilltop.
Lydia replied in a languid voice, her buzz making her relaxed.
"Of course. It's just that hardly anyone knows its true value."
The princess lifted her chin slightly from my shoulder.
She stared up at the night sky and said.
"This is the place Father brought me to when I was eight."
"The Emperor himself?"
I'd heard he was neglectful toward his daughters.
Yet it seemed he had left each of them with at least one cherished memory.
"Yes. Whenever he rarely visited the east to see me, he'd bring me here to watch fireworks at Light Halo Hill."
"That's news to me."
I reacted with genuine surprise, and Lydia chuckled.
"Before I turned ten and started handling state affairs in earnest, he came often."
But her laughter faded quickly.
As if she hadn't felt her father's love much after age ten.
Noticing that, I made a bittersweet face myself.
I'd never known parental love from childhood either.
"That must have hurt."
Lydia glanced over at my softened tone, which had lost its usual nonchalance.
Like a meerkat peeking out, she tried to read my expression.
"No, I understood. It was to ensure fairness in the imperial succession."
The princess already knew her father's intentions.
Despite her sharp eyes and cheeky taunts, she was incredibly mature inside.
Knowing that so well was probably why I was still with her at this late hour.
"The mind understands, but the heart still aches—that's human nature."
"..."
Lydia offered no response, as if in agreement.
Then she tightened her arms around my waist and said.
"Even back then, he carried me like this..."
We reached the hill, where only the quiet night sky and crickets greeted us.
There was a gazebo for evening strollers.
I carefully set her down there before the fireworks began.
Then I silently scanned the surroundings for any dangers.
"Sit with me, Veil. What are you looking for?"
"Sorry, old bodyguard habit."
Lydia narrowed her eyes like a fox casually checking for prey.
"Heh... As if any enemies would lurk in the heart of the empire."
The princess stretched out dramatically on the gazebo bench.
Her neatly braided pigtails spread beautifully, absorbing the moonlight.
"Even the ones that were around, you caught and punished them all."
Drunk as she was, she kept ending sentences with that childish lilt.
Her antics made me chuckle, and I finally dropped my guard.
"Now it's truly an era of peace."
The third imperial princess of the empire—the one who had once proposed a license to kill and taken the most radical steps in the succession struggle.
Hearing "peace" from her lips in that moment.
It felt like our efforts had finally borne fruit, easing the tightness in my chest.
Emboldened by the feeling, I sat lightly beside her in the gazebo.
That instant.
――――――.
A clear whoosh pierced the dark night sky as a firework shot up.
In the brief flicker before it vanished.
Boom―――.
The launched firework burst, painting the night sky in stunning colors.
A single bloom unfurled in splendor before vanishing in an instant.
But there was no need to feel regret.
――――――.
Hundreds of fireworks streaked up like comets.
They exploded so brightly that the dark hill lit up, illuminating the night sky.
Lydia's face, bathed in that glow like moonlight, caught my eye.
The precocious maturity and cold resolve she'd built as a ruler and imperial princess melted away beneath the fireworks.
Her red eyes, now shining with pure maidenly joy, gleamed softly.
"Beautiful, isn't it, Veil?"
Lydia curved her lips with a feminine gaze.
She glanced at me, then finally smiled with mature warmth.
"What do you think of the fireworks?"
"..."
I had no answer for the princess's question.
I just stared blankly at her earnest smile.
"This is the empire you protected."
I'd once watched it crumble before my dying eyes.
And now, here I was with the nation's most coveted princess.
Perhaps this second life held more value than the first, which I'd struggled through.
"I see."
I exhaled deeply.
Following her lead, I gazed up at the night sky again.
――――――.
How long did I watch the achievements I'd wrought?
I lost track of time, my throat hoarse from awe as I took in the spectacle.
But in that time.
A mischievous black panther had crept up on me so stealthily I hadn't noticed.
"Veil."
Her sultry voice came from so close I felt her breath.
I turned my head in response.
That moment.
"..."
Lydia's red lips met mine.
"Mm..."
Her soft tongue, first to initiate the kiss, colored my mouth from our past encounters.
Now somewhat accustomed, she wrapped around my tongue, craving affection.
"Haa..."
The more we kissed, the closer she pressed against me.
When our lips finally parted.
She looked up at me with eyes reflecting the fireworks.
"You're the one who got me this worked up..."
Lydia murmured softly, her gaze hazy.
Timidly pinching my dress shirt sleeve, she added.
"So take responsibility."
The princess swallowed the saliva pooling in her mouth from me.
She slowly climbed onto my lap, exhaling sticky breaths.
But the scent from her mouth was utterly sweet.
The fresh fragrance of a just-twenty-year-old woman enveloped and caressed me.
"You sure know how to act spoiled."
I showed her my face, brightly lit by the fireworks.
With a faint smile, I gently rubbed her cheek.
"Wh-what? Spoiled?! This is an order!"
Seeing my smile, Lydia huffed like an indignant black panther.
A fitting reaction from the sharpest of the three princesses.
But.
"An order? Then I'll refuse."
Teasing her like training a pet, I quipped.
Ignoring her on my lap, I turned my head to watch the fireworks again.
"Wh-what?!"
"I'm a marquis now too. I figure I have some rights."
Lydia stared at my brazen attitude with wide eyes.
"Hmph. Think I'll bend just like that? I'm an imperial princess of this nation."
The fresh twenty-year-old crossed her arms, chin held high.
However...
For all her words, she remained straddled on my lap.
She showed no intention of getting off, maintaining her shameless posture stubbornly.
"Then get down."
"..."
Lydia kept her sulky expression at my suggestion.
But I could feel her full thighs growing hotter against me.
"Your body feels hot."
"It's just the garter belt squeezing."
Lydia slipped a finger between the band pressing her lewdly swollen thighs.
I shot back nonchalantly.
"Didn't you usually avoid stuff like this?"
"Why?! Everyone knows I'm fashion-savvy already."
I remembered she liked dressing up but not accessories like this.
Pretending ignorance, I played along.
"Got it. Then get down now."
Ignoring her light weight, I stood up abruptly.
Lydia let out an unprincessly lewd moan.
"Ahh...!"
At the same time, her full thighs wrapped around my waist.
Clinging to me, she pressed her lower belly against mine.
Her hot body met my crotch.
And with each step, it rubbed subtly.
"!!"
Feeling that shape, Lydia's face flushed deeper.
It had been red from drink before, but now it bloomed like a peach, even more beautifully.
"Y-you're strong..."
"You're light, Your Highness."
I chuckled, trying to set her down.
But the princess clung tighter instead.
"Hold me a little longer..."
Finally revealing a bit of her true feelings.
Satisfied, I grinned back at her.
Lydia buried her face in my shoulder, pulling me even closer.
Her hot body heat caressed my entire form.
"Haa... Haaa..."
Breathing shallowly in my arms.
She acted spoiled, as if wanting me all to herself.
But.
Sadly, the world wouldn't let the noble image of a princess slide so easily.
――――――.
Familiar military boot steps echoed from afar.
The presence of eastern knights on festival patrol.
"This is the last patrol spot, right?"
"Yeah, let's wrap up and grab a drink."
"!!"
Startled by the familiar voices, Lydia squeezed me tighter in panic.
She looked like a cub panther scampering to its owner from a charging dog.
"V-Veil...!"
If her subordinates caught her like this—indecently clinging to a man, begging for affection...
She must have thought her dignity would crumble.
Waving her pigtails, she pointed to the dark shadows.
"Hide, quick...!"
Following her command, I hurriedly slipped into the woods.
Deep inside, an empty shed came into view.
"In there!"
Cradling the princess forward, I entered without hesitation.
Into what felt like a cozy nest prepared just for us.