26-52

EP.52 Your Fief Is My Villa 

"…In recognition of the achievements of Knight Eldric, I hereby grant a portion of Kabache’s fief!" 

A gathering of countless nobles. 

Right now, I stood at the center of everyone’s attention. 

I was the star of the event. 

‘The clothes are stiff… and all these eyes are uncomfortable.’ 

Everything had happened with astonishing speed. 

In truth, I’d been called here almost immediately. 

It all happened so fast, I couldn’t shake off my dazed feeling. 

‘But it’s not like I can say no here…’ 

The princess and the queen were present. 

The place was packed with renowned knights and nobles. 

Refusing now would be asking for death. 

Above all, this was a promotion. 

"Will you swear here to govern your fief firmly and act befitting its name?" 

"I swear." 

Grand music resounded. 

Music that stirred the hearts of listeners. 

But inside, I felt indifferent. 

‘Somehow… this feels strange…’ 

I glanced at the princess. 

She was smiling. 

To a stranger, it would look like a formal smile for the ceremony. 

But to me, it looked different. 

She seemed like a girl waiting for mischief. 

‘She didn’t give me some weird fief, did she?’ 

It felt meaningful, but I couldn’t ask right now. 

My relationship with the princess was a secret. 

If it was exposed here, the ceremony would turn into an execution. 

In the end, I’d have to ask her later, in private. 

‘For now… maybe I’ll rest a bit after the ceremony…’ 

As I tried to leave after the ceremony, 

someone caught my eye. 

"Ah…" 

"Uh…" 

It was someone I hadn’t seen in a while  

Nelson, who I used to hang out with as a soldier. 

He was standing there, eyes wide in surprise at the sudden situation. 

‘Why are you here?’ 

His eyes told me exactly what he was thinking. 

He didn’t know the circumstances, so he just looked dumbfounded. 

Sometimes, there are out-of-the-way places only soldiers wander into. 

In fact, if there’s no business, even soldiers don’t come here. 

But as expected, Nelson was waiting. 

"There you are." 

"Hey… you…! No, uh…" 

Nelson stammered, 

unsure how to address me  

after all, just a few months ago, I’d been a fellow soldier. 

"Call me whatever you like." 

"Uh… I know I shouldn’t, but… since no one’s here…" 

"You looked pretty shocked. If a superior had seen you, they’d have smacked you on the back of the head." 

"Of course! Suddenly they said I was assigned to a special mission, and that the princess and the captain of the guard personally trained you!" 

It was understandable he was confused. 

No one would have explained things kindly. 

"There’s always a reason for things." 

"Anyway… looks like you’ve made it, so congratulations." 

"I’ll gladly accept your congratulations." 

"You really look like a knight now." 

"Do I?" 

Honestly, I wasn’t sure. 

I’d just been trying to be mindful of how I looked. 

Of course, I’d had some training, but it was all rushed. 

"You’re still the same, but the atmosphere is different." 

"I got scolded by someone who taught me that acting too casually causes problems." 

"Well, if you get kicked out for dozing off on duty, at least now you’ve got somewhere to go." 

"Idiot. You think I’d take you in?" 

"Haha… that’s true!" 

We laughed together. 

He was someone I could trust, so if he really did get kicked out, I wouldn’t mind helping him. 

"But I appreciate you coming to find me, but are you sure it’s okay to be here?" 

"Hm? What do you mean?" 

"Captain Bella was looking for you. Like last time." 

"…I have no idea why." 

If it was official, she’d just summon me. 

If it was a night matter, she’d come secretly. 

"Well… judging by your face… huh…!" 

Nelson’s eyes went wide, 

as if he’d seen something behind me. 

Instinctively, I turned around. 

"Uh…?" 

It was someone completely unexpected. 

Not Bella, but the princess herself. 

"There you are…♥" 

"P-princess…! L-loyalty…!!" 

Nelson was instantly terrified. 

He’d experienced it a few times, but never got used to it. 

There was a real gap that was hard to get used to. 

"I’d like to have a word with Eldric… is that alright?" 

"Of course! I, I have somewhere to be…!" 

Nelson dashed off, 

tripping over his own feet as he hurried away. 

"…You’re quite mischievous." 

"Am I~?" 

The princess smiled playfully. 

Up close, she was still beautiful. 

I was curious why she’d suddenly come to find me. 

"What brings you here?" 

"Just to praise you for a job well done." 

"Didn’t the captain of the guard send you too?" 

"It’s faster to look together than alone…♥" 

The princess giggled as she approached. 

Her elegant scent softly tickled my nose. 

"How was it in the land of the elves?" 

"It went just as you imagined, Princess." 

"Hmm~ So you had a lot of fun, then?" 

Her smile turned even more mischievous. 

It wasn’t jealousy she just wanted to tease me. 

"At least I completed my mission, so isn’t that enough?" 

"Well… you did well. Thanks to you, my plan worked out too." 

"…? Was there a plan I didn’t know about?" 

"Hehe… who knows~?" 

She clearly wasn’t going to tell me. 

Her expression said I could be as curious as I wanted. 

"Maybe it’s better if I don’t know." 

"Or maybe you’ll find out sooner than you think." 

She kept getting closer. 

If we were indoors, it would be one thing, but out here, someone might see us. 

But the princess had no intention of stopping. 

"If someone saw us right now, they’d think it was a secret rendezvous." 

"That wouldn’t be so bad…♥" 

A secluded space behind the wall. 

No one would find us unless they were looking. 

But if someone did come, there’d be nowhere to run. 

"Actually, there’s something I wanted to tell you." 

"Another order?" 

"Not an order… more like I’m here to help you." 

"Help…?" 

I didn’t understand, but that only made the princess look even more delighted. 

"You’ll be going to your new fief soon, right?" 

"Yes… that’s right…" 

"I’m coming with you." 

"…What?!" 

I blurted out a dumb sound. 

The princess visiting in person? 

My face must have looked even dumber than Nelson’s. 

"What do you mean?" 

"It’s not an official visit. There won’t be any problems. Bella will help too." 

A secret visit from the princess. 

There was only one thing that could mean. 

I remembered the lewd ceremony from before. 

‘I can already guess what she plans to do at the fief.’ 

Her provocative eyes looked at me, 

openly tempting me. 

She was inviting me to play secret games at the fief. 

Even in this risky situation, I couldn’t help but smile wryly. 

"I’m very curious what you’ll do when you visit." 

I stepped away from the wall I’d been leaning on. 

There was less than a hand’s width between us. 

"I told you, I’m here to help…♥" 

"I’m too ignorant to know what kind of help that is." 

I grabbed her skirt. 

It was easy to slip my hand inside her underwear. 

I felt the soft silk and her plump bottom. 

"Hmm… ha… I’ll tell you when we get to the fief." 

"Can you really keep this a secret?" 

A dangerous excitement swirled in the air. 

My hand was already gripping her bottom tightly. 

A sweet moan, like fruit bursting, tickled my ear. 

"Hyauuut…! Haa… huu… Just now… didn’t you say yourself this was dangerous?" 

Her eyes were still provocative. 

She looked as if she wanted me to go further. 

It was almost disappointing that I had to hold back. 

"It’ll be less dangerous than what happens at the fief." 

I squeezed her bottom even harder, 

like punishing a naughty child. 

"I have some good news for you, Princess." 

"Hmm… good news…?" 

"I received a treasure from the elf queen that lets me create a teleportation magic circle." 

She could come to the fief anytime. 

The princess instantly understood. 

A seductive laugh quietly rang out. 

"Hehe… then… I’ll be able to see you whenever I want." 

"As long as I engrave the magic circle in the palace before I leave." 

"I know the perfect place." 

The princess loved secret meetings. 

There was no shortage of places for a magic circle. 

And if not, she’d just make one. 

"My panties are a little damp, but let’s hurry and set the circle so we can go to the fief." 

Her panties were already a little wet. 

When I squeezed, the damp area grew even larger. 

‘This should be enough of a punishment for such a brazen tease.’ 

Of course, once we arrived at the fief, 

I planned to give her an even bigger punishment.