The Princess's Husband Candidate (1)
Disappointment. It's the emotion you feel when the outcome you hoped for falls short of the expectations you'd built up in your mind. The higher your hopes, the greater the disappointment. And more often than not, things tend to disappoint once you actually get a good look at them.
But what if it's the opposite? What if the thing you've been longing for exceeds every expectation and fills you with satisfaction? The pleasure that comes with that is simply beyond words.
Finally…!
Right now, in this very moment, Freya's long-cherished wish was coming true.
When Sieg raised his arm and began the incantation, Freya's heart refused to calm down. The pounding was so intense it made her lips tremble.
Thump. Thump.
Receiving healing magic directly from him. It was something she'd been dreaming of ever since she first saw his magic in the examination hall.
Strangely enough, his healing magic was far superior to her own. The divinity she felt from it was as powerful as the fulfillment she experienced when speaking directly with the One God. And then there were the blissful expressions that appeared on everyone who received his healing. They looked just like people savoring a delicious meal, to the point where it made her mouth water.
Lately, no stimulation seemed enough to shake off her boredom. So what would Sieg's healing magic feel like?
With a heart full of excitement and anticipation, Freya waited with trembling anticipation.
And then, at last—
“Heal—!”
Sieg's magic enveloped her.
“Hngh… ugh…”
Freya let out a moan before she could stop herself.
The light of healing swept across her entire body from head to toe. The wounds she'd sustained at the cost of her consciousness regenerated in an instant. A profound sense of fullness that seemed to reach all the way to her bones pierced through her.
“Haaah…”
Her body trembled with ecstasy. As the Saintess known as the incarnation of the One God, and someone more sensitive to divinity than anyone else, the magic Sieg poured into her was overwhelmingly stimulating.
An intense rush of sensation flooded her most sensitive areas. The stimulation was so powerful that her body twitched involuntarily, but the healing light refused to let her go. Instead, it relentlessly tormented those sensitive spots.
Just as she'd expected, it was on a completely different level from any healing magic she'd received before. The pleasure was so immense she couldn't even remember what the High Priest's healing magic had felt like. It was permanently etched into her very bones.
“So good…”
She was already addicted to this sensation. It far surpassed anything she'd hoped for. She didn't even want to imagine a future without this pleasure.
“How does your body feel?”
Sieg asked cautiously as Freya collapsed to the floor.
“Haa… haa…”
Normally, receiving healing would leave someone feeling stable and energized. Yet Freya looked far worse than before—her breathing ragged, cold sweat pouring down her face. At least the blood that had been flowing from her mouth had stopped, so it seemed the magic had worked. But from the outside, it looked anything but normal.
“I-I'm fine.”
When Sieg offered his hand, Freya carefully took it. She tried to stand with his support, but her legs immediately gave out. She couldn't keep her balance, like a newborn calf. Sieg had no choice but to grab her shoulders to steady her. If he let go, she would have fallen.
The two of them ended up in what looked like an embrace. Thanks to that, Freya's breath was close enough for him to hear clearly.
“Haa… haa…”
Her breathing tickled his ear. Perhaps because she was a Saintess, even her sweet scent teased his nose, making the situation incredibly stimulating.
“Thank you.”
Freya whispered her gratitude to Sieg for supporting her, then sat down. And in her mind, she thought:
I want to keep him by my side.
She had to use healing magic whenever there were official requests or needs. That would probably continue for the rest of her life. The toll it took on her body was an unavoidable price. Usually, she recovered with the High Priests' magic, but after tasting Sieg's healing once, she wanted to keep asking him for it.
Maybe that desire had grown too strong.
“Sir Sieg, would you consider joining the Church?”
She wanted him right beside her. Freya looked up at him with slightly narrowed eyes.
What if he refuses?
For some reason, making the offer took a lot of courage. Her cheeks flushed red with nervous tension.
The answer came quickly.
“That would be difficult.”
It was firm. Sieg looked completely resolute. Even so, Freya opened her mouth again.
“Is there a particular reason? Is the treatment not to your liking? Do you dislike belonging to an organization? You can remain completely free. All I ask is that you stay by my side!”
She truly wanted to keep him.
“Is it… not possible?”
She asked once more.
*
“Is it… not possible?”
The offer came again. Ever since receiving his healing magic, Freya had been persistently asking. With an expression that looked like she might cry at any moment. It was so different from her usual sly demeanor that it left him bewildered.
“Yes. I'm afraid that's not possible.”
Still, what couldn't be done simply couldn't be done.
“Tsk, how stingy. But… being rejected like this isn't so bad either? I kind of like the bluntness.”
Freya muttered quietly. Was her earlier behavior just an act? She turned her head and playfully showed a hint of disappointment, returning to her usual sly self.
I let out a sigh of relief and said,
“So, what did you think of my magic? You said you wanted to experience it yourself, right?”
“Hmm… once doesn't seem like enough. I think I'd understand better if I received it a few more times…”
Freya twirled a lock of her hair as if deep in thought.
“Would you like to try it again?”
What followed was clearly a suspicious ploy.
“Didn't you already get fully healed?”
“I can always make new wounds. I have a knife right here. Just wait a moment, I'll make one right away.”
“No, no. That's really not necessary.”
I had to stop her when she looked ready to slice her own hand open. If I hadn't intervened, she would have done it without hesitation. As expected, she really was a perverted self-harming Saintess. Her way of thinking was definitely not normal.
Does even Freya not know…?
I'd thought that as the Saintess, she might know something about my healing magic. But it seemed she hadn't noticed anything different either. For now, the only odd thing was how people reacted to it. There didn't seem to be any other problems, so it wasn't urgent. Still, I had no idea where else to look for answers if even the Saintess didn't know.
“Once the competition in the Goshura Great Forest ends, the Church plans to depart. I'll send someone then.”
“Thank you.”
“Ah, there's one thing I want to warn you about.”
“A warning?”
I was about to leave now that our business was finished, but Freya stopped me.
“Stay away from the imperial family.”
“The imperial family?”
Her unusually serious expression made me listen carefully. But what she said was a warning I couldn't quite understand. And it was already too late.
Hadn't I already encountered Morgan Arcadia at the auction house? On top of that, I'd learned through a demon that the demon race was targeting the Emperor. I was already in too deep to back out now.
However—
“I heard the imperial family is planning something else alongside this martial arts competition.”
“What is it?”
“The Emperor of the Arcadia Empire is looking for husband candidates for the princess.”
“Husband… candidates?”
What Freya said next was shocking. Husband candidates? Which of the two princesses were they trying to find a husband for? And more importantly, was there anything like this in the original story? There wasn't.
“They say Princess Morgan recently gave up her wild ways, and the Emperor was so pleased that he's rushing to secure an heir. It's going to be announced soon.”
“But why are you telling me this?”
It was shocking information, but I couldn't understand why Freya was sharing it with me. Of course, I had been planning to contact her about the Goshura Great Forest issue, but this warning had come completely out of nowhere.
“It's just a warning, just in case. After all, Sir Sieg, you're incredibly handsome. At least more handsome than any man I've seen in my life, so you need to be careful.”
“…”
“Absolutely do not get involved with the imperial family in any way! Remember that. You must!”
After delivering her solemn warning, she hurriedly left the church.
My head was spinning. To stop the demons' plan, it seemed like I would need to make contact with the imperial family. But Freya's warning kept bothering me.
Ah, it can't be.
How many times had I even seen Princess Morgan? We'd only met once. And all she knew about me was my two-syllable name. Even though Barbar was a noble family, as long as she didn't know that, I was just a commoner. The difference in status wasn't something that could be bridged so easily. There shouldn't be any problem.
“Sir Sieg, I'm sorry. Something urgent came up regarding my territory…”
On the way back to the lodging, Daeho bowed his head in apology. I waved it off. It couldn't be helped. If anything, I was grateful he'd made time at all.
When I finally reached the lodging, I noticed a crowd gathered there.
“Is that the princess? Why is she here…?”
“She's probably here for an inspection, right?”
“Inspection? That spoiled brat? She's probably here to hunt for men.”
The voices coming from all directions made it easy to figure out the reason.
Right in front of the lodging entrance, there was a noticeable group. And in the center of them was a woman dressed in luxurious clothes and adorned with flashy jewelry.
“Oh! Sir Sieg!”
It was Morgan, calling out to me with a bright smile on her face.