Chapter 32: Going to the Beach?

"Huh? The sea?"

"Yes. The sea, Your Highness."

The weather was starting to get rather hot around this time of year, and out of nowhere, someone proposed a seaside retreat as a way to escape the heat.

Normally, around this season, it was tradition for the royal family of Sugarcreek to spend their summer at a northern fortress, enjoying the cooler climate. But this year, that very fortress—Gaikorku Fort, the key defensive stronghold in the north—had been caught up in the war, rendering it unusable.

So yes, the fortress attacked by the Demon King’s army wasn’t just a military base—it also served as a royal summer resort. Unfortunately, that plan was off the table this year.

With the northern retreat no longer an option, the royal family had to choose an alternative. And so, they settled on an old castle facing the southern sea.

"We’re planning to stay there for about two weeks, just like last year," Kamina explained smoothly.

"The sea, huh… I’m not that great at swimming, though. I wonder if I’ll be okay."

"Yes, Your Highness. The coastline there is shallow and gentle. I don’t believe there will be any real danger."

"I see. And what kind of place are we staying at?"

"There’s an old royal castle called Eclea Castle. It’s rarely used these days, but it’s maintained every year. With a bit of cleaning, it should be perfectly suitable for living."

"Alright. By the way, since you and I are definitely going, what about Father and my brothers? Will they be joining us?"

That’s right—I, Sonia, actually have several half-brothers.
All of them are already adults: some serve in the military, others work as local governors or diplomats stationed abroad. Each one holds an important position.

The Sugarcreek royal family is blessed with talented offspring, and since their duties keep them far from the capital, they rarely return home.

And among them, the only female royal… is me.

Naturally, that meant from childhood I was spoiled rotten—doted on beyond reason, sheltered to the extreme, pampered endlessly. The result? A hopelessly useless princess. That was the original Princess Sonia.

When you think about it that way, Sonia is kind of a victim of her upbringing, isn’t she?

Because of that, I’ve never been particularly close to my half-brothers.
It would be troublesome if they started prying into my past, after all. So whenever we happen to meet in the palace, it’s limited to brief, polite greetings—nothing more.

"The King and His Highness the Crown Prince, as well as the other royal brothers, have all declined the retreat," Kamina added.

Well, that’s understandable. We’re in the middle of a war, after all.
Only a complete fool would think it appropriate to leave the capital for a vacation right now.

"So, it’s just the two of us going then? Got it."

Still, if anyone thought something as trivial as wartime conditions could shake my convictions, they’d be gravely mistaken.
Why should I feel guilty about this?

When it’s time to rest, I rest.
When I want to sleep, I sleep.
When I want to eat, I eat.

If the royal family goes on a retreat every year, then obviously we’re going again this year. That’s only natural, isn’t it?

"Well then, Princess, we’ll need to purchase swimsuits. Do you have any preferences? If you tell me your preferred design, I can arrange it for you."

Hmm. A swimsuit, huh.
Well, I can’t exactly go swimming in the nude.
Still, this might be a fun opportunity.

"In that case, why don’t we go shopping for one ourselves? You’re coming with me, right, Kamina?"

"…Yes, of course, Your Highness," Kamina replied after a short pause, giving a single nod.

And so, the two of us headed to the city market.

The Torte Central Market was the largest in the capital, boasting the widest variety of goods—from fresh produce and groceries to alcohol, clothing, furniture, and more. You name it, they had it.
Naturally, there was even a swimsuit specialty shop.

…Wait, a swimsuit shop?
Hold on. Isn’t this supposed to be a medieval fantasy world?

But, well, that’s just how the world of The Brutal Princess of Violation works—logic was never its strong suit. The game developers clearly cut a few corners.

Still, stepping into the shop was a surreal experience.
The building itself had that quaint medieval-fantasy charm… yet the swimsuits on display were modern, glittering, and colorful—like something straight out of a contemporary boutique.

When I touched one, the fabric even felt like modern material. What kind of fibers or technology did they even use to make these?

There were so many styles lined up—one-pieces, bikinis, sporty competition types, even ones that looked suspiciously like school swimsuits. The variety and patterns were endless.

"Oh, Kamina, look at this one! There’s barely any fabric here—who would even buy something like this?"

"…"

Among the lineup were some micro-bikinis that barely qualified as clothing.
Kamina’s face instantly turned bright red, and she looked down, speechless.

Hehehe. Innocent as ever, aren’t you?

After teasing Kamina a little, my eyes caught a pink frilly bikini displayed nearby. It looked cute, so I decided to try it on.

Inside the fitting room, I put it on and struck a few poses in front of the mirror.
Trying out a few "seductive" poses, I had to admit—it was actually pretty fun.

As expected of Princess Sonia. A body perfectly crafted to bewitch men.

"Ah, maybe I’ll try this one next…"

After trying on several more, I ultimately decided to go with the first one—the pink frilly bikini that had caught my eye from the start.
That’s the one I ended up buying.

"Hey, hey, Kamina. What do you think of this one?"

"…I believe… it suits you well, Your Highness."

I struck a little "push-up" pose to show off the swimsuit I was trying on. Kamina gave her usual polite response—but for some reason, I noticed her glance down at her own chest with a faintly gloomy expression.

Hmm. Maybe she’s just tired.

While I was in the middle of trying on different swimsuits, I was having too much fun to really think about it. But once I calmed down, I suddenly realized how bold some of these designs were—and started to feel a wave of embarrassment creeping in.

Ugh… am I really going to wear something like this?

…That’s when I felt someone’s gaze on me.

I turned my head slightly—and froze.

There, standing in the shadows with a bright, innocent smile, was Zex.

"…Huh?"

W–When did he get here!?

"W–Were you… watching me?"

My face flushed hot in an instant.

"Oh, not at all," he said cheerfully, his smile perfectly composed.

Then, as if remembering something, he called toward the back of the shop.
"Ah—Ains-san is here too, by the way."

Right… he already knows that my “Ains” identity is a fake name, so there’s no point pretending anymore.
Still, the fact that he’s using it right now means…

"Hm? Ains? What a coincidence to run into you here."

And there he was—the Demon King himself—standing in front of the mirror, trying on a pair of bikini trunks.

The kind of chiseled, muscular body you’d only expect to see on a statue of a Greek hero or Roman god.
Impressive? Absolutely.
But also—why that kind of swimsuit, of all things?

"So, you’re going to the seaside too?" he asked casually.

"Lord Maor! What an unexpected encounter. And by ‘too,’ you mean…"

"Indeed. Zex invited me. I’ve never been to the sea before, and it sounded rather intriguing."

"…I see."

I turned a slow, suspicious gaze toward Zex.

"Care to explain this?"

Because seriously—if he’s involved, there’s no way this is a coincidence.

"It’s simple," Zex said smoothly. "I happened to learn that Ains-san and company would be accompanying Princess Sonia to the southern sea. Since it’s such a rare opportunity, I thought we might as well join you."

Hey!

Just how freely are royal travel plans being leaked to outsiders!?
And the timing—way too perfect!

Now that I think about it, I’ve been seeing Zex and the Demon King hanging out together quite a lot lately.
When exactly did those two become best friends?

"Ah, there you are, Soni—"

"Waah—!"

Before she could finish, I panicked and clamped my hand over Kamina’s mouth.

The Demon King looked puzzled. "What’s the matter?"

Safe? That was close… right? Please tell me that was safe.

Kamina gave me a deeply suspicious look, her muffled voice protesting under my palm.
I silenced her with a quick glance, then turned back to the Demon King with a nervous laugh.

"This is Kamina, my… colleague. She also serves Princess Sonia."

"…I am Kamina," she said softly.

She bowed gracefully—though I could tell she was just a bit tense.

"We might have met before," Zex said, returning the gesture with elegant poise. "Please, call me Zex."

As always, he carried himself with that infuriating air of composure—smugly confident yet charming enough to get away with it.

"I’m Maor," the Demon King added with a smile. "A friend of both Zex and Ains. Kamina, was it? A pleasure."

The two of them exchanged polite greetings.

Phew… somehow, I managed to get through that without anyone asking awkward questions.

…Or so I thought.
Because Kamina, still wearing a faint smile, kept sending me these sharp, pointed glances.
The kind that clearly said You’re going to explain all of this later. And honestly, it stung.

"Well then," I said, forcing a cheerful tone. "I’ll take this swimsuit."

I went ahead and purchased the one I’d originally planned to buy.
After all the trying and deliberating, I’d grown rather fond of it.

"Hey, Ains," Maor called. "How about I buy you one of those swimsuits as a gift?"

"Eh? Which one?"

I turned to look where he was pointing—feeling oddly touched that the Demon King himself wanted to buy me something.

…And there it was.

The micro-bikini.
That micro-bikini.

"U-uh…"

"I personally think it would suit you best!" Maor declared with absolute confidence.

"…"

You lecherous, game-brained demon!

The words nearly slipped out, but I swallowed them back at the last second.
I am, after all, both a gentleman and a lady.

"So? How do I look in this killer bikini?"

In the end, Maor insisted on giving the micro-bikini to “Princess Sonia,” which meant I, as Ains, couldn’t exactly refuse a gift addressed to royalty.
And so, with great reluctance—and no way out—I accepted it.

Naturally, since it had been given to me, it felt wasteful not to at least try it on once.
So later that evening, I quietly slipped into my room and decided to see how it looked.

In front of the mirror, I struck a few seductive poses.

…Wow. This is… dangerous.

If any normal man saw this level of beauty and raw allure, I’m certain his reason would instantly melt away.
Truly, I was the embodiment of beauty itself.

I couldn’t help admiring my own reflection, feeling a little too pleased with myself.

"…Your Highness?"

The sudden voice hit me like a splash of ice water.

Oh no.

My neck creaked around—like the sound of a rusted valve being forced open—to find Kamina standing by the half-open door.
Right. I’d forgotten to lock it.

"Th-this isn’t what it looks like!" I blurted out.

I had no idea what I meant by that, but the words tumbled out anyway.

"Your Highness," she said sternly, her tone sharp enough to cut through glass. "As a member of the royal family, you should understand the importance of decorum…"

And that’s how I ended up being forced to change back immediately, sit in seiza, and endure a solid thirty-minute lecture from Kamina.

All because of that damn Demon King.

Right then and there, I swore he’d pay for this someday.