Chapter 133
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: Crown Prince Selection Tournament (4)
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- Swish, swish...
Having ultimately failed to prove my status as supervisor, I ended up being mistaken for a servant by the ladies and dragged into the conference room, where they started petting my head.
"...What a truly adorable servant."
"I wish my little brother were this cute..."
"Give it up. Little brothers aren't capable of being this cute."
I had no idea why I always ended up getting my head stroked first whenever older women grabbed hold of me, but at least it wasn't torture, so I figured I could endure it.
- Knead, knead...
No, it was reaching my limit now that hands like my mother's started caressing and tugging at my cheeks.
"...Hngh."
That's why I desperately tried to turn my eyes red to reclaim my dignity as a Belverk.
"Eeeeek!"
But my face just turned beet red, while my eyes remained their pure white, not reddening in the slightest.
"By the way, why has he been grunting like that since earlier?"
"Come to think of it, he was twisting around in front of the bathroom earlier."
"Oh dear, maybe we made a mistake then..."
And as they watched me like that, the ladies suddenly started murmuring among themselves.
"I-I'm the supervisor...!"
"Want to go to the bathroom with your big sisters?"
One of them asked me in a gentle voice, and for a moment, I couldn't believe my ears.
"...W-With big sisters?"
"He's a hostage, so he needs a watcher, right?"
But hearing the reason, it kind of made sense...
'I didn't want to make a big deal out of this, so that's a relief...'
And considering the current situation, it actually worked out perfectly.
"Then I'll go with that big sister!"
"Pardon?"
"I-It'd be awkward if we all went together..."
Having made my quick decision, I pointed at the lady who had first made the offer and swiftly stood up.
"I'll be right back, everyone."
"Sure, take your time."
"If she overpowers you, scream! Rumor has it every servant of the Belverks is strong!"
Receiving the ladies' send-off from behind, I successfully slipped out of the conference room.
"......"
I paused for a moment where sunlight streamed in from beyond the barracks, then lowered my voice and muttered softly.
"Loyal maids, do your duty."
And at that instant, the loyal maids burst out from my elongated shadow in the sunlight, seizing the lady who had been following beside me.
"Don't kill her right away since I want to talk."
"...Haha."
How much time passed after that? The lady, who had been dazedly looking around, heard my words and revealed her true colors just as expected, throwing a question at me.
"How long have you known?"
She asked with an expression identical to the Saintess who had recently failed to conquer the Belverks and retreated in defeat, her white-tinted eyes gleaming.
"How long have I known...? Honestly, not that long."
Kairen glared coldly at Anastasia, who had possessed an innocent lady and was now securely restrained by the loyal maids emerging from his shadow.
"The decisive moment was when no matter what I did, my eyes wouldn't turn red."
"Hng..."
"If the Imperial Princess's ability nullification had activated, I wouldn't have been able to call the loyal maids either, so the only thing left was holy power, right?"
Anastasia, gazing at Kairen, smiled with eyes like she was looking at a commendable child.
"And yet you didn't summon the loyal maids sooner because you wanted a private audience with me?"
"......"
"Hehe, such a clever boy..."
But even facing his greatest nemesis, Kairen didn't tremble or run away like before.
"You've come wearing another innocent person's skin."
"...Hm?"
"You've got some guts. What if you got caught?"
His face filled with pure anger, he even hurled a provocative question at Anastasia.
Target suppression in progress. Escape probability: 0.3%.
Holy power neutralization process activated.
Sufficiently neutralized safely for at least 3 hours.
Of course, that was largely thanks to the loyal maids that Astridje had temporarily assigned to him, expending a massive amount of her own mana she had diligently accumulated in preparation for such an event.
The loyal maids' original duty was solely to protect the family head. Using them for anything else required an enormous amount of mana comparable to a war between nations.
But precisely because of that, once they were deployed, Anastasia—even in a borrowed body rather than her main one—couldn't confront them head-on.
"If you knew how long I've been doing this, you wouldn't say that."
"......"
"Even wandering right in front of your mother or the Emperor, no one dared notice me?"
Well aware of that herself, Anastasia had given up resisting early on and now glared fiercely at Kairen, unleashing provocations.
"It was I who blinded the eyes of Goddess Korhart. How could mere beasts detect me?"
But this time, Kairen had a retort.
"...And yet someone as great as you had your regression stolen by me?"
Right after that, Anastasia's smile froze, her expression hardening.
"You damn brat, you talk big."
"......"
"But that alone didn't deal me any significant blow?"
However, she quickly regained her leisurely expression and began whispering in a low voice.
"No matter how much you reject me, it's futile."
At her following words, Kairen's expression began to sour more and more.
"I'll keep wearing skins until you finally fall for it and come to me..."
Her abnormal obsession was something a child whose mental age was still only 12, no matter how much worldly experience he had, couldn't fully handle.
"So why not give up now and come to the Holy Kingdom? I could treat you like a husband..."
Even so, Anastasia continued, looking up at the pale-faced Kairen with sparkling eyes.
"Because I'm the heroine of this world..."
"......?"
"...We're destined to be together anyway?"
Kairen blinked in confusion only after she finished speaking.
"Um, sorry."
Anastasia, restrained by the loyal maids, tilted her head in bewilderment at the pure curiosity on Kairen's face.
"The heroine is Princess Lia, though?"
"...Haha."
"Aren't you mistaking something?"
And shortly after, Anastasia began to smile lowly again, as if wondering what nonsense he was spouting.
"For now, maybe..."
"......?"
"But you know it too, right?"
She whispered, staring at Kairen with eyes shrouded in deep darkness.
"The classic cliché of romance fantasy."
The moment he heard that, chills ran down Kairen's spine, freezing him in place.
"The original protagonist always ends up losing to the possessed protagonist..."
Anastasia leaned her head in closer toward the frozen Kairen.
- Shing...
The loyal maids, emitting even more killing intent at her sinister movement, pressed knives to her throat, but she grew even more excited, changing her tone to press Kairen.
"And so far, everything's going according to my plan..."
"......"
"Want me to hint at just one thing?"
And as she did, Kairen's frozen body began to tremble faintly.
"Do you know why the strong favorite for victory, the Second Prince, isn't seizing this golden opportunity?"
It was because at that moment, he realized his enemy before him wasn't just annoyingly powerful in combat.
"...Because even Princess Lia becoming the next Crown Prince is part of my plan."
Anastasia smirked chillingly as she said that, proving her long-term scheming by how far advanced her plans already were.
"So.... Gahk?"
But as she smugly revealed that, Anastasia's eyes suddenly widened.
"You, what the—."
"...Cough."
"What are you doing to Kairen?"
It was because a familiar voice sounded from behind, and simultaneously, a golden spear pierced through her chest.
"...Ha."
She tried to heal it with holy power but was blocked by the loyal maids, vomiting blood as she trembled and turned her head back.
"Finally, we meet."
"......"
"My heroine?"
Spotting Princess Lia hurriedly approaching from behind, Anastasia spoke with a spine-chilling expression.
"...What?"
"Nice to meet you."
Ignoring Princess Lia's words entirely, she continued in a voice thick with darkness.
"Why don't we heroines get along...?"
And right after, the sound of flesh being pierced rang out.
- Crunch...
One loyal maid who had been holding a blade threateningly rammed her own throat onto it, then smiled radiantly with a gooey, bone-chilling grin.
"W-What the hell is she?"
Princess Lia involuntarily stepped back at Anastasia's mad actions, then turned to Kairen and began questioning him.
"Why is she saying all that while subdued by your subordinates, then suddenly self-harming...?"
"......"
"Is she a spy for the Second Prince? But if so, I wouldn't have missed her..."
But her question didn't reach its end.
"Why isn't he back yet...?"
"Yeah, he should have been back by now..."
"M-Maybe something happened..."
The worried voices of the ladies in the distant conference room filtered through clearly toward them.
"Oh, no..."
Only then did Princess Lia understand Anastasia's actions, biting her lip in dismay.
"Hehehehehe..."
"......"
"What do you think would happen if I screamed here?"
And sure enough, Anastasia, using the tiny bit of holy power she squeezed out to staunch her wound, spoke to Kairen in a deflating voice.
"The supervisor who should stay neutral killed a poor lady, or the rising star princess is actually a jealous murderer... Either sounds fun..."
Hearing that, Kairen glared at her coldly for a moment before finally speaking.
"...What do you want."
"Oh, very simple."
At his surrender-like declaration, Anastasia's face flushed with happiness as she grinned.
"I want just one thing..."
"......"
"Grant me that, and I'll spare this possessed lady's life. How about it?"
At her bold claim, Kairen urged her on with an anxious expression.
"...Tell me first."
Having successfully ensnared Kairen in her web, Anastasia spat out her proposal with ecstatic glee.
"Soon, I'll come to you in a new skin..."
"......"
"...Go on a date with me. Just one day."
The moment she finished, silence hung in the air.
"Really simple, right, Kairen?"
"Um..."
And shortly after, Kairen asked in a low voice, gazing at the still-excited Anastasia.
"Do you like me, by any chance?"
"...Huh?"
Anastasia tilted her head at the question, then clutched her still-bleeding neck and replied with a sinister smile.
"Did you only just realize?"
"......"
"Let me say it again: you're my favorite!"
Seeing her expression grow even more chilling than ever, Kairen began to look disgusted.
"I love you, Kairen!!!"
Undeterred, she confessed her true feelings with the fervor of hearts floating in her eyes.
"Ditch that useless bitch and marry me!!!!!"