How to Survive as a Princess in a Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 55
“You mentioned that the previous Duke Harsen took you in, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then your parents……?”
“They’ve all passed away. Well, as for my father…… I don’t really know. I was told he left. Being an elf, he’s probably still alive somewhere, healthy and long-lived.”
“Your father was an elf?”
“Yes. He came as part of a peace envoy. Said he’d return soon, but he never did. My mother clung to that promise and raised me, waiting for him. Even in her final moments, foolishly so.”
“Oh…… I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had such a story…….”
“Why are you apologizing, Your Highness? It’s that person—no, that elf—that’s at fault.”
“Still, if I hadn’t asked, you probably wouldn’t have talked about it.”
“Not true. I don’t really hide my circumstances. Even if I tried, people manage to find out somehow. And in my case, it’s better if I look as pitiful as possible.”
“What…….”
“Like right now.”
Reno rested his arm on the desk and propped his chin on his hand, smiling.
“See? Even now, Your Highness feels sorry for me and starts to soften.”
With the sunlight streaming across his face, he looked brighter than ever. When he looked up at me with that subtle eye smile, I couldn’t help but feel my heart flutter.
Though, it wasn’t exactly affection—it was more like the awe and thrill you’d feel watching a masterpiece. Even if this was a game, I had to admit, everyone here had truly stunning looks.
“Reno, you…….”
“Yes, I…?”
“……have you…met a lot of women?”
“What?”
It seemed Reno hadn’t expected my question, as he lost his balance and crashed to the floor with a loud thud.
“A-are you okay?”
Surprised, rising from my chair to meet his eye level. Judging by his pained expression, he must’ve hit himself pretty hard.
“Ah…… what an embarrassing display.”
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Don’t worry about it. I only bumped myself lightly, that’s all.”
It sounded anything but light…….
And despite what he said, Reno wasn’t getting up.
Was he really hurt? Now that I thought about it, didn’t I still have some ointment in my inventory? Maybe if I took it out……
“Your Highness.”
“…?”
“I’ve never been with any other woman.”
“Huh, what?”
“I swear on Lublin, the only woman I’ve ever known is you.”
“That can’t be true…….”
“Why are you so sure?”
“Well, your mother is a woman, right?”
“Yeah?”
“I just thought that, you know…….”
As soon as I said it, I felt embarrassed. Reno must have been thinking of a romantic interest.
But how absurd it was for me to focus on logic like that. Usually, people don’t include their mothers in the category of potential romantic partners.
I couldn’t come up with a way to recover from that, so I decided it was best to just get up from my seat. Just as I was putting pressure on my heels to stand.
“Pfft…….”
A soft chuckle escaped from Reno, and then he burst into genuine laughter. It wasn’t a forced smile, it was a truly amusing expression.
As I stared at his face in a daze, he waved his hand lightly and said,
“Ah…… really, Your Highness, I can’t handle this. I didn’t expect you to say something like that.”
I was grateful that he took it positively.
Feeling relieved by the lightened atmosphere, I stood up, and Reno followed suit.
“By the way, why did you suddenly ask about my parents? Is it related to what you asked earlier?”
“Right. I heard that the golden branches of the World Tree are in the Elven Sanctuary, so I thought I’d ask…….”
“In that case, it might be better to ask Duke Yelpen.”
“Killis?”
“Yes. The duke knows almost everything.”
It seemed reasonable, so I decided that I would ask Kiliss the next time I saw him. Since I had been pretending to be interested in other races while spending the last few days at the library, he would probably answer me willingly.
* * *
“……Are you asking how to meet mermaids and elves?”
“Yes.”
I nodded eagerly. Following Reno’s advice, I waited until my lessons were over and then asked Killis.
Surprised to hear such a question from me, he tilted his head for a moment before answering.
“The most common way is if they send a peace envoy first.”
“Is there one coming soon?”
“No. The different races are not fond of interacting with humans, so it’s rare for them to come forward. They might visit once every few decades. The last visit was about 24 years ago…… and it seems there won’t be another for at least a few more years.”
What? They come that infrequently? It was an unexpected setback, but I wasn’t ready to give up just yet.
“Is there any way to go seek them out?”
“Are you asking if Your Highness would go directly? That’s unlikely. Royals cannot leave the capital without a special reason.”
