Chapter 11: ① A Greeting Turns Into Confessions!?

—At the same time.

Deep in the royal palace, the Inner Palace harem—inside a chamber of Karou Hall at its farthest end—Yuuri sank into the sofa, body and soul.

The hall’s exterior followed an elegant eastern style rich in curves.

But one step inside, and it was like a Western manor with aristocratic taste.

A jeweled chandelier glittered overhead, red carpet wrapped the polished floor, and gold-trimmed sofas and side tables sat neatly in their places.

“…I’m done. Seriously, I’m done… My knees and back are dead… My soul’s halfway to deserting me…”

Morning: etiquette training. Instructors were Queen Celine and Chief Lady-in-Waiting of the Inner Palace, Margaret.

Afternoon: sword practice. The drill-sergeant devil himself, Imperial Guard Eunuch Chief Raiga.

Both were going full throttle on the “consort training” regimen.

Kindness? What’s that—can you eat it?

Beside Yuuri, Lily in a hakama-style maid uniform quietly poured tea and offered the cup.

Her smile was as usual.

But—the faintest ripple trembled in her eyes.

“…Master. Thank you for your hard work today.”

Her voice melted into the tired room like a soft blanket.

“Yeah… thanks. But hey, Celia was totally off today, right? Her eyes were like razor wire…”

“…I believe she simply… did not wish to let Master be shamed…”

(Is that so? Celia’s eyes were bloodshot, but Margaret looked like she’d achieved enlightenment.)

Yuuri shrugged a little and took a sip of tea.

The taste was gentle—but reality was not.

“…New world, new greetings, huh.”

“…Um, Master… what manner of bow did you use?”

“Hmm… Left hand to my chest, right hand out, slight bend of the knee… then meet the other person’s eyes.

Doesn’t that look the part?”

In that instant, the air froze.

Only the scent of tea seemed to be left behind, as time stopped dead.

“…………”

“Huh? What? Did you crash…?”

Lily took a breath, then looked straight at Yuuri.

“…That is the ‘salute of affection.’”

Yep.

Cold sliced down his spine the moment she said it.

“Th-the ‘salute of affection’…?”

“Yes. It is a salute offered only to one you truly trust and hold dear.

The right hand is your ‘weapon hand.’ Extending it means, ‘I entrust you with my heart and my life.’”

(I’ve been firing that kind of kill line—with no warning!? Me!?!)

“Y-you’re serious…?”

“Yes. Therefore… in ordinary greetings, the proper form is to place your right hand to your chest and extend your left.”

In other words—

(How many people have I told ‘I entrust you with my life’…!?)

A highlight reel of past greetings sped through his head like a deathbed montage.

Worse, every face he remembered was a guy—catastrophically rough.

“Yesterday I did it to Alexius…

And the day before… to Rufus… ohhh!?”

So I’ve been speed-proposing across another world!?

He crumpled straight down to his knees.

“S-so that means… to those two, y-you… confessed…?”

“N-no!! No, I didn’t!! I just didn’t know!!”

“…B-but… I believe… they declined…”

At Lily’s tiny voice, a mysterious relief welled up.

“…So… I was rejected… thank God…”

The kind of line that begs for misunderstanding if anyone overhears it. But right now, it was pure, unfiltered truth.

And in that moment—Lily tried, small but sure, to say something.

“…Um… but, if… it were me—”

Head lowered, Lily stepped softly closer to Yuuri.

Yet her foot caught, just barely.

“Whoa!? Lily!?”

She stumbled and fell forward.

He reached out on reflex and caught her—and somehow, she ended up in his lap.

Her body was shockingly light; she settled on his knees with a gentle thump that stole his breath.

A sweet, tender scent drifted close—her cheek nearly brushing his.

(…Ah. Ms. Marshmallow…)

No no no, not the time.

Lily’s fingers pinched gently at Yuuri’s sleeve.

“…I-if it were me…”

She murmured, voice trembling.

“E-even if… you got the greeting wrong… I… I would be… happy…”

…Huh?

“…N-no, it’s nothing!!”

Face blazing red, Lily popped up in a flash.

But he’d heard it. Clear as day. Etched into his brain.

(Uh… wh-what is this… why do I feel…)

He was sweating weirder than he ever had in his life…

Chapter 11: ② A Greeting Turns Into Confessions!?

Lily scrambled to her feet, hands flapping.

“I-I’ll just, um, clean the room!”

“Huh? Ah, then should I step out?”

“N-no! P-please, I could never chase Master out of his own room…! I-I’ll go instead, so… please, relax and rest.”

She spun in a fluster and yanked the door open—when—

“…Oh?”

There stood Grand Eunuch Chief Alexius, smiling with a gleam of teeth.

“My, my, Lady Lily. You seem in quite a hurry… Has something happened?”

“N-no, i-it’s nothing…!”

Face tomato-red, Lily bowed on reflex, then flicked her eyes between Yuuri and Alexius.

“Lily!? N-no, listen! This is a misunderstanding, seriously!!”

(Does she still think I confessed!?)

Even as Yuuri flailed, Alexius’s cool smile didn’t waver.

“Pardon me, Lord Karou. —‘A misunderstanding,’ you say… Did something occur?”

“N-no, nothing! Really! So… wh-what brings you?”

His heartbeat was obnoxiously loud.

Hard to bluff when Alexius’s gaze could cut glass.

To a Yuuri who couldn’t quite hide his panic, Alexius offered a graceful bow and announced as if it were nothing.

“You will now attend a tea party. A social with the senior consorts—an exceedingly important ‘society’ function within the Inner Palace harem.”

“…Huh? A tea party…?”

The words stuck. His mind blanked.

Because this was the first he’d heard of it. And how was the one person who absolutely needed to know, the one who didn’t?

“W-wait, what!? Nobody told me! This is the first I’m hearing of it!?”

“By order of Her Majesty the Queen, we were to refrain from informing Lord Karou in advance.”

“Y-you’re kidding…!? You’re serious…!?”

(What kind of surprise system is that!? More like engineered panic!)

(A tea party with senior consorts screams catastrophic explosion!)

(When I’m nervous, even just drinking tea makes my cup rattle!!)

Ignoring his internal screaming completely, Alexius pressed on—quietly, and mercilessly.

“Your attire is prepared, so we must dress you at once. Our time is limited.”

“N-no no no, I can’t drink hot tea—I have to decline! I seriously can’t do this!”

“What are you saying? Come, stand. It is time.”

“Hey—wait!? Aren’t you handling me a little rough!?”

“That is because Lord Karou is saying foolish things.”

With a silky bit of venom, Alexius glanced to Lily.

“Lady Lily. Lady Fiona and Lady Chloe will arrive shortly. Would you see to the wardrobe, please?”

“Y-yes! I will prepare everything in the room at once!”

“Then, Lord Karou—”

“O-okay…! Okay, just—don’t rush me so much…”

Grudgingly standing, Yuuri brushed his hem and squared up.

Alexius leaned in close to his ear.

“…Please refrain from any—ardent ‘confessions’ as you did the other day.”

The whisper was low, cultured—and a knife.

And it cut deep.

“Wha—!?”

Yuuri jolted.

His ears went scarlet; only garbled syllables came out.

“N-no, that— I-I didn’t know…!”

With every excuse, he wanted to dig a hole and disappear.

As if seeing through everything, Alexius smiled graciously and bowed deeply.

“Then, Lord Karou. This evening as well… everyone awaits you.”

Leaving only the aftertaste, Alexius glided out.

That retreating back looked unbearably smug—probably not his imagination.

—Incidentally, a few days later.

When Yuuri remembered and confronted Celine about “the reversed hands” in the greeting—

“B-because you… gave me the ‘salute of affection’… I was… um… s-so happy… I couldn’t help it…”

Celine’s cheeks went scarlet as she gripped her sleeve hem tight.

At the sight, Yuuri was at his limit.

(What is this destructive power… This has to be illegal…)

Collapsing on the inside—

he couldn’t tell anyone that the faint smile tugging at his lips was very real.