āWill you marry me?ā
Be my political sacrifice (X)
Come on, give it to me! (O)
After chewing over the jumbled translator output, I grinned broadly.
āBut I donāt want to?ā
āā¦Eh?ā
Eve, momentarily unable to comprehend what she had heard, made a foolish noise.
But it didnāt take long for her to understand what I had said, and her complexion quickly turned pale.
āWhy, why not?!ā
āWhy not, you ask? Wellā¦ā
āAlthough I am a former queen, I was a queen nonetheless. I simply didnāt feel the need, but if I wish, I can reclaim the throne anytime.ā
āI can also gain power whenever I want, you know? Since Iām kind of like a saint.ā
āThen, then what about money? I havenāt made much due to my lack of skills, but the other elves arenāt like me. If I ask, they will all generously donate their gold.ā
āThat might be true. But I wonder if the Temple has collected more money than all the elves of the Continent?ā
āKkeukā¦ā
āMore than anything, Iām not a materialist who marries for moneyā¦ Itās a bit sad if thatās how you see me, Miss Eve.ā
āNo, not at all! I swear to the World Tree, Iāve never thought that!ā
āHmm. Well, letās assume thatās the case. But still, itās clear that itās not a reason for me to marry you, Miss Eve.ā
āThat isā¦ā
Eve chews her lips and eventually closes her eyes tightly and shouts.
āThen what about my appearance?! I know itās quite something to say this myself, but I am confident that I possess exceptional beauty and physique even among the elves.ā
āWowā¦after money, itās appearance. You do realize that what I said earlier applies here too? Just as Iām not someone who marries for money, Iām also not someone who marries for looks alone.ā
āā¦ā¦!ā
Having lost her words, Eve bowed her head deeply.
Of course, if appearance was a major consideration, Eve would certainly be welcomed anytimeā¦but not yet. Thereās also the matter of order.
Eveās is merely third placeā¦!
Muttering to myself, I look up at Eve, who couldnāt bring herself to raise her head.
Her face was marred by shame and self-loathing. At this, one corner of my mouth curled up into a smirk.
āPerhaps, as Miss Eve says, I might be your destiny. Itās possible that you wonāt meet another man besides me. ā¦But isnāt that your own circumstance?ā
āā¦ā¦ā
āOf course, your situation is unfortunate, Miss Eve. However, I shouldnāt have to devote my life to you just out of sympathy. I have my own goals and circumstances too.ā
āā¦ā¦ā
Yes. Eve, true to her forever-single ways, did get carried away with the mood and made a rash move, but by now she should have realized.
That she proposed to me simply because she was caught up in the momentā¦! fɾeeweÉnŃ³veÉ.com
Well. To be honest, Iām not feeling bad about it. In the continent of Pan, where gender roles are reversed, a womanās appearance does hold value, though itās not extraordinarily highā¦but at least itās a major matter to me.
Thereās no way Iād refuse when a woman like Eve says sheās the only one for me and offers everything from money to power if I marry her.
However, as I mentioned earlier, I have a purpose to address the dark foreshadowing Iāve scattered across this world.
And if possible, Iād like to meet the Goddess of Love in the deepest part of the Labyrinth.
Now that Iāve just begun to tackle the first floor, I canāt be tied down to Eve.
This doesnāt mean Eve would be restraining me. But whether we become king and queen and reclaim power, or retire and live as symbolic figures, itās clear that my journey would end there.
No matter how diminished the presence of a queen in the elf society became, or how the influence of the World Tree wanes, surely no one would expect a king or queenās consort to be frequently visiting the Labyrinth.
For that reason, I decide to dissuade Eve from her plan here. If Iām not careful, I might even push her towards corruption myself, so I should leave some room for maneuver.
I reached out and grasped Eveās face.
Squish.
The soft touch of her cheeks. Though her face is slim without baby fat, the skin itself is just soft.
Startled, Eve cautiously opens her eyes. Though to say she opens them, itās more like her normally squinted eyes just became less so.
In that state, I adjusted the angle slightly to make her look directly into my eyes.
āMiss Eve. Donāt look away, please look at me.ā
āI, I amā¦ā
āI know, I know. Youāve been very lonely, havenāt you? The circumstances must have driven you to this.ā
āYou understand?ā
āOf course. The World Tree entered eternal rest for the future of the elves, and amidst the despair of the surviving elves, Miss Eve had to overcome this bleak situation as the queen arranged by the World Tree. It must have been tough for Miss Eve, being young at that time.ā
āThatās rightā¦ I was born with many gifts, but not with experience.ā
But now that I have gained experience, I have no weaknesses (X)
Could it be that even someone like me can be forgivenā¦? (O)
Hmm. The fact that the Eve translator has started working again means thereās room for other thoughts.
In other words, it means she has somewhat recovered from the state of her mental breakdown.
While gently stroking Eveās cheek, I continued speaking.
āBearing the fate of an entire race alone is no easy task. Seeing the truth isnāt always a good thing eitherā¦ Above all, the greatest sorrow for Miss Eve must have been having no one to share that pain with.ā
āā¦Itās okay. A queen must be a dignified being, after all.ā
The understanding is appreciated, but pity soon becomes an insult (X)
This man. Will he understand my tastes even in bed? (O)
Do you really only have nonsense in your head, Eeveeā¦ freeweÉnovel.cĆøm
Itās truly lamentable, but having endured for a thousand years, I thought it possible, and gently pulled on Eveās hair, which she had been wrapping around herself.
Her head slowly drops. But as it bends to the angle where the neck can no longer bend, she stoops and bends her knees to adjust to me. I didnāt stop there but continued to pull Eve towards me.
The view that was once higher than mine soon became similar to mine, and now it has lowered even more.
The posture that symbolized the dignity of a queen was now bent, and her knees were already kneeling on the ground.
Earlier, I was looking up, but now, Eve is the one looking up, and I smiled faintly at this change.
āI understand why you are obsessed with me, Miss Eve. But it canāt be.ā
āThen am I supposed to live like this forever? Not knowing when this long life will endā¦?ā
If only I had lived without knowing hopeā¦ (X)
Should I just close my eyes and kidnap him? (O)
Oh, the world.
Just maybe. Itās just a hypothesis, butā¦
Could it be that Eve turned evil because she was rejected by the protagonist after being too clingy?
Itās like if I canāt have it, I might as well destroy it.
She ruled the country wisely in her own way, and now lives a good life adhering to the classical elven lifestyle, but I wondered if Eve would really turn evil just because she was rejectedā¦
Seeing the content of the translator, I now think it might actually be possible.
As if hiding my astonishment, I grabbed Eveās head and hugged her tightly.
Eveās face buried in my chest. I gently stroked her trembling light green hair, an unexpected event for her.
Like comforting a child who has caused trouble.
Eveās trembling slowly subsided. Only after she had completely calmed down did I continue in a low voice.
āNo. That wonāt happen. I wonāt let it.ā
āEh?!ā
Eve startled, as if my statement was a contradiction of what I had said before.
This is sincere. I canāt live just for Eve, but it doesnāt change the fact that Eve is someone I need to embrace.
Even if she has lived nearly 50 times the age of my current and past life combinedā¦no, this elderā¦um. Anyway, even for a long-lived species, that part doesnāt change.
Eve is my child.
With that sentiment, I tightened the arm that was embracing Eveās head slightly.
āItās not that I dislike Miss Eve. Itās simply that I canāt marry Miss Eve right now.ā
āDoes that mean it will be different later?ā
āOf course. By then, Iāll be an adult, wonāt I?ā
āAhā¦ You are so mature that I didnāt pay attention to your age, Sir Jonah.ā
Indeed. Marrying a minor would attract societal criticism, so I must endure it (X)
The grooming angle is sharp (O)
I decided to give Eve, who had started to spin her delusions alone again, a dose of reality.
āAnd there are other people besides Miss Eve.ā
āO, ther people? What does that meanā¦ā
Stop NTR!(X)
3Pā¦possible!(O)
I brought my lips close to the elongated ears of the helpless lewd elf.
āThereās another woman Iāve promised to marry. And Miss Eve might not be the last.ā
āā¦ā¦!ā
Eve, perhaps now grasping the situation, gasped.
I whispered into her ear with a voice full of unrestrained mischief that I couldnāt quite hide.
āSorry. My lower half is a bit busy.ā
āā¦ā¦?ā
Oops! I meant to just soothe herā¦!
Eve reacted so honestly that I ended up saying it without thinking.