Chapter 6: The Fiancé

It’s been a week since Yusuke and I returned to the royal castle after a little expedition… well, more like a glorified monster hunt.

Nothing happened on the day we got back or the next day. But from the third day onward, the soirées began. No, not mixers—soirées. Yeah, soirées.

Honestly, I felt bad for all the young, unmarried nobles getting dragged into these gatherings… or so I thought. But before I knew it, couples had already started forming—completely unrelated to me.

They chose love over their obligations to me and Yusuke. True warriors of free love.

…What even is that?

Anyway, the soirées kept coming.

On days without soirées, Yusuke would spar with the knights while I drowned in official duties.

Being the Ninth Princess might not sound all that impressive, but as the most skilled mage in the royal family, anything magic-related—magic guild affairs, approvals, research funding—ends up on my plate.

Sure, my half-brothers and sisters probably have their share of responsibilities too, but still…

So yeah. I’m busy. Really busy.

And on top of that, I’m forced to attend these soirées.

It’s getting old.

My only escape from this stress-filled life? Sneaking out with Yusuke right before the soirée ends.

A simple excuse—“I’m feeling a bit tired. I’m going to get some fresh air~”—works perfectly.

Of course, if we always leave together, we’ll get caught. So, we slip away separately and meet up on the balcony.

Perfect strategy, right?

Tonight, as usual, Yusuke and I rendezvoused on our balcony.

“Hey, did you try that escargot-lookalike at the table by the wall? It was amazing.”

“Huh… Oh. No, I missed it.”

“I figured you would,” She smirked. “Heh, I had Jane save some for you. Here, eat up.”

“Wait, really? You’re giving it to me?”

“Yeah, but leave half for me, okay? I’m eating it too.”

As soon as I said that, Jane appeared with the container.

She’s such a thoughtful maid… honestly, she’s too good for me.

She’s been my attendant since I was little, and I’m really grateful for her.

I wouldn’t survive in this castle without her.

“Alright, let’s dig in.”

I place the escargot-lookalike on a piece of crusty bread, letting it soak up the oil before popping it into my mouth.

“Oh… this is it.”

Ah~, so good.

Seriously, this is amazing.

“Wow… this is really delicious.”

“Right? It’s so greasy and junky. Bad for your health, which means it’s delicious.”

“True… but, uh… why do you keep calling it an ‘escargot look-alike’? Isn’t this just… escargot?”

“Huh? Oh, no. It’s actually called a ‘Sanba Clam.’ Apparently, it’s a land-dwelling clam.”

“…A land-dwelling clam? As in, it crawls around?”

“Nah, apparently it walks on two legs. I’ve never seen one in person, though.”

“…Two legs? A clam?”

Yusuke stares at the escargot-lookalike in his hand like it might sprout legs at any moment.

I get how he feels.

The creatures in this world are nothing like Earth’s.

The cows here look like Earth cows, but they’re omnivores.

And no one bats an eye at clams walking around on two legs.

It was hilarious watching Yusuke freak out every time we encountered some bizarre animal during our travels.

Even now, just thinking about it makes me laugh.

Lost in my memories, I take another bite.

Meanwhile, Yusuke takes a sip of his drink.

…He’s really started drinking properly, huh?

He’s so earnest—even after that one disaster, he took my advice to heart and started building up his tolerance.

Not that I think drinking is necessary, but not being able to drink at all can be a problem…

People here bond over alcohol. “Drink-nication,” as they call it.

So, getting used to it little by little is important.

We keep nibbling and chatting about whatever.

Nothing exciting on my end, but Yusuke’s stories about the chaos in the knights’ order are always entertaining.

It’s like, “I’m the guy who saved the world, so of course the knights respect me.”

That kind of vibe.

Lots of trouble, lots of “Oh wow, me!” moments.

Speaking of trouble… apparently, this guy gets challenged to duels almost every day.

The reason?

He just dodges the question like a coward.

Duels, huh.

Fights over rights? Battles for honor? Or maybe stealing someone’s woman after defeating them?

But Yusuke’s just a figurehead Hero or whatever. He’s got no honor to defend, and he’s not dating or engaged to anyone.

So why the hell is he getting dragged into so many duels?

I don’t get the logic of these barbaric idiots.

Still, the stories of him thrashing some spoiled noble brat knights are hilarious.

Like, why do they even try?

This is the guy who can go toe-to-toe with an evil dragon without using magic.

And they think they can beat him?

They really judge people too much by appearances.

“So, when I snapped the wooden sword with my bare hands, they just stood there in shock… like I was the bad guy—”

“No, you are the bad guy. You should’ve held back a little.”

“I-I did… as much as I could.”

“Ah… well, I guess you did. If you hadn’t held back, you’d probably have ripped their heads off with your bare hands.”

“I wouldn’t do something like that…”

“You’re not saying you can’t, though.”

“Well… I mean… I probably could, but I wouldn’t.”

Oh. Scary.

Let’s not dig deeper into that.

“...Next, tell me about what’s going on with you, Miriya.”

“Me? Nothing interesting.”

“Come on, just tell me.”

“…Alright, well—”

And just like that, the conversation shifts.

“Wait, really? That’s happening?”

“Yeah. The head of the Magic Guild is obsessed with his own interests like an idiot. Totally useless, just a senile old man.”

“That’s… well, yeah. That old guy is a bit of a mess.”

“Right? They need at least to set up a branch office in the frontier. The adventurer guilds out there are overflowing with warriors.”

“...Parties without mages have lower survival rates, don’t they?”

“Exactly. Water magic, detoxification magic, healing magic… whether you have those or not can literally decide if you live or die.”

“...If you get grazed by a toxic monster’s attack and can’t detoxify it, you’re done for.”

“That’s how it is.”

I let out a sigh.

The head of the Magic Guild acts like a noble even though he isn’t one.

I wish they’d just fire him and put someone more competent in charge.

But, well… he’s got connections with the kingdom’s finances, so I can’t just wave a hand and make him disappear.

Politics is tough.

“…You’ve got a tough job, Miriya.”

“Yeah. The goals aren’t clear, and it’s hard to figure out how to handle things.”

Slay the monsters, and it’s over.

Defeat the bandits, and it’s over.

But this? It’s not that simple.

I don’t like the Magic Guild’s guild master, but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad person. We just have different ideologies.

Becoming a hero of justice, defeating evil, and living happily ever after… that only happens in stories.

The real world isn’t so clean-cut.

It’s a mess. A tangled, frustrating mess of different motives, clashing ideals, and compromises.

Even after slaying the evil dragon, we’re still here. Living our lives. Dealing with all this nonsense.

And honestly? This—the after—is going to last much longer.

“Haah…”

“…Good work out there.”

“Nah, it’s not like I’m tired. Well, I am tired, but this sigh isn’t from fatigue. It’s from how annoying everything is.”

Yusuke gave me a slightly troubled look… then turned his gaze toward me.

“…If there’s something bothering you, you can talk to me about it.”

“…Ah, yeah. Well, uh… hmm…”

Something bothering me, huh?

I mean, yeah. There’s plenty.

Things I have to do but don’t want to do.

Things that make me want to curl up under a blanket and ignore the world.

But right now… the biggest one?

The whole fiancée situation.

I met Yusuke’s gaze.

Serious. Steady.

…Don’t look at me like that.

It makes me want to rely on you.

“…No, it’s fine.”

Because telling him won’t fix anything.

It’ll just drag him into my mess.

I let out another sigh, looking away.

Yusuke, you see…

He’s the kind of guy who helps people just because he wants to.

And every damn time, he gets the short end of the stick.

I know because I’ve seen it. Over and over again, during all the time we traveled together.

So—

“It’s not a good idea.”

“…Huh?”

That wasn’t the response I expected. I turned back to him.

“If Milia’s in trouble, I want to help somehow.”

“…Hey.”

Does he know why I won’t talk about it?

No way.

This guy isn’t that perceptive.

He probably just means exactly what he’s saying.

A comrade he traveled with is in trouble.

So he wants to help.

That’s all.

Really, just that.

There’s no special meaning behind it.

I know that.

I know that.

But—

Damn it.