Chapter 104

She was also incredibly annoying.

At the same time, from an angle unnoticed by Livra, the Shaya doll faded into a translucent shadow and vanished.

In its place, the real Shaya—eyes regaining their brilliance—stood, alive and genuine!

She rose on her tiptoes and tapped Livra’s shoulder from behind. Livra’s previously “arrogant” expression immediately turned pale—she thought Princess Sheffy had chased after her!

Although she knew that Princess Sheffy had a heart that longed for peace, that teasing gaze of hers, combined with the overwhelming pressure from her six wings, still sent chills down Livra’s spine!

But as she turned around for a glance—thankfully.

It wasn’t the terrifying Princess Sheffy, but the adorable and lively Miss Shaya!

“Phew… Miss Shaya, why were you hiding back there? You scared me to death.”

“Hiding? Was I hiding?”

“N-Not really? But I didn’t see you just now…”

“?”

The one involved was muddled, while the observer saw it all clearly.

They didn’t understand, but Xiarette had clearly seen it—just now, Sheffy had been hidden from Livra’s line of sight by a stone pillar because she was too short.

She really hadn’t been intentionally hiding, and it wasn’t that Livra had poor eyesight either.

Seeing that everyone was now gathered, Livra scratched the back of her head with her left hand and finally let out a silly laugh.

“Ahaha… I was pretty lucky today. It seems our communication with Princess Sheffy went well.”

“Not bad at all!” Shaya didn’t hold back her praise, giving Livra a thumbs-up. “Congratulations, Livra! You survived—how wonderful! You know, even a mouse that sneaks in through that door would be killed by the witch, but you made it out alive. You’re way better than a mouse!”

“Uuu… Thank you, Miss Shaya, but hearing your praise somehow makes me feel… not happy at all…!”

It’s okay, Livra. What I said wasn’t that you’re just a little better than a mouse—you’re much better!

Livra felt that if she continued conversing with Miss Shaya for too long, her worldview might collapse, so she decided it would be best to report the current situation to Lady Xiarette to help calm her emotions.

“It’s like this, Lady Xiarette. Her Highness Sheffy has placed considerable trust in us, and I also hope we can place our trust in her. So, if you’re ready, please find an appropriate time to release her as soon as possible. And after releasing her, there’s no need to restrict her freedom anymore. I think… she’ll know what to do.”

“I understand. Since Her Highness says so, I won’t ask further. The sealing barrier can be lifted within the next couple of days.”

“Mm, please inform me ahead of time when that happens. I will return here to represent the royal bloodline of the Kingdom of Aurus and welcome Princess Sheffy’s return to freedom.”

Alright, Shaya felt at ease upon hearing those words.

Just don’t forget to bring your fish—and your horse—when the time comes.

The fish were to be released into the lake, and the horse was for pulling the donut cart.

The three of them followed the lantern-lit sides of the underground labyrinth and returned to the surface.

As they stepped onto the forest stairs and were bathed once more in sunlight, Livra raised her hand to shield herself from the sun. Dappled shadows from the trees fell over her as she took a deep breath of fresh air, feeling as though she had survived a great ordeal.

Shaya was already dreaming about a beautiful future.

Unexpectedly, just as Livra stretched toward the sky and ended her yawn, she turned back and brought up the topic.

“Miss Shaya, Princess Sheffy specifically asked me to bring you some donuts and live fish.”

“No need. I am a person of great moral integrity. I don’t need such unwarranted gifts. Please, don’t give me anything.”

“Really… I see… then, never mind. I thought you liked those things…”

“No, while I don’t need them, they would help me out a lot right now. Thank you for your gift.”

“……”

Even receiving a gift must be done with dignity and refinement.

One mustn’t accept gifts sheepishly—they must stand upright, with a grand soul!

What, just because one is short, does that mean their soul can’t stand tall?

Upon hearing Miss Shaya say she could accept the gift, Livra finally relaxed.

Because even if Princess Sheffy hadn’t made those requests… Livra still would have wanted to do something for Miss Shaya, to thank her for the example she had set for the kingdom—and for herself.

There was no need to elaborate on Shaya’s contributions to the kingdom.

If not for those deeds, Father wouldn’t have granted her the dual honors of being both a knight of the kingdom and an earl.

But what moved Livra the most… was the personal impact Shaya had on her.

That moment when Jeffriel attacked the royal capital and unleashed the black hole domain—Miss Shaya had charged into the black hole without hesitation. That scene still replayed in Livra’s mind from time to time. She couldn’t imagine that such fearless bravery could exist in this world!

With such a small body… yet she bore the responsibility of protecting her family, bringing Livra’s own ideal of “punishing evil and protecting loved ones” to life in the most vivid way!

It was for this reason that, when facing Princess Sheffy earlier, Livra had spoken without hesitation or shame: “Miss Shaya is my admiration, my role model.”

With her hands behind her back—

A playful breeze, weaving through lakes and forests, lifted Livra’s ink-black hair.

Under the midday sun, her already carefree, butterfly-like expression looked even more free and unburdened.

“When Lady Xiarette releases Princess Sheffy, please don’t worry too much. She’s far gentler than we imagined—not nearly as cruel as the rumors suggest.”

Xiarette and Shaya exchanged a glance while Livra spoke wistfully, and then both of them smiled at each other.

—And Xiarette followed up with this rhetorical question, fully aware of the answer.

“And what makes Your Highness think that? I still feel the Demon Clan Princess is quite dangerous.”

“No… she’s not dangerous! My instincts are telling me! She really isn’t like that!”

Livra, clearly worried that Xiarette might refuse to release the Demon Clan Princess, spoke anxiously while waving her hands quickly, trying to explain the entire course of events as she had seen them.

“Just like I said earlier… Princess Sheffy could understand Miss Shaya’s needs—she can genuinely empathize with others. That kind of quality could never belong to someone who’s calculating and evil! I know you might worry she’s just putting on an act to gain her freedom. And I also know it’s irresponsible of me to speak so definitively… but I can’t explain this instinct I have… I’ve been like this since I was a child. I’m sure—she wasn’t lying, I…!”

“Alright, alright, Your Highness, don’t worry. I understand. As a subordinate, I don’t need to question your decision. If you and His Majesty issue the command, my agreement isn’t required.”

“But we still should ask for Lady Xiarette’s opinion—you’re the pillar of the kingdom, after all!”

Any other royal probably would have put on airs, saying a few diplomatic words at best.

But Princess Livra gave off a completely different feeling. She wasn’t proud just because she was royalty—she was willing to open her heart and speak as an equal with anyone who had contributed to the nation.

“Pfft… Your Highness is getting better and better at speaking.”

“Hehe… People have to grow, right?”

As she said this, Livra’s gaze naturally drifted toward the innocent Miss Shaya.

Shaya furrowed her brow, hands behind her head.

You’re growing—so what’s that got to do with me?

Whether it did or not… well, only Livra would know that~

Such good news—Livra couldn’t wait to share it with her father and mother. After all, they were still anxiously waiting. Right now, they were probably stuck wondering whether their daughter would return home as a corpse or come bouncing back full of life.

She was already making the motion to dash back the way they came.

But Livra suddenly stopped in her tracks. There was something she thought she should mention in advance.

“Um… about this weekend’s arena event, we’ll try to reach an understanding with Princess Sheffy. If she’s willing, even if just for fun, we hope she can make an appearance in the arena grounds. After all, that was a promise we made to Princess Belith…”

“Mm, what Your Highness says is absolutely right. Moreover, if Princess Sheffy appears at the arena grounds, we’ll be able to handle the Holy Theocracy more flexibly. However, if that’s the case, the royal family and the knight order must ensure security at the venue—there must be no mistakes. We especially need to be vigilant toward the guests from the Theocracy’s side. I feel… they most likely harbor ill intentions.”

“Yes, I have that feeling too. Even the Pope said he plans to come in person this time… That elevates what was supposed to be just an entertainment event to the level of national strategy. It’s really hard to say… Ahaha… but thinking that far ahead is premature. Right now, we don’t even know if Her Highness Sheffy wants to attend. If she doesn’t, we won’t force her. We’ll just have to come up with another plan!”

Shaya leaned against a tree, listening quietly to the conversation.

In her deep gaze, it seemed as if the shimmer of gold coins flickered!

She finally spoke.

“Livra, I’m curious, so let me ask you something—since this match is supposed to be such a high-level event, I assume the prize money must be substantial?”

“P-prize money?”

Livra was a bit caught off guard by the question.

But since Shaya had asked, she emptied her mind and focused on recalling the details.

“Mm… I think I heard something about it before. The organizers—those big merchants—heard that both national leaders would be attending, so they spared no expense. Last week’s arena match only had a few dozen gold coins…? I heard this time, it’ll be the same.”

“Pfft~ That’s so boring.”

“The amount’s the same, but the gold coins have been changed to white gold coins.”

“Leave it to me.”

“Eh?”

Leave it to you… what?

Miss Shaya patted her own flat little chest, and a crisp, soul-wrenching echo rang through the forest.

“I’ve been getting along quite well with that witch Sheffy lately! If I persuade her to join, there’s no way it’ll go wrong!”

“Really…! Ah… I think I heard Princess Sheffy say that too—she mentioned she’d had some interaction with Miss Shaya recently. If that’s true, that’s amazing news!”

“Hmph hmph hmph, just leave it to me. I’m someone who does what I say!”

“As expected of Miss Shaya! You’re incredible!”

Xiarette, standing nearby, watched…

Her twitching eyebrows hadn’t stopped jumping the whole time.

Honestly, Sheffy…

You little money-grubber!

Is your big sister not able to feed you anymore?!

Xiarette was already planning to go back and dig through her coin pouch, pull out a shiny white gold coin, and smack it right onto Sheffy’s face!

21. Report

“Heave-ho! Aaah…! I’m alive, I’m alive again! Xia, your big soft bed really is the best. Only someone truly sick would go diving into a fire cage by choice! Hehe… And I even got a white gold coin—today’s been such a happy day.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re happy. The price was nearly scaring Princess Livra to death.”

“To gain fleeting happiness at such a cost—worth it. Livra, rest in peace.”

“……”

As expected of you—building joy on someone else’s suffering was exactly Sheffy’s creed.

And Princess Livra is perfectly fine, thank you very much! Why is she being told to rest in peace!?

By dusk.

After acting all day, Sheffy was completely worn out.

She still hadn’t changed out of her imposing, Gothic-style pitch-black dress. She kicked off her shoes and flopped onto the bed with a loud thump, going completely still.

Xiarette searched her wallet, found a white gold coin, and handed it to Sheffy. Without so much as a word, Princess Sheffy clutched the coin and held it high, her eyes bursting with a dazzling golden brilliance!

Xiarette closed her wallet and handed over the coin without the slightest hint of reluctance.

After all, her money was also Sheffy’s money~ Sooner or later, it was all going to be spent on food for her anyway, so what did it matter?

Sheffy lay on her back, playing with the white gold coin in her hand, while Xiarette stood at the wooden table making a cup of hot tea. Her peripheral vision was drawn again and again by Sheffy’s two little snow-white feet—sometimes pressed together in the middle, sometimes separating with a gentle bump. She didn’t even notice the tea had slightly overflowed the cup.

Once she realized, Xiarette quickly grabbed a cloth and wiped away the spill, shaking her head and reminding herself she shouldn’t get so distracted by Sheffy and neglect her duties!

Even so, when she walked over and sat down at the edge of the bed, she still—naturally, but with restraint—lightly tapped Sheffy’s toes with the back of her hand.

Heroes aren’t pervy, okay!

“What is it?”

“Nothing, ahem… I was just asking—Sheffy, you’re really set on participating in the arena match the day after tomorrow?”

“Of course. Didn’t we already decide that before?”

Sheffy flicked the coin in her hand up into the air and tried to catch it with style—

Thunk!

Oops—missed. The coin smacked her right on the forehead.

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