EP.154 Sometimes Things Like This Aren’t So Bad
“Are you really… going to marry the Princess?”
As I thought. That’s why the atmosphere has been so heavy since we left.
Father! Why did you have to say unnecessary things and make everyone feel strange!
If you hadn’t said that, none of this would have happened!!
Kyle scratched his cheek and led the Saintess to a bench.
This isn’t a conversation to have while standing. It might take a while.
“Is that why you’ve been feeling down since earlier?”
“What? No, not at all! Not in the least!”
“Really? Then why would the Saintess ask such a question?”
“That’s… that’s… Ah! I-I was just curious! Just curious, that’s all!”
When Kyle questioned “Really?” the Saintess hurriedly nodded.
Though it was clearly a lie to anyone watching, he pretended not to notice.
“The Princess and I are friends. We’re companions. That’s why! That’s why I was curious!”
“I see. Then, since you’re the Princess’s companion, how would you feel if the Princess were to marry me? You’d be happy, wouldn’t you?”
Contrary to Kyle’s expectations, the Saintess fell silent.
He thought she would immediately spout words to hide her true feelings as usual.
But this time, she remained silent as if unable to do so.
“Saintess?”
“…Yes. That’s how it should be. Normally, if the Princess and Brother Kyle were to marry, I should congratulate you. Because the Princess is my friend. But… to be honest, I’m not sure.”
Perhaps she was feeling guilty even as she spoke.
He could see her face contorting visibly.
“No, to be even more honest, I don’t think I would feel good about it. No, I wouldn’t like it.”
“I see.”
“…Do you really intend to marry the Princess?”
There was more urgency in her voice than when she first asked the question.
If he were to dodge the answer or hesitate now, it might lead to strange reactions.
So Kyle looked at the Saintess for a moment before shaking his head.
“I have no intention of marriage. It’s just the Princess acting on her own. You know that too, don’t you? How the Princess keeps putting me in awkward situations. Did I look happy at that time?”
“…No. You looked quite troubled.”
“That’s it. That’s my answer.”
At that, the Saintess visibly showed signs of relief.
Having heard a definitive answer from the person himself, it seemed the anxiety she had been harboring disappeared.
“Um, but, Brother Kyle. That is…”
“Why did my father, Baron Jonathan, seem to view it positively? Is that what you’re curious about?”
With a bright red face, the Saintess slowly nodded.
It seems she no longer wanted to hide it, wanting to make things clear with this opportunity.
“That’s because, you see. It’s not that he likes the Princess as a potential wife for me.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s obvious. Just because she’s strong. Because she has a well-trained body. It’s just praise from Jonathan as an individual evaluating another person, not as my father. That’s all it is. Really. I guarantee it.”
In other words, it was just another misunderstanding on the Saintess’s part.
After hearing that, the Saintess let out a sigh of relief before exclaiming “Ah!”
“Then… then…”
I misunderstood on my own, got upset on my own, and threw a tantrum on my own.
I was rude to Brother Kyle. Like a fool! Over nothing at all!
“Eek…”
The Saintess deflated like air escaping from a balloon with a “phew” sound.
From embarrassment. And from regret. Feelings that made her curl up inside came rushing in.
It really was nothing at all. It couldn’t even have had such meaning
She had gotten carried away with all sorts of strange thoughts all by herself.
“I’m sorry…”
After struggling with embarrassment for a while, she finally opened her mouth.
How awkward must Kyle have felt because of her misunderstanding? How flustered must he have been?
Thinking about these things made her feel so sorry that tears almost welled up.
“No! It’s fine. Really, it’s fine, Saintess.”
“But…”
“Rather. Ahem. I’m not sure if I should say this, but you were cute.”
“What?!”
It wasn’t a lie. Of course she had to be cute.
He hadn’t known she had this side to her. He thought she was just playing an advisory role.
If she had been a main character instead of a supporting role, she would have definitely been a hit.
Why did the author confine such a woman to merely an advisory role?
“It was refreshing. Seeing you show signs of displeasure. Showing your unhappiness, your sulking. It was fascinating. Really.”
“You don’t need to find such things fascinating…”
At the Saintess’s response, Kyle deliberately laughed out loud.
Then he casually reached out and took the Saintess’s hand.
The Saintess’s small, snow-white hand trembled slightly.
But soon the trembling stopped, and she grasped Kyle’s hand back.
The warmth transmitted was very gentle. Such a soft hand.
It couldn’t compare to his own rough and coarse hands.
Thinking about that, he wondered if it might hurt her.
“I’m sorry, Saintess. My hands are quite rough, aren’t they?”
“No! Not at all! Rather, it’s natural, Brother Kyle. It would be strange if a warrior’s hands were smooth like mine. Instead, I’m the one who feels embarrassed…”
She shook her head vigorously while hastily explaining the coolness of warriors.
Her effort to prevent him from feeling awkward was, as expected, adorable.
“I told you before, didn’t I? That I like you, Saintess.”
“Yes, you did.”
“And you answered that you would try to turn that into romantic feelings.”
“D-did I say that? No, I mean…”
“Though the words might be different, isn’t the meaning essentially the same? Or was I wrong?”
The Saintess could only shake her head in response to that question.
After all, agreeing here would mean staying just as mutually respectful friends.
“I don’t simply respect you either, Saintess.”
Let’s not hide it. There’s no need to hide. After all, it’s all sincere.
He had said it wasn’t purely romantic feelings.
Now it’s time to say that doesn’t mean he doesn’t see her as a woman.
“As a woman, you are more than sufficiently – no, overwhelmingly charming, beautiful, and incredibly kind. How could I, as a man, draw a line and stay away? I like you too, Saintess. Very much so.”
“Ah…”
“However, as you know, my situation is a bit… well, very complicated.”
“I understand. There’s the Princess… and Lady Elga and Sister Tisha too.”
When he asked “You knew?” the Saintess smiled.
Whenever Elga and Tisha meet, all they talk about is Brother Kyle – you.
How could she not have noticed that?
“Brother Kyle, from what you’re saying, it seems you feel unable to choose among the women around you.”
“…That’s exactly right.”
“Is it because you feel sorry? Or is there another reason?”
“I feel sorry, and I keep seeing good qualities in all of them… that’s how it is.”
The Saintess made a thoughtful sound and scratched her cheek with her other hand.
Seeing this, Kyle couldn’t help but hang his head.
“Since Brother Kyle is such a good person, I can understand why the Princess approves, and why Lady Elga and Sister Tisha feel the same way. Though it does make me feel a bit… strange.”
“I’m sorry. If it made you uncomfortable…”
“Don’t the others all know too? That we’re all rivals in love?”
“I think they all have a general idea.”
For one, Elga clearly seemed to consider everyone her love rival.
The Princess also showed signs of being wary of the Saintess, subtly or not.
Tisha… well, Tisha seemed to only care about her relationship with him.
“Then in the end, Brother Kyle’s decision is what matters.”
“That’s why it’s even more burdensome, and why I can’t make a decision.”
“Really? Why? If we coordinate properly, couldn’t it be resolved peacefully?”
A peaceful resolution? He couldn’t understand what she meant at all.
Since when do love rivals understand and compromise with each other?
Whether man or woman, fighting tooth and nail over love rivals is the natural course.
“In some cases, there are those who take multiple wives.”
“…What?”
“From what I know, high nobles do this… Looking at how the Empire treats Baron Jonathan’s house, I think it would be possible for Brother Kyle too.”
Wait, what? So, the country allows harems?
Wasn’t this supposed to be a romance fantasy? Can romance fantasy have polygamy?
Won’t this make things get really weird?
“Saintess, is this really true…?”
“Yes. Though it’s not common. Rather rare, actually. There’s friction between the wives, and their families constantly vie for the position of first wife. While I was at the Church, I met several high nobles of the Empire, and it didn’t seem to have only good points.”
Of course it wouldn’t. Just imagining it briefly makes everything seem dark.
Yurika, the Imperial Princess and one of the Empire’s Top 10. Elga, one of only three Grand Dukes in the Empire.
Tisha, a genius in sorcery who would hold absolute authority in a field different from magic.
Others would wave their hands in surrender at the thought of handling just one of them.
‘And if the Saintess joins in too…’
Oh boy. This would be quite different from the harem he had imagined.
There’s no way only good things would happen. He’d probably suffer quite a bit.
This wasn’t just a simple premonition. It seemed certain.
“Brother Kyle?”
“…Ah, yes, Saintess. Please continue.”
“Hasn’t this solved everything now?”
“Pardon?”
“The burden you’ve been carrying. The worry about having to choose just one. Haven’t I just erased all of that for you?”
Come to think of it, that’s true. She had revealed a setting of this world he hadn’t known about.
When Kyle nodded, the Saintess gave a gentle smile.
Then she moved just a little closer to Kyle’s side.
“So, is it alright now? For me to get a little closer too.”
“Ah…”
“And for you, Brother Kyle, to come a little closer to me as well.”
She gently rested her head on the shoulder of the person sitting beside her.
The Saintess hummed a soft tune while gazing at the night sky.