26-58

EP.58 Walking Into the Trap Yourself 

It was quite some time before the visitor arrived. 

The first guest to my fief turned out to be, unexpectedly, a beautiful woman. 

"Thank you for letting me in, even though I’m a stranger here." 

There was refinement in her greeting. 

I wouldn’t have noticed when I was a soldier, but now I could tell: 

the woman before me was not of low status. 

‘The princess said someone would try to win me over… so she must be planning to use her beauty.’ 

I glanced at the princess. 

We had already discussed everything long ago. 

No matter what offer was made, I had no reason to betray her. 

That was why the princess remained so calm. 

"I expected something like this, since someone had already come once." 

"I see. So the rumors of a clever new lord are true." 

It was a flattering compliment. 

Not enough time had passed for anyone to judge my abilities. 

"I’m just an inexperienced lord." 

"Your exploits are already famous, you know? Enough that I admire you." 

"To be the object of admiration… If it’s from a beauty like you, I welcome it anytime." 

Oops, I almost let my mouth hang open. 

I knew she was using her beauty, but it was still nice. 

"Do you have any idea why I came here?" 

"…" 

It was a sudden question. 

Completely the opposite of what I expected. 

I thought I’d be the one asking questions. 

‘I know everything, but… how should I answer…’ 

The princess just watched silently. 

The decision was entirely up to me. 

"You came to recruit me, didn’t you?" 

After some thought, I decided to face it head-on. 

Sending her away would be easy. 

But it would also mean missing out on any benefit. 

"…! So you guessed where I’m from." 

The purple-haired beauty let out a mix of admiration and surprise. 

"The Bastil Kingdom… You’re from there, right?" 

"…That’s right. If you know that much, you must also know my purpose." 

"I’ve already pledged loyalty to the Kingdom of Aily. I could arrest you right now." 

A tense atmosphere filled the room. 

I held the advantage. 

She seemed to feel the pressure, and spoke carefully. 

"What if I could offer you an incredible reward?" 

"That won’t be easy." 

I answered honestly. 

I was already engaged to the princess. 

It hadn’t been announced officially, but it was only a matter of time. 

"Whatever you imagine, it won’t be enough." 

"Ho… You’re quite confident. Of course… you seem to have the background for it." 

"Before we get into details…" 

The purple-haired beauty glanced to the side. 

The princess met her gaze calmly. 

"Is that a maid? I’d like to discuss something important, so could she leave for a moment?" 

I almost spilled my tea. 

Luckily, she wasn’t looking at me. 

‘She couldn’t possibly imagine the princess would be here.’ 

It wouldn’t make sense to expect that. 

If she’d known, she wouldn’t have come. 

Since I couldn’t reveal her identity, I was about to give an order. 

"Just a moment " 

"I’m not a maid." 

The princess’s tone was unyielding. 

Her face was as beautiful as the visitor’s, and she smiled as if claiming ownership. 

"I’m his wife." 

"…" 

It wasn’t a lie. 

It was just the perfect timing. 

It was hard to explain, and the beauty before me looked just as flustered. 

"Oh, your wife…?" 

She couldn’t hide her confusion. 

She must have realized her plan to use her looks had just failed. 

"Is there a problem?" 

"N-no. I was just a little surprised." 

"I’m glad. My husband enjoys discussing things with me, so you can speak freely here." 

"…Alright." 

She’d been completely blindsided. 

An awkward silence settled over the room. 

"Cooperating with our kingdom would be a great benefit to you and your wife. We can offer you rewards far beyond what this fief can provide." 

"No matter how high your status, that’s not something you can decide so easily." 

"…I can promise it." 

Her beautiful hand went to her chest, 

as if making a vow. 

"I am Princess Katrina of the Bastil Kingdom. If you don’t believe me, you can investigate for yourself. I’ll remain here in the meantime." 

"Princess…?" 

My jaw dropped. 

I’d guessed she was someone important, 

but I never expected an actual princess to come here herself. 

‘So now… there are two princesses in this little fief…’ 

There were now two princesses visiting my humble fief. 

One of them was completely unaware of the other. 

"This should be proof enough. Here’s a letter from His Majesty the King." 

"I see… If you’re going that far, I have no choice but to believe you." 

"Thank you for trusting me." 

Katrina’s expression was resolute. 

She looked ready for even the worst-case scenario. 

Even if I handed her over, it didn’t seem like she’d be able to get much more out of it. 

"Then, have you both decided to cooperate with us?" 

"This is too important to decide right away." 

"That’s fair. While you decide, I’ll stay here as a sign of trust." 

It was almost more awkward for me. 

I glanced at the princess for her opinion. 

"I agree." 

"Thank you for accepting." 

"While you’re here, let us know if you need anything." 

A deceiving beauty and a deceived beauty. 

Seeing the two of them, I felt odd. 

Their polite smiles seemed playful to me. 

‘Somehow… I feel a little sorry for her.’ 

There’s no way the princess would let her stay for no reason. 

She must have a plan. 

"Oh… by the way, the tea has gone cold. I’ll bring out some fresh tea." 

"You don’t have to " 

"It’s important for us to be comfortable if we’re to become good partners. Please, make yourself at home, Princess." 

The princess calmly picked up the teacup. 

But as she moved, she stumbled  

so naturally that anyone would believe it. 

"Oh…!" 

"Oh no! I’m sorry, Princess!" 

The cold tea spilled all over Katrina’s clothes. 

There was no risk of burns, but her clothes were badly stained. 

The colored tea left an ugly mark on her white clothes. 

"It’s alright. It’s just a little accident…" 

"No, let me clean it for you. I’ll feel better that way." 

The princess diligently wiped Katrina’s clothes, 

holding her skirt and rubbing it with a handkerchief. 

It looked like a normal scene  

except for how the skirt was subtly lifted. 

"Ahem…" 

Inside the skirt, black stockings caught my eye. 

The dark color was tempting. 

Her underwear was white, a sharp contrast to the black. 

"I think you’ll need a change of clothes. I’ll bring you something of mine. Please wait here." 

"Oh… yes… I will." 

In an instant, only the two of us were left in the room. 

The sudden situation left us both at a loss. 

"I’m sorry for the accident." 

"It’s fine. But… there is a bit of a smell." 

Katrina smiled awkwardly, 

but her actions were bold. 

She pretended to wipe herself, 

lifting her skirt in the process. 

"Let me just wipe this spot…" 

"Um… okay…?" 

I didn’t even have time to ask where she was wiping. 

Katrina lifted her skirt all the way up. 

"Gasp…!" 

Her alluring lower body was completely exposed. 

I couldn’t take my eyes off her slender legs. 

The black stockings made me want to tear them off. 

Her white underwear lingered in my mind. 

"It’s just a bit uncomfortable… Sorry for the scene." 

"No, it’s… it’s fine." 

It only lasted a few seconds, but it was the best moment. 

I felt a rush of heat through my body. 

‘She’s definitely using her beauty as a weapon.’ 

I knew it, but my body still reacted. 

If the princess hadn’t been here, I might have given in. 

My lower half was uncomfortably hard. 

"If you’d seen, I wouldn’t have been able to do it out of embarrassment." 

"Ah, right… I-I didn’t see anything." 

"But…" 

Katrina’s skirt lifted again, 

not all the way, but just enough to be tempting. 

"Are you getting along well with your wife?" 

She clearly had no intention of hiding her intentions. 

Her status and beauty were a national treasure. 

But this was a situation crafted by Princess Elena. 

"Ah… yes, we’re getting along fine…" 

"I see. Since your wife isn’t here… if you decide to cooperate with us, I’ll offer my body to you, Eldric." 

"…" 

"Think carefully about what that means…♥" 

Katrina shyly lifted her skirt, 

her blushing face betraying her inexperience. 

My lower half was so hard, I could barely stand. 

‘I think I get what the princess wants.’ 

She let Katrina stay here on purpose. 

She wanted her to walk right into the trap, without even realizing it.