My Beloved Princess ~The Boy Called Incompetent Rises with Only a Sword and the Princess's Devotion~ - Chapter 90: General Meeting

It was the morning of a holiday.

In a room warmly lit by the fire in the hearth, Kishō lay on his side. Soft thighs cradled his head. A cool sofa pressed against his back. And at his ear, a gentle, ticklish sensation moved lightly up and down.

“Master, does it hurt?”

“Ah, not at all. If anything, it feels really good.”

Lying there and gazing at the fireplace, turned ninety degrees from his angle, Kishō narrowed his eyes in contentment. Each time the cotton swab moved delicately through his ear, a sweet shiver ran down his back.

“I feel like I could just fall asleep like this.”

A lap pillow.

That was every man’s dream.

Resting on Tsukino’s lap, Kishō drifted in and out of drowsiness as though he were dreaming. Looking down at him from above, Tsukino gave a small laugh and asked,

“It is almost noon. Do you have any requests?”

“Let’s see… today I feel like eating chicken.”

“Certainly. I will put all my skill into making it!”

When Tsukino clenched both fists in a little pose of determination, her thighs bounced from the motion. The soft sensation transmitted through the fabric brushed against his cheek.

It was too comfortable. He could not summon the motivation to move. The faint vibrations from Tsukino shifting her body only made him sleepier.

Just as Kishō began to doze off, the bell at the front door rang.

“It seems we have a guest.”

“Who would come by on a holiday?”

Raising himself sluggishly, Kishō headed for the entrance.

When he opened the door, he found a female student he did not recognize standing there alone.

“Good day, Kishō-sama.”

She wore the red-and-black Dragon Robe of the Upper School.

Swallowing the question of Who was she again?, Kishō asked instead,

“R-Right. Um, what is it?”

“I came to escort you.”

“To escort me? Where to?”

“There is a general meeting of the faction. Were you not informed?”

“No, I don’t think I heard anything about that.”

“Oh my, then that was terribly rude of us. It was our oversight. Please forgive us.”

As the girl bowed her head deeply, Kishō hurriedly waved his hands to stop her.

“No, no, there’s nothing to forgive. I don’t mind at all. So where am I supposed to go?”

“Yes. I will guide you there.”

When Kishō turned back, he found Tsukino waiting just inside the entrance.

“All right, Tsukino. Want to come along?”

“Yes!”

At the sight of Tsukino almost bouncing with eagerness, the female student lowered her head apologetically.

“I am terribly sorry. Each flock is allotted one male and one female representative, and one person from Kishō-sama’s flock is already in attendance.”

“Hm? Ah, I see… Then is Kuroyō already at the venue?”

Kishō felt a twinge of regret that Tsukino could not come with him.

Perhaps sensing that disappointment on his face, Tsukino puffed out her chest proudly.

“Then Tsukino will prepare lunch and dinner! I will make plenty of carefully simmered chicken soup and wait for your return.”

“Oh, right. I’ll look forward to it.”

“Yes!”

The female student bowed politely, then turned with a flutter of her Dragon Robe.

“Then shall we go, Kishō-sama?”

With Tsukino seeing him off, Kishō left the special dormitory.

◇◇◇◇◇

“It seems a huge faction combining the first and second years has been established.”

“Yes, I know. I heard it was formed around that transfer student and second-year Sōgetsu-sama.”

“I heard they’re holding a general meeting for it today.”

“In that case, shouldn’t we hurry and take part too?”

A sharp crash split the cold air.

The sound of tea utensils shattering echoed across the café terrace of the tea room. Broken pieces lay scattered across the wooden deck, and the hot water spilled from the teapot rose in white steam. Glaring at the female students staring wide-eyed at the disastrous scene, the twin-tailed girl—Yotsuba—let her anger show openly.

“I absolutely refuse to allow that. Joining that man’s faction… I will never acknowledge it.”

“However, Yotsuba-san, going against such a huge faction would be unwise.”

“That’s right. You need to think about the future too.”

As if trampling down the very conversation, Yotsuba stamped her feet in fury.

She crushed the shattered fragments of the tea set beneath her shoes. The sharp pieces easily pierced through her indoor sandals, but they could not harm the tough soles of a dragonkin. Finely ground shards bit into the wood beneath her feet.

The sight, almost like madness scattering itself across the floor, drew a collective gasp from the girls before they fell silent.

Steadying her rough breathing, Yotsuba cast a dangerous glare at them.

“If you’re going to think about the future, then isn’t it much more meaningful to make sure you don’t make my Papa your enemy?”

Yotsuba’s grades in the Upper School were poor. Under normal circumstances, she would have been an irrelevant dropout no one bothered with. But her father’s influence was immense.

An up-and-coming Dragon King. The Dragon King with the most momentum right now was Yotsuba’s father, Yuugen. Behind that rapidly expanding influence stood overwhelming ability and aggressive action backed by a belligerent personality.

He invaded in every direction without regard for diplomacy. His style stood at the opposite extreme from the Dragon Emperor, who emphasized diplomacy and sought moderation.

And yet, as long as one possessed ability, even that kind of recklessness was forgiven. No—at present, it was more accurate to say that no one could criticize him. Faced with that savage and indiscriminate aggression, the nobles had already grown completely timid.

“My Papa loves me. So if you keep me pleased, your flocks will be safe too. Between my Papa and some huge faction, it should be obvious which matters more, right? No matter how many of them gather together, they’re no match for him.”

The female students exchanged uneasy looks.

Then one of them raised her voice.

“However, Yotsuba-san. Your father is certainly a splendid person, and one deserving of respect. But isn’t it a little extreme to speak of him in the same terms as factions within the academy? Faction ties continue even after graduation. In the harsh wilderness, those connections greatly affect one’s chances of survival, don’t they? If so, then surely you can understand why we can’t live just by watching His Majesty the Dragon King’s mood.”

Though they feared the living weapon known as Dragon King Yuugen, several girls nodded in support of the student who had looked straight at Yotsuba and spoken up.

Standing isolated, Yotsuba glared down at the Upper School girls, though they should have outranked her.

“I’m telling you to choose a side. Will you make my Papa your enemy, or will you make that huge faction your enemy?”

“That’s too extreme—”

“It’s not extreme. Those who oppose him die. That is Papa’s teaching.”

Her arrogant, insolent nature had clearly been inherited from her father.

According to Yotsuba, joining the huge faction was the same as openly declaring hostility toward her. That selfishness was only possible because she had Dragon King Yuugen backing her. For female students whose territories bordered his, the honest truth was that they wanted to avoid clashing with Yotsuba if they could.

Looking calmly over the now-silenced girls, Yotsuba smiled in satisfaction.

“Anyway, that man is a fraud. Just wait. His disguise will peel away, and his flaws will come out. I’m looking forward to that.”

◇◇◇◇◇

The place the female student led Kishō to was a classroom in the Upper School’s main building.

Since it was a holiday, there were no classes. The room was empty of ordinary activity.

It was a large classroom used for classes with many students, capable of seating a considerable number. Looking around, Kishō saw that quite a few students had already gathered, but because the room was dim, he could not make out the full picture.

“Then, Kishō-sama. Please sit here and wait a moment.”

After he took the seat she indicated, the student bowed politely and withdrew.

“You’re late.”

A voice called out to him from the darkness at his side.

Turning his head toward the familiar face sitting there with her arms folded, Kishō asked,

“Yo. Do you know where Kuroyō is?”

“Onee-sama hasn’t come. I’m here as her proxy.”

“Oh, I see—wait, the one representative already attending was Kōran!?”

“Naturally. Who else but me could serve as Onee-sama’s proxy?”

“So you’ve just naturally inserted yourself into my flock, huh…”

Was this an extension of that whole accomplished-fact strategy of hers? Kishō could not help suspecting it.

Ignoring his unease, Kōran jerked her chin forward.

“It’s starting.”

A spotlight snapped on over the darkened stage.

It was a powerful light cast from a light stone set at the rear of the classroom.

The ones who appeared were Sōgetsu, with Princess Suiren following three steps modestly behind.

Standing in front of the podium, Sōgetsu slowly turned his head and surveyed the students gathered in the room. Apparently pleased by the turnout, he narrowed his slit eyes in satisfaction.

“Now then, I apologize for taking up your time on such a precious holiday. Since the other day saw the establishment of a great faction joining the first and second years, I thought it would be best for us to align our understanding at least once. So, regarding today’s agenda—”

Mixing gestures into his words, Sōgetsu continued his speech smoothly without a hitch.

While Kishō was admiring that polished delivery, Kōran pursed her lips in disapproval.

“Are you really all right with this? Letting him act as he pleases like that?”

“Huh? Is there a problem?”

“You are also one of the central figures of this faction. And yet only Sōgetsu is standing there in the spotlight, while you’re shoved off into a corner like this. Doesn’t it frustrate you?”

Kōran said it with a sulky face, arms still folded.

Narrowing his eyes against the glare of the stage lights, Kishō answered lazily,

“Isn’t this fine? Honestly, if you told me to go up there and take charge, I’d just be troubled.”

“I cannot accept this treatment over something like that.”

“Why are you angry?”

“There is no Dragonkin woman who does not dislike seeing her master’s standing demeaned.”

Kishō nearly fell out of his chair.

With curious glances turning toward them from nearby students, he waved one hand apologetically and lowered his voice.

“You’re angry for my sake!?”

“Y-You’re mistaken! You are the man who will become Onee-sama’s master, aren’t you? So I became angry as Onee-sama’s proxy. Don’t misunderstand.”

Kōran shouted back, her face flushing red enough to be obvious even in the dark.

As the surrounding attention turned toward them again, Kishō muttered in discomfort,

“What, so you’re just angry on Kuroyō’s behalf? Don’t scare me like that. I nearly rolled out of my chair.”

Shifting himself back fully into his seat, he turned forward again.

Onstage, Sōgetsu continued his speech. Behind him, Princess Suiren stood waiting modestly, though her face looked a little proud. By contrast, Kōran remained pouting beside him.

The difference between the two, Kishō felt, lay in how they viewed the treatment of their respective masters. Realizing that made him feel a little awkward.

After some thought, he spoke up.

“Factions are part of diplomacy too, right?”

“Eh? Yes.”

“In that case, then staying quiet and watching is probably the right move here, don’t you think?”

“Why?”

He jerked his chin toward Sōgetsu onstage, and Kōran’s gaze followed.

“Look at that face. He’s loving this.”

“He is in ecstasy, isn’t he?”

“Yeah. So I think letting him enjoy the glory here is fine.”

“You mean, you’re yielding?”

“Yeah. Since he conceded on the slave issue, think of this as returning the favor. Give and take.”

“Hm. If I put it in Onee-sama’s style, then I suppose it is yielding in order to draw out further yielding.”

Perhaps that strategic framing appealed to her, because Kōran nodded, looking impressed. The sharpness between her brows eased, and she returned to her usual spirited self.

Seeing her brighten, Kishō knew he could never admit that the truth was simply that he hated standing out. So he let her keep that interpretation and wore a smug face instead.

The conversation paused there.

Onstage, Sōgetsu had just picked up a stick of white chalk.

It clicked lightly against the board, and in large letters he wrote:

Winter Special Practice

Naturally, the topic shifted there.

The Winter Special Practice would be held in the Neutral City of Ashitana. Since it was a harsh training exercise that produced dropouts every year, the idea seemed to be that they should cooperate within the faction.

Applause rose from the students in the room, mainly the second-years. The first-years, Kishō included, probably did not fully understand the situation. Even if they were told to cooperate, it did not really sink in.

Unable to muster much interest, Kishō bit back a bored yawn.

“How often do they hold these faction meetings?”

“Mm, let’s see. About once a month, I think.”

“I see. If they did something like this every week, I was wondering what I’d do.”

“What happens every week are the tea parties. There are also several parties throughout the year.”

“Ugh. Seriously…”

Just imagining himself being dragged into the social gatherings of noble society was enough to make Kishō feel worn out.

“I really understand now why Kōran gets sick of tea parties.”

To think the day would come when he sympathized with Kōran. Remembering their lively first meeting, Kishō could only smile bitterly. Though if the tea parties among the girls really happened every day, then Kōran had it much worse than he did.

At Kishō’s sincere sympathy, Kōran snorted smugly with her arms folded.

“Well, endure at least this much. Thanks to the huge faction being established, the teachers should be in a great panic about now.”

“Why would the teachers panic?”

“Hehe. That would be because—”

Kōran puffed out her chest a little proudly.