What I Want
I had worried that the presence of the Third Princess might stiffen the room's atmosphere, but as it turned out, that was a completely wasted concern.
Vivian, Leona, and even Cecilia were so utterly dead serious about the game that their sheer obsession set a roaring mood.
Well, of course, that was also thanks in no small part to how entertaining the game itself was.
Vivian's updated version of the Game of Life featured an expanded roster of content, components, and classes, which massively broadened the scope of possible strategies and tactics.
Naturally, that meant an equally hefty increase in rules, but that very complexity gave it an addictive charm once you were hooked.
"Marriage card! Your Highness, you have to marry me!"
"W-What?! Marriage, of all things...?! I already have a fiancé! Besides, we're both girls...!"
"Stop whining and get over here!"
"Aaaah!"
Vivian didn't walk on eggshells or make concessions just because her opponent was an imperial princess.
Moving without a shred of hesitation, Vivian snatched Arpe's playing piece and tied it to her own with a bright pink ribbon, leaving the Third Princess flustered and sputtering in distress.
Even so, Vivian didn't seem to have forgotten the difference in their social status; rather, her mindset was firmly set on the idea that playing a game together made them equal, close companions who shared their hearts.
Whether to call this innocent or simply naive... well, it was certainly cute, though it left me a little worried for her future.
"Everyone else, hand over one million gold each in wedding gifts! Chop-chop!"
"A million gold for wedding gifts? You're no better than a highway bandit."
"Brother! Are you really telling me you won't even spare a single million for your own sister's wedding?!"
"Sigh. Yeah, yeah, fine. Take it, you little extortionist."
"Hehehe...!"
Having pocketed a million gold each from me, Leona, and Cecilia, Vivian beamed with a radiant grin.
"Now, combining this money with my savings and Her Highness's fortune, I'm purchasing the estate on this current space!"
"Excuse me?! H-Hold on a second! Why are you spending my money as you please?! Is that even allowed?!"
"A married couple is one in flesh and soul! That means our assets are merged!"
"Something like that requires mutual consent! You never asked for my permission!"
"Managing household affairs is originally the husband's duty! Just accept it!"
"Wait, I'm the wife in this?!"
"Just follow my lead quietly, and I'll see to it that you enjoy endless wealth and glory!"
After that spirited declaration, Vivian paid the fee and claimed the estate card.
"Ehehehe! From now on, taxes will roll in as gold every single turn! Ten turns from now, we'll have made our investment right back!"
"...Is that truly a sound idea? From the look of things, this game's tempo is so fast and aggressive that surviving for ten whole turns might not be easy..."
"My turn to roll. Oh?"
Right at that moment, Leona rolled the dice, and her token landed squarely on Vivian and the Princess's estate.
Incidentally, Leona's class card was the Thief.
"My chance has come! Activating the Thief's Plunder! I'm sweeping away every bit of the estate's treasury! If there's no money left, I claim sixty percent of all tax revenue for the next five turns!"
"Look at that! We're ruined! We're completely ruined!"
"Kuh...! T-This can't be...!"
While Vivian and the Third Princess wore looks of absolute despair, Cecilia took her turn and rolled the dice.
Her class card was the Dragon.
Whether a dragon counted as a legitimate profession was certainly open to debate, but considering it was just the product of Vivian's unfiltered imagination, it was endearing enough that I didn't nitpick.
"The Dragon's trait activates! If there is an estate or city within five spaces before or behind my piece, I plunder all its gold! If there is no gold, I may abduct a player and hold them hostage! I choose to kidnap the Princess! The owner of the territory or their spouse must come rescue the hostage within five turns!"
"Wh-What did you say...?!"
"Your Highneeeess!!"
As Cecilia snatched up the Third Princess's token, Vivian let out an agonizing wail.
"My turn. Rolling."
I tossed the dice and advanced my piece.
My class card was the Farmer.
It was a rather humble occupation, but it had its perks. For one, it remained largely immune to the destructive skills of other overpowered classes, and even if I did absolutely nothing, the special trait 'Harvest' steadily generated gold every three turns.
"Ugh, ugh... My turn next..."
"Ah, Your Highness is my hostage, so you cannot roll the dice for three turns."
"What?!"
"Then it's my turn again! Here goes!"
Rolling the dice once more, Vivian moved her piece, her eyes sparkling as she read the board. The space she landed on read: 'Pay 500 gold to acquire one Divorce Card.'
"If that's how it has to be... Your Highness! You must stay happy! I am setting off to pursue my own happiness!"
"What... You're abandoning me just like that?!"
"This isn't betrayal! I am merely powerless! Honestly, there's no sense in both of us dying just for me to save you, is there?"
"Wait! You ungrateful brute...!"
"I hereby divorce Her Highness and put the estate up for sale!"
"You're even selling the estate?! Do you have any idea how much of my fortune went into buying that...?!"
Regardless of whether the Princess fell into utter despair or not, Vivian, now a liberated woman, pocketed the proceeds from the estate sale with a refreshed grin.
"...What a total circus."
I chuckled softly, sipping my drink as I watched the youngsters run amok in their overzealous immersion.
"It's your turn, Sir Alzen."
"Mm. Already? Let's see..."
I carelessly rolled the dice and advanced my piece. But the tile granted me a 'Roll the dice once more,' so I tossed it again and drew the 'Archsage' class card.
Because the Archsage had a special ability that allowed yet another bonus roll, I cast the dice a third time. That yielded 'Goddess's Blessing,' granting me the right to move to any space of my choosing just once.
"...Then, to the 'Celestial Altar.'"
The Celestial Altar was a space that bestowed various boons depending on the number rolled next.
"...Rolled a six."
Ordinarily, a six was the rare, exceptional roll that instantly ended the match.
"Advance to the 'Grand Victory' space... Looks like I win."
The Grand Victory tile was something of an easter egg, utterly unreachable through standard movement. But once you managed to set foot on it, regardless of the board state, absolute victory was guaranteed.
"Wh-What kind of trash game is this?!"
Unable to stomach it any longer, the Third Princess sprang to her feet in outrage, stomping in indignation.
"This is my first time seeing such a game, so I wouldn't know, but can a space like that even exist?!"
"Well, usually they don't."
"Then it really is trash!!"
"Hmm, I think the balance is pretty decent, isn't it? It's not like getting to Grand Victory is easy... Regardless, since I won the game, I've won our wager too, haven't I? Any objections?"
"Krrgh...!"
Her face practically screamed with dissatisfaction, but knowing that denying it or throwing a tantrum would be utterly petty, she clamped her lips shut.
Tap, tap.
Right then, Wendy lightly tapped my shoulder and leaned in toward my ear.
"Hm? What is it?"
"Lord Alzen. You have been addressing her casually for some time now."
"...Did I? Thanks. I'll watch my tongue."
Nodding, Wendy took a step back and resumed standing like a wooden totem pole, keeping a vigilant eye on Nazareth Nemeth.
Was it really necessary to stay on guard to that extent? Nemeth herself looked utterly indifferent... Well, Wendy could do as she saw fit.
"In any case, I have won, Your Highness."
"Phoo... Fine. It can't be helped. If there is something you desire, speak. I shall grant whatever is within my power."
"Hmm..."
Her offer was undeniably tempting. As an imperial princess capable of wielding sovereign authority who also operated a massive intelligence syndicate like Greenjack, the ways she could be utilized were practically boundless.
If there were zero risk involved, I would have squeezed every last drop of value out of her. Unfortunately, the risks were far too massive.
To the point where keeping my distance felt like the only sensible course of action.
"I will state my request later. Rather than that, why don't we enjoy a few more games for now?"
"...With another wager?"
"No. Let us just play normally this time."
"...Are you running away after taking your win?"
Seeing her glare at me with narrowed eyes, I let out a hollow laugh. She was surprisingly competitive, wasn't she?
Then again, she had shown that side of herself quite often back when I played Origin World as a video game.
...To be fair, rather than competitive, it had come across as petty and narrow-minded, spawning plenty of memes in the player forums about the 'Beggarly Third Princess.'
"Shall we put something on the line again, then?"
"Of course!"
"Hmm, very well."
Shrugging, I readily accepted and set up the next round.
The Princess rallied her spirits and focused entirely on the board... but comically enough, her luck was beyond atrocious.
Even without anyone intentionally targeting her, she would draw terrible cards and self-destruct, or thrust herself into contested zones only to get crushed like a shrimp caught between battling whales... She managed to maintain dead last through a staggering variety of spectacular failures.
"Aaargh...! It's only because this game is garbage! Let us switch to something else!"
"Fair enough."
After ten consecutive early eliminations in the Game of Life, she whined with a tearful pout, and I indulged her proposal by breaking out a deck of cards.
Yet the Third Princess's misfortune carried over to cards without missing a beat.
Losing, losing, and losing again... By the time her face flushed red as a boiled octopus and tears welled up in her eyes from endless defeat, I finally folded the table.
"Let's call it a night."
"What?! We can't! I haven't won even a single time!"
"The hour is late. The other girls are exhausted, too."
When I gestured toward Vivian, Leona, and Cecilia, who were all slumped over with glassy, half-dead eyes, the Princess ground her teeth in sheer frustration.
"Then! Just you and me, Sir Alzen! Just the two of us! I am definitely winning the next game!"
"My apologies, but I am exhausted as well, so I must decline."
"Kuh...! Then tomorrow! How about tomorrow?!"
"That will not be possible either."
"Why not?!"
"Because I intend to use the wish I won from our wager."
"...Pardon?"
"Your Highness. What I desire is for you to no longer desire me."
"Uh..."
"I would prefer it if you stopped visiting me altogether."
"Wait... But..."
Flustered, she parted her lips to protest, only to press them tightly together and fix me with a searing gaze.
Yet that expression looked far less threatening than it did wounded and aggrieved.
"...Is that truly what you want from me?"
"Yes."
"I... will not give up. You will live to regret this."
"I shall worry about that when the time comes. Thank you for your hard work tonight."
"...Nemeth. We are leaving."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Rising from her seat, she trudged out of the room alongside Nemeth with heavy, dejected steps.
"...Was that really alright? She seemed a little pitiful..."
Having watched the entire scene unfold, Cecilia turned around with a worried frown the moment the door clicked shut.
"She'll be fine. Probably."
"Haaah... I'm truly concerned. Truly... I will sleep in your room tonight, Sir Alzen."
"What? Why on earth would you do that? Absolutely not."
"You have no say in the matter. Someone has to protect you, even if it must be me."
"......"
What was this girl on about, when she had slept like a log through the assassin attack the other day?
When I cast an incredulous look toward Wendy, the knight merely offered a bitter smile and shook her head.
Apparently, they had never told Cecilia about that incident.
"...No. Go sleep in your own room."
"I refuse."
"Brother! I want to sleep in your room too!"
"I-In that case, I will also..."
"......"
Look at these little brats declaring with such proud chests that they were going to protect me.
Helpless against the relentless onslaught of three stubborn girls, I simply resigned myself to fate and nodded.
And the very next day, instead of the Third Princess, it was Berick who came looking for me.