kscans

Chapter 201 - Doodles. The Incorrigible Bunch

"You know, it’s not that I mind, really."

"...Hm?"

This was the Count’s residence.

Since Drago absolutely refused to permit her to go out without an escort, Romel and Chihiro’s trysts were exclusively confined to her home. Still, Romel wanted to see Chihiro, so he eagerly and frequently visited her at the Little One’s room, which had changed considerably since they began interacting with Kilfan.

There was the chabudai and nando she had been fond of in her past life as Fatima. Thick floor cushions and a pot wagon bearing a magic kettle. A small stand with hikido and hikidashi was an excellent piece, capable of storing yunomi, a kyusu, ochappa, chagashi, and more. Best of all, it kept everything within arm’s reach. It was a convenient tool that allowed one to prepare tea with one hand while remaining seated. Chihiro's room was overflowing with these and various other Kilfan products. The two had been relaxing there, enjoying a tranquil autumn day, a perfect koharubiyori. When he saw the well fed Little One begin to nod off, Romel gently shifted his body and guided her head onto his lap. It was their usual pattern. When she was with Romel, Chihiro would fall asleep right away. His gaze held a hint of disappointment. The cute fiancée lay on her side, her breathing soft and even. With a sweet smile of utter contentment, he gazed down at Chihiro.

Leaning back against his floor chair, Romel felt a profound sense of relief that her tumultuous life had finally settled down. There had been plenty of incidents since then, but she had kicked them all aside herself. Now that they could welcome an ordinary day like this, he was truly at ease.

But he couldn't let his guard down. The people who had been Chihiro's enemies had been eliminated, but in their place, a different sort of individual, not quite an enemy, had risen to prominence. He closed his eyes, and the sight returned to him. A scene he could never forget, no matter how he tried.

It was the night of Chihiro’s coming of age ceremony. In the royal palace courtyard, Prince Marrow knelt before her, begging for her love.

"It does not have to be now. Just keep me in a corner of your heart. Should anything happen, I will help you with all my strength. So please, think of me, even just a little."

Marrow’s eyes held a faint glimmer of passion as he pressed a kiss to the back of the Little One’s hand. Seeing it, Romel’s chest stirred with a disquieting feeling. He made no effort to hide the grim shadow in his eyes as he strode quickly into the courtyard, but then Chihiro’s voice reached his ears.

"I think you’ve got strange taste... You can’t handle me, y’know. Being a caged bird isn’t my thing."

Romel’s eyes widened, and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"I would not commit such a graceless act as to cage you, either. You should be free."

"Hmm? Well, you probably wouldn’t get it. Romel and I are comrades, see. We can walk at the same eye level, at the same pace... Just as he wants to protect me, I want to protect him. ...When it comes down to it, we’ll face hardship back to back. I’d rather not live a life of just being protected, you know?"

"I would too!"

As Marrow stood up with a sincere expression, Chihiro returned a cynical smile. Marrow saw something nostalgic in her narrowed eyes and raised eyebrow, and he was lost for words.

"I don’t want to protect you. Nor do I want to spoil you. That kind of affection isn’t based on logic, you know."

"..."

Seemingly unable to grasp the meaning of her words, Marrow clenched his jaw slightly. But he sensed what she meant.

"So, you are saying you cannot love me?"

"Yup. My capacity for affection is pretty small. I use it all up on Romel. Got nothing left to spare for anyone else."

The Little One grinned with deep meaning.

Ah, I knew it. This was the kind of creature she was. At first glance, she seemed simple and easy to manage, but in reality, she was a terrifyingly cunning girl. She would even use her own appearance to her advantage, luring her opponents into letting their guard down before mercilessly tearing them apart. But…

Looking up, Marrow gazed at the one and only girl.

"I do not need to be loved. At the very least, I should not be hated. I do not mind if you only use me. I want to remain in this position."

Even if his love was unrequited, Marrow declared that he wanted to remain her friend. Was he being noble, or just stubborn? Chihiro gave him an exasperated glance and shrugged her shoulders as if to say, oh, honestly.

"You really do have strange taste."

"...Not really, you know?"

Marrow and the Little One followed the voice that seemed to come from nowhere and found Theodore standing by the hedges on the palace side. He wore a faint, placid smile and looked back and forth between the two with a calm expression.

"Doing this here... You are quite the hero, Prince Marrow."

Behind Theodore was the palace terrace. There were stairs and a short distance from there to here. Though the main hall was noisy with a large crowd, it was a position where a sharp eyed person could spot them. Understanding the meaning behind Theodore’s words, Marrow looked displeased but wore a defiant expression.

"...I have decided to have regrets only after I have tried everything I can."

"I see."

Suppressing a small laugh that rose from his throat, Theodore also took Chihiro’s hand and knelt solemnly. His gaze was just as fervent as Marrow’s, if not more so.

As his eyes openly brimmed with passion, the Little One exposed her gums in a wide grin for what felt like the umpteenth time that night.

"This feels incredibly derivative. But I’ll tell you how I feel, just in case, okay? ...There are more people than you can count who are hoping for a lucky break. So be careful, alright?"

"Including you, Theo?"

"Of course."

Theodore smiled like a blossoming flower. Chihiro sighed and looked up at the heavens with a dubious expression. There were the Mansion Fairies, who had chosen Sasha as their master in the past and still wanted to be used by her. Though the root cause was different, the two young men before her exuded the same atmosphere. Infinite affection. Boundless goodwill. The sticky obsession shown by someone who has fallen into a rabbit hole. This sort of thing was not based on logic, either.

Persuasion would be useless. But such feelings were like a fever. One day, they might suddenly cool down.

Chihiro clearly remembered a friend from her second past life on Earth who had become obsessed with a streamer and gone off the deep end. One day, the friend had suddenly returned to their senses and was horrified with regret over the amount of money they had squandered on Spacha and merchandise. No matter the object of affection, whether it was love, admiration, or respect, the state of being blindly engrossed with a fluttering heart was all the same. The admiration that he and the people of Frontier currently felt for Chihiro was simply the lingering excitement of having witnessed the battle with the gods. That was what the Little One believed.

"Well, do as you please. My one and only is Romel. It would be good if you just remembered that."

She cut down the two young men's faint hopes with a single stroke and, turning with a flourish of her flower like dress, looked at Romel. Even before Marrow and Theodore’s gazes turned resentfully behind her, she had sensed the presence of her beloved fiancé. A tingling magic clung to the nape of her neck as if to torment it. That magic, colored with jealousy, was pleasant to Chihiro.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Romel♪"

"Ah... No."

His face blank with displeasure, he powerlessly caught the Little One as she ran to him. Then, he glanced at the two young men. Their magic was quietly bubbling. The eerie flickering, like a blue flame, conveyed Marrow and Theodore’s feelings to Romel with crushing weight.

I will take her from you... is what they said.

Fiancé? The Little One’s one and only? So what? A twenty year age gap is significant. Eventually, you will leave her behind and die. We will wait until then. Even if not until then, if you show a weakness, we will take her. Giving up is not an option. No matter how many years we wait, no matter how old we get, as long as we can be by her side in the end, that is all that matters.

That was what their sharp gazes, unique to the young, brutally conveyed.

Faced with the ferocious, glittering smiles of the two, Romel, uncharacteristically, felt a shiver of cold run down his spine. If this were politics or the battlefield, he would not flinch. In fact, he would counterattack with double the force. However, it was a different story when their target was the Little One. The girl in his arms was too dazzling for him, a man about to turn forty. A treasure that could not be replaced by anything. The two young men were a better match for Chihiro than someone like him.

And yet...

Romel held the girl in his arms tighter. The delicate movement of his fingers was as if he were handling something fragile. Chihiro had chosen him. Not anyone else, but Romel. ...If that was the case, he would meet them head on with all his might.

Ah, that's right. Throughout history, it has been said that in love and war, one does not choose their means. In this world, there is nothing absolute besides death. It is natural for a person's heart to change. Marrow and Theodore were likely thinking the same thing. The corners of their mouths twisted defiantly. Glancing at their unevenly raised lips, Romel escorted the Little One toward the palace hall.

I will never give her to you. As long as she wants me... No, even if she does not, I will not let her go. I will strive, and I will make her turn to me again and again.

His long association with the Little One had fostered an indomitable fighting spirit and perseverance. He could give up when he was dead. The men who had it hammered into them to just act and struggle, no matter what, would demonstrate this in troublesome ways as well.

"Chihiro, would you like to go to the Castle of Sweets? I hear the irises in the forest park are at their best."

Marrow used the Honeybee Carriages stationed in various countries to visit Frontier casually. True to his word, he seemed to be settling into the position of a friend while still trying to woo the Little One.

"The fruit trees here are magnificent. Was it Hakuo? Please share some of the peaches with me."

It was within the same royal palace. Theodore, who usually assisted Wilfe, had incorporated Count George's residence into his walking route during breaks. Even knowing it was an impregnable fortress, he still whispered sweet, alluring nothings to the Little One.

There were many other royals and nobles who showed their interest. Even Romel, who drove away such insolent fellows, could only sigh at the remarkable proactiveness of these two.

As he pondered such trivial things, Romel savored a moment of bliss in the autumn sunlight. The girl dozed, leaning against him. Romel gently stroked the Little One’s head, his eyes narrowing at the feel of her soft hair.

Their trysts had now become a daily routine.

One day, as his mind wrestled with all sorts of conflicts, Romel was informed of a shocking fact by Sasha and Dorfen, who were watching over the pair's quiet repose.

Ever since coming of age, the Little One only ever dozed off when she was by his side. She never did it anywhere else, and if she did, it was only in her own room with the door locked.

"She must feel completely at ease. I am so glad that the young mistress, who leads such a busy life, has a place where she can relax."

"...Though I do feel a little lonely. I miss the days when she would sleep in my arms."

As the two, holding their own children, smiled at him with a warm, knowing gaze, Romel's vision blurred with tears of gratitude.

Ah... really, now... Why are you...

It was a charming sight to see him turn on his heel in front of Sasha and Dorfen and dash around the royal palace in search of his beloved fiancée.

Regardless of the process, only happiness was in store for the Little One. She was an unwitting, supreme, naturally invincible wild boar of a girl, who had even managed to beguile the cunning Romel.

Brushing aside the bothersome attachments of those around her with a flick of her hand, the Little One continues to forge her own path today♪