“What’s gotten into you now? Also, you’re definitely feeling shame for the wrong thing,” Oscar muttered, throwing water all over the naked form she had so defenselessly revealed to him. Tinasha fussed and wriggled at the sensation. Oscar splashed her with such force that she shrieked slightly. “Anyway, what happened with that demon person? Explain that,” Oscar said. “Oh…,” Tinasha replied, an awkward look crossing her face as she reluctantly told him about the capricious demon king. Oscar listened silently but pinched her cheeks when he learned that this made the second time she was defeated and brought to the verge of death. “Ouch! What was that for?” she yelped. “Don’t associate with him anymore!” “He’s the one who came to me! I don’t know why!” she shouted. That much was likely true. Oscar only had sparred with Travis for a short while, but he could tell this demon king was a slippery one. “You really are a huge pain to look after. A damn handful and then some…,” he whispered. He’d left Tinasha alone for one moment, and she’d almost died. She got herself into so much trouble that he couldn’t take his eyes off her. It made no sense. Her back was at last clean and white again, and Oscar softly rubbed the faint traces of lacerations on the smooth skin there. His fingers were rough, and Tinasha jolted, then glared reproachfully at him over her shoulder. “You don’t need to… You can leave me alone. Besides, even if I really had lost my chastity, that wouldn’t be any reason for me to become your wife.” “…” The temperature in the warm bathroom dropped a few degrees. “Oops,” Mila murmured as she drew more water. But Tinasha hadn’t noticed, scrubbing the blood off her knees as Mila rinsed them off. In a chilly tone, Oscar said, “There wouldn’t be any reason? Then what would suffice, dummy?” “I-I suppose if my country were on the verge of destruction, then…maybe…” “Oh? So you want your country destroyed. You’ve got some nerve.” “I never said that, did I?! What’s with you? Honestly!” Tinasha shrieked. Oscar pulled her hair back tight in a ponytail, causing her to let out a very feline cry of “Mrrk!” “In any case, if that man ever comes around again, you get out of there right away. And call for me sooner! I told you I’d come and save you!” Reflexively, Tinasha ducked her head. A moment later, she jerked her sulky face to the side again. “Thank you very much for your concern. But I’ll settle my affairs myself. You rescued me this time, but you could have messed up and gotten yourself killed, too. Ultimately, you and I have nothing to do with each other…so please leave me alone.” This was her attempt to push Oscar away and draw a line between them, though it sounded like a small child pretending to be tough. She bit her lip. Her downcast eyes blurred with tears. Oscar didn’t respond. Nervously, Tinasha looked up at him—and froze. Anger was clearly visible in his gaze, but it wasn’t the usual cold sort. Blazing emotions raged in his eyes. She almost apologized instinctively but stubbornly held it in. After glaring at her for a short while, Oscar suddenly broke eye contact and spat out, “If that’s how you feel, then do what you want.” He turned his back on her and left the bath. In the quiet tub, Tinasha heaved a deep sigh. Once again, she looked down at her stomach. It was thanks to Oscar and Mila’s rigorous scrubbing that her body was clean and pale again. Mila laughed as she replaced the water in the bathtub. “Lady Tinasha, why did you have to go and say that?” “Say what?” “If he says he’s going to save you, why not just go along with it and let him? And if you want to marry him, he’s already stated his willingness to negotiate with Tuldarr.” “But…he’d only end up at a disadvantage in that case. We can’t.” If not for Tinasha, there would be no reason for Oscar to battle a demon king or marry someone he didn’t even like. She had no intentions of placing such a burden on him. She had come to save him, not add more stress. Tears stung her eyes as she hugged both knees tight to her chest. Mila grimaced to see her master with such a hangdog look. “In that case, I think you should just tell him that. Aren’t you already familiar with how bad it feels to have your offer of help rejected?” “…………” “Besides, it’s not like he gave his aid halfheartedly. That Akashia swordsman… Earlier, he told me to take you and run. Normally, he wouldn’t provoke someone who beat you up. He could have died,” Mila said. “What?” Tinasha exclaimed, her eyes growing wide with shock. Mila handed her a new cloth. “I don’t understand either of you humans. You can only live for such a short period of time, and yet you get in your own way.” “Get in my own way…,” Tinasha murmured. Ultimately, she didn’t know how she should act around Oscar. While he’d said he wanted to save her, she didn’t feel confident enough to presume upon that kindness. Tinasha had reminded herself many times that his kindness didn’t mean anything more. No longer was she a child blessed with unconditional love. She didn’t want to rely on anyone and grow weak. If she had to let go of his hand someday, she was apprehensive of the very act of taking it in the first place. Tinasha closed her eyes, then recalled what he had said to her so long ago. “You can do it.” She’d believed in those words and had gained confidence in herself. “I’m still all right. I can be strong.” Slowly, she exhaled, her mind returning to order. Tinasha had done that thousands of times when she was queen. She needed to stand on her own. If she couldn’t, then she was unfit to rule. That had ever been the case. Suddenly, however, the emotions she had so precisely controlled dripped out like water. “But that night, I wasn’t by myself…” When things were the hardest they had ever been, he was right there with her. She was not alone in the slightest. Tinasha’s throat grew tight. She buried her face in her knees, and a strong wave of drowsiness swept over her—recoil from her serious injuries finally catching up. All she wished to do now was let go and sleep. Thinking about this was overwhelming. She didn’t want to be alone in her dreams, though… Wet eyelashes fluttered softly. By the end of the day, all the upper-echelon members of the cult that sent Delilah into the castle were arrested. Relieved, their neighbors gossiped avidly about what that shady-looking bunch could have done to get hauled off to the castle. After Kumu and Als brought him that report posthaste, Oscar did nothing to hide his irritation at what the investigation uncovered. “So in the end, the mage who gave Claris the poison wasn’t among those apprehended?” “According to Delilah, she also received orders directly from the same man.” Upon organizing the findings, the cult’s objectives were revealed to be twofold. The first was to obtain a mysterious orb said to be inside the Farsas treasure vault. The second was to kill Tinasha or have her removed from Farsas. Oscar puzzled over how those two objectives could be related. “Should I go take a look at this mysterious orb or whatever it is? Seems like the sort of thing one shouldn’t touch.” “I’m not sure… Security is tight around the treasure vault. It’s been that way since the break-in forty years ago,” answered Als. “Forty years ago, huh? A thief got away without stealing anything?” asked Oscar. “What was stolen was never determined,” Als clarified. “Sounds like it’s high time to put things down there in order, then,” decided Oscar, scribbling his signature on a document and handing it to Kumu. Als continued with his report. “Delilah and Claris’s contact and the cult founder’s opinions clashed a little in regards to Princess Tinasha, it seems. The cult wanted her dead or to destroy her curse-breaking spell, while the man only wanted her kept away from Farsas. Many people heard him say she couldn’t be killed anyway.” “This part of it makes even less sense. What does it matter whether she’s in Farsas?” Oscar remarked. “Maybe it’s because they were backing Delilah, but Tinasha’s presence would have thrown a wrench in that,” Als suggested. “I thought so, which is why I made sure to show Delilah so much favor. Well, Tinasha did tear her to shreds, so I guess she got in the way regardless,” Oscar remarked breezily. Als felt deeply relieved he hadn’t been present for that. Resting his chin on his hands, Oscar’s eyes narrowed. “Considering all the time it took, the one man we were looking for escaped, huh? It’s very aggravating how we always seem a step behind.” “I’ll increase security for people in the castle,” Als promised. After Kumu and Als left the study, Oscar rubbed his shoulders. “…I’m still so on edge.” His unsettled mood from the day before hadn’t quieted at all. He suspected that was partly due to a certain disobedient woman. The mere recollection of her stubbornness upset him. He wished she would lean on him at least a little during her stay here. Both of them were guilty of trying to do everything on their own, but he wanted her to concede a little ground if that pigheadedness meant her nearly dying. Lazar, on the other hand, hadn’t said a word about the restless mood Oscar had been emanating all day. He wanted to ask if Oscar had managed to reconcile with Tinasha, but he had a feeling if he did, the king would only vent his anger at him. Lazar realized that while his lord was often annoyed with her, the two of them were still slowly growing closer. This only made Lazar, who was well aware of both of their positions, more anxious. Still, if he asked Oscar about it, he was likely to hear I don’t feel anything for her, in response. For now, Lazar prayed that was true. If Oscar fell for her completely but had to let go of her in the end, that would end up causing him the most pain. Suppressing his emotions as he picked up a sheaf of documents, Lazar looked up at the sound of a knock on the study door. Standing on the other side was the beautiful mage at the center of this whole thing. Her long black hair was tied up in two ponytails, and she appeared fidgety and embarrassed. Oscar was clearly displeased as he said, “What is it? Come in.” “Okay…,” Tinasha answered, shutting the door behind her and walking over to stand in front of his desk. As she hesitated, she stared right at Oscar. Sensing her gaze, he looked over with his head resting on one hand. Nervously, the young woman began. “I’m incredibly sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have gotten upset with you after you saved me.” “It’s fine,” Oscar stated curtly, swallowing what he really wanted to say, which was It doesn’t have anything to do with me anyway, right? Voicing that thought would only lead the pair into another childish dispute. At the very least, Oscar wished to maintain some decorum, whether she did or not. Tinasha went on haltingly. “Also… I have a favor to ask.” “Ask away.” Her dark eyes wavered, gleaming with an alluring light. Oscar narrowed his eyes against it. Determinedly, she went on. “Um, whenever you’re free is fine, but…would you teach me swordplay?” Her request was so unexpected that Lazar almost dropped his pile of documents. As for Oscar, his chin slipped from his hand. Tinasha flushed as she observed their reactions. “U-um…did I say something weird?” “No…,” Oscar replied, scratching his head as he gestured at her to come closer. She did, circling the desk until she was standing next to him. Still seated, Oscar turned to face her. After trying to decide how best to respond, he smiled wryly. “All right. I’m also going to get out of shape doing nothing but paperwork all the time, so it’s perfect. I should be done in another hour, so go prepare and wait for me.” “Thank you!” Tinasha cried, breaking into a broad smile now that he’d agreed. It looked like flowers blooming across her face. She rushed out of the room, making no effort to hide her childlike happiness. As he watched her go, he muttered, “Unbelievable… She’s so defenseless. Full of surprises, that one.” Lazar’s eyes widened to hear the fondness lacing Oscar’s words. In accordance with his promise to her, Oscar picked up the pace on his work. His irritation from earlier was all but gone, replaced with a mysteriously happy mood.
Chapter 59
11 min read