hotmtlnovel Chapter 372
Chapter 372
The moment I heard the voice that should never be heard while speaking of Tanasia from behind me, my entire body stiffened as if turned to stone. Carefully, I twisted my head to see the owner of that chilling voice.
“I believe I just heard Tanasia’s name coming from your mouths. Could it be that the Tanasia you're talking about is the one I know?”
“...”
'Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no.'
A flood of panic circuits lit up in my mind, sounding the alarm for my life. One thing was crystal clear—I could not let Harold find out about the conversation that had just transpired between Mezzlen and me.
If he discovered that we had speculated, with no basis whatsoever, that his late wife might have had a deviant side and enjoyed such activities with Harold, there were only two possible outcomes for me:
One: Harold, enraged at the insult to his wife, would personally educate me in his "way." Two: Harold, furious at Mezzlen for the insult, would "educate" her, and as a result, the entire Blackwood family would be implicated for royal assault, dragging me into the mess as well.
Either way, standing at this crossroads, both paths led to ruin. I was desperately trying to figure out what to say when the reckless, lewd princess decided to speak first.
“A-Ah, Sir Harold...! H-How have you been...?”
As if this were some kind of opportunity, she spread the sides of her short uniform skirt and greeted him. It wasn’t even a noble gown, yet here she was, lifting it like it was, and as ridiculous as that was, her audacity to still call him "Sir Harold" at a time like this was... impressive, in a way.
“Oh, it’s you again. I thought I asked you last time to address me as Professor Harold. This is the academy, after all. No matter that you’re royalty, to me, you’re just another student.”
“Oh, d-did you say that...? I’m so sorry, P-Professor Harold...”
“It's fine. Just don’t make the same mistake next time.”
...He’s actually pretty sweet when it comes to anything unrelated to his family. If only he didn’t lose his mind at the mere mention of them, he'd be a great guy. In fact, even with that flaw, he's still one of the more upstanding heads of noble families.
It would be great if I could shift the conversation toward Mezzlen and away from the topic we were just discussing, but unfortunately, Harold seemed determined not to let Tanasia's name go unaddressed.
“So, I’d like to hear the rest of the conversation.”
“...”
“I’m certain I heard ‘Tanasia’ come from your mouths. Were you referring to my wife, ‘Tanasia’?”
“W-Well, you see...”
“Yes, P-Professor Harold... We were talking about your late wife, Duchess Tanasia...”
“......?!?!”
This madwoman...
How could she spit that out so recklessly right after I warned her not to?
Just as I was about to let out the words, "If you want to die, do it alone," Harold's hands suddenly gripped Mezzlen's shoulders with alarming force.
Grab!
“Ugh?!”@@@@
As usual, whenever I got involved with this princess, things became unnecessarily complicated.
Even worse, Mezzlen, who had never been subjected to Harold’s infamous “too much talking,” was listening with wide, eager eyes, making it harder to break the flow of conversation.
“When Tanasia was elected president, the first thing she did was solidify the internal cohesion of the student council. At the time, the natural next step after the election was...”
‘At least he didn’t get charged with royal assault...’
Resigned to my fate, I had no choice but to endure Harold’s endless monologue about Tanasia. It wasn’t until two hours later that his mouth finally stopped moving.
“...And that’s why I confessed my feelings to Tanasia that day. Even on the battlefield, she remained steadfast, even in the face of countless dangers... Ah, look at the time.”
“...What?”
“I had completely forgotten about the professors' dinner tonight. I was actually on my way to meet with one of the professors from the magic department. I got so wrapped up in our conversation that I lost track of time.”
“...Two hours is hardly a short time, Professor Harold.”
“Ah, well, what’s the harm? I’m sure the dinner isn’t over yet. I should at least go show my face. You both take care.”
“Yes... Have a good evening, Professor Harold...”
“...Please take care, Professor Harold.”
Finally, Harold released us at the sight of the setting sun.
I breathed a deep sigh of relief, grateful that the devil’s mouth had finally stopped, even though it had taken the better part of the day.
At least now, after seeing Harold’s raw nature, I thought Princess Mezzlen would finally lose interest in him.
“Do you understand now, Princess Mezzlen?”
“...”
“I’ve avoided saying this until now, out of respect for my master, but Professor Harold is always like this. His love for his wife is so overwhelming that there’s no room for anyone else in his heart.”
“...”
“So, if you’re looking for love, Princess Mezzlen, I’d recommend you find someone who can return your affections...”
“No, it must be Sir Harold.”
“...What?”
“To still hold such passionate love in his heart even 20 years after his wife passed away... If that’s not love, then what is?
I-If I could win over Sir Harold’s heart, I would be the one to receive that enormous love! I will never give up! I’ll find a way to make Sir Harold fall in love with me!”
“...”
...Honestly, I don’t care anymore.
Do whatever you want—love him, leave him, it’s your choice.