Chapter 107: Gift(2)
Chapter 107: Gift(2)
"It's a bit forward of me to say, but I'm always so happy to see you, Your Highness."
The Saintess flaunted their connection as if she and the Princess were truly close.
The Princess responded with a bright smile of her own.
Looking at them, they really did seem close.
Even though the Princess had just told me she found the Saintess unsettling.
We chatted while eating the refreshments the Saintess had provided.
The Saintess and the Princess chattered away nonstop, as if they had endless things to talk about.
On the surface, they looked like loving sisters. The Princess was no ordinary girl, either.
Then again, she was a princess who had grown up in the imperial palace since childhood, so it was only natural.
When would be a natural time to bring up the gift?
I'd never been in a situation like this before. As the saying goes, a guilty conscience needs no accuser. If it were just a normal gift, I wouldn't care, but given what it was, I couldn't help but worry.
I was afraid that if I timed it wrong, the Saintess might sense something was off.
But it seemed I had overestimated the Saintess.
She brought up my gift herself.
"What's in that box you've been holding, Sir Kerry? You're clutching it so preciously."
This sly fox. Her feigned casualness was something else.
Just as I was about to speak, the Princess spoke up with a smile.
"This is a gift Sir Kerry prepared because he wanted to resolve the small misunderstanding between you two, Your Holiness. I was also wondering when he was going to give it to you... Hohoho. It seems Sir Kerry was a bit nervous, perhaps because of your renowned beauty, Your Holiness."
Nervous, my ass. But the Princess's assist wasn't bad.
It created the impression that this wasn't just a gift from me, but something the Princess was also involved in.
Nice assist, Your Highness!
"Yes. Her Highness is correct. I prepared this gift to apologize for... what happened the other day."
"Oh, my. Were you still dwelling on such a trivial matter, Sir Kerry? You really needn't have..."
I vividly remembered her grinding her teeth, vowing that I'd live to regret it. What a terrifying bitch. Truly.
"So, will you accept the gift?"
"Of course. It's a gift from you, Sir Kerry. I must accept it."
Isn't this a little too easy?
I thought she'd play hard to get a little. She really has a weak spot for the Princess.
It seemed the Saintess was desperate to look good in front of the Princess.
It made sense. For a Saintess who did no work to afford such a grand mansion and so many handmaidens, the source of her funds was obvious.
Recalling what Lina had said confirmed it.
Lina had definitely said the Saintess enjoyed being used by the Emperor.
So the Emperor was her sponsor.
That's why she had no choice but to wear a mask for the Princess, whom the Emperor cherished like the apple of his eye.
Little did she know that mask would soon be tightening around her own neck.
The Saintess accepted the gift box from me.
“If it's not too much trouble... may I open the gift now, Sir Kerry?”
She couldn't bear the curiosity of what I had prepared.
“Of course, Your Holiness.”
The Saintess opened the case, which was finished with high-quality leather. Inside lay a beautiful necklace set with a blue gem.
A blue gem was set on a silver chain, the necklace exquisitely crafted.
The Sage had designed and crafted it himself. Even to my eyes, the Star of Bondage was quite beautiful.
The blue gem, carved from the soul stone of a legendary-grade Ego Sword, was particularly impressive.
"Oh my. It's beautiful."
The Saintess looked back and forth between the necklace and me, surprised.
'For a commoner, he's given me a rather expensive-looking necklace, hasn't he? What is this blue gem in the center? I've never seen a jewel like this. I suppose having a connection to the Princess means he has his own source of funding.'
The Saintess decided she needed to re-evaluate me.
He was a commoner, but his connections were quite useful. It seemed there was no harm in staying on his good side.
The thought of berating me again after the Princess left completely vanished.
The Princess looked at the necklace and said, "The necklace is so lovely. It will look wonderful on you, Your Holiness."
It was just a polite comment, but it was more than enough of an assist.
I was sure of it, seeing the corners of the Saintess's mouth lift.
"...It is. I was surprised by how beautiful it is. It looks very expensive... I'm not sure if I can accept something like this...."
Of course you can.
"Please think of it as a symbol of my feelings for you, Your Holiness."
And I meant it.
The Saintess nodded as she observed my attitude.
This was the proper way for him to act, of course. He shouldn't have insulted me, the Saintess, just for a little teasing.
'No, wait. Thinking about it... this man didn't really do anything. It was the Hero who threw a fit.'
With that thought, her anger subsided a little. Of course, it wasn't as if this man, Kerry, was entirely blameless.
But the value of the man before her had skyrocketed because of the Princess.
If she had known from the start that he was close to the Princess, she wouldn't have treated him so poorly.
'Yes. I'll steal this man's heart and make that Hero regret it. His face is handsome enough, so it won't be boring for me, either.'
Despite the humiliation he'd suffered, Kerry seemed to be completely subservient. This type was perfect for toying with.
The Saintess gave me a bright smile. It was a gesture of reconciliation.
“I truly love the necklace, Sir Kerry. And as I said, please forget what happened. I've already forgotten all about it.”
“I can only thank you for your mercy, Your Holiness. You are as benevolent as befits one chosen by Elena.”
The Princess also seemed pleased by the warming atmosphere. As if to liven things up even more, she chimed in.
“Your Holiness, why don't you try the necklace on? I'm sure it will look wonderful on you.”
Bringing the Princess was a great idea. Her assists were better than I could have hoped for.
“Should I?”
The Saintess smiled in satisfaction and picked up the necklace.
Her face was so pretty that even knowing her personality was trash, her smile looked genuinely beautiful.
The Saintess lifted the Star of Bondage and began to place it around her neck.
She swept her fine, orange-hued hair to one side. The line of her neck was killer.
Just as the Saintess fastened the Star of Bondage around her own neck, a message echoed in her mind.
[You have become the wearer of the Star of Bondage.]
“?”
[Commencing wearer's education. Subject: How to become a bitch who devotes her body and soul to her Master.]
“???”
The Saintess tried to voice that something was wrong.
But for some reason, she couldn't move a muscle, frozen in her upright posture on the chair.
She couldn't even make a sound.
'What the hell is this? What's happening to my body? And what is this voice I'm hearing?'
[Please enter a name.]
'Name? My name is Grace Patricia! The Saintess chosen by Elena! I don't know who you are, but you'd best release me from these bonds at once!'
[The Master has set your name.]
[Your name is ‘Kerry's Personal Cock Entrance’.]
'W-What kind of entrance? Are you insane? Who gave you the right to decide my name? Release me from these bonds this instant! Now!'
The Saintess could only move her eyes, glaring at me.
The message had clearly mentioned the name Kerry. He had to be involved.
A smirk spread across my face.
I was smiling.
It was a savage grin, impossible to associate with the groveling man she had seen until now.
The Saintess had a gut feeling that something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.
'This necklace... this necklace is the cause. Kerry... you bastard!!'
She wanted to rip the necklace off immediately, but her body wouldn't move.
“Your Holiness? Is something wrong? Perhaps you don't like the necklace.... You look pale.”
The Princess asked with concern from beside her.
Right. The Princess was here. Maybe the Princess would notice something was wrong and do something.
After all, the Princess was a devout follower of the Elena Church. She would never abandon the Saintess.
But that hope was shattered in an instant.
The Saintess's mouth began to move on its own.
“Not at all. I was just so taken with the necklace that I was momentarily lost for words.”
'No. That's not what I'm saying!'
“Oh my. I'm so glad you like it that much. Isn't this wonderful, Sir Kerry?”
“Yes, it's wonderful. I'm relieved Your Holiness likes the necklace. It looks truly beautiful on you, Your Holiness. Pfft.”
I could now control the Saintess at will.
The soul stone from the legendary-grade Ego Sword allowed me to move the Saintess according to my will.
A telepathic voice echoed in my head.
[Master. What shall I do with ‘Kerry's Personal Cock Entrance’?]
'For now, can you make that bitch say exactly what I'm thinking?'
[Yes. Understood, Master.]
I wanted to send the Princess away and have a fun 'education' session alone with the Saintess, but there was still work to be done.
Namely, stringing the Princess along.
Of course, the chances of a commoner like me marrying a princess were practically zero.
But from what I'd heard, the Princess vehemently despised her arranged marriage to some fat prince she didn't know.
How desperate must she have been to seek out the Hero and propose to him?
She, a princess, had even been on the verge of proposing to me.
With a heart that desperate, if I gave her just a little bit of hope, she would cling to it and wait for me all on her own.
The Empire's First Princess, Beatrice, was known as the apple of the Emperor's eye.
It was clear that even a small bit of favor from the Princess would be a great help in the future.
Just as it had helped me get my hands on the Saintess today.
In this absurd other world, a connection to the royal family... it was valuable enough to make even the Saintess change her tune in the blink of an eye.
“I truly love this necklace. Thank you once again, Sir Kerry.”
“I'm just glad you like it, Your Holiness.”
“More importantly, to give such a beautiful necklace, your taste is quite extraordinary, Sir Kerry. Don't you agree, Your Highness?”
“Yes! You can glimpse a person's taste even in a small gift. In my eyes, Sir Kerry is clearly a man of great sense!”
“Hoho. We really see eye to eye, Your Highness. It's true what they say, handsome men pick the best gifts.”
“Th-That's right. Sir Kerry is very handsome!”
“You can tell just by looking at his broad shoulders that he must have an amazing body.”
“I think so too!”
The Saintess fumed as praise for me spilled from her own mouth against her will.
But there was nothing she could do.
For a while, the Saintess continued to praise me.
The Princess was puzzled by the Saintess's change in attitude, but then nodded to herself, attributing it to the gift.
Above all, as a modern man, my skin was clearer and I was taller than the average person in this world.
I had looks worthy of praise and was a companion to the Hero.
Listening to the Saintess's compliments, the Princess grew even more wistful.
If I weren't a commoner, she would have begged the Emperor to let her marry me.
Just then, a remark was made that made the Princess's ears perk up.
“And Sir Kerry is scheduled to take on an important position within our Elena Church in the future. If Your Highness would grace the celebration with your presence then, it would be an infinite honor...”
I quickly feigned surprise and said, “Your Holiness, isn't that still confidential?”
“Ah. I got too excited and misspoke. Please pretend you didn't hear that, Your Highness.”
“Sir Kerry, an important position in the Elena Church? What kind of position... I'd like to hear more about that!”
“Please forget what I just said. It was a slip of the tongue, Your Highness.”
“No, I insist, Your Holiness. This is very important to me. Sir Kerry? Please, say something.”
“Me? Hmm... Well, I suppose it can't be helped now, Your Holiness. It is confidential, but you've already spoken... and besides, isn't Her Highness a devout follower of the Elena Church? I don't think it would be so bad to tell her....”
The Princess continued to plead earnestly with the Saintess.
The Saintess pretended to hesitate before reluctantly opening her mouth to explain.
Of course, she was just saying everything I commanded her to.
The gist of the story was this:
That I was a devout follower of the Elena Church, and that my exceptional faith had been recognized by Elena herself, to the point where I might be appointed as a 'Saint'.
Of course, I added the detail that an immediate appointment was impossible since I had to continue my mission with the Hero.
That way, the Princess wouldn't get too clingy.
“That's... that's wonderful! Sir Kerry. To have faith so great that the Goddess would recognize you as a Saint... I can't even imagine how deep your belief must be. Truly! You're truly amazing!”
“You flatter me, Your Highness. Haha.”
As expected, the Princess began to bring up the topic of marriage.
“If you become a Saint of the Elena Church, Sir Kerry, His Majesty the Emperor might even permit our marriage! The marriage of a Saint and a Princess... It could be the event that truly brings the Elena Church and the Imperial Family closer together. Ah! Just imagining it feels like a dream!”
Well, it is a dream. So of course it feels like one. A Saint, my ass.
The Princess's eyes sparkled as if she were painting a rose-colored future.
She believed it so innocently that I almost felt a little sorry. Couldn't she have questioned it or had some doubts, even once?
But the Princess didn't seem to have a single doubt.
Once I was done stringing her along, I sent the Princess back to the palace.
Now, it was time to begin the sex education of my other big catch, the Saintess.