Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Owner and Pet #1
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I didn't particularly like kissing.
That was because Elga would forcibly kiss me every day after smoking mana grass.
The acrid smell and bitterness of the mana grass would assault my throat, making tears well up in my eyes. Elga would cackle with laughter at the sight of me like that.
It wasn't just mana grass either—Elga always enjoyed yanking my ear or twisting my nose after a kiss, delighting in my suffering.
So to me, 'kissing' was basically a form of torment.
That said, objectively speaking, locking lips with a pretty woman could be seen as a dream come true for most men.
Especially with a noble lady like Mirna, who exuded a mysterious and elegant air—it was practically a reward.
"Slurp, slurp."
"Mmph... ha... stop..."
A sweet floral scent wafted from Mirna Draco, who was pressed tightly against me.
In this villa's garden, where countless flowers bloomed profusely under the moonlight, kissing the most vibrant flower of them all made it hit home just how enchanting it was.
But as my tongue probed inside her lips, a slightly bitter wine aroma emerged. Probably because she'd finished her meal with some wine.
"Hnngh, mmph, stop..."
Yet Mirna seemed a bit frightened, as if the unfamiliar sensation of someone else's tongue in her mouth had spooked her.
Scared on her first kiss?
Different from Narmi.
Come to think of it, my younger sister Narmi liked it when I lightly teased the roof of her mouth with my tongue. I wondered if Mirna was the same?
So I gently tickled Mirna Draco's palate with the tip of my tongue.
"Mmph!?"
Her waist, lightly held by me, stiffened like she'd been doused in cold water and began to tremble.
So sensitive spots and preferences run in the family?
Slick.
But with a hint of resistance, my tongue was pushed out past her lips. Mirna Draco promptly clamped her mouth shut tight.
"......"
In a hazy daze, I cracked my eyes open. There she was, face red as a tomato, trembling as if she had a lot to say to me.
Was she mad?
"Hoo..."
Catching her breath, Mirna let out a loud, deliberate cough. She pulled out a handkerchief, wiped the corners of her mouth, and turned her back to me.
"Theo Gospel. I think it's best if you head back now."
"...Pardon?"
"I'll overlook the rudeness that just occurred, considering your recent devotion."
I see.
Mirna's defenses were as sturdy as befitting a noble lady.
The Draco family was famous for strictly adhering to the harshest family precepts and church doctrines.
Things like "no illicit affairs."
"I'll have your carriage prepared, so please go."
* * *
Clatter, clatter.
In the violently rocking carriage, I replayed the kiss with Mirna from moments ago.
Truth be told, I hadn't planned on kissing her today.
With just Elga to handle, I was already at my limit. Getting involved with multiple women would tear me apart like a sparrow trying to swallow a whale.
Slowly.
No need to rush.
I'd made that promise to myself, but under the moonlight in the flower-filled garden, with a slight buzz flushing her cheeks, Mirna Draco had looked so stunningly beautiful that I'd impulsively wanted to pluck her.
Looking back now, it was a reckless move.
The fact that Mirna hadn't twisted my head off was probably, as she said, due to my recent merit in taking down Professor Valan for her and the Draco family.
So, yellow card instead of red.
I'd taken a warning shot.
Wonder how mad she is?
Her face was beet red, like it might explode.
Classes together are gonna be super awkward now.
How do I fix this? What would Gold Theo, the social king who steals girls' lips left and right, do?
—Kissing's just something guy friends and girl friends do casually, right?
Not helpful at all.
Lost in those thoughts, the carriage soon arrived at the Arc grounds.
"You'll have to walk from here."
"Thank you."
Instead of heading straight to my dorm, I got out and strolled slowly, breathing in the cool night air.
Nothing cools a heated body and mind like a chilly breeze.
My aimless wandering led me to stop in front of the Platinum Dorm for single-digit ranks.
A far cry from Marmar's shack or my shabby room—this place was opulent. The garden featured lawns, a pool, and fountains spraying cool water.
The interior was even better.
The Platinum Dorm had lounges, cafes, training rooms, dining halls—all in one building, handling everything for students.
Even so, Elga complained her room was cramped.
Aira didn't say much, did she?
It suddenly hit me that I'd been neglecting Aira lately.
After she learned I was Theo Angmar, I'd kept my distance, worried she'd uncover my true identity.
Even without that, Aira had been strangely calm since arriving at the Arc—no rampages, no sudden accelerations, just steady.
Thinking about it now, maybe too steady.
Usually, that kind of quiet precedes trouble. Like the calm before the storm, or the cat that jumps on the stove first being the meek one.
Knock knock.
I rapped on Aira's door.
Click. The lock disengaged—not Aira getting up, probably her telekinesis unlocking it.
Creak.
I pushed the door open and entered.
There, amid the lavish standard furnishings, bed, and table, sat Aira gracefully enjoying a solitary tea party.
Fresh from a shower, her damp hair framed a light pink silk robe that suited her perfectly.
On Aira's table sat various dolls—bears, rabbits, and more. Their teacups moved about, like a scene from a fairy tale.
"Come in, Theo. I was in the middle of a chess match. Was thinking of tea after. Care for a cup if you're up for it?"
"Thank you."
"Take any empty seat."
I sat in an empty chair. The rabbit and bear dolls beside me turning their heads my way was pretty eerie, but I couldn't complain.
"So, Theo. What's up? Here to be my chess opponent?"
"Sure."
I eyed the chessboard in front of Aira. It smoothly reset itself with a series of clicks.
I had the black pieces.
Aira had white.
"You first, Theo."
"Got it."
I grabbed the black pawn in the corner. But I quickly realized I could never win this game.
Heavy.
The pawn felt like it weighed dozens of kilos. No idea how something so small could be that heavy, but I couldn't lift it.
"What are you doing? It's your turn."
"I'll pass my turn."
"Alright. I'll move my knight then."
Clack.
Aira moved her knight without touching it. This was training—fine-tuning her telekinesis.
I knew her magic was advanced, but now that I'd started delving into magic myself, her level felt beyond "impressive."
"By the way, I heard some interesting folks arrived at the Arc."
Pour, pour.
As Aira personally poured me what looked like black coffee into my cup, she spoke. I took it, sipped, and feigned casual interest.
"Interesting folks?"
"The hero's party, they say. A band of powerhouses led by some bizarre hunter."
Ah.
The protagonist's party.
I'd been meaning to warn Aira about them—stay away, no entanglements. But Aira beat me to it.
"One of them came to see me and said something odd."
"Came to see you?"
The hunter's party approaching Aira first? That wasn't in my calculations. A non-tyrant Aira shouldn't interest the hunter much.
Why approach her?
"You're saying the hunter met with Lady Aira?"
"The hunter? That lanky weirdo? No, he didn't come. It was a small, peculiar fellow instead."
The small, peculiar one—must be the guide.
"Hooded figure?"
"Yeah, he reminded me of you somehow, Theo. Though his words were totally different."
I was dying to know what the guide said to Queen Aira. It felt like someone tossing ash on the Aira I was carefully reforming.
"What did you two talk about?"
"Hee hee hee. Theo, are you jealous?"
"Jealous?"
"Yeah. Jealous that I might take someone else as a retainer instead of you."
"......"
Hearing it, maybe.
But Aira laughed leisurely.
"No need to worry. It wasn't anything like that. Though it was a strange conversation. About my family."
"Your family—like the former king, the queen, the princesses...?"
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Aira's family had died off one by one over the past year or two, through various means and methods.
I knew nothing of psychopathology, but anyone could see the shock and trauma from their deaths contributed to turning the once-normal princess Aira into a broken queen.
That's why I'd wanted to bury talk of her family deep, avoid dredging it up.
But to seek her out just to bring it up?
Like they were deliberately screwing with me.
It pissed me off.
But that anger fizzled with Aira's next words.
"He claimed to know why my family died."
"Is that true?"
Aira could easily discern most lies from truth.
That's why she rarely trusted people. Everyone spouts a certain amount of lies just to live.
"Did he really know the reason?"
If it was a lie, Aira would hate them, sparking conflict with the hunter's party.
If true, that guide's influence on Aira would grow, which felt off. Aira listening to someone besides me.
In a way, that's what I wanted—a normal queen mingling with others, heeding their views.
But it just rubbed me wrong. Especially from some unknown guide.
Better to deal with him.
How?
Assassinate via Lady Karlia?
No, that'd make me like the original Theo Gospel, clashing with the hunter's party. I'd lose everything, get beaten, and executed.
Bad idea to tangle with them.
As I mulled it over, Aira said,
"Don't worry. My ears won't tune to any voice but yours. You're more than enough for me."
She stood, started stroking my head, and I couldn't tell if I should be happy or conflicted.
Then a sudden curiosity struck.
Was I really enough for Aira?
Was she telling me only the truth?
The text in her status window said otherwise.
「Hiding a fatal truth from everyone.」
I wanted to ask what that meant.
But no good way to phrase it.
So I asked Aira subtly,
"Lady Aira, Queen... are you hiding anything from me...?"