#55: Precious Shitoen — I Found a Wife Whose Engagement was Broken Off in the Neighboring Country, But She’s Too Cute, What Should I Do? (Wn)

That night.

After my bath, I was taking a walk around the royal castle to cool off when I found a pond.

More accurately, I was drawn in by the noisy chorus of ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit, and it just so happened there was a pond there.

Naturally, it was an artificial pond, but with the rocks placed around it and moss clinging here and there, it somehow felt like it had always been there since ages ago.

The stone lanterns were lit, and their glow shimmered softly on the pond’s surface, and together with the moon overhead, it was incredibly beautiful. Maybe because we were at a high elevation, it was surprisingly cool despite it being summer.

I approached, crunching over the undergrowth, and peered into the surface. Perhaps it noticed my footsteps, because with a plop, a frog jumped into the water.

Ripples spread across the pond’s surface, and the moon became distorted.

“Ah…”

Just as I murmured, “What a shame,” I heard Shitoen’s voice say, “Prince Saryu?”

Startled, I turned around, and Shitoen was jogging toward me.

She wasn’t in the nightwear she wore back in Tidros, but in Tania-style clothing.

It had the shape of a gown, the collar folded across the front and tied around the waist with a sash, but…

What was with how thin it was!?

It wasn’t flimsy because it was cheap fabric. Ah, was this silk?

It was glossy, and obviously smooth to the touch…

And around the waist, like this… because it was tied tight, the lines of her body showed pretty clearly. Her chest and her butt. Yeah, her chest and her butt. Her chest and butt.

Wait, this is seriously… erotic, isn’t it…?

“What is the matter? Did you get lost?”

She said that while slightly out of breath, so I reflexively turned my face away. This was bad. I was about to stare. Her chest and butt. The pond! Look at the pond! Look for frogs! Return to the innocence of childhood!

“I-It was hot after my bath… So I thought I’d cool off a little.”

“My… so that was it.”

Shitoen smiled, but immediately composed herself and bowed her head, which made me panic.

“At the banquet, my father behaved terribly rudely… I am truly very sorry.”

“It wasn’t like that at all! Lord Balimore was just worried, that’s all.”

I hurriedly stopped her.

“He gave you away as a bride, but then too many things happened… I’m the one who should have written proper letters. Like, ‘Shitoen is doing very well,’ or something.”

No, saying it like this just made me sound like an idiot.

“I wrote quite a lot of letters myself, and yet… He really is a troublesome father.”

The way she puffed up in displeasure was just unbelievably cute.

Just being able to see that made bringing Shitoen to the Kingdom of Tania worth it.

But then, with the way she was standing there with her arms folded in annoyance…

Squish—the shape of her chest…

Uwooooooooo! Begone, my earthly desires!!!! I’ve been thinking about nothing but her chest and butt this whole time!!

“Prince Saryu?”

“N-No…! It’s nothing!”

When I started wildly shaking my head back and forth, even Shitoen finally looked at me suspiciously.

“Ah… right. I was thinking about a lot of things at the banquet today.”

“What were you thinking about?”

Shitoen tilted her head slightly.

“That I should cherish you even more, Shitoen.”

“Huh?”

She blinked at me in surprise, so I scratched my head without thinking.

“I thought you were doing pretty well getting along with our Tidros royal family side, but… that only works because of how much effort you put into it, doesn’t it? And I never even gave that any thought at all… Well, I mean, if Mother or the Crown Prince ever tried to bully you or be cruel to you, I’d be fully prepared to beat them down with everything I had!”

At that, Shitoen burst into laughter.

“Those two have never done anything like that to me.”

“Well… still, I realized at today’s banquet that good relationships don’t just happen naturally. They exist because you’ve been putting thought and care into so many things, Shitoen. So…”

“I-I’m sorry! I was the one who failed to notice!! Has something been troubling you!?”

Shitoen started panicking again, so I gave a wry smile and said, “No, no.”

“It made me realize that you were raised with such deep care by so many people, Shitoen. So I thought there’s no way I could ever treat you carelessly. Even my father-in-law probably wanted to judge whether I was worthy of being entrusted with his daughter.”

“Prince Saryu…”

“So that I can tell the people who have cared for and raised you all this time, ‘Please don’t worry,’ I’m going to treasure you even more than I already do. And while it would be difficult for you to return to your country often… there’s no problem with inviting your relatives and friends to ours. Invite them all you like. I’ll entertain them.”

The moment I said that, Shitoen flew into my chest with a soft thump.

“Shitoen…?”

“Thank you, Prince Saryu. I’m so happy.”

Gripping my shirt tightly, Shitoen spoke in a tearful voice.

“I, too, will cherish you very, very dearly, Prince Saryu. Because you love me this much.”

“Thank you.”

I wrapped my arms around Shitoen’s back and hugged her back.

I thought every single time how small she was.

Her body was slender, and it felt as though if I touched her too strongly, something might break.

That was why I wanted to keep her safe and treasured within my arms.

If anyone ever hurt Shitoen, I would never forgive them. I’d protect her even at the cost of my life.

But…