Weeping Men: The Innocent Princess's Secret Delight - Chapter 2.6
‘It’s not time to be discovered yet.’
Judith quickly added a few innocent words.
“I liked that side of you more. It felt like we had finally become completely close……”
“……”
“When it’s just the two of us, can’t you relax and treat me that way?”
She also took the opportunity to prod him to keep his mask off. Kaizen remained silent until the end.
‘Well, if you don’t feel like it right now, that’s fine.’
How could he take off a mask he’s been wearing since childhood in just a few days? Judith, who didn’t have great expectations, didn’t persist stubbornly.
Instead, she indulged her personal desires. She slightly moved her hand resting on his shoulder, feeling Kaizen’s body.
As her teasing touch slid down from his shoulder, touching his shoulder blade, finally.
“……Your Highness.”
A whisper penetrated her ear. Feeling the hot sensation on the side of her cheek, she almost laughed.
“Is your hand… in the proper position?”
Even his question was tinged with hesitation. He was trying hard to hide his embarrassment.
Judith, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing again, brazenly retorted.
“It’s the fashion in the capital.”
Knowing that he had no friends to cross-check whether this was true or false, such lies were possible.
“Good heavens…”
Kaizen, believing Judith’s words completely, sighed at the debauchery of the capital’s youth where men and women rubbing against each other closely was supposedly fashionable.
Meanwhile, Judith, the most brazen youth of all, continued to feel and touch more.
The body hidden beneath the thick fabric of the knight’s uniform, with no exposed skin, was indeed good. Though not bulging, it was packed with muscles honed through real combat. It made her mouth water.
‘I wonder if he has any scars. I hope he does. I want to pretend to be sympathetic, touch them, gently scratch as if digging in, and make him feel strange…’
While continuing these improper thoughts,
“…Ah!”
An arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her body close. Judith made a strange sound in the middle of the dance and found herself buried in Kaizen’s embrace.
Thump, thump. Kaizen’s rapid heartbeat spread through her entire body from her ear.
Pretending this was also part of the dance, he spun her around once, lifted Judith into the air, then set her down while whispering in her ear.
“…Is this enough?”
Did he really believe it and play along?
“—Yes.”
Unable to hold it in anymore, she buried her face in his chest again and giggled.
Kaizen seemed a bit flustered but continued the dance steps. Judith matched his rhythm and thought.
‘I want to devour him from head to toe.’
Her desires were also boiling.
She didn’t realize it. The current Kaizen wasn’t crying, troubled, or embarrassed. As if she had seen such a sight. Her heart synchronized with Kaizen’s, beating rapidly.
***
In truth, involving Kaizen in dealing with the approaches of the Pentmian Duke and his son wasn’t the best move.
The first time, everyone might overlook it thinking, ‘The princess is being tactless again…’, but from the second time on, people would start to think, ‘Could it be?’
“It seems Her Highness the Princess is particularly fond of the new Captain of the Knights?”
It was natural for such rumors to spread in social circles.
Judith had anticipated this too. That’s why at the Duke’s party that day, she broke her usual custom of dancing only the first dance and resting, instead accepting dance requests from a few unremarkable nobles who wouldn’t cause any gossip. Thanks to this, it didn’t blow up into a major controversy, but.
“Surely not. Why the second son when there’s the eldest?”
“If it’s not like that, why would they need to be so close just for a waltz!”
The problem was that those who believed the rumors now had strong evidence.
Rumors about the princess and the Duke’s second son naturally reached the ears of Duke Pentmian as well.
Bang!
Unable to contain his anger, he slammed his hand on the table.
“That lowborn bastard! How dare he, with his fake bloodline!”
His rage prevented him from finishing his sentences properly. However, Froyzen, sitting across from the Duke, merely smiled without any sense of crisis.
“Why do you think they call it gossip, Father? There’s no need to pay attention to every rumor circulating in social circles.”
Seeing the person in question so relaxed, the Duke was swayed.
“Is, is that so?”
“Yes. And even if their hearts were to connect…”
His eye-smile clearly contained mockery.
“Would the Emperor give away the princess to a second son who isn’t even a young duke?”
This was something the Duke knew well but had momentarily overlooked.
Why does the Emperor still keep his daughter, now twenty-three, close? To use her as the strongest card when most needed.
‘The Emperor wouldn’t waste such a precious opportunity as an engagement because of such a guy.’
The Duke finally calmed down.
“…You’re right.”
“But since you’re concerned… I’ll look into the truth of these rumors. Don’t worry.”
Froyzen bowed politely. As the Duke was leaving the study to attend to his upcoming schedule, he said,
“Remember, Froyzen. For us to seize the Empire in the new era, we must first become members of the imperial family. Don’t disappoint me.”
His words were full of ambition. Instead of agreeing, Froyzen smiled and saw the Duke off.
Once alone, however, the smile disappeared completely.
Crunch.
The sound of grinding teeth echoed in the empty room.
“That arrogant bastard…”
The sofa armrest crumpled under Froyzen’s hand.
“Coveting what’s mine?”
His voice was laced with clear killing intent.
***
In the predawn hours.
Scrape, scrape.
Kaizen was sharpening his sword. The dim room had an eerie atmosphere.
After finishing the blade maintenance, Kaizen looked at his reflection in the sword. The bluish light of dawn and the red glow of the crackling firewood each illuminated half of his face.
A faint smile appeared on Kaizen’s lips as he finished checking the condition. But it was short-lived; he quickly set his mouth in a hard line and headed somewhere.
His destination was in front of a side table beneath the window. On the table was a flat bowl filled to the brim with bright red bloody water.
Without hesitation, Kaizen plunged his hand into it and pulled out a piece of meat. After carelessly shaking off the blood, he began to slice it.
The sword was far too good to be used as a butcher’s tool, but Kaizen didn’t care about such things.
After finishing the preparation, he took it over to the fireplace. Then, he knelt down reverently and reached into the makeshift oven above the fireplace.
What came out was a tray of jerky that had been put in earlier. He replaced it with the newly stacked tray.
He was very serious when checking the condition of the dried meat. If he were making military rations, one might say he was an excellent captain, being so meticulous about his subordinates’ food.
After finishing the inspection, he put the jerky in a small pouch. The pouch had a name tag attached.
“For Puppy”
It was to prevent his adjutant from mistakenly taking the wrong pouch. The somewhat childish name was because the princess still hadn’t given the dog a name.
‘…Should I give something to her Highness too?’
Kaizen thought suddenly as he contentedly closed the full snack pouch. Looking back, he realized that although he saw her almost daily, he only ever brought something for the dog when he didn’t come empty-handed. With the princess, he was merely swept up in her whims.
