Chapter 151
Chapter 151
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: 13. Slicing Water with a Blade (11)
"I had a feeling, and sure enough."
After dozing off briefly and waking back up, Her Majesty the Empress and Big Sis Mina were casually snuggled up to both sides of me, eyes closed in sleep.
What could be considered natural, really. There weren't many people who could pry these two away with social status or raw power.
If anyone were to cling on, it'd be these two.
I'd figured as much.
I got up as quietly as possible, avoiding contact to not wake them, and headed outside.
Now that the arms they'd been holding while sleeping were gone, they'd probably wake up soon enough. But I needed a moment alone, so I'd stepped out.
Compared to when I'd fully adapted to life in Labyrinth City Astraea, I felt less fatigued by social interactions these days. Still, that didn't mean I'd suddenly started liking people.
Astraea was a single city through and through, and naturally, processing labyrinth produce brought some pollution with it.
In that sense, getting to see a truly pristine night sky like this was something only possible in a place like this.
Maybe this was what I'd missed most from home.
A faint glimpse of the Milky Way, rather than just scattered pinpricks of stars, was a sight nothing else could replace.
Tearing my eyes from the distant sky to look down at the ground, I could see traces of the people who'd been bustling about just moments ago.
It was a striking contrast, yet the way the lights gathered and shone together stirred something envious in me.
"You're wearing that sentimental look again."
"...Your Majesty."
"What? Got a complaint?"
"No complaints. I just figured Big Sis Mina, with her sharper senses, would've woken up first."
"Is that so. That girl said she thought you wanted to be alone and went back to sleep."
"Then why'd you come out, Your Majesty?"
"There might be some disagreement on whether 'wanting to be alone' really means we should leave you completely by yourself."
She flashed a confident smile and sat down beside me. Unlike before, she didn't lean in but looked me straight in the eye as she spoke.
"Something I've realized coming this far: you seem awfully hung up on the idea of 'next chances.'"
"Yes."
"After facing your father—the one you hated so much—you said you'd give him one more chance. And from what those kids told me, you took a step back even with those academy troublemakers you fought big-time with."
"W-Well... maybe."
"I'm curious why. This isn't just idle curiosity, nor am I trying to scold you. I just... as someone who wants to get closer to you, I want to take a bit of a bold step forward. So, if you could tell me..."
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I could be honest.
Even in my mid-twenties in this second life, I was still dragging around issues from my previous one.
How should I put it?
"What is a choice, exactly?"
"Picking one and giving up the rest."
"Some people lack the courage to choose, while others can't let go. Back then, I was the type who couldn't let go."
"I see. Watching one thing clutched tight while the rest slips through your fingers like grains of sand is hard to witness."
"And in the most crucial moment, I failed to let go of what I should've abandoned."
When I started living at the facility, I needed to shed my pointless pride. Stop acting to impress the 'good parents' and just show my true self.
When I realized my parents were just a show-window couple, I should've let go of my hopes and love for a real family. Being upfront might've reduced the bullying later on.
In elementary school, after helping a kid getting bullied and becoming the target myself, I should've set aside my personal grudges. Ask my parents and others for help, forgive the kid.
And when I first started dating my girlfriend, I shouldn't have forced an idealized partner image on her—one I didn't even fully understand yet.
Looking back, there were too many things I stubbornly clung to that I shouldn't have. That obsession probably ruined my life in the end.
"Put nicely, it's tenacity. Tenacity to get what you want. Not a bad thing in itself."
"But it drags other people down with you. That's the problem."
"Yeah. That is a problem."
She let out a sigh, then took my hand in her pajamas-clad state and placed it on her left breast.
"Now, you'll face another crossroads of choice."
"...Yes."
"Plenty of people want you, and plenty of women whose hearts race like mine right now. You'll have to choose. By whatever standard you decide on yourself."
Before I knew it, our fingers were interlocked.
I didn't particularly like holding hands this way, but for some reason, I didn't feel like letting go.
"Even if you don't know romantic love between men and women, it doesn't matter. Same if you don't know harmonious family life. Everyone starts somewhere, and no one knows anything without learning."
She took a breath, hugged her knees against the chilly night air, and continued.
"I can wait as long as it takes to overcome any deficiencies. But please... make your decision quickly."
"...Then I'll have to muster some courage."
"What kind?"
"The courage to bare my true face."
She tilted her head, not understanding, but when I gave a wry smile and spoke, she nodded.
What it meant didn't matter. What mattered was that I'd made my decision.
That seemed to be how she took it.
"Just one more thing."
"Yes."
"Suppose, just suppose. If you married me and became the Imperial Consort, a ton of annoyances would come up."
"That's to be expected."
"Y-You wouldn't mind?"
"If I chose Your Majesty, it means I chose all that comes with it."
Her slightly sulky expression brightened right up.
Hey, you don't complain after marriage, right? It's all part of the package.
After hesitating at my words and glancing at me, the Empress suddenly turned, planted a kiss on my cheek, and scurried back into the camp.
I looked back at the sky, a chuckle escaping without wiping it away.
"In the end, nothing's really resolved."
An ambiguous outcome with the academy, same with Father.
This vague result was probably because my inability to let go had shown through strong again.
I lay down flat on the grass.
Spreading arms and legs out in a big X, I felt oddly good for no real reason.
Ahead, I'd face countless choices. And I still had to settle things decisively with the academy and Father.
Forgiveness.
Revenge.
Cut ties.
Every choice brings losses equal to gains.
This time, I had to decide precisely what to lose.
"Shopkeeper."
"Ah, Big Sis Mina."
"The Empress came back all flushed."
"She kissed my cheek and bolted."
"Me too. Shopkeeper cheek smooches."
She rested her head on my left arm as I lay spread-eagled, rolled over to snuggle beside me, and pressed her lips to the opposite cheek from where the Empress had.
Not sucking on it like she said, though.
"Family."
"Huh?"
"I'd like you to take a look at my family too, Shopkeeper."
"Oh. The ones you mentioned before."
"Yeah. Elves live in tribes, so our lifestyles differ a lot from humans'."
"Y-Yeah, meeting them once would be good."
Her eyes widened at my words.
"No hesitation?"
"I-I'm always resolving to tackle my inner issues more proactively and move forward."
"Good."
With that, she buried her face in my chest without asking more and started breathing softly in sleep. I gave up thinking further and tried to focus back on the stars.
"Shopkeeper."
"...Karin?"
"Hehe."
She didn't seem asleep; rustling sounds had woken her, and now Karin was out here.
The issue was her recent deliberate choice: a slightly sheer see-through nightgown with fabric patched over key areas like lingerie.
Give me somewhere to look.
"I had a dream today."
"Svetlana?"
"Yeah. Something about how to properly seduce you, blah blah. Memories like that fade over time, but I remember what kind of dream it was."
"Haha."
"Shopkeeper."
"Yeah."
"Among the people in that tent, I'm the most, uh, ordinary and plain. Or to put it harshly, insignificant."
I didn't answer right away.
Tough topic.
"Still, it's a relief. You don't judge people like that."
"Well..."
"So, I can dream about living with you too, right?"
"This year."
The season was cooling off, sliding past summer.
"I'll give you a clear answer by year's end."
Never before had I received such dense love or expectations. As Duke Lebedev's minor successor, I'd been praised for shifting those around me, but now it was I who was learning, rediscovering my roots.
Every journey ends, and every ended journey has some conclusion.
I wouldn't erase the past, but I wanted to overcome it and move forward.
Once I had my answer, I could share my honest feelings with everyone.
"Then I'll wait without prying."
"No need to worry. Ignore that Svetlana girl."
"Ahaha."
With an awkward laugh, Karin headed back into the tent.
And then a whisper tickled my ear.
"Shopkeeper. Should I wear something like that too?"
"Don't."