I Can't Handle This
I’ll be fine.
If it’s Isana, she’ll definitely bring Rachel back. Whether that comes in the form of gentle persuasion or persuasion of the physical variety, I have no idea.
Rachel betrayed us during the special training. No matter what Isana does to her, I have no right to complain.
Especially since she loathes commoners—I can only imagine how vicious she’ll become. Even I, who feels repulsed by Rachel, find myself offering a silent prayer on her behalf.
“Is it really okay to use it like this?”
Linnea asked.
“A request?”
“Yes. It’s only three, right?”
“Three. But we agreed not to make any unreasonable demands, so this much should be fine.”
Watching Linnea’s reluctant expression, I lifted one corner of my mouth.
“Were you hoping I’d make that kind of request? Isana cherishes you deeply. If she heard you talking like that, she’d be quite hurt.”
“That’s not what I meant! It’s just that someone as lewd as Master would make an offer that can’t be refused, then use it as leverage to threaten—”
“What exactly do you take me for?”
I’m not some walking piece of bread, nor am I the male lead of a story. Does she think I turn people into slaves because I enjoy it?
It’s because they’re irredeemable villainesses who embody pure evil.
“You did make me a slave!”
“I made you a slave to protect you.”
If I hadn’t, Linnea would have been executed long ago.
“Isn’t being executed better than becoming a commoner’s slave?”
“You say that, yet you seem to be living quite comfortably.”
“Ugh…! I’m only pretending to live comfortably, okay?”
Linnea whined like a sulking child, but her words lingered in my mind.
Pretending.
She might be telling the truth. Although she avoids mentioning it, there was that one time she bitterly resented me.
Hmm.
Better not to dwell on it too deeply. My methods may not always be correct, but when dealing with villainesses, this is the path that spills the least blood.
“Is there any need to pretend you’re doing well?”
“Because I hate those pitying looks. Even after becoming a slave, I haven’t lost my dignity.”
“Haven’t lost your dignity, you say.”
It feels more like she finally gained some after becoming a slave. Before that, picking fights with the professors was her daily routine.
Even the instructors who keep me in check flinch the moment they see Linnea. I can only imagine how much PTSD she must have given them.
“Stop looking at me like that! You don’t even know the full story…”
“I was trying to compliment you on gaining dignity.”
“Really!?”
Linnea’s eyes sparkled.
“Do I really have it now?”
She kept asking, panting like an eager puppy.
“Yes, yes. You’ve gained dignity.”
“See? Even as a slave, I still have my dignity.”
Linnea planted her hands on her hips and let out a loud “Uhahaha.”
She’s so transparent. Cheering her up is almost too easy.
“Stop babbling and let’s go eat.”
“As a slave with dignity, I shall dine with you. So you won’t be lonely.”
“I’m not sure ‘slave’ is something you should say so proudly.”
“If I have dignity, it doesn’t matter!”
With her shoulders squared as if they could touch the sky, Linnea marched ahead.
This is my first time eating in the school cafeteria.
It had already been roughly seven weeks since I began my academy life, yet I had always taken my meals in Seah’s lab or at nearby shops.
“Since I come here often, I’ll recommend something for you.”
The moment we reached the cafeteria, Linnea dashed forward. She stopped in front of the kiosk and…
Oh, fuck.
They have kiosks here too. Watching a girl who looked like she’d been ripped straight out of a romance fantasy novel operating a touchscreen created an overwhelming sense of dissonance.
“Come look. I recommend the salmon steak and—”
“Do they happen to sell unagi brunch?”
“Hmm. I don’t know what that is, but I doubt they sell it.”
Of course they don’t.
“Then I’ll have the salmon steak.”
“Good choice.”
Linnea turned away after speaking. I wondered what she was doing instead of finishing the order.
She began fiddling with my uniform, searching for something.
“What are you…?”
“Found it!”
She took my student ID and scanned it at the kiosk.
“Commoners receive a twenty percent discount.”
“The historical accuracy here is something else.”
I’m almost afraid to find out how far this fusion world has gone off the rails. Living quietly with Erde in the mountains had shielded me from it, but the blend of modern and fantasy elements ran far deeper than I’d imagined.
“Over there.”
Holding the numbered ticket, Linnea trotted over and took a seat. Then she patted the chair beside her.
“I know where to sit.”
“I just wanted to do it.”
“You really are an odd woman.”
I sat down.
Zap!
All eyes suddenly locked onto us. It was a familiar feeling.
I am currently one of the most watched people in the entire academy. From the moment I arrived, I turned the academy’s greatest delinquent, Linnea, into my slave.
I claimed the position of first disciple under Seah, the most highly regarded professor in the magic department.
As a commoner, I became the princess’s partner for the ball and shared the first dance with her. I even took the first dance with Isana, the duke’s daughter.
Even I have to admit it’s pretty insane.
Not even a month has passed since I started living here, yet I’ve already done so much.
“So that’s the commoner?”
“Bringing his slave to the cafeteria…”
“His face isn’t bad, though?”
Whispers drifted from a nearby table. A group of female students. Their voices carried far too clearly.
It wasn’t that my hearing was especially good—they simply weren’t bothering to hide their conversation.
“I’d like to have a taste.”
“Are you insane? Taste what?”
“His face screams ‘well-endowed’…”
My head was spinning. They seemed to realize how embarrassing their words were, because their voices gradually grew quieter.
But I could still hear every single word. Sometimes having good ears is a curse.
“I can’t… I can’t forgive this…”
Who the hell is that guy? From the table beside us, he was glaring at me like he wanted to kill me.
He glanced at the group of girls, then back at me.
Why am I getting dragged into this?
Anyone could tell he was harboring a one-sided crush on one of those female students.
Fuck, just deal with it among yourselves. The guy handing out the rice cakes isn’t even interested, yet you’re all drumming up a whole performance by yourselves.
“Should I go talk to him?”
“Go ahead.”
“If it works out, I’ll share.”
“Well… not a bad idea.”
Scraaape—
One of the female students stood and walked toward me.
“Would you like to join us?”
She flashed a seductive smile and slyly reached for my hand. I brushed it away immediately.
“How forceful.”
She seemed to be trying to create a bewitching atmosphere, but her face completely ruined the effect.
She wasn’t ugly. In fact, among ordinary people, she’d be considered top-tier. But my standards had risen too high recently after seeing so many people who operated on an entirely different level. I felt nothing.
Her gestures also seemed too much like those of a venomous snake.
Just as I opened my mouth to refuse—
“Get lost.”
A dignified voice cut in.
“Who are you… huh?”
The female student froze mid-turn.
“It’s the princess.”
Katrina pulled out a chair and naturally sat beside me.
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t recognize you, Princess, and behaved rudely!”
The seductive act vanished. Without the slightest hesitation, the girl slammed her forehead to the floor.
Katrina waved her hand dismissively, as if the girl were nothing but an annoyance.
“Thank you!”
The female student kept bowing as she scurried back to her seat. The guy who had been glaring at me with murderous intent quickly looked down as well.
So it was fake rage. Of course. How impressive could someone who only engaged in petty romantic squabbles be?
“Are you not interested in me, the princess?”
Katrina took my hand.
The air around us froze instantly. Every chattering student fell silent.
It was that shocking. The princess was holding a commoner’s hand in a casual setting—not an official event like a ball—and openly displaying their relationship.
Even I was surprised.
“State your business.”
“Why? Did you assume a princess can’t eat?”
“That’s not it. The timing is just too convenient.”
One student actually fainted from the shock of our conversation. The frozen atmosphere finally thawed.
Of course, not in a good way. Everyone was now staring at me like I was a madman.
What’s the problem?
It’s not an official event. A commoner can exchange a few words with a princess.
“If you came here because you have business with me?”
“Should I welcome you, then?”
“That would be nice.”
Katrina chuckled softly. As I watched her beautiful smile, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
“If you have business, may I speak first?”
“Hm? You had something too?”
“It just came to me after seeing you.”
“What an amusing man. Fine. If love has begun to bloom, speak freely.”
She spoke playfully, but I could hear gasps from all around us.
“Unfortunately it’s not love. I wanted to invite you to join a club.”
“A club? Did you create one?”
“Not me. It’s a club Professor Seah ambitiously planned this time.”
I explained the nature of the club to Katrina. The more I spoke, the more her expression soured.
Is it really that bad?
…Well, it is pretty bad.
If not for Seah, I wouldn’t have given it a second glance.
“How very like Professor Seah.”
Katrina muttered with slightly furrowed brows.
“So, will you join?”
“If you accept my proposal, I’ll consider it positively.”
“I’d like a definite answer, not just consideration.”
“I’m curious whether you remember that I am a princess.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Princess or not. Just say whether you’ll join or not.
“…What an aggressive man.”
Katrina licked her lips, wearing a bewitching smile. It was on an entirely different level from the clumsy one the earlier girl had attempted.
“As you said, if I accept your proposal, I’ll join the club.”
“What is the proposal?”
“It’s difficult to say here, so…”
Katrina trailed off. I was wondering what she could possibly want to say when—
She grinned like someone who had just declared checkmate.
“How about the two of us drinking wine together while we talk?”
The moment she finished speaking, everyone froze.
Even Linnea, who had been listening absentmindedly, narrowed her eyes.
She’s lost her mind.
She asked me if I knew she was a princess, yet she herself seems completely unaware of what being a princess actually means.
“Where?”
“Hmm… my room?”
Katrina squeezed our joined hands.
This is fucking…
I can’t handle this either.