"Hmph—! Your Highness is a real playboy!"
Leon scratched the back of his head, visibly awkward, like someone who had just realized he had spoken too much.
He also became aware that what he had just said was far too direct and had most likely caused a huge misunderstanding.
For a moment, he was completely taken aback. Then, almost instinctively, he reached out and lightly touched the girl's golden hair, trying to steady himself before explaining:
"That's not what I meant. Let me make this clear right now: I'm not a playboy."
"You're not? Really?"
Lumine asked, still suspicious. After confirming several times that Leon was telling the truth, she finally let out a relieved sigh. Deep down, she truly didn't want her best friend to end up becoming one of Arthur's women.
Well… on second thought, that didn't seem entirely impossible either.
She let her imagination run wild for a moment and, unexpectedly, realized that she might actually be able to accept it without much inner conflict.
It could only be said that her way of thinking was far more advanced than that of ordinary people.
Not even talking about being with another girl… even with little Paimon alone… Lumine realized she wasn't exactly incapable of accepting it. On the contrary, she felt slightly excited by the idea.
Paimon: "I don't know why, but I suddenly feel a chill… someone really wants to hurt Paimon!"
Lumine: "Ahem… since Your Highness does not desire Nilou's exposed body, then what exactly do you intend to do?"
Leon: "I don't even need to say it—I simply like that girl's dancing very much. I want her to become my personal dancer and dance for me whenever I wish."
Lumine: "…I feel like what you're saying isn't all that pure…"
The corners of Leon's eyes twitched slightly.
But...
After all that mental turmoil, Leon turned his gaze back to Nilou, who was still dancing on the stage. This time, however, his eyes were no longer as pure as before.
"Lumine, let me ask you something."
"Your Highness, please go ahead."
"…What do you think about placing a steel pole on that stage as a dance prop?"
"Huh? What are you talking about, Your Highness? Why would we need a steel pole as a dance prop?"
Lumine looked completely confused. She blinked a few times and glanced at Leon beside her, clearly unable to comprehend his illogical—and dangerously irrational—thought process.
But then Leon gave her a light pat on the shoulder, looked her straight in the eyes, and spoke in a serious tone:
"Lumine, I sincerely believe that your brain, filled with perversity, will be perfectly capable of understanding the deeper meaning of this."
"What do you mean, Your Highness?!"
"In short, just imagine it."
Lumine raised her eyebrows. Though she still didn't fully understand, she obediently closed her eyes and began to think carefully: a steel pole… used as a dance prop.
How could that be used?
For climbing?
Wait…!
Climbing!
The perversion in the girl's mind sprang into action. Lumine's breathing quickened, her thoughts spiraled completely out of control, and her heart began to race.
She took a deep breath and suddenly opened her eyes.
Turning to Leon, she looked utterly shocked. Her face was filled with an unmistakable mix of admiration and awe.
"I get it… Your Highness, you're a genius?"
"Hm. You're not bad at understanding things."
Leon and Lumine exchanged perfectly synchronized smiles at the same time. Meanwhile, Paimon, who had no idea what was going on, unconsciously floated a bit farther away, only sensing that there seemed to be two elegantly dressed perverts around her.
"I'll discuss this with Nilou later. Sumeru's dance outfits seem incredibly well-suited for pole dancing."
"Excellent. I'll leave that task to you. If you succeed, I'll give you a generous reward."
"I'll definitely live up to Your Highness's trust! Hehe… Nilou doing pole dance… hehehe—"
The girl displaying her beautiful dance skills on the stage suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Nilou shuddered and almost missed one of her movements.
At the same time, Leon came back to his senses and shot a sidelong glance at the golden-haired girl beside him, who now looked like an unabashed nymphomaniac.
[I've definitely been led astray by this girl. At first, we were just appreciating the dance. How did we suddenly end up going down this path…? This must all be Lumine's fault.]
Leon continued watching the dance, carrying a slight sense of guilt in his chest, and mentally decided to add two more gold coins when the time for the reward came.
There was a saying that the conditions of the Zubair Theater were extremely poor—or perhaps that the conditions of the entire Grand Bazaar weren't much better.
Although the place was lively—perhaps the liveliest in all of Sumeru—only a handful of Kusanali's followers gathered there.
The Grand Bazaar, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of superficial prosperity.
Vendors who could barely manage to set up street stalls.
Everything confined to underground spaces.
Even though it was the largest theater in Sumeru and housed the most beautiful dancers, the number of spectators didn't come close to matching the quality of the performances.
Moreover, the audience could only watch while standing—there weren't even any chairs. To be honest, this made Leon, who was accustomed to luxury, feel rather uncomfortable.
The Magical Kingdom also had a theater.
Leon deeply loved art and often went to watch performances.
He was always in a private room with the best view, reclining on a soft, refined sofa, with peaches, strawberries, and other fruits laid out before him, a glass of wine in hand.
He firmly believed that art was the true treasure of human civilization.
However, this view was not acknowledged in Sumeru—a city of scholars where academic credentials were considered everything.
Most scholars despised art and regarded it as useless.
As a result, it was extremely difficult for artists to thrive in Sumeru.
The scale of the Zubair Theater, known as the largest in Sumeru and where Nilou performed, appeared small in Leon's eyes.
Not to mention the Royal Theater of Palettia—even smaller theaters were far more luxurious.
And this wasn't due to a lack of artistic quality.
It was the direct result of art being suppressed by Sumeru's officials.
Thinking about this, Leon sighed deeply and shook his head.
"Ah… what a waste. Such an enormous waste. A performance this beautiful can only be held underground. It's truly regrettable that such magnificent art is covered in dust."
Watching the red-haired girl dance more and more beautifully on the stage, Leon felt a growing sense of regret.
After all, his standards were too high—very few art forms were capable of capturing his attention.
But now, artistic trends were flourishing in Palettia, gradually replacing the Kingdom of Oriana and becoming a new nation of art. The reason was simple: Palettia's second prince, Leon, was a true master of artistic appreciation.
Dance, music, painting, sculpture—anything related to art stirred his interest and expertise.
Leon himself was the greatest artist in the Kingdom of Palettia. Any artist acknowledged by him received sufficient financial support and the best possible platform to express themselves.
There was a musician who, after receiving his praise, was supported in holding a grand concert.
There was a painter who, after earning his recognition, was given the chance to hold an art exhibition.
No fear of criticism.
No fear of being buried in the dust of oblivion.
As long as it was true art, it would be recognized by him, who always provided fair and proper evaluation.
Because of this, it could be said that the artists of the Kingdom of Palettia adored this prince to the point of fanaticism.
Leon had given them the chance to pursue true art and the purest ideals.
If Leon did not ascend the throne in the future, they would be the first to oppose it.
And now…
Nilou's dance had earned his approval.
(End of the chapter)