Just Live Well
"You'll be fine now," said Titania, drenched in just as much sweat as he was.
Only then did Phlux truly take in her appearance. Her slender, pale arms trembled with faint spasms—limbs so fragile they looked as if they had never held a sword in their life.
Yet nearly all night long, she had pummeled him relentlessly with that sheathed blade. At first, she had swung it with vindictive glee, as though doling out due punishment, but that initial burst of enthusiasm had been fleeting. Before long, her movements had become purely mechanical, like someone slogging through an exhausting chore.
Following some unknown rhythm, she had pressed and kneaded him thoroughly from head to toe with the flat and tip of the scabbard. Even doing that with a simple wooden stick would have been grueling labor, let alone a heavy weapon.
Her thick canvas nightclothes, standard temple issue, were soaked through with sweat. Though the coarse fabric was stiff enough to hide the curves of her figure, it was hardly an appearance befitting an imperial princess before an outsider. And yet, the golden strands plastered against her pale, damp skin, and those vivid green eyes gazing intently down at him, left an inexplicably haunting impression.
"You love this city, don't you?"
"..."
"I only caught a brief glimpse of it, but the people seemed lively and happy."
How could this be? He was the impudent scoundrel who had abducted her in the dead of night. How could she speak to him with such quiet, steady calm?
"To be honest, you were terrified, weren't you?"
"..."
"If you could, you would've given your very life to undo it. Yet things ended up like this, so you felt wretched before your father... wondering if it would've been better if you'd just died sooner, right? And when you kidnapped me, you didn't even think about what came next, did you?"
"..."
Was she truly the sheltered, arrogant princess raised in imperial luxury? How could anyone read the depths of a desperate man's heart so accurately in a situation like this?
While the struck-dumb Phlux remained silent, the princess spoke again.
"You're the lord here, so take responsibility. You care for this city, don't you? You said it's your duty now. Don't run away. As for the holy relic for the Offering Festival... well, fine. I'll figure something out with the Castrein Duchy. Just hand over every scrap of information on the culprits behind this mess to Debbie."
"Do you... not resent me?"
"That's why I beat the living daylights out of you, wasn't it?"
Complaining that every joint in her body was throbbing, Titania kneaded her own shoulders. Debbie dashed forward and began pounding her back and shoulders, drawing theatrical shrieks of agony from Titania: "Ow! Ow, ow! That really hurts!" No matter how one looked at her, not a shred of imperial dignity remained.
"Still... yeah. At least I should thank you for not keeping it entirely hidden and pretending ignorance. The way you broke the news was an absolute disaster, but it's better than walking blindly into the Offering Festival and ruining everything."
"I... I am so sorry."
Even so, the clear, calm gaze of those emerald eyes left such an indelible mark on him that Phlux felt swept up in a bizarre reverie.
"Well, I'm heading out."
"You're... leaving just like this?"
"They say the temple stirs at dawn. If I'm going to slip back without anyone noticing, I need to move now."
"Pl-Please wait! I—"
Crash!
Phlux flailed in his panic and tumbled straight onto the floor. The princess sighed at the sight of him.
"You're completely cured. And I'll keep tonight a secret. You don't owe me a thing, so just go persuade your father... and, well, live a good life."
"Do you truly... require nothing more of me?"
"I told you, just live well!"
Those rippling green eyes—like a passing wave, a gaze that drifted over him without expecting or asking for anything in return...
"Oh, right. Don't go kidnapping innocent people in the middle of the night ever again. You got lucky because it was me; anyone else would've had you executed on the spot."
"Looking at Young Count Phlux right now, Milady, it doesn't exactly look like you went easy on him, either," Debbie chimed in cheerfully.
"Hey, he's alive, isn't he!"
A bright smile that felt entirely out of place for the situation—a little mischievous, a little shy.
"Then that's all that matters!"
The moment he saw that smile, his chest constricted so tightly he couldn't breathe.
The princess turned and left without looking back even once, guided out into the shadows by her maid Debbie. Looking around the empty room, Phlux couldn't even draw a breath, blinking dumbly in the silence.
Dazed and helpless, like a shipwreck survivor swept away by a tidal wave.
Just as anyone struck by first love always is.
Thinking back, a person really ought to harbor pure intentions.
Maybe I should've just held his hand?
No, absolutely not! How could I possibly spend an entire month glued to a strange man? With no excuse whatsoever! Beating him like a drum with the sword was definitely the best option!
Still... did I really need to beat him that hard? Maybe I should've indulged a little mercy and gone easy on him?
"Ow, ow! Aaargh! Barbara is murdering the imperial princess! Help meee!"
I thrashed against the agonizing muscle aches wracking my body.
Slipping back into the temple under Debbie's guidance before dawn broke had gone swimmingly—honestly, the temple's security was an utter joke. I had collapsed into bed to grab a wink of sleep, but the instant dawn broke, Barbara came to wake me up. And the moment I tried to move, pure hell tore through every fiber of my muscles.
Barbara was giving me a massage, but every press of her fingers felt like torture.
Ow, ow, it hurts! It really hurts! I feel like I'm going to die!
Barbara clicked her tongue as she watched me squirm and curl up like a dried squid roasting over hot coals.
"Gaaauuughhh..."
"Just what kind of exercise did you do last night, Your Highness?"
Barbara pressed a steaming towel against my shoulder and rubbed it in. Every single joint and sinew screamed in protest.
Truth be told, I had realized early on last night that I'd made a terrible mistake. Beating someone wasn't a job just anyone could pull off. I'd only really swung hard in the beginning; after that, it had basically turned into an intense, full-body massage delivered with a sheathed blade.
His condition had been so dreadful that merely touching him had sent him screaming bloody murder... But the Emoticon Sword had assured me that because I was channeling my power through it, his body wouldn't suffer a violent rejection.
"If you're in this much pain, what are we going to do? You're supposed to soak in the Water of Purification later."
"Just soaking in water should be fine... Besides, it's pretty warm out these days..."
"What did she even do this morning to melt into a puddle like that? The sun's barely up!"
Lisianthus strolled in, clicking his tongue at the sight of me.
I mumbled under my breath, "Last night... in a dream... punishing an evil villain..."
"Did all that bouncing around in the carriage finally catch up to you? That's what you get for having a body as frail as a sheet of paper. Eat your meals properly!"
No, it's not that! Sure, my stamina is paper-thin, but this isn't from riding in a carriage!
Still, between the incident at the Imperial Palace last time and now this, trouble always seemed to erupt right on the brink of a deadline. Massive crises that absolutely had to be resolved—and that required the full cooperation of the Castrein Duchy, no less.
As I lay there swallowing my tears, a young boy serving as an acolyte arrived to inform us that breakfast was served. Gritting my teeth and plastering on a pleasant smile, I dragged myself out of bed.
Breakfast had been arranged around a large round table, where everyone gathered in a circle.
A salad made with vegetables that looked freshly picked from a garden, a few chunks of cheese, a sliver of butter, stale hard bread, and a drink brewed from wild berries.
Cronen spoke to me with an awkward, oily courtesy. "My only worry is that this humble fare may not suit the palate of someone so noble."
"No, it's quite fine."
"You are truly gracious and broad-minded."
Lisianthus jabbed me in the ribs with his elbow. A low whisper hissed in my ear.
"When your pathetic excuse for an elder brother visited, they laid out a spread fit for an imperial banquet," Lisianthus muttered under his breath. "What is this garbage? Trying to play pious and frugal just because it's you?"
"...Are you just throwing a fit because there's no meat?" I whispered back.
"You're already frail enough to snap like dry kindling! Eating this slop will only make you sick!"
Well, it wasn't unedible... The bread was rock-hard as if it had been sitting out for days, but the salad was fresh enough, and frankly, I had survived on far worse back in the Rose Palace...
Glancing about with shifting eyes, I searched for Gregory, who was strangely absent from the table. There should have been at least a dozen soldiers assigned to my imperial escort, yet not a single one was in sight.
"Ah, if you are looking for the imperial escort who accompanied Your Highness," Cronen offered, "they departed early to patrol the perimeter and will be taking their meal separately."
"I see."
"Furthermore, Sir Lisianthus. As Sir Gregory is quite occupied with various duties, he requested that once you finish your breakfast, you join them in patrolling the surrounding area."
The men tasked with guarding me left without so much as a word? And they're dining elsewhere? On top of that, they're asking Lisianthus to leave too?
Lisianthus's brow twitched.
It was plainly obvious he despised the situation. And naturally so—it meant every single armed guard would be abandoning my side.
"Me? Why?"
"It seems traces of dangerous demonic beasts and wild predators were discovered in the vicinity, raising concerns for Her Highness's safety. As you are a knight of peerless skill, Sir Lisianthus, Sir Gregory wished for you to verify the situation in person."
Just as Lisianthus twisted his face in disgust and opened his mouth to refuse, Barbara stepped forward with a serene smile to address Cronen.
At the same time, I jabbed Lisianthus furiously in the side.
Don't blow your top here!