The Princess's Favor
I headed to Duchess Diana’s grand mansion alongside Esmeralda.
“It is a pleasure to see you again.”
Duchess Diana welcomed me and Elenore with a brighter smile than ever before. She showered us with sweet words.
“Why don’t you stay here from now on?”
She formally invited us as guests, telling us to stay indefinitely. Furthermore, she declared that if I signed a sponsorship and exclusive contract with her, she would even provide a weekly stipend.
“…Are you sure that would be alright?”
“For Nightstream, the hero who saved the world alongside the brave, this level of investment is only natural. I am only worried that the terms might not be enough to satisfy you.”
I couldn’t understand why a woman I had no prior connection with was making such a generous offer. Given the nature of nobles who viewed Earthlings as repulsive, it made no sense for her to accept me as a guest, let alone Elenore. Unless, of course, she intended to shove us into the slave quarters.
She was surely a woman well-acquainted with the atmosphere of the Imperial Palace, which sought to suppress Earthlings.
“It’s a golden opportunity. You should accept it quickly.”
Beside me, Princess Esmeralda urged me on with a bright smile. It seemed highly likely that her influence was at play here. After all, she had been a woman who was kind to me, an Earthling, from the very beginning.
The reason she wanted me to stay here? I didn’t know yet.
“I will think about it until tomorrow. I’m a bit flustered by such an overwhelming offer.”
“Yes, please do. Don’t feel burdened, and think it over comfortably.”
I postponed the decision for now and left the room. Afterward, Elenore and I were guided by a maid, and we were each assigned a large room. However, Elenore didn’t go to her own room; she dropped all her luggage in mine and stayed there instead.
“What do you think the Princess wants?”
“Perhaps it’s a shallow tactic to keep you here until the army arrives from the Imperial Palace?”
“Is that so? Would I really be caught by something like that… If she wanted to capture me, she could have used the soldiers of this duchy long ago.”
Elenore took her things out of her suitcase to organize them, while I looked around the spacious interior. Every piece of furniture was luxurious. The bed was large enough for five people to lie down and sleep, and the vanity was neatly stocked with all kinds of cosmetics. In the wardrobe, I could see two silk gowns, one for a man and one for a woman.
There was also a private bathroom. The door was made of a shower curtain, designed to be pushed to one side to open. Inside, there was a high-end bathtub with a smooth surface, and a drain hole was cut into the floor. That single drain told me this mansion was a modern building constructed recently. However, perhaps the technology to pump water hadn’t been invented yet, as a large oak barrel as tall as me was filled to the brim with clean water. It meant I had to scoop it out to use it. The water was cold.
‘Reminds me of when I followed the Hero party.’
Back then, I always stayed in ultra-luxurious, hotel-grade rooms, and this place was exactly at that level. It had been a long time since I’d stayed in a place like this after faking my suicide. I’d only lived in cramped, smelly rooms every day.
“Elenore.”
“Yes?”
“Stop organizing the luggage and take off your clothes.”
Since I was staying in a fancy room for the first time in a while, I couldn’t just sit still. Let’s leave a proper mark.
I stripped off my clothes in one go. Elenore quickly followed suit and became naked as well.
“Your body is dirty too, right? Let’s go into the bathroom and wash together.”
“Yes, let me wash you first.”
Elenore approached, her breasts swaying. I wrapped my arms around her waist and stepped into the bathroom together. And soon…
“Ah-ah, ah…! Ah!”
Elenore’s moans filled the bathroom. We were in the middle of doggy style. I grabbed her pelvis and thrust into her pussy violently.
“Haa, haa!”
Elenore’s reaction was better than usual, perhaps because she was excited to be sleeping in a nice room. Foam rose from her pussy, and her juices dripped onto the floor. She had lived without knowing what sex was until she met me, but now she was well-adjusted enough to leak quite easily. In short, she had become a lewd woman.
“Elenore’s raw pussy is so good… It feels like my cock is being sucked in! Haa! Haa!”
“Hnnng…! Ugh! Ah, I’m so happy…!”
“You’ll live with me forever, right?”
“Forever, until I die! I am your slave!”
In the midst of our blissful sex, a sudden stinging pain flared at the nape of my neck. It was the spot the Demon King Caladia had bitten while we were having sex a few months ago. Her tooth marks remained as a scar. That area throbbed slightly.
‘She said it was a mark of an fiancé.’
I chuckled. What kind of fiancée is a dead woman?
‘But the wound lasts a long time.’
I dismissed it as nothing and erased the thoughts of the Demon King. At the same time, I ejaculated with all my might deep inside Elenore’s body.
“Kuh-ugh!”
“Haaaaaaaaaah!”
The garden, which had been lush and green during the day, was dyed yellow by the sunset. It was dusk when I arrived at the meeting place. Princess Esmeralda, the First Princess, was already there waiting for me. Her appearance, too, seemed to reflect the sunset, looking quite at ease.
“Did you rest well? How is the room?”
As I appeared, the Princess greeted me with a bright smile. I could tell she was quite favorable toward me. There wasn’t a trace of hostility to be found. That was why it was even more suspicious.
“It was very good. To the point where I never wanted to leave.”
“Pfft. Please, sit.”
Watching her smile refreshingly, I sat on the long wooden bench. A well-tended flower garden spread out before my eyes.
“I’m truly glad to see you again. I was so startled when we met suddenly yesterday.”
The Princess sat next to me without hesitation. I glanced at her, and even the way she lowered her hips to sit was elegant. Her blonde hair smelled lovely, and her green eyes were as beautiful as jewels. I felt a bit depressed by the fact that I would have to assault this beauty in the future. Before I was abandoned, I had no intention of confronting the Imperial family head-on.
“I understand why you faked your suicide and hid your existence.”
The Princess turned her head and gazed steadily at my profile.
“I think His Majesty was in the wrong.”
“So you knew everything. Then this will be a quick conversation.”
“…You must be deeply heartbroken.”
Looking at me with pity, she suddenly reached out a hand to gently stroke my cheek. At the sudden touch, I pulled my head back. Her hand stopped in mid-air.
“Please put away the pity. I’m going to live quietly now. I don’t want to show myself to the world. That’s why I’d like you to help me, Your Highness.”
“Tell me anything.”
“I would like you not to tell anyone that you saw me.”
She smiled calmly.
“If I do that, will you stay here?”
“Did you ask the Duchess? To keep me here?”
“Yes. I wanted to watch over you, Nightstream, from up close. I wanted to protect you if someone tried to harm you. But you seemed very hesitant, so I met you to persuade you.”
“By any chance, are the sponsorship and the weekly stipend coming from you, Your Highness?”
“Of course. Because I wanted you.”
“Haha.”
A laugh of disbelief flowed out naturally.
“You have excellent qualities as a wise ruler. At least you wouldn’t cast aside a loyal subject who suffered for you overnight, like your father.”
I didn’t bother hiding my sharp emotions. I didn’t even want to call him His Majesty the Emperor anymore.
“You seem to have a knack for treating talent, so could you grant me a wish?”
“Just say the word.”
She smiled as if confident.
“Could you change my hair color to blonde? And make my eyes blue, red, or green, just like yours?”
“I can’t do that. It’s beyond my ability.”
She received my sarcasm faithfully without even getting angry. She was a very pure woman.
“Let’s have dinner together later. I’ve ordered them to prepare delicacies from land and sea for you.”
“No. I don’t want to share a table with anyone from the Gigantia family for the rest of my life. I feel like it would choke me.”
“Ah…”
The Princess lost her words for a moment and hesitated. I rose from my seat.
“I will think about your offer carefully. I’ll think it over and let you know by tomorrow.”
“Please accept it. You have nowhere else to go but here, do you?”
“Are you planning to keep me here and boil me for dinner later?”
“I wish it would at least be tasty.”
“Of course it would be tasty. I’ll be going now.”
“Wait! If you don’t have dinner with me, what are you going to do alone?”
“Just think and go to sleep.”
“How about a drink? I’ll tell them to prepare plenty of snacks.”
“If you drink with me now, you’ll regret inviting me to drink until you beat the ground. I’m going to cry and complain about my life. You might run away because you’re so sick of it.”
“Pfft. Please, make me sick of it.”
“I won’t. I’m not drinking.”
As I moved further away, she waved her hand vivaciously.
“Go on in! We have plenty of time, so let’s talk again later! Nightstream!”
I waved back without a word and headed toward my room. Esmeralda. I thought she was a bright and pure woman without pretense. There seemed to be no ulterior motives in those eyes looking at me. Come to think of it, it wasn’t a bad offer. Being under the protection of a Princess. Since they say the darkest place is under the candlestick, I couldn’t find a better place as a base for rebellion. Who would ever imagine that an Imperial traitor was living with a Princess?
‘But I can’t trust the Princess. I don’t know her intentions.’
That friendly attitude might turn into hostility in an instant. It’s uncomfortable to be here. But the fact that my identity was discovered by her is a weakness. I can’t leave easily. The best way to keep her quiet is to watch her from up close. Assassinating her quietly and leaving is an option, but I don’t feel the need to do so.
It’s much more productive to keep her by my side, get close, and extract the Imperial family’s intimate information. Once that thought occurred to me, I felt that being by the Princess’s side was a decent environment after all. In front of the Princess, my persona will be that of a ‘former hero who is sulking because of the Emperor’s attitude.’ I’ll just show her the image of someone who is disappointed in the world, turning my back on society and living a carefree life. And behind her back, I’ll commit treason.
‘Hehe, good.’
And there is one more reason to stay here. It is that I haven’t finished reading the book titled ‘The Vanished Demonic Sword Gore.’ It’s probably tucked away somewhere in Duchess Diana’s bedroom or thrown into the treasure vault. I must find and read that book.
‘Can’t be helped.’
I organized my thoughts quickly while walking to my room after parting with the Princess. The conclusion was to live luxuriously while being treated as a guest here. Is there any reason to refuse when they’re offering to take care of me?
Thump, thump.
Confirmed, with a hammer striking in my head. If that’s the case, then…
“Let’s prepare to enter the prison. It’s time to start working.”
It was time to meet Berzena, the Beetle Master, who was adept at handling all the bugs in the world. She was a woman who had been locked in the most notorious island prison in the Empire after being caught secretly helping Earthlings who were being abused by malicious nobles escape.
The next day.
When Esmeralda came to my room early in the morning, I revealed that I would stay here as she wished. She jumped up and shouted loudly with an flushed expression.
“Bravo!”
She was so happy, she looked like a lively young girl. And I… seeing her jumping for joy because of my single word, I thought it was unexpected. Watching that, I briefly pondered whether it was truly right to destroy her world… but as I thought of the Emperor, I reaffirmed my resolve that destroying it was the right thing to do.
Because I can just kill all the royals except for Esmeralda.