Sh!　Three wins in a row!　The grill is turning, Seven!

　Fifteen minutes later, Wright, realizing that he couldn't beat me with his speed, grumbled, "Turn it into poker," and I lost three in a row. Finally, I lost three in a row.

I had lost three in a row. I'm the one who's winning more games than you are.
Watch me. I'll pass you in a minute.
Shut up. Next one.
Zakko, zakko!
............

　You're annoying, you little bastard: .......

'Huh?　Hey Seven, how old are you?
Eighteen.
I'm 16. I'm not a kid. Take that back.

　Sixteen years old. At a glance, he's probably about 5'6". Because of the height difference and the actual age difference, he looks like a complete kid.

You're two years younger than me. That's a kid.
'I mean, don't call the prince a kid!　You're fired!
Okay.


　I've been with him for a while and I've noticed something.

　This guy's "firing" word, perhaps he's testing me.

　The same goes for the appeal of the streak I just made and the provocation of "Zako".

　Light is saying those words while looking at my face.

　This is probably overthinking it, but ...... this guy might be trying to piss me off. And I felt like he was testing me and spoiling me, to the point where I thought so.


'Hmph, you little fish. If I wanted to, I could fire you any time I wanted to.
Okay, okay.
"Zakko, zakko, zakko...
"Can we get back to ...... speed?
What?　You've got to be kidding me. I told you to play poker. Have you forgotten that, Seven, who is so incompetent you can't even use honorific language?

　Like that.





"Your Highness, I have arrived at the inn today.

　After a day's travel, the evening. I hear a voice from outside the carriage.

　It must have been about a day's ride by horse from the southern city of the empire 'Akar' to the imperial capital 'Marmela', but it seems that they're returning home slowly after a leisurely overnight stay, probably because they're carrying the prince.

''Hey, save another room next to my room.''
Ha, ha.

　Light ordered this to the old man, who seemed to be the manager of the inn, and he walked briskly inside, ignoring the innkeepers who greeted him with the biggest bow.

　What am I supposed to do? Should I just follow the lights?

What are you doing?　Follow me, rude man!

　Looks like it.


　The inn is one of the finest outside and inside. It's probably a first-class inn, which is rarely seen in the kingdom.

Show me around.
All right, all right.

　Wright approached the appropriate matchmaker and let her lead him to his room.

　Well, I should say, naturally, it was the best room at the far end of the room that was shown to me.

''Is the next room over there?''
Yes. Across the hall to your right.
Show me.
Yes, sir.

　Light's guy had a terribly high and mighty attitude towards his matchmaker. No, is he actually high and mighty? He's kind of like Angolmore.

　But as expected of Gloria's younger sister's son, he's an extremely beautiful woman. Maybe that's why even such an attitude is admirable.

It's not a bad idea. It's not bad.
Yes. We have the second best room in the hotel.
Okay. Okay, Seven, you take this one.

Go to ......?

　I'm here?

What are you talking about? You're a Kingsguard. You can't be my bodyguard unless you're near my room.
Okay. So what's going on with the guys?
You're such a pain in the ass, you're on your own.

　When Light said that, he spun around and turned his back to me and went back down the corridor.

　Apparently, the position I've taken over has a slightly different job description than the other Kingsguard knights.


'You want to take a ...... bath?'

　This is becoming an ironclad rule for me.

This room has an open-air bath. If a large bathroom is desired, the end of that one is on the right.
Oh, goodness!　Well then, since it's a good time, let's go into the open air.
Yes, by all means. Uh-huh.

　When I replied with increased tension, the matchmaker chuckled elegantly. Although she was surrendered in front of Light, she may be a person who smiles a lot by nature.

''By the way, you are very much in His Highness' favor, aren't you?
...... Hi?

　As I was thinking of using the open-air baths in the First Test Mansion as a reference, the matchmaker said something strange.

His Highness has stayed at the mansion several times, but never before has His Highness himself taken such a fine room by himself and even followed me to the front of the room in a worthy manner.

　The matchmaker is smiling and looking at me as if I were a natural monument.

　So that's what it was. Light's treating me like I was special. I didn't notice it at all.

　After all, is it ...... because they've got their eyes on you?　Hmm, I'd better brace myself so I don't get caught flatfooted.

Thank you. That was really helpful.
Ha, ha.

　I thanked the matchmaker and went into the room to make me some tea.

　After a cup of tea, it was time for an open-air bath.

!

　Oops, shucks, shucks. I forgot. "I have to give you a hint.

　When you come to an inn, you should first wrap up your money and give it to the matchmaker, Yukari taught me that.

　However, ...... is the best way to go. I didn't learn the essential amount of money.

　This is quite a high-class inn and ...... is about 1M gold coins?

　Coins have already exchanged about 100 million of the Empire's coins and put them in my inventory. There won't be a problem with that.

　It would be embarrassing if it wasn't enough, but it's better than not giving it to me. I wrap a single gold coin worth a million CL in the wrappers of a tea bun and hand it to the matchmaker.

Thank you for the guide. It's only one night, but it's nice to meet you.
We won't have any!
Don't worry about it. I'll give it to you for me to make it easier for you to ask for chores.
Now, are you on the left? Now, I'm afraid to ask you to go to ......

　The matchmaker received it with trepidation.

　I hope I won't be disappointed when I see the contents later, but there's no point in worrying about it for nothing.

　I saw the nakai-san off, changed my mind, picked up my yukata and stood up.

　Now, whatever it is, it's an open-air bath!



　　* * *



　Disgusting.
　He's really disgusting.

　That extremely rude attitude, but most of all.

　At a distance of reciprocal breaths, he looked into my eyes and stared at me with his terribly serious eyes, baring his canine teeth, and stared at me .......

''~~~~''

　Even now, just thinking about it makes my heart clench and my face heat up.

　I've never been scolded so squarely by a stranger before.

　They would bow down to me. That's been the norm since I was a little girl.

　Father doesn't care about me.
　Your sister wants to kick me out.
　I can't see Mother because Father is standing in my way.
　Nato Shaman and your sister have joined forces against me.
　Prime Minister Sigalone Erebuni is as hard-working as ever.

　No one pays attention to me.

　I'm not as good as my sister. I'm not as strong as the General. I'm not as good at my job as the Prime Minister. I am hated and despised by most of the emperor's officers.

　He was right. I've known it for a long time. I have nothing else in my life but my title of Prince.

　So, of course, he hates me and despises me. He was so angry at me, so it was only natural, I thought.


'............'

　Alone in the large, wide room, I look at my hands and think back to the feel of them.

　It's the feel of a deck of cards.

　I've never played with a stranger like that before.

　Without any hesitation, he lashes out at me. He could call me an idiot and a kid, all he wanted to say.

　That's why I'm fighting back. I'll provoke him to get angry again.

　As long as he's angry, he's watching me closely.


　I was always bored, lonely, and had to sleep even though I wasn't sleepy in the carriage.

　And today - today - I realized that it was evening. It was so impossible, so truly impossible, that I even wished I could still be riding.


　Disgusting. When I'm with him, I'm irresistibly vexed and frustrated, and I can't help but get bare.

　But ...... while I was angry at her, I could forget my inferiority complex, my loneliness, and my sense of inferiority.


　And when I'm alone, I think: "I want you to scold me again.

　I want him to scold me again. I need you to scold me again, to look at me.


　It's so frustrating, and I can't stand it.

　Oh, I feel that way about myself, wondering why I was such a troublesome man and why I'm so difficult to deal with.


...... I wonder if that guy would be angry if the water in the bath was suddenly cold.

　As I left, I heard him muttering that he was going to take a bath. I'm sure he's in the open air in his room right now. Chance.

　No, but I'll be ...... irritated, but maybe not until I'm pissed off. That guy didn't get mad at me for all the agitation I put on him. That's not good enough.

　I have to make it worse. He deserves to be punished for talking to the prince like that. That's what he deserves.


　--Don't you ever speak to me again, darling. You'll get it.

"......~!

　Suddenly I remembered that guy's scary face and words. With a shudder, my body trembles of its own accord and my heart thumps.

　Already, what the hell is this!

　I complained to Seven in my mind, "It's your fault," and closed my eyes, holding my knees.

　Formulate a plan.

　A plan to piss that guy off...



　　* * * * *.



　The matchmaker was dismayed.

　The 1M gold coin handed to her by Seven as a token, this - the equivalent of about five times her monthly salary.

　Is it right to accept this kind of money? At first she thought so, but then she suddenly remembered Seven's words.

　I gave it to you so that it would be easier for me to ask you to do my chores," she said.

'............'

　How much of a chore is that for five months' salary?

　Too horrible. The middleman instantly stopped wanting to receive it, but at the same time, there was a part of me that was dazzled by the large sum of money.

　Then, after worrying about it, she comes up with an answer.

　Since you have already received it, it is rude to go and return it. With that excuse to herself, she finally makes up her mind.

　A big job for 1M gold coins, she still doesn't know what to do, but she's going to stay up all night during this one night and do her best to dust herself off for Seven. ......