An unexpected game of tag was taking place inside.
"Teacher, wouldn't it be wise to stop soon?"
"…I said we should talk! Talk!"
Swoosh!
Jaekiel urgently fled, leaving an icy trail behind him.
Of course, Ether was chasing him from behind.
"Wouldn't it be easier to talk if you stopped running?"
"You put your hands on me!"
"I touched you as a bonus. Is talking all you want to do?"
Swoosh!
The First Princess, Ether, was incredibly fast.
It was truly a bizarre situation.
Of course, Ether had soaked her body in Sun Water since childhood, and
she was a prodigy with extraordinary abilities. So it wasn't surprising that
she could move at such incredible speed, but…
The problem wasn't her speed.
'Ether's movements… why have they become so precise?'
The mansion was filled with expensive porcelain and decorations, but
unlike in the past, Ether wasn't breaking everything as she chased him.
It meant her control over her energy had reached a higher level.
"…Ether, you've grown even more in that short time."
"Your movements were very enlightening, Teacher. I practiced them,
recalling their precision. Could this too be affection?"
'Please, just learn what I teach you.' Jaekiel thought as he desperately
dodged around.
"Teacher, it's about time you stop, don't you think?"
"…"
"Fine. From now on, for every step you run, I'll have another child. Run all
you want."
"…?"
Jaekiel turned his head slightly to look at Ether.
And what he saw was…
"…!"
Ether's face, with veins bulging on her forehead. It was an expression only
possible if she truly meant what she said.
"Sigh…"
In the end, Jaekiel gave up and stopped running.
"Good. You've finally settled down."
Ether pulled a chair and table as if they were feathers and sat Jaekiel down.
She then prepared a glass and poured him an orange-colored drink.
"Teacher, just drink it all down."
"…What is this?"
"It's called Lava Wine, and it's quite good for you."
Jaekiel had, of course, heard of Lava Wine. Even in the frigid North, one
cup was said to keep you warm all day.
Suddenly, she had captured him and was now offering something good.
She was truly an unpredictable woman.
'But… '
Was this really Lava Wine?
A brief scene flashed through Jaekiel's mind.
After drinking, he had dozed off, only to wake up in bed with Ether… With
her being who she was, all sorts of thoughts had crossed his mind.
"…Aren't you going to drink? It loses its charm when it cools."
"Hmm."
Having no choice, Jaekiel drank the Lava Wine in one go.
It was hot, but it left a comforting warmth and a cool sensation at the same
time. It was hard to describe, but it felt satisfying.
Ether smiled, clearly pleased.
"How is it? Feel better inside?"
"It certainly lives up to its name."
"Good. Now we can calmly talk. What do I lack that makes you run away
from me?"
"…"
Jaekiel furrowed his brow.
'It's not that she's lacking—she's too great, and that's the problem.'
The Goddess of War, the strongest… Even just looking at the titles attached
to the First Princess, you could see how amazing she was. In fact, she was
so exceptional that it was a problem.
"Is there something lacking in my appearance?"
"Absolutely not."
"Then, am I lacking in strength or power?"
"Not at all."
"Then you should be welcoming me with open arms. Why do you keep
acting beyond common sense?"
Yes, it was something to be truly happy about.
It was a blessing, a stroke of good fortune.
If only Jaekiel had written a letter to one person.
Yes, if only he had proposed to the First Princess alone…
…What was he thinking when he sent proposal letters to all the princesses?
Even he himself wondered.
"Ether."
"Yes, I'm listening carefully."
"I have a lot to do right now."
"You create free time when you decide to. Even in times of war, children
are born."
"It's something very urgent."
Ether nodded quietly.
"I know what your urgent matter is, Teacher."
"Hmm?"
"You're looking for a way to absorb the Sun Water."
"Oh."
Now that he thought about it, the Emperor had said he would pass it to the
First Princess. He must have already done so.
When Jaekiel didn't deny it, Ether raised her chin with a subtle smile, as if
she was sure of it.
She gently took Jaekiel's hand with her pale, delicate hand.
It was so soft that it was hard to believe she was a warrior.
"Teacher, what I'm thinking is correct, isn't it?"
"…Yes, you're right, but…"
"You needn't worry about my purity. From the beginning, no one else but
you could have it. Just trust me."
"…"
"Each night, I'll show you more of my charms."
He was stuck in a dilemma.
Meanwhile, Jaekiel was troubled by something.
"Ether, even if you're getting married, you should have returned to the
North. The warriors have been standing out in the snow all day, waiting for
you. That's not the attitude of a leader."
"Aha."
Ether nodded as if she understood.
"Do I appear as a woman who has recklessly abandoned everything for
love? Did I seem incompetent even in your eyes?"
"Are you saying you had other intentions?"
"Yes. I have a plan."
Ether responded with a face full of seriousness.
"The current state of the North is far too dependent on me."
The empty cups were quietly refilled with Lava Wine. Jaekiel and Ether
silently drank another round.
"It might seem like I'm just using marriage as a pretext to buy time, but I
wanted to foster the warriors' independence. At the same time, I planned to
weed out those with ill intentions."
So that's how it was.
There was a deeper meaning behind it all.
"…But why are you taking off my shirt?"
Jaekiel tried to resist with his hands, but her overpowering strength made it
impossible. Moments later, the sound of fabric tearing echoed as his shirt
was completely ripped off.
Ether's lips curled into a faint smile.
"For that reason, I plan to hide out in the mansion for a while. Let's pass the
time by engaging our bodies. I've heard that physical contact deepens
affection."
"…What kind of conclusion is that?"
Crash! The chair broke, and just as Ether climbed on top of Jaekiel, who
had fallen to the floor…
At the moment Ether pressed down hard on Jaekiel's abdomen…
"…First Princess."
"Hmm?"
Ether's head whipped around. The messenger stood there, unsure of where
to direct his gaze.
"I have something important to report to the Auditor."
"Right now, of all times?"
Ether stared at the messenger intently.
It was a look that clearly meant, "Get lost unless it's important." An
ordinary person would have immediately crumbled under such a gaze, but
the messenger held firm.
It was only natural—this was an urgent matter.
"It is truly an urgent matter."
"Hmm."
The First Princess looked down at Jaekiel, who was pinned beneath her,
licking her lips like a predator.
"Are you saying it's that urgent?"
"It's related to the warriors. It's urgent."
"Well, I suppose there's no choice. Fruit ripens more deliciously if you wait
for it patiently, don't you think?"
Still straddling him, Ether leaned her upper body slowly toward Jaekiel and
began whispering softly in his ear.
"Teacher."
"What?"
"After you finish with the messenger, return to my mansion without delay.
Otherwise, the Sun Water you obtained might disappear, you know?"
"…"
"Did you get it or not? I'm practically spoon-feeding it to you."
"I got it."
Jaekiel left the mansion with a pale expression.
After arriving in the reception room, the messenger glanced around
nervously.
"…You seem to be going through a lot."
"It's nothing. It's my own doing."
"What on earth did you do?"
Jaekiel let out a deep sigh instead of offering an explanation.
He had proposed to five princesses simultaneously. Explaining it was a
problem, and even if he did explain, it would still be a problem.
"Anyway, I'll get straight to the point."
The messenger thoroughly explained everything that had happened with
Warrior Brogar to Jaekiel. The explanation took some time, but thankfully,
he understood well.
After a long while.
The messenger let out a heavy breath after finishing his explanation.
"…Phew, so that's how it is."
The messenger watched Jaekiel's reaction closely. He wasn't sure how
Jaekiel would respond, and frankly, Jaekiel had every right to refuse to
participate.
But then…
Jaekiel's expression was far more serious than the messenger had
anticipated.
"…So."
Jaekiel rubbed his chin.
"There's been this kind of issue in the North for a long time, and now, just
because I was chosen by the First Princess, I have to be the one to solve it?"
"…Yes, that's right."
"Are you insane?"
The messenger flinched at Jaekiel's blunt response. To be fair, there was no
excuse for it—Jaekiel had been dragged into this against his will…
But.
Jaekiel's words were aimed at the Emperor.
'The Emperor… that crazy man again… '
There was no way the Emperor didn't know about this situation.
It made sense now why the Emperor had so readily spoken of giving the
First Princess's purity. Deep down, he had planned to involve Jaekiel in this
to solve the issue.
Thud!
Jaekiel stood up abruptly.
"Au-Auditor…?"
The messenger, unsure of what to do, reacted in confusion.
"Wait here."
Jaekiel quickly strode out.
"Auditor! Wh-Where are you going?"
"The Audience Room."
It was different from the past now.
There was no hesitation in his stride.
The Emperor's Audience Room.
"…"
The Emperor stared at the floor in disbelief.
"…What are you doing?"
The scene before him.
It was shocking, to say the least.
Jaekiel was lying on the floor, his hands folded respectfully over his chest.
Next to him lay a sword, sharpened to a fine edge with ice.
"Ah, forget it. I'm just going to die."
"…What?"
The Emperor responded, utterly baffled.
"Just kill me. I'm not doing anything anymore."
"…"
The Emperor silently polished an apple.