Kaiser kept his silence, tacitly playing along, and Kanon never noticed anything amiss about herself. Instead, she stayed nestled against him, chatting quietly.
The girl spoke of her childhood in the convent, of her time after being adopted by Kensei Kanase, and of the shock she'd felt upon learning the truth of her lineage. It was as if she wanted to confide everything in one go. She wasn't as chirpy as Nagisa Akatsuki, but even so, she was uncharacteristically talkative.
Kaiser knew she just needed someone to listen, so he didn't show any impatience, letting her speak her mind.
Of course, the process was… trying. The way this defenseless girl rested against him, the faint fragrance that lingered in the air, the warmth and softness of her body—everything was a constant test of a man's self-control. He nearly lost to the demon in his heart more than once.
If not for Kanon's sheer innocence, her untainted purity that brought a wave of guilt the moment any indecent thought crossed his mind, Kaiser—given his increasingly unrestrained nature—would have long since given in to temptation.
"What a sin…" Kaiser could only lament inwardly, suppressing the urge and keeping her company.
Somewhere along the way, Kanon simply… fell asleep.
"...Haa…"
Still curled up against him, her eyes closed, her breath light and sweet—she was out cold.
"…Talk about having no guard at all." Kaiser muttered.
And then, a soft laugh broke the quiet.
"This just means she trusts you. Honestly, I'm a little jealous."
The voice came from the only other person still in the apartment.
There she was—dressed in equally elegant sleepwear, La Folia had at some point opened Kaiser's door, standing there with a knowing smile.
Unlike Kanon's modest pajamas, La Folia's were thin and silky, obviously of the finest and most expensive make… and far too provocative. Her bare arms, slender neck, smooth collarbone, thighs, and even the deep valley of her cleavage were all left entirely exposed to the cool air.
"You've been eavesdropping this whole time, haven't you?" Kaiser narrowed his eyes at her.
"I couldn't help it. Kanon and I bathed together, came out together, and we share a room. She was gone so long, I had to check. I'm not quite ready to be the 'older sister' to my younger aunt, so I keep an eye on her." La Folia spoke with perfect composure. "Of course, if you'd taken proper precautions, I would've pretended not to see."
"So don't act like I interrupted your fun, okay?"
Kaiser rolled his eyes hard enough to strain something.
"You're a princess—one they call the reincarnation of the beauty goddess Freya. Could you try to show a little restraint instead of driving straight into the gutter every other sentence?"
"Driving?" She tilted her head, genuinely puzzled. "What do you mean?"
She clearly wasn't faking it this time; the reference went straight over her head.
"Never mind. Doesn't matter." Kaiser carefully lifted Kanon from his lap. "I'm taking her back to her room."
He stepped into the hall, heading toward the bedroom the two girls shared.
La Folia followed with a teasing smile.
"I can understand how she feels. Every princess has a prince or a knight in her heart."
That told Kaiser she'd been listening for quite some time.
"Too bad I'm not one of them. I'm the Beast King, ruler of all manner of mythical creatures."
"But in her heart, you're more a prince or a knight than anyone else. From the moment you rescued her—or rather, from the moment you got her cat out of that tree—you already held that place." La Folia's tone was confident.
Kaiser gave her a sidelong glance. "You think you know her that well?"
"She's not hard to read, is she?" she countered.
Kaiser didn't answer, simply laid Kanon gently on her bed.
"She's your responsibility now," he said at the door. "Get some rest."
La Folia nodded, smiling as she watched him leave.
Just as he was about to close the door, she spoke again.
"When you wear that white armor, you look more like the prince and knight we princesses dream of than anyone else."
Kaiser's hand paused for only a moment before he shut the door without comment.
A few minutes later, he heard rustling inside, likely La Folia settling into bed.
"I've no interest in being anyone's prince or knight…" he murmured, before heading back to his own room.
The air was still scented from the recent presence of two Aldegyr princesses—like soap, shampoo… and perhaps a hint of their natural fragrance.
As he climbed back into bed, the lingering trace of Kanon's scent in the covers made him chuckle wryly.
"Anyone walking in would think a girl was just here."
Good thing no one at Saikai Academy knew. If they found out the Saint of the Middle School division lived under the same roof as him—accompanied by a world-famous princess—he'd be shot dead by a barrage of envious stares on the spot.
Knock, knock, knock…
A light tapping at the window drew a frown.
"Seriously? How lively can one night get?"
Still grumbling, Kaiser got up and opened the window—
"…You weren't doing anything weird, were you?"
Backed by the dark night and carrying her black music case, a girl in a local school uniform stared at him warily.
"Didn't see anything weird. I did see someone weird, though."
Sayaka Kirasaka's brows shot up. "Who are you calling weird? There's nothing stranger in this world than men, you know!"
"I'd say you're on the strange side even for women, pervert-girl." Kaiser wasn't in the mood to spar with her. "Say what you came to say and let me sleep."
She opened her mouth, but stopped short when he quietly pulled out a coil of rope.
"…Ahem. Anyway, I'm not here because I want to be. The Lion King Agency asked me to tell you something."
"Yes, yes, thank you for your tsundere announcement," Kaiser said, his tone far less patient than when speaking with Kanon. "Spit it out and go."
"Ugh… Fine. The higher-ups want to remind you—your main surveillance and protection target is still Nagisa Akatsuki. Don't forget that. As for Princess La Folia and Kanon Kanase, HQ's decided to send a new watcher and caretaker for them."
Kaiser raised an eyebrow. "A new watcher and caretaker? Who?"
"No idea. Didn't ask. Don't care," she rattled off, then added with a huff, "I just told them to hurry up and send someone before you can't control yourself and make a move on Princess La Folia. That'd be a full-blown diplomatic incident."
…This woman really was asking for it.
Still, the fact the Agency was sending someone new made him wonder—
"Don't tell me… it's Himeragi?"
He hadn't spoken loudly, more to himself than to her.
But the keyword in that mutter instantly tripped some kind of radar in the pervert-girl.
"It's not Yukina!" she barked. "By my count, she's still got 105 days of training left at the Sanctuary of the High God Forest before she graduates, so there's no way it's her!"
"…You've been counting?" Kaiser's mouth twitched.
"Of course. I've been looking forward to working with her," she said proudly, puffing out her chest. "So give it up. It's not going to be her."
She gave a sharp huff, turned on her heel, and strode off, leaving him with a long-legged silhouette.
Kaiser chuckled. "Not possible… huh?"
He thought the opposite.
He had a feeling the one being sent over would indeed be that unforgettable underclassman—because she was the heroine of this world, the undisputed main heroine.
And someone that important… there's no way she wouldn't make an appearance.
"I can't wait to see your face when that day comes, pervert-girl."
In a strangely good mood, Kaiser whistled as he shut the window, blocking out the moonlight and returning to his dimly lit room.
(End of Chapter)
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