The Lady is a Stalker

Ah, there was a reason for that. In the crown prince’s eyes, did it seem like she was trying to sacrifice herself for the country? She had never thought of such a noble reason, but depending on what you heard, it could be interpreted that way. Did he feel guilty that, as the crown prince of an empire, he was selling out his own people? But she still didn’t know why this has become so serious. She was not really being sold. The elf child proposed to her, and she simply accepted the proposal. If she really thought she couldn’t do it, she could have said no to his face.

 

The elf child also said he liked the other person, but he certainly wouldn’t force the marriage. And although it’s a bit cold, the crown prince couldn’t sell her out for the sake of the peace of the empire. When he sat in the position of crown prince, shouldn’t he put the interests of his country first? There was no way he could say that she was more important than his own people, right?

 

“…I didn’t mean to say that. In the end, it will happen that way.”

 

“Do I look like the kind of person who would do something like that?”

 

“…

“

Well, the crown prince wasn’t so vicious that he would sacrifice people to achieve his goals. Even if it meant not to see Princess Serabi again, whom he hated to death. When she lowered her head with a sullen expression, the Crown Prince stroked his hair as if he was annoyed and spoke in a fierce voice.

 

“Anyway, you can never get married. I will do whatever it takes to stop you. Are you in your right mind? You want to get married so suddenly? It’s absurd.”

 

“…?”

 

Apparently, the crown prince was angry that a marriage with a member of a different race had been decided so lightly… Now, for some reason, it seemed like he was angry about her getting married. Anyway, after possessing Seravi, there was no way to return to the original world and there was no particular sense of purpose, so marriage was of no use. Above all, wouldn’t it be better for him if she got married and disappeared? It seemed like the crown prince didn’t know what he was talking about.

 

She tilted her head in doubt, but soon understood. If he was too surprised, sometimes his thoughts got confused. In particular, the crown prince seemed to be emotionally unstable as he said this and that several times a day. She would have to secretly recommend that he get treatment later.

 

Thinking like that, she listened to the crown prince’s nagging with one ear and let it go with the other. He told her so many times that marriage was a no-no, until her ears pierced. Eventually, she got tired of his stubbornness and answered that she knew, until he nodded his head.

 

After finishing her conversation with the prince, she sat down next to the elf child who was dazedly dipping his feet in the lakeside and playing around. The elf child glanced at her sitting next to him and then resumed playing with the water. She cast her gaze into the distance and looked at the quiet shore of the lake and spoke to the elf child.

 

“Is it fun to tease him?”

 

“You knew it.”

 

“You didn’t have any intention of marrying me from the beginning. Please don’t make fun of my colleague.”

 

“Hmph. It’s a crime that you dared to throw me. You look kind of cute when you get flustered.”

 

Now that she looked at him, she realized that he was a really bad-tempered elf. She only realized it later, but what the elf child said was a lie. If an elf came of age due to their marriage, there was no way the elf queen in the original could have married the crown prince. Since he had the ability to read minds, he seemed to have come up with his own way to torment the crown prince. But she didn’t know why he asked her to marry him that way.

 

She looked down at the squirming elf child. From what she remembered, the elf queen in the novel was also an elf who had just celebrated her coming-of-age ceremony. She was not sure, but she thought she’s around this elf child’s age now. Then, did this child know the elf queen?

 

She asked the elf child, her eyes secretly filled with anticipation.

 

“Are there any incredibly pretty young elves in your village?”

 

“I am the prettiest in our village.”

 

‘…I guess it was a no-go this time.’

 

They needed to find the elf queen quickly. So that she could quickly marry the crown prince, and, and…

 

“What are you thinking about?”

 

“Ah.”

 

Even though there was an elf child with the ability to read minds, her thoughts were too explicit. If this happened, the elf child would find out that she was not the real Serabi.

 

“Why do you ask questions like that when you can read minds?”

 

“But I don’t know Serabi’s feelings. I can’t hear anything.”

 

She was a little surprised by the child’s answer. He couldn’t read her mind.

 

‘Hmm. Maybe it’s because I’m from the outside world?’

 

While she was continuing those thoughts, the elf child spoke calmly.

 

“You seem like a very strange person. Is it because I can’t read your mind? It doesn’t matter though, since you seem to be kind.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

She was not a good person at all. It was very fortunate that the elf couldn’t read her mind. Well, if the elf could read her mind, there was no way he would have stayed next to her like this. 

 

She asked, looking at the elf irony who was still dipping his feet in the water and playing with his feet.

 

“So, what is the real way to become an adult?”

 

“…I am.”

 

At her words, the elf child stopped playing with her. Unlike before, when the elf child was smiling brightly, he hesitated without saying anything for a long time and then opened his mouth with difficulty.

 

“I’m a little different from other elves… In fact, I’m a special being. So in order for me to become an adult, I need to go through a process of being recognized by the holy elf god. But that god said I wasn’t ready yet, so I’ve been waiting for 200 years. I guess it’s because I’m half an elf…”

 

The boy, who seemed so confident, just dropped his head and splashed around with a downcast expression on his face.

 

‘Hmm. It’s an incredibly fantasy setting. Following this race, is this time a god?’

 

She never would have guessed that such a complicated setup was planned down to the smallest detail. Moreover, judging from the child’s story, it was clear that he was an incredibly merciless god. Even though this beautiful elf child had such a sad face, they didn’t accept it for 200 years. So did this mean that this elf child was not an ordinary elf? She didn’t think elves other than the elf queen had a special role in the novel…

 

As she was reviewing the contents of the novel for a moment, she suddenly heard a low voice behind her.

 

“I see. If you get God’s approval, things will be resolved without having to marry Serabi to you.”

 

“Raven.”

 

The crown prince was approaching this way. He made eye contact with the elf child and spoke with a twisted smile on his lips.

 

“Don’t you think you can get recognition by beating that bastard or killing him? Okay, I’ll give you that much.”

 

After saying that, the crown prince held up his hand. She felt cold sweat running down her back at those bloody words. It seemed like he hadn’t heard that the marriage proposal mentioned earlier was a lie told by the elf child to make fun of the prince. Although his words and actions were completely different from his usual noble manner of speaking, he seemed to be sincere. Had he not heard of God? Or maybe he’s just saying he would kill him after hearing it, she was not sure…

 

With the prince’s spirit now, it seemed like he could really do it. Killing God.

 

‘Umm. I guess the Crown Prince was the type to solve problems with violence like this.’

 

How did the crown prince, who was clearly a pacifist in the original, end up with this personality? Well, since it was a position, it would definitely have its own difficulties. She’d better not delve too deeply. It probably has nothing to do with her anyway.

 

* * *

 

The elf child was walking ahead of her, saying he would guide them to his village, and the prince was following him three steps behind. It was easy to get lost in the sight of an elf child’s face, so it was easier to look at his back, but even her back couldn’t help but attract attention. There was nothing about him that was not beautiful, including his glowing, transparent skin and his sacred blonde hair. Gender was determined from the day one becomes an adult.

 

‘Hmm. Even though he’s of a neutral gender, if you look at his appearance, he’s still closer to a woman…’

 

As she was thinking about that, the crown prince suddenly spoke from behind her.

 

“You’re so mesmerized.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“…”

 

The crown prince also spoke in a dissatisfied tone, and when she asked him back, he just glared at her with a somewhat dissatisfied expression. She was now slowly getting used to the crown prince’s strange way of speaking. The crown prince would sometimes just blurt out his strange remarks and pretend it was not true. Was he talking to himself or was she mistakenly thinking that he was talking to her? He might be talking to himself, so she would try to pretend she didn’t hear it next time.

 

She once again decided to seriously recommend treatment to the Crown Prince. She didn’t know if the concept of mental illness exists in this world, but mumbling to himself over and over could be an illness. What should she do to say it as gently as possible in a way that wouldn’t make him feel bad? She was thinking about what to say later when the elf child suddenly shouted as if he had discovered something.

 

“Oh, it’s the village chief.”

 

Where the child pointed with his hand, an old elf was holding his staff.

 

—————————————————————

Translator Note: