Chapter 12: Shall We Bed In?

"…Then, how about exchanging letters for now?"

"Letters, huh? Primitive as it may be, if it’s that you dislike me dropping by unannounced, I suppose that can’t be helped."

I suggested starting with letters, since a direct visit to the princess seemed inappropriate. Surprisingly, the Demon King agreed without hesitation.

Maor was unexpectedly straightforward.
Somehow, I felt we might actually get along. The thought made me smile.

From my position as Ains, Sonia’s attendant, Princess Sonia is my master. I can’t allow her to meet Maor immediately, especially since she doesn’t even know him. But I can reliably deliver letters for her, so we settled on beginning their communication through correspondence.

Of course, it’s strange that a mere maid has the authority to decide whether the princess meets someone—or even to control her mail. But Maor didn’t seem the type to sweat such details. I felt a wave of relief at his lack of objection.

…Thank goodness the Demon King is easygoing.

From the bottom of my heart, a sincere compliment to Lord Maor.

"I will personally deliver the letters to the princess, so please rest assured and leave everything to me."

"Is that so? I could also deliver them personally, you know."

"!? …N-no, no! I cannot trouble Lord Maor with such things. You need only sit back comfortably and wait. That’s all."

"…Hmm. I see."

Close call. If I let my guard down, he might just storm the palace. I’ll have to carefully manage his movements, or my peace and personal space will vanish overnight.

"By the way, I will faithfully deliver your letters to Princess Sonia, but what shall we do about her replies?"

"I’ll go get them…"

"N-no! As I said, we cannot trouble Lord Maor! If possible, please remain in one place, preferably nearby. You mentioned earlier that you were looking for lodgings, didn’t you?"

"Hmph. Now that you mention it, yes."

This guy really doesn’t fuss over the details.

…Whew. For now, I’d managed to avoid the immediate crisis of him suddenly barging into the palace. I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Since it would be troublesome to track him without a fixed address, I decided to make Shirasagitei his regular lodging. It’s on a main street, reasonably safe, and convenient for me to visit—a perfect setup.

If he wandered freely, my nerves would be shredded—like carrying around a ping-pong–sized hole in my stomach. Better to keep him somewhere I can keep an eye on him.

…For now, I consider these measures a success in buying time. The next step is to adjust the Demon King’s mindset: either dull his interest in Princess Sonia, or steer him so he doesn’t act recklessly. A “soft landing” strategy, essentially.

It will take patience, but it must be done. I steeled myself, realizing I’d be dealing with Maor for the long haul.

First, I needed to confirm his current situation.

"Lord Maor, may I see your current funds? Also, how long do you plan to stay at this inn?"

If he was short on money, that could mean a short stay—and a desperate move, like abducting Princess Sonia. So this was important to know.

"Indeed. I brought money from… er, home when I left."

He sounded remarkably confident.

Maor pulled out a leather pouch and revealed coins packed tightly inside. The engravings were intricate, far finer than the mixed silver-and-copper coins common in Sugarcreek, or even the large gold coins issued by the Western guilds. Their luster and craftsmanship were on another level entirely.

The problem was, they were completely unfamiliar. Ordinary merchants would likely refuse them outright. Even a single small coin was equivalent to 50,000 gold—too much for most to risk handling.

"For some reason, no shop would accept the coins I brought… Even though I prepared the money, it caused me a lot of trouble."

Apparently, he’d already tried to book lodgings with them, only to be turned away. No surprise there.

Judging by their quality, the coins were genuine—possibly worth more than large gold coins. But since they weren’t recognized in this kingdom, using them could easily spark accusations of forgery or disputes with officials. If Maor clashed with the authorities, the outcome would be disastrous.

Still, considering the sheer amount he had brought, it didn’t seem he intended a short stay. For the moment, that eased some of my anxiety.

"…Then, I’ll cover the lodging fees for now, so please don’t worry. Tomorrow, we’ll take these coins to the bank and have them exchanged properly."

My plan was to bring the coins to a guild-managed bank and have them appraised or exchanged. I couldn’t determine their value myself, and it would be reckless to handle such a thing personally. Best to leave it to professionals. That settled it—coin exchange tomorrow.

…My own plans? Canceled.

Nothing is more important right now than keeping the Demon King satisfied. In fact, entertaining Maor may very well be the most critical mission in the entire Sugarcreek Kingdom. Forget Princess Sonia’s safety—this is a matter of national survival.

"Thank you for the meal. …Shall we arrange the lodging now?"

"Ah, about the payment—"

"I’ve already taken care of it, so Lord Maor, please don’t concern yourself with such trivial matters."

"Hmph. I see. That’s a relief."

By gradually offering these small favors, I could build Maor’s goodwill, trust, maybe even his confidence in me… though whether he actually felt indebted was another story.

After dinner, we went upstairs to speak with the innkeeper about a room.

"Um…excuse me. I’d like to rent a room, for about a week if possible."

"Hm? Two people? Right now, a double room is cheap!"

Ah, the misunderstanding—he thinks Maor and I are both staying.

"No, only this gentleman will be staying, so a single room will be fine."

"…I’m terribly sorry! Single rooms are fully booked at the moment!"

Really? I narrowed my eyes at the innkeeper.
But a seasoned innkeeper doesn’t show his true intentions. All I could see was his confident smile as he insisted there were no single rooms, pushing hard for a double instead.

His motive was obvious: larger rooms meant higher revenue.

While I was locked in this silent standoff, Maor quietly cut in from behind.

"Make it a double room."

"Eh, w-wait—"

Maor, what are you saying?!
A double room is a complete waste! Considering his wealth, even a luxury suite would be pocket change, yet here he was brushing aside his royal status with a weird display of thrift. Meanwhile, I was clinging stubbornly to the cheapest option possible—classic commoner mindset.

Since the guest himself had requested it, the innkeeper beamed, rubbing his hands together with delight.

"Well done, young man! You understand the situation perfectly!"

He lavished praise on Maor, who didn’t even flinch at the overblown flattery.

"Young, and with such a beauty at your side! You’re a lucky fellow!"

The flattery was nauseating. I tried to clear up the misunderstanding, but then I noticed something strange.

Maor’s hand was resting lightly at his waist—as if ready to escort “Honey” straight into the room.
If I didn’t move fast, it really looked like he’d just sweep me off my feet and onto the bed.

"Then, I shall come by again tomorrow! Maor-sama, let’s meet again tomorrow."

I slipped out of reach, paid for the lodging, and put some distance between us—moving with a speed worthy of the word “dashing” as I flowed right out of the inn.

Whoa. So that’s how you naturally escort a lady into a room.

I shuddered at the smoothness of his gestures, the practiced ease in them, as I left Shirasagitei behind.