My Beloved Princess ~The Boy Called Incompetent Rises with Only a Sword and the Princess's Devotion~ - Chapter 102: The Hut on the Hill

Chapter 102 The Hut on the Hill

Their old home looked exactly as it had before he left for the academy.

The ramshackle hut his mother had built with her own hands had only two rooms: a living room and a bedroom. A pillar bore Kishō’s growth marks, carved in with a knife, and a potted houseplant hung by the window.

The large table in the centre was built sturdy enough that even a rowdy little brat roughhousing on top of it would not break it. For fifteen years, he had sat there and shared meals with his mother. And now they were welcoming the person who would become a new member of the family to that very place. It was a deeply strange feeling, and it filled Kishō with a sense of exhilaration he had never known before.

His mother sat in her usual seat, so Kishō naturally lowered himself into the one he knew so well. Prompted by her, the others sat down as well. His mother sat across from him, with Princess-sama to her right. Beside Kishō sat Ōka, and next to her was Seiran.

This was Kishō’s family home, which they had visited under the pretext of offering their engagement greetings.

Even with her future mother-in-law before her, Princess-sama’s expression did not waver. It was only to be expected that she could remain so composed. If their positions had been reversed, Kishō would have been stiff with nerves.

And the same could be said for the serene mistress of this house.

Soft, wavy hair. Fair skin, and eyes whose corners drooped gently. Dressed in simple clothes that brought a village girl to mind, his mother’s slender figure gave others the impression that she was timid. The gentle smile on her lips only deepened that sense of fragility, but no one should be fooled.

That was camouflage.

On the surface, she looked like a lovely beauty in her mid-twenties.

There had been no shortage of coarse men who had set their sights on his mother because she looked easy to push around. But the instant one of them tried to seize her arm by force, he would be sent crashing into the hard ground by a throw that shifted his centre through aiki. Kishō had seen scenes like that again and again since childhood, but even in a simple contest of brute strength, his mother probably would not have lost. The fact that she used aiki at all could have been called a courtesy to her opponents.

“So then, which is it?”

Resting one hand lightly against her cheek, his mother tilted her head as she began.

“Which is what?”

“I mean, which of these girls is your girlfriend?”

His mother’s gaze moved back and forth between Ōka and Princess-sama. Going by the seating arrangement, Ōka was at Kishō’s right, while Princess-sama sat diagonally across the table from him, so in terms of physical distance, Ōka probably looked like the more likely choice. In that case, if the chestnut-haired young lady was his lover, then what exactly was this black-haired young lady over here? That suspicious gaze was asking exactly that. The first to react to it was…

“Mother-in-law-dono. It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am Princess Kuroyō, daughter of Dragon Emperor Kokuren. We have come today to offer our engagement greetings.”

Princess-sama rose smoothly to her feet, brought her hands together in formal salute, and bowed deeply.

Her back straight and her bearing flawless, the courtesy she offered conveyed noble upbringing and dignity to all who saw it. To begin with, it was rare indeed to see someone of Princess-sama’s exalted status bow her head at all. As far as Kishō knew, it had only happened a few times before the headmistress. And the bow she offered now seemed even more careful than the one she had given Seiran.

Faced with Princess-sama’s sincerity, his mother rose as well, her cheeks loosening in obvious delight.

“My, my. What a polite young lady you are. I leave my son in your care as well.”

She slowly bent at the waist with soft, unhurried grace, lowering her head with both hands before her. If Princess-sama’s bow had been graceful, then his mother’s was broad-hearted and brimming with elegance. It was not the sort of thing one could rank as better or worse, but even through her son’s eyes, it felt every bit the equal of Princess-sama’s.

His mother glanced at the dumbfounded Kishō, then tilted her head in puzzlement.

“Then who is this young lady?”

“A friend. She’s looked out for me in a lot of ways… an important friend.”

“Oh my, so she was a friend. That’s wonderful.”

His mother broke into a smile, pressing her hands together, and Ōka, who had been fidgeting nervously as she waited for the right moment to introduce herself, hurriedly bowed her head as if this was her chance.

“U-um, my name is Ōka, and I…”

But perhaps because she was under extreme tension, Ōka badly misjudged how much force to use. Her head, having completely slipped out of her control, crashed into the table at full speed, and she slammed her forehead against it with a solid thunk. A satisfyingly crisp sound, like striking a washbasin, rang through the cramped living room.

The air froze in awkwardness, and everyone stared in astonishment. Ōka remained frozen in the exact pose of having smashed her forehead into the table, as though time itself had stopped. Kishō could not endure the surreal sight and let out a snort, and that became the spark that instantly softened the atmosphere.

“Ungh,” Ōka groaned, rubbing her forehead as she looked up at Kishō’s laughing face with resentful eyes. Kishō reached out and patted the head of the one who had done such a fine job blowing away the stiffness in the room.

“She always cheers me up like this. She’s a funny one.”

“Ugh, I don’t accept that. I’m usually way more of an older-sister type than this.”

Once the self-proclaimed older-sister type had finished introducing herself properly, his mother served everyone her homemade tea. The crimson tea, shining like rubies, had been brewed from tea leaves grown in the patch behind the house.

The scent was herbal. The taste was refreshingly tart. It went down cleanly, so it paired well with things like Western sweets. Alongside the tea, she brought out castella they had bought in Algant.

The conversation began with life at the academy and mostly turned to memories from after he met Princess-sama. Delighted by her son’s growth, his mother eventually touched on stories from when Kishō was little. Pointing at the upper part of the wall, which had been patched and reinforced with leftover lumber, she said happily,

“That is my treasure.”

It was a portrait of his mother that Kishō had drawn when he was five. Displayed in the most noticeable spot and framed besides, it had been treated like a precious keepsake. Looking at Kishō as he scratched his cheek in embarrassment, his mother turned back to Princess-sama.

“This child, you see, had a shy nature, but he hated losing. So even though he would be reduced to tears in arguments, if it came to a fight, he would not flinch even against adults. That was the kind of child he was.”

“Mother-in-law-dono, that understanding is out of date. Kishō has grown and become capable of talking back with a smart mouth.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s right… wait, that is not praise at all!?”

Kishō fired back at Princess-sama’s deadpan comment. Ōka giggled, and his mother watched the warm, cheerful scene with satisfaction.

Still smiling, his mother casually asked everyone when their birthdays were. Based on what each of them said, it turned out they all shared the same birth month, and even the dates were surprisingly close together. Kishō was the fifteenth of January, Princess-sama the twentieth, and Ōka the twenty-third.

“Huh. Funny coincidence, isn’t it?”

“Dragonfolk can only conceive children during mating season, so birthdays naturally end up close together.”

Princess-sama explained that to Kishō when he voiced his honest amazement, though her cheeks reddened at the words “mating season.” Her upturned eyes as she looked at him were moist, as though they were stirring his emotions. Suddenly, Kishō found himself wondering. What would Princess-sama be like once she entered mating season? Would she become even bolder than she already was?

He shook his head to dispel the sinful fantasy, unworthy of so noble a princess, then scratched his cheek awkwardly. Remembering the academy in early spring, he said,

“So that’s why both the boys and the girls were all restless around springtime.”

That happened to overlap with the time when Yotsuba had rejected him and he had lost all composure. Faced with the reality of having no attribute affinity, Kishō had been so wrapped up in his own troubles that he remembered almost nothing from that time. The one thing that did remain in his memory was…

“But Ōka was completely unaffected, wasn’t she?”

“Obviously! It’s not like I’d get all flustered over a guy like Shō-kun.”

“Urk, you sure know how to say it. But too bad, Ōka. Looks like my birthday comes first. Which means you don’t have the right to throw your weight around like some big sister with me.”

“Mgh, my mental age is higher than yours!”

He poked at Ōka’s puffed-up cheeks while she sulked in earnest.

“From now on, address me as Onii-sama.”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying!”

She chomped down on his finger. It hurt.

From there, the conversation turned to what they had been like as children. Princess-sama, apparently, had been travelling the world since childhood, while Ōka had been the indoor type who rarely went out. As for Kishō…

“This child was a little hellion. But he was shy around strangers, so in town people tended to think he was a quiet child.”

He had run all over the streets of Algant.

He had had a few close friends too.

If he closed his eyes, his happy childhood came back to him. But then…

“The last time he wet the bed was when he was eight. That haunted house in town must have really…”

“Waaahhh! What are you saying, Mom!?”

“We’re becoming family, so it’s fine. They need to know everything about you.”

“Who is that information even for!? Don’t spread useless information like that.”

“Please, by all means continue, Mother-in-law-dono.”

“There’s demand for this!? Why are you so interested, Kuroyō!?”

“Yō-chan’s a maiden in love, after all. When it’s the boy you like, you want to know everything about him, right?”

Kishō was struck speechless by the unexpected demand.

See? his mother seemed to say as she puffed out her chest with a smug look. That irritated him a little.

Princess-sama, for her part, was listening intently with her cheeks tinged red.

At this point, it did not look like his protests were going to reach anyone.

With a sigh of resignation, Kishō hung his head, and then someone poked his shoulder.

“Hey, Shō-kun. Is this actually okay?”

“Hm? What is?”

“The seating. The headmistress ended up in the lower seat.”

Fifteen years. This was a home he had grown completely used to, so he had sat down without the slightest sense of oddness, but now that she mentioned it, they had indeed put Seiran in the seat closest to the entrance, in other words the lowest seat. Meanwhile, his mother was sitting in the seat of highest honour, which only made it all the more awkward. The only saving grace, perhaps, was that Princess-sama too had effectively been given a high seat.

Carefully, he stole a glance towards Seiran. Sitting beyond Ōka, her face was angled down, and hidden behind the long hair at her temple, her expression could not be seen. But her shoulders were trembling in tiny shudders, as though she were enduring anger.

“Come to think of it, the headmistress hasn’t said a single word this whole time, has she?”

“Yeah… she didn’t even introduce herself during introductions.”

Feeling awkward, Kishō defended his mother under his breath.

“That’s Mom’s seat. I don’t think she thought that far ahead.”

“Yeah… I guess we should keep quiet so we don’t stir things up.”

“Still, why hasn’t anyone said anything? I’m not really in a position to talk, but still.”

“No idea. I only just noticed myself.”

It was unnatural that sharp-eyed Princess-sama had not noticed, but it was also unnatural that proud-looking Seiran had stayed silent. And above all, with an unfamiliar mature dragonkin mixed into the room, the most unnatural thing of all was that his mother had not asked for an explanation.

Something’s off.

His mother and Princess-sama were happily trading old stories. To Kishō, that heartwarming scene felt as though it belonged to some distant world. He exchanged looks with Ōka.

Then, right at his feet as he tilted his head, the house gave a small shake.

Thinking it was an earthquake, he looked towards the hanging houseplant by the window, but the suspended pot was not swaying. Just as he wondered if he had imagined it, his mother, who had been chatting cheerfully with Princess-sama, slowly turned this way.

“Oh my, was the tea not to your liking?”

Those words seemed to be directed at the headmistress. Seiran reached wordlessly for her teacup, and then…

The sound of dishes clashing rang through the narrow living room.

As though she had been thrown onto a freezing snow mountain wearing only a thin layer of clothing, Seiran’s arm began shaking violently, and the saucer and cup started quarrelling with each other in a deafening clatter.

The red liquid in the cup rippled as if a storm had struck, and waves sloshed over the rim to splatter the table. Seiran’s face had gone deathly pale. Not only the fingers gripping the handle, but her whole body was trembling violently.

The rattling vibration transmitted itself through the floor beneath them. Realising the source of the earlier tremor, Kishō caught his breath. There she was, shrinking into herself and trembling all over like a frightened puppy.

What in the world was happening?

He looked to Princess-sama as if asking for help, but bewilderment was plain on her usually unreadable face. Noticing the questioning look in Kishō’s eyes, she slowly shook her head from side to side, making it clear that she was not involved. She did not even seem to have a guess.

His mother’s voice sounded quietly.

“So you’ve risen quite far, becoming one of the Dragon Emperor’s Six Consorts.”

Keeping her gentle tone, yet with a hint of pressure beneath it, his mother looked straight at Seiran. That gaze did not reach Seiran, whose head remained lowered. Trembling, she kept darting her unfocused eyes about.

His mother slowly approached. Seiran’s shoulders jerked at the sense of that presence. Then his mother leaned in close and whispered into Seiran’s ear.

“So you thought entering the Dragon Emperor’s protection would make you safe. That if you climbed as far as a seat among the Six Consorts, I would not be able to touch you. Did you truly believe that?”

“…………”

“If so, then you are gravely mistaken. Being one of the Six Consorts changes nothing. If the Dragon Emperor himself stands in my way, I’ll dispose of him along with you.”

That outrageous remark, one that insulted His Majesty the Dragon Emperor, made Kishō’s eyes widen in shock. Did the two of them know each other? That question flashed through his mind.

“Hey, Mom. I don’t know what happened, but that’s going too far even for…”

“You stay out of this!”

The sharp rebuke cut him off, and the fierce glare pinned him where he sat.

For a moment, Kishō felt as though he had seen flames of hatred burning in the depths of his mother’s eyes.

Unable to comprehend that extraordinary fury, he fell silent.

The dangerous light dwelling in his mother’s eyes flashed fiercely like lightning. By Seiran’s ear, his mother whispered murderous intent into her.

“If you get too full of yourself, I’ll kill you.”

The teacup slipped from Seiran’s hand and crashed down onto the tabletop. Her face was deathly pale. The trembling had reached its peak, and she was in such a panic that even her teeth would not stop chattering. She was so unnaturally terrified that even Princess-sama could not bring herself to interrupt.

“I warned you, didn’t I? If you ever showed yourself before me again, I would show no mercy.”

The next instant, Seiran jerked away to escape his mother’s pressure and tumbled from her chair. Even then, she kept trying to flee, crawling backwards across the floor.

It was a cramped living room. Her back soon hit the wall. Looking down on the cornered Seiran, now teary-eyed, his mother gave a solemn command.

“I will give you five seconds. Disappear from before me this instant.”

◇◇◇◇◇

Verbal abuse hurled at one of the Dragon Emperor’s highest-ranking consorts, ranked sixth among them.

By virtue of her position as a princess, that ought to have been a problem Kuroyō could not overlook.

And yet, Kuroyō stood there utterly calm.

Her usual poker face quietly watched the woman who was meant to become her mother-in-law.

“Please forgive me. I thought I would endure it, but I couldn’t.”

Her future mother-in-law pressed one hand to her forehead and sighed.

Kishō and Ōka had rushed out of the living room after Seiran. They were no longer there, leaving only Kuroyō and her future mother-in-law together. Even before the older woman’s anger, which had still not entirely cooled, Kuroyō asked without the slightest hint of agitation,

“Are you acquainted with Seiran-dono?”

“Yes. A little, long ago.”

With the patchwork wall at her back, her future mother-in-law gave a large shake of the head. Her face looked terribly worn. Kuroyō approached her in silence.

After observing her minutely from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, her future mother-in-law let out a breath.

“As a princess, are you unable to forgive me for insulting one of the Six Consorts? If this marriage arrangement is ruined, I will feel sorry for my son.”

Though she spoke an apology, her relaxed posture contained no carelessness. An insult directed at one of the Six Consorts could, by that alone, become the spark for war. As a dragonkin, it was only natural for her to prepare herself for the coming conflict.

And yet, Kuroyō’s expression did not waver.

There was no strain in the step she took forwards.

Then, when she had walked right up before her future mother-in-law, Kuroyō sank to her knees on the spot.

“Unable to forgive you? Perish the thought.”

Bringing her hands together in formal salute, she offered a deep kowtow.

That bow, with her forehead pressed to the ground, was the highest expression of respect.

“Allow me to greet you, Head Consort-sama. I have long wished to meet you.”