The Man’s 101st Bad Ending

He scratched his head, staring at his reflection. The words he had heard last night lingered in his mind.

He hadn’t expected her confession.

These feelings were no longer fleeting. They had taken root, unsettling him.

He should have been focused on other matters, but he had been unusually distracted all morning.

He had even been reprimanded for his lack of focus. At least no one had noticed he had returned late last night.

The memory of last night made his head throb.

This was why he avoided relationships.

They were a distraction.

Their relationship wasn’t serious yet, but he couldn’t deny his feelings.

He liked her. In many ways, and he loved her.

Miragen.

She was a princess, seemingly out of reach, yet she felt accessible. She wasn’t aloof or demanding.

She was straightforward, yet sometimes feminine.

Despite being confined to the palace, she was free-spirited and surprisingly innocent, but she also valued other people’s feelings.

His reputation wasn’t exactly stellar.

Anyone else might have dismissed him, but Miragen hadn’t.

Unlike Theresa, she hadn’t approached him with ulterior motives.

Could he not develop feelings for such a woman?

He couldn’t deny it.

“It’s a shame. But… this isn’t the end, is it?”

Miragen had given him an artifact, a communication device.

He hadn’t understood why.

If they wanted to meet, they could just meet.

They were hardly in situations where they couldn’t, and what was the point of just hearing each other’s voices?

Yet, now, he felt a strong urge to use it.

He sighed, staring at the elongated device, then slowly channeled his mana, waiting for the ringing tone.

His heart raced.

Why was he so nervous?

Strangely, his headache began to subside. The ringing stopped, replaced by silence.

He waited, his heart pounding.

“Robert?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Her voice, clear in his ear, made him smile.

He stared into space for a moment, then chuckled, realizing he was smiling.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Did something happen?”

“Something was bothering me, but it just went away. My worries are gone.”

His worries were easily resolved.

All he needed was to see her face. He stood, his destination already decided.

The Imperial Palace.

To be honest, he simply wanted to see Miragen.

“Wait for me at the palace. I’m coming.”

The moon had risen. It was late, but he didn’t care.

“Are you crazy? Do you know what time it is? And you snuck in here?”

“It’s fine. I knew there was a moment when the guards weren’t around.”

He had used his experience infiltrating the palace to get in.

Miragen examined him, checking for injuries. He had snuck in, so he couldn’t exactly be open about his visit.

He would have to leave the same way.

It was pointless to question his impulsive decision.

He wiped the sweat from his brow after his run, and Miragen handed him a towel, sighing.

“What are you going to do if you get caught? It’ll be a disaster.”

“I’m not caught, so it’s fine. And if you didn’t want me to come, you should have said so when I called. You didn’t, so I assumed you were expecting me.” ℞

He dried his hair roughly.

Miragen blushed, unable to argue.

If she had truly been worried, she would have told him not to come.

He wouldn’t have come, but he knew she was secretly anticipating his arrival, despite her concern.

What should they do now?

Unlike their previous meeting, there was nowhere to go.

They were confined to her room.

Miragen placed a cup of tea on the table and stared at him, then cleared her throat.

“So, what are you doing here? Last time, you said you had to leave. And why did you come at night?”

“I missed you. I couldn’t sleep.”

Clatter.

Miragen abruptly placed her teacup on the table and stared at him.

He chuckled softly at her flushed cheeks, then sat across from her, savoring the aroma of the tea. He didn’t need to lie. He wasn’t ashamed of his feelings.

He had been in the past, but after his experiences with Theresa, he had become more indifferent.

“…You said you were engaged, didn’t you? That explains why you’re so…experienced.”

“An engagement doesn’t mean anything. I told you everything, didn’t I? Are you upset?”

“No, it’s not that.”

This was likely her first time, so she seemed slightly bothered that he wasn’t inexperienced.

He was wondering how to reassure her when she stood and walked towards the bookshelf, seemingly bothered by his gaze.

“Are you going to read?”

“No. I’m not going to read with you here…”

She pushed a section of the bookshelf, and a hidden button triggered a mechanism.

A staircase descended from the wall.

Miragen lit a lamp and looked at him.

“We can’t just sit here and talk, can we? Aren’t you coming?”

“I didn’t know you had this prepared.”

He took her hand, and she flinched.

She hadn’t expected him to hold her hand.

Her eyes widened for a moment, then she closed her lips and started walking.

He hadn’t realized she would be so surprised.

He realized they hadn’t held hands often. He felt a strange nervousness himself.

“…Your hands are big.”

He didn’t know how to respond.

Her sudden comment surprised him. Her small hand twitched in his, then she turned away with a huff.

The surroundings were unexpected.

He would have examined them more closely if Miragen wasn’t trembling slightly, but even so, he couldn’t help but notice the sheer size of the underground space.

It was almost as large as the palace itself. He hadn’t known this existed.

He stared at the large doors, his mouth slightly agape.

Miragen lit the magical lamps as she answered.

“Think of it as a secret storage area. Kaitel and I receive so many gifts, we needed a place to store them. The palace staff knows about it, but most nobles don’t.”

“So, you keep your precious things here?”

“Yes. Treasures I’ve received. I don’t use them, so they’re all here. I can give you one if you want.”

Her voice, slightly louder than usual, didn’t seem to echo.

The vast space absorbed the sound, making it feel like they were in a cave.

They walked more naturally now, their hands clasped.

They passed several large doors and magical lamps.

Miragen stopped in front of another large door, this one with unique markings.

“…This is where I keep my childhood portraits. I don’t usually show anyone, but I wanted to show you.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“It’s not that. I’ve been thinking about this for a while.”

A low hum resonated as Miragen touched the door, and it slowly opened.

It seemed to react only to the imperial family.

His touch hadn’t done anything. He followed her gaze inside.

“I thought I would show them to someone I liked…”

He turned to look at her. Miragen avoided his gaze as she continued.

“…and now I have someone I like.”

“…You mean me.”

He couldn’t help but smile. It was a simple statement, but it filled him with a genuine happiness he hadn’t felt before.

The woman he liked, liked him back.

He was incredibly happy. He wanted to laugh out loud, but he restrained himself, afraid she might think he was strange.

Inside, he saw portraits of Miragen as a child. Smaller than she was now, but with the same black hair and golden eyes.

He had always thought she was beautiful, even as a child.

He glanced at Miragen, who was staring at her childhood self.

Her expression, a mixture of nostalgia and something else, was captivating.

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“She looks…beautiful. Now that I think of her as mine.”

His thoughts slipped out, but he didn’t regret it, even as he blushed.

He no longer cared about the portraits.

He was simply content, and Miragen looked exceptionally beautiful.

He didn’t care if she was embarrassed.

He was simply happy.

They were underground.

No one would hear them.

The floor was cold, but he felt a warmth as he reached out and gently stroked her cheek.

“R-Robert?”

“Miragen.”

If these feelings were real, perhaps he should tell her everything.

He had to do it now.

He decided to be honest, just a little.

He had to be true to his feelings.

Even as he struggled with his thoughts, his voice remained calm as he gently kissed her flushed neck.

“Do you mind if I do something bad?”

He had no intention of waiting for an answer.

[Translator Notes]

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