This wasn't the first time Fang Li had entered Iris's room. Only, the last time he came here, Fang Li had been a thief, just looking for a way to sneak out of the castle. He wasn't here as a guest, nor was he here to hang out.
Naturally, under those circumstances, Fang Li hadn't had the time or interest to take in the sights of Iris's room.
Today, visiting Iris's room again, Fang Li couldn't help but glance around a little.
Iris, who had been secretly watching Fang Li, immediately noticed this and shyly spoke up.
"P-please don't look around like that… it makes me really embarrassed…"
'How to put it?'
'That reaction really was… kind of refreshing.'
Come to think of it, no matter how luxurious this room might be, it was still, in the end, a girl's room. Having a boy wandering his eyes all around would naturally make her feel embarrassed.
Of course, for Fang Li, who had more than once infiltrated the girls' dorms and even stayed overnight there, this really wasn't anything worth getting flustered over. Only, since the little princess was getting embarrassed, Fang Li decided not to keep looking around. He just shrugged, spread out his hands, and pulled his gaze back.
Only then did Iris breathe a visible sigh of relief and hurriedly invited him.
"Please, sit here. I've had some snacks prepared. I don't know if they'll be to your liking…"
In Iris's room was a small white tea table, seemingly set up specifically for afternoon tea.
On the table, a variety of sweets were already arranged, along with a pot of steaming hot black tea.
Having often enjoyed high-class cuisine, Fang Li could tell at a glance:
Forget the tea for now, the snacks had clearly been made with extremely high experience point ingredients. Each one looked like it could help a newbie Adventurer level up a rank just by eating it.
Seeing that, Fang Li couldn't help but give a little praise.
"As expected of the Royal Family. The treatment here really is something else."
Since long ago, the Royal Family had constantly introduced strong Hero bloodlines, pushing their potential to extraordinary heights. Not only that, but they'd received the highest-tier education in all areas, and regularly consumed experience-rich gourmet food to raise their rank. On top of that, they fought using powerful weapons inherited from Heroes. Each member was a force to be reckoned with.
Take Iris, for example. She was only twelve years old, yet her strength was already on par with the Demon King Army's Leaders. At the very least, she was no weaker than Beldia, whom Fang Li had fought before. And with a legendary Holy Sword at her side, even Fang Li couldn't afford to be careless.
Fang Li had known all this beforehand, but seeing this kind of treatment with his own eyes made it feel much more real.
If someone could gain that much experience just from eating snacks and drinking tea, and then add in top-tier education and innate talent, it would be strange not to end up that powerful.
Without being polite, Fang Li sat down, picked up a sweet, and took a small bite.
A sweet, gentle flavor instantly filled his mouth.
"Not bad at all," Fang Li said. "Could it be that… you made these yourself?"
"No, the maids did." Iris looked slightly disappointed. "I wanted to try making them myself too, but before the maids could even respond, Claire frantically stopped me…"
Well, she was royalty, cooking for herself didn't exactly seem realistic.
"That Claire girl sure works hard," Fang Li muttered, smirking as he looked at Iris. "She really doesn't like the idea of us being alone together. Are you sure this is okay?"
"I know I'm not being fair to Claire…" Iris lowered her head slightly, her voice becoming soft. "But… I really wanted to have an afternoon tea like this with you. This… this is something I wished for…"
As she said that, Iris's cheeks flushed slightly. She looked genuinely shy, her eyes glancing upward to sneak a peek at Fang Li with a timid gaze.
Fang Li was sure, anyone who saw Iris acting like this would absolutely waver.
At the very least, if it were Kazuma standing here right now, seeing Iris like this, he'd absolutely say something like:
"Fine! I don't care about anything anymore! Even if Aqua calls me a loli-con or a loli NEET for the rest of my life, I'll accept it! Let's just get married already!!"
Then, that hikiNEET would absolutely be buried alive by Claire, who was guarding the door outside. And once Aqua resurrected him with Revive Magic, he'd be called a loli-con or loli NEET for the rest of his second life.
Fang Li wasn't quite that hopeless, but even he couldn't help letting out a wry smile.
"If you just want to have afternoon tea with someone, I'm sure anyone would agree if you simply asked."
However, Fang Li's words made Iris's eyes dim slightly.
A moment later, she gave a lonely smile and said something that carried a quiet sadness.
"Even if I make such a request… most people would decline, saying it's inappropriate or too bold. And even if they agreed, they wouldn't treat me as an equal."
That sorrowful statement, full of longing, revealed the bitter loneliness in the heart of a young princess who just wished to feel warmth like an ordinary person.
Her deeply lonely smile struck straight into the heart of anyone who saw it.
Even Fang Li's eyes faintly glimmered.
So he set down the luxurious dessert he'd been holding and looked directly at Iris.
In the next moment, Fang Li suddenly smiled and said:
"Well then, how about going out on a date with me?"
The sudden proposal made Iris freeze.
"D-Date…?"
Seconds later, Iris's charming face turned completely crimson.
Outside Iris's Room, Royal Castle.
Claire was currently pressed up against the door, eavesdropping with intense focus.
"Um…" Rain looked like she couldn't take it anymore. Just as she was about to say something,
"Date?!" Claire suddenly shrieked in disbelief, eyes wide.
"You scoundrel! Don't even think about getting away with this!" Yelling furiously, Claire without hesitation kicked the door open.
BANG!
With a loud crash, Iris's room door was violently forced open.
"Princess Iris! I'm here to save you!" Shouting dramatically, Claire charged into the room from outside.
However, the very next second…
Claire's scream of despair echoed throughout the Royal Castle.
"Princess Iris, Aaaaah!!"
Her bloodcurdling cry triggered a wave of chaos through the entire castle. But this time, Rain understood Claire's feelings. Because inside Iris's room, aside from a half-eaten pastry and a cup of still-steaming tea on the table…
There was nothing else left.
Only the wide-open balcony window remained.
Both Fang Li and Iris, had vanished.
"…We're… we're done for…"
Rain's face finally turned pale as well.
(End Of This Chapter)
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