"Then... Hero Makoto, may I invite you to have a cup of tea with me?" Sofia, maintaining her cold facade, felt her heartbeat thump a little faster.
"Sure... why not?" Makoto, not finding it a bother, agreed readily. But when he turned his head, Fuji-yan had an indescribable expression on his face, and Chris-san looked even more shocked and dumbfounded.
*'Is it really worth being so shocked over?'*
### < An Hour Later >
I arrived at Princess Sofia's room.
Prince Leonard had graciously guided me here. I had expected that we would be having our tea out in a garden or something similar.
Why the heck was I led to her private quarters?
"Then, Makoto-san, I will leave you here. I need to train to become stronger!" Prince Leonard said with determination in his eyes.
"Sure," I replied, watching Prince Leonard run down the hallway.
I looked at the door in front of me. After collecting myself for a moment, I knocked.
### < Sofia's POV >
I heard a knock on the door... followed by the cool voice of Takatsuki Makoto—no, *Hero* Makoto.
"Princess, I'm here."
"Come in..." I called out.
I opened the door, and he greeted me. He tried to imitate a knight's greeting to a princess, though he was still a little clumsy at it.
"Pardon my intrusion."
Hero Makoto stepped inside the room. My heart thumped a little faster.
There was a tradition... An old tradition in noble society of Rozes that if a woman invite a man into her room and give her a drink or a snack that something that they made.
The meaning of that is: 'I want to get more intimate with you personally'.
BUT!
that's not what my true intention... Maybe.
Anyway...
This was the first time I had ever invited a man into my room. Even with my [Cold Heart] skill active, my racing pulse refused to calm down!
*Just relax, Sofia Eir Rozes!*
I took a deep breath. With my nerves slightly steadied, I gestured to the table, which was set with pastries, cookies, and a famous Rozes tea. I picked up the teapot and poured Hero Makoto a cup.
"This is... good," Hero Makoto said, looking pleasantly surprised as he drank.
I was glad that he liked it... but that wasn't my main objective for today. My true intention was to apologize to him.
So, I readied myself and called his name.
"Hero Makoto."
"Hm?"
He looked at me; those eyes of his somehow made me feel even more nervous. I took a deep breath and bowed my head. This took Hero Makoto by surprise, causing him to panic slightly in confusion.
"I apologize for my remarks and actions at the Water Temple... And thank you for saving my home country, even though I treated you poorly. Please forgive m—"
Hero Makoto gently lifted my chin, his face drawing a little closer to mine.
"Princess Sofia... you don't have to apologize for that matter anymore. I wasn't really bothered by it. It's fine. You have nothing to apologize for."
Hearing that soft, warm tone from Hero Makoto, the shackles of regret that had burdened my heart since we met slowly unraveled. Even with my [Cold Heart] skill active, I couldn't help but smile from the bottom of my heart.
"You look beautiful when you smile."
Hearing those words, my face suddenly flushed with heat. My heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably. I recalled the romance book I kept hidden under my pillow. What was described in those pages was happening to me right now.
Is this what it feels like... to fall in love?
### < Makoto's POV >
Ahh...
"I'm sorry about that..." I immediately apologized for my sudden compliment, worried she might think I was being full of myself.
But... she really is beautiful when she smiles.
After a minute of awkward silence, I brought up a different topic.
"Ahem... Princess, do you think I'm fit to be a Hero?" I asked, still clearly doubting myself.
Princess Sofia looked at me.
"Of course... you are fit to be a Hero. You stepped forward without question and put yourself in danger for this country, despite my poor treatment of you in the past. Defeating a Taboo Monster is an act of bravery that I—and the people of Rozes who witnessed your heroic deeds—cannot ignore."
Hearing her earnest response, I couldn't help but feel happy.
"I see... Well, that was something we defeated together, though. I can't proudly take all the credit."
Princess Sofia looked at me, her crystal blue eyes holding a serious contemplation, and then she spoke in a solemn tone. "Together... Right. Could it be that the burden is too much to bear?"
"No, no... I will get stronger as a Hero so I won't bring shame to you, the one who bestowed the title upon me."
That's right... the only thing I need to do is get stronger.
"Well then, I will be counting on you, Hero Makoto."
"Yes, you can count on me. I will do my best to live up to your expectations, Princess Sofia."
Princess Sofia smiled slightly.
Yeah... she really is cute and beautiful when she smiles.
"By the way, Hero Makoto... about my Guardian Knight. If it is okay with you... would you become my Guardian Knight?" Princess Sofia asked in embarrassment.
"Of course, I would love to be your Guardian Knight, but... well, even without that title, I will protect you, Princess, even if it means putting my life on the line. From what I know, a Guardian Knight must always accompany you. Now that I am a Hero, can I really fulfill that duty? Plus, I also love exploring this world, since it is so different from my home world."
Hearing my response, Princess Sofia bowed her head courteously.
"I see... I apologize. It seems I was getting ahead of myself and being greedy."
"No, no, just like I was saying..." I took both of Princess Sofia's hands and raised them between us. She didn't pull away, so I looked into her crystal blue eyes. "Even without the title of Guardian Knight or Hero of Rozes... Princess Sofia, I will protect you," I declared with firm determination as she met my gaze.
Her face suddenly lit up, turning a rosy red, and she avoided making eye contact with me.
Ahh... I did it again.
I was about to gently let go of her hands, but her grip tightened. Her delicate fingers brushed against my knuckles before slowly sliding down to find the empty spaces between my own. Our fingers intertwined like magnets locking into place, refusing to be separated.
My heart thumped fiercely against my ribs. Even with my [Clear Mind] skill active, my thoughts were in absolute chaos.
We stayed like that for who knows how long. The tea and pastries grew cold, but our hands remained locked in heat together. I could feel the gentle pulse of her heartbeat through her firm grip, sending a steady, comforting warmth straight to my core.
This fuzzy, heated feeling was interrupted when we heard a knock on the door.
"Princess Sofia, a delegation from the Sun Country has arrived to discuss what we will do about the Taboo Monster." A knight from the other side of the door conveyed the message.
Both of us turned our heads to look at each other.
"Well then, Princess. Thank you very much for the tea and snacks."
Our hands were still holding each other.
"Yes..."
She only let go as she replied and I got up from the chair beside her.
I opened the door and saw the knight who had interrupted us. He was about to greet me, but I stopped him and closed the door behind me.
*Poof!*
The sound of someone diving onto a bed came from inside the room.
The knight looked at me, but I ignored his gaze and walked away.
*Sigh...*
That was... dangerous.
Even with [Clear Mind] active, my heartbeat showed no signs of calming down. I could also feel the heat rising in my face.
*(Oya...? Oya, Oya? Makoto, are you blushing?)*
Shut up... Noah-sama.
Damn it... this Goddess of mine will definitely tease me nonstop when I go back to sleep. I'll have no choice but to surrender and be at her mercy...
I could already see my future.
And I had no way of escaping it.