Chapter 32: Chivalry Does exist
Shiori's pov
Shiori's POV
…
Our lips met in a heated blur, breaths tangling together as his fingers tightened around my waist.
"Lady… Shiori…" he whispered against my lips with a breathless groan.
The next second I was somehow standing in the middle of a courtroom. And Not just any courtroom.
The bloody Supreme Court.
"Shiori Komori has committed the ultimate betrayal!" Lady Ivory sobbed dramatically from the witness stand while dabbing fake tears with a lace handkerchief.
"She violated girl code!" Jasmine pointed at me in utter betrayal. "How could you?!"
"I CAN EXPLAIN—"
"You seduced Prince Felix!" someone screamed from the crowd.
Gasps echoed through the courtroom.
People fainted. Someone threw a tomato.
"This is ridiculous!" I cried in horror.
At the very front sat the Demon King himself, glaring down at me like an executioner preparing for war.
"Do you have anything to say in your defense?!" he roared, pointing at me with terrifying authority.
"Yes! Actually, I'd like to state that this entire thing lacks evidence, logic, and basic common se—"
"Silence!"A giant hammer slammed down.
"You are hereby sentenced to death by public burning!"
My soul left my body.
"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
…
{Mind Space}
"What do we do?!" Spineless cried while shaking uncontrollably.
"Calm down," Intellect adjusted her glasses with forced composure. "We had no ill intentions toward Prince Felix. Rationally speaking, we should be fine."
"But courts don't care about intentions when the evidence looks bad!" Happy panicked while somehow still smiling nervously.
"I say we abandon civilization and flee into the mountains," Wild suggested immediately.
"We can't leave Jasmine behind!" Spineless whimpered.
"The best course of action," Intellect continued, "is to clear up the misunderstanding before rumors spiral out of control."
"Agreed," Boss Lady nodded seriously. "We apologize first. Panic later."
"Sounds solid."
…
I jolted awake with a gasp, sitting upright in bed while clutching my blanket. My heart hammered violently against my ribs.
"…I HAVE TO CLEAR THE AIR BEFORE I GET EXECUTED!"
I stumbled out of bed at lightning speed and sprinted straight out of my room.
"Hey, Shiori— what's got you in such a rush?!" Chris shouted as I flew past him in the corridor.
"No time to explain! Watch Mochi for me!" I yelled without slowing down.
"What's wrong with her?" Oliver blinked blankly.
"Who knows," Chris sighed. "But she's about to miss breakfast."
I screeched to a halt.
"…Wait."
Breakfast…
No.
Focus, Shiori.
Your social survival comes first.
With great pain in my heart, I continued running.
…
By the time I reached the demon estate, I was practically vibrating with adrenaline.
My brain had already prepared at least twelve apology speeches. Some included crying for maximum pity favor.
I was currently debating which would be most effective when a maid approached me nervously.
"U-Um… are you Lady Shiori?"
"Yes?" I answered quickly.
"Someone is waiting for you in the garden."
"Huh? Who?"
"How should I know?" she mumbled timidly.
…Why does everyone always look scared of me lately?
I sighed.
Whatever. I'll handle this first, then find Felix.
The maid led me deeper into the garden until we reached a secluded area surrounded by towering trees. The shade made the atmosphere oddly cold and quiet.
My instincts immediately screamed danger.
"So… where's this person?" I asked cautiously.
Suddenly—
A hand yanked my hair violently backward.
"What the—?!"
Another maid threw me into a headlock from behind.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" I snapped. The woman only glared at me with pure disdain.
That was when I noticed her uniform was different from the estate staff.
"…Who exactly do you think you are?" I asked calmly.I grabbed her arm and flipped her over my shoulder.
CRASH.
Her face slammed directly into the dirt as The maid wheezed in shock. Honestly, all that strength training was finally paying off.
"What are you waiting for?" a familiar voice spoke coldly. "Or are you so incompetent that you lost to a girl half your size?"
I looked up. Lady Ivory stood nearby beneath a decorative umbrella, staring down at me with clear contempt.
Ah. So this was her idea of revenge.
"I had hoped this would be quick," she sighed dramatically. "But apparently even hiring help was a waste."
"Forgive me, my lady…" the maid trembled.
I dusted myself off slowly.
"What exactly did I do to deserve this?" I asked honestly.
Lady Ivory's expression twisted immediately.
"You truly have the nerve to ask?!" she snapped. "You humiliated me in front of Prince Felix! I am one of his potential brides, and you ruined our first meeting!"
Ah.Right. The biting incident.
Unfortunately, I couldn't exactly explain the truth without exposing Felix's curse.
"…Jain," Lady Ivory ordered coldly.
Before I could react, the maid slammed me face-first into the ground. Pain shot through my shoulder. Lady Ivory approached slowly, smiling down at me like I was the dirt beneath her fancy shoes.
"Now then… how should I repay this humiliation?"
"Let me go," I said evenly.
SLAP.
Her hand struck my cheek hard enough to sting. Her sharp nails had scratched my lower lip, drawing blood.
"…Ah."
Now she was really testing my patience.
Unfortunately, I had principles. And one of those principles was not punching people over petty nonsense.
Even if they absolutely deserved it. She clearly didn't care about explanations. In her mind, I had embarrassed her, and now she wanted revenge.
Honestly…
It was exhausting.
Maybe apologizing would end this faster.
The maid raised her hand again. I braced myself for impact—
But it never came.
"…Huh?"
I looked up.
Felix stood there gripping the maid's wrist tightly. Behind him was Jasmine, whose face looked moments away from murderous fury.
"What," Felix said quietly, "is going on here?" The air instantly turned heavy.
"P-Prince Felix?!" Lady Ivory paled.
Felix helped me to my feet carefully. The moment his eyes landed on my bruised cheek and bleeding lip, something dark flashed across his expression.
"Explain yourself," he said coldly.
"It isn't what it looks like!" Lady Ivory rushed out. "I was merely disciplining her for her disgraceful behavior the other day!"
"By isolating and assaulting her?" Felix asked flatly.
"I was reminding her of social standing!" she argued desperately. "She isn't even nobility while I am one of your future brides!"
"How dare you?!" Jasmine exploded. "Do you even know who she is?!"
Felix gently held Jasmine back before she could launch herself at Lady Ivory.
"Enough," he said calmly. Then his gaze returned to Lady Ivory.
"We will discuss this matter later. Including your position as a potential bride."
Lady Ivory froze completely.
"T-That's not what I—"
"You may leave."She lowered her head shakily before retreating with her maid.
Jasmine immediately rushed over to me.
"Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine," I reassured her quickly. "The slap barely hurt." Jasmine looked seconds away from crying anyway.
"We should treat those injuries immediately," Felix said firmly.
Before I could protest, he grabbed my wrist and began dragging me back toward the palace.
"W-Wait, hold on—!"
What is happening?!
…
We sat quietly in one of the guest rooms while Felix carefully applied ointment to my lip.
"Ow," I flinched.
"…Sorry." His movements softened immediately. "I'll be gentler."
The room fell quiet again.
"Now," he said after a moment, "please explain what happened."
.
"Lady Ivory said she was 'disciplining' me for embarrassing her before. I didn't want to cause unnecessary drama, so I just endured it."
Felix's expression tightened.
"You don't need to tolerate mistreatment just to keep the peace."
"…Maybe," I admitted. Then I remembered why I came here in the first place.
"Ah! Right! I actually came to apologize!"
Felix blinked.
"Apologize?"
"You know… about the other day…" I mumbled, my brain replayed the accidental almost-kiss immediately.
Felix suddenly looked equally flustered.
"Oh. That."
"Yes, that."
"…You don't need to apologize," he said quietly. "It's not as though you had ill intentions."
"Really?" I sighed dramatically in relief.
"Thank goodness. I thought I was going to get publicly executed."
"…What?"
"Nothing."
A knock interrupted us.
"Lady Shiori," Elliot announced politely. "You have visitors."
…
I walked downstairs and immediately froze.
A stunning couple stood waiting in the lounge.
The man had raven-black hair and sharp blue eyes, while the woman possessed elegant indigo hair and warm golden eyes.
Honestly, their visuals were unfair.
"Greetings," the man smiled warmly. "I am King Malcolm of the Draco Nation, and this is my wife, Milia. We are Felix and Jasmine's parents."
Of course the entire family was beautiful.
Naturally.
"I am Shiori Komori," I greeted politely with a curtsy while Mochi performed a tiny bow beside me.
"We came to thank you," Queen Milia said gently.
"…Thank me?"
"Our daughter has seemed far happier since meeting you," the king explained. "For that, we are truly grateful."
The two actually bowed slightly.
"P-Please raise your heads!" I panicked immediately. "I'm happy to be Jasmine's friend!"
Queen Milia smiled softly.
"Jasmine wished to see you as well. She prepared a gift for you."
"…Wait, she's here?!"
The moment they nodded, I practically teleported toward the guest room.
"JASMINE!"
"SHIORI!"
We immediately grabbed each other's hands and bounced excitedly like children reunited after war..
"I bought more romance novels for us," she announced proudly.
"My angel!" I gasped emotionally.
"I'll go get them!" she beamed before rushing away again. The room suddenly fell quiet.
Which left me alone with Felix and Chris.
Dangerous.
"Allow me to thank you again," Felix said calmly. "For everything."
"My pleasure," I smiled. "And thank you for the books and your kindness. Your parents were incredibly gracious as well."
"…Our parents?" he repeated oddly.
"Yeah, I met them downstairs."
"I see…" he murmured.
Silence.
More silence.
Even more silence.
Dear heavens.
This conversation was dying in real time.
Think, Shiori. THINK.
"Oh!" I brightened suddenly. "With such wonderful parents and such an adorable little sister, I think you're truly blessed, Master Felix."
He stared at me quietly.
"…You really think so?"
"Huh?"
"Do you truly believe I'm blessed?"
His tone caught me off guard.
"…Of course," I answered honestly. "You have people who genuinely care for you. Even with your situation, I'd say you're still fortunate."
For a second, he simply looked at me.
Then—
He smiled.
A soft, genuine smile.
"No," he said quietly. "You're right. I do have a wonderful family… and a precious little sister."
My brain stopped functioning.
Wha—
That smile should be illegal.Why is this man so pretty?!
"Oh, my eyes…" I whispered dramatically.
"I'm back!" Jasmine announced while pushing in an entire trolley stacked with books.
I stared.
"…Rich people are terrifying."
"Thank you so much," I said sincerely.
Then I noticed Chris silently staring at Felix with an unreadable expression.
…
Don't tell me.Has this devil seduced Beast Boy too?!
Eventually, Felix, Jasmine, and their parents prepared to leave.
The three of us watched from the window as their carriage disappeared into the distance.
Felix's devilish charm is way too dangerous…
How am I supposed to protect the twins from that face?
Beside me, Chris sighed deeply.
I can't believe I have another rival now… Just how many people does he plan to win over? Chris thought bitterly.
We both sighed at the same time.
"What's wrong with you two?" Oliver deadpanned.