Chapter 11

“Princess, if you could give a kiss on the cheek to your beloved fiancé, I would be truly grateful.”

Me, boldly asking the princess for a kiss on the cheek as a wish.

“……Are you out of your mind?”

Naturally, Rebecca looked at me like I was a lunatic.

Her expression was filled with disdain, as if saying, “What kind of crazy person exists in this world?”

If Rebecca made that face at someone she just met, that person would probably run out crying.

Her gaze was that intense.

“No, I am perfectly sane right now.”

But despite Rebecca’s reaction, I decided to push forward confidently.

Sometimes, shamelessness can be the best weapon.

The princess’s expression grew even more unpleasant.

“A sane person… wishes for a kiss as their wish?”

“Yes.”

I nodded confidently.

“……”

Rebecca now looked at me as if I were not just a lunatic, but something beyond human.

“One of the only two ducal families in the Empire, the Valencia Duchy’s only daughter, and your wish is just a kiss on the cheek?”

“Yes, is that not allowed?”

“Of course not! Ask for something else.”

As expected, Rebecca’s rejection was stronger than I thought.

Well, to Rebecca, ‘Albert Zernias’ was the enemy who had been defeating her and flicking her forehead for three years.

There was no trace of the sweet, fluttering feelings that should exist between fiancés.

No one in the world would want to kiss their enemy.

But.

I wasn’t the type to give up in the face of such trials.

“If the princess doesn’t want to, as I said earlier, you can just let it go. But then, I might not grant your wish the next time you lose.”

“No, it’s not that I won’t grant your wish…”

“Refusing the wish I asked for is the same as not granting it, isn’t it?”

“……”

Rebecca seemed at a loss for words against my flawless logic.

She looked like she had a lot to say but couldn’t bring herself to say it.

If she argued, there was nothing wrong with what I said.

If she didn’t argue, it seemed like she would have to kiss me.

The princess’s face was filled with all the worries in the world.

“……Do you really want my kiss that much?”

“Of course.”

“Why? Do you like me?”

“Of…”

Oops.

I almost got swept up in the moment and said yes.

‘……Absolutely not. I can’t give her any leverage.’

Until the princess’s annoying personality changed, I would never admit to liking Rebecca.

Otherwise, I might end up being controlled by her for the rest of my life.

“……No. Why would I like you, Princess?”

“Then why…”

Why are you so obsessed with a kiss on the cheek?

Just by looking at the princess’s eyes, I could guess what she was going to say next.

So, before Rebecca could finish, I started answering her question.

“If the princess does something embarrassing like kissing me, wouldn’t you be too afraid to challenge me again?”

“……So, you’re saying you made this bet because you’re tired of me always challenging you?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

“……”

Rebecca looked deeply hurt by that statement.

At the same time, a hint of disappointment flashed across her face.

As if she was disappointed that I had said such a thing.

That fleeting expression of disappointment disappeared in an instant, and the princess herself seemed unaware that she had made such a face.

But my eyes, always focused on the princess, caught even the smallest changes, and I didn’t want to see Rebecca feeling disappointed, so I quickly changed the subject.

“Actually, I was curious about something.”

“……What is it?”

“Other nobles or ladies casually engage in small physical contact with their fiancés, but you and I have never done anything like that, have we?”

“That’s… true.”

Finally, Rebecca showed a slightly understanding expression.

Seeing Rebecca’s mood improve a bit, I also felt better.

In that sense, I boldly made my request again.

“So, please grant my wish quickly, Princess.”

“……Don’t you have anything else? If you want small physical contact, there are other things like holding hands or hugging.”

Realizing that simply saying she didn’t want to do it wouldn’t convince me, Rebecca offered a compromise.

“No, I don’t want that. I want a kiss on the cheek filled with the princess’s love.”

Of course, I wasn’t going to accept that.

“……”

The princess still seemed reluctant, fidgeting with her fingers.

Her expression was as cute as a guilty kitten, but I couldn’t let that cuteness make me give up my wish.

“Hesitating to give your fiancé a simple kiss on the cheek. You’re disappointing me again this time.”

“……What did you say?”

As always, I had touched Rebecca’s pride.

The effect was immediate.

“……Come here. I’ll do it quickly and get it over with.”

Rebecca, whose pride had been hurt, immediately gestured for me to come closer to kiss her.

‘……Is she really a robot?’

As I always thought, there was no more effective method for Rebecca, who was driven by pride and competitiveness.

“Since it’s the princess doing it, shouldn’t you come to me?”

“……Just you wait. When I win next time, I’ll make you wish for something so embarrassing you might die of shame.”

The princess spoke with eyes and expression full of murderous intent.

It was terrifying.

So terrifying that I blurted out my thoughts.

“I’m so scared, Princess. The fact that you, who have never beaten me, are saying such things makes me so scared I don’t know what to do.”

“……”

Shake shake-

Rebecca trembled with anger, as if she was about to lose her mind.

The trembling was so intense that it reached me, standing right next to her.

She was like a volcano about to erupt.

“Hurry up. Didn’t you say you’d do it as quickly as possible?”

“……Don’t rush me. I’ll do it, so just wait quietly.”

Huu-

Rebecca let out a deep sigh, as if the moment had finally come.

“……I’ll do it.”

Declaring that she would do it, Rebecca approached me with eyes filled with the intent to get revenge on me someday.

“Understood, so hurry up and do it.”

“……”

Of course, as I said earlier, I wasn’t scared at all.

‘……Wait, did I say I was scared earlier?’

Momentarily confused by a bout of youthful dementia, I suddenly heard Rebecca’s breathing next to me.

Rebecca’s gaze was entirely focused on me.

Meeting her eyes, I was reminded of something.

“……You’re beautiful.”

“……?!”

Rebecca’s face turned bright red, as if wondering why I was saying such a thing.

“But it’s true.”

I was just speaking my mind.

Rebecca, who had come close to kiss my cheek, was truly beautiful.

Her clear, bright red eyes were so clear that I could see my reflection in them.

Her cheeks, flushed red from my earlier words, matched her red hair, giving off a mysterious vibe.

And her lips, pursed in embarrassment, were incredibly cute.

‘……Am I being a bit of a pervert?’

I didn’t think it was normal for me to be describing all this in detail.

But what could I do? I was just stating the facts.

“……Just stay still.”

“Yes.”

Rebecca took another deep breath.

After a moment of deep breathing, she quickly approached me without hesitation.

Peck-

The princess’s lips made a soft sound as they touched my cheek.

As for my feelings… there weren’t any.

‘……It’s soft.’

I could feel the softness of Rebecca’s lips through the touch on my cheek.

The contact was too brief.

And due to the nature of human cheeks, I couldn’t fully feel it.

“……Is that it?”

Finally done, Rebecca asked me with a completely red face.

I decided to applaud her.

“Yes. Well done, Princess.”

“When I win next time, I’ll make you wish for something several times more…”

“……?”

Rebecca, who was vowing revenge, suddenly stopped speaking.

Her eyes were trembling, and she was looking not at me, but at the door.

‘What’s at the door……’

Following Rebecca’s gaze, I also looked at the door.

‘……Ah.’

Only then did I realize why Rebecca had suddenly stopped speaking.

“……”

Dorothy, Rebecca’s personal maid, was peeking through the door, looking at us.

“Dorothy…? From where… did you… see?”

Rebecca asked in a trembling voice, desperately hoping that Dorothy hadn’t seen what she thought she had.

But the princess’s prayers were in vain.

“……”

Dorothy, the princess’s maid, said,

“I… I didn’t see anything! I didn’t see the young lady kissing Prince Albert!!”

And with that, she ran out the door.

“Ah…”

Rebecca’s face turned as red as if it was about to burst.

There was no point in saying anything more.

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