My Beloved Princess ~The Boy Called Incompetent Rises with Only a Sword and the Princess's Devotion~ - Chapter 98: I Think I’ll Go Greet My Mother-in-Law

In front of the waiting room prepared inside the colosseum, Kishō took a deep breath.

Beyond this door, the girls he had grown close to were gathered.

Until now, Kishō had stubbornly refused to form a flock. Naturally, there were people who still did not know about the chain of events surrounding Tsukino after he came to the Upper School—did not know about his change of heart. Especially in the case of Ōka and Alice, this would come completely out of nowhere.

As for the Princess, he had explained the rough outline to her, but he still had not told her the finer details.

That was exactly why he had gathered everyone here now, to settle the matter properly.

Just what kind of reactions would he get?

It was frightening, but it was not a road he could avoid forever.

He inhaled and exhaled deeply, loosening the tension in his body.

Just as he steadied his breathing and reached for the doorknob, someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder.

He nearly jumped out of his skin.

“What are you dawdling around for?”

At almost the same eye level as his own, crimson eyes stared at him as if piercing straight through him.

It was Kōran, a face that was already becoming familiar.

He had definitely told her that everyone would be gathering inside the waiting room, so had she gone to the bathroom or something?

“No, I’m just a little nervous. I keep wondering what everyone’s going to think.”

“Who knows. Things will turn out however they turn out.”

“I’d love it if you could share even a little of that positive thinking with me.”

He slapped both cheeks, psyching himself up, then reached for the doorknob again.

“All right. I need to tell Kuroyō properly. That I love only you. That I don’t intend to take any other Consorts.”

He twisted the iron knob and pushed the door inward. As it opened, the scene inside gradually came into view—and beside him, Kōran said,

“Oh, right. There’s one thing I forgot to mention about the duty of a powerful dragonkin.”

“Huh? Why bring that up now?”

“Did you know? A child’s ability is influenced by the bloodlines of its parents.”

“Sure. If it’s a child with Kuroyō, I bet they’d be an amazing kid.”

Kōran giggled.

“You see, an exceptional man has a duty to leave behind many descendants. That means there’s no way Onee-sama would ever allow you to stop at taking only one Consort.”

“—What?”

“Think back on it. Onee-sama never lectured you about the duty of a powerful dragonkin. Why? Because she believed you would rise on your own eventually. But when it came to choosing Consorts, she was working awfully hard, wasn’t she?”

“Wait a second. The way you’re saying that makes it sound like…”

At some point, the door had swung fully open, and the bright light from inside the room spilled out into the dim corridor. Silhouetted against that light, a figure standing there gave a small nod.

“As for Consorts, if I do not actively push the matter forward myself, things will never advance.”

“Uwah!”

Princess Kuroyō herself appeared with timing so perfect it felt as though she had been lying in wait right behind the door for his arrival. Since Kishō had been distracted by Kōran, this time he was genuinely startled.

“Listen, Kuroyō. I love only you—”

“No.”

“Let me finish talking!?”

“You must not love only me.”

“Why the hell not?!”

“To hunt together and divide the prey. A master’s affection is the same. One must not disturb the harmony of the flock. Above all, the seed of an exceptional man ought to be shared.”

“That’s not something that needs to be shared!”

“That will not do. To leave behind excellent descendants and let the race prosper is the duty of a powerful dragonkin.”

Kōran gave a little shrug that seemed to say, See?

At that moment, Kishō genuinely wanted to slam the door shut, pretend none of this had happened, and go home.

Inside the waiting room, Alice’s cheeks were bright red and both hands covered her face. He could feel her peeking at him through the gaps between her fingers, and that only poured fuel on Kishō’s humiliation.

“A-Anyway! Everyone already accepts that Tsukino is my attendant, all right?”

He turned toward Tsukino, who had been sitting properly in the waiting room, seeking agreement. But—

“Yes. Tsukino is Master’s slave.”

“No, you’re not a slave! Don’t say things that’ll cause misunderstandings!”

A shrill little squeal echoed through the room.

Alice, the source of it, was completely red in the face.

Just what kind of things was she imagining?

He was getting misunderstood already.

This is turning into more of a mess by the second, Kishō thought in growing distress, when Kōran, having closed the door behind her, drove in another blow.

“Leaving Tsukino’s case aside, as for me, you’ll be taking me as a Consort.”

“Hah!? That’s one hell of a fastball you just threw in there!”

“I told you before, didn’t I? That I’d forgive your reward with a kiss.”

“I never agreed to that! And anyway, what kind of outrageous price is a kiss as payment for giving directions?!”

Normally, at this point, Kōran would have launched into some new insane stunt.

But for some reason, today there was actual intelligence in her expression.

Arms folded with easy confidence, she gave a smug little laugh.

“You and I shared wealth, didn’t we?”

“—Huh?”

“Who was it that bought your stationery when you didn’t have any money?”

“Well, sure, you treated me back then, and I was grateful, but—”

“Is that true, Kōran!? Well done!”

Kishō’s words were drowned out by the Princess’s burst of delight.

“Yes, Onee-sama. At last I can walk beside you.”

“Wait, what!? I have no idea what’s going on here!”

“That’s right, Kōran. Sharing wealth is proof of a married couple. To think the two of you had already grown that close. What a delightful surprise.”

“We have not grown that close at all! And I knew something was weird when she absolutely insisted on paying. So that was a trap? Damn it!”

Remembering that the wealth of a master and her Consorts was considered one and the same, that all property inside a flock was shared, Kishō let out a desperate scream.

In other words, he had already fallen into a trap from the very first day after transferring to the Upper School.

“No, no, it’s too early to panic. We still haven’t had the engagement kiss yet!”

“You really are a sore loser. Once something is in Onee-sama’s plans, you should know it’s already a settled future.”

“Stop that. Don’t raise flags. The scary part is that with Kuroyō’s capabilities, it really feels like it’ll happen.”

“Rest easy. If my wisdom and your strength are joined together, then even ruling over a million Consorts would be possible.”

“Like hell I could handle a million Consorts!”

At the familiar husband-and-wife style routine, Alice finally let out a soft giggle.

Tsukino, who had been staring blankly until then, got caught up in it and started laughing too.

The way Kōran stood there with folded arms and a triumphant grin was still a little irritating, though.

The atmosphere softened, and Kishō found himself thinking, Well, whatever, as he let out a shallow sigh.

Then, in an unusually good mood, the Princess said,

“Now that the initial members of the flock are more or less decided, I think the time has come. I intend to go and greet Mother-in-law.”

“Huh? My house?!”

“Yes. I thought Ōka and I would go as representatives of the Consorts. What do you think?”

“What do I think? Ōka’s not a Consort—”

He cut himself off and looked around the waiting room.

Ōka was nowhere to be seen.

◇◇◇◇◇

One girl stormed forward, shoulders heaving, twin-tails swaying.

The one pounding down the narrow passage of the colosseum hard enough to make it rumble was Yotsuba.

Her face twisted in fury, she raked her fingers violently through her hair.

“How did that man manage to draw with the Commander of the Imperial Guard? The Imperial Guard Commander, Unran, is a man even Papa treats with caution. It’s wrong… it has to be wrong.”

A half-dragon with no aptitude attribute.

He was a man she had dismissed as worthless, unfit even to associate with.

And yet what had happened? Just two days after transferring into the Upper School, his name had risen everywhere. By the fifth day, he had even concluded an alliance with Sōgetsu, the top student of the second year.

And on top of that—on top of that—he was supposedly the fiancé of Princess Kuroyō. That alone was unbelievable enough, and now even Kōran, famous for hating men, had returned at his side.

What kind of joke was this supposed to be?

Now he was the face of the Upper School, the central figure of its largest faction.

At this point, there was not a single person left in the Upper School who doubted his ability.

He had become a lofty flower that everyone admired.

“It’s wrong. It has to be wrong. I was the first one who laid claim to him. So why am I not inside that glory? Why? Tell me why!”

With bloodshot eyes wide open, she let out a voice full of resentment.

That ugly cry echoed through the narrow corridor.

Yotsuba’s grades were near the bottom even in the Lower School.

To put it plainly, she was a failure.

Despite the humiliation of being assigned to the Lower School even though she possessed the noble bloodline of a Dragon King’s daughter, the result of Yotsuba’s frantic determination to secure the best man she could had been Kishō.

Originally, they should have been a fitting pair—two failures suited to one another. But Yotsuba, self-centered and swollen with pride, never doubted that only an exceptional man could possibly be worthy of her. At minimum, she told herself, he had to be equivalent to the top student of the Lower School. That absurdly misplaced fixation had led directly to the merciless breaking of their engagement.

And yet, if only at that time she had been able to empathize with him by seeing her own circumstances reflected in his, then the one standing beside him now might have been Yotsuba herself.

But that choice had never existed from the beginning.

The idea of pairing herself with someone incompetent had been disgusting to her. She had conveniently set aside her own worthlessness and thought only that. That was why she had felt no hesitation in insulting him, and why the sight of him collapsing to his knees had even felt satisfying.

And as a result—

“Why is Kuroyō-sama the one standing beside him? It’s unfair! Unfair! Unfair! That place should be mine!”

Though she had cried to her father, Yūgen, and managed to get promoted to the Upper School, that did not change the fact that she was still a failure. None of the exceptional boys paid Yotsuba any attention. She could use her father’s name to lord herself over the other girls, but no boy ever approached someone as lacking in ability as she was.

That was exactly why the fish that had escaped had become far too large.

And naturally, Yotsuba’s obsession only accelerated.

“I can’t let this end here. I’m the one who was engaged to that man first.”

Having cleanly forgotten the vicious treatment she herself had inflicted on him, Yotsuba lifted the corners of her eyes and kept shouting selfish nonsense.

And there was no one around to rebuke that ugly, self-centered display.

“That man is soft at the core. If I cling to him—cry, beg, do whatever it takes—there’s no way he’ll be able to reject me.”

At last, the end of the long corridor came into view. If she turned left at the T-junction ahead, she would reach the waiting room she was aiming for.

She would say it there.

Let’s get back together.

It was a stone corridor with the oppressive feel of a prison. Just as she reached the corner she had finally come up to, a figure emerged from the blind spot farther down the hall.

The first thing that drew the eye was short chestnut-brown hair. Large eyes, a small nose—more cute than beautiful. Because Yotsuba had once been enrolled in the Lower School, she knew the name of that girl.

“You’re Ōka-san, right? Perfect timing. I was just about to—”

“I’m not letting you go to Sho-kun.”

Back when Yotsuba had seen her in the Lower School, Ōka had been the kind of girl who smiled with an easy charm. But now, not a trace of emotion remained on her face. The light had gone from her brown eyes, and they looked as though they reflected not reality, but some hollow illusion.

Combined with what she had just said, Yotsuba naturally took that attitude as hostile.

“Oh? And why would you say something so nasty?”

“What about you? At this point, with what kind of face do you think you can show up and go see Sho-kun?”

It was a quiet rebuke.

And yet Yotsuba felt as if she had plainly heard the word shameless.

Her face flushed red.

“You don’t know anything. Kishō-kun and I—”

“You were engaged, right? So what? That’s already over.”

Her secret had been exposed and cut down without mercy.

The ambush made Yotsuba catch her breath, and for a moment her thoughts went blank.

“The one who doesn’t know anything is you. You spat out words like a curse and then acted like none of it mattered. Have you ever stopped to think about how deeply your words hurt Sho-kun, and how long he kept suffering because of them? Even once? No, you haven’t. If you had, there’s no way you’d be trying to force him back into a relationship now.”

The quiet, inorganic voice of the girl gradually began to heat up.

“Anyone would be hurt if they were told something that awful. Do you have any idea how much effort I put into undoing the curse you placed on him? How much I worried over how to heal the wound in Sho-kun’s heart? You can’t even imagine it, can you? Not you, who ran away to the Upper School and lived there in comfort! There’s no way someone like you could ever understand another person’s pain!”

The girl’s condemnation struck painfully at Yotsuba’s ears.

Her pride wounded, Yotsuba’s face twisted into something demon-like.

“Hah? So what? I was engaged to Kishō-kun. We even exchanged a vow-kiss. That means he has responsibilities toward me. The responsibility to support me!”

“Responsibility? Yes, I’m sure Sho-kun would struggle with that. Even though there’s no reason he should feel responsible for someone like you, he’s too kind, so of course he’d torment himself over it. That’s why I’m not letting you through. I won’t let you go to him.”

Standing firmly with her legs planted, Ōka spread both arms to block the way.

“And who exactly do you think you are? What are you to Kishō-kun, anyway?”

“I’m… Sho-kun’s…”

“I already know. Kuroyō-sama is going to be Kishō-kun’s principal wife, right? Then you’re nothing more than some mere Consort. Which means your position is equal to mine. So don’t get in my way.”

When Yotsuba tried to force her way past, Ōka seized her arm with a hard grip.

The two immediately started grappling.

“I told you. I’m not letting you through.”

“Hah!? Since when did this colosseum become your property?!”

At a glance, it looked like nothing more than a petty scuffle between two schoolgirls—

but both of them had enough strength in their arms to easily lift a grown man.

With that strength, Yotsuba was shoved hard back against the wall.

“Why didn’t you stay by Sho-kun’s side? Isn’t it by facing harsh reality together that two people form a bond? Answer me!”

“Oh, shut up! What does any of that matter?!”

The pressure on her arm intensified.

Ōka bit her lip in frustration, glaring at her through tears she was barely holding back.

“You don’t even care about Sho-kun. You only ever chose him like an accessory. Don’t hurt Sho-kun for the sake of your worthless pride!!”

“Oh, you’ve got some nerve, don’t you? That’s right. Men are nothing but tools to display my own glory. Accessory is a very fitting word!”

The offense and defense reversed.

This time, Yotsuba slammed Ōka back against the wall instead. Pinning both of Ōka’s arms there so she could not move, Yotsuba leaned in close to her ear and smiled maliciously.

“I don’t even like his face, and his weak, spineless personality makes me sick! But if he’ll bring me splendor and glory, I’d gladly become his Consort!”

“Don’t you—!”

An incredible surge of force suddenly slammed into Yotsuba’s arms where she held Ōka down, and Ōka shoved her back with raw strength. For a brief instant, Yotsuba’s body actually lifted off the floor.

“—dare!!!”

A palm strike flew in from below and to the right, smashing into Yotsuba’s cheek.

The blow sent her sprawling to the floor. Clutching the side of her face, Yotsuba glared up sharply at the girl now standing over her.

There stood Ōka, looking down at the defeated Yotsuba with eyes from which all light had vanished.

“As long as there’s still light in my eyes, I won’t let you take even one step closer to Sho-kun.”

◇◇◇◇◇

Upper School main building.

In the luxuriously furnished Headmaster’s office, a black-clad swordsman who had only just finished fighting had been summoned. The one who had called him there, Headmaster Seiran, raised the corners of her brows and voiced her displeasure.

“What do you mean, a loss?”

“I mean exactly that, Seiran-sama. That match was my complete defeat.”

Her splendid Dragon Robe was woven from three different luxurious fabrics. Seiran did not care in the least that the expensive cloth might be damaged; she slammed the sleeve of it against her desk with force. A heavy sound rang through the room.

“When you stopped fighting halfway through, I called you here wondering what had happened—and now you tell me it was a complete defeat? Don’t be absurd. Even conceding a hundred steps and saying the match had ended there, the victor should obviously be you, since you were the one who landed the blow.”

Watching the duel from the special viewing seats at the very top of the colosseum, Seiran had no idea what words had been exchanged between the two men on the stage.

And because she could not see [Sword Aura], she also had no understanding of just how fierce the exchange had been.

To her eyes, it had looked only as though Unran had suddenly sheathed his sword and withdrawn in the middle of the fight. Naturally, being told without explanation that it had been a complete defeat made no sense to her at all.

Seiran’s temple twitched. Before her, the tall, beautiful man in black stood perfectly straight and answered without moving a muscle.

“Pressed by the boy’s [Sword Aura], I ended up using my trump card, the Dance of the Water Dragon. It is deeply shameful.”

“And what of it? The Dance of the Water Dragon is an unusual set of steps, yes, but it is not magic. As long as it is swordsmanship, there should be no issue with using it in a duel of the blade.”

“Do you truly not understand, Seiran-sama? I, the Commander of the Imperial Guard, was pressed so far that I had to use the Dance of the Water Dragon.”

“So what if you were pressed? The result is what matters. You landed a decisive strike and took the point. Then who is the winner? The answer is obvious.”

Unran let out a long breath.

The gaze he turned toward Seiran was cold.

And deep within his eyes lay unmistakable contempt.

“Have you forgotten the purpose of this match?”

“To confirm whether or not he is worthy of the Princess.”

“Then I can only say that your eyes are useless.”

“…………What did you just say? That is not something I can let pass.”

“Even if you cannot see [Sword Aura], even students could understand how fierce that exchange was. What exactly is clouding your vision so thoroughly?”

“Unran. Even if you are Commander of the Imperial Guard, I will not tolerate any further insolence.”

Seiran’s shrill voice sliced through the room, trying to cut off the black-clad swordsman’s expressionless words.

Unran only shook his head in exasperation. Then he turned on his heel without another word.

“Wait. This discussion is not over yet.”

He stopped, then glanced back over his shoulder with a sharp look.

“I would have you understand one thing. I am the sword of His Majesty the Dragon Emperor. I have no reason to take orders from you.”

“Wh—… but surely you still answer to the General Consort-sama’s command.”

“I shall explain the matter to Rakuyō-sama myself.”

And without turning back again, Unran left the Headmaster’s office.

Left alone, Seiran sank into stunned silence, holding her head in her hands. And as her thoughts descended into a mire, they reached a single conclusion.

“That’s it. That girl drew her blade on the stage and took a stance as if she meant to kill herself. At the time, I only panicked over it, but… perhaps she used her own life as a shield to persuade Unran to withdraw.”

It was a completely mistaken conclusion, yet to Seiran it felt like a stroke of genius.

As though she had received a divine revelation.

But just as that revelation was about to settle in her mind, a gruesome image from the past flashed through her thoughts. She shook her head at once, desperately driving it away.

Knock, knock.

As Seiran held her head, a knock sounded at the door.

She raised her face.

The door opened, and Princess Kuroyō stepped inside.

Her usual impassive face remained unchanged as she clasped her hands and bowed politely.

“Seiran-dono. I have come to ask one favor.”

Was she going to demand that the marriage be recognized? Pressing a hand to the throb at her temple, Seiran braced herself.

“Before the Winter Special Practice begins, would it be possible for me to take leave?”

“Leave? And for what purpose?”

“I am thinking of going to greet Kishō’s family.”

“You do not mean to say that you intend to pay a formal visit regarding marriage, do you?”

“Seiran-dono. Since he was victorious over Unran, there should be no issue. If I am to greet Mother-in-law, sooner is better.”

Bang!

Seiran slammed her heavy desk with a fist.

And just as she was about to open her mouth and shout, her movement stopped dead.

A devilish idea flashed through her mind.

“Very well. However, there is one condition.”

“A condition? And what would that be, Seiran-dono?”

“I cannot allow you to go alone. I shall accompany you myself. That is my condition.”

At that, Princess Kuroyō tilted her expressionless face slightly and froze for several seconds.

Then she gave one small, adorable nod and lowered her head in greeting.

“In that case, I accept those terms.”

Princess Kuroyō then took her leave of the Headmaster’s office.

As Seiran watched that small back disappear, the corner of her mouth rose of its own accord.

“I’ll simply use the authority of one of the Six Consorts to pressure his parents. If they are pressured by one of the Dragon Emperor’s Six Consorts, they’ll surely oppose the marriage rather than risk making an enemy.”

The moment Kuroyō closed the door behind her, cold flooded the room around Seiran.

The sudden drop in temperature mercilessly froze the office over.

Frost spread over the floor and chair connected to Seiran, and thin ice began to creep with sharp cracking sounds across the desk she had just struck. The wave of cold instantly swallowed the steam rising from the teacup and froze the surface of the tea solid. The severe cold spreading through the whole room flash-froze the flowers arranged in the vase, then shattered them into brittle fragments.

“If they still refuse to bend to pressure, then—”

Seiran clenched her fist, and all at once the thin膜 of ice that had spread through the room shattered with a loud crash.

Bathed in sunlight from the window, the ice fragments scattered in glittering arcs through the air.

Hidden behind that shower of frozen shards, Seiran’s face was hideously twisted.

At that moment, lacking all calm, Seiran never once realized one final thing.

When Princess Kuroyō had left the room, there too had been a smile on her face—

a smile of complete and utter satisfaction.