"...Now, one last question. What reward would you demand in exchange for standing on the Empire's side?"
"A way to return to my original world. Once I return, I will support the Empire in another world."
He dodged and avoided, refusing to respond directly.
"Pfft, it's just like what the princess said, a difficult brat."
Gaharud scratched his head and cursed.
A happy smile appeared on his face, it seemed that he really liked people who rebelled against him.
At the same time, based on the previous conversation and the information about Hajime that he had previously inquired from Liliana, Gaharud seemed to have gained some degree of confidence and had also confirmed his assessment of Hajime.
Honestly, Hajime's attitude was extremely disrespectful to the Emperor. Now that he knew the true nature of God, even though Gaharud had given his permission, Hajime's attitude would normally have led to trouble. It was like saying, even if someone told him to be rude, he couldn't really act without restraint.
However, Gaharud treated him with tolerance, as he believed that being hostile to Hajime would do no good, and he also followed the principle of strength supremacy.
In conclusion, he would neither forcefully recruit Shi nor exclude him because he was too dangerous.
The time seemed to have come. A man standing behind him whispered to Gaharud, and Gaharud nodded and stood up.
"At least everything that needs to be confirmed has been confirmed... Let's leave it at that for now, after all, both the Empire and the Kingdom are very busy right now. Ah, by the way, there's a welcome party for Princess Liliana tonight, and I hope you'll be able to attend. After all, it's also the engagement party for the princess and my son. People outside don't know the true nature of God yet, so if we can get the blessings of the 'Hero' and the 'Apostle of God', I'm sure we'll be able to gain a good reputation. I'm leaving it to you."
Hearing Jaharud's sudden and shocking words, Guanghui and the others were speechless. Jaharud glanced at Hajime with a hint of ulterior motive and walked out of the room in a dashing manner.
Bang! The door slammed shut, and Guanghui and the others came to their senses and immediately questioned Liliana.
"Lily, what's going on with the engagement?! What the hell is going on?!"
"That's... even if it's a game played by a mad god, if the demons attack, we have no choice but to fight. Our king has passed away, and the heir is not even ten years old. Since the country's rule is unstable, we need to strengthen our relations with our allies."
Liliana said nonchalantly, leaving Guanghui dumbfounded.
Shizuku asked with a serious expression:
"The way to consolidate this is for Lily to marry the prince, right?"
"Yes, the one I'm engaged to is the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince and I have discussed our engagement a long time ago. Although we are de facto engaged, this dinner is necessary for the engagement to be formalized. The kingdom is currently in turmoil due to the demon invasion, so now is the perfect time to make this marriage a reality."
"Don't you need to consult with the people in the kingdom first?"
"Although this is essentially asking for consent after the fact, I don't think anyone will object. This was a pre-arranged marriage. Besides, I'm the de facto leader of the kingdom now, and Randhir is only the formal heir. My mother won't step forward to lead the others, so there won't be any problems. At a time like this, everything needs to be done swiftly and decisively."
Liliana was extremely calm and did not give the impression of a tragic heroine at all. She just tried her best to do her job well.
Guanghui showed a bitter expression and asked:
"...Lily, do you like that person?"
Liliana couldn't help but show a troubled expression at this question.
"...This isn't a matter of like or dislike. This marriage is to maintain relations between the two countries. However, since she's the next emperor candidate, she'll need to marry multiple concubines, some of whom will be chosen from her current lover... Hehehe, from my perspective, I'll skip over them and become the principal wife. Pretty impressive, right? However, when it comes to personnel adjustments within the harem, I'm the youngest one, so I'm probably going to have another stomachache..."
To liven up the atmosphere, Liliana jokingly put on a smug expression and rubbed her belly.
Seeing that she still cared about others, Guanghui became even more excited.
"W-Why are you so calm?! You want to get married when you clearly don't like it, that's so weird!"
"Mr. Kouki, this may seem strange to you, but I am a princess of the royal family. This has been normal since the moment I was born."
"You say it's normal... Lily is a girl too, she also wants to marry the one she loves, right?"
Guanghui couldn't agree and continued to question, and Liliana showed an embarrassed smile.
Of course, Liliana also longs for a romantic love, especially becoming friends with girls from another world, not to mention chatting with Kaori and Shizuku.
However, no matter how much she yearns for it, as a member of the royal family, she has responsibilities and obligations that she must fulfill.
So, Liliana used her eyes to speak to Guanghui, asking him not to force her to say words that would deny her the dream she longed for...
Guanghui couldn't agree emotionally and was about to continue persuading him.
Before he could speak, Hajime stood up from his seat.
Kouki couldn't help but keep his mouth shut, staring at Hajime.
However, Hajime didn't seem to want to say anything. He kept his absent-minded expression, pretending nothing had happened, and prepared to leave the room. He seemed to just leave.
As if to vent her frustration, Kouki shouted at Hajime:
"Hey! Nagumo! Don't you feel anything?!"
"...Hmm...? What do you want me to feel? This is just a political decision in the form of marriage, right? It's not something an outsider can comment on."
“Hmm! B-But…”
Seeing Kouki's reaction, Hajime remembered Kouki before he rescued Cam and the others.
As long as Shizuku was around, there was no need to worry about him forgetting his purpose and acting rashly. However, just to be on the safe side, Hajime still gave him a special warning.
"...We have things to do right now, so don't cause any trouble. If you get in my way, I'll beat you until you're speechless, okay?"
Hajime left immediately after saying this.
Perhaps due to their royal connections, Yue and Tio, despite sympathizing with Liliana, supported her decision with their eyes and followed Hajime out. Shia had a complicated expression, and even though she felt worried, she left the room at Yue's urging.
"Damn it! Why does that guy always leave people in danger so easily?"
"Kuiki, calm down. Besides, this might not be that serious."
Guanghui looked at Shizuku in astonishment, his eyes seemed to be blaming: Aren’t you worried?
However, when he heard what Kaori, Ling and Ryuutarou said next with a wry smile, he suddenly came to his senses.
"Y-yeah, that's right, I mean, I might not be in the mood to worry about engagements..."
"We're having a welcome party... Ling's stomach is starting to hurt."
"It's a party in a sense, but I don't think they'd want to welcome it."
Guanghui was speechless, and the expression on his face was indescribable.
Depending on the outcome of what's about to happen, either way...
Seeing their strange expressions, Liliana asked tremblingly:
"Eh? Eh? Everyone? What do you mean? I feel so uneasy!"
But she didn't get an answer, and needless to say, her stomach hurt even more.
After Guanghui and the others left uneasy, Liliana returned to her room to prepare for the banquet. Helena and the imperial maids worked diligently to choose a dress for Liliana.
"Wow, it's so beautiful, Princess Liliana!"
"Really... she's like a flower fairy."
"Your Highness will surely be delighted too!"
The imperial maids praised in unison.
This was not just polite talk; from their intoxicated expressions, it was clear that it was pure praise.
Fourteen years old is between girlhood and womanhood. The pale pink dress sets off the wonderful charm of this age to the highest level, and she is as charming as a flower elf.
"Hmph, that's only natural."
"Horina, why are you so proud?"
For some reason, Holina had a smug expression on her face. Liliana smiled at her and nodded in approval of her dress.
Even though it was a political marriage, the Crown Prince, like his father, was a womanizer, and the look he gave her was terrifying. When he came to the kingdom, he had bullied lower-ranking knights under the guise of "training," a pesky braggart who loved to flaunt his prowess. But he was destined to be Liliana's husband.
In that case, as his partner, she couldn't embarrass him, and since this was her engagement party, Liliana planned to dress up as best as possible.
At the same time, it was to put aside what Guanghui said, "You also want to marry the person you like, right?"
Even so, her "yearning" continued to flash through her mind. Even if she didn't show it, Liliana must have felt uneasy about this marriage.
In fairy tale love stories, when a princess faces a crisis, a hero appears to rescue her. A chance encounter leads to a mutual attraction, and despite their different identities, they overcome numerous obstacles and ultimately find love.
That is a foolish and impossible future.
Liliana shook her head vigorously, trying to get rid of such fantasies from her mind.
Because Liliana is smart and clever, she has accepted the mission imposed on her since she was young.
Therefore, even though she hated the person from the bottom of her heart, she sincerely wanted to be a competent wife and was determined to play the role of a competent Crown Princess at tonight's dinner.
Her mood was influenced by her fantasy, and Liliana told herself as if spurring herself that as a princess, this must never happen.
At this moment, there was a sudden commotion outside the room. The next moment, without a knock, the door opened and a tall man walked in without any courtesy.
The guards who followed Liliana tried to stop him anxiously, but the man didn't care.
"Oh, this is the dress I'm wearing tonight... Not bad at all."
"...Bias-sama, barging into a lady's room is not good behavior."
"What? I'm the man who will be your husband? How dare you talk back to me?"
Liliana corrected him. This rude and impolite man was the crown prince of this country, Bias D. Holusia. He looked very much like his father, Gaharud, and was twenty-six years old.
As they were both royals, they had known each other for a long time, having met about a year ago, but he seemed just as arrogant and unreasonable. His contemptuous attitude, his cruel image, and the way he treated Liliana like a toy—all remained the same as a year ago.
Bias looked Liliana over from head to toe. She shuddered and trembled.
"Hey, all of you get out!"
Bias suddenly smiled wickedly and ordered the maids and the guards to leave.
The imperial maids hurriedly left the room, but the Royal Guards knights refused to do so. Holina's eyes even revealed suspicion and anger.
Noticing this, Bias's eyes flashed with ferocity. Liliana realized something was wrong and didn't know what he would do, so she ordered Holina and the others to retreat.
"If anything happens, please call out loudly."
Before leaving, Holina whispered softly, and Liliana nodded slightly in agreement.
Although they were still worried about Liliana until the end, everyone left the room and closed the door.
"Hmph, you should teach your own dogs manners."
"...They are not dogs, but my important subjects."
"You're still as rebellious as ever. Haha, you're not even ten years old yet, daring to glare at me. Ever since then, I've been thinking that one day I'll make you mine."
Seeing Liliana's expression stiff and still looking straight at him, Bias seemed genuinely pleased. He smiled obscenely and suddenly reached out to grab her breasts.
“!? No! It hurts!”
"You've grown up a bit, though not enough, but it does have its own flavor."
"S-Stop."
Liliana was being roughly treated, and a look of pain appeared on her face. Seeing her expression, Bias laughed even more excitedly and pushed Liliana onto the bed.
Although Liliana screamed, the guards outside did not react.
"You can scream and cry as much as you want, okay? This room has been specially treated so no sound from outside can be heard. But even if those dogs come in, they can't do anything to me, the crown prince. If you don't believe me, how about I call them in and watch me take your virginity? Hahahaha."
“Why… why is this happening…”
Liliana thought about what was going to happen, and although her face turned pale, she still stared at Byars resolutely.
"That's it. I just want to see your defiant eyes, stained with pain, despair, and desire."
Bias said with an ugly expression.
"I love to torture those who resist me and force them into submission. There's nothing more satisfying than seeing them struggle desperately, only to be powerless and kneel before me. It's a pleasure you'll be addicted to once you've tasted it. Liliana, when we first met, I sized you up, but you boldly stared back. From then on, I knew that one day, I'd show you how powerful I am."
"You're truly hopeless..."
"Liliana, let alone getting married, if you lose your virginity before the engagement dinner, I wonder what expression you'll have at the dinner? Ahhh, I'm really looking forward to it."
Even if he was a loathsome person, as long as she supported and advised him well as a wife, he would one day become a great emperor. No, she would make him a great emperor. Liliana had originally made such a resolution, but now a crack had appeared in her heart.
Because Liliana understood.
The man before her, who was watching her trying hard to hold back tears yet still laughing heartily, was, in a sense, the legitimate 'Crown Prince of the Empire'.
Take what you want, and the weak must obey the strong! He is a believer in the supremacy of strength.
The dress he had chosen out of fear of embarrassing Bias was now torn to pieces by his own hands.
Her flawless white skin was exposed, and Liliana's face flushed with shame.
Perhaps intending to force a kiss on Liliana, Byars's face slowly approached, but his eyes were wide open, as if he was deliberately trying to arouse Liliana's fear.
You'll Also Like
-
An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest
Chapter 860 39 minute ago -
Equipment Printing School Mage
Chapter 478 39 minute ago -
1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll
Chapter 711 39 minute ago -
Ikari Shinji's Harem Comedy Daily Life
Chapter 122 39 minute ago -
Connect to Yuan Tiejue's chat group
Chapter 69 39 minute ago -
As a commander, I will never meet a heavy female ship girl
Chapter 290 39 minute ago -
Why wasn't I the one who got the male lead's script?
Chapter 189 39 minute ago -
This second dimension is too immortal
Chapter 580 39 minute ago -
Terra Succubus Development System, but calm office workers
Chapter 101 39 minute ago -
I'm collecting in the Pokémon world
Chapter 377 39 minute ago