Chapter 111
Translator: penny
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: First Wedding Night(?) (5)
In the domain of the 1st Princess stood a mansion larger than most castles.
Inside, an unexpected game of tag was unfolding.
"Teacher, don't you think it's about time to stop?"
"...I said let's talk. Talk!"
Sssshhh─!
Zekiel laid down a path of ice as he fled in a panic.
Of course, Ether was hot on his heels.
"You can't talk if you don't stop first, can you?"
"You touched my body!"
"I touched you as a bonus. Just boring chit-chat?"
Shoooo─!
The 1st Princess Ether's speed was utterly monstrous.
It was truly bizarre.
Ether had been soaking her body in Sunwater since childhood, and her talent as a prodigy was exceptional. Her speed wasn't surprising in the least…
…but the problem wasn't her speed.
'Ether's movements… why have they gotten so precise?'
The mansion's interior was filled with expensive porcelain and countless decorations, yet she wasn't smashing through them indiscriminately like she used to.
It meant her mastery over her aura had reached a higher level.
"…Ether, you've grown even more in the meantime."
"Your movements were quite instructive, Teacher. I reviewed them and practiced that precision. Is this affection too?"
Please just learn what I taught you. With that thought, Zekiel desperately twisted and leaped every which way.
"Teacher, I said stop already."
"…"
"Fine. From now on, every step you take while running, I'll make you father one more child. Go ahead and run all you want."
"…?"
Zekiel glanced back at Ether.
And what met his eyes…
"…!"
…was Ether's face, veins bulging on her forehead. It was an expression that could only come from utter sincerity.
"Haa…."
Zekiel finally gave up and came to a stop.
"There we go. Finally behaving yourself."
Ether yanked over a chair and table as if they were feathers, then sat Zekiel down. She quickly prepared a glass cup and poured in some liquor glowing with an orange hue.
"Teacher, just down it in one go."
"…What is this?"
"It's called Lava Wine. It's quite good for you."
Zekiel had naturally heard of Lava Wine before. They said even in the biting cold of the north, one cup would keep you warm all day.
Catching him out of nowhere and then giving him something nice.
She truly was an unpredictable woman.
'But…'
Is this really Lava Wine?
A brief scene flashed through Zekiel's mind.
Drink it, black out asleep, wake up in the same bed as Ether… Given who she was, all sorts of thoughts flooded his head.
"…Not drinking? It'll lose its kick if it cools."
"Hmm."
With no choice, he gulped down the Lava Wine.
The temperature was hot, but it filled his stomach with a hearty warmth and a simultaneous coolness. It was a satisfying sensation that was hard to put into words.
Ether smiled contentedly.
"How is it? Feel more at ease inside?"
"It definitely lives up to its name."
"Good. Then we can talk calmly now. Teacher, what am I lacking that makes you keep running away?"
"…."
Zekiel furrowed his brow.
'Lacking? If anything, you're too outstanding. That's the problem.'
War God, Strongest… Just looking at the titles attached to the 1st Princess showed how exceptional she was. If anything, she was too outstanding—that was the issue.
"Is my appearance lacking?"
"Absolutely not."
"Then, is my martial prowess or authority insufficient?"
"Not in the slightest."
"Then you should be welcoming me with open arms. So why do you keep acting outside the bounds of common sense?"
Right. It was far too joyful an occasion.
It was an overflowing blessing, heavenly fortune itself.
…If Zekiel had only sent a proposal letter to one person.
Yes, if he'd only proposed to the 1st Princess…
…Why on earth had he sent proposal letters to all the princesses? Even he himself was curious.
"Ether."
"Yes, I'm listening intently."
"I have a lot on my plate right now."
"Time is something you create when you set your mind to it. Even in wartime, children are born."
"It's extremely urgent."
Ether nodded quietly in response.
"I know what your urgent business is, Teacher."
"Hm?"
"You're just searching for a way to absorb the Sunwater."
"Ah."
Come to think of it, the Emperor had said he'd pass the message on to the 1st Princess. It seemed it had already been done.
Seeing Zekiel not deny it, Ether lifted her chin with a subtle smile, as if confirmed.
Her snow-white hand gently took hold of Zekiel's.
It was unbelievably soft for a swordswoman.
"Teacher, am I right in what I think?"
"…Yeah, but."
"No need to worry about my purity. It was never meant for anyone but you from the start. Just trust in me."
"…."
"I'll make you feel my charms night after night."
A total dilemma.
Meanwhile, something had been bothering Zekiel.
"Ether, even assuming we marry, you should've returned to the north. The warriors were standing by all day in the snow—it's not fitting for a leader."
"Aha."
Ether nodded as if she understood.
"Did I seem like a woman who irresponsibly tosses aside everything else for the sake of affection alone? Even in your eyes, I must've looked incompetent."
"You mean there's more to it?"
"Yes. I have plans in motion."
Ether answered with a suddenly serious expression.
"The north is far too dependent on me right now."
She quickly refilled the empty cup with Lava Wine. Zekiel and Ether silently downed another round.
"It might seem like I'm just holding out under the pretext of marriage, but I wanted to foster independence in the warriors. And as a bonus, weed out those harboring ill intentions."
I see.
So that was her deeper intent.
"…But why'd you rip off my top?"
Zekiel tried to fend her off with his hands, but he couldn't resist her firm grip. Moments later, with a rrrip, his top was torn clean off.
The corner of Ether's mouth curved into an arc.
"For that reason, I'll be secluded in this mansion for the time being. So let's pass the time by bumping bodies. They say rubbing skin together multiple times deepens affection even more."
"…What kind of conclusion is that?"
Crash! The chair shattered. The moment Ether straddled the fallen Zekiel.
The instant she firmly pressed down on his stomach.
"…1st Princess."
"Hm?"
Ether's head whipped around. The messenger stood there, unsure where to direct his gaze.
"The Inspector has an urgent message to deliver."
"Of all times, now?"
Ether stared intently at the messenger.
It was a look that meant scram unless it was something monumental—enough to make any ordinary person collapse on the spot. Yet the messenger held firm.
As expected. It was a vital matter.
"It's truly critical."
"Hmmmm."
The 1st Princess glanced down at Zekiel pinned beneath her lower body. She licked her lips like a predator.
"It's really that urgent, you say?"
"It's about the warriors. Very urgent."
"Well, can't be helped. Fruit ripens all the sweeter if you wait patiently, doesn't it?"
Her lower body still overlapping his, Ether slowly leaned her upper body toward Zekiel and whispered ever so softly into his ear.
"Teacher."
"…What."
"Finish up with the messenger and return straight to my mansion. If not, all the Sunwater you obtained might just vanish?"
"…."
"Got it or not? Even spoon-feeding you."
"…Got it."
Zekiel left the mansion with a pale face.
Upon arriving at the reception room, the messenger gave him a careful look.
"…You look like you've been through it."
"No, it's my own mess."
"What on earth did you do?"
Zekiel let out a deep sigh instead of explaining.
Proposing to all five princesses at once—explaining it would be a problem, and so would not explaining.
"Anyway, straight to the point."
The messenger recounted everything that had happened with the warrior Brogar, sparing no details. It took quite a while, but fortunately, the Inspector understood well.
A good while later.
The messenger finished his explanation and exhaled heavily.
"…Hoo, that's how it happened."
He gauged Zekiel's reaction. He had no idea how Zekiel would respond, and honestly, even if he declared he wouldn't get involved, there'd be nothing to say.
However.
Zekiel's expression was far more serious than imagined.
"…So."
Zekiel rubbed his chin.
"This issue has existed in the north for a while, and because I was chosen by the 1st Princess, I'm now in the position where I have to resolve it."
"…Yes. That's right."
"Are they insane?"
The messenger flinched at Zekiel's blunt reaction. Truthfully, he had no grounds to complain about that response. Zekiel had been dragged into it unilaterally…
But.
Zekiel was inwardly cursing the Emperor.
'Emperor, you mad bastard, again with this…'
There was no way the Emperor was unaware of the whole situation.
No wonder he'd so readily handed over the 1st Princess's purity. Deep down, he'd planned to drag Zekiel into the mess to sort it out.
Bang!
Zekiel shot up from his seat.
"I-Inspector…?"
The messenger reacted in confusion, at a loss.
"Wait here."
Zekiel strode off quickly.
"Inspector! Wh-where are you going?"
"Audience chamber."
Things were different now.
There wasn't the slightest hesitation in his steps.
The Emperor's audience chamber.
"…."
The Emperor stared at the floor in disbelief.
"…What are you doing?"
The scene unfolding before him.
It was shocking, to say the least.
Zekiel lay prostrated on the floor, hands clasped politely over his chest. Beside him rested a sword sharpened from ice.
"Ah, forget it all. I'll just die now."
"…What?"
The Emperor reacted incredulously, but.
"Kill me. I'm done with everything."
"…."
The Emperor silently stroked his beard.