Leona: “You…you got it wrong! I am not Leon!”
Eris: “No, you are definitely the Knight of Light, Leon Revilles. I have seen you multiple times before when my father summoned you”
Runfar: “Apologies, you must be mistaking her for her brother. I cannot blame you, your majesty; the two of them truly do look alike. But make no mistake; this person is, without a shred of a doubt, a woman. This is Leona, she is Leon’s twin sister, and my fiancée”
He said it in a nonchalant voice.
At least ten seconds passed before either one had a reaction to his statement.
“Huh?” Leona looked at Runfar with an astounded expression, her mouth wide open and eyes spinning in their orbits, but her reaction was nothing compared to that of the Second Princess.
Eris: “What?! Fi-fi-fiancée?!”
Runfar: “That is correct. Isn’t that right, honey?”
Leona: “O-of c-course, darling”
In an instant, Leona cast a non-verbal spell to have a mental conversation with Runfar.
Leona:
Runfar:
Leona:
Runfar:
Leona:
Runfar’s left hand held Leona’s right hand, while embracing each other in a way that made them look like they were about to start a ballet dance.
Leona: “The two of us have been love birds for some time now. And of course, my brother had approved of our union, so there is nothing holding us back from falling deeper into the ocean of our love”
Second Princess: “Is that so? I am happy for you…”
The expression of defeat on the princess’s face was undeniable.
But then she asked.
Second Princess: “But does that mean that only you two came to rescue me instead of heroes or Holy Knights? Also, how did you find me?”
Leona: “Well, you see…My brother contacted me and told me to keep an eye out. We just happened to be nearby…”
She was stretching the lie tad bit too far, but the Second Princess bought it without question.
Second Princess: “I see. Regardless, the two of you saved my life. And for that, you have my eternal gratitude. After I come back to the palace, I will make sure that both of you are rewarded for your bravery…”
Runfar: “There is no need for that, your majesty. We were simply were doing our duties as the citizens of the kingdom”
Leona: “Yes, that is exactly correct. I mean…Let me look for horses! There should be a small carriage nearby…I will look for those! Darling, please keep the princess safe while I look!”
Runfar: “You can count on me, my love”
Both of them ended up mentally uttering
While Leona was looking for horses and a carriage, the Second Princess was staying close to Runfar.
‘Just when I meet a man of my dreams, he is already taken by another woman! It is so frustrating! What exactly does she have that I don’t? Calm down me, I must maintain my dignity as the member of royal family…’
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Then she saw Runfar’s brave smile, his crimson left eye looking at her with its warm light, and his strong figure that seemed to radiate an aura of a protector.
‘No, I must extinguish these feelings! They will never bear fruit! I must stop before…’
Without even thinking, she ended up instinctually hugging Runfar’s left arm for comfort.
‘I can’t!!! He is too cool! I don’t care if he loves another woman; just being with him a little bit longer is enough!’
It was safe to say that the first love strikes the hardest.
As for Runfar himself, he was…trying to find his happy place within his mental castle. And under the current circumstances, that was not easy task to accomplish.
Runfar: ‘Well, I have done it now. I declared my arch-enemy as my betrothed, and now I am guarding the princess of the kingdom I am planning on destroying. If my goal was to become a hero, this would be considered quite an accomplishment, but since I am the Dark Lord, this is quite the opposite. Am I being counterproductive here, or something?’
Runfar: ‘I am the villain of the story, damn it! Not some knight in shining armor! Oh wait, I just lent her a dress and called her my fiancée! What should I have done instead? Teleport and put on a dress too and claim it was a cross-dressing day? And then maybe establish an annual cross-dressing holiday in my territory, just to make it look legit? Ha-ha-ha!’
Runfar: ‘Hey, the god or deity or whoever is the lunatic that is putting me into these crazy situations! I am the villain, not a knight in shining armor, a villain! Get your mind straight and stop making a mess by writing such a weird story!’
When Runfar has such moments of mental breakdown, which due to his unfortunate life he has more than anyone else, he usually starts rambling on like a madman. Sadly, this had become a regular thing by now.
Second Princess: “Lord Runfar~”
He could feel her buxom press upon his left arm, which was still flesh and blood.
Runfar: ‘Ok, isn’t she being a tad bit too close here? Oh well, maybe she just wants me to keep her safe’
Runfar: “Have no fear, milady. I will definitely protect you”
He did not realize that by saying that he made her swoon over him even more than before.
* * *
Leona: ‘Did Runfar do all of this?’
While looking for horses, she did find some horse carts hidden inside the secret underground chambers, but she also found something even more disturbing.
So many corpses, at least twenty in number, freshly dead.
And judging from the place where Runfar emerged with the princess in his arms, these must have been the bandits that were guarding the princess.
Many of their corpses looked like they have been crushed with sheer power of a physical impact rather than a sharp weapon.
One corpse’s head looked like a squashed melon.
Leona: ‘He had the same smile on his face as he always does, not the face of someone who committed mass murder. But to be fair, they were criminals….there is nothing wrong with violently killing them, right?’
Leona: ‘Maybe he had no choice but to use extreme violence. Yes! It was a life and death situation! Had he not done this, both he and princess would have perished! Without a doubt, what he did was the right choice!’
Leona: ‘Still, I never imagined he was so skilled in hand to hand combat…’
* * *
With the cart tied to horses Leona had found, the three of them proceeded to head towards the royal castle.
Leona was operating the horse cart while the princess and Runfar were sitting behind her.
Eris: “Lord Runfar, please tell me, what is your father’s name?”
Runfar: “Augustus Sevilles.”
Eris: “Can I please meet him?”
Runfar: “Regretfully, he passed away recently”
Eris: “Such a shame, I would have wanted to ask his approval…Never mind. What about your extended family? How many siblings or cousins do you have?”
Runfar: “None. I am the sole remaining member of the Sevilles Household”
Eris: “That sounds so lonely and sad”
Runfar: “I manage somehow. No need to concern yourself with me”
Eris: “Ugh, meanie…”
Even though she said that, she was clinging on to Runfar’s arm so tightly that Runfar felt his left hand go a little numb.
Leona:
Runfar:
Leona:
Runfar:
Leona:
Runfar:
Leona:
Runfar:
* * *
As they neared the royal castle, their cart was surrounded by a platoon of knights, led by the Knight of Night.
When they saw the Princess, they immediately chose to escort her with their full protection.
“Thank you for saving her highness, we can take over from here” Knight of Night said to Runfar and Leona.
The Second Princess tried to protest only for Runfar to assure her that it was fine.
Before they left, the Knight of Night approached Leona and whispered.
Knight of Night: “Do not worry, everyone has their own hobbies. I am not going to judge”
Leona: “Huh? Larat, wait! You are having a huge misunderstanding!”
But her words fell on deaf ears as Knight of Night simply walked away without a second thought.
Needless to say, ever since that day, Larat was under an impression that Leon was someone with a cross-dressing fetish.