Ilusia Rodpen
Ilusia Rodpen
Princess Ilusia Rodpen, who had been staring blankly at me as I sat there slumped on the floor without a word for quite some time.
I, too, had never expected to encounter her so suddenly, without any preparation whatsoever.
So, I couldn't say a word and just quietly met her blue gaze.
"...... You look better than I thought."
That was the first thing Ilusia said after finally opening her mouth.
Slightly flustered by the out-of-the-blue compliment on my appearance, I put on the least awkward smile I could manage.
"Ahaha... I get that a lot."
"Be quiet."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Okay, so I shouldn't act this cheeky?
Learned that perfectly.
Must not make that mistake again.
I repeated the realization I'd just gained to myself several times, zipped my lips, and started staring straight into her eyes.
And as she stared me down again, she suddenly shoved her hand into her clothes.
Thinking she might be pulling out a dagger, I flinched without realizing it.
The thing in her hand when she pulled it back out wasn't a dagger or a staff.
It was a letter envelope with a very familiar appearance.
'Is that...?'
It was certain.
The edges were a bit wrinkled, as if she'd crumpled it up right after reading the contents, but it was definitely the love letter I had sent.
... Damn it, it really got delivered.
Anyway, thanks to that, I figured out exactly why Princess Ilusia had dragged me here.
Then there was only one thing to do.
To survive, I'll start my strategy in a slightly different way than I did with Rihel or Mirea.
First, instead of immediately explaining the letter, I nodded with a look full of affirmation.
"I apologize. It is indeed the letter I sent!"
"... Hmmm?"
Did she expect me to deny the letter's existence or immediately beg for my life?
Seeing me admit to everything at once without looking the least bit scared, Ilusia tilted her head as if intrigued.
Then, after staring into my eyes for a moment, she waved her hand—which was softer and whiter than the Denius mother and daughter's—at me.
At that, the members who had been standing quietly behind me—presumably her direct intelligence unit, Lunos—filed out of the office in perfect order.
Click.
After the door closed, only Ilusia and I were left inside the space, which I guessed was a massive student council office? Or perhaps her dormitory?
And only then did Ilusia slowly rise from her seat.
"The Denius Duchy is reluctant to be touched openly in many ways, so I had a lot of trouble deciding how to grab you by the scruff of your neck and drag you here."
Click, clack.
With the sound of her heels echoing unusually loudly, she took one step, then another, slowly approaching me.
"And yet, after daring to send me such trashy letters, you crawled into the academy on your own two feet with such confidence. I'll at least commend you for that admirable courage."
"......."
Ilusia, who had reached right in front of my nose, bent down slightly.
And she reached out with those slender fingers I'd fallen for the moment I saw them.
She lightly grabbed my chin as I knelt quietly and lifted it up.
A subtle, noble-feeling? scent of flowers brushed against the tip of my nose.
'Oh, oh... crazy.'
At a distance where our lips would touch if I leaned forward just a little, I focused as hard as I could only on her blue eyes.
"Originally, I intended to execute you on the spot for the crime of insulting royalty the moment I saw your face."
"......."
"But I've changed my mind. I don't know what kind of magic you used on that high-nosed master and successor of Denius, but the fact that you've survived in their clutches with all your limbs intact means your ability is quite extraordinary."
Ilusia applied a little more pressure to the hand holding my chin and glared at me, almost piercing through my eyes.
"So, I will show mercy and give you a chance."
With her remaining hand, she pulled a sheet of pure white paper from her bosom and dropped it onto my palm.
"Spill every bit of information you have about the Crown Prince onto that paper. Then I'll let you keep your pathetic life."
"Information about the Crown Prince..."
Upon hearing Ilusia's proposal, I regained my composure surprisingly quickly—even to my own surprise—and began to ponder.
'Should I just write down the weaknesses and corruption of Crown Prince Cherndea that I know here and wash my hands of it?'
After all, the Princess's ultimate goal is the Crown Prince's ruin.
If I hand her the information she wants and the Crown Prince steps down from his position as successor.
The future where Ilusia torments Sereniel until she's on the brink of death will disappear completely.
If that happens, couldn't I just manage the Denius mother and daughter's favorability for the rest of my academy life and live relatively comfortably?
Yes, it was definitely not a bad method.
But that sweet imagination didn't last long.
'No, wait, crazy. I already twisted the original story from the start by beating that bastard Kalian in the practical exam earlier.'
If the Princess purges the Crown Prince early with my information or causes a massive bloodbath inside the imperial family here?
The main story of the original work will truly collapse completely.
In other words, it means my only weapon and lifeline—knowledge of the future—could just become a piece of scrap paper not even fit for kindling.
'Haa... fuck it, I don't know. If I'm going to die anyway whether I'm quietly pushed around or if the original story is ruined...'
Yeah, since I've come this far, I'll just charge in like a madman, the way I've been doing.
Having made my decision, I quickly reached out toward Ilusia's wrist, which was still arrogantly holding my chin.
Grab.
"What is this...!"
As I dared to touch the royal body without permission, killing intent flickered in Ilusia's blue eyes.
Of course, even so, I pretended not to be scared at all.
I gripped her wrist even tighter and rubbed my cheek very blatantly against the soft palm that had been cupping my chin.
Oh, warm.
Soft!
No, that's not it.
"Ah... to think that a lowly man like me, who cheekily didn't know his place and looked at a tree he couldn't climb, is being allowed to keep his life... I'm on the verge of tears at your mercy, but..."
"Ugh! Let go of this right now..."
I slowly rose from my seat, still holding her wrist.
The gaze that had been looking up while kneeling was reversed, and now I was looking down at the Princess.
She's even prettier looking down.
As expected of a romance fantasy world.
After admiring her appearance from a different angle for a moment, I put on the most seductive and annoying smile I could, and applied a little more pressure to my grip.
"Ugh...!"
"Do you think I sent a love letter mentioning the Crown Prince's weaknesses just to get a little bit of the Princess's attention?"
I slowly pulled down her hand that had been cupping my cheek.
And carefully placed it over my left chest, where my heart was beating.
Thump, thump, thump.
Since my life is hanging by a thread, it must be pounding wildly, so my heartbeat should be transmitted clearly through her palm.
After confirming that Ilusia felt the heartbeat and slightly furrowed her brow, I continued speaking.
"If I had really intended to become a cowardly informant who sells off a few of the Crown Prince's weaknesses to save my own skin, I would have gone to you myself and prostrated before your terrifying shadows dragged me here like a piece of luggage."
I carefully reached out with my other hand, gently brushing back her silver hair that seemed to hold the moonlight, and whispered.
"There is only one reason I crawled into this academy. It's because I wanted to fill your noble and calm blue eyes entirely with only my reflection."
"...... I left you alone to see how far you'd go, and does the Princess of the Rodpen Empire look that easy to you?"
Shove!
Ilusia shook off both my hands forcefully.
She flashed her eyes as if genuinely displeased, and her blue eyes began to shine even more intensely.
Her voice was also definitely lower and full of emotion than before.
"Or do you also think it's easy to act like this because I, a mere illegitimate child, am cheekily eyeing the successor's position?"
I even started to feel a faint, genuine killing intent.
'Still, I have to endure it. If I back down here, it's really over. It'll be completely impossible to fix.'
If I didn't want to get caught, chopped up, and thrown into the academy lake for offending the Princess, I absolutely had to win this right now.
I must change her perception of me from 'a suspicious guy I don't want to keep around' to 'a weird guy who keeps catching my eye.'
Only then can I survive safely in this romance fantasy world.
Having organized my thoughts, I instead stepped even closer to her.
"An illegitimate child? I have never once looked at Your Highness with such disrespectful eyes."
"......."
"On the contrary, I firmly believe without a doubt that Your Highness can truly become the next master of this Rodpen Empire. That is the only reason I intended to offer the fatal information that would hold the Crown Prince's leash to no one but Your Highness."
"... Then why don't you open your mouth and spill the information right now?"
"If I hand over all the cards I hold right here today... what will happen after that?"
This is my chance.
I put on the most bitter smile I could.
"Having lost my utility, I would be thoroughly discarded without ever being able to see your beautiful face again. I was afraid of that."
"......."
"So please, forgive my blind selfishness. I just wanted to get to know you little by little... and continue this precarious yet sweet encounter for a very long time. Because you'll only keep seeking me out if I show you my cards little by little."
While continuing to speak as nonchalantly as possible, inside, I felt like my legs would give out and I'd collapse at any moment.
Even so, I didn't show a single sign of nervousness until the end.
She must have lived her whole life amidst constant assassination threats, the contempt of nobles, and thorough calculations.
To such an Ilusia, the appearance of a madman who doesn't care at all about her background, blindly believes she will become the master of the empire, and at the same time, throws clingy courtship at her while holding his own life as collateral, must be a bewildering experience she's never had before.
That was what I was aiming for, too.
"... Ha."
Ilusia, who let out a short sigh mixed with emotions I couldn't tell were anger or absurdity, pressed her slightly parted lips together.
She wants to kill me right now, but she can't because of the Crown Prince's weaknesses.
Her complicated feelings of not wanting to get swept up in this crazy pace were felt clearly.
Eventually, realizing there was nothing left to say, Ilusia turned around.
And as she walked past me toward the office door, her steps came to a sudden halt just before she grabbed the doorknob.
"You had better pray that the information you possess... is not a single lie, and that it is all the truth."
Leaving only that short warning, she opened the door without hesitation and disappeared outside.
... Did I survive for now?
Anyway, it seems like there won't be a single peaceful day from the first day on the main stage.