Chapter 110
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: The Feast of the Sun and Moon (4)
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"That should settle it—no more words needed. I was going to hand out some rewards separately, but let's just let this rudeness slide."
"...Your Highness's profound consideration. Thank you."
"Hahaha! Good! Good! Let's forget it all! Yeah! You must be tired—go rest. Hahahaha!"
As I stepped out of the audience chamber at the crown prince's command to dismiss the guests, knights in golden armor glared at me like I was some criminal.
"..."
Even if I do say so myself, I'm still of the prestigious Calliope bloodline. Is this really okay...?
But they're the imperial family's direct subordinates, so it's fine.
"Haa..."
A sigh escaped me naturally as I walked back to my room.
I'd made up my mind, but the thought of facing off against the princess already had my heart in a vise grip.
"...!"
Suddenly, my vision went dark, and a soft yet substantial sensation pressed against my back.
"Who's this~?"
My eyes were covered, but the voice's owner radiated an unmistakable scent of honey and roses.
"...Her Highness the Princess."
"Wrong! You got it wrong. I'm not Her Highness the Princess."
"...Aren't you?"
I reflexively grabbed the princess's fingertips with Prince on the Bed active and turned around.
"Hng~. That's cheating, you know?"
Liana Lumenhark curled her lips upward.
Her long hair cascaded like waves of gold, her eyes gleamed like rubies, her face achieved perfect symmetry, and her light movements never veered into frivolity.
It was the aura reserved solely for those born draped in nobility.
"A pleasure to see you, Your High—"
As I moved to kneel on one knee, Liana waved her hand to stop me.
"Ah! No kneeling! And not 'Your Highness the Princess'—Ri. A. Na! I've told you to call me Liana like a hundred times already, haven't I?"
"...How could I dare call Her Highness by name within the imperial palace?"
"Oh? So if it's not okay in the palace because it's the imperial family, you'll call me by name at Carnea?"
"..."
I averted my gaze and fell silent.
I couldn't promise her even that much, not even as empty words.
The moment I did, she'd use any means necessary to hold me to it.
"Again! Again! Trying to slip away slyly!"
The princess placed her hands on her hips, puffing out her cheeks dramatically.
I cleared my throat once and smiled softly.
"...Your Highness, what brings you here?"
"Wow! Look at you changing the subject! Well, I'm nice, so I'll let it slide!"
The princess proudly thrust out her chest, patting it with her palm.
Each time, her breasts jiggled, hinting at their softness.
"I am grateful for Your Highness's boundless compassion. So, what can I do for you?"
"Hm? I'm not here specifically to see you, Eugene? Like you said, I'm Her Highness the Princess, and this is the palace. Is it weird for me to be in my own home?"
I thought it unlikely she'd coincidentally be right where I was at the exact time I emerged in this vast palace, but I wasn't foolish enough to say it aloud.
"...Not at all. Then I'll be going."
As I tried to end the conversation and walk away briskly, the princess fell into step beside me, making odd noises with her mouth.
"...Ziiing."
"..."
"...Ziiiiing."
"Your Highness... Do you have something to say to me?"
"Oh! Did my gaze reach you? See? You and I are connected, right?"
"...Forgive me. Must've been my mistake."
As I ignored her and tried to keep walking, she blocked my path.
"Ah! I'm kidding! Kidding! Geez~ You don't even get jokes, Eugene? Ah! Wait, I do have something to say!"
"...Yes, Your Highness."
"Yeah, yeah. This 'Her Highness the Princess' has a question for you, Eugene. Will you answer?"
Her face brimming with mischief already gave me a headache.
"...If it's something I can answer..."
"Don't worry! It's super easy."
"...Please, go ahead."
"Sun and moon."
"...?"
"You know, the empire's sun and the empire's moon. In your eyes, Eugene, which one's prettier?"
With that, she spun in place.
I'd definitely meant not to look, but as the hem of her red dress lifted, my gaze naturally drifted to her thighs.
Even with my mental defenses fortified, her beauty threatened to ensnare me.
That was Liana Lumenhark.
Probably the only one in this world who could rival Lucia in looks.
But their beauty pointed in vastly different directions.
If Lucia was the fragile beauty of the moon reflected on a lake, Liana was the sun's radiant splendor.
'...Still.'
...Personally, Lucia felt far more beautiful to me.
However, regardless of my true feelings, I had to hide my relationship with Lucia.
I swallowed my honest thoughts with a sigh and slowly opened my mouth.
"...Your Highness."
"Yes, Eugene?"
"...Your Highness is the more beautiful."
I said it, leveraging Prince on the Bed to the fullest.
"The sun and moon may share the same sky, but how could one compare the moon to the sun? No matter how brightly the moon shines, it hides when the sun rises—that's fate. In my eyes, Your Highness outshines everyone."
"...Wh-what? Saying it like that makes me shy."
For the first time, I saw the princess stumble over her words.
The subtle tremor in her pupils, her faintly quickened breath, the tensing of her fingertips and toes, her slightly flushed face.
Of course, it was all an act, but it planted the illusion of genuine shyness.
'...Ridiculous.'
With acting skills like that, no wonder she hid her true nature even in the palace. Seeing it up close, though, I couldn't help but be fooled.
"I thought Lucia was pretty stunning, but now you say you can't even remember her face after seeing me. Makes my heart flutter a bit."
"...I didn't say it quite that strong..."
"Then it's not true?"
Liana blinked her big eyes at me.
It felt like needles pricking my chest, but denying it here would undermine my earlier performance.
I apologized to Lucia in my heart and affirmed it.
"...It is."
"Right? I'm prettier than Lucia, aren't I?"
"...Yes, you are."
"Heh, is that so?"
The princess looked behind me and beamed.
Shwaaak—!
Too focused on her, I'd failed to check my surroundings.
But somehow, without turning, I knew exactly who was back there.
—Click.
As I slowly turned my head, Lucia approached, radiating chill from her entire body.
It was odd.
After absorbing the frost essence, my cold resistance was near max, yet it felt freezing.
"Lucia, you're not mad, right? It was just for fun."
"...Please don't worry. I couldn't care less about evaluations from people who aren't important to me."
...For some reason, I could tell Lucia cared a great deal.
"Haa... Why can't you and Eugene get along? You're the same age—wouldn't it be nice if we all got along?"
Liana placed a hand on her cheek and shook her head regretfully.
'You bitch!'
The words rose to my throat but I barely swallowed them.
"Hehe, well then, Eugene."
Liana glanced back and forth between me and Lucia, grinning mischievously.
"See you tomorrow♬"
She leaned in close, her lips nearly brushing mine, and whispered.
"..."
My heart pounded.
...Because of Lucia staring at me with empty eyes.
Back in her room, Liana Lumenhark flopped face-down on the bed and kicked her legs wildly.
'That scared me...'
She'd only probed a bit because Eugene and Lucia seemed suspicious, but for the first time in her life, her mask slipped against her will.
—Your Highness is the more beautiful.
Recalling the line still made her heart race.
Liana sat up and looked in the mirror.
Her face was flushed in a way she could hardly believe was her own.
She'd thought such feelings had been ruined long ago, so it was astonishing that they still lingered for him.
'...This won't do.'
But she knew.
She didn't deserve to feel this way.
The princess closed her eyes and quietly called a name.
"...Melphisa."
A reply came from the room, empty save for the princess.
"...Yes, Your Highness."
"Tomorrow's going to be exciting, right?"
"..."
Liana pictured Melphisa's speechless face and glanced back at the mirror.
There was her usual smiling self.
"..."
I couldn't sleep.
Back at Calliope, I'd averaged 6-7 ejaculations a day, so my balls felt heavy.
'If I'd known it'd be like this, maybe I shouldn't have turned down the offer...'
When the attendant asked if I needed a girl for nighttime service, I'd said no, but now I regretted it a little.
'...Am I crazy?'
It felt like I'd been smacked in the head.
Forget strategizing how to deal with the princess at tomorrow's meeting—I was thinking about nighttime service.
Semen must've filled my brain.
—Creak.
Then the door opened cautiously.
I rose from my seat, ready to attack, glaring at the door—until familiar silver hair caught my eye.
"...Lucia?"
"Yes... Master... This Lucia, who isn't as pretty as Her Highness the Princess."
The moment I heard Lucia's speech pattern, chills ran down my spine.
'...Ye?'
It was the way she'd spoken in the early days after my reincarnation.
I'd thought it fixed after our first time, but thanks to the princess, her switch had fully flipped after all this time.
"Master. This Lucia may not be as pretty as Her Highness the Princess, but... may I serve you?"
"...Lucia. This is dangerous right now. Didn't you say we should minimize contact in the palace...!"
Swish—
I tried to get the words out, but when Lucia lifted her skirt, my voice caught.
A small dildo was inserted—probably since leaving her room—and her juices dripped from its end onto the floor.
"...Hehe, it's okay even if this Lucia isn't prettier than Her Highness. I know all the patrol routes in the palace, and I came carefully so no one would know."
Coincidence or not, it was exactly the gap in surveillance she mentioned.
But.
'...How do you know that?'
I'd figured it out through repeated retries, but patrol routes were top-secret, tied to the palace's security.
Not something you could buy with a few coins.
"...Master."
Lucia's drooping eyelids slowly lifted, revealing empty blue eyes.
"...May Lucia serve you?"
For some reason, refusing felt like it'd send us on a one-way boat trip to some distant place.
"..."
In the spine-tingling silence, I nodded.