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DESPITE Jill’s unconventional upbringing, she was still an aristocratic lady. Emergency or not, she couldn’t just stay in her nightdress in front of a man forever.
When Jill began fidgeting, Hadis immediately sensed the issue and opened the cabin’s wardrobe, showing her its contents. “I thought something like this might happen,” he explained. He had prepared all sorts of girls’ clothing in Jill’s approximate size, from evening gowns to dresses and even riding outfits.
Jill was at a loss for words. Hadis left, telling her she could wear whatever she liked. But that wasn’t the problem…
Why did he prepare these?! Did he visit Kratos intending to kidnap a little girl from the beginning…? No, stop thinking about that. It’s too terrifying.
Jill also wanted to avoid facing the reality that she might be a kidnapped little girl. She picked out a uniform that resembled riding clothes. It was probably a uniform of a school for soldiers or knights. No matter what was about to happen, her ease of movement would be paramount. The set even included leather shoes, so she borrowed those as well. Luckily, they were the perfect size.
She had, at least, succeeded in escaping Gerald for now. These circumstances were a change for the better—probably.
But whether things would stay that way was a different story.
Gerald was the crown prince of the Kratos Kingdom—he was a serious young man with a strong sense of responsibility. Because of his brilliance, he was already involved in politics, and his reputation alone was even higher than that of the current king. The quickest and easiest way to reject a proposal of marriage from a man like that was being shielded by a man his equal or better.
Therefore, Jill’s engagement to Hadis was the greatest shield she could have. She knew this—and once she reached this point in her thoughts, she circled back to her original problem.
What’s going on? So, he likes little girls? From one pervert to the next… She shuddered. Just how terrible is my luck with men?! Or maybe all the powerful men on this continent are actually perverts!
And the biggest problem of all was…could Jill love a man like that?
Jill hadn’t intended on being incredibly picky and choosey. After all, you can’t tell what somebody’s like without spending time with them, and even when she had spent a prolonged period of time with a man, she had still been deceived.
“This next challenge might also be too hard for me to overcome…! Is there no salvation for me?!” she cried.
“Is it okay if I come in?” came a voice alongside a knock at the cabin door.
Jill quickly told him he could. Hadis entered, carrying a teapot and teacups he had fetched.
“I brought you a drink infused with medicine to prevent sickness during travel,” he explained. “You should have some.”
Jill was making the emperor prepare her tea. She snapped back to her senses so quickly at this, it felt as if she had been slapped in the face.
“If it’s tea, I’ll prepare it for you!” she said loudly.
“That would be dangerous, wouldn’t it?”
At that brief question, Jill realized…the table where the tea was going to be brewed came to her neck in height. She couldn’t prepare the tea unless she stood on her tiptoes.
“You don’t have to worry about me being the emperor,” he assured her. “Relax. We’re going to be husband and wife, after all.”
“Th-That’s a little hasty…don’t you think…? W-We’re not even officially engaged yet,” she reminded him.
“It’s best to be fully mindful of your circumstances as quickly as possible. Besides, this is a medicinal infusion, it’s not so formal as having tea. It’s a little bitter, so have some of this to get the bad taste out of your mouth.”
With a pop, a small cake appeared out of thin air on top of Hadis’s palm. The pure-white whipped cream looked like snow and the surface was covered in strawberries that glittered like jewels.
The cake is shining…! I’ve never seen anything like it!
Now that Jill thought of it, she hadn’t had anything to eat since the party the night before… Her sense of time was a little jarring, but the last time she had eaten was in jail, six years in the future. She pressed a hand over her stomach, which rumbled as if it had remembered itself.
“I really wanted to prepare something a little lighter, but unfortunately, this was all I had,” Hadis told her.
“Th-That’s more than enough! In fact, it’s great! M-M-May I have some?!” she requested, barely restraining her excitement.
“That’s why I made it. Dig in.”
Jill’s appetite had pushed out every other thought. She stuffed her face with a slice of the cake, her eyes shining. The delicate sweetness of the whipped cream mellowed the sourness of the strawberries. The sponge cake was fluffy and bouncy, and when she put it in her mouth, its aroma lingered faintly around her.
It was incredibly delicious.
“Do you like it?” Hadis asked, watching her. Jill simply nodded, speechless from happiness. “I’m glad, then.” He took a seat diagonally in front of her.
I’m so glad I’m alive…! Come to think of it, I’ve never had food from the Rave Empire, have I?
If Jill were to become the wife of the emperor, she could probably eat all the food from the Rave Empire she wanted. Rather unexpectedly, Jill realized that if she had good food, she could ride out this life, even if it was a loveless one.
Just as her heart started to lean towards readily marrying him, a shadow appeared out of the corner of her eye.
“You’ve got whipped cream on you.” Hadis wiped his thumb over the corner of Jill’s lips, and then, of all things, licked the whipped cream off his thumb.
Steam nearly burst from Jill’s head, but she quickly snapped out of it.
H-He did that so casually with a child… Isn’t this moving a little fast?!
This was no time to start getting flustered. Jill gulped, replenishing her body with sugar, and looked up with a fire in her eyes.
“With all due respect, Your Majesty, how serious are you about this engagement?”
Hadis placed his cup on the saucer, blinked several times, and then tilted his head. “I don’t understand your question. Could you be more specific?”
“…I’m just ten years old.”
“The ideal age.” Jill immediately got goosebumps, but Hadis looked satisfied and continued, “You have that much magic power before you even turn fourteen… You’re the ideal woman—exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
“……”
“And you proposed to me. Th-That means you like me, right…?!”
“……”
“I would have preferred even two or three years younger if I had the time, but…I won’t be choosey. That little detail won’t upset my perfect happy family plan.”
“…I-Is the emperor really a pervert who likes little girls…? I can’t believe he’s such a fool that he’d take a child’s practical joke seriously and then kidnap them…”
As soon as Jill’s thoughts unintentionally came spilling out of her mouth, she slapped a hand over it. She was speaking to the emperor. Not even children were allowed to be disrespectful to an emperor. Hadis’s kind features shifted, and his expression became rather cold.
“…A practical joke…?” he asked in a crisp voice.
“W-Well, it’s…a c-common pastime for nobles, isn’t it?!” she replied.
“Does this mean the proposal was a lie?” he questioned, eyes narrowed.
That’s the part he cares about?
But then Hadis muttered to himself in a disbelieving and self-deprecating tone, “Impossible. Me, getting tricked by a child… Nonsense…”
Hadis pondered this seriously with a hand on his chin. Then he looked at Jill. “I’m going to make sure, just in case… Was it true?”
“…Um…”
“Was it true or not? Which is it? Please, clarify it for me.”
“Well…I do have reasons for doing it, but…! I’m very sorry, Your Majesty, I don’t have any feelings for you! The proposal was a lie!”
After a few moments of silence, Hadis slowly slumped in his chair. The next second, he suddenly opened his gold eyes and roared, “…Rave, stop laughing and come out!”
A mist of magic power rose from around Hadis’s shoulders. Jill instinctively stood at the ready. In front of her, the silver magic began to take the form of a shining white creature.