This chapter is also known as: Making the Future Princess Feel So Guilty About the Past Mo Wang that She's Overcome with Self-Blame and Can Never Leave His Side is a Truly Despicable Act, Isn't It?
In less than three minutes, the entire basin of chicken legs had disappeared into the Future Princess's stomach.
"Th-thank you for the meal," she said, her head bowed in embarrassment.
"Haha, it's nothing. I just didn't expect you to have such a big appetite. I guess you've really grown up," he said with a grin.
The Future Princess's face turned an even deeper shade of red. Years on the battlefield had forced her to adopt a brutally efficient way of eating. That, and the chicken legs were her favorite from her childhood.
"It's fine. In fact, I'm glad to see you eating so well. You're still just as cute as ever when you eat."
"C-cute?" she stammered, her head practically steaming.
"Um, aren't you a little... weirded out? By me suddenly appearing like this..."
"Oh, it's nothing. I've been through this kind of thing a lot. Besides, the Little Princess is the Little Princess. Even if you've grown up, it doesn't change anything," he said, completely oblivious.
(He... he still thinks of me as a child, doesn't he?) she thought, a wave of disappointment washing over her. She looked down at her own figure.
She had grown, of course, but due to years of malnutrition, she still looked like a teenager. She was smaller than Yuze, Sophie, Karina, even Lavi and Aoba...
Mo Wang: ?
"What's wrong with her now? Why is she blushing one second and depressed the next? Girls are so hard to understand."
"By the way, where is this place? And why are you living in such a run-down hut?" she asked, changing the subject.
"What are you talking about? This is my home," he said, and tapped her on the head.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. The walls were cracked, the roof was a patchwork of mismatched planks, and the only furniture was a wobbly table and two creaky chairs.
"You've... you've been living here for ten years?"
"Yeah."
"Why?! Don't the Guardian Knights have dormitories?"
"Well... I don't have any money, and dorms are a hassle."
"No money? What about your salary?"
"Ahaha... I'm still a recruit. And... my salary has been docked for the next ten years."
"What?!"
The princess was horrified. How could her sister and Eva treat him like this?
"Hey, don't worry. This place may be a bit run-down, but it's not so bad. At least I can eat well at the mess hall."
But his words only made her feel worse. To think that the hero who had sacrificed so much for the kingdom was living in such squalor...
"But... if you have no money, then... these chicken legs?"
"Oh, I've been doing some part-time jobs."
(And I've also been mooching off of Bob and the other knights.)
The princess was thunderstruck. All the gifts he had given her as a child... had he paid for them with his own hard-earned money?
(What have I done?! I'm the worst! I want to die!)
"What's wrong with her now?" Mo Wang wondered, as he watched her pound the floor in despair. To him, buying gifts for the Little Princess was no different from showering a gacha character with presents to raise their affection level.
"Oh, I almost forgot," he said, and pulled out a beautifully wrapped gift box. "Here, this is for you."
"Is this... a stolen chicken leg?"
"Hey! Is that what you think of me?"
She opened the box and gasped. A pale blue dress, shimmering in the sunlight. "Where did you get the money for this?"
"Oh, this? A river goddess gave it to me."
"This size..." she said, her eyes narrowing.
"A coincidence! A pure coincidence! I definitely wasn't secretly observing your figure to get the right size!"
Her face flushed. "D-dummy! That's not what I meant!"
She knew he was lying. She knew, somehow, that this dress was priceless, and that he had gone to great lengths to get it for her, even in his poverty.
She threw her arms around him and sobbed.
"Whoa! Princess, why are you crying again?!"
...
"Pervert!" the princess shrieked, her face beet red, and pushed Mo Wang away. "Turn around! Don't look!"
"But you're the one who hugged me..."
"Get out! I'm changing!"
Ten minutes later, the door creaked open, and Mo Wang's jaw dropped. The girl standing before him was breathtaking.
"S-so... how do I look...?" she asked, her cheeks flushed.
"Beautiful! Like an angel!"
"D-dummy! That's not what I asked!" she said, but she couldn't hide the smile that was spreading across her face.
"Well, now that you're all dressed up, I'll be going," he said, and picked up his weapon.
But she grabbed his arm.
"Huh? Princess, what is it?"
Her expression was no longer shy, but serious. "Where are you going?"
"To the Knightly Order, of course."
"But... today is a day off," she said, pointing to the calendar.
"Uh, there's a military parade today. The Queen and the Little Princess will be there."
"You're not going."
"Wh-why not?"
"No reason. You're just not going."
"But... Captain Eva said she'd tear my house down if I didn't show up."
"Eva... hmm. In that case, I'm going too," she said, a fiery determination in her eyes.