How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 113

124. Meeting and Grace as Planned (5)

Lucell finally stopped her mid-air hovering and landed on the ground.

She didn’t seem like she would attack again, but she didn’t lower her guard either, keeping her eyes fixed on me.

“You, don’t move from there.”

Then, without a word, she conjured countless ice blades and claws all around us.

I raised both hands in surrender.

“Okay. I won’t move as you say.”

This is good enough for now.

Soon the soldiers will arrive, and my innocence will be proven.

So, I’ll get the rest of the story from you then, you damn elf. Hehehehehe.

I look forward to hearing your explanation. I will definitely make you sob and apologize.

* * *

In fact, I fully expected to be imprisoned immediately.

Actually, in the original story, the protagonist was locked in the dungeon for about three days until his innocence was proven.

They just locked him up; it wasn’t like he was mistreated.

The prison wasn’t comfortable, but they threw in a few blankets and otherwise left him alone.

‘I was prepared to endure that much hardship because it’s a necessary plot development.’

I was somewhat prepared.

What I didn’t expect was what happened after the soldiers rushed in.

“Don’t move, you suspicious individuals!”

The soldiers, shouting something cliché, surrounded us.

They surrounded me and Lucell, who was watching me with a blank expression.

Congratulations, you must look suspicious too.

I mentally applauded and congratulated Lucell, who was utterly bewildered.

“Wait, me too?! It’s me! You’ve seen me! Lucell! Lucell Elbade! You there, you saw me last time!”

“Oh, you were a guest of the Grand Duke.”

Lucell shouted, flustered, and the soldier who recognized her finally responded.

Soon she slipped out of the soldiers’ encirclement.

I saw it clearly at that moment.

Her smirking at me.

“Tch. Yes, yes, I’m the only suspicious person. So please arrest me quickly.”

I obediently raised my hands and surrendered, following the soldiers’ instructions.

I made eye contact with Princess Elenia along the way, but she didn’t say anything yet.

However, she wasn’t avoiding my gaze either.

She’s probably acting cautiously.

When our eyes met, she seemed to nod slightly.

I don’t know what it means, but I mirrored the gesture.

In times like this, you just have to go with the flow.

‘Good… anyway, she’ll remember.’

I intervened as much as I could.

After that, I hope everything goes as planned…

For that, I would gladly accept a few days of imprisonment.

So I was dragged away by them…

“Okay, let’s go back.”

As soon as I arrived at the station, I was released without any problems.

“I will send someone to your inn to hear your account of the circumstances, so please remain there if possible. Until then, you are not allowed to leave the city.”

I was released with that warning.

…Huh? I’m not going to jail?

Unlike the protagonist in the original story, I was simply released.

* * *

“You really had a hard time, Mr. Aileon. I heard the rumors last night.”

As soon as I met Mr. Mallo, he immediately offered words of comfort, as if he had already heard the news.

“It wasn’t that hard. Nothing really happened.”

“Is that nothing? I heard you fought with a suspicious group last night.”

“That’s always happening.”

“…Oh? Now that I think about it, you’re right.”

I retorted appropriately to Mr. Mallo, who was momentarily speechless, and let the day pass.

There’s only one reason for my nonchalance.

There has been no reaction from the authorities since that day.

‘I’m actually getting anxious… what do they think of me? Are they going to forget about me?’

A minor role! Is that why!

Some soldiers are still watching the inn, but the surveillance doesn’t feel very strict.

‘The surveillance is sloppy…’ An ordinary person wouldn’t even dare to escape.

If I wanted to, how many seconds would it take to defeat them?

I could get rid of them just by pointing my finger.

‘Let’s observe the situation for a few days and move on to the next phase of the plan if there’s no response from them.’

But it seems that it won’t come to that.

I was thinking of spending the day leisurely collecting rumors and having a late breakfast.

Several carriages arrived in front of the inn where we were staying.

‘What?’

The soldiers’ behavior is unusual.

They’re bustling around as if some incident has occurred.

‘Now an enemy has invaded… no, that’s not it.’

I don’t think so.

Above all, looking at the shape of their mouths as they secretly whisper, I roughly caught one word that stood out: “Princess.”

I don’t know the rest of the words.

Because I don’t have the ability to read lips perfectly.

‘Princess Elenia? She wasn’t kidnapped again, was she?’

That’s unlikely, but it’s also unsettling.

Soon I found out what was happening.

I didn’t hear it from the soldiers directly.

Because there was one carriage that stood out among the others.

‘It’s not an ordinary carriage.’

It has quite fancy decorations and patterns.

Maybe that pattern is the emblem of the Falzentaania Grand Duchy [a region ruled by a Grand Duke].

‘There are two main cases where you can display an emblem that symbolizes a noble family.’

The position to be allowed to wear the emblem, meaning those who carry out the orders of the nobles of that family.

Or…

‘…The noble himself or herself.’

Looking at the soldiers coming out and lining up, it’s clear that it’s the latter.

As expected, the carriage door opened, and the princess got out, guided by a servant.

Elenia Mel Falzentaania.

Unlike last time, the princess, dressed in an outing dress instead of indoor clothes, begins to talk to the soldiers.

It feels like she’s receiving a report.

And while listening to the report, she…

‘Ah, she… looked this way.’

She clearly turned her gaze towards the window I was looking out of.

…Our eyes definitely met.

The moment our eyes met, she smiled boldly, like a wild animal that had found its desired prey.

I think I knew for sure what her mouth shape was saying.

-You’re there!

I’m sure of it.

As evidence, as soon as she spotted me, she pushed past the soldiers, regardless of their embarrassment, and ran into the building.

Of course, this is bound to cause a commotion.

The lower floor is very noisy.

I wondered what to do, then slowly moved away from the window.

Should I have expected this too?

‘Come to think of it, that Elenia girl had quite a temper.’

Certainly, even in the original story, Princess Elenia’s actions and words were not very docile.

Her disposition is not violent or arrogant, but compared to other young ladies, she is uninhibited and unreserved.

Because of that, even her grandfather, the Grand Duke, is quite worried.

As mentioned in the original story, her fiancé, who she had been engaged to at the age of twelve, ran away in less than three days because he couldn’t handle the lively princess’s personality.

She took the blacksmiths’ hammers, saying she was interested, and swung them, breaking them and getting scolded.

She’s been chasing after the knights, saying her body has become dull recently.

She seems to be quite a remarkable young lady in many ways.

Thanks to that, the Grand Duke sometimes makes sad eyes at her unchanging childishness, even though she turned twenty this year.

And now.

That young lady is approaching, having located my position.

Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo.

I don’t even have to wonder whose footsteps they are.

More than that, does a precious young lady usually run up the stairs like that?

So much so that I almost reflexively jumped out of the window because of my recent habits.

Because I’ve been running away whenever someone approached me like that recently.

‘No, no. I shouldn’t escape!’

I have no reason to run away!

I’m sad that I’ve developed a habit of running away.

Bang!

Soon the door bursts open with a thud, and Princess Elenia calls out to me energetically.

“You’re here! Aileon or whatever your name is!”

I, who almost shouted ‘I’m here!’ reflexively, hurriedly knelt down.

When I think about it, I haven’t even been up for long, my hair is sticking out, and my clothes are a mess.

To have to meet a noble young lady in that state.

What a disgrace.

Even though I look like this, I admire a fairly solid appearance.

This kind of meeting is a little sad.

“…It is an honor to meet you, Princess Elenia Mel Falzentaania. I am with the Pilleros Merchant Guild…”

“That’s enough! That’s enough! Time is precious now! Anyway, it’s definitely you! My eyes don’t lie!”

Ignoring all my cliché greetings as if brushing them off, the princess comes to me and orders me to raise my face.

Then, when I raise my head, she bends down, brings her face close to mine, and glares at me.

“…”

“It’s definitely you. Surely it was you that dawn… wasn’t it?”

“…That is correct.”

There’s no reason to deny it.

Yes. I am that arrogant boy back then.

“I wondered if it might not be you. When I think about it, it was so dark that I couldn’t remember your face well. It could be an impersonation. I was a little uneasy.”

…Really? Who was the person who came up here without any hesitation, even throwing soldiers around, until just now?

More than that, should I bring up the topic like this?

While hesitating for a moment, the princess suddenly grabbed my neck and pulled me up.

“Good! It doesn’t matter if it’s you. Aileon, come with me right now.”

“…Yes?”

“What kind of dumbfounded face are you making? More than that, I definitely granted your request.”

What does that mean?

When I made a puzzled face, she elaborated.

“You definitely said it, didn’t you? To defend you.”

“Ah…”

I just said it without much thought back then.

“Thanks to that, you weren’t imprisoned, were you?”

Could it be that the reason I wasn’t imprisoned and was able to wait here leisurely was because she deliberately released me?

“I kept my promise. So now I want to hear your story. So come with me.”

I was dragged out with my neck still in her grip.

If a soldier hadn’t stopped her, I would have been put on the carriage dangling from her.

“Let’s go!”

So where to?

I wish you would at least tell me the destination before kidnapping me.

That way, I can at least inform the merchants who are belatedly sticking their heads out and looking at me as if there’s some kind of spectacle.

* * *

I wondered where we were going, but it seems like she was taking me to the Falzentaania Grand Duke’s castle.

The carriage went straight through the main street in the center of the city.

Maybe we’ll arrive in about 20 minutes.

During that short time, I was asked various questions by Princess Elenia.

From simple, interest-oriented questions such as where I’m from, what I do, and how old I am, to questions about the spirit magic I used back then.

I roughly glossed over the latter for now.

If I mess up, I might end up revealing everything in the carriage before finishing the business!

Soon after, the carriage arrived at the castle.

“We’ve arrived. Come with me right away.”

When the princess grabbed me and tried to pull me down, the maids rushed in and stopped her.

“At least he’s a benefactor and a guest! If you do this, the Grand Duke will definitely get angry later!”

“Hmm… is that so?”

You should at least give me time to prepare for the audience!

After the maids and vassals strongly dissuaded her, the princess seemed to understand and handed me over to them as if throwing me away.

“I’ll leave the preparation to you. Bring him right away when you’re done.”

It was fortunate that she gave me time.

I want to change my clothes too.

I wish she had given me more time.