"Uh, uh..."
"..."
"...S-Sorry!"
Upon spotting the naked Imperial Princess, I froze in place with a dazed expression for a moment before hurriedly turning around and rattling the doorknob.
"Huh?"
But for some reason, the door wouldn't budge. It seemed like it had gotten jammed in the doorframe because I'd forced my way in.
'I have to break it down and get out.'
But staying in the room like this was obviously going to lead to trouble.
And not just with anyone—it was the Imperial Princess, after all. I might not know much about the power dynamics between the imperial family and the Belverk Ducal House, but insulting royalty was definitely a crime.
"Urgh..."
Just as I was about to dye my eyes red again and force my way out,
"...Sit."
A chilling voice came from behind me, cold enough to raise goosebumps all over my body.
"Y-Yes, ma'am..."
I immediately gave up on escaping, bowed my head as low as possible, and scurried over to the sofa where the princess stood before sitting down. Then, a sudden thought made me tilt my head.
'...Wait, wasn't she supposed to be mute?'
According to Lilien, no one had ever heard the youngest Imperial Princess speak.
But she'd just told me to sit, and there was no one else in the room...
"Lift your head."
"...Yes."
Lost in those thoughts and bewildered, I snapped my head up at the voice from in front of me.
"Eek."
"Keep it up."
"...C-Could you please put on some more clothes first?"
But realizing the youngest princess was only wearing her outer garment, I humbly lowered my head again and pleaded earnestly.
"A Belverk using formal speech, huh."
"Sh-Should I switch to casual?"
"Never mind that. Anyway..."
But she showed no intention of properly dressing, just spouting random nonsense.
"To dare ogle a royal's body—you must be out of your mind."
"It's a m-misunderstanding!"
"Then why did you barge into my room?"
She suddenly interrogated me in a cold voice, so I broke out in cold sweat and frantically searched for Peep, who had flown into the room.
"Th-That was because Peep..."
"...Peep?"
"Wh-Where did it go?"
But no matter how I looked around, I couldn't find Peep—or even a single feather.
This was strange. I'd definitely heard Peep's voice from inside here.
"Did you perhaps see a really small, cute yellow bird with slightly haughty eyes...?"
"..."
"...It came in here, and I was worried something might happen, so I opened the door and came in."
I kept glancing around and finally asked her, risking rudeness. Then a thought struck me, and I narrowed my eyes.
'Come to think of it, doesn't she resemble it a bit?'
She had a somewhat small, mysterious appearance like Peep, exuded a cold aura for some reason, and even had those haughty-looking eyes.
The youngest Imperial Princess sitting in front of me shared quite a few similarities with Peep.
"That bird is my pet."
"Pardon?"
"It came back covered in blood last time, but it wasn't hurt."
Staring at her face, wrapped in an inexplicable sense of incongruity, I finally understood from her following explanation.
"It was on the brink of death, but its body had recovered."
"Ah..."
Well, they say pets and owners resemble each other. And it was natural for an Imperial Princess to keep a yellow bird symbolizing the imperial family.
"...Did you heal it with Belverk's Crimson Eyes?"
And if that was true, it was great news. Having healed her bird with my Crimson Eyes might get me forgiven for this rudeness.
"Yes! I healed it!"
"Proof?"
"...Peep would recognize me."
But I was a bit short on proof.
"That bird is sleeping soundly inside me right now. Waking it would be troublesome."
"Th-Then..."
"If you don't believe me, check for yourself."
"N-No need!"
I couldn't very well lift her outer garment to peek at Peep sleeping in her bosom. What was I supposed to do?
"Hmm..."
As I fidgeted with my fingers and pouted in a corner, the princess, who had been staring at me expressionlessly, suddenly narrowed her eyes.
"...I already heard through intel that you healed my pet with Belverk's Crimson Eyes."
"Gasp."
"Actually, I called you here through that bird."
Her words were quite shocking.
'I heard no one can extract info from Belverk...'
Mom had guaranteed it, so it was hard to believe, but the princess already knew I'd healed Peep with my Crimson Eyes.
In other words, her intelligence network was far better than I'd imagined.
"Kairen Nox Belverk. Abruptly, but I have a proposal for you."
"A proposal?"
She handed me a sheet of paper and made her offer, naturally putting me on high alert.
"Simple. Just sign this paper."
What could the veiled youngest Imperial Princess possibly want to propose to me...?
"Um, excuse me."
Tense and sweating as I read the paper, I realized what it was and blankly asked her back.
"...This is an engagement contract."
"Correct."
"Why, though?"
And her response...
"I'll propose a contract engagement to you, Kairen."
Reminded me once again that this was a romance fantasy world.
'Contract marriage is an age-old cliché...'
That said, I had zero intention of accepting the sudden proposal from the youngest princess.
For one, I was too young for marriage or engagements to give me headaches.
Plus, if what Lilien said about her situation was true, getting engaged to her would be way too dangerous.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Analyzing... Tag extraction complete!
#Female Protagonist #Broken Female Lead #Contract Romance #Strong Outside Weak Inside #Branch Point
...I'd forgotten, but actually, getting engaged before adulthood had been a long-time dream of mine.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"It's sudden, so I understand if you're flustered."
The youngest Imperial Princess quietly watched Kairen, who had frozen after taking the paper, before speaking first.
"But accepting this proposal will definitely benefit you too."
Unlike before, her eyes now held a hint of anxiety.
"First of all..."
"...Yes, I'll accept."
But just as she started explaining, Kairen's bright voice came from in front.
"What did you say just now?"
"I'll accept the engagement!"
Doubting her own ears for a moment, she asked again, then heard his firm confirmation and opened her mouth in a daze.
"...Are you serious?"
"Yes!"
"Do people often call you an idiot?"
Kairen scratched his head in response.
"Big Sis says it all the time."
"..."
"Weird, right? I'm such a deep thinker."
At his utterly bright and innocent tone, the princess looked at him with surprised eyes before speaking in a subdued voice.
"You don't even know what you gain from this, you know nothing about me, and you don't even know my name?"
"Um... True."
"I proposed it, but still—you need a reason."
With that, she snatched the contract from Kairen's hand and glared at him coldly.
Of course, she'd gauged his character somewhat from the Mist Forest incident, but she still had to prepare for the worst.
If Kairen accepted this gamble where she'd staked everything, she might have to spend a long time with him.
And who knew? The currently smiling Kairen might use this contract to stab her in the back...
"...There's no way Peep's owner could be a bad person!"
Glare as she might while thinking that, his resounding answer made her quietly drop her jaw.
"And new friends are always welcome!"
Her political schemes and calculations had long become useless. Kairen truly was as he appeared.
"...I didn't propose this lightly."
"Huh?"
"You might agree casually, but I've staked my political life on this contract... no, my very life."
By then, the princess—who had been ready to lie and deceive to make the gamble succeed—found herself baring her true feelings to Kairen.
"And if you agree, you'll be tied to my fate."
"..."
"You'll be staking your life on a candle about to flicker out, despite doing nothing wrong. Is that really okay?"
After speaking, she regretted it and clamped her mouth shut.
Even getting agreement after saying that much would be a miracle.
"I don't go back on my word."
"..."
"Hand it over. I'll sign."
Yet Kairen still beamed brightly and held out his hand.
"...Was it the same when you saved Peep?"
By then, she could grasp what feelings Kairen held toward her.
"Pity from compassion. Is that your principle?"
For her, who desperately needed the contract to succeed, it was good if he felt that way.
"Answer me, Kairen."
So even she herself didn't know why she was getting so angry.
"...Less pity, more a sense of kinship."
"...?"
"I know better than anyone the feeling of being isolated and dying without help."
But her anger turned to bewilderment when Kairen frowned angrily and snatched back the contract from her hand.
"So don't judge my decision on your own."
"..."
"Even if we just met today, I'm certain you're worth staking my life on."
And that bewilderment became an indescribable emotion, a hot surge rising in her chest after hearing him out.
"...But why is there no name in the signature line for you, Your Highness?"
Now with her own head bowed and mouth shut, the princess answered his question in a low voice.
"I... don't have a name."
"Pardon?"
"The politically isolated princess. The only royal without the current Emperor's blood. You get the idea."
It was the first time she'd revealed such a vulnerability to anyone.
No, this was the first time she'd even conversed with someone for so long.
"...Then I'll make one for you!"
So at Kairen's words ringing in her ears, she suddenly thought,
"Let's see, what would be good..."
If conversations with people were always this warm, there'd have been no need to pretend to be mute.
"Huh...?"
Just then, as she noticed her eyes growing moist—a sensation she'd never felt before—and blinked in confusion,
"Wh-Why am I suddenly so sleepy..."
Kairen, about to sign the contract, blinked and slowly closed his eyes.
"...Haa."
As he dropped the pen and collapsed sideways, she unconsciously caught his head with her hand and let out a deep sigh.
"...What kind of stunt is this now?"
She gently laid his head on her lap and muttered in exasperation.
"..."
But recalling the glass by the window where Kairen had been, she pieced it together and quietly touched his face.
"I didn't expect to be so swayed."
Confirming he was still breathing steadily, her face flushed slightly.
"...Doesn't feel bad."
Like a girl just embarking on her first crush.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Meanwhile, at the debutante banquet hall in full swing.
"He was definitely here just a moment ago, right?"
"...Y-Yes! We saw him."
For some reason, all the guests had pale faces and fixed gazes in one direction, where Astridje strode forward radiating murderous intent.
"This is..."
She touched the glass by the window where Kairen had last been seen.
"Holy water."
Black smoke rose from her hand, and in an instant, she lost all reason in her eyes, declaring coldly,
"The banquet is over."
At that moment, Belverk maids ignored the ballroom taboo and entered.
"Find Kairen. Use any means necessary."
Astridje commanded them in a ferocious voice, slowly clenching her fist.
- Crunch...
The intruder she'd been dragging by the neck with one hand inside the ballroom met his end without even struggling.
"Kill anyone who interferes, regardless of status."
With justification given to Belverk, there was nothing left to hold back.