Chapter 112
A hotel and a woman.
To think he'd sneak into a inn with “a woman” for some plan...
All the women Damian would ever take with him were right here.
Shiren couldn't hide her bewilderment and crossed her arms.
*A woman... a woman, indeed.*
She pretended not to know anything to Damian, but she'd heard enough stories to know exactly why a man and a woman would go into a Hotel.
In a romance tale, it would be the fruit of love; from street gossip, she'd heard it was a place for *intercourse*.
No matter how she thought about it, no good conclusion came to mind, and her expression naturally soured.
*Why?*
*Why would he go to a hotel with another woman when I'm right here?*
*Could it be that Damian isn't interested in me?*
A sudden doubt struck her, and she glared at her reflection in the mirror.
Objectively speaking, her appearance was quite beautiful.
This wasn't self-praise, but a conclusion based on the evaluations of others and comparisons to other people's looks.
She decided to use this as a baseline for her thoughts.
*But why did he choose another woman? Is it because of her chest?*
Men were said to place great importance on a woman's curves, like her chest and hips, so she wondered if that was the reason.
But then again, she was quite well-endowed herself, and more importantly...
"D-Damian wouldn't abandon us, would he? There's no way, right?"
Considering that Ruen, with her *cow-like*—no, her *enormous* chest and hips—was right here,
it wasn't hard to realize that wasn't the reason.
"Hmm."
*So what could the reason be?*
Still, she concluded that he hadn't gone to do anything strange, so she calmly relayed this fact.
Ruen let out a sigh of relief, her expression visibly relaxing.
"Right...? Damian might like causing chaos and show a penchant for doing all sorts of bizarre things with his wild side, but he's not the type to chase after women!"
"...?"
*At that point, wouldn't it be better if he *did* chase after women?*
A fleeting question crossed her mind, but she decided to ignore it, nodding silently.
Just then, a thought flashed through her mind.
*... Princess Pria.*
Damian had definitely asked her to create a Clone of Pria.
The moment she recalled this, the thought that Pria herself might be in the Hotel crossed her mind.
She pouted her lips, lost in thought for a moment, then told Ruen, with whom she'd grown a little closer, about this possibility.
"P-Princess Pria?"
"What? With the Princess?"
Even though she'd told Ruen, Liana was the most surprised.
Liana stared at her with wide, astonished eyes and spoke.
"I heard that the Princess will soon make a move to contend for the First Prince's position."
Unable to understand why such a topic suddenly came up, Shiren stared silently.
Liana, with her arms still crossed, continued.
"And considering that the Princess isn't someone who greatly covets such a position... I suspect she might have gone into the Hotel with Damian to ask for his help in escaping."
At Liana's deduction, Ruen let out a sigh of relief and spoke.
"So, they just went into the hotel to ask for a favor?"
"Is that even possible? A man and a woman going all the way to a hotel and nothing happening... No, that's not it. But I think the *method* might be the problem."
"..."
Ruen's expression suddenly stiffened, as if she instinctively sensed that a very unpleasant conclusion was coming.
Of course, as Shiren found herself unconsciously mirroring that expression,
Liana dropped a rather shocking statement.
"And I think that method might be... *Engagement*. If she gets married, she could legally abandon all these responsibilities and escape."
At the word "Engagement," the previously bustling surroundings instantly fell silent.
Even as a joke, that wasn't a future anyone particularly wanted to imagine.
*... Damian marrying someone else.*
The thought made her want to stop it by any means necessary, yet her emotions also settled.
And then, a jealousy that had grown considerably swirled within her, screaming at her that she absolutely could not let him be taken.
*Absolutely not.*
... *So, if he gets married, I'll kidnap Damian, even if I have to... No, that's too much.*
She decided to stop him, even if she had to give him a good smack on the head, and clenched her fists.
*****
I looked at the Princess, who had just uttered the word "Engagement" in front of me.
*How on earth am I supposed to react to this?*
Honestly, beyond just being extremely flustered, I didn't know how to process it.
If I'd heard such a thing from Shiren or Ruen, I might have understood.
But to receive such an unexpected proposition of Engagement from a woman I barely knew, and a Princess of such high standing at that, made me very cautious about opening my mouth.
"You don't know me well, and I don't know you well. It's natural to feel hesitant... but this isn't an offer that's purely to your disadvantage."
When the points Pria had listed earlier were recalled, they could indeed be seen as a perfect advantage rather than a disadvantage.
However, too many things were at stake for me to accept it, so I could only ask for a postponement.
"... Alright, fine. Honestly, it's a bit strange to be talking about engagement and such in a hotel like this, so I'll give you some time to think it over."
"Thank you."
"But I can't give you too much time. I have a lot on my plate, and there's a certain point after which I won't be able to get married or anything."
The moment I heard those words, I understood why Pria had suddenly asked me to kidnap her and why she was now asking for engagement.
*I don't know what 'point' Pria is referring to.*
It seemed that if she passed that point, she would be bound to the Imperial Family forever, forced to live her entire life in what she described as an "utterly stifling" place.
At her words, I nodded to Pria and told her I would seriously consider it.
"Well, there's still a little time, so you don't need to rush your decision. Just decide before the banquet ends."
The end of the banquet.
That would be a two or three-day event at most.
I sighed and sank onto the sofa, then spoke.
"So, uh, Princess, you don't dislike it?"
"Me? Not particularly... No, actually, I quite like it. If I marry you, I can escape this tiresome Imperial Family."
"But wouldn't you just be trapped in the Prison of Engagement instead?"
"Pfft. What are you talking about? Still, I think that would be better. You might not know this, but in the Imperial Family, they teach you techniques to completely captivate your spouse... No, never mind. Anyway, they teach you skills to firmly capture your partner, so even if I'm trapped in the Prison of Engagement, I think I could still be quite happy."
She was trying to act nonchalant,
but the way her toes kept wiggling suggested she was quite embarrassed to be saying such things.
I chuckled softly at the Princess's demeanor, then calmly continued.
"I'll keep thinking about it for now."
"Ah, right... So, are you going to sleep here too?"
Of course, I had no intention of doing so.
But a mischievous impulse struck me, and I nodded, saying,
"Of course. I booked this place, after all."
"... Uh. Oh, right."
Pria stiffened, then deliberately composed her expression and took a small, deep breath.
She then spoke to me with a rather brazen look.
"Oh? In that case, should I wash first? Or would you like to wash first? Or... together?"
It seemed she couldn't bear to be outdone like this and was trying to be a bit forceful.
Listening to Pria's words, I gazed at her and replied,
"Are you *really* okay with our washing together?"
"..."
In addition to blinking rapidly, she gripped the blanket she was holding tightly, darting her gaze away from mine.
Her reaction was quite amusing, and I considered teasing her further.
But it seemed better to stop here, so I waved my hand and said,
"It was a joke."
"... Oh, r-right?"
Hearing her belated sigh of relief, I shrugged and decided it was time to leave.
"Then I'll go sleep somewhere else. You can rest here."
"Ah, okay."
To prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, I attached a Shadow to Pria, then exited the room.
*
As soon as I stepped outside, I found a seat in the Corridor's sitting area and fell into thought.
*That said, it's strange. Even with a Clone set up, not a single person noticed the Princess's disappearance.*
Even if the Imperial Family's prestige had significantly declined due to the Emperor's long absence and the First Prince's continuous bizarre actions,
the Imperial Family should still be overflowing with talented individuals gathered from all corners of the world.
It was quite odd that no one had noticed the Princess's disappearance.
*Of course, it might be because the Clone Shiren created is exceptionally good...*
There should be Archmages in the Imperial Family too. As I gazed out the window, I couldn't understand why they couldn't detect it.
I decided it would be best to return to Shadow City and consult with Liana; then I started walking.
As I stepped inside, a rather chilly atmosphere greeted me.
"...?"
It was a rather perplexing sight for me, and as I watched it with a wry expression,
Ruen, with an unusually somber face, looked at me and spoke.
"Damian... is it true that you made an engagement to the Princess at the hotel?"
The moment I heard those words, I realized something had gone terribly wrong, and I could only shut my mouth.