Chapter 196: Loyalty?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 196: Loyalty?
“Hh, heup…”
Even though some time had passed since our lips first met, Elisabeth remained in my arms, completely flustered.
The corners of her tightly shut eyes trembled.
Whenever I licked her lips, she would gasp and flinch.
It seemed she wasn't mentally prepared yet, as her lips showed no sign of opening. Thanks to that, I'd been doing nothing but licking them for nearly five minutes.
But I didn't rush her.
‘Wow… look at my fingers sinking in.’
It wasn't enough that I was stealing Elisabeth's first kiss; I was also secretly groping the breasts of her guard, Tina.
This was my minimum display of conscience.
Tina's sweat-drenched breasts were so soft that no other words were needed. So soft that my fingers sank into them at will.
I tickled her shyly blooming, light-pink nipples and watched for her reaction.
“…”
As expected, there was no particular response.
Even when I squeezed her breasts hard or pinched her nipples firmly, she didn't let out a moan, not even blinking an eye.
She simply stared at me with an unreadable expression.
Was she silently telling me to be gentle, or was she watching me in case I tried something funny?
Her lack of reaction only made me more determined.
[The Sex Expert skill has been activated.]
[Foreplay Correction +50%]
Flinch!
The moment I used the skill, Tina's body trembled faintly.
A hint of bewilderment crept into her emotionless eyes. Her expression said she couldn't comprehend what was happening.
Although she didn't moan, the encouraging results didn't stop there.
“…”
I had only squeezed her breast, yet Tina’s lips parted and her waist trembled slightly.
It was a minuscule reaction, but it wasn't hard to notice.
Besides, her nipples had grown a little harder than before.
As I kneaded her breasts and gently rolled her nipples, Tina tried to pull back slightly, as if something was making her uncomfortable.
‘Can't have you running away.’
I wasn't about to let her.
Yank!
I pulled on the nipple of the cowardly assassin as she tried to back away.
“?!”
The sensation must have been stronger than she expected, because Tina clamped both hands over her mouth and trembled. Our eyes met naturally.
Cold sweat trickled down her pale cheeks. She looked utterly flustered.
I gave a small smile and pinched her nipple hard.
“…Ngh.”
Finally, a small moan escaped her lips.
It was a bit disappointing that it wasn't loud enough for Elisabeth to hear, but considering her stone-like demeanor before, it was a rather satisfying result.
Calming my excitement, I looked back at Elisabeth.
Her lips were still firmly sealed. I tenaciously licked the seam between them, waiting for the opportunity that would eventually come.
With one hand, I fondled Tina's breast; with the other, I caressed Elisabeth's cheek.
I could feel the texture of her skin, smooth as silk.
As I stroked her earlobe and became a little more aggressive, she seemed to relax, and a small gap formed between her lips.
“Hup?!”
While Elisabeth was off guard, I succeeded in slipping my tongue into her mouth.
The moment my tongue touched hers, Elisabeth froze completely.
[The Sex Expert skill has been activated.]
[Foreplay Correction +20%]
But as I used the skill and continued to touch her ear, she slowly began to lean her body against mine. I wanted to pull her in by the waist, but I had to restrain myself because of the watchful eyes on me.
“…Hn.”
Suddenly finding Tina annoying, I focused on tormenting her nipple, pinching and pulling it.
It must have hurt, but Tina's face showed no sign of pain.
Instead, a faint blush bloomed on her cheeks.
I had unintentionally given her a reward.
‘…Is it still too early to call her a masochist?’
Most ordinary women have some masochistic tendencies. It's the sadistic ones who are rare.
I continued to torment Tina while my tongue danced with Elisabeth's.
We exchanged saliva and body heat, focusing on the breaths that mingled between us.
“Mmph… heup… slurp, slurp…”
As time went on, Elisabeth began to cling to me.
She held me tight, craving the kiss. Then, whenever the hand caressing her ear grew rougher, she would flinch as if startled, her body trembling as she let out a moan.
Her face was flushed, her eyes were hazy, and a luscious tear had formed at the corner of her eye.
She looked so lewd, it made me wonder if it was appropriate for the princess of a nation to act this way.
Thanks to her, I had to spend a good while unable to even straighten my back.
After what felt like dozens of minutes, I was finally set free.
I was supposed to be the one devouring her, but it felt like I was the one who had almost been eaten.
When our lips parted, a thin, silvery thread connected us before snapping.
I looked at Elisabeth, who was touching her lips as if disappointed it was over.
“…It was nothing special.”
She turned her head, trying to act unfazed, though her voice trembled. I wasn't tactless enough to point it out, so I didn't add any unnecessary comments.
While Elisabeth straightened her clothes, my gaze shifted to Tina.
‘I thought she would've come by now.’
Surprisingly, Tina hadn't reached her climax by the time the kiss ended.
Her reactions had been faint, but I thought I could have made her come at least once after fondling her for so long.
“Tina, tie the strap in the back for me.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
At Elisabeth's call, Tina rushed over in a single step.
“Hmm? Tina, are you feeling unwell? Your face is a bit red.”
“…It is nothing.”
Despite the sharp observation, there wasn't a hint of a tremor in Tina's voice.
Of course, the person on the receiving end might feel differently.
“Hmph…”
Elisabeth's gaze turned toward me.
It was a look full of suspicion.
Not being confident in my acting skills, I just gave her a placid smile.
“Hmm…”
After looking back and forth between me and Tina, Elisabeth eventually averted her gaze. It felt like she was letting it go due to a lack of evidence.
I stole a glance at Tina. She looked completely unfazed.
‘It's not like I care if we get caught, though.’
Still, I had no intention of stirring up unnecessary trouble.
“Your Highness, this way for a moment.”
After seating Elisabeth in a chair, Tina began to skillfully brush her hair.
‘…Where did she pull that chair and brush from?’
Both the chair and the brush were high-quality items that didn't fit the messy shop at all. The chair was one thing, but Tina's clothes didn't seem to have any space to store a brush.
‘An artifact?’
I remembered the purple-haired mage I met when crossing the border.
That guy had also pulled a staff out of thin air.
If Tina had something similar, it would explain the source of all her hidden weapons.
Then again, it wouldn't be strange for the princess's personal guard to possess an artifact.
“Um, Your Highness?”
I spoke cautiously to Elisabeth, who was adjusting her bangs.
But she just pouted, as if displeased about something, and avoided my gaze.
“…Elisa.”
“Pardon?”
Elisabeth whispered in a voice smaller than a crawling ant.
“…C-Call me Lady Elisa.”
I stared at her as she hid her face with her hair and bowed her head low.
She may have hidden her face, but she couldn't quite hide her bright red earlobes.
Though, buried in her pink hair, they almost looked like camouflage.
I fought back the laughter that threatened to burst out and continued speaking.
“Is that a pet name, by any chance?”
No answer came.
Instead, she slowly nodded.
“I am deeply honored.”
“…Tina, bind him at once. It's blasphemy.”
She must not have liked my tone, because for a while, I had to deal with Tina genuinely trying to restrain me.
Ouch, that hit a bone.
“So, why did you call me over?”
After being subdued by Tina and rolling around on the floor, I skillfully undid the restraints and stood up.
By "skillfully," I meant I groped her breast.
Perhaps not expecting me to touch her there, Tina flinched in surprise and backed away.
“Would it be alright if I asked for a favor?”
“…A favor?”
It might seem like I was asking for a lot, having stolen the princess's first kiss and groped her beautiful assassin's breasts, but what I was about to ask for was strictly a favor, not a reward.
There's a saying that even a chance encounter can be fate.
I did save the princess's life, so asking for a favor seemed reasonable.
Well, if she said no, then so be it.
“Hee, hee hee…”
Besides, for some reason, Elisabeth seemed to be in a good mood.
Just a moment ago, she had been pouting.
‘Could it be that time of the month?’
If so, her mood swings would make sense.
“Alright. I shall make you my knight.”
“…?”
A knight, all of a sudden?
“Well… your words and actions are a bit disrespectful, but your skills seem solid. I can't grant you a knighthood right away, but I'll ask my father soon and…”
“Um, that's not it.”
“Hm?”
I cut off the princess, who was getting ahead of herself.
I wasn't sure what she was misunderstanding, but it seemed necessary to correct her.
“I was just asking you to write me a letter of recommendation.”
“…?”
“…??”
*
To get to my next destination, the Orsia Grand Duchy, I needed to head to the eastern border of the Nivia Kingdom.
However, the Orsia Grand Duchy was currently in the midst of a civil war.
It wouldn't be as easy to cross the border as it was before.
There were even rumors circulating that a conscription order had been issued in the eastern part of the Nivia Kingdom.
I didn't know if the rumors were true, but the problem was that quite a few people actually believed them.
The procession of refugees I had encountered on my way to the capital numbered in the thousands.
Thanks to that, the checkpoints between cities had become much stricter.
For foreigners, in particular, they wouldn't let you pass if there was even one suspicious thing about you.
Of course, thanks to the reliable method of bribery, I hadn't had any major problems, but there was no telling how long that would work.
However, with a letter of recommendation from the royal family, things would be different.
Not only would I be able to travel to the Orsia Kingdom without much difficulty, but more importantly, it would be useful for shaking off any pursuers.
That's why I had asked Elisabeth for a letter of recommendation.
“…That hurts.”
Instead of a letter, I got a kick to the shin.
“Hmph!”
The perpetrator shamelessly snorted at the victim who was complaining of pain, as if to assert that she was the one in a worse mood.
I was dumbfounded.
But to get the letter, I needed to humor her to some extent.
Allowing myself to be bound and thrown into the carriage was part of that.
‘This carriage is nice.’
I was struck by a fresh realization of just how garbage the carriages I'd ridden in until now had been.
If the carriage I was in now was a Porsche, then the ones I'd ridden before were handcarts.
“Could you at least tell me the destination?”
The moment I asked the question, a murderous glare shot my way.
“The royal castle.”
“What?”
Why am I going there?
“You're the one who asked for a letter of recommendation.”
“Ah.”
“Besides, the attack earlier was a clear case of attempted regicide. The perpetrators will be executed without exception, and anyone involved will face severe punishment for high treason.”
Only then did I understand why the attackers' corpses were being carried in the carriage following us.
They were probably going to be beheaded and displayed in the public square.
“The procedures are complicated, so it will take some time, but if things go well, you might even receive a medal. Of course, there will be a monetary reward as well, so you can look forward to that.”
Tap, tap.
Elisabeth tapped on the window.
The royal castle, which had looked about the size of a finger when we first entered the city, was now so close that I had to crane my neck just to see its top.