Chapter 21

It's a fine day.

Livio, his black hair fluttering in the wind, adjusted the load in his arms.

Having been so busy, it felt like a long time since he had walked outside without gel in his hair. After all, the three years at Livionis Worrian were filled with nothing but training and work.

After all, the princess to whom Livio had dedicated his heart, vowing to protect her at all costs, was the crown prince's fiancée. Being by her side meant not a single day, not even a few hours, could be wasted; this was a given for Livio.

Well, all that is in the past!

Livionis Worrian discarded that name and secured a place beside the most important person in his life, and the crown prince's fiancée became just a girl named Sophie.

Crown prince's fiancée? That's old news. Just an old story. A fleeting nightmare from the night before yesterday. Forget it, forget it.

Now, there is no longer a sad and lonely future queen named Sophilia Lotus anywhere in this world.

Ah, of course, the future queen whom Livio had dedicated his love to still lives in his heart. No matter what kind of days they were, the elements that make up Sophie are dear to him.

The profile of Sophilia, which he had gazed at from afar, shone like the sun and illuminated the darkness like a full moon, lighting up Livio's heart, burning it, and making the sound of falling in love heard again and again. Ah, I love her. The best. My favorite person, the best.

Livio sighed and adjusted his load.

But it's a lot.

Well, for Livio, who had been made to run with stones and survive with rocks, a paper bag or even a wooden box packed to the brim is no big deal. This much, no problem. After all, he's a knight. Formerly, but still. It has a good ring to it.

"Oh! That's a lot of luggage!"

When he returned to the inn, the innkeeper opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"You bought a lot, didn't you?"

"I got a lot of freebies. Everyone is so nice."

Livio smiled, and the innkeeper said, "Ah," and smiled back.

"Everyone saw the commotion yesterday, and you're handsome, too."

Indeed. Yesterday, there were thanks, and "You're so beautiful!" and such words, and the contents of the paper bags kept increasing, turning into burlap bags and then wooden boxes.

Still, while it makes sense to get freebies for defeating monsters, Livio doesn't quite understand the "because you're beautiful" part. He knows his face looks just like his mother's, but why does that mean he gets freebies? Because he's beautiful. Rather, Livio wishes the children doing errands could get freebies. Let's make it a society that praises and fosters children.

But since he believes in taking whatever he can get, he accepted it with a smile, "Thank you." This led to even more freebies, and the amount was beyond the concept of freebies. Even after sharing with the errand boy shopping next to him, there was still plenty left.

As a side note, on this day, Livio, who shared freebies with the errand boys and girls in the city, became the catalyst for a movement where children started to enjoy helping, believing that "good children receive blessings from angels," just as he wished.

"Would you like this?"

Unaware of the city's future, Livio put down the wooden box and handed over the bag on his shoulder.

It was filled with apples.

"No, I can't take it."

"Even if I have this many apples, it's still a bit much. For traveling, this amount is a bit... If you don't mind, please take it."

Livio is not a fanatic who eats an apple a day or a picky eater who only eats apples. He just likes them normally.

In other words, the bag of apples is also a freebie. Holding the bag filled with a quantity of apples that collapses the concept of freebies, the innkeeper smiled.

"Then, I'll bake an apple pie and bring it over. Your companion is still sleeping, right?"

"Thank you."

Livio nodded with a cheerful smile.

Indeed. This morning, Sophie did not appear at breakfast.

Thinking she might be unwell, Livio turned pale, but Renetta shook her head.

"She's just sleeping. After saying good morning, she fell asleep again. She doesn't seem to have a fever, so she's probably just tired. ...I was the same at first."

Hearing the fiancée's words, Weiss, the king of the neighboring country, stirred his soup and said, "Let her sleep."

"Since she spent the night outdoors and talked late into the night yesterday, it's strange if a noble lady isn't tired."

Renetta nodded.

"I cast a recovery spell just in case. If there's anything wrong, it should be fine."

That's right, Livio thought, recalling the morning conversation as he put the luggage in the room.

He dropped the wooden box with a thud next to the bed and looked at the crumpled sheets.

Should he go see her face? No, as a gentleman, that might be inappropriate.

If he wakes her up, it would be rude.

No, Livio stared at the empty bed, troubled.

Hmm. Sophie is in the next room. That's the thing.

Why? Because last night, the rooms were divided into Livio and Weiss, and Renetta and Sophie, the men and the princesses.

A knight who spent a night with the king is probably rare. Envious, right?

The room with two beds pushed together for a couple felt like a lie, but he didn't have the nerve to interrupt the two girls who were excited about magic.

After all, both of them looked so happy.

Livio doesn't have the skill to read Renetta's expressionless face, but he could see her black eyes sparkling and her talkative nature.

It was a scene he had seen before in the knight's order.

A senior who usually only spoke the minimum but could talk endlessly about magic guns. Otaku, once they start talking about what they love, can't stop. This senior eventually became a specialist in magic guns. Impressive.

So, Renetta, probably a magic otaku, talked, and Sophie's face lit up with joy, nodding enthusiastically and sometimes contributing, which further energized Renetta. They looked so happy. So, so happy.

Livio had never seen Sophilia look so happy talking to a girl, or anyone for that matter. Compared to when she was with him, she seemed even happier, and he couldn't help but feel a bit, well, his chest tightened.

"Can't help it... Come to this room."

"Wh-What, that's a bit..."

"Are you dissatisfied?"

"No, that's not it...!"

If asked if he was dissatisfied, he would be. Why should he fall from sharing a room with his first love to sharing a room with an old man? A huge drop. It feels like a fatal injury.

Or, sharing a room with the king.

"That's, well, too much to ask..."

It feels awkward.

"Don't worry, let's go. I'm tired. Hey, Renetta, lock the door when we leave. Lock it as soon as we're out."

"Wait, what..."

Right. Weiss didn't say, "Do you want to come to my room?" He said, "Come." It's an order. Livio isn't being asked for his opinion or consent. He's only allowed to nod.

Well, there's no choice. Even the usurper king couldn't resist the fiancée's shining eyes, so Livio, who can't resist Sophie's smiling and waving, has no choice either.

So, now.

Livio is standing in front of the room where Sophie is resting, troubled.

The defensive barrier Renetta cast for Sophie's sleep allows Livio and Weiss to enter unconditionally in case of an emergency.

According to the innkeeper, Sophie hasn't come downstairs at all, meaning she has been sleeping non-stop. He's worried, but he and Sophie aren't close enough to enter her room casually.

After all, it took a lot of commotion for them to finally call each other by their nicknames. He doesn't accept the criticism that it's a fake name. It's a nickname because he calls her by a short name with love.

Should he knock?

As Livio approached the door,

"!"

"!"

The door opened with a bang.

Sophie, looking flustered, rushed out, and Livio caught her.

"Livio!"

"Is something wrong?!"

Surprised, he asked, and Sophie raised her red face.

"!"

He saw her up close.

Cute. So cute. What a powerful effect.

Livio gritted his teeth.

"Um, I overslept...!"

"Ah."

That's all it is.

Livio smiled.

"You must have been tired. It's understandable. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, but not... well, not really..."

Sophie probably doesn't know the comfort of sleeping in. Today, Weiss and Renetta were supposed to go outside the town, while Livio and Sophie were to go shopping and see the town. Given Sophie's strong sense of responsibility, it's understandable that she would be worried.

"Can I come in, Miss Sophie?"

"Ah, um, yes."

When Livio tilted his head and asked, Sophie nodded. Her thin neck looked fragile.

Sophie slipped out of his arms and entered the room, followed by Livio. The room, like the one he used, had two beds side by side.

"Um, I'll make some tea..."

Sophie's thin, pale green hair, like a new sprout, swayed.

It was rare to see Sophie, with her long, pale green hair reaching her waist, let it down like this. It reminded him of the garden that day, but it was completely different. Feeling a sense of wonder, Livio took Sophie's hand.

Sophie, looking at her slender fingers in Livio's hand, blushed.

"Is this your bed, Miss Sophie?"

"Um, yes, it is."

When he gently pulled her hand, Sophie's body easily fell onto the bed.

The cheap springs creaked, and Sophie's eyes widened. Looking into her caramel-colored eyes, Livio's heart raced.

"Miss Sophie, let's get used to doing nothing."

Her round, the eyes that made Livio fall in love, shimmered.

"You've been working hard for a long time, so you don't have to do anything. Just rest. Be here, eat well every day, smile, and sleep soundly. That's all you need to do."

It's not because she overslept. She can sleep as much as she wants. What's the big deal about tea? She can do that herself.

Livio wants Sophie to live without any pressure. And if possible, he wants her to be by his side. This is Livio's unchanging wish. Please, fulfill it for him.

"That's, that's not right. As long as you're alive, you have responsibilities, obligations, and you have to achieve something to gain anything, right?"

Looking at her small, confused face, Livio nodded. That's true. The inn provides a comfortable sleep in exchange for money, and the guests provide money in exchange for a comfortable sleep. It makes sense.

"Then, I should give you something in return for being cute and being by my side, right?"

There's no way such a cute Sophie can do nothing and be by his side. If he wants her to be by his side and smile, he must give her something in return. So, Sophie should do nothing.

Sophie, as always, Livio smiled. Seeing her desperately trying to argue, he couldn't help but find her incredibly cute. He wanted to hear whatever she had to say.

If she says he's a handsome knight but pitiful, he'll pull himself together. If she says she likes a cool, unsmiling man, he'll never smile again.

He'll do anything.

He'll give anything.

He's been prepared for a long, long time.

"You don't have to swallow anything. Please, tell me."

Hearing his heartfelt whisper, Sophie's caramel eyes shimmered. Wanting to kiss the trembling honey, Livio pulled her into his arms.

He didn't want to see her cry.

His heart raced with the sweet pressure on his chest, but he closed his eyes.

"I'm getting sleepy."

That's a lie. There's no way he can sleep!

There's no sign of sleepiness. Even if he tried to summon it, it would be like when Livio was called by his father, pretending not to hear or pretending to be out.

He's often told he has a girl-like face, but he's a man. A big, sword-wielding man from the Worrian family.

But he's not so gentle or pure that he can sleep in bed with a girl he likes. He suppressed it with a holy, barbaric force.

"You can't leave this room. Your job now is to stay still until I wake up."

What a ridiculous self-restraint!

There's no way he can sleep!

When will he wake up? When will he sleep? Sophie must have thought the same.

Sophie, pressed against Livio's chest, must have noticed his heart pounding.

Oh, how embarrassing. Being caught in self-restraint is so embarrassing.

But, if he does this, Sophie will surely give in. His princess, who is so kind it's sad, can't ignore someone's feelings.

He wants her to be more free. To act more carefree.

While thinking this, he felt guilty for taking advantage of Sophie's nature.

Because she was laughing so happily.

The fact