Trapped by the Prince’s Schemes, Now I Can’t Go Back to My Original World - Chapter 4 - I Won’t Let You Return

“This is the place where I cleared the miasma for the last time…”

Reina placed her hand on the barren ground and shook her head with deep emotion.

She remembered that time. The moment she cleared the miasma, she just knew somehow. That this place was the last one. Perhaps it was a kind of intuition unique to Saints.

Reina remembered as if it were yesterday how, at the thought that it was over and she was finally released from her role as Saintess and could return to Japan, a feeling akin to loneliness had welled up at the same time.

“Though, it was only very recently.”

Saying this, she stood up and looked up at the moon, which was asserting its existence in the sky even though it was daytime. It appeared somewhat larger than the one seen from Earth.

The moon in this world was definitely different from Earth’s. It was described as a moon, and indeed looked exactly like Earth’s from the ground, but Reina felt it was similar yet distinct. An existence that could be linked to another world couldn’t be just a simple moon. She supposed she should interpret it as being due to the Goddess, but Reina didn’t really believe in that. She basically only believed in what she saw. Even hearing about a Goddess didn’t really click for her.

As for the lunar cycle of Mardias, when she had asked Chris before, he said it repeated its phases over a period of about thirty-eight days. When Reina cleared the miasma, it had been only a week since the full moon, so she had ended up waiting nearly a month.

Though she never imagined things would turn out like this in the final week.

“I should head back to the inn soon.”

After looking around the final location one more time, Reina started walking.

The inn where she was staying tonight. Reina had decided she would return to Japan from there.

***

“Oh my, Saintess. Welcome back. Did you find anything interesting?”

It was evening when Reina returned to the inn, and she was welcomed with a smile by a woman named Karen, one of the inn’s owners.

In appearance, she was slightly older than Reina’s mother. She wore a white café apron around her waist and was smiling broadly. The lodging facility she ran with her husband was exceptionally comfortable compared to others in the area. Although the price range was a bit higher, it had proper bathing facilities and the rooms were spacious and clean, so Reina liked it quite a lot.

“I was just looking around the area a bit.”

When Reina answered, Karen smiled amiably and said, “Is that so?”

“I never thought the Saintess would visit us twice. It is an honor. I almost feel like putting up a sign saying ‘Purveyor to the Saintess’.”

Reina just smiled and said nothing. Karen likely meant it as a joke too, as she quickly changed the subject.

“As requested, we have reserved the same room as last time. Is that acceptable?”

“Thank you. Sorry for the selfish request.”

Reina, who had arrived at the inn before noon, had put in a request for the room beforehand. Karen held out the key with a smile.

“We are receiving proper payment for the lodging, after all. Responding to customer requests is the duty of a proprietor. Besides, you aren’t the only customer who specifies a room, Saintess. It is not selfish at all.”

“It helps to hear you say that.”

Good, Reina exhaled.

When asked about dinner, she replied she had already eaten and accepted the room key from Karen.

She headed toward the guests’ staircase in the back. To Reina’s retreating figure, Karen called out as if suddenly remembering.

“Ah, yes. I forgot to mention the most important thing. Saintess, thank you for saving the country, and the world. We are very happy about your marriage to the Crown Prince.”

Reina stopped in her tracks. Karen continued speaking.

“When you visited last time, I thought so. That the Saintess and the Crown Prince must be in love. The two of you were so harmonious… Congratulations, truly. Please be happy with the Crown Prince.”

“…Thank you.”

‘Again,’ Reina thought, but she swallowed the words. Instead, she offered her thanks and went up to the second floor.

It was too late. It was too late now; no matter what she said, surely no one would believe her.

Having repeated the same exchange countless times and being utterly exhausted, Reina didn’t have the energy to deny it to Karen.

She entered the room at the end of the hallway. In Japanese terms, it was a room about ten tatami mats in size. White walls and wooden floors. Although the bed was for one person, it had enough width to be described as a double bed.

Beside it were a small cabinet and a bedside lamp, and on the opposite side stood a full-length mirror. A round table for two and two chairs were set by the window so meals could be taken in the room.

The window was a bay window, and although it was bad manners, one could sit on the window sill.

“…”

She opened the window and immediately sat on the sill.

She gazed aimlessly around the whole room. This was the room Reina had stayed in immediately after clearing all the miasma.

Just about a month ago.

Here, Reina had invited a heavily intoxicated Chris, and had him embrace her…

***

“…”

In her room at the inn. Sitting on that bed, Reina was agonizing alone in anguish.

Just a short while ago—she didn’t know if she could say ‘finally’—she had successfully cleared all the miasma and been released from her duty. Tonight was the last stay. Tomorrow, she would return to the Royal Capital.

Ortega, who had claimed he had no place to settle down, looked relieved, and Seto also looked happy, saying, “Now I can finally immerse myself in research.”

The party would disband tomorrow. Everyone would go their separate ways. Of course, ‘everyone’ included Chris, the country’s Crown Prince.

‘…So this is goodbye, just like that.’

Sitting on the bed, she swung her legs idly.

Originally, Chris was a member who had insisted on coming along. Once the journey was over, she probably wouldn’t be able to just casually call out to him. In the worst case, she might not even be able to see him before going home.

Considering his status as Crown Prince, that was only natural.

‘I hate that,’ Reina thought while looking at her toes.

It was painful to become unable to see the person she liked.

She didn’t hope to become lovers with Chris, but she hated the thought of never seeing him again.

‘Chris…’

Reina thought of Chris, who had always been kind to her and whom she had completely fallen for.

She didn’t misunderstand his words and actions as coming from romantic love. She had inadvertently fallen for him, but Reina didn’t want to think she was foolish enough to believe that.

That gentle voice and gaze were not directed only at Reina.

Chris was kind because that was the kind of person he was. Or perhaps, it was because Reina was the Saintess.

There was a non-zero possibility that he said those things on purpose to keep Reina, who held the fate of the world in her hands, in a good mood for her work.

‘No, Chris isn’t that kind of person.’

She shook her head vigorously right away. There were no lies in the attitude Chris had sincerely shown Reina. To curry favor with Reina because she was the Saintess—there was no way that was it.

The actions he had shown her were not things one could do out of obligation alone.

‘After all, Chris is a kind person… that’s all it is.’

Thinking so, Reina then thought, ‘But still I hate saying goodbye just like this…’

Especially if she thought this might be the last time.

“I want a memory…”

When returning to Japan, apparently she couldn’t take a single thing from this world. She had heard so from the High Priest. No matter what she held or wore, it was futile. Upon return, including her clothes, everything would revert to its original state. Being told that was how it worked, Reina had somewhat accepted it, but ever since then, she had become much more conscious of being a foreign element in this world.

‘I can’t take anything home. I can’t leave anything behind. I was just called because I was needed. It’s natural to go home once the errand is done. But—‘

The only saving grace was that her memories wouldn’t be erased.

Even if Reina returned to Japan, the memories of traveling with Chris and the others in the world of Mardias would remain within her. They might fade over time and eventually disappear, but if memories were the only thing she could take back, she wanted to cherish them.

“Just once… just this once.”

Reina muttered in a small voice.

If she could only take memories home, then at least let her have a memory.

The conclusion she reached out of that desire was something the normal Reina would never choose.

Reina was a realist, but at the same time, she had a side that was responsible and possessed strong ethics.

The choice that such a girl would normally never make was—

“Just tonight is fine. Just once is fine, I want the person I love—I want Chris to embrace me.”

That was it.

***

“I’m really sorry to his fiancée, but…”

‘Because it’s just once,’ Reina put her hands together in prayer to Chris’s fiancée, whom she had never met.

“I’m sorry. But I’m not thinking of stealing Chris or anything like that. Please. Just for one night, lend me your Chris…”

Feeling almost crushed by her own ethics, Reina still didn’t stop her plan. If she couldn’t take anything home, at least she wanted to leave his trace on her own body.

She heard that first sexual intercourse was accompanied by pain. She wanted to keep Chris in her memories as the first person who touched her, along with that pain—that was how she thought.

“I know it’s selfish. But…”

There was plenty of possibility Chris would refuse.

He might despise her, saying he couldn’t deal with a delusional woman and that he was disappointed in her.

But if she thought she might never see Chris again, Reina wanted to bet on the possibility of being embraced by him, even considering the pain of that potential disdain.

She called Chris to the dining space on the first floor of the inn and invited him to celebrate just the two of them if he liked.

To Chris, who agreed with a smile, she intentionally offered many cups of strong liquor, desperately trying to get him drunk.

The liquor she had investigated beforehand and had served was named “Monster Killer.” It was an alcohol boasting a very high proof in this world.

Chris drank cup after cup of that liquor, which was so potent just the smell seemed enough to intoxicate and could sink any heavy drinker in one shot, just as Reina recommended.

Relieved to see Chris showing signs of being wobbly drunk, she invited him when the time seemed right, asking if he’d like to rest in her room, and Chris nodded surprisingly easily.

“…You’re right. It seems I’ve gotten a little drunk. Could you let me rest in your room?”

“Y… Yeah.”

Reina hadn’t drunk a drop of alcohol. She had been sipping juice while earnestly recommending liquor to Chris.

‘Is it finally happening?’

Tense, she responded to Chris’s request and lent him her shoulder.

They went up the stairs together and entered Reina’s room at the back.

“…I think you should lie down on the bed. I’ll bring some water.”

“Thank you. I’ll do that.”

Chris obediently lay down on the bed. He must really be drunk. Chris was strangely obedient tonight, and everything was proceeding as she thought. —So far.

Having filled a cup with water, Reina gently called out to Chris, who was lying down.

“Chris? I brought water, but…”

No reply. Reina panicked, wondering if he had fallen asleep.

She had gone this far to get him to embrace her; if he just slept like this, it would be meaningless.

As she fretted over what to do, Chris sat up on the bed and looked at Reina.

“…Thank you. I’ll take it.”

“Ah… you were awake.”

“Thank goodness”—it almost came out of her throat, but she held it back.

Handing the water to Chris, Reina sat next to him in a natural manner.

“…”

Neither said anything. The silence, which was usually nothing, felt painful today for some reason. But Reina understood that nothing would start if they just stayed silent. There was a clunk sound as Chris put down the cup.

Thinking she had to say something, Reina desperately opened her mouth.

“Um, hey. Chris… are you drunk?”

After a short pause, an answer came from Chris.

“…Yeah, I suppose. It seems it was quite strong liquor… In the worst case, I might lose my memories of tonight…”

“I-Is that so…”

‘Yes!’ Reina nodded, feeling like pumping her fist in the air.

Apparently, Chris was quite drunk. Enough to possibly lose his memory. He didn’t look it at all, but Reina remembered what her father and mother had discussed before.

“The manager, you know… His complexion and tone don’t change at all, but the nasty thing is, the next day he usually forgets everything we talked about. He’s definitely drunk, right?”

“There are people like that occasionally, aren’t there? People who don’t show it on their faces when they drink. Because it doesn’t show, they get made to drink more, and even though the person themselves is wasted, those around them don’t realize it.”

“That’s why, in the department, it’s an unspoken rule never to make promises when the manager is drinking. Because he’ll almost certainly forget.”

“Rather than that, shouldn’t you try not to let him drink so much?”

“That’s the thing, that person loves alcohol… Since it doesn’t show on his face, we don’t know how much he’s drinking, and we can’t stop him. It’s really a pain…”

“My, my, thanks for your hard work.”

They had talked about something like that.

‘Surely Chris is the manager type too…!’

It must be so, Reina clenched her fist tight.

However, in reality, there was no way Reina could correctly judge whether someone was drunk or not.

Because Reina had never drunk alcohol. In Mardias, eighteen was treated as adulthood, and there were no age restrictions on drinking, but in Japan, alcohol was only permitted after turning twenty.

Thinking she would return to Japan eventually, Reina hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol even after coming to this world.

In other words, she knew what the sensation of drinking alcohol was like from hearsay, but she didn’t know it from experience. Enough that if Chris said he was drunk, she would easily believe, “I see, he’s drunk.”

Anyway, convinced that Chris had gotten drunk as planned, Reina gulped.

‘It’s about time I steeled myself,’ she stared at Chris.

“Reina…?”

Perhaps bothered by Reina’s suspicious behavior, Chris met her gaze with a dubious voice. His red eyes looked different than usual, appearing moist with heat; it must be because Chris was drunk.

‘I can do it, right now I can manage something! He should forget it as just momentum from being drunk! Or rather, forget it! Please!’

Worrying forever would only let time pass. Reina roused her nearly faltering spirit, and with a heave-ho, she pushed Chris down onto the bed.

Chris stared in astonishment at Reina, who was looming over him with a bright red face.

“R-Rei, na…? W-What’s wrong?”

Chris stared at her with eyes wide open. To that Chris, Reina spoke with desperation.

“I-I… Um, you see! I-I like you, Chris!”

It was a desperation move. A feeling of whatever happens, happens.

“Eh…?”

At the words suddenly spoken by Reina, Chris stopped all movement and just looked straight at Reina. His eyes were wavering.

“R-Really? Reina. It’s not a lie?”

At the voice seeking confirmation, Reina nodded deeply while her face remained red.

“The answer to what you asked me before, Chris. …I didn’t want you to die because I like you. And because I like you, I’m doing this now.”

The question Chris had asked her in the inn’s courtyard before. Giving the answer to that, Reina made up her mind and pressed her lips onto Chris’s. It was her first kiss.

“Nn…”

She thought she might be rejected, but Chris didn’t reject Reina. Rather, he pressed his lips back actively, reached out with both hands to Reina who had pushed him down, and hugged her tightly.

‘Thank goodness. It seems he’s allowing the kiss.’

Relieved, Reina focused her nerves on the sensation of Chris’s lips meeting hers.

Thinking this might be the first and last kiss with Chris, she wanted to remember even the most trivial sensation.

Chris’s thin lips were a little cool, but perhaps transferring Reina’s temperature, they eventually became hot. They pressed their lips together again and again.

The fact that he didn’t dislike it drove Reina to unusually aggressive action.

The lip sounds of their contact echoed in the bedroom.

The kiss while hugging each other was pleasant, and Reina was intoxicated by the sweet kiss with Chris in a trance.

“Nn… mm…”

Gradually, the sensations of the kiss became longer. The clumsy kisses that were just pressing together at first eventually changed into something deeper.

Chris stuck out his tongue and licked Reina’s lip. Although Reina was supposed to have pushed him down, before she knew it, their positions had reversed. The soft sensation of linen hit Reina’s back, and Chris was looming over her.

“Nn… fu… nn…”

— Maybe this alone is enough.

Amidst the continuing sweet kisses, Reina thought absentmindedly with her clouded mind.

But perhaps a fire had been lit in Chris; he showed no sign of stopping the kissing with Reina. *Again and again without getting tired, staring at Reina with an expression that truly looked drunk, he continued to kiss her.

“Nn… ah, Chris…”

At this rate, her lips felt like they would swell up. Thinking so, Reina opened her mouth in between kisses to try and ask him to stop for a bit, but—

As if he had been waiting, Chris’s tongue invaded Reina’s oral cavity. It toyed with Reina with a ferocious heat.

“Nn… nnn!?”

At the slimy sensation she had never felt before, Reina’s mind, which had been vaguely hazy, rapidly cleared up. At the unknown sensation of a thick tongue licking around inside her mouth, Reina instantly started to struggle.

“Nn! …Nnnnn”

But it had absolutely no effect on Chris, who was covering Reina. Before she knew it, he had pinned Reina down firmly and was greedily devouring Reina’s mouth as he pleased.

Behind the cheeks, the row of teeth. Chris’s tongue moved around as if confirming everything about Reina. Each time, saliva pooled in the back of her throat, and despite the situation, Reina ended up thinking it was just like being at the dentist.

‘This feeling of not knowing what to do with the saliva, it might be a little similar…’

Since she could think such things, she seemed to have calmed down a little. Reina gently relaxed her strength and obediently surrendered herself to Chris.

Realizing Reina had stopped resisting, Chris eased the force with which he was holding her down.

The wet sound of his tongue sliding around inside her mouth echoed in her ears. She didn’t find it unpleasant, but Reina had absolutely no idea what the correct reaction was. She could only accept it, clinging to Chris while being toyed with by his tongue, squeezing her eyes shut and trembling.

That changed the moment Chris’s tongue touched the roof of her mouth.

An indescribable sensation—ticklish, pleasurable, and strange—assailed Reina.

“Nn…!”

Chris didn’t miss Reina’s reaction. As if saying this is it, he began sliding his tongue along her upper palate. Stimulated by the tip of his tongue as if being tickled, Reina twitched and jumped even as she clung to him.

“Hah… ah… ah…”

Sweet, melted sounds spilled ceaselessly from Reina’s mouth. Having sufficiently teased her palate, Chris’s tongue gently entangled with Reina’s. The first-time sensation of tongue tips rubbing together made her head feel dizzy again.

‘Hya… wha, what? This. It feels good…’

At the pleasure that seemed to melt her into a puddle, the depths of her stomach throbbed for some reason. When she opened her eyes slightly, she met red eyes that were narrowed and gazing at Reina with a happy expression.

“Ah…”

“Reina… I love you.”

‘Eh?’

Chris, realizing Reina was looking at him, finally separated their lips and spoke softly but clearly. While looming over Reina, whose eyes widened in surprise, Chris said: “I’ll give you my answer, as promised. I saved you because it was you, no one else. Not because you’re the Saintess. Because I didn’t want to lose you, because I love you, I saved you.”

At the heated resonance of his voice, Reina felt confusion before happiness.

‘Chris loves me? What a lie! There’s no way something so ridiculous is true,’ Reina instantly denied it.

After all, Chris was supposed to have a fiancée. There was no way he would irresponsibly say he loved Reina.

Thinking that, she suddenly realized.

‘Ah, ‘love’ means as a comrade… How dangerous, I almost misunderstood it conveniently for myself,’ Reina stroked her chest in relief.

There was no way Chris loved Reina in a romantic sense.

Besides, this must be that—sweet nothings whispered during intimacy, Reina understood deeply.

Yes, surely this was the kind of thing where if she took it seriously, she’d get hurt later. Chris was drunk, and there was a non-zero possibility he was confusing Reina with his fiancée while kissing her.

‘It’s okay, I won’t misunderstand… So…’

Since she understood it was like wordplay during intimacy, would it be okay to immerse herself in Chris’s words just for now? She would forget by tomorrow.

‘I’ll think of it as a dream and forget,’ Reina closed her eyes again.

To that Reina, Chris spoke.

“Hey, are you listening? After exchanging such sweet kisses so many times, I’m not accomplished enough as a man to endure that. I love you. Because I love you—hey, may I hold you? May I make all of you mine?”

At the sweet invitation that seemed to shake her brain, Reina nodded.

Reina had intended this from the start, and there was no way she could refuse after being told “I love you.”

Of course, she understood it was likely the ramblings of a drunk Chris, and perhaps these words weren’t truly meant for Reina, but even so, the words “I love you” were happier than anything to Reina. So Reina gathered her courage and said:

“Yeah… I like you too, Chris. So, I want you to take me.”

“Reina…! Ah, finally, finally. Finally, I can have you.”

At Reina’s answer, Chris raised a voice of delight. At the sound that seemed on the verge of tears, Reina looked up at Chris.

“Chris?”

“I’ve caught you… You who is mine only. I’ll never, ever let you go now.”

For a moment, Reina wondered at the overly heated tone and gaze—‘Huh? Is he drunk?’—but her thoughts were completely blown away as Chris’s lips were pressed on hers again.

The sensation of each other’s wet lips was transmitted. This time pushing his tongue in from the start, Chris sucked Reina’s tongue erotically. Then, his hand gently crawled onto her chest over her clothes.

“Nnu…”

At the first experience of having her breast touched by the opposite sex, Reina’s body shuddered. Still, she didn’t try to push Chris’s hand away. Reina’s thoughts were now filled with the desire to be taken by Chris just like this.

‘I’m happy… Chris is touching me.’

Chris’s large hand touched Reina’s soft swell. Even though it was over clothes, being stimulated in a sensitive place no one had ever touched, Reina trembled slightly. Chris kneaded Reina’s breasts, which had grown too large for her age, gently and sometimes strongly, enough to change their shape.

“Nn… ah…”

Chris, who had been sucking her tongue, finally pulled away. A thread of silver saliva connected them. A transparent drop collected in the center of the thread, and with its weight, the thread snapped.

Watching that, Reina swallowed the saliva pooled in the back of her throat with a gulp.

Narrowing his eyes as if praising her, Chris kissed her lips again, this time just a touch.

How many times had they kissed just tonight? While Reina was thinking that, Chris dropped his lips onto Reina’s throat this time. Her heart skipped a beat at the sensation of hot lips touching her throat.

After pressing his lips a few times, Chris licked the spot with his tongue, then sucked strongly.

“Nn…!”

A stinging pain ran through her, and she inadvertently raised her voice.

Chris was still sucking, and similar pain visited the same spot several times.

“Chris… what are you…”

Looking up at the man looming over her, she voiced a small protest, and Chris, seemingly finally satisfied, raised his face.

“Yeah. A mark right here that Reina is mine… See, it’s colored a beautiful red.”

“…I can’t see.”

Even if he said “see,” she couldn’t see her own throat. While complaining, Reina somehow guessed.

Probably, he had given her a hickey.

It was a topic utterly unrelated to the late-bloomer Reina who had no boyfriend, but she had knowledge because she had heard about it from friends many times.

Student conversations gathered at fast-food restaurants after school inevitably leaned towards love talk. Especially at an age curious about sex. Since some friends had boyfriends and some had crossed the line, Reina had become quite knowledgeable by ear.

‘If only it wouldn’t disappear…’

Bruises would disappear cleanly after a few days. Reina thought it was sad that something Chris gave her would disappear so soon.

“Hey? Will you take off your clothes? Otherwise, I feel like I might get too excited and ruin your clothes…”

Hearing Chris’s impatient words, Reina dyed her face red.

Since they had been drinking in the dining room downstairs, she was wearing her usual uniform. Reina’s uniform was a blazer type and not particularly complicated, but considering Chris was drunk, she thought it might be better to take it off herself.

“Just… wait…”

It would be trouble if her uniform got torn. The uniform she had worn with care was quite worn out due to the year-long journey. Returning to the Royal Capital tomorrow in different clothes felt inappropriate too.

Since Chris sat up, Reina also sat up and first took off her jacket.

Next, she undid the ribbon around her neck. Just as she was about to put her hand on the blouse buttons, Reina could no longer withstand Chris’s feverish gaze.

“H-Hey. Don’t look so much.”

“Why? You’re taking them off to be held by me, right? I don’t want to miss even the most trivial gesture.”

She felt like she was being violated with his eyes. Chris’s eyes were wet with desire, and even the inexperienced Reina could tell he was terribly excited. It was so embarrassing that Reina looked down. She covered her face with both hands.

“Geez… embarrassing… no.”

Being stared at with such hot eyes, she couldn’t take them off. Taking the initiative to be embraced was too high a hurdle for the virginal Reina. Feeling scared at this late stage, Reina shook her head slightly. She intended to express that she couldn’t do it anymore.

But Chris didn’t take it that way. Instead, he put his hand on Reina’s blouse.

“…Can’t take it off by yourself? Geez, can’t be helped, Reina is just too cute. …Fufu, you want me to help you, right? Okay.”

Saying that, he began unbuttoning the small buttons of her blouse one by one, carefully.

“Eh… that’s not what I meant… nnu…”

While unbuttoning, Chris blocked Reina’s lips. Reina, unaccustomed to such forceful kisses that stole her words, drowned immediately.

“Nnn… nn… ah, Chris…”

Just like that, she was pushed down again. All six buttons of her blouse were undone. Her figure in just her underwear was exposed before Chris.

Narrowing his eyes as if dazzled, Chris touched her breast over the underwear. Not only that, just like before, he started dropping lips on her throat and this time even her shoulder.

Just the sensation of Chris’s smooth lips tracing her skin made her whole body shudder with delight.

“Ah… ah…”

Chris, who had been kissing and sucking strongly all over her upper body, looked up and stared at Reina reproachfully. Not understanding why he was making such a face, Reina was bewildered.

“W-What? Chris…”

“No matter how embarrassed you are, I won’t stop now, you know.”

“!”

Having her feelings from moments ago exposed so brilliantly, Reina widened her eyes.

“Reina, you’re the one who agreed to my words. I don’t want to hear words like ‘it’s no good after all.’ But if it’s words like ‘more,’ you can say them as much as you like.”

“I-I can’t say such things…”

There was no way she could say that. But Chris smiled meaningfully.

“It’s okay, I’ll make you beg for it soon enough. Hey, Reina. I don’t want to make Reina’s first time painful either. I don’t want to force you. But, I can’t stop anymore… so give up?”

Wondering what “give up” meant, Reina nodded timidly.

“Yeah…”

“Good. Then, can you lift your back a little?”

“?”

Although she didn’t understand the meaning, Reina lifted her back slightly from the bed as asked. Immediately, Chris’s hands went around, and the hook of the underwear covering her breasts was undone. The sensation of tightness around her chest disappeared, leaving her feeling helpless.

“Ah…”

“It’s in the way, so let’s take it off. Here…”

“Nn…”

Gently urged, the blouse and bra were taken away by Chris’s hands. The clasp of her skirt was undone, and when whispered with sweet words like “Lift your hips,” there was no way she could say no.

Timing it with her lifting her hips, the skirt and the underwear she was wearing were taken off together. Seeing his brilliant skill, Reina felt a little sad thinking Chris must have experience after all.

“So… beautiful. I want to hold you quickly.”

Releasing a hot breath, Chris also took off everything he was wearing. Chris’s naked body exposed before Reina’s eyes. At the lean body with no waste, Reina forgot her shame and just stared.

The night was late. Chris’s body illuminated by the moonlight was beautiful, and combined with his good looks, it had a charm and attraction one couldn’t help but admire.

But there was something Reina was more curious about than that. It was his member on his lower body.

The lump of desire towering so manly it almost touched his stomach gave Reina such a strong impression that for a moment she couldn’t believe it belonged to Chris.

It was reddish-black overall, the meat cylinder taut with veins popping out. At the surprisingly obscene shape, seeing the symbol of a male for the first time, Reina let out a small scream.

Perhaps reacting to that scream, Chris’s half-body twitched.

Imagining Chris’s member, which was much longer and thicker than she had predicted, entering her vagina, Reina paled. Impossible. She didn’t think such a large thing could fit inside her.

“No… noo.”

“Did I scare you? It’s okay. I’ll loosen you up properly, then put it in slowly.”

Becoming naked, Chris skillfully pushed his body between Reina’s legs, leaned his upper body forward, and pressed his body against hers. Reacting to the sensation of hot skin, Reina’s body trembled.

Her breasts were crushed against Chris’s chest, changing shape.

“I’ll make it so you can’t be satisfied by anyone but me.”

“Ah… Chris…”

“I won’t hear ‘no’ anymore. I’m going to take you now. So, Reina. Say it. I want to hear it from your mouth again. Say you want to be taken by me again, that you won’t regret it.”

Being begged in a husky voice, Reina blinked. She felt Chris’s heat around her thighs. It was pulsing hot, and she understood he was undeniably lusting after Reina.

“Hey, say it. I want to hear your words.”

He rubbed his desire further against her thighs. She shivered at the slimy sensation. Realizing Chris was rubbing pre-cum on her thighs, Reina didn’t know what to do anymore. The huge heat. It seemed to be appealing with a will that it wanted to enter Reina.

But there was no way the virgin Reina with zero experience could say such a thing.

“Ch… ris…”

Reina pushed Chris’s shoulder in refusal, but Chris didn’t budge an inch.

As if not allowing it, he shifted his body slightly up, this time rubbing his member near Reina’s private parts.

“Hey? You know we can’t go back anymore, right? Look, even here is so excited, wanting Reina so pathetically. It wants to enter Reina quickly. You’ll become mine, right?”

The tip of the member hit Reina’s entrance. It was soaking wet without Reina realizing, making a lewd sound. Hearing that, Chris laughed happily.

“Ah, you’re wet. I’m glad, Reina wants me too. Hey, let’s feel good together? Let me put it inside my beloved Reina.”

Invited by the sweet voice, her head became hot enough to boil. Chris’s member went back and forth over her secret slit repeatedly, and a sweet tremor welled up from deep within her body. The glans dived into the gap of the secret slit, stimulating Reina.

“Hya… aaah…”

She inadvertently wrapped both arms around Chris’s back. Pleased with Reina’s reaction, Chris laughed “Yeah.”

“My thing is going inside here… Haa… just rubbing against the entrance feels so good I might come…”

The glans part pushed aside the two petals and dived into Reina. Since it was the shallow part of the entrance, she didn’t feel pain yet, but Reina trembled at the unknown fear.

“Ah… ah.”

“Warm…”

Chris’s eyes as he muttered in a trance held obvious heat.

“Since you’re wet, it might go in as is, but I still don’t want to hurt you. So, ask properly?”

Trembling, Reina nodded. Because she saw a definite plea in Chris’s eyes dyed with lust.

Besides, Reina was the one who wished for it first. Knowing there would be pain, getting cold feet now was pathetic; Reina desperately stifled the feeling of discouragement and opened her mouth.

“Ch… Chris. Ta… ke me.”

“Are you sure? Really? I won’t ask anymore after this.”

Chris, who was enjoying the shallow part of the honey entrance, pulled out his member. Hearing the words that were likely the final confirmation, Reina nodded.

“It’s fine. It’s fine so… do it.”

Chris was kind. It would have been easy to just insert the member as is, but he still respected Reina’s will. Even at a time like this, Chris showed consideration for Reina.

If she thought a little, she might have arrived at the question of whether a drunk person would do this. Also, she might have realized from Chris’s words, actions, and expressions that he truly loved and wanted Reina.

But Reina didn’t have that leeway anywhere.

Because Chris was kind, she believed he said various things to reassure her since it was her first time.

‘It’s okay. I won’t take pillow talk, especially from a drunk person, seriously. I won’t misunderstand.’

As per the original plan, getting a memory was enough. Telling herself that again, Reina looked at Chris.

“I’m happy, Reina… I love you.”

“Nn… I like you too, Chris…”

Her heart trembled at the sweet nothings. Even if they were words limited to this moment, she was unbearably happy. Chris dropped a light kiss on Reina’s lips, then let his hand crawl onto her bare breast and began kneading it softly.

“Ah…”

“Soft… It’s like it sucks onto my hand. And it’s so big…”

“S-Stop saying that… It’s embarrassing.”

“No way. I want to see Reina being embarrassed.”

Ignoring Reina’s plea, Chris lifted her breasts as if gathering them to the center. The weight spilled from Chris’s hands.

“The color here is very beautiful. Can I lick it?”

“Hya…”

Before Reina could answer, Chris sucked onto the tip of her breast. Having her breast contained in his mouth and licked, Reina raised her voice.

“Nn, nn… Chri… s.”

“Fufu… it’s very delicious. If I suck harder, will something come out?”

Looking up, Chris laughed with a lewd expression. Reina shook her head vigorously.

“It won’t… nothing will come out… aan.”

“Too bad… nn.”

The tip of her breast was sucked up exceptionally strongly. Her stomach was hot. She felt something seeping out from between her legs.

“Ah… ah…”

She was tossed about by the movement of Chris’s tongue. When the rough part of his tongue tickled the tip of her breast, Reina felt itchy all over her body and couldn’t stand it.

“I’ll get you used to it here…”

Chris’s hand reached for the honey entrance where he had been pressing his member moments ago. Due to the earlier stimulation, it was already hot and wet, pleasing Chris greatly.

“Amazing… it’s squelching wet…”

“Noo…”

She wished he wouldn’t say such things. Even without being told, Reina’s body was sweetly lubricated from having Chris’s member rubbed against it and her breasts caressed.

Thinking she wanted Chris, deep inside her body throbbed hotly, and though embarrassed, just remembering the sensation of the member from before made fresh love juices seep out. Reina felt dizzy at her own excessive lewdness.

Chris, enjoying the slimy sensation of the secret slit, buried his finger into the loosely opened honey entrance.

“Nn…”

“Cute… It’s okay, I’ll go slow. I’ll get you plenty wet, then put it in.”

Chris gave sweet kisses while stirring Reina’s honey entrance. Reina, confused by the discomfort at first, eventually began to make sweet sounds.

“Ah… aah…”

The sound of the finger going in and out was unbearably embarrassing. Unable to endure it, Reina covered her face with both hands. Chris’ hand grabbed both her wrists. He pinned them up above her head.

“No. Don’t hide Reina’s cute face. I want to see every face of Reina.”

“Yaa…”

The finger bent inside the vagina. Stimulated as if scraping the vaginal wall, Reina couldn’t help but shake her hips.

Feeling too much from the current situation of having her honey entrance toyed with while both arms were fixed above her head, Reina overflowed with fresh arousal.

“Are you feeling it? Cute, Reina. I’ll love you here too.”

“!! Ah!”

What was toyed with by another finger was the clitoris a little above the honey entrance. Touched on the small pearl by a finger, Reina jumped especially largely.

“Ah, women really do feel good here… The inside has become gooey again.”

“Aah… no… there… no…”

“Why? Reina, it looks so good, why no?”

To Chris’s question, Reina nodded repeatedly.

“No, that, I feel like I’m going to become weird so no…”

“You mean it feels too good and you’re going to come? That’s exactly what I want. I want to see Reina come by my hand.”

The clitoris that was only being touched lightly was crushed by the pad of his finger. Immediately, something tightened inside her stomach.

“Aaaah!”

Stimulated on the clitoris as if being grounded, Reina’s hips jumped repeatedly. Love juices dripped profusely from the honey entrance, soiling even Chris’s wrist.

“Amazing reaction… Even if I increase the fingers, you don’t notice at all, so cute…”

“Hyaaan”

As Chris said, the fingers increased to two moved around as if widening Reina’s vagina. Caressed on both the clitoris and inside the vagina, Reina climbed to the peak in the blink of an eye.

“Ah… ah… aah…”

— Something is coming.

Yes, she thought. Something was welling up from the depths of her belly. It was a pleasure similar to the urge to urinate, harboring a fear that made her want to run away.

“No… no…”

Reina’s whole body began to tremble minutely. Chris, while stimulating the vaginal wall where Reina reacted well, took the shaking nipple into his mouth.

“Ah!”

His teeth were set with exquisite strength. At the same time, the clitoris was crushed strongly, and something accumulated inside Reina burst.

“Nnn… aah!”

Her back arched. Strength drained from her whole body, and Reina looked at Chris limply.

“Haa… nn…”

“Cute… haa… I’m at my limit…”

Muttering in a husky voice, Chris pulled his fingers out of the honey entrance. Both hands that were held above her head were released before she knew it. Chris spread the limp Reina’s legs and pressed himself against the secret slit spilling transparent honey.

“I’m putting it in… Haa… ah, finally… finally this time has come. I absolutely won’t let go. Reina is mine.”

“Ah… Chris…”

“I love you, Reina…”

His desire was pushed into the wide-open honey entrance. The round, smooth glans first invaded the shallow part of Reina’s entrance. Then Chris pushed his hips forward firmly.

A mass incomparable to fingers trampled Reina’s virginity. Reflexively, Reina grabbed Chris’s shoulders with both hands.

“! Hur… ts…”

“Sorry. I know it hurts because Reina is very tight inside, but I can’t stop. …It feels too good, I can’t stop.”

“!”

While the virgin flesh screamed, it still swallowed the member. Every time Chris advanced his hips, tearing pain assailed Reina continuously.

Although she was prepared, at a pain different in kind from what she knew, a trembling voice leaked out no matter what.

“Nn… nn…”

As she endured while clinging tightly to Chris, Chris breathed roughly and said to Reina.

“If it’s… too tight, bite my shoulder. I can’t stop for you, but if you do that, I can feel at least a little of your pain.”

“I-‘m, o-kay, so…”

At Chris’s kind words even at a time like this, Reina almost cried. Chris’s massive member pushed Reina’s vaginal flesh wide open, now invading quite deep. Finally, with a vigorous push of his hips deep inside, Reina and Chris’s hips finally fit perfectly together.

“…It’s in, Reina. Wow… you’re too tight inside…”

“Ha… aaah…”

Dull pain assailed her constantly. But for Reina, the joy of becoming one with Chris was greater.

“Chris… I’m… happy.”

“I am… happier. I’ve wanted to be like this with Reina for a long time. Are you okay? Is it okay to move?”

“Y-Yeah.”

Actually, it still hurt, but Reina didn’t say it. Just looking at Chris’s expression floating in heat made Reina ache inside.

Not just pain, something sweet. Hearing Reina’s answer, Chris slowly rocked his member back and forth.

“Nn…”

Chris’s member stimulated inside. She distorted her face slightly at the pain, but Reina clung strongly to Chris and endured it.

Chris started moving his hips while checking Reina’s reaction, but as Reina began to raise voices that were not just pain little by little, he also began to press his hips strongly as if chasing pleasure.

“Reina… Reina… amazing, inside Reina is getting hotter and hotter.”

“Ah, ah, ah…”

“Does it feel good? Being thrust up by me. Cute… I’ll do it more.”

To Chris’s ecstatic voice, Reina answered with a sweet pant.

‘…What is this, it feels really good.’

Being shaken by Chris, Reina stared single-mindedly at him shaking his hips while dripping sweat with her dazed mind. Chris held Reina’s legs and pressed his hips strongly again and again.

Every time Chris’s large member scraped the vaginal wall, a comfort that seemed addictive assailed Reina.

Chris, who had completely opened Reina’s vaginal flesh, swung his hips unreservedly.

The sound of skin hitting skin echoed, and each time, the hot sensation of the thrusting member ensnared Reina.

With each thrust, the pleasure increased, making her want it deeper. Before she noticed, Reina started swaying her hips herself.

“Hah… ah… Chris…”

“Nn? What’s wrong? Reina. You look like you’re melting… Ah, Reina tightened inside again.”

Chris laughed meanly and began thrusting intensively at the part where Reina reacted particularly.

“Ahh. Mmm, there… feels good…!”

“Yeah, when I hit here, you gave the cutest reaction… Haa… Reina’s insides are all messy and wet… feels so good…”

Chris’s intoxicated expression and voice cornered Reina.

‘I’m happy… Chris feels good with me…’

Reina, who was worried she might make Chris feel bad by having him embrace her like this, was relieved from the bottom of her heart seeing Chris’s melting expression.

At least he seemed to like her body reasonably well.

Chris’s movements grew more rhythmic, signaling the approaching climax.

“…I’m about to come… Reina, can I come inside you?”

To the question containing tremendous sex appeal, Reina thought for a moment and nodded.

She wanted a memory. Just being embraced was enough, but if by chance she could have a child, she thought she would be happier than anything.

‘I won’t be able to see Chris ever again. It’s okay to want proof, right…’

“Okay… come, inside.”

“Reina… ah, you’re so lovely it makes me dizzy…”

— I love you.

Telling her that, Chris kissed Reina, and eventually finished in her deepest part.

Reina trembled at the unique sensation of hot spurts wetting her innermost depths, embracing it with her whole being.

‘Ah… I was embraced by Chris…’

The member was pulled out.

At the same time, a large amount of semen spilled from Reina’s honey entrance. Blood must have come out when her hymen broke. Semen mixed with pink fell onto the linen, creating several round stains.

“Ha… a…”

Lying on the bed, Reina relaxed her body.

A friend had said sex uses stamina or something, and it was true. Muscles in places she didn’t usually use hurt here and there, and there was a discomfort between her legs as if something was still inside.

When a throbbing pain appeared, Reina finally remembered that she could use magic.

‘Ah, right. Can’t I heal the pain here with magic?’

She had been so desperate with the act with Chris that she couldn’t think that far. When she tried activating magic, as expected, the pain was removed cleanly.

“…Reina? Are you okay?”

To Chris asking worriedly, Reina answered with a smile.

“Yeah… It hurt a little, but I’m fine. I took away the pain just now.”

“I see… If anything, I wanted to heal you.”

Reina glared upward at Chris, who made a disappointed voice.

“I hate Chris’s treatment because it’s lewd.”

When she told him she wanted nothing to do with a treatment method like kissing the affected area, Chris tilted his head asking what she was saying.

“Even though we just did something much more embarrassing? You’re embarrassed?”

“Of… of course…!”

That and this were different.

Looking at Reina denying with a red face, Chris laughed mysteriously.

“Fufu… Reina is cute after all…”

“Hya!?”

Her body was flipped over, and Reina raised a voice of surprise.

“Since there’s no pain, it’s okay, right? I want to feel Reina more…”

“Aaaah…”

Chris lifted her hips, his hard, throbbing member plunging into Reina’s still-wet, honeyed depths from behind.

Reina, who had naively assumed it would end after one time, widened her eyes in shock at this unexpected turn of events.

“Eh… wh… y… hyaaa”

“Cute… I’ve been holding back for so long. Now that I finally have you, there’s no way it can end with just one time… Let me love you more.”

Chris, burying his thing inside Reina, began thrusting deep inside Reina without reserve from the start this time.

Being thrust from behind, a thrilling sensation ran through her back. Reina trembled at the sweet numbness.

“Aaan…”

“Stay with me, Reina. By my side… I love you…”

Looming over her back, thrusting his hips, Chris pleaded with Reina.

Reina couldn’t answer that. Given too intense pleasure, she wasn’t in a state to judge things properly.

“Nn… ya… again… ah… cumming…”

Shaken by Chris, Reina continued to raise only sweet voices.

The feeling of climax she experienced for the first time just moments ago jumped up, and Reina grasped the linen. While thrusting up her vaginal depths, Chris repeated like a delirium.

“I love you… I love you… I don’t need anyone else. So become my queen. Don’t ever leave me…”

Chris’s bare heart hurled at her while ejaculating.

But sadly, it did not reach Reina, whose consciousness was already hazy.

***

“Mmm…”

The morning light was blinding. Reina groaned, but forced her eyes open, a wry smile tugging at her lips as she took in her current state.

The bed was a mess. Reina laid naked, still embraced from behind by Chris, who was also naked. Their clothes were scattered around the bed, creating a chaotic scene.

The disheveled state of the two and the lingering scent of passion left no doubt about what had transpired the night before.

Reina gently disengaged Chris’s arm, which was wrapped around her, and sat up. As she moved, a warm, viscous fluid spilled from deep within her, making her heart skip a beat.

‘Oh, this… it’s Chris’s…’

In the end, Chris hadn’t stopped at just two times. He had poured all of his seed into Reina’s body.

Though Reina had wanted this herself, now that she was calm, she felt a deep sense of embarrassment.

Her face flushed crimson, Reina quickly washed herself, gathered her scattered clothes, and dressed.

After tidying herself up to a presentable state, she quietly slipped out of the room, careful not to wake the sleeping Chris.

She would have liked to tidy the bed linens, but Chris was still asleep, making it impossible. Reina desperately wanted to leave before he woke up.

‘After all, it was just a one-night mistake. It would be so awkward if he woke up and found me here. Yesterday, he let me dream so many dreams. That’s enough.’

Whether it was the alcohol or a lie to spare her feelings, she had been happy to hear him say he loved her. She had been happy to have him hold her as she wished. She wanted nothing more.

“Goodbye, Chris… Thank you.”

With those words, Reina sealed away her feelings for Chris.

***

‘That should have been the end of it…’

Reina sighed deeply, recalling the events of just a month ago.

After that, Reina had breakfast alone in the dining hall. A short while later, Chris hurried downstairs, looking flustered. She greeted him with a bright smile and a cheerful “Good morning,” acting as if nothing had happened the previous night.

For a moment, Chris looked hurt, but he quickly replied with a “Good morning” and his usual warm smile. Reina felt a brief chill, but he never mentioned the previous night again, and his attitude remained unchanged.

‘He must not remember it. That’s the only explanation.’

Reina concluded this with immense relief.

Back in the Royal Capital, Chris was as busy as she had expected, and they rarely had a chance to see each other.

Reina was right. She felt satisfied with her decision back then, knowing she could now return home without any regrets. For a month, she had meticulously prepared for her departure.

Just a week before her planned return, Chris shattered everything.

Chris hadn’t forgotten their night together. On the contrary, he had broken off his engagement with his betrothed and declared his intention to marry Reina—even though she was about to leave for Japan.

This wasn’t a joke.

When Reina overheard Chris speaking with the king, she had instinctively fled. But now, she realized it was for the best.

She needed to distance herself from Chris as much as possible. She needed to create space for him to regain his composure. One mistake shouldn’t ruin his entire life.

‘Calm down, Chris. The woman you should marry is your fiancée, the noble lady, not me.’

Reina gazed blankly at the moon, recalling everything that had happened since she arrived in Mardias.

Night had fallen, and the moon shone brightly, as if asserting its presence.

Chuckling wryly at the moon’s more assertive glow compared to Earth’s, Reina unconsciously reached out toward it.

“Tomorrow… tomorrow’s the day…”

The moon appeared almost perfectly round, though the full moon wasn’t until the following day.

Tomorrow, Reina would finally be able to return to Japan, back to her family.

“…I have to go back,” she murmured.

These words had been lingering in Reina’s heart since the moment she arrived in this world.

She was an anomaly in this world, an outsider. Therefore, she had to return to where she belonged.

“Tomorrow… as soon as tomorrow comes, I’ll go home.”

And put an end to everything.

With that thought, Reina opened the perfume bottle she’d received from the traveling merchant, hoping to distract herself even a little.

A soft fragrance filled the room.

It was a gentle, herbal scent familiar from Japan, and Reina relaxed slightly.

‘Ah… this really is soothing.’

She considered adding a few drops to her bath. If she slept surrounded by this scent, she was sure she’d sleep soundly.

“Haa…”

Reina placed the perfume bottle on the round table near the window, thinking the scent would spread more easily there.

“Such a gentle scent… so gentle… just like Chris… ! No! I can’t… not again…”

If she let her guard down, she immediately started thinking about Chris.

Even though she tried not to, she found herself constantly thinking about him. Love was truly troublesome.

But once she returned to her own world, she was sure she’d look back on these feelings with fondness. She’d cherish them as good memories, tucking them away in her heart and living on.

Feeling like she was about to think about Chris even more, Reina closed the perfume bottle.

She gazed at the moon outside the window once more.

“Take care, Chris… I hope you find happiness.”

“…Saying all that, and yet you’re still leaving? You must really want to see me plunged into the depths of despair.”

“Huh…?”

Suddenly, the door burst open without a knock. Startled by the all-too-familiar voice, Reina whirled around.

“Huh? …W-why…?”

“Did you really think I’d let you go home quietly?”

Chris, the very person Reina had been thinking about all week, strode into the room with an almost arrogant air.

His platinum-blonde hair gleamed like silk, and his ruby-red eyes burned with intensity. His slender, well-defined eyebrows framed a straight, elegant nose. Thin lips and porcelain-smooth, flawless skin completed a face so perfect it was almost absurd to envy. Now, that face glared at Reina with unmistakable anger.

Despite her confusion, Reina managed to speak.

“…Chris, why are you here?”

“It’s obvious. I’ve come to bring you back after you fled the Royal Palace.”

Bring her back. Reina inwardly clicked her tongue at those words.

After finally escaping, he was actually chasing after her? And the pursuer was Chris himself? What kind of joke was this? Reina suppressed her agitation and forced herself to speak calmly.

“You, the Crown Prince? Don’t be ridiculous. You must have mountains of work to attend to. You shouldn’t have abandoned it all.”

“You’re right. But this is an emergency. I’ve entrusted all my duties to Father and my sister. I even obtained Father’s permission. He agreed that bringing the Saintess back safely is paramount.”

‘If only he’d just left me alone,’ Reina thought bitterly, glaring at Chris.

“What emergency? I clearly left a letter stating I was going on a solo journey.”

“You’re right, I did read it. But I can’t just let you leave in silence. After traveling together for a whole year, don’t you think that would be incredibly heartless?”

“…It’s fine. Besides, you were the ones who dragged me along in the first place.”

“You’ve got us there. We can’t really argue with that. But still—”

Chris, still wearing the white robe-like outfit he’d worn during their travels, strode impatiently toward Reina, his boots clicking sharply on the floor. Before Reina could react, he grabbed her arm with one hand.

“Ow…!”

“I won’t let this become just a memory.”

Despite his slender build, Chris was still a man. The force he exerted felt like a vise tightening around Reina’s arm.

Even as Reina’s face contorted in pain, Chris refused to release her arm.

Instead, he spoke in a choked voice, “Does it hurt? I’m hurting even more. How could you say something so foolish as to leave me behind?”

“Chris…?”

Reina looked up at him, wondering why she was being blamed so harshly. Chris’s crimson eyes seemed both furious and deeply wounded.

If Reina left, Chris wouldn’t have to take responsibility and marry her. He could marry his betrothed, the woman he was destined to be with. So why had he chased after her? She couldn’t understand at all.

Forgetting the pain of being held, Reina stared at Chris’s face. He chuckled self-deprecatingly.

“You really don’t believe me at all, do you? I told you how much I love you…”

“Ugh!”

Reina gasped, Chris’s words choking her. Her eyes widened as she glared at him.

“Did you think it was just a joke because it was said in the bedroom? As the Crown Prince, every word I speak, regardless of the setting, is the truth. I’m not a careless man. How could you not realize something so simple?”

“Huh…?”

“I told you, didn’t I? I love you. I want you to be my queen. You even said you loved me too. Are your pre-wedding jitters not enough already? Let’s return to the Royal Palace. You’ve caused enough trouble for everyone.”

“…Pre-wedding jitters?”

Reina was stunned by the unfamiliar words, so utterly foreign to her world.

“That’s right. Since you’re going to marry me, what else could this be but pre-wedding jitters? It’s my duty as your future husband to bring back my fiancée who’s feeling anxious about our marriage.”

There was no hint of falsehood in his firm declaration.

And that was precisely what terrified her.

Reina desperately tried to shake Chris off, but his grip on her arm remained unyielding.

“W-wait a minute! Fiancée? Your fiancée is the Duke’s Daughter, isn’t she? What about her?”

It was a natural question for Reina, but Chris seemed genuinely puzzled by her inquiry. He tilted his head and replied, “Of course, we broke off our engagement long ago. After all, you’re the one I’m marrying.”

The way he stated this as if it were the most natural thing in the world made Reina’s blood boil.

“I won’t! I absolutely won’t marry Chris! Besides, I’m going home tomorrow! Sure, I made the first move, but I don’t want anything! Don’t drag me into Chris’s family drama without my consent!”

In stark contrast to Reina’s furious outburst, Chris spoke with icy calm.

“I wish you would want something. But it’s too late now, I’m afraid. You’ve already been embraced by me.”

A chilling premonition prickled Reina’s skin, yet she glared defiantly at Chris.

“So what? What’s your point?”

“That night, you told me you loved me, didn’t you? And you responded to my advances. Whether you meant it or not is irrelevant. That’s why I took you.”

Reina fell silent, her gaze fixed on Chris. A faint smile played on his lips.

“Too bad. You can’t go home now. Even when the full moon rises, you won’t be able to return. I bound you to me that night.”

Reina blinked at the words “You can’t go back.”

“What… what do you mean? I can’t go back? If I pray to the full moon, I should be able to return, right?”

Chris smiled confidently.

“This is written in the temple’s secret texts. It says, ‘When a Saintess loves and engages in sexual intercourse, her fate becomes bound to her partner, preventing her from returning to her original world.'”

“Huh…?”

Reina felt a sharp intake of breath. Her mind recoiled, refusing to grasp the meaning of Chris’s words.

Yet she managed to stammer, “B-but… loving…?”

‘Not in the true sense…’ she wanted to say, but Chris dismissed her protest with a wave of his hand.

“We loved each other, didn’t we? You and I. Right here. Again and again. Don’t pretend you’ve forgotten.”

“Th-that was because I was drunk… and Chris wasn’t thinking straight either, so…”

That’s right. Reina had indeed embraced Chris that night, but he couldn’t possibly have been thinking clearly after drinking that terrifying Monster Slayer wine. Even if he remembered, she refused to acknowledge it.

So Reina voiced her thoughts, but Chris shook his head in exasperation.

“…Reina, I don’t get drunk. I’m the Crown Prince, after all. My body is accustomed to alcohol, poisons, and even miasma—though I avoid those last two, of course. The Monster Slayer wine you so diligently poured for me tasted like water.”

Upon hearing Chris’s words, Reina nearly collapsed in shock.

Now utterly bewildered, Reina, still held by the arm, pressed closer to Chris.

“W-wait a minute! Then what was that? You said you were drunk, that’s why you rested in my room…”

“I noticed your strange behavior that day. I played along to gauge your intentions. I never expected you to confess your feelings and then… attack me.”

“No way! Then why did you let me push you down so easily? If you were sober, you should have stopped me!”

“Why would I do something so foolish? I wanted you. If pretending to be drunk meant I could hold you, of course I’d keep up the act, no matter what.”

“Why would you go to such lengths…?”

“I told you, I wanted you. Reina, why are you so surprised? I thought I’d made it clear how I felt about you. I even confessed once during our journey, remember? You didn’t take me seriously back then.”

Reina remembered Chris’s confession. But she’d assumed it was just friendly affection, nothing more, and hadn’t given it much thought.

“But… Chris is such a kind prince… He’s always so gentle with everyone… I thought I shouldn’t misunderstand.”

As Reina, still dazed, finally voiced the thoughts that had been haunting her, Chris frowned, his expression darkening.

“That’s ridiculous. I’m not kind to anyone but you. Because no one else matters to me. Anyone could see how deeply I care for you.”

“C-care?” Reina’s eyes widened in shock at the unexpected word. Yet Chris nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Yes. Seto and Ortega know too. I warned them before we even set out on our journey: ‘Reina is going to marry me. Don’t even think about making a move.'”

“What is that…?”

Everything was news to Reina.

She hadn’t known Chris had warned Ortega and Seto to back off. Nor that Chris had held Reina sober that day.

Chris pulled Reina close, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Stunned into stillness, Reina was caught before she could resist.

“Ah… let go…”

Held against Chris’s chest, Reina trembled. It wasn’t out of dislike, but from a mixture of fear and a strange, unsettling comfort. Perhaps that was why, despite wanting to push him away and escape his embrace, she couldn’t bring herself to move.

If Reina used her magic, she could easily break free.

Instead, Chris tightened his grip, pulling her even closer.

“I don’t want to. Because I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you. Ever since I first laid eyes on you when you answered my summons. It must have been love at first sight. But I’m the Crown Prince, so I had resigned myself to the fact that I could never have you or join you on your journey. I had truly given up until then, you know? But then you reached out to me. …You remember? You were the one who opened the door to the cage where I was imprisoned. You were the one who pulled me out of that cage I thought I could never escape. At that moment, when you confronted me with that unwavering choice, I realized it wasn’t just love at first sight—I had truly fallen in love with you. I made a decision then: I would no longer restrain myself. I would declare what I wanted. I would never give up. I would get what I wanted. And the only thing I want… is you.”

“Chris…”

Reina felt her eyes growing warm as she listened to his heartfelt confession.

‘I mustn’t accept Chris. I know this can’t continue, yet a part of my heart rejoices.’

“I’ll say it again. You told me you loved me, and I reciprocated. My feelings are no joke. As I said, I love you with all my heart. See? We undeniably love each other. That’s why you can’t go back—and I won’t let you. You’ll become my queen.”

“N-no… it’s a lie…”

Chris’s words tore through Reina’s heart with cruel precision.

The realization that she could never return, that she would never see her family again, filled her heart with despair. Yet, at the same time, Reina couldn’t deny the part of her that rejoiced at the thought of staying by Chris’s side.

Chris smirked wickedly.

“A lie? I’ll prove it to you. I’ll show you just how much I love you. And I’ll hold you until you fully understand that you can never go back. This time, I won’t let you escape.”

“This time… what do you mean by ‘this time’?”

Reina tilted her head, unsure which of Chris’s words he was referring to. Chris glared at her.

“Do you truly understand how shocked I was that day when I woke up? I had finally become lovers with the person I loved, and I woke up feeling so fulfilled. But when I reached out to embrace you, you were gone… And when I finally found you, you acted as if nothing had happened. I couldn’t understand what you were thinking, so I played along at the time… But I never imagined you were just toying with me, planning to discard me.”

“T-Toying with you? I would never do such a thing!” Reina protested, shocked by the absurd accusation. Chris gave her a skeptical look.

“…You let me believe you loved me, let me dream of making you my wife, only to abandon me once you were done with me, planning to return to your own world alone? Anyone would say I was the one being toyed with.”

Reina fell silent, speechless.

Who could ever abandon a man like this?

At first, his peerless beauty had seemed as lifeless as a mannequin’s. Now, it radiated a fierce determination, his gaze fixed on Reina as if to ensure she couldn’t escape. The Crown Prince of an entire nation, a man destined to become king, was pouring all his energy into ensnaring Reina. How could someone like her possibly hope to resist him?

“I…”

“I don’t want to hear any excuses. But if you absolutely must say something… well, I might listen if you say it while I’m holding you.”

“Chris…!”

“Enough. I only want to hear one thing: your agreement to marry me.”

“Mmm…”

Chris’s burning lips pressed against Reina’s. After a month of separation, the sweet, tingling sensation left her utterly powerless, and she could only surrender to it.

Chris lifted Reina into his arms and carried her to the bed.

“I love you, Reina. Please believe me.”

“Chris… but…”

“I don’t love anyone else. I’m not kind to anyone else. I don’t want anyone else. Please, how can I make you believe me? How can I show you that I truly desire you from the bottom of my heart?”

Chris leaned over Reina, who lay on the bed.

As he tenderly stroked her cheek and pleaded with a sorrowful voice, Reina, who loved him deeply, couldn’t help but waver.

She repeated Chris’s words to herself again and again, then asked him, as if seeking confirmation, “I… can’t really go home? I can’t see my family anymore?”

When Reina asked, her voice trembling, Chris whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“I couldn’t let you go back, and have never see you again. Because I don’t want to let Reina go. I know it’s selfish of me. But you’re the one thing I couldn’t bear to lose, even if it meant defying the whole world. From now on, I swear to become everything you’ve lost… So please forgive me. I love you, Reina.”

“Chris…”

Reina suddenly understood that Chris’s words were true, spoken in a frail voice with a pained expression.

Reina could no longer return home. And—Chris truly loved her.

Strangely, no anger arose within her.

After all, it was Reina who had attacked Chris in the first place. While Chris had undoubtedly wanted to keep Reina in this world, he had never forced her.

Even during their intimacy, he had repeatedly confirmed her consent… True, he hadn’t explicitly explained that she wouldn’t be able to return home, but Reina herself had nodded in agreement.

Now, Reina placed her hand on Chris’s cheek, his face contorted as if he were about to cry.

“…Don’t cry, Chris. It hurts me when you cry.”

“Reina…”

“I can’t go back, can I? I have to stay in this world… even though I’m an Outlander.”

Chris refuted Reina’s words.

“Who told you you’re an Outlander? Everyone accepts you here. Even the Moon Goddess who summoned you to this world. The only person who rejects you here is you.”

“Ah…”

Chris’s sincere words finally made Reina realize that she herself had been rejecting this world.

It was just like magic. Deep down, she had always believed it was all a lie.

She had only superficially accepted it. Reina had never truly embraced this world.

This was a false world, a dream world. That’s why she had to wake up and return quickly. She had to escape before becoming too deeply involved. That’s what she had always thought, deep in her heart.

“I… I…”

“Everyone in the kingdom is celebrating our marriage. You must have heard the congratulatory messages everywhere, right? Marrying me won’t diminish your power as the Saintess. The Moon Goddess’s blessing will continue to shine upon you until your dying breath. The fact that such a great Saintess is marrying the Crown Prince of our nation… I’m the one who should be praised for this. In fact, Father already commended me, saying, ‘I never thought you, who never seems to know what you’re doing, would actually manage to capture the Saintess.’ So you don’t need to worry about anything.”

“B-but Chris had a fiancée… that’s why…”

Chris spoke reassuringly to Reina, who was shaking her head stubbornly.

“I told you, we broke off the engagement, right? The noble lady was overjoyed. She’s been in love with another man for years, but the kingdom’s customs forced her into an engagement with me. She hated me so much that I only saw her genuine smile for the first time after we dissolved the engagement. Of course, I never cared about her either. I have no interest in her. You’re the only one I love. So you really don’t need to worry about anything.”

“No way. You’ve been exchanging letters throughout the entire journey—”

“Letters? You mean the regular correspondence I had with Father?”

“Huh?”

When Reina mentioned the letters she’d been so worried about, Chris looked utterly bewildered.

Reina’s eyes widened at Chris’s genuine confusion.

“Those letters… they weren’t from your fiancée? But you always looked so happy when you received them…”

“Every time I wrote to Father, I also told him about you—that I wanted to marry you. If I received a positive response to that, wouldn’t anyone seem happy?”

“……”

There was no hint of deception in Chris’s words, spoken with a gentle smile.

In other words, it had all been Reina’s misunderstanding.

Chris’ fiancé had vanished without a trace, and both the people and the king welcomed her warmly.

Before she knew it, everything had been arranged for her, leaving Reina feeling utterly bewildered.

Chris repeated, “Do you understand now? There’s no obstacle to us being together. So—I want to hear you say it. Tell me you love me. Promise to stay here and become my queen. Otherwise, I’ll be too anxious to leave your side.”

Urged by his words, Reina gazed at Chris with the lost look of a child.

She did love him. That was undeniably her true feeling.

But until now, she hadn’t truly accepted his words or this world. For the first time, she felt like she was facing Chris as an individual, a man, properly.

Reina asked herself, ‘What do I truly desire? Stripped of all pretense, what is my deepest truth…?’

The answer came with startling simplicity.

“…I love you.”

Reina’s voice was faint and trembling, but the words reached Chris clearly.

Chris’s eyes widened at her confession. “Reina?”

“I love you. I love you, Chris. Saying I wanted nothing was a lie. I truly wanted to be your lover, to stay with you forever…”

Stripped of all pretense, the truth was painfully simple.

It was true that she longed to return home. It was true that the thought of never seeing her family again tormented her.

But more than anything, Reina wanted to be with Chris.

Leaving Chris was the hardest thing of all. Yet she tried to return for one simple reason:

She couldn’t bear to see Chris marry another woman.

She hid this truth behind layers of excuses. She told herself she had to go back, forcing herself to believe she could grow to love her own world. But eventually, she had to acknowledge her true feelings. This time, she convinced herself that as an Outlander, someone alien to this world, she shouldn’t become too involved.

It’s irrelevant. I shouldn’t get involved. I mustn’t interfere with Chris’s life. By clinging to this belief, she suppressed both her aversion to Chris marrying another woman and her longing to be his lover.

Reina had repeatedly told herself that she wouldn’t misunderstand or misinterpret Chris’s sweet words. Otherwise, she might have clung to him and begged, “Because I love you, don’t be kind to anyone else. Don’t marry another woman.” She had long been aware of her own pathetic tendencies.

“I… I love you, Chris. I can’t bear the thought of you marrying someone else. Please, don’t look at any other woman…” Reina pleaded desperately.

Chris smiled radiantly. “I’ve never loved anyone but you. That’s why I’m asking you to marry me. Dedicating my entire life to you is the easiest thing in the world.”

‘In return, I’ll take everything that’s yours.’

Whispered in her ear, those words finally made Reina embrace Chris.

“Yes… yes… I want to stay by your side forever…”

Sobbing, Reina confessed. Chris hugged her back, then rolled onto his side, peering down at her face.

“Then… promise me. Will you marry me? I can’t go on without you.”

“…Yes.”

“Will you bear my child? I’ll never let you go, is that okay?”

“Yes… yes…!”

Chris’s wishes mirrored Reina’s own. She nodded and clung tightly to him.

“I love you, Chris. Please… make me your wife.”

“Reina…!”

Chris cried out in joy at her brave declaration, showering her face with kisses. He murmured repeatedly, like a delirious mantra: “I love you, I love you, Reina. This time, I’ll never let you go.”

And then, as naturally as the sun rises, a sweet, tender moment unfolded between them.

***

“Hyaah… Ahhh…”

Lascivious moans and the rhythmic thud of hips echoed ceaselessly through the room.

Several hours had passed since Chris first took Reina in his arms.

Reina shook her head violently, begging him to stop, insisting she couldn’t take any more of his sweet torment. But her pleas went unanswered.

“Ahhh…”

Chris spurted deep inside Reina’s vagina. By now, Reina was completely accustomed to this repeated act. She felt the hot jets of semen flood her body, her body trembling in pleasure.

Chris gazed at Reina, his eyes glazed with ecstasy.

“So cute… Reina’s insides are squeezing me, telling me how much they love it.”

“Auu… Yaaah…”

Chris began thrusting again, his hips moving relentlessly. Reina pounded his arms repeatedly, as if signaling her surrender.

“N-no more… Please… Just a little… rest… Ahhh…”

Before she could finish speaking, Chris rubbed against her vaginal wall, causing Reina to involuntarily let out a sweet moan. Seeing her reaction, Chris chuckled with amusement.

“No way. You’re the one who ignored me for a whole month, Reina. This isn’t nearly enough…”

“I didn’t… ignore you…” Reina protested weakly between gasps.

‘It was you who was too busy to see me,’ she thought, but Chris playfully chided her, “Liar.”

“I would have gladly made time for you anytime you wanted to see me, no matter how busy I was. You’re the one who used my supposed busyness as an excuse not to come see me.”

With a squelch, Chris thrust his cock deep inside Reina.

Chris’s glans brushed against Reina’s cervix, and she arched her back unmistakably.

“Ah… there…”

“You’ve really grown to love having it rubbed right there, haven’t you? I like it too, because I get to see Reina’s cute face.”

Chuckling, Chris pressed his glans against her cervix and began a grinding motion.

Reina cried out in a high-pitched voice, overwhelmed by the piercing pleasure.

“Aaaah…!”

Her mind went blank again. As Reina relaxed after reaching her climax, Chris’s cock relentlessly resumed its assault, repeatedly grinding against her most sensitive spot.

“Mmm… no… I just came…”

“Feeling too much? Isn’t that the point? Ah, Reina, you’re so cute when you moan and whimper as I thrust into you…”

Chris exhaled a sweet breath and thrust deeper, scraping Reina’s tender vaginal walls. Reina’s body stiffened again.

“Aah…!”

“When I move in and out like this, what I’ve already released starts to spill out. But this isn’t just mine, is it? About half of it is Reina’s love juices. It’s so squishy and writhing inside, like it’s alive.”

With that, Chris gripped Reina’s slender waist and began to pound ruthlessly into her, asking, “About earlier… Let’s hear your excuse. Why didn’t you come see me?”

Reina’s insides were completely melted by Chris’s relentless assault, her yielding flesh throbbing with heat. With the most sensitive spot inside her being stimulated by Chris’s fleshy umbrella, she couldn’t possibly answer properly.

Despite everything, Reina managed to speak.

“Hngh… I… I shouldn’t… interfere with your work…”

“Lies. You were just trying to get away from me, weren’t you? You hoped that if you kept your distance, you could go home without anything happening, right?”

Chris’s thick cock slid back to a shallow position. The momentary relief from the pressure was fleeting, as his cock soon plunged deep inside Reina again.

“Ahhh…”

The sensation of Chris’s firm, erect member stretching her inner folds made her stomach clench with pleasure. Unlike before, his slow, deliberate thrusts now brought her a sustained, continuous pleasure.

“Maybe… maybe you should have come to see me…”

The words slipped out unintentionally, but they seemed to irritate Chris.

“…Are you serious? You think I didn’t come to see you? I carved out every spare moment to search for you. But you—you were always outside the castle, nowhere to be found.”

Reina fell silent, her discomfort so acute she couldn’t meet Chris’s gaze.

His words were harsh and barbed, yet Reina couldn’t bring herself to be angry. She knew she had deliberately avoided him.

She had used Chris’s busy schedule as an excuse not to visit, and then, bored in the Royal Palace, she had slipped out almost daily.

…The thought of Chris coming to see her and—what if he brought up that day? She couldn’t bear to remain in the Royal Palace.

“Hngh…”

Her legs were lifted high, and his thick cock plunged deep inside her. The violently swollen member filled her honeyed passage, its hard tip relentlessly pounding her aching core.

Reina’s body was shaken by Chris’s powerful piston-like thrusts. Her full breasts jiggled enticingly with each movement.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

She knew she was clearly in the wrong this time. Chris had every right to be angry.

“You… you came…” she managed to say between gasps, even as she was being shaken.

“Of course,” Chris replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “I can’t bear not seeing you, my beloved. But it’s fine. In the end, you’re mine now… and while we were apart, I secretly made all the arrangements for our wedding.”

“I forgive you,” Chris said as he released his seed into Reina once more.

“Ugh… your insides are truly addictive… I can’t seem to stop.”

“Hngh…”

Inside, she writhed, eager to drain Chris’s essence. Her fleshly folds clung to his shaft like a suction cup, entwining him as if begging for a kiss.

“You don’t have to squeeze so tight… all my seed belongs to you. I won’t give it to anyone else. So… hurry up and get pregnant with my child?”

His hot breath brushed her ear. The words whispered with his exhale sent shivers of delight through her womb.

Chris nibbled gently on Reina’s earlobe. Her legs were bent so far back that her feet pressed against her shoulders, and the lewd, wet sounds began again.

“Mmm… mmm… Chris… p-please… let me rest…”

Reina pleaded for respite from Chris’s relentless penetration, but her pleas went unanswered. He continued to thrust, his hips slamming against her as he spoke.

“As soon as we get back… let’s have the wedding. It’s supposed to be at the temple, you know. I can’t wait to see you in your bridal gown, just for me. And of course, after that, I’ll strip you out of it and make you moan like this.”

“Mmm… ah… ah… ah…”

Chris’s fingers began teasing Reina’s clitoris. Instantly, her vagina reacted with heightened sensitivity, gripping him tightly as if she were a virgin.

“Heh, you still seem to have plenty left in you. Good… I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon… You’ll keep going until I’m satisfied.”

“N-no…”

‘I can’t take any more. I’ll die.’

Reina shook her head, tears welling in her eyes, but Chris only chuckled, “Cute,” and thrust harder into her.

“Ah… Chris… I’m… I’m full…”

“Feeling tired? Let me heal you with my magic. That way… see? We can keep going forever.”

Reina was speechless at Chris’s entranced and terrifying declaration.

He flipped her over and began thrusting from behind, saying, “Reina, I love you. That’s why I won’t stop tonight. Let yourself be loved by me and drown in this moment. Tomorrow, let’s return to the Royal Capital together.”

“Hyaaah!”

Reina couldn’t help but cry out as her breasts, swaying heavily, were roughly squeezed from behind.

The gummy-like tips of her nipples were pinched between his fingers, sending a tingling wave of pleasure through her. With Chris’s hot skin pressed against her back and his movements growing more frantic, Reina was completely overwhelmed by ecstasy.

“Aah… Chris… y-yah!”

“Hehe… feels good, doesn’t it, Reina? You love being touched like this, don’t you?”

“N-no! That’s not it!”

Chris’s hand reached out again to Reina’s swollen clitoris. As he stroked it with a teasing, tickling motion, a sharp, aching sensation bloomed deep within her abdomen.

“Hyaaah… No, stop it…”

“Why? Reina, you’re so cute with your ears flushed red…”

Chris kissed her reddened earlobe, his hands roaming freely over her body. Reina seriously wondered if the pleasure would drive her mad.

“I’ll tease all your sensitive spots, Reina. You can even beg for more, you know? Look at you, swaying your hips like that. So cute.”

“Hya… mmm… no…”

Reina’s face burned with shame at being called out for swaying her hips. Yet every touch from Chris was so overwhelmingly pleasurable, she yearned to climb higher.

That desire spilled out in a breathless whisper.

“Ah… mmm, Chris… please… it feels so good… deeper… thrust harder…”

“You want me to tease your cervix, huh? Alright. Don’t you want it here?”

Reina let out a wordless gasp as Chris pinched her clitoris.

His cock remained hard and strong, plunging violently through her tight passage.

Overwhelmed by pleasure, Reina shook her head in response.

“Do it… do that too… I want more… more…”

“Ah, damn… how can I stop when you say such cute things?”

Chris began thrusting his hips wildly.

Pounded from behind, Reina continued to let out high, strained cries. Her entire body trembled violently from the relentless waves of ecstasy.

“Ah… ah… I’m gonna… I’m gonna come…!”

“Ugh… you’re squeezing too tight. Me too… Reina, let’s come together?”

Reina nodded in response to Chris’s words.

Their ragged breaths and Reina’s soft moans mingled, building to a feverish climax.

“Ahhh…!”

“Reina…”

Chris’s seed pulsed deep within her, and Reina reached her peak as well.

After emptying himself into her, Chris withdrew and pulled Reina into a tight embrace.

“I love you, Reina.”

Reina’s lips softened as she wrapped her arms around his back, whispering, “I love you too, Chris.”

Chris smiled and gently kissed her. His hard member pressed against her wetness once more.

“Hya… Ah, no… Again?”

“Didn’t I tell you? I won’t let you stop today…”

“Ahhh…!”

Chris’s hot, thick cock plunged mercilessly into Reina’s depths again.

And so, the full moon night when Reina was supposed to go home dissolved into a sea of sweet, overwhelming pleasure.

***

“I can’t believe it. Really, to keep going nonstop for an entire day…”

“I’d been holding back for so long. It couldn’t be helped, I suppose.”

Reina, who had spent her only return day—the full moon—being thoroughly ravished by Chris, glared resentfully at the culprit.

Considering it had started the night before the full moon, it had been more than a full day. By any reasonable standard, it was impossible.

“…Is it even possible to do this much?”

As she twisted her neck while casting healing magic on herself, Chris, who was preparing tea for her, chuckled and turned around, his mood frighteningly cheerful.

“You experienced it yourself, didn’t you? If you wish, I could keep you bedridden for another day?”

“H-hey! No more! I don’t want to do it again for a while!”

Reina blushed crimson, recalling her earlier disheveled state. She vaguely remembered losing all sense of reason midway through, desperately begging Chris for more pleasure.

“Too bad. You’re so adorable when you’re flustered. Here, the tea’s ready. Let’s drink this and head back to the Royal Palace in a bit.”

“Thank you. But if anyone found out I was having the Crown Prince make tea for me, I’d be in trouble.”

Reina’s serious remark earned her a look of exasperation from Chris.

“What are you talking about? If we’re going by status alone, you, as the Saintess, are far higher than the Crown Prince. Besides, I’m not making tea for the Saintess. I’m making tea for my wife. There’s no such ridiculous notion that a husband shouldn’t care for his wife.”

“……”

The word “wife” made Reina blush fiercely.

She had agreed to marry him, so Chris’s words weren’t entirely wrong, but hearing them so suddenly made her unbearably embarrassed.

Chris gazed at Reina with an almost adoring look before suddenly shifting his gaze to the calendar hanging on the wall.

“…The full moon is over, isn’t it? Heh, that’s why I told you you couldn’t go back.”

“Huh?”

As Reina voiced her confusion, Chris casually replied, as if it were nothing, “Since it’s over, I’ll tell you. Actually, if you had prayed to the full moon even once yesterday, you could have returned to your homeland.”

“What?”

Reina stared at Chris, who had just dropped this bombshell, with an intensity that could almost burn a hole through him.

“W-what do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. If you had simply prayed to the moon yesterday, even just one word expressing your desire to return, the Goddess would have granted your wish. That’s the story.”

“Wait… wait a minute! That’s completely different from what you told me the day before yesterday!”

Didn’t Chris say that Reina couldn’t return because they had made love? That’s why she had given up. But now, being told she could have returned all along felt like a cruel spoiler.

“Y-you lied to me?! I can’t believe it!”

Reina’s anger flared like wildfire, but Chris shrugged dramatically, as if to say, “Absolutely not!”

“I would never lie to you,” he insisted. “I simply didn’t tell you everything. You see, every man who has ever connected with a Saintess has been obsessively possessive. Not a single one of them ever allowed the Saintess to return to her own world. So, technically, it’s not a lie that a connection prevents her return. Every man who fell in love with a Saintess used all his power to keep her here, claiming her for eternity. Most were kings or crown princes of their time, but there were also a few chosen as the Saintess’s attendants.”

“……”

Reina’s jaw hung open, unable to close.

She listened to Chris’s words with a dumbfounded expression, her mouth agape.

“Those men must have been deeply infatuated with the Saintess, so much so that they couldn’t bear to let her go. They used every trick in the book to forcibly steal her precious one day of freedom. When I first read about it, I was honestly appalled, but now I understand their feelings. The moment I fell in love with you, I resolved never to let you return. In that sense, I suppose I’m no different from them.”

Chris confessed so casually, showing no remorse whatsoever. In fact, he spoke as if stating the most obvious thing in the world.

“Because I fell in love with you. You’re the only one I can think about, so how could I let you go? Do you truly understand how desperately I wanted you to love me back?”

“I-I don’t know… I don’t know anything about that!”

She had only learned about Chris’s love at first sight just two days ago.

Chris smiled, a hint of exasperation in his eyes.

“You’re so unfair. You can just dismiss everything with a single ‘I don’t know.’ But even that makes you seem adorable to me, so I end up forgiving you anyway. Being cute must be quite advantageous.”

“I’m not… I’m not cute at all…”

Even in Japan, Reina had never been called cute. On the contrary, she was often described as lacking charm. But Chris refuted her with a melting gaze.

“That’s just because you don’t have an eye for beauty. Reina is adorable. Incredibly adorable. So adorable I’d do anything to grant her every wish. I think she’s utterly lovable. There’s no one more adorable than you.”

“…I think you’re just seeing me through rose-tinted glasses,” Reina muttered, embarrassed but still managing a snarky retort.

Chris chuckled. “Maybe you’re right. But the truth is, you’re the only one I find adorable. You’ve completely captivated me, and I’m hopelessly smitten. So take responsibility and stay by my side, okay?”

“…Idiot.”

Reina turned away with a huff, but Chris gently turned her back and pulled her into a quiet embrace.

“Chris…?”

“The deadline has passed. I’m sorry. You really can’t go back now. …This isn’t a lie.”

“…It’s okay now,” Reina said, exhaling softly as she felt the strength of Chris’s embrace.

Two days ago, she had made her decision. At that moment, Reina had chosen Chris over her family, not because she was forced to, but by her own will.

So even now, hearing the truth revealed, she felt only astonishment, not resentment.

In Chris’s arms, Reina confessed, “…I told you I wanted to be with you, didn’t I? Even if I could go back now—I wouldn’t. No, I can’t.”

She couldn’t bear to leave Chris alone. In that sense, Reina was truly bound to Chris, the only man in her world. The mere thought of Chris looking sad paralyzed her. She was utterly captivated by him. Reina imagined the other Saintesses who had remained in this world must have felt the same way. When someone you love asks you to cross worlds for them, how could you possibly refuse?

When Reina said, “I can’t go back,” Chris visibly relaxed, his body losing its tension.

“I wouldn’t let you anyway… But I’m so glad you said that. Reina, then there’s no choice, is there? You’ll just have to give up and become my wife.”

“…Yes, that’s why I said it. Chris, you’re being so persistent.”

Despite having already agreed, Reina couldn’t help but complain in a sulky tone when Chris kept asking for confirmation. “But what else can I do?” he replied.

“I’m just so anxious. I know I forced you to stay. I’m terrified you’ll run away or change your mind. …Even if you did, I’d never let you go, so it’s all pointless.”

“…This world is a foreign land to me, you know? I have nowhere else to belong except by your side, Chris. I’ve abandoned everything to be here with you. Can’t you trust that?”

Reina had chosen Chris alone, sacrificing everything else. She glared at him, unwilling to let her anxiety show. Chris smiled.

“You’re right. I said it first, didn’t I? …From now on, I’ll be everything you’ve lost. I love you. I’ll protect you forever.”

“…Yes.”

Even after marriage, Reina, as a Saintess blessed by the Goddess, would remain unmatched. Yet hearing those words from him filled her with more joy than anything else.

“…Take good care of me.”

“Of course. I swear to cherish you more than anyone else.”

Reina smiled at his immediate response.

‘Yes, that’s all I needed.’

With genuine conviction, Reina resolved to walk alongside him through the long life ahead.

***

Receiving Chris’s order, Seto, who had been kept waiting at the designated spot for over a full day, heard footsteps and slowly raised his head. The person approaching was the very person Seto had been waiting for—Chris.

Seto stood up as if propelled by a spring and bowed deeply to Chris.

“Y-Your Highness! Th-Thank you for your hard work!”

Chris nodded generously and turned his gaze to Seto.

“How are things at the Royal Palace? Were there any problems?”

“No, as long as Your Highness brings Lady Reina… um, Lady Reina didn’t return home, did she?”

At that moment, Chris’s sharp gaze pierced Seto severely.

“Of course not. Reina agreed to live with me and remained in this world. There are no problems.”

“As… As expected of Your Highness Chris… Thank goodness…”

The fact that Reina remained was far more significant to Seto right now than the fear of being glared at.

Stroking his chest in relief, he asked Chris.

“Umm… so, where is Lady Reina? You will be returning to the Royal Capital now, right?”

“Reina is sleeping right now. We plan to return after letting her sleep for a few hours.”

“Sleeping?”

“Because she didn’t sleep yesterday. It can’t be helped.”

At Chris’s casually spoken words, Seto froze stiff.

‘Whoa! This person was definitely going at it all day! So that’s the brute force method he used to keep her from going home!’

As if he had heard that inner voice, Chris smiled brightly.

That smile was truly devilish, and Seto gulped down a scream.

“Anyway, the day of return has passed, and all worries for the future have been cut off. Seto, you return ahead of us and report to Father and the others. Tell them the wedding ceremony will be held as planned.”

“Y… Yes, sir!”

Seto stood at attention rigidly and received Chris’s order.

Chris nodded with ample composure and returned to the inn as if his business was done. He likely intended to stay by Reina’s side until she woke up.

Watching him leave, Seto sighed.

‘Sigh… truly, he is only sweet to Lady Reina… To be loved by such a troublesome person… Lady Reina, I truly sympathize and think it’s pitiable, but please, please keep a tight rein on Lord Chris. It is impossible for us…!’

Confirming that the figure of Chris, who was mercilessly strict with anyone other than Reina, had disappeared from view, Seto left the spot and began walking toward the Royal Capital.

He knew he could return quickly using magic, but he wanted to take it a little slow.

“Ah… it was a stomach-aching journey. I’ve had enough. I want to retire and immerse myself only in my favorite research… I’m fed up with acting like a stalker…”

Two days ago, Chris, who had arrived at this inn before Reina, had been monitoring her words and actions from the room next to hers together with Seto.

If they let Reina escape here on the day before her return, she would surely leave for the other world the next day. If that happened, even Seto’s magic wouldn’t be able to chase her. That was the reason for their actions, but the conscience of the timid Seto was severely tormented by the act of peeping into Reina’s privacy.

Of course, Seto, who believed in yielding to the powerful, followed the absolute monarch Crown Prince’s single command of “Do it” with a “Yes, with pleasure!” attitude. Truly, working at the Royal Palace was restrictive. One could not go against the boss’s wishes.

Thus, although Seto had obediently followed Chris’s orders, when Chris snapped because Reina carelessly mentioned going home and went to Reina’s room after telling Seto “You wait outside,” Seto honestly felt like his life was in danger.

Just now, after praying all day long Please, let this be resolved peacefully, when he heard that Reina’s consent had been safely obtained, he almost collapsed on the spot from sheer relief.

‘Thank goodness, truly thank goodness. It was pitiable for Lady Reina, but for us citizens, it was truly good…’

Saintess Reina was a precious existence, truly like a sacrifice offered to the Crown Prince whose true nature was like a devil.

As long as she was by his side, Chris would maintain his calm persona, and if Chris was in a good mood, Seto and the others working at the Royal Palace could spend their days in peace.

Truly, all thanks to Lady Reina.

Seto had conveyed to the King that Chris wanted to marry Reina at all costs during every regular contact from the journey. Similar reports arrived from Chris, and the King, who had worried about his son being indifferent to everything, was delighted, and those around were also relieved that Chris had changed.

Partly because Chris had publicly declared he would absolutely win Reina over, preparations were already underway within the Royal Palace to welcome Reina as the Crown Princess even before the miasma clearing was finished.

Despite that, whether because he wanted to secure Reina with absolute certainty or because he didn’t want to allow even a one-in-a-million chance of refusal, Chris had done something outrageous before obtaining Reina’s consent for marriage. It was something that even involved the survival of the Kingdom of Raidhaunsent.

Naturally, the King and the High Priest, who thought Reina’s consent had already been obtained, were thrown into a panic knowing for the first time that marriage consent hadn’t been obtained due to Reina’s flight this time.

Absolutely, absolutely do not let Reina escape. Seto had received strict orders to cooperate with Chris in any way necessary for that purpose.

‘Now His Majesty and the others who were fretting can rest easy too…’

Feeling the liberation of finally being alone, Seto inadvertently took a deep breath.

Since she could unconsciously suppress that devil-like Chris, Reina was truly a Saintess to Seto in another sense as well.

“Aah, thank goodness. With this, the future of the Kingdom of Raidhaunsent is saved.”

Without any exaggeration, Seto offered heartfelt gratitude to Reina, who had saved the future of the kingdom.

***

“Reina…”

Returning to Reina’s room, Chris stared intently at Reina’s sleeping face on the bed.

He had finally obtained her.

Having finally obtained the girl he had wanted desperately since the first time they met, Chris felt his mood elevated more than ever.

He gently reached out to Reina’s cheek. When he touched her cheek with the back of his hand, Reina relaxed her mouth as if it tickled.

That gesture looked indescribably cute to Chris, making him feel a tightening sensation deep in his chest.

“Cute… My Reina…”

Pitch black hair color that didn’t exist in this world.

A year ago, when the talk of summoning a Saintess in the Kingdom of Raidhaunsent came up, honestly, Chris didn’t care. From a young age, Chris, who had been required to be a proper Crown Prince and constantly forced into the mold of how he should be, had stopped feeling any emotion before he knew it.

After all, his opinions wouldn’t be accepted even if he voiced them.

He had no value other than being a magnificent Crown Prince.

Chris, who realized this at a young age from the reactions of those around him, closed off his own emotions to be just that.

At first, he certainly did it consciously. But gradually it became a habit, and eventually, he ceased to feel anything to the point where he couldn’t help it himself.

The girl assigned as a fiancée suitable for Crown Prince Chris detested Chris, who showed absolutely no interest in her.

He had been asked to break off the engagement, but Chris did not agree to that.

Being a proper Crown Prince. That included marrying that girl.

“I cannot arbitrarily overturn a marriage decided by Father. If you want to break off the engagement no matter what, you should appeal directly to Father.”

There was no way his fiancée, who was merely a Duke’s daughter, could do such a thing.

He knew she had someone she loved, but Chris didn’t care about that either. The King must have ordered the engagement with the girl knowing everything anyway.

He didn’t care. He didn’t know love. He didn’t want it either.

Marry as ordained, produce an heir, and then—.

Chris just continued to dispassionately embody only what was required of him.

Living that way, it was when he almost didn’t know how to breathe anymore that Reina was summoned.

The summoning ritual. As the Crown Prince, Chris stood there intending to fulfill his duty emotionlessly as usual.

However, the gently swaying black hair that appeared. Seeing that, Chris’s heart stirred for the first time in over ten years.

Next, his eyes caught the pitch-black eyes, the same color as her hair.

Their eyes met for just a moment, and in that instant, Chris was drawn in by the girl.

‘I want that girl…’

Chris was genuinely surprised at himself for thinking such a thing.

Even though he hadn’t harbored the emotion of ‘wanting’ for a long time.

But immediately, Chris admonished himself.

Chris already had a proper fiancée. A future with her was what was required of Chris.

There was no other path.

Besides, it seemed Chris was disliked by this black-haired girl. The High Priest hurriedly intervening was good proof. Handing over the role of speaker to the High Priest, the only thing Chris could do was observe the girl vaguely from a slightly distant place.

‘I want her,’ his heart still ached deep down, but Chris suppressed it with just the power of his will.

Eventually, the girl agreed to go on a journey as the Saintess, and the travel companions were introduced.

He envied being able to be with the girl.

While thinking to think I have the emotion of envying others, he quickly gave up, thinking it was impermissible for him as the Crown Prince, and looked away.

And yet—.

As if mocking such a Chris, the girl stood before him.

“If you’re the Crown Prince, then you’re prepared to sacrifice yourself for your people, right? So what is it? Are you coming with me—or not?”

To the girl telling him so with sparkling black eyes, Chris felt as if he had been slapped hard on the cheek. It was truly a wake-up call.

If it was for a correct opinion as a Crown Prince, he had been asked many times until now. It had been demanded.

But no one had ever asked Chris himself for his opinion, for a choice, like the girl standing before him now.

Yes. She was demanding a decision not from the Crown Prince, but from Chris himself.

Chris finally realized such a simple thing.

‘I want to go with her. I want her.’

He wanted to obtain the girl reaching out to him. While thinking this burningly, Chris felt as if what had solidified inside him was finally released.

The identity of the solid mass was probably Chris’s emotions themselves, which he had submerged for a long time.

Those emotions overflowed triggered by Reina’s words and swallowed Chris in the blink of an eye.

“……All right. I’ll go.”

By the time he realized it, he had answered so.

The girl in front of him, and those around him, everyone widened their eyes in surprise, but the one most surprised was Chris himself.

He had never thought he could voice his desire so clearly.

However, once voiced, the rest was surprisingly simple.

The emotions that had been frozen until now immediately began to function properly, and Chris was able to win the right to go with the girl with his own hands.

While smiling at the girl—Reina—saying “Looking forward to working with you” (never mind that those around looked like they might faint), Chris was desperately thinking: ‘How can I make Reina mine alone?’

The wish Chris harbored for the first time, was to make Reina his official consort.

Chris decided he would fulfill it no matter what means he used, and smiled gently at Reina again.

***

“It’s been a year… since then.”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Chris murmured to himself as he combed through Reina’s black hair with his fingers.

To Chris, it felt like this past year had been nothing but days spent desperately trying to win Reina’s heart.

“You really kept me on edge until the very end…”

Even though she loved him, even though she had honestly let him embrace her, Reina had tried to shake off Chris’s hand at the very last moment.

He hadn’t expected her to try and escape at such a critical juncture; that part was Chris’s blunder for letting her overhear his conversation with the King.

If she hadn’t heard that, Reina wouldn’t have tried to flee the Royal Palace at the very least, so he could have managed the situation somehow.

“I’m still not thorough enough, it seems.”

‘I must devote myself more.’ Muttering words that would make someone like Seto shudder if he heard them, Chris gently removed his hand from Reina’s head. He felt Reina stir, just slightly.

She was close to waking up.

As he watched her, Reina’s long eyelashes trembled, and the girl Chris loved beyond measure slowly opened her eyes.

“Good morning, Reina.”

A sweet voice, melting like honey, that naturally came out only when dealing with Reina. While exasperated by his own excessive honesty, Chris thought that being this way wasn’t so bad.

“…Good morning. Did I sleep for a long time?”

To Reina, who was stretching and worrying about the time, Chris smiled reassuringly, saying it was fine.

“A report should have already reached Father, so we can take our time going back. More importantly, Reina. The wedding ceremony will be held immediately upon our return. Please prepare yourself now.”

“…So you were serious about that. Usually, doesn’t a royal marriage take more time? Isn’t it normal to have a public announcement, and then wait six months to a year?”

Reina’s question was completely on the mark, but Chris spoke as if confiding a secret.

“…Actually. The public announcement was made around the beginning of our journey. It has been about a year since then—perfect timing for a wedding, don’t you think?”

“Huh?”

Chris pulled the blinking Reina close and laughed happily.

“I do not intend to be an unfaithful man. The engagement with the noble lady was properly dissolved before the announcement was made. As for her, it seems she plans to marry the man she loves after waiting for our marriage.”

The engagement had been dissolved long ago. That was why the announcement was made without issue, and the citizens knew about it.

The reason he hadn’t told Reina about the dissolution of the engagement was that he didn’t want her to know that preparations for his marriage to her were proceeding simultaneously. Chris had paid the utmost attention to ensure Reina would never notice during the journey.

Even Chris understood that if she found out preparations for marriage were underway before their feelings were mutual, she would be put off—or rather, she would likely run away.

‘I’ll tell her the truth once our feelings connect’—that was what he had thought, but in the end, the timing had cut it extremely close.

When Chris looked down at Reina in his arms, she was looking up at him with an exasperated expression.

“…Chris, that is seriously too absurd.”

“I understand how you feel, but couldn’t you just take it as a sign of how much I love you?”

When he pleaded with his eyebrows lowered, Reina sighed.

“Honestly, if I had known this beforehand, I think I would have been totally creeped out. It’s not like I liked you in the beginning…”

“I know. That is why I kept quiet.”

When he answered nonchalantly, she glared at him.

“…You have a nasty personality.”

Chris tightly hugged Reina, who tilted her head wondering why she had been caught by such a person.

“I am aware that I have a nasty nature and a bad personality. But in exchange, I can swear that I will never look at any woman other than Reina… so won’t you forgive me?”

“…You’re really unfair.”

At Chris’s plea, Reina shot him a sharp look.

“If you say things like that, I have no choice but to forgive you. Idiot.”

“Yeah. I thought you would say that.”

“Seriously, you’re so unfair…”

He couldn’t help but find Reina adorable as she wrapped her arms around his back while saying that.

“I love you. If you are here, I don’t need anything else.”

It was Chris’s honest feeling from the bottom of his heart, but Reina made a disapproving face at that.

“…I’m happy to hear that, but how is that attitude for a Crown Prince?”

At her truly valid opinion, Chris laughed loudly for the first time in a long while.

Chapter 4

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Chapter 4

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