I Married the Beautiful Female Protagonist In Order To Survive

56. I can stand!

The Queen’s caution steered me away from chasing after fleeting speed, from diving headfirst into the heart of “Chaos” within Great Britain’s royal city. Instead, I heeded her directive, taking a sharp detour mid-journey. We bypassed the capital, making for the “retirement haven” of the moon fairy, Iris – a small manor nestled in Glamorgan, one of Great Britain’s territories.

And this, Louise had claimed, was our “emergency bunker.”

Since the moon fairy had long since taken up residence in the capital, our return revealed a place forgotten, overgrown, and coated in dust. Servants were nonexistent; with the Queen’s temperament, she was unlikely to trust in “maids” at a time like this. We, the long-absent guests, consisted only of myself, Kevel, the Queen, and Lance.

A wave of “disparity” even washed over someone like me, a former “rogue villain.” Could the Queen… could she stomach this abrupt shift from grandeur to grim reality? Time, however, afforded me no idle contemplation. After a swift clearing of weeds and dust, I assigned tasks to the three women.

“Kevel, take Lance and scout the perimeter. Even though we came alone, we may have attracted attention. The Queen and I will stay here, attempting to clean the house. As it is now, there’s nowhere to even stand without being covered in dust, let alone sleep.”

I paused, glancing at Lance, whose spirit seemed diminished.

The chaos in Northern Ireland might have vanished, but the sword fairy had ultimately chosen to accompany us. Despite this, she’d spent most of the journey lost in a daze, clearly still grappling with everything, even with the “Chaos” gone. The poor dear.

Were “female knight” types destined to forever remain simpletons in the script?

I sighed. “What are you still hesitating about? I told you before, resolving the chaos is the path you’ll least regret. I’ll give you a guarantee. Once we finally take care of ‘Chaos’, I’ll find you a new master.”

It sounded suspiciously like I was setting a flag for myself, but it was the only comfort I could offer, and I watched as Kevel led Lance away. Pondering “how things had come to this” was now pointless. Since the Queen had declared “no one in Great Britain is to be trusted,” I had no choice but to consider us “without anything.” After all…

Even the Queen herself had undergone corresponding changes.

Once Kevel and Lance had departed, leaving the Queen and me alone, I turned to face her.

The young woman before me remained radiant, yet… she lacked a layer of embellishment. Since arriving at Glamorgan, the Queen had swapped her usual dazzling attire to be less conspicuous.

The crown was gone, her long hair simply braided, and her clothes, while cute, fell far short of her usual “idol” level. Only the ever-present black stockings remained, perhaps the Queen’s last stand.

The sight stirred complex emotions within me, ones I couldn’t quite articulate. The Queen’s actions were undeniably wise. Flaunting herself in such circumstances would only expose our journey. As the Queen put it, “Our adversaries are likely the Great British Internal Security forces. We know them well, but they… know us just as well.”

“Sorry~ I seem to have disappointed you~”

Sensing my gaze, the Queen mustered a smile… one far less radiant than her usual. “But under the current circumstances, I’m unlikely to continue wearing pretty dresses for you~ And of course, I can’t fulfill any of your specific uniform fetishes~ After all, we only brought the bare minimum with us~”

“Louise!”

Couldn’t you let me worry about you properly, just this once?

I bit back the rest of my words, realizing I might have overestimated the Queen’s resilience. Her empire had suddenly plunged into “Chaos,” danger loomed, and despite her obvious anxiety, she couldn’t return due to her “intuition.” She was forced to take refuge in this dilapidated house, reduced to a “commoner” unable to do anything.

Kevel and I could perhaps treat this as “part of an adventure,” but for the Queen… everything she was experiencing was likely an immense pressure and test.

I might have spoken rashly; I shouldn’t have demanded Louise remain composed in such a situation.

A moment later, the young woman did indeed throw herself at me, and before I could fully reciprocate, she murmured.

“Let me just hug you for a bit.”

“…”

I was momentarily speechless. Though I felt a twinge of guilt towards the recently departed Kevel, I confessed that my heart ached for her now.

“I’m so worried about everything in the capital, but for everyone’s sake, we can only stay in a place like this instead of rushing back recklessly. Sorry, Euclid, even if you asked me what to do next, I’m completely clueless, to be honest. Coming here was already an act of running away…”

[Louise the Fourth is distressed.]

The script’s untimely intrusion only amplified my confusion about how to offer comfort, for the Queen’s demeanor was clearly one of “fear.”

It wasn’t the first time I’d seen her, but… this “fear born of indecision,” truly, it was the first time Louise had revealed such emotion to me. I didn’t know whether to be happy or troubled.

“Ahhh~ If only there were a ready-made bed here… At least during *that*, I might feel a little more cheerful~”

The Queen, her brow furrowed with misery, glanced at me. “Or… we could do it standing up?”

Stand your head!

Why do you think you’ll feel better after *that*!?

“Clean the room!”

“☆~”

Pouting a complaint, the Queen still followed behind me. It was hardly appropriate for the Queen of the Britannian Empire to be doing chores here, but so we could at least “sleep” tonight, there was no high or low status between the four of us.

And…

“No need to be afraid, Louise.”

While handing the cleaning tools to the Queen, I said, “For us right now, the truly ‘dangerous’ thing is if nothing dangerous happens. Conversely, if someone ‘comes looking’ for us, *that’s* our ‘opportunity’. While you’re cleaning, think carefully: if our itinerary has been exposed, who would be the first to find us?”

“And… is this person trustworthy?”

“By the way, Louise… don’t you think there’s something especially rewarding about rebuilding your empire from scratch, bit by bit?”

This was my attempt at encouraging the Queen. However…

“Sigh… If only we had even a table, anything, it would work…”

Alright, Queen, just get to sweeping! A little exercise will keep the dirty thoughts out of your head!

Losing ten thousand people a day lately.

Tomorrow at noon, updating Firo’s second form illustration.

As for why she’s called “Sefiros,” it’s because I couldn’t find any other “丝” (silk/thread) to use. Damn it, why doesn’t anyone think of that for me? And don’t say “dead gay” isn’t allowed.

Illustration: Chaotic Fairy Sefiros

Actually, that original Firo illustration was initially for a character in a new book, but I moved it over here. After all, the state of the new book might not be too good. Honestly… the illustration wouldn’t have looked as good there, so I used it for this one. So you might find that the characters feel a bit similar, and that’s normal.

So, I made a second form, yay!