"Poor thing… Are you really satisfied just from me touching your face? Do you want a hug instead? It would be warmer."
Leon gently stroked the girl's cheek, silently engraving that sensation into his mind.
Among all the people he had touched so far, this contact left the deepest impression. If it were possible, Leon wished he could keep caressing her like this forever.
Nahida blinked and allowed Leon to squeeze her cheeks without the slightest sign of displeasure. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that she liked it very much.
For Nahida, who had been confined in the Sanctuary of Surasthana, she had long yearned to communicate with others.
Moreover, Leon's movements were gentle and surprisingly skilled. Every touch was soft, making her feel at ease.
At that moment, Nahida was like a happy cat being petted. She was enjoying Leon's "rudeness."
"Hug…"
"Ah… for some reason, that expression makes me happy."
Leon raised his eyebrows when he saw Nahida's eyes sparkle. He had only been teasing her, but he hadn't expected such a strong reaction from the little girl.
Immediately, Leon stopped rubbing Nahida's face and smiled as he opened his arms to her.
If she wanted, she could step right into them.
Leon's behavior had been extremely improper from the very beginning. Even though she was under house arrest, Nahida was still the nominal queen of the Kingdom of Sumeru.
Yet Leon had barged into her "room," stared at her sleeping face, touched her cheeks, and even tried to hug her.
It could be said that he showed absolutely no respect for a king.
[I can't help it. Whose fault is it that this girl is so cute? She's way too cute. Tch… those bastards from the Akademiya deserve to die. How could they imprison such an adorable girl!? They deserve death!]
Leon felt as if this were some kind of divine trial. If there truly were a god in this world, then that god was clearly trying to force him to become a lolicon right at this very moment.
Not long ago, he had met Klee, a lively and adorable little girl.
Now he had met Nahida, a quiet, pitiful little girl—her style completely opposite to Klee's.
Leon thought: [Is this the world's test for me? This is really hard… Compared to this, conquering Sumeru seems ridiculously easy.]
Meanwhile, on the other side—
Nahida looked at Leon's open arms with longing, but after some struggle, she refused the hug.
"I'm sorry… I don't want to."
"You don't?" Leon asked.
"Well, it's not good for us to hug on our very first meeting. My sister told me that girls should be reserved, and… if I grow too attached, I'll be sad if it never happens again. So… I don't want to."
Nahida shook her head as she spoke.
She was afraid that if she threw herself into his arms now, she would no longer be able to endure the cold loneliness of the sanctuary after experiencing that warm body heat.
She didn't know how much longer she would be trapped here.
She didn't know how long she would remain alone.
"…You're right. That's fine."
Leon raised his hand and gently touched Nahida's head again, feeling both relief and a faint ache in his heart. She was a sensible, pitiful, and deeply moving little girl.
Compared to the carefree, free-spirited, and cheerful Klee, Nahida was almost her complete opposite.
"Alright, alright. Now can you tell me who you are? Ah—and I'm sorry, I don't have any snacks or tea to offer you," Nahida said.
"It doesn't matter. I have everything," Leon replied.
Leon shook his head and opened his storage space.
Under Nahida's astonished gaze, he took out plates of cake, chocolate, macarons, potato chips, and two cups of black tea.
Although it was a bit strange for a guest to entertain the host, that detail could be ignored for now.
Under Leon's watchful eyes, Nahida picked up a piece of cake and took a bite. Her four-leaf-clover-shaped pupils widened.
"This is delicious!"
"Haha, eat more if you like it," Leon laughed.
"Thank you, thank you!"
"You're welcome. And I recommend trying it with the tea—it tastes even better," Leon suggested.
"Okay, I'll try."
Leon felt that he could never quite get to the main point.
Somehow, the two of them had inexplicably ended up having an afternoon tea party. For the always efficient Leon, this kind of wasted time was practically a sin.
But when he saw the pure satisfaction and happiness on Nahida's face, Leon suddenly felt that this time was very well wasted. Fine—let's waste even more time.
Unfortunately, Nahida's stomach capacity was limited.
She wasn't one of those legendary lolis who could eat endlessly. After one and a half pieces of cake and half a cup of tea, she couldn't eat anymore.
She looked at the remaining half of the cake with confusion, feeling that wasting food would be wrong.
But just as she was about to pick it up again—
"Alright, alright. You don't need to force yourself if you can't eat anymore."
Leon snatched the plate from her hands.
"But—"
"Ah! It's nothing."
"Okay… wow…"
Nahida watched in surprise as Leon swallowed the cake in just a few bites. She felt inexplicably impressed—and even a little admiring.
"Hmph… easy."
Leon also felt strangely proud.
Their interaction lacked the majesty and solemnity of a king and queen. Instead, it felt like the innocence and harmony of children playing house—like an older brother from next door playing with the neighbor girl.
But for now, that peaceful moment came to an end.
"Alright, let me formally introduce myself again. I am Leon Fol Palettia, a prince from the distant Kingdom of Palettia. I came to Sumeru this time to correct this corrupt and twisted nation… and to conquer it," Leon said.
"…I see."
Nahida's eyes dimmed.
She lowered her head, overcome by bitter disappointment. "You're here to correct my mistake…"
"Hm? Why do you think that?" Leon asked, confused.
"Huh? Isn't that it? Because I'm an incompetent queen, unrecognized by my own people… so I must be in the wrong," she said, tears welling up in her eyes.
"You silly little girl… are you trying to kill me with heartbreak?" The corners of Leon's lips twitched as he raised his hand and lightly tapped Nahida on the forehead.
"Ah! That hurts…"
Nahida immediately covered her forehead and crouched defensively.
"Who said you're wrong? The ones who are wrong are obviously those who oppress their ruler and the people," Leon scoffed.
"I-Is that really so?"
"Exactly. Only future generations can judge whether a king was right or wrong—not traitors. In other words, we kings must have the confidence that even if the entire world is wrong, it is not us who are mistaken," Leon declared proudly.
Even if one day he stood against the entire world, it would be the world that had to adapt to him—not the other way around.
Nahida stood stunned by those domineering words and that overwhelming presence. The admiration in her eyes grew even stronger.
(End of the chapter)