Suddenly, the sound of a breaking plate echoed.
The gazes of the two women quickly fixed on a man.
"…"
The two women, who had been heated, were greatly surprised. The one who
had thrown the frozen plate to the floor was none other than Jaekiel.
That wasn't all.
His face showed a very cold expression.
After a while, he muttered in displeasure.
"…Disappointing. Truly disappointing."
His voice was as cold as ice, making the two women flinch. They were at a
loss for what to do.
Memories from childhood often affect the present.
─You lied to me about the assignment again.
─I'm disappointed.
The memories of being scolded and disliked by their teacher for doing
something wrong when they were young… Both women recalled those
memories.
The women then snapped back to reality and realized their mistake. The
conversation they had been having should not have been held in front of
Jaekiel.
Jaekiel shook his head and let out a deep sigh.
"…I might as well go back to the village."
Just one sentence.
"…!"
Just one sentence.
But it was enough to make the women's hearts sink.
Hedera's eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck, and Solana
immediately became restless.
All because of one man.
The two women started to watch Jaekiel's every move.
Covering my face with my palm, I thought.
'…What do I do now?'
I prided myself on facing countless extreme missions, but I had never
encountered something like this.
It was shocking enough for one princess to become upset, but now, two
princesses were openly hostile towards each other.
And the reason for their quarrel was me. No one else, just me.
"…"
Fortunately, Solana and Hedera had temporarily quelled their fierce
momentum.
In fact, if you look closely, I had some justification to be angry. I am not an
object, but a person. Yet, they claimed ownership of me in front of me like
an object?
Yes, that's right.
Yet the reason I didn't genuinely get angry was…
'Because I am the cause.'
Because the letters I wrote was the trigger, I felt guilty.
"…"
For now, I kept my mouth shut.
Everyone was watching me, so saying nothing was more advantageous. The
more I spoke rashly, the more I would lose this advantage.
Of course, even in this situation, curiosity surged within me.
'The more I think about it, the stranger it is.'
A confession between genders.
A confession alone carried great risk. There was the possibility of rejection,
and at worst, it could lead to being hated.
But I had written marriage proposal letters.
Not to an ordinary woman, but to princesses of the imperial family, and yet
I hadn't been rejected. In fact, the subjects were arguing over me.
Being human, of course, I didn't feel bad.
However, just thinking about how to handle this situation made my head
feel like it was going to burst. How should I soothe the two princesses, who
were already upset?
'No, is it three princesses, not two?'
…I still didn't know which princess wrote the reply.
Anyway, if a fight over a man occurred, the man couldn't be entirely
blameless. I had to settle the situation before being blamed.
"We didn't mean anything else. We just wanted to hear the Auditor's
thoughts purely…"
"…I'm feeling dizzy."
Cutting off Hedera's words, I pressed my temples.
The fact that I had recently collapsed and was already unwell was very
helpful.
"I-I'm sorry."
The 2nd Princess actually apologized.
The effect was surprisingly good. The two women kept their mouths shut
and began to watch me closely.
I quietly added.
"…With the exchange meeting coming up, I'm completely out of it."
Hedera quietly averted her gaze, and Solana let out a deep sigh. At least it
seemed like the direct confrontation between the two princesses had been
avoided.
After a while, the princesses each spoke.
"I'm sorry if you're angry."
"Auditor, we didn't mean any harm."
I took a deep breath and nodded.
"I'm not angry. It's just that my condition is a bit…"
Just hearing that I wasn't angry seemed to be a great relief. The faces of the
two princesses showed signs of relief.
Hedera quickly spoke up.
"No. It wouldn't be strange if you were angry. We acted disgracefully in
front of the person involved."
It was extremely rare for a princess to call her own actions disgraceful,
especially for the proud 2nd Princess.
I could vaguely see how much she cared about me.
"Teacher, I'm sorry. No matter what happens, I should have kept my
composure to be a good believer… But it was the first time someone barged
in during a conversation…"
On the other hand, Solana's words had some bite to them.
Her apology to me was sincere, but wasn't she blaming Hedera for
interrupting the conversation?
It would be difficult to make them reconcile immediately. The best course
of action was to make promises rather than explanations.
First, I directed my gaze towards Hedera.
"…Master of the Tower, I will not betray the Imperial Tower."
I deliberately used the title "Master of the Tower" instead of "2nd
Princess." It was a sign that I felt a sense of belonging to the Imperial
Tower.
"That is…"
"Yes. It means that as an auditor, I will first do my best in my assigned
duties."
I nodded and added a question.
"But the question the Princess asked wasn't about choosing you as an
auditor, was it?"
Hedera's question.
It was a question of whether I would choose a woman as a man.
"…"
"No matter how I answer, the relationship will change from what it was
before. It will affect the Imperial Tower and potentially the Ascension
Ceremony."
"But how can I not be curious…?"
Hedera muttered quietly.
Of course, she still couldn't meet my gaze.
"A changing relationship doesn't necessarily mean progress. What will you
do if I don't choose you and resign from my position as an auditor?"
"If you don't choose me…"
Hedera seemed to want to say something, but then she closed her lips
tightly and shook her head.
"…No. That can't happen."
At times like this, Hedera's childhood traits resurfaced. I nodded quietly.
"And most importantly, the exchange meeting is urgent."
This time, my gaze turned to Solana.
But Solana was the first to speak.
"I'm okay with anything."
Solana had her hands clasped as if in prayer and her eyes tightly closed, as
if she had regained her composure.
"It's okay if you don't choose me, Teacher."
Solana continued calmly.
"Anyway, as long as you can succeed more, it's okay. If that choice helps
you focus more on your work, I can accept it. I can wait."
"How do you know when it will end?"
"When it ends doesn't matter."
Solana finally opened her eyes slowly.
"…Don't fool around with other women while you're focused on your
work. As long as that's kept, I don't care."
She was consistently clear about what she wanted.
"Solana, calm down first."
"Teacher, I'm calmer than ever."
Solana smiled brightly.
"I told you, didn't I? All the other women are just fox bitches. So, you need
to be careful."
But her tone was extremely firm.
There was no longer even a hint of wavering.
"If I ever see you being swayed by another woman, I'll personally punish
and judge them."
"…Punish?"
"Not you, but those women. All of them."
…What kind of punishment would it be? It probably wouldn't be a simple
one.
Solana stood up first after finishing those words.
"Then I'll take my leave. The exchange meeting is soon."
Soon, only Hedera and I were left in the dining hall. For now, it seemed to
be settled, so I gave Hedera a light nod.
"I'll take my leave as well."
I intended to focus on the upcoming exchange meeting.
But.
One word from Hedera stopped me in my tracks.
"…Don't you have anything to say to me?"
I quietly bit the Sun Grass.
"Something to say…"
"I do."
Hedera was the first to get to the point.
"I'll be going to the exchange meeting as well."
"Hmm."
"Don't get it wrong. I'm just accompanying you as the Master of the Tower.
Nothing for you to worry about will happen."
Without listening to me, Hedera continued her words, as if making a
declaration.
"But."
Hedera's gaze met mine directly.
"After the exchange meeting, make sure to give me an answer."
An unwavering determination to hear an answer.
"That's the condition for me to endure without approaching you as Hedera
during the exchange meeting."
Hedera left after making that proposal.
Whew.
I quietly exhaled the smoke from the Sun Grass.
…Was this a blessing or a disaster?
The night before the exchange meeting.
And the last night I slept in the infirmary.
Just before falling asleep, I suddenly thought.
'…It's a relief that the 1st Princess wasn't there.'
Of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Princesses, Ether was the most unpredictable. If she
had been in the dining room as well, how much more chaotic would it have
been?
…The thought alone was frightening.
Knock, knock.
"Auditor, Auditor!"
At that moment, someone knocked on the door urgently.
A familiar voice; it was the 1st Princess's messenger.
…Could it be?
Could it be that the 1st Princess had come? I opened the infirmary door,
suppressing my anxious thoughts.
Fortunately, that wasn't the case. The messenger was alone.
"Oh, Auditor!"
The messenger, sweating profusely, asked.
"Have you seen the 1st Princess?"
I felt greatly relieved at that question. At this moment, not seeing the 1st
Princess was good news.
"Unfortunately, I haven't."
I thought the conversation was over.
But.
What the messenger said next was terrifying.
"…That's strange. She said she was going to meet Lord Jaekiel."