Chapter 317 Long Carriage Ride (2)

Her royal highness gives me a nod of approval as it seems I've managed to cheer up the sulking Miss.

She is not actually part of the royal family, but it seems like her royal highness picked her from the icy forest and made her, her own little sister.

She's actually quite cute… when she's like this, of course.

I saw her when she was fending off the kingdom from that demon… her eyes were colder than ice as she sliced the head off of the demon.

It was a strangely beautiful sight that caused me to admire her from a distance.

She can be mature and cold, but also very cute and childish like right now.

"I'm tired," The Miss mutters as she looks up at me.

"Would you like to go to sleep?" I ask, and she just silently nods before closing her eyes.

I slowly stroked her hair as she began to fall asleep.

…

It was the next day, and I was feeling a bit tired, but after running into the Miss again, I was invigorated with life.

Being around her lifted my spirits, and slowly, I could feel myself looking at her more than usual.

Though I didn't feel any romantic feelings, it was more admiration as whenever we ran into a monster; she took care of it instantly.

After seeing only a sliver of her power, I began to wonder why her royal highness had kept her.

Maybe as a tool for war? That wouldn't be too surprising, judging how the relationship between each kingdom is eroding.

Maybe as a tool of power as she is influential with politics and understands a lot. Especially with her paperwork which she finishes in just a few hours despite having more than her royal highness.

"Hey, doesn't this feel weird?" The Miss asks as she leans on my shoulder.

"Oh, would you like to change positions?" I ask, but she just nods her head side to side.

"All of this… This feels like a trap, doesn't it?"

"You mean how we're meeting up at that place?"

"Yep,"

"Hmmm… I guess you aren't wrong, but I don't necessarily feel that way. None of the other kingdoms would dare to do that when another is right beside them. It's basically a death wish,"

"No… Not the other kingdoms… I'm talking about the demons. If this place had existed for so long, I'm sure they would've known about it. And if they did this to all the other kingdoms, that means we're just dancing in the palm of their hands," The Miss deduces a plan that didn't seem that bad.

"You should discuss with the others then," I say with a smile, and her cheeks blush a bit before glancing at her royal highness.

"No… I hate her… She's so mean,"

"Oh, come on… I'm sure she did it because she loves you,"

"She hates me,"

"No, she doesn't. How would you even know?"

"B-because no normal person would spank their younger sister,"

"Oh, really?" I chuckle to myself before she lies her head in my lap.

"I-If you pet my head, then maybe I'll consider telling them," She says with flushed cheeks, signaling her embarrassment.

"Then, I will help out her royal highness by petting your head. Make sure to stay still; otherwise, my nails might scratch you,"

"Aren't your nails supposed to dull?"

"They are, but I might cut your eye,"

"That won't happen,"

"Fufufu, then shall we test out," I say before placing my finger above her eye, but she quickly grabs it with her hand.

"Please don't do that," She says in a much more mature tone.

"S-sure," I respond before eyeing her royal highness, who was glaring at me.

I just wanted to joke around a bit… but I guess I should be aware of how she reacts to different things, I guess.

…

Another day passed and the awkwardness from yesterday continued to linger, but thankfully, I was able to join the Miss on a small mission.

We were tasked with destroying a horde of monsters ahead, but to be honest, I felt as if I didn't need to be there.

FWOOSH

The Miss summoned a giant scythe that tore through the landscape and wave of monsters… in just an instant.

The yetis on this mountain were said to be very strong and would take a few imperial soldiers to kill, but she just wiped out a few hundred with a single swing.

Her swing also flattened trees and a part of the mountain that caused the remaining portion to tumble down from the peak.

"Geez," I muttered before we made our way back to the carriages.

A flutter of snow swirled around the Miss, and her suit fit her really well as her chest wasn't too big, and she had pretty broad shoulders.

"You look very handsome," I say to the Miss, and she grimaces.

"I am… beautiful," She says with a graceful smile.

"Sure, whatever you wish,"

"Oh, you're getting quite cheeky now, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I say, turning to look at her while walking backward.

"Oh, I like women like you," She says, and her eyes lifted a bit as she slowly walked towards me, and only then did I realize the difference in our height.

She was about 6 feet tall while I was a measly 5'8, which wasn't insignificant to an average person… but compared to her and her royal highness… I couldn't help but step back.

Suddenly, my back hit the trunk of a tree, so I couldn't back up any farther.

"So pretty," The Miss mutters as she cups my chin and lifts it with her hand.

For some reason, I felt my heart skip a beat.

Unlike the previous days, her hair was tied up into a bun, making her really look like the most beautiful man in the world.

I couldn't help but blush as the Miss closed the distance between us, and her minty breath brushed against my face.

"M-Miss-"

"I KNEW IT!" Somebody suddenly shouts, and when I turn my head, I see her royal highness with three guards around her.

"Oh come on, you just ruined the mood," The Miss clicks her tongue before uncupping my chin and walking over to the group.

Oh my goodness… I thought I was going to faint.

I quickly ran over to the group as we made our way back to the carriages.

"I cleared the was well," The Miss says as she points to her work.

"Yes, yes, I see,"

"Then praise me,"

"Good girl… Good girl,"

The Miss's cold demeanor from before was entirely gone as she received the head pats like an ice wolf puppy.

"Anyway, don't hit on my guards," Amanda says, quickly ruining the fluffy aura around her as she slapped Arpious in the back of the head.

"Tch… I just can't help myself,"

"Look, you can date whoever you want since you have multiple wives, but don't turn one of my guards into somebody you go on and off with. You can do that with your whore, but with her, you need to spend time with her, love her, and care for her… so, do you think you can do that?"

The Miss glances at her royal highness with uncaring eyes.

"If I end up liking her enough,"

Her words were like an arrow through my heart, and my chest began to hurt despite no physical damage being done.

And her royal highness saw my reaction, so she slapped the Miss in the back of the head again, causing her to apologize to me.

"I'm sorry,"

"I-It's fine," I respond.

It was a long walk back to the carriage.

…

(Arpious POV)

Uh, I'm so stupid… I didn't mean to say that… It was just a reaction to her words…

"I'm sorry again for saying something so insensitive," I apologized to Loni, the guard, once again as I lay in her lap while we were taking another stop to rest.

We were almost at our destination, and I thought I should apologize again as the air will be awkward when another time like yesterday comes again… where we have to work together.

Suddenly, I felt Loni pinch and tug on the edge of my ear, causing me to grab her wrist, but instead of shrinking back in fear as I crumpled in anger, she just looked down at me with a glare.

"That's right! How could you be so insensitive!" She says.

"I-I'm sorry. I said I was sorry,"

"Hmph… You know what, how about you go her royal highness and hug her. It seems you never liked me anyway," Loni says, and my angry face quickly distorts into a calmer expression.

"N-no, I'm sorry," I say as she pushes me out of her lap.

"Go away,"

"O-Okay,"

I slowly walk over to Amanda, who pats the snow next to her, gesturing for me to sit down.

"About what you said… Are you sure the demons planned this?"

"I don't know," I sigh as I lean my head on her shoulder.

Dammit...