Chapter 69

■ Chapter 68. Storm (3) □ ᓚᘏᗢ

Even as I once again realized my position, Lina did not raise her head. Looking straight ahead, I could see her golden hair cascading like a waterfall.

It seems she has no intention of raising her head until I speak. Although I can't see her face and don't know what expression she's making, she must be nervous.

I plan to accept Lina's apology. If I don't accept the apology from the imperial princess who has bowed her head, it would be a problem in itself.

And the moment I accept her apology, I feel this emotion that has been creeping up inside me. I haven't been able to pinpoint exactly what this feeling is, but Lina's apology has made me realize it.

Power (權力)

When I was reincarnated into this world, one of the things I hated the most was the unfair power structure. Ironically, the emotion now creeping up inside me is a desire for power.

In my past life, I was just a writer who enjoyed writing, but now I have the power to influence the world. Moreover, the princess of the demon race and the imperial princess are treating me with respect.

Who could resist this temptation? I can confidently say no one. Power, which I originally despised, is a force that, once tasted, is impossible to escape.

So if I take even one more step forward, I will be consumed by power. But power always leads people to their downfall.

'Rather than power...'

I want something else. I said to Lina, who was waiting for my answer with her head bowed.

"Raise your head, Lady Lina."

"..."

When I spoke in a calm voice, Lina slowly raised her head to meet my gaze. Her beautiful face, which had gone through all sorts of turmoil, was now very dark.

Not knowing what to say, I rubbed the back of my neck and then quietly spoke.

"Lady Lina, you know you were wrong, so I have nothing to say about that... but it's a bit too late."

"..."

"If you wanted to apologize, you should have done so when you called me and my sister. If you had, your apology would have felt more sincere. If not, you could have apologized right after the release of the 10th volume of Xenon's biography. It's hard for me to see your apology in a good light now that the situation has escalated."

As I spoke gently, Lina's expression grew darker. She seems anxious, thinking I might not accept her apology.

I paused for a moment, clasped my hands, and took some time to think. I needed to organize my thoughts.

After about a minute, I stared at my reflection in the coffee cup and then spoke.

"To be honest, I never imagined the situation would become this serious. I just announced a hiatus for my studies. And as you can see from the author's words, I was writing Xenon's biography purely as a hobby, with no specific purpose or ideology."

This is what I also told Mari. Glancing at her, I saw that she was looking at me with complete trust.

I almost reached out to her, but managed to restrain myself given the atmosphere. Even in this awkward situation, I almost reached out to Mari, which made me realize how severe my condition is.

"Of course, the fundamental reason for the hiatus was the pressure from you and Leort. I really love my family. If my sister hadn't persuaded me, I might have given up writing altogether."

"Ah..."

My sincere story elicited a noticeable reaction from Lina. Her already pale face turned even paler.

At least it's a fortunate turn of events. If it weren't for her mistake and greed, an even worse situation could have occurred.

Seeing her trembling lips, I smiled bitterly inside.

I can somewhat understand Lina's position. She has always been in a position far above others and has naturally grown up with a sense of superiority.

She is the daughter of the emperor, whom everyone looks up to, and believes she has a much wider range of actions than others. So she thought it was okay to pressure the author of Xenon's biography.

I can live a life detached from authority because of my memories from my past life, but Lina cannot. She has been educated this way since childhood, so it's understandable.

"Anyway, I'll accept your apology. Seeing you apologize in person shows how serious the situation is, and it's not good for me either. Especially, I noticed a lot of criticism toward the Minerva Empire. Right?"

"Right. And..."

"Before that, there's something I want to say. It might be a request."

Before Lina could finish her sentence, I cut her off. It might be considered rude, but I still have the upper hand.

Lina, aware of this, closed her mouth without saying anything. I can't tell what she's thinking, but her dark expression shows she's holding back.

"I told Mari the same thing. I'm writing Xenon's biography purely as a hobby. I listen to my father's stories and write the stories I want based on them. You might not know, but when a hobby becomes a job, it becomes really unpleasant. So please, don't interfere. Don't call me in and pressure me like last time."

"…I apologize again for that."

As Lina spoke in a gloomy voice and tried to bow, I quickly stopped her. It's unnecessary for an imperial princess to bow twice, and it makes me uncomfortable.

"You don't need to apologize twice. Once is enough."

"…Thank you."

"Just speak casually. And the proposal I want to make is..."

As I trailed off and looked at her, Lina tensed up. Mari, sitting next to me, looked eager to hear what I would say.

I had to think carefully about whether I should really make this proposal. This world has a class system and a firm authority.

So my upcoming proposal might undermine Lina's authority. But the desire inside me whispered softly.

If it's hard to take a full step forward, why not take half a step? Or, if that's not possible, why not take a step and then back off?

So I proposed to Lina.

"Let me speak casually to you."

"…What?"

Seeing that Lina didn't understand, I explained again.

"Let me call you Lina, not Lady Lina."

Equality, not power.

I might seem a bit strange, but I find it more comfortable to treat people as equals rather than look down on them. Conversely, I hate being treated with authority.

Unlike Aira during the group project, Lina didn't openly suppress me, so I could tolerate it, but the situation has drastically changed.

With the situation escalating, she has acknowledged her mistake and bowed her head. This means I am now in the dominant position.

However, I dislike uncomfortable relationships. I prefer the ease of a relationship like the one I have with Mari.

Some might wonder why I'm doing this. In fact, my proposal is quite risky. It could undermine Lina's authority and make her upset.

Even though the situation has reversed, if she harbors resentment, it could be dangerous in the future. So I compromised by suggesting we speak casually.

"…"

Perhaps because it was an unexpected proposal, Lina looked bewildered. She then met Mari's gaze, who was sitting next to me.

I naturally turned to Mari, who had a disapproving look on her face.

Did she not like my proposal? But since she didn't complain, I knew she respected me.

"…Is that all?"

After a moment of silence, Lina asked me cautiously. Her expression suggested she found it hard to believe.

I nodded in silence. Of course, I didn't forget to add one more thing.

"And, Lina, please don't use honorifics. It's uncomfortable."

"…Alright. Is that really all?"

"Yes."

"Why? What benefit do you get from speaking casually with me?"

You sure are talkative. I looked at Lina, who spoke with a tone of incomprehension.

Her poker face had crumbled, and she was demanding an answer. I smiled and spoke.

"There are many benefits. It makes me feel more at ease."

"…"

"Again, I'm not writing Xenon's biography for any specific purpose. It's just a hobby. I don't have any particular desires; I just want the readers to enjoy it."

Realizing my sincerity, Lina murmured softly, looking somewhat bewildered.

"Do you accept, or not?"

That day, I became an equal to the imperial princess.

"Hmph."

My cute girlfriend seems unhappy, though.