"U… uuum"

I wonder how long I was sleeping. When I woke up it was so bright, I"d be hard-pressed to say it"s morning.
I remember doing it until the early morning. No matter how many times I appealed that it was impossible, he wouldn"t listen, it truly lasted until morning.
I was made to do various things… Positions I haven"t experienced even in my previous life, we did this and that… I don"t even remember just how many times we did it. I didn"t even have energy to resist being indulged in as he pleased, how could he go this far.
Early in the morning, when I cried and begged him to let me go already, Freed

"That"s not right, is it. You"re pleading for one more time? If you do it well, I"ll let it end after one more"

said such an unexpected thing.
Even though I was doubtful, wanting to finish I persevered, but it seemed to have the opposite effect,
"Lidi instigated me, so it can"t be helped" "After all it wasn"t enough" and so on, I was told that…. Ah jeez, just recalling it is embarra.s.sing.

"It was terrible…"

Every part of my body is screaming in pain.
I like s.e.x with Freed, but couldn"t he do something about this number of times.
Even if it"s good at first, partway through it becomes impossible to keep up. And then I get muscle pain.

Or rather, is this normal in this world?
I haven"t thought about it deeply until now, but I wonder how these things are.
In my previous life two times a night was plenty, but I wonder if it"s no longer this easy.
Ah, but, had I blown him, it might have been even worse.
I"m truly glad now I haven"t tried it.

I sighed and tried moving my body, but predictably I was restricted by Freed and couldn"t move. I thought he was pretending be asleep, but from his steady sleep breathing it doesn"t seem so.
Come to think of it, I casually thought.
On our first meeting at the masquerade ball I slipped out while he was sleeping like this. Only about a month has pa.s.sed, yet it feels like it"s been ages ago.

The restraint of Freed"s arm doesn"t weaken.
Judging it impossible to escape from the restraint of a soldier in active duty, I gave up on it and took the opportunity to carefully observe him.

I gazed at the man, who boasts a flawlessly beautiful face, sleeping peacefully in front of me.
Even when he"s asleep his face is handsome. The usual blue eyes, that give the impression of a turquoise sea, are now closed.
Instead his considerably long eyelashes can be seen well. The nose is straight, the mouth tightened.
His light golden hair that grew in the past month fall on his face creating such an alluring atmosphere I got s.h.i.+vers. Involuntarily I remembered last night"s love affair and heat gathered on my face.

"Uuuu… This isn"t good"

For now I understood that a beauty is a beauty no matter what they do.
Even asleep, he makes for a perfect picture.

After finis.h.i.+ng observing Fred, I tried slipping out of his arms for real.
It might be possible to call Clara here with magic, but I can"t do it, nor do I want to be seen in this state with p.r.o.nounced traces from the love affair.
Be that as it may, I have a problem with waiting for him to get up. The time is already before noon.
After short consideration, I decided to wake Freed up.
Because I thought it"d be bad to wake him up, I stayed quiet, but upon careful consideration he is to blame.
Because he"ll be reaping what he sowed, I decided I don"t have to expressly worry.

"Alright"

I agreed with this theory and at once pushed his arm to shake it off my chest.

"Hey Freed, wake up. It"s just before noon. Shouldn"t you go to work?"

Oou… It"s a newlywed"s line.
… I dealt myself damage saying it, and though I sighed, I continued shaking him.

"Nn…"

After groaning several times and knitting his eyebrows, Freed slowly opened his eyes.
When our eyes met, his lips loosened, and he softly laughed.
His sweet voice resounding in my eardrums was enough to make me s.h.i.+ver.

"… Good morning, Lidi"
"Goo… Good morning"

That"s bad… My heart throbbed a little.
Freed"s gentler than usual expression and a slightly husky voice from waking up was terrible for my heart.
Without knowing my inner turmoil, Freed asked a question absentmindedly.
The gesture of him brus.h.i.+ng up his hair looked shockingly s.e.xy.

"… What time is it?"
"Just before noon… Hey, is it okay not to do your duties?"

As I asked Freed frowned a little.
His expression says he doesn"t want to hear of it much.

"Hmm, I think I"ve done enough in advance yesterday, so I"ll be okay till noon though. Alex is also there… Lidi? Is your body alright?"
"If you"re asking this, I wish you"d have spared me a little…"

I"m astounded by Freed caring about my physical condition, still I answered.

"All over my body muscles hurt. Especially my hips and abdomen are sore… You absolutely overdid it"
"It"s Lidi"s fault for being cute. With such reaction it"s impossible for a man not to respond"
"… What"s with that. What a strange theory"

When I protested like this, Freed laughed a little and b.u.mped our foreheads.
Such a gesture also felt curiously sweet, and I felt strangely embarra.s.sed.
I don"t know how much he noticed, but while tightly hugging me he whispered into my ear.

"Fufu… Lidi had told me a rare okay, I"d thought it"d be a waste not to enjoy you to my heart"s content"
"… Jeez"

As Freed said thank you with a sweet smile, I became even more bashful.
… What is this.
It"s extremely embarra.s.sing!!
Freed"s voice is sweet like a water saturated with sugar, I was so bashful I couldn"t even make fun of it.
My brain is already on the verge of bursting from this situation more embarra.s.sing than s.e.x.
When I fell silent unable to bear the bashfulness, Freed kissed my cheek.

"Fufu, this much should be fine. Your ears are bright red. If you react any more cutely, I"ll want to do it again"
"… Au"

d.a.m.n it, after all it was on purpose.
As he seemed to thoroughly enjoy my reaction, I felt exhausted.

"Excuse me… already. I"m worn out from the morning…"
"Is that so? I"m in perfect form. It"s Lidi"s effect"

Certainly, his complexion looks good, with how lively he is I remember yesterday"s story.

"Is that… about the control of divine power you talked about yesterday?"
"Yes. With the "King"s Flower" there"s no problem in control itself, but. By holding Lidi my libido is reduced, and my condition improves even further"
"No surprise doing it this much … Rather, Freed. We haven"t used any contraception… Is it okay to have a child before marriage?"

I wonder if it isn"t bad.
It"s something I"ve been worrying for a long time, so I thought of taking the opportunity to ask.
Freed tilted his head at my question like he didn"t understand what I said.

"Why not? I"d be happy having a child at any time"
"He… Ah… I, see"

Not understanding why Freed hasn"t used contraception even once, I"ve been meaning to question him about it, but as he affirmed it as it was natural there was nothing more I could ask.

… I see, Freed would be happy.

I incessantly blinked my eyes. I felt unexpectedly shaken.
I was shocked by myself when I noticed I felt happy about his words.
Moreover, I thought it"s okay, even if he answered carelessly.
… What in the world is happening. I don"t understand myself.

"Lidi?"
"It… It it, it"s nothing"
"I see, then that"s fine, but Lidi…"
"He, hey Freed! Let"s get up soon!"

Not wanting to continue this talk, I desperately changed the subject.
I brought the topic up myself, but I wanted to avoid stirring up further trouble for myself.
I only have a bad feeling about the future.

"… I get it"

Even though Freed smiled bitterly at my suggestion, he nodded and, firmly supporting me, raised me.
Then, calmly asked a question while fixedly looking at me.

"Hey Lidi, are you going home?"
"Eh… Yup, that"s what I"m planning"

I was relieved the topic changed, so I responded honestly to Freed"s question.
I stayed here because I promised, but I don"t intend to remain here.
Thinking so I nodded, but Freed"s face became visibly displeased.

"Freed?"
"… Why? Lidi has already been recognized as my Princess Consort. It"s not necessary to expressly go back"

For some reason I was blamed in a strong tone. Although I was bewildered by his appearance, I stated my point.

"Eh, yes, but, I"m still a fiancée"

Because we"re not married, I"ll continue going back home.
Personally I thought it was a proper reason. That"s why I gave this answer, however Freed doesn"t seem to think so. That"s wrong, he shook his head.

"Even thought the "King"s Flower" is there? n.o.body will question you staying here all the time. Lidi knows it too, right?"
"I know… but"

I can understand his point.
With the existence of the "King"s Flower" exposed, even if I"m actually a fiancée, I"ll be treated completely as Freed"s Princess Consort inside the castle. And that means people who would raise their eyebrows will stop.

Staring fixedly at me, Freed clearly conveyed his words.

"Certainly, Lidi"s position is still my fiancée, so you could return home if you wanted. But, I don"t want to return Lidi. I"d hate coming back to this room without Lidi here… Hey? The one month of separation was unbearable. I don"t want to separate anymore. So please, stay here?"
"… Uu"

I couldn"t find words for his serious request.
If it was said as a joke I believe I"d easily refuse, but being told that with an unexpectedly serious face I had no idea what to do.

"Lidi. I want to be with Lidi. Does Lidi not think like that a little?"

Being told that in a seemingly sad voice, I reflexively denied.

"That"s not the case! But…"

Noticing my slip of the tongue, my voice faded.
Grasping my hands, Freed continued.

"In that case, it"s fine, right?"
"But… um"

The unusual enunciation is bad, since I can"t truly find it unpleasant.
Being at Freed"s side is pleasant. That"s why I won"t say I don"t want to stay.
Still, I looked at Freed appealingly.

"… It"s not unpleasant, but after getting married I won"t be able to return to the ducal residence often… So I want to stay there until the last minute, but is it useless I wonder"

As Freed said I could go home, there"s no rule that a fiancée has to stay in the Royal Palace before the marriage ceremony. So if possible, I"d like to go home.

With how Freed is right now, he"s quite capable of locking me in his room.
I want to avoid it.
I want to go out to have fun in town, there are countless things I want to do.
I wish I wouldn"t get imprisoned here without any preparations.

"I understand Lidi"s feelings. But, I want to stay at Lidi"s side"

Freed put strength into his hands clearly demonstrating his intent without taking a step back.
Our positions draw perfect parallel lines. Because I also don"t feel like yielding.

"Uuu… Then, why don"t we do this?"

Thinking we"re making no progress, I spoke so.

"Lidi?"
"I want to go home. Freed wants me to stay here. Our opinions don"t mesh. Then, let"s have a match? If you dislike me going home, stop me. If I"m stopped, Freed wins. As I can"t return, I"ll stay here. But, if I return home I win, so let me stay home normally then"

The time limit is until Freed finishes office duties today.

When I announced that, Freed stared at my face fixedly.
As he looked into my eyes trying to read my intention, without averting my gaze I stared back.

Before long, Freed sighed as if he gave up.
I guess he understand I won"t pull back no matter what, similar to him.

"… If I keep Lidi in my room until then, will it be my victory?"
"Yup. If Freed comes back, I"ll have no choice but to give up for today… Well, we"ll think about tomorrow"s matter tomorrow?"
"… Can I use court ladies, Royal Guard, everything?"
"Of course. It"s such a game. No matter what you use I won"t call it unfair"

In exchange, don"t get mad when my means get exposed.
While I muttered so on the inside I nodded, to which Freed made a dubious face.

"… Is it not too advantageous to me?"

I knew he"d say that. That"s why I carefully chose words.

"… Right. That"s why I have one condition. Until Freed comes back, I want to be alone in the room"
"Lidi… Are you scheming something?"

Freed tried to read between the lines of me wanting to be left alone.
Then I answered with a broad smile.

"Even if I do, I can"t go home if I can"t leave from here. Rest a.s.sured, I"ll leave a letter behind when I go home, and I"ll contact you when I get there"
"… That will be Lidi"s victory declaration. I understand. Certainly, if we talk any more there"ll be no end to it, so this is fine…. I won"t let you escape"
"I also won"t be detained so easily. Escaping is my strong point"
"Lidi already escaped me twice, so I"d like to stop the third time"

While hugging me, Freed laughed troubledly.

Certainly, I"ve escaped twice, however it"s quite embarra.s.sing to say that I"ve suffered a decisive defeat once.
It wasn"t long ago that he pinpointed my ident.i.ty and forced me into the engagement.

"When are we starting?"
"When Freed"s goes to the office… Hey, I"m hungry, so why don"t we for now eat something?"

In the middle of our talk my stomach made a rumbling sound and silence spread for a moment.
I really wish my stomach wouldn"t rumble during such a talk.
Just how much it cannot read the air, this stomach of mine.

As I hung my head from the embarra.s.sment at this worst timing, for some reason my head was stroked.

"Kuku… Fine, I"ll contact Clara so let"s have a lunch a little earlier"
"… P l e a s e"

His laugh made me even more embarra.s.sed.
Still, because it"s the truth I"ve become hungry I nodded my head, and to deal the final blow I was stroked with cute, cute.

Call for Clara and eat the lunch.

―――― Then, the match starts.

… Sorry, Freed.
I"ll use whatever means I can.

―――― I don"t feel like being a captive just yet.