INATT Chapter 27

Chapter 27

“What’s the matter with the prudish Princess that she refuses to eat?”

“Perhaps she’s been involved in a strange incident and is in a bad mood. She didn’t look happy.”

“Really? She doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would be in a bad mood over something like that.”

“What do you know?”

Thierry said, sounding offended, and Bakken’s eyes widened as if he didn’t know what he was hearing.

“… Who are you?”

“What?”

Thierry’s handsome brow narrowed.

“Who is it that’s in His Majesty’s leathers right now!”

“Have you turned?”

“Our Majesty doesn’t talk in such an adolescent boyish way, spinning words!”

Thierry’s red eyes went cold. Instead of answering, he began to draw his sword, which he had sheathed beside his desk.

“Wait!”

Thrrrr-

At the sound of goosebumps, Bakken jumped back, holding up both hands.

“You were right, Your Majesty, I thought she is were in a bad mood and I was just playing a joke.”

“You were serious.”

“Did… catch you?”

“…”

“Ah! Put that sword back. If you were just a little less skilled than the real me, you wouldn’t be in this mess…”

“Then die and be reborn.”

With a clang, the sword snapped back into place, and Bakken immediately closed the distance he’d opened.

“Forget it, I’ve had enough of this life, I don’t need another one. I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a while, by the way…”

Bakken paused for a moment, then continued in a dignified tone.

“What happened with the Princess, and why do you suddenly care so blatantly? You were busy denying it before.”

“Because it’s Lari.”

“… Is really the girl? How do you know that?”

“You had your suspicions, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but it was just a suspicion.”

“Too much happened for it to be a coincidence. It can’t be that similar. No, it’s the same.”

“… You’re really sure?”

“I said it’s Lari.”

Bakken stared at him as if he’d just heard something. But after a moment, Thierry’s eyes relaxed, and he hesitantly opened his mouth.

“But Lari doesn’t seem to know.”

There was a subtle melancholy in his voice that was uncharacteristic of him.

Bakken let out an exasperated huff. He didn’t know where to begin.

“… Did you really just ask that out loud?”

Before he could stare at Thierry like he’d never seen him before, Bakken decided to ask the important question.

“Yeah.”

“Did you say something crazy?”

Thierry’s frown, which had loosened a bit, drew back together again. But his murderous mood didn’t deter Bakken. In fact, he poured himself another drink and stared at Thierry with a salty glare.

‘What am I going to do with this…?’

Thierry’s presence was the perfect partner for Bakken, whose goal was to find the home of the pure-blooded elves who had been threatening his life since birth and strike back.

With Thierry’s power and high standing in the human world, the elves would suffer a lot if they messed with him.

Besides, they were ashamed of the existence of the Half-Elves, so there was no way they would ever question the Emperor’s identity.

And even if they did, there would be no way to prove it, for he was human, not elves, from his appearance to the blood that ran through his veins.

How would the pure-blooded elves feel at the sight of two half-elves who had secretly risen to power in the Great Empire?

Bakken’s happiness quotient was rising day by day, and there was one thing that was affecting it quite a bit, and that was Thierry.

‘I was expecting a different side to this guy…’

I could see the sparkle in his eyes from a young age, but as he grew older and older, I wondered if I had made the right choice.

But lately, as he’s been going through the turbulence of adolescence, I’ve realized that everything I’ve endured has been for the sake of seeing this.

‘What is this?’

Bakken clenched his teeth to stifle a chuckle.

‘If I laugh in here, I’ll be damned. I’ll never ask him again, and I’m going to make sure he doesn’t get himself into trouble by acting so rashly.’

Bakken hadn’t really thought to argue with Thierry in the first place, so he understood quickly.

As far as he was concerned, the circumstances seemed to point to the conclusion that Princess Alicia was the girl named Lari.

There was no way to prove it for sure, but for elves who trusted their animal instincts, Rudd’s overt affection and attention was a sure indicator.

‘He was also confused by some of the other similar habits I’ve noticed…’

Well, Thierry seemed to be trusting only his own almost animalistic instincts, but still, if he was like this, it had to be Lari.

“Your Majesty, wouldn’t grabbing someone you don’t remember and saying crazy things only make them more wary?”

Bakken decided to calm Thierry down for now. How much patience could a long-starved beast have when it saw its longed-for prey in front of it, and while his patience was at its limit, restraint was necessary.

“She’s on… alert?”

He laughed again at the unexpected response. Bakken took a deep breath. If he delayed answering because he was laughing, he might end up swinging his sword at Bakken again, so he had to put his amusement aside and be serious.

“Well, the truth is, your image isn’t exactly flattering to the Princess. You invaded her country and threatened the lives of her family.”

“If it’s really Lari, they’re not really her family anyway, so what does it matter?”

“I’m not sure about that, but the biggest problem is that you’ve been harassing her like you’re going to eat people since the beginning.”

“When did I say I bullied her? I was pretty nice to her too!”

“Well, if you’re a Princess, that might be harassment.”

“…!”

“…  Is she that shocked?”

Bakken muttered in disbelief as he looked at Thierry, who was blinking like he’d been hit in the back of the head.

Bakken is enjoying how colorful Thierry has been today, but you’ve gone too far with your personality changes, and it’s starting to scare me.

Thierry, of course, was not the least bit interested in Bakken’s reaction, but he was lost in thought, drawing something in the air.

‘My kindness is perceived as bullying, and I’ve never drawn my sword in front of Lari, when I should have drawn it dozens of times, and now you’re treating me like I’m going to eat you. When will I ever…’

Thierry’s fierce eyes slowly dropped as he reflected on his past. His red eyes, which occasionally fluttered, moved steadily as an outward sign of his shaky mental state.

‘Come to think of it, I thought I told you to follow me if you didn’t want to die… Or sarcastically asked if my liver was swollen…’

The hooks that had been floating around in his head for so long stretched into a straight line. Finally, a crack had appeared in his rock-solid egocentric circuitry.

‘Is that why I’m the only one who looks at it?!’

Darr!

The sound of thunder ripped through the sky outside my window. The timing couldn’t have been better.

“It’s going to rain. Lightning in a dry sky.”

Thierry’s voice contrasted with the other’s, a calm voice, like a sailboat in a storm.

Bakken walked toward the window as if to escape the gloom, thinking it was only dark around Thierry.

He was always sensitive due to his terrible insomnia, but never before had he seen Thierry look so depressed, like he was about to sell the land.

“Why? Unlike those idiots who can’t even answer because they’re too scared, you talked back and made good eye contact, but that wasn’t… okay, was it? No, not at all. Then you kept trying to break up with me quickly because you didn’t want to be with me, and… I shouldn’t. We should be together…”

And now Thierry was muttering sullenly under his breath, and Bakken was beginning to wonder if he was going to die.

“… What do I do?”

“Huh?”

“How do I get closer?”

Tsk, tsk.

A trickle of raindrops hit the glass. Bakken closed the open window and slowly turned around.

“To look good for the Princess?”

“Stop twirling and answer me.”

“Don’t be so scary, they say people die when they turn quickly. Slow down.”

… Thrust.

“You need to work on that sword-grabbing habit!”

“I won’t do it to Lari.”

“Good for her. Ha… You’re not talking to me until you sheathe that sword?”

“I put it in.”

Bakken smirked, perched on the windowsill as if waiting.

“If you want to look good, you’ll have to be good, just not by your standards, but by the standards of the common man.”

Thierry jerked his head once, as if to continue.

“Be nice. Your image right now is that of a blackmailer, nothing more, nothing less, and frankly, it’s hard to improve on that, but you’re not going to do that, are you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then I suggest you loosen up that murderous expression and smile. Spend more time together naturally and make small talk. What you did today, what you’re doing tomorrow, what you like, what you want to do.”

“…”

“Try to share a lot. And allow her to accept you. Even if what she says isn’t the right answer.”

“… If I do that, will she open up to me?”

Shoot.

I heard the sound of hard rain. Red eyes burned eagerly against the dampening air. Bakken met those eyes for a few seconds, feeling ethereal, then nodded slowly.

“She will.”

Thierry’s handsome brow crinkled. He sighed in disapproval and leaned back languidly.

“I just hope… Lari realizes it soon.”

Leaning back against the armrest, Thierry rubbed his forehead with his fingertips.

“Before my patience runs out.”

His voice was self-helpful.