Chapter 154 – The Young Lady (6)
“It’s almost as if you can see straight through my hand.”
“You flatter me, Your Majesty.”
“Then how about this?”
Tap.
After losing two consecutive rounds to me, the king placed one of his cards face-down on the table without even looking at it.
“…You’re not going to look at it?”
“When you play cards for as long as I have, you start to predict the next card without seeing it.”
“I see.”
I wasn’t sure if the king was bluffing or if he was genuinely capable, but the one card he had placed face-down was the only one I couldn’t peek at either.
(Interesting.)
“Hmm…”
It felt a bit uneasy, but the game continued.
Since I could see every card except that one, my victory drew steadily closer. Just as the king’s defeat seemed inevitable, he flipped over the hidden card.
Swish—
“Ah…”
The Joker—the one card that could reverse everything.
In an instant, the advantage that had been mine tilted sharply toward the king.
“Haha! Looks like this round is mine.”
“I’m impressed.”
“This technique was one the young lady frequently used right up until she suddenly quit playing cards.”
“Really?”
“She was truly remarkable. She would place two cards face-down at a time. I still can’t forget the sight of her gently smiling with wisdom in her eyes as she revealed the reversing card… even though it’s a memory over thirty years old.”
“You must have been very sad when the young lady stopped playing.”
“When I asked why, she just snapped at me in irritation. There must have been some circumstance she couldn’t speak of.”
“……”
It was because the core had been replaced, and the young lady’s card skills had plummeted.
Suddenly lost in memory, the king spoke to me in a sorrowful tone.
“Aronia. Next round.”
“Yes. I’ll shuffle.”
Tap, tap, tap.
His adopted niece—the princess whose legs must be beautiful beneath that full skirt—gathered the scattered cards and began shuffling.
Swish~
And once again, the king placed one card face-down.
“…You’re merciless.”
“Haha!”
But the second time wouldn’t work. Although the king had placed it without looking, I had quickly glimpsed it just before it fully settled face-down on the table.
And so,
Swish—
Even when the king revealed the hidden card, it had no effect on the flow of the game.
“You predicted even that?”
“Yes.”
“Hoo… You really learn fast.”
“Thank you.”
I humbly accepted the king’s admiration. It wasn’t because my skill was outstanding or had suddenly improved.
Tap.
Sensing defeat, the king set down the cards in his hand.
“Hah! You really are good. I’ve lost.”
“It was a wonderful match where neither of us could relax for even a moment, Your Majesty.”
This was no empty flattery.
Perhaps because of the setting in the romance fantasy <The Generous Young Lady Who Receives Everything> that the young lady was the strongest card player, the average skill level of the handsome men who loved her was also exceptionally high.
Proof of that:
5 wins, 2 losses.
One loss came from the face-down reversal technique, and the other from a slightly unfavorable hand that I barely lost by a hair.
In any case, two losses.
This was the first time anyone had inflicted so many defeats on me in card games.
“As promised, I will grant you the chance to treat my illness.”
“Thank you.”
“Must we move to the bedroom?”
“Yes. You may experience dizziness and collapse immediately after treatment.”
“Hmm. Very well.”
For me, the real game was only just beginning.
***
The king lay straight on a heavy, historic bed exuding old-world dignity.
Knights were stationed everywhere to ensure I didn’t try anything strange, and his only family—the princess—stood by with the maids.
“Just stay still?”
“Yes. Calm your mind like a tranquil lake and prepare for the shock.”
“…Can you tell me in advance how you plan to treat me?”
“I will now place my hand on Your Majesty’s forehead. That’s all.”
“And that alone will cure me?”
“Yes. It may be hard to believe.”
“Hmm… Go ahead. It’s not like you’re going to drill a hole in my forehead.”
“Thank you.”
Swish—
Under the watchful eyes of the knights glaring like they were ready to pounce, I carefully placed my right hand on the king’s forehead.
“Hm… Hmm?”
“How do you feel?”
“…It feels as though I’ve let go of all my worries—like being pleasantly drunk.”
“Now comes the real part.”
I had to shatter the world-setting that had bound the king’s mind.
“Begin.”
“Think of the young lady.”
“The young lady… Hmm?!”
“Do you still love her enough to give her everything you have?”
“…Just a moment ago, yes. But now… no. I can’t understand why I, who clung to her for so long, acted this way. Haha!”
Trickle.
Tears flowed from the king’s eyes as he muttered in a voice full of regret.
“It is a curse.”
“A curse…?”
“Yes. It is an extremely powerful curse, so Your Majesty’s own effort is required. You must look back on your feelings toward the young lady and completely let them go.”
“…So this is the moment to make the right judgment.”
“Exactly.”
Even as all kinds of emotions swirled in his mind, the king immediately understood my explanation. The original work must have had a setting that he was highly intelligent.
He had fallen deeply for a mediocre protagonist, which was far from intelligent—but let’s set that uncomfortable truth aside. They say love can turn even a genius into a fool.
“Knight Commander.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Sell off all the gifts that were meant for the young lady. Issue a recall order to our kingdom’s chefs, and invite unmarried noble ladies. I will fill the long-vacant position of queen, which I foolishly left empty while staring at only one woman.”
“Your Majesty, then the young lady—”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I will carry out the order immediately!”
He seemed far too old to produce an heir, but I decided to respect the judgment of a king who had endured for over thirty years.
“Now comes the real problem. Once the duchy realizes I’ve come to my senses, they will move. I’ve turned a blind eye to the duchy’s growth for far too long… No—more accurately, I have generously supported it…”
Merely loosening the shackles of the world-setting for a moment had turned this king into a wild horse unleashed—sharply alert and decisive.
“Your Majesty.”
“Ah! My apologies—I completely forgot about you. My heart feels so light that I lost track. Please stay just a little longer.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
At the king’s summons, numerous officials came and went from the bedroom.
Concessions granted for the young lady.
Diplomatic matters postponed because of the young lady.
The supply of handsome young men ordered by the young lady.
All the absurd issues that had ruined the nation while fattening only the duchy to which the young lady belonged were swiftly resolved.
‘This is insane.’
Even I—who know nothing about politics and love free things—couldn’t help but think it had gone too far.
And the ‘protagonist’ who had accepted all of this without ever giving anything in return was nothing less than the incarnation of a shameless pig.
“Finally… Count Amolang.”
“Yes?”
Since when was I a count?
“You have saved me and this nation. I will repay this debt gradually. Right now, there is no time for formalities. The duchy, carrying the young lady on its back, has grown far too powerful…”
The king’s expression was extremely grave.
“I see.”
“The duchy grew strong by selling the gifts we sent to the young lady. Meanwhile, we grew weaker.”
“What…”
The country did look as though it would collapse at the slightest push.
“The duchy has been secretly building up its military for a very long time. The number is excessive even for a mere escort guarding the world’s treasure, the young lady.”
“Ah!”
War!
It was a bit unusual for a patient who loved romance fantasy to prepare for violent war.
But since she herself wasn’t running around dangerous battlefields fighting, it made sense that she could go that far.
“We must join forces.”
“It seems so.”
To defeat the strong, the weak have no choice but to launch a cowardly joint attack.
“But the surrounding nations are still completely under the young lady’s thumb. We must liberate them as well.”
“I understand. Please just prepare the stage, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you so much!”
“Since Your Majesty’s thoughts seem settled, I will remove my hand now.”
“Wait!”
“Yes?”
“My heart might waver again, so I will give one final command. Aronia.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Though you met him today for the first time, what do you think of Count Amolang?”
“…I believe he is an outstanding man, more than worthy to be a husband.”
“Haha!”
The princess spoke in a calm tone devoid of any visible emotion, and the king burst into a delighted laugh.
Is this not too forced?
And no one even asked for my most important opinion.
(Handle it well.)
Yes.
I’m not shaken by something like this.
“This is the first time Aronia has given such a positive evaluation of a man.”
“It is an honor.”
“Once we overcome this crisis, I will entrust this child and the nation to you.”
“…My actions were not motivated by any expectation of reward.”
I humbly let it slide.
“Haha! That makes me like you even more! For the first time in my life of always giving, I find myself feeling greedy.”
“……”
“You may remove your hand now.”
“As you command.”
Swish—
The king frowned as the binding reasserted itself, but his expression was far brighter than when we first met.
“I think I understand now why you advised me to settle my heart before you withdrew your hand.”
“Is that so?”
Considering how the thief in the historical drama <Palace Maid Deok-chun> suffered a complete mental breakdown, this outcome was remarkably favorable. His mental fortitude was truly impressive.
(This is what comes from years of experience. Life wisdom born from things the world-setting cannot fill.)
That makes sense.
“I will prepare the stage. Most of them are rivals, so we are not close, but we share the same pain of growing old while obsessed with the same woman.”
“……”
Just hearing it is heartbreaking!
“We are no longer what we once were. The days of singing songs for the young lady and drawing our swords are long gone. All that remains is the strength to hold cards…”
“Your Majesty, please stay strong.”
If I keep listening, I feel like I might burst into tears.
“Aronia. Guide the Count to comfortable quarters.”
“Yes, Father.”
The princess, answering calmly, gave me a look that said to follow her.
Afterward,
“……”
“……”
After leaving the king’s bedroom, I walked side by side with the princess down the palace corridor.
Click-clack.
Her shoes echoed in the otherwise silent hallway.
“…Thank you.”
The princess was the first to speak.
“Hmm. I don’t recall doing anything for Your Highness.”
“My two fathers always spoke well of that greedy young lady. When I criticized her, they scolded me instead.”
“Ah!”
“Am I the strange one? Am I the only one who can’t see her charm? Am I too young to understand? I felt completely alone in the world.”
“You must have suffered greatly.”
“Can you understand how I feel, Count?”
“Of course.”
I had just obtained extremely important information.
The original world-setting.
An immutable law that the natives of that world can never break.
But it seemed the newer generation—like Princess Aronia, who did not exist in the original work—was almost completely, or entirely, unaffected by it.
“Really?”
“I’ve never met the young lady, but I think she is a shameless pig.”
“Pfft! Ahahaha!”
The princess—who had seemed like an emotionless doll—suddenly burst into laughter.
“……”
“I-I’m so sorry! Your words were so unexpected… It feels like the first time I’ve laughed in ages!”
“Please laugh often from now on. It’s good for your health.”
“Among all the men I know, you are the first, Count Amolang, to speak so openly and harshly about the young lady.”
“Is that so?”
Everyone, you’ve suffered so much under the world-setting!
But something felt a bit off. Shouldn’t all the younger generation around the princess’s age be free from the world-setting…?
(You pathetic fool. It means there isn’t a single man among them who qualifies as a spouse. You should at least understand that much!)
Ah-ha!
The princess has extremely high standards.
“Count Amolang. May I come to your room tonight with cards?”
“That would be fine.”
“You’re as straightforward as when you faced Father.”
“I was confident.”
I had shamelessly peeked at every single one of the king’s cards during the match.
“That’s a little mean. It sounds like you already know my feelings.”
“Hm?”
What does that mean?
“I’ll look forward to tonight, you sly Count.”
“……”
La~la~
After her laughter broke free, the princess—now brimming with emotion—waved warmly and left.
(You… let’s just not talk about it.)
Ah, why?
In any case, I felt deeply wronged.