The carriage moved slowly along the official road of the Dragon Kingdom, the rhythmic sound of its wheels rolling over the gravel road echoing through the carriage.
Higashino Makoto leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.
Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, falling on his face and casting a soft shadow on his closed eyes.
The carriage had been gone from the Royal Capital for an hour.
Draudillon did not come to see him off.
She said she didn't like saying goodbye.
She cries when saying goodbye; if she cries, she doesn't seem like a queen.
So she didn't send it.
But before getting into the car, Higashino Makoto saw her at the palace gate.
She stood by the second-floor window, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders, her white dress fluttering gently in the morning breeze.
She didn't wave or shout; she just stood there, watching him.
In those dark eyes, there was reluctance, gratitude, and something else that was hard to describe.
Higashino Makoto looked up at her, nodded, and then turned and got into the carriage.
There was no goodbye.
No farewell is needed.
"Grown ups."
Kurumi's voice broke the silence in the carriage.
"Um?"
"I have a question."
"Explain."
Kurumi put down her book, her right eye half-closed, a half-smile playing on her lips.
Why did you choose the Dragon King Princess?
Higashino Makoto opened his eyes, his dark eyes staring at the roof of the car.
"What's the meaning?"
"What I mean is --"
Kurumi tilted her head, and her black braid slipped off her shoulder.
"You spent nearly a month with Holy Queen Calca Besares. You had deep conversations with her, she confessed her feelings to you, and you rejected her. But you did not leave the Holy Kingdom; instead, you stayed there, helping her deal with troublesome nobles, helping her resist the invasion of the demi-humans, and helping her charge into battle on the battlefield."
She paused.
"You've also had contact with the Custodio Sisters. Although Captain Remedios is cold towards you, she has never hidden her respect for you. Priestess Kelart, though deep and calculating, has never shown you any hostility."
She held up one finger.
"Then you went to the Slane Theocracy. You met Certain Death. You ate pancakes together, chatted, and sat on the steps in a daze. When you left, she said, 'If you come back, I'll treat you to pancakes.' You said okay."
She held up her second finger.
"Finally, you arrived in the Dragon Kingdom. You spent a week with the Dragon King Princess. No, only the first day. You gave her twelve angels, and she gave you—"
She paused, then her smile deepened.
"Herself."
Higashino Makoto looked at her, a hint of amusement flashing in his dark eyes.
So, what is your question?
"My problem is --"
Kurumi placed her hands on her knees, straightened her back, and stared directly at Higashino Makoto with her right eye.
"Why is it the Dragon King Princess? And not the Holy Queen? Not the Custodio Sisters? Not Certain Death?"
The carriage fell silent.
The rhythmic sound of wheels rolling over the road entered the carriage, like some kind of ancient, wordless ballad.
Higashino Makoto remained silent for a long time.
Kurumi thought he wouldn't answer anymore.
After a while, the black cat "Zafkiel" rolled over and found a more comfortable position to continue sleeping.
Then he spoke.
Kurumi.
"Exist."
Do you know how I like to pay for things?
Kurumi blinked.
"This subordinate doesn't quite understand what you mean, sir."
"Pay in full at once."
Higashino Makoto held up one finger.
"I don't like loans, I don't like installment payments, I don't like owing others things, and I don't like others owing me things. If I see something I like, I pay for it all at once, and then that thing is mine. Clean, efficient, and without any dragging things out."
He paused.
"What I hate most is loans."
"Loan?"
"Yes, a loan."
Higashino Makoto leaned back in his chair, his dark eyes gazing at the roof of the car.
You bought something, but you haven't paid the full amount. You have to pay it back every month, you have to worry about it every month, and you're burdened by that debt every month. You can't quit your job, you can't take a break, you can't do what you want to do, because you have to pay off the loan.
He turned his head and looked at Kurumi.
I don't like that feeling.
Kurumi nodded.
"So, you chose the Dragon King Princess because she doesn't need your loan?"
"Right."
Higashino Makoto nodded.
"What does Holy Queen Calca Besares want?"
He held up one finger.
"What she wants is a crown prince, a child, my child."
Kurumi's right eye narrowed slightly.
She wants to keep you with the child.
"Yes, but not entirely."
Higashino Makoto shook his head.
"She wants to keep me here; she truly desires an heir. She is the Holy Queen, and her country needs a crown prince. She needs a child who can inherit the throne, continue the bloodline, and stabilize the political situation. This is her responsibility, and also her Achilles' heel."
He paused.
"But I don't want children right now."
"Why?"
"Because I'm still young, and I haven't had enough fun yet."
Higashino Makoto's lips curled up slightly.
"I have endless life, and I've only been in this world for less than a year. I have so much time and so many things to do. I don't want to be tied down by a child. It's not that I don't like children; maybe I will in the future. But at least for now, I don't want to."
He held up his second finger.
"Furthermore, even if I wanted a child, I wouldn't give them away easily. Children aren't tools, not bargaining chips to bind anyone. If I had a child, I would spend time with him, teach him, and watch him grow up. This means I would have to dedicate a significant amount of time and energy to the Holy Kingdom, to that child."
He paused.
"If I don't teach them well and they turn out to be a bastard like the Elf King, I might be furious."
Kurumi chuckled softly.
"The master is right."
"Therefore, the Holy Queen is not suitable."
Higashino Makoto lowered that finger and raised the other one.
"Remedios Castordio, Holy Knight Order."
He thought about it.
"I didn't like it."
Kurumi tilted her head.
"Didn't you like it?"
"Yes. I didn't like it."
Higashino Makoto's tone was flat.
"She was a good person. Loyal, brave, upright, and willing to give everything for her beliefs. But—"
He paused.
"Incompatible personalities."
What's wrong?
"She's too hard."
Higashino Makoto said.
"Like a rock. If you kick her, she won't cry out in pain; she'll just slam her head back with something harder. It's not that I dislike hard things, but I don't want to live with a rock every day."
Kurumi nodded.
"What about Kelart Castodio?"
Higashino Makoto was silent for a moment.
"Kelart..."
He uttered the name, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"That woman is a little too smart."
Is being smart a bad thing?
"Being smart is good. But being too smart means treating everything as a bargaining chip."
Higashino Makoto's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest.
"If I choose her, she'll be very happy. Not because she likes me, but because she sees an opportunity—an opportunity to gain more benefits for the Holy Kingdom. She'll take things from me little by little in a subtle way. Not by robbing, not by stealing, but by exchanging."