CH 11

Hearing my compliment, Sophia suddenly stood up and moved away from me. But I couldn’t feel any sign that she was going to leave.

“Sophia chan is cute.”

“Y…… you’re trying to flirt with such cheesy words. ……”

“Sophia chan is beautiful.”

“hnn! You! You have no …… dignity using such vile and vulgar language!”

“If I cared about dignity, I wouldn’t come to Sophia dressed like this.”

“…… that’s true. ……”

“Sophia chan is very strong and attractive as a woman. She’s very strong and also attractive as a woman. That’s why I wanted to make her mine, and that’s why I said such terrible things about her. ……”

“……”

“No matter how much power you wield, no matter how much money a man pays you, you can’t get the heart. ……”

“It’s not like you to say that. ……”

“Forget everything I said in the past. I was crazy back then because so many people died in the power struggle. From now on, I will take good care of Sophia-chan as a princess of a country.”

Saying this, I stood up and walked to Sophia. At first she backed away, but then she stopped and looked at me.

But she responds in a way I never expected.

“If you want to make up, you’ll have to play swordfight with me!”

“What? Sword?”

Sophia’s Side (Midnight)

In the evening we decided to have a match at the dojo where I usually train, and we went back to our respective rooms.

I am lying in bed, but I cannot sleep. I lie in bed, but I cannot sleep, because a piece of today’s events torments me.

His presence has always tormented me. Of course, he was not a tyrant from the beginning. He changed after the power struggle. A bloody battle between royalty and subordinates. I feel sorry for him. But he has insulted the people of my country, who value the sword, and threatened me, the next queen, to become a slave swordsman.

To be honest, I can’t go against him. The Shine Stone, which can only be obtained in the Kingdom of Ilas, is indispensable to our country’s economy. Therefore, I have been patient and have been suffering from tremendous stress.

To relieve my stress, I have taken up swordsmanship. Maybe it is because I want to escape from the frustrating fact that I cannot beat him or his country. So, I pushed down my emotions and swung the sword in my spare time.

Because I want to stand above that hateful man. Not only him, but also to avoid being licked by the men of the other kingdoms who looked at me like trash.

As a result, I became the strongest swordsman in the Orient. Even if a bunch of men came at me, as long as I have this sword, there would be no problem. There is no one on the Orient Continent who can beat me with military might.

But I cannot beat him.

Thanks to my father’s efforts to buy me time, I have made it this far without being tainted by him, but he has changed, as if to ridicule my efforts.

He always appeared in front of me dressed in a way that was unthinkable from his usual extravagant personality. As a lowly nobleman.

And then,

“Sophia-chan is so cute and charming that I’m missing out on my life by not getting along with such a beautiful girl!”

He tested me with his truly disgusting words.

It’s really, really inexcusable!

Of course, there are plenty of men who admire my looks. But he was fundamentally different from them.

Eyes without malice, an innocent smile reminiscent of a child. There was neither the lecherous gaze nor the ulterior motive that he had shown in the past with other men, when he appealed to devour my body.

It was as if an ideal man from another world had taken over his life.

This mysterious feeling I felt for the first time in my life.

It is not a kindness to satisfy my sexual desire, but a kindness to think of the other person.

It’s frustrating. Really frustrating. Why can’t I get the man I hated so much out of my mind? Normally, just remembering him would give me goosebumps and make me uncomfortable, but now, just remembering his smile makes my nape of the neck and stomach burn.

I’ve never felt a sensation like this at all before. ……

My head is a mess. This is all because of that man.

I complained in my mind as I got off the bed and went to the window.

I wondered if the bright moon would understand my feelings of being trapped. But the moon, ironically, reflected not my feelings but his and his maid’s amity.

As the next king of the kingdom of Ilas, he was kind to his maids. According to my royal maid (Safina), she is a commoner. So, does that mean he is kind to commoners and to me without distinction?

“…… I am the worst ……”

Why am I …… jealous…

I should have left all the ugly feelings that women have long ago. ……Not that I have that kind of relationship with that man. ……

The thought of that kindness being directed at another woman makes my heart ache with tightness. It is frustrating. It’s painful.

“……”

That’s right. This is a trap. I know his past well. It must be a trap to control me. It’s just a change of method because the way he used to do things doesn’t work.

But ……

“Hm!”

His warmth when he hugged me and his gentle words passed through my mind for a moment. Startled, I went on and covered my face with my hands.

Then the feeling of his strong grip on my hand came back to me.

“…… haa…… haa…… haa……”

My breath was bouncing and my heart was pounding. I had never been so vulnerable. It’s an abomination that is unbecoming of a swordsman.

If I don’t calm down,……

If I don’t calm down,……

[Sophia chan is cute]

His voice is stuck in my ears and won’t go away.

That’s just a bunch of nonsense he’s saying to other girls, not me!

That’s why ……

That’s why ……

[Sophia chan is beautiful.]

“Nn!!!!”

I will not forgive …… you, you rude person who stepped into my heart with your clay feet!

This one sword is enough for me to know your true intentions.

I proposed to him that we have a sword match. He was extremely confused because I had set such a condition that we would make up or not depending on the outcome of the contest.

He couldn’t beat me with a sword. But that’s not the point. I wanted to know what he would do in the match. I want to know what kind of thoughts he will have in his mind.

No matter how much of an amateur he is, when I cross swords with him, I can tell his principles and philosophy of action.

That’s why,

Tomorrow, I will tear off your thick mask!