Who Could Have Loved the Monster Princess? - Chapter 29
I was skeptical about revenge against the royal family, but the resentment embedded in my heart hadn’t diminished even now.
“If I need your help, I’ll let you know. But more importantly…”
As I thought about it, I wondered. If Ken dressed up to escort me, why didn’t he accompany me to the palace? I had unconsciously assumed that Ken, like my parents, harbored hatred towards the royal family. However, if that wasn’t the case, why didn’t he enter the palace?
“Why didn’t you come with me?”
“Because I didn’t think it would do you any good.”
“Why wouldn’t it be good for me? I think it would’ve been better for me if you were there.”
Ken was a feast for the eyes and a calming influence on my mind just by being around. The title of humanity’s savior truly suited him. Looking at him, I felt secure and warm, filled with hope for the future and the courage to overcome whatever trials would come my way.
Ken fell silent, but he seemed pleased. It was heartwarming to see a friend who had grown up with me be a fountainhead of courage and hope.
He truly possessed the qualities of an excellent hero.
I relaxed and ate the last of the skewers, feeling like I had genuinely enjoyed the day. It was an unexpected but welcome respite. I turned to Ken, who was cleaning up the mess by tossing empty skewers into the fire.
“Do you come here often?”
“To the mountain?”
“Yeah.”
“Sometimes.”
“This place is really nice. Can I come here often too?”
“Sure. Come here for a change of scenery.”
“Great!”
I nodded and lay down. Ken lay back down, too, and now he looked a little more comfortable. It dawned on me that he had been treating me like a favored guest, probably because I was someone he used to work for.
“Thanks for today.”
“Feeling a bit better?”
“Much better.”
“The reason you seemed gloomy lately is because of the curse, right?”
“I can’t deny that.”
“Have you tried lifting the curse?”
“I have.”
Ken abruptly sat up.
“You tried?”
Was it really that much of a surprise?
“Uh, what do you mean by try exactly?” I stammered.
What did I try…? I recalled flirting with Carnelian, trying to make it work, and I quickly averted my gaze, embarrassed.
“Well, it’s a bit awkward to say,” I said.
“…”
Ken was silent. The atmosphere became strangely awkward. When I glanced over, he looked incredibly serious.
“You know, it’s okay if I don’t break the curse,” I said. “I’m fine with this life, relaxing and taking breaks like this every now and again.”
I said that thinking that he looked so serious because he was worried about my curse. However, his expression remained unchanged, so I jokingly asked him a question.
“What’s it like living with a good-looking face?”
“What about it?”
“Are you happy?”
Ken gave me a strange look. “…Not really. It’s not very useful.”
“Well, it’s personally doing me a lot of good right now.”
At the moment, as I looked at Ken’s face, I felt incredibly happy about his appearance.
“What about that time you got an extra free potato at the market because the shopkeeper thought you were handsome?”
“I have plenty of potatoes.”
“No! I meant it seems easy to get favors with your good looks.”
“Favors don’t always come back to me in a positive way.”
“Oh, really?”
“The princess hates me. It seems it’s because I rejected her favor.”
“Right. Still, at least people don’t scream or faint when they see your face. That’s something.”
“…”
“Oh… Um, I guess some people did faint.”
I remembered that there were some ladies who fainted when they saw Ken, all decked out from head to toe at the victory ceremony.
Ken shrugged and mumbled, “Even looking like this, it’s not easy to get the kind of favor I want, so I’ll just have to…”
He seemed to be muttering to himself, not meaning for me to hear. But I did.
‘Ken wants a specific kind of favor.’
Whose favor does he want? Since when? Where did they meet? What are they like?
‘Was I sure that he was even talking about a specific person?’
It seemed unlikely that what Ken wanted was the favor of his many plants. It wasn’t that deep. Just as my head was about to explode and I was about to ask who it was, Ken stood up.
“Let’s head back.”
“Huh? Oh, wait.”
“Your clothes seem dry too.”
“Oh, really? That’s a relief… No, wait.”
“Make sure to take good care of the flowers.”
“…”
Who on earth is the person you’ve kept in your heart?
Holding a bunch of flowers, I couldn’t bear the frustration any longer and asked Ken.
“Whose favor do you want?”
“Yours.”
“Mine?”
Walking ahead and finding our way, Ken nodded slightly.
No one was more in my favor than Ken, and yet he still wanted it.
‘Is he telling me to bring something to eat instead of relying on him all the time?’
However, Ken doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to his true feelings. If he meant to say something like that, he would just say it.
In the end, I couldn’t figure out exactly who or what Ken was concerned about. If I sneakily asked, he would almost certainly remain silent.
I planned to say goodbye to him in front of his house, but he insisted on walking me back to the mansion. While I can see well even at night, Ken might find it uncomfortable to walk in the dark, yet he escorted me all the way to my house.
