Chapter 70 Enjoy!

(Katarina’s Perspective)

Margaret’s lots were obviously rigged, deliberately putting Ailena and me in the same group.

…How do I know? Well, didn’t she flash me a thumbs-up before we entered the forest?

That girl’s got an endless supply of sneaky tricks.

“Wuu…”

Beside me, Ailena clung to a tree, her legs trembling like a newborn calf—so utterly adorable.

I wanted to savor her frightened expression a bit longer, but Margaret and the others had waited long enough. It wouldn’t be fair to keep them waiting.

No choice, then. With a sigh, I resorted to drastic measures.

Mimicking how Ailena used to carry me when I was little, I scooped her up into a princess carry.

She froze for a moment before her face flushed red, panic setting in.

…As expected, my Ailena is the cutest in the world, no matter how you look at it.

But she was still quite resistant to the princess carry…

Well, that was within my expectations.

My goal wasn’t really to carry her—though emotionally, I’d love to. Rationally, it’s not practical; it’d make handling sudden situations tricky.

…And Margaret’s group is definitely up to something in there.

So… my real aim was to hold her hand!

They say people compromise. If she refuses a princess carry, she’s more likely to accept hand-holding.

And, oh, Ailena’s hand is so soft.

Is every part of her this soft? I’ll have to explore that later…

For now, into the forest we go.

Hand in hand, we began the so-called “test of courage.”

****

(Still Katarina’s Perspective)

“Rustle…”

“…”

Even the slightest breeze or rustling grass made Ailena tense up.

She was like a small animal, nervously glancing around, as if expecting a big bad wolf to leap out and gobble her up.

She’s faced powerful demons without so much as flinching, yet now she’s this scared?

“Pfft…”

I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

“Milady, what’s so funny?!”

“Nothing, really. I just feel like I’m getting to know you better, and it makes me happy.”

‘This side of you… you don’t need to know at all.’

What’s that? I want to know everything about Ailena, every single part of her.

“Ugh…”

Ailena was at a loss for words… Is she blushing? It’s too dark to tell.

Oh well, let’s keep moving.

“Eek!?”

Suddenly, Ailena let out a shriek.

Before I could even ask “What’s wrong?”, she leapt onto me, clutching my wrist tightly.

Something soft and springy locked around my right arm, and my whole body froze.

Forcing a shocked expression, I asked:

“W-What’s… wrong, Ailena?”

She looked at me, tears welling in her eyes.

“Just… just now, something… slimy and cold… touched my shoulder!”

“…?”

I glanced around and spotted a floppy brown object dangling in the air.

Is that… konjac?

On closer inspection, it had stringy threads hanging from it.

No doubt about it—this was Margaret’s doing.

“Ailena… don’t be scared. It’s actually—”

“Wuu…”

I was about to reassure her, but seeing her eyes squeezed shut and her pitiful expression, paired with the dreamy sensation on my arm, the little devil in me woke up.

Let’s not tell her just yet. I’ll enjoy this a bit longer.

“…”

“Eek!?”

“Wah!?”

“Is that… a ghost light?”

“No way!”

“…”

“Hah… hah…”

Finally, we reached the dilapidated mansion.

Margaret’s trio seemed to have been waiting for a while… but why were they all smirking?

Wasn’t it supposed to be scary? That slimy, unknown thing on Ailena’s shoulder, the white shadow darting through the trees, and even those blue flames that appeared out of nowhere!

I was starting to wonder if there really were ghosts!

I lost count of how many times I cried from fright… It was pure torture.

If it weren’t for milady by my side, I’d never have made it this far.

“Phew… it’s over now, right? I want to go back…”

But Margaret saw right through my thoughts.

“What’re you thinking? This is the main event!”

She pointed at the rundown mansion behind her.

“Don’t tell me… we have to go inside?”

“Of course! Come on, let’s go!”

“No way, no way, no way!”

…

In the end, I was pushed inside.

Staying outside alone would’ve been even scarier. In this kind of place, I’d probably lose my mind.

But the moment I stepped in, I regretted it.

Peeling walls, creaking rotten floorboards underfoot, and the pervasive stench of mold—the eerie atmosphere was worse than outside.

In this dim environment, our only light source was Margaret’s tiny flashlight.

Perhaps sensing my tension, milady squeezed my hand a little tighter.

A small wave of comfort washed over me…

“Hm? What’s that? Something white…?”

But that comfort was instantly shattered by Margaret.

“Don’t scare me! If I don’t look, it doesn’t exist!”

“No… but, can you all see it?”

“Seems like… there’s really something there?”

Even Olivia confirmed it… I hesitantly opened my eyes and saw—

At the end of the hallway, a figure in white stood.

“Margaret… this isn’t one of your tricks, is it?”

“What’re you talking about? I just got here—when would I have had time to set this up?”

“Could it be…?”

Realizing something, all five of us bolted.

No one noticed that the ghostly figure reached out, whimpering pitifully:

“Wuu… I just wanted to play along…”

****

Late at night…

That ghostly figure lingered in my mind, refusing to fade, keeping me from sleep.

With no other choice, I grabbed my pillow and crept to milady’s bedside.

“Milady, are you still awake?”

“Mm… what’s wrong, Ailena?”

It was hard to say, but…

“Milady… can I… sleep with you? I can’t fall asleep.”

“Hm? Of course you can!”

Her voice suddenly rose, but realizing others were in the room, she quickly covered her mouth.

Then, she lifted her blanket and patted the spot beside her, inviting me in.

Without hesitation, I slipped in.

“Want to hold hands?”

“Mm.”

Her fingers intertwined with mine, and my restless heart began to settle.

“It’s hard to tell which of us is younger like this.”

“Hehe.”

Milady suddenly giggled.

“…?”

I looked at her, confused.

“It’s just… sleeping openly with you like this hasn’t happened in so long.”

“Now that you mention it, milady, it does feel like it’s been a while.”

A touch of nostalgia hit me.

“I’m really happy, Ailena.”

“Me too, milady.”

“Hehe.”

Her laughter rang out again… it felt like we’d gone back in time.

“Well then… goodnight, Ailena.”

“Mm… goodnight, milady.”

My tense nerves finally relaxed, and I drifted into a deep sleep.

****

“What? The Tentacle King was taken out?”

“Ugh, my poor child, barely born and causing no chaos yet.”

The white-haired woman, eyes closed, wore a mournful expression but spoke without emotion.

“Was it her doing again? The Red Dragon before this, too… She really has no self-awareness.”

The bespectacled woman frowned deeply.

“Not noticing works in our favor—it makes her easier to use.”

The dark-haired man swirled his wine glass, chuckling lightly.

“I don’t care about your complicated schemes. If they’re useless to the King, they die. If they’re useful, they live.”

The red-haired woman, hefting a large club over her shoulder, scoffed.

“Heh, speaking of which, wasn’t that one you dealt with?”

“Hmph. A traitor mixing with humans, trying to live like one—what’s the point of keeping them?”

“Reassuring as always~ Leave the cleanup to you, then~”

“Let those humans enjoy their fleeting good days… It’s just the false peace we’ve granted them.”