"Is this really okay? Being treated like this..."
In the big space room he had been given, Sota small murmur disappeared like dewdrops.
The private room, which surpassed even the ultra high-grade rooms of a famous hotel in Tokyo, was no different from a royal chamber. The furnishings that met the eye seemed to be worth hundreds of gold coins each, and Sota, a commoner, feeling nothing but awe.
The bed had a canopy, and it was king-sized.
Sota had used the royal bathhouse privately, and his skin was now moist and glowing. The soap products made from materials from another world all had Sota preferred scents, and his hair emitted a sweet and refreshing fragrance
After the exchange in the throne room and enjoying the royal bathhouse, he was led to this room and brought to the current situation.
"......."
As if inviting him to eat, the enormous feast laid out on the large round table was steaming. Despite his hunger, it was an amount he could never finish alone
"......Itadakimasu."
He put his hands together and uttered the words.
Apart from his own voice, all he occasionally heard were the crackling sounds of firewood. Somehow, even with such a luxurious meal, he couldn't help but feel a sense of simplicity.
"It's delicious."
Meat, Fish, Seafood, especially the shrimp-based ones he liked. The dishes, prepared with cooking methods and seasonings unknown to Sota, were all exquisite.
"Phyllis, I hope you're okay."
He skewered a massive prawn tempura with a fork and murmured.
Afterward, Phyllis had been taken to a temple to have her condition checked. It seemed to be a place both dedicated to the gods and with characteristics similar to an obstetrics facility. Pregnant women were required to spend a week at the temple before giving birth, so Sota wouldn't see Phyllis again until after she had given birth.
It was heartwarming to see Phyllis repeatedly look back and wave with reluctance until Sota figure disappeared on his way to the temple.
Phyllis is doing her best.
She's going through a tough time to give birth to their child.
So, then...
"I should find some work too."
He doesn't want to just sit around He wanted to stand alongside Phyllis, even if not as equals.
That was the determination of Sota, a Japanese boy.
...If he were asked whether there was a job for him in this country, it was still a question.
(If I have time tomorrow, I might speak with Her Majesty)
With a vague goal in mind, the silent air rippled four times.
Knock, knock, knock, knock.
The sound of a modest knock on the door.
It seemed like a visitor.
Sota hurried to the door.
"Who is it?"
"...It's me. Elraine."
Elraine, dressed casually rather than in her usual knight attire, stood there as Sota opened the door.
"What can I do for you?"
The time had passed nine o'clock. Sota invited Elraine in and pulled out a chair at the round table piled high with food for her to sit.
"...How about some alcohol?"
Elrain weakly smiled and took out a bottle of wine from her basket.
"Thank you, Elraine-san, I appreciate it. Please, feel free to have some of this food too. I can't finish it all by myself."
"...Thank you, I'll enjoy it."
......
The dinner with Erlein was enveloped in a heavy silence.
It was suffocating, and there was no conversation.
Only the sound of Souta cutlery rang out in vain.
Sota had a sense of what might be bothering Elraine, who seemed somewhat downcast.
Her depressed expression did not clear and she did not seem to be touching her food or wine.
"Do you have something you wanted to talk about?"
When Sota spoke up, Elraine raised her head. Her eyes trembled with anxiety.
"Forgive me for being rude, There's something I really need to ask....."
"...."
"Why with Phyllis-sama...?"
Why Phyllis?
A question lacking specifics, yet it was enough for Sota to understand.
Sota moistened his tongue with a sip of wine, then smiled softly.
"You and Phyllis both hold me in high regard, but I'm not that special of a person."
"Never say that! Sota-sama, you are a precious man, despite your status, you shows kindness to people like us. You're a wonderful person..."
"Being kind to neighbors, that's what you and your people do as well. I just happened to be born a man."
"You don't understand the world enough...! Being a man gives you certain privileges. You have the right to be selective! You should realize how much danger your innocence can bring..."
"I will do what I believe is right... Even if it turns out to be misguided in this world."
This man simply said such things . His uncontrollable stubbornness was frustrating to Elraine.
"And.. why Phyllis."
"...!"
"For me, she's just too charming."
"Huh..."
"Beautiful, cool, cute... She smells nice, she's soft..."
"So, you're saying you want to be with her..."
....
"Yes...."
Sota said this and took another sip of wine.
Alcohol quickly spread through his tired body.
Sota, with flushed cheeks, began to feel a bit floaty.
His true feelings were slipping out.
On the other hand, Elraine writhed in the flames of jealousy burning in her heart.
Her hands trembled, Her lips twitched, She felt dizzy.
Akizuki Sota... undeniably, her first love.
A captivating, friendly, and endearingly innocent person, but also incredibly defenseless and naive..
Inviting Elrain into his room so easily was the height of vulnerability. He didn't even know how pent-up her desires were.
And then, she was left dumbfounded by his earlier statement.
This man, Sota, as he had mentioned even in the throne room, said he went willingly to be with Phyllis. Did such a man exist in this world, who desired to be with a woman, especially someone as inexperienced as Phyllis?
Her teeth gritted together.
Her vision begins to blur.
Her throat constricts.
Jealousy only grows, gradually distorting the vessel of her heart.
("If I had found him first, why with that person... I can't forgive it. I can't forgive it, can I? Playing with my feelings, my first love, my desires!!!")
So selfish.
So irrational.
Letting thoughts fester on their own, going mad with jealousy.
I've lived seriously, incredibly seriously, to the point where "hardworking idiot" might as well be my middle name
Studying, martial arts, anything I could learn, I dedicated myself to it.
I respected Phyliss, who was on the same path, even thought of her as a comrade.
But when I saw her smiling happily after receiving my beloved seed in her womb, that's when I truly began to hate Phyllis.
Betrayed.
Cuckolded.
Just because she met him a little earlier, she's so delighted.
That Place should have been mine.
Women in this world have an abnormally developed sex drive.
But more than that, Elrain, a talented woman, had developed a monstrous possessiveness in her subconscious.
The flames of jealousy had grown so fierce that she referred to Phyliss, whom she had respected without reservation.
...Sota, who had consumed too much alcohol, finally began to sigh in his sleep.
A drop of drool was dripping from the corner of his mouth.
Elrain, without hesitation, made her move.
Her love and desire had already crossed the limits.