I Don’t Want to Be a Lady

“Now, did you say slave?”

When I took a step forward and asked, Paku answered, taking a step back.

“Just calm down and listen. If I take you as envoys, conscripts, or hostages, you will surely die.”

I asked, glaring with my purple eyes. “Then is it possible when we become slaves?”

Paku replied, blocking my approach with his palm outstretched. “If you’re a slave, you should be able to go to the emperor. If you’re hostage, the emperor will kill you without even looking at you. If it’s a slave, the emperor has to decide to use you for it.”

“What’s the difference between a hostage and a slave?”

It wasn’t just about hostages but slaves, fundamentally carrying a sense of resistance.

“What’s the difference between humanity and slavery?”

As for hostages, slaves were fundamentally repulsed.

“Hustage is unnecessary, but the slave is necessary, Yu idiot.”

It was Dondon.

“Why is hostage unnecessary? You can take something from the other person when you have a hostage or occupy an advantageous position.”

“The emperor has no intention of receiving anything from the opponent and doesn’t need to occupy an advantageous position. The emperor is going to shove it all out by force and kill it anyway.”

Ah. I see. What use is a hostage when you have an overwhelming force of 3 million army?

“But dhere’s a problem.”

“What’s the problem?”

To my question, Dondon ran, looked at me from top to toe, and sighed.

“Yu should be prety enough to make the emperor turn dheir eyes, handsom enough to the point of jaw-dropping, or cute and small enough to make the emperor want to bit yu, just like me. Yu…”

“…What?”

What cute and small enough to make the emperor want to bite you, just like her?

Dondon was serious, whether I was dumbfounded or not.

“Anyway, yu don’t belong to any of dhem. Ah! Never mind! Yu ignorantly strong, right? Then yur use has been decided.”

What? I don’t want to know, but at the same time, I’m curious.

“What is it?”

“In carge of choping wood, in carge of the bath water, in carge of the porter.”

This one is really annoying.

Like Dondon said, I wanted to bite her right now, no, chew her up.

Without leaving a single bone fragment. I’d like to beat this chestnut-sized person to the point where she should escape, but the Kelteman emperor was right in front of my nose. If I killed my temper a little and endured it, I would be able to achieve my goal. So, let’s be patient. I have to be patient.

I, who managed to calm my anger, murmured. “That’s ridiculous. How can I, slender, pure like a deer, become a porter?”

“What do yu mean a deer? Yu’re a bear.”

My patience flew away at Dondon’s words. “Hey, you little shit!”

* * *

The Harpion Imperial Army, which was defending the border, was in turmoil.

“Did you hear that rumor? I heard that Grand Duke Federut was among the reinforcements from the capital last night.”

“It must be a false rumor. Grand Duke Federut must be old enough to lie down in a coffin.”

“That’s true.”

The war in which he became famous took place over 50 years ago. Now that his life expectancy is 60 years old. At the very least, it was thought that there was no way he would show up on the battlefield alive and well when he was in his 70s. However.

“I’m Grand Duke Federut. As of now, I’m in command of the battle. Commanders of each battalion assemble right now.”

Grand Duke Federut appeared in a fair manner that made it hard to believe that he was in his 70s, fascinating the army of Harpion with a loud voice.

“W-was it real?”

“No way, he has been alive all this time?”

“Crazy. Is this war worth fighting? It’s Grand Duke Federut!”

In addition, the morale of the Harpion Empire rose to the skies.

On the other hand, a man with drooping shoulders, who seemed to have lost the world, was sighing.

“

Why am I here…”

“Bein.”

“Yes!”

Bein jumped up as if he hadn’t been crouching and ran to the person called him. Grand Duke Federut stared blankly at Bein, then raised the corner of his mouth and smiled.

“Why are you looking dying? Shouldn’t you feel more proud if you have been promoted from aide to commander-in-chief?”

What a load of pride. Bein was well aware that he was being teased.

“You were the one who said you had to pay for your meal. Now let’s see how well you pay for your meal.”

Bein thought as he looked at the back of Grand Duke Federut’s head as he turned and thought.

He was sure that he caught a threat made of thorns. If he let it go, he would die; even if he held on, he would die.

* * *

“Don’t really say anything from now on. Never.”

Paku repeatedly urged Arianne. Arianne raised her eyebrows at him and threatened him with a low voice. “If you tell me one more time, I will scream.”

“…”

Paku shut his mouth. It was because he knew Arianne was a person who would do something like that if she said it.

(You take them. I have something else to do.), said Dondon while scratching the mole on her head, making a sly glance at Arianne before leaving.

Arianne licked her lips as she brushed the teeth marks on her arm.

As their eyes burned fiercely again, the quick-witted Charter blocked the gap.

“Let’s go.”

At Paku’s signal, the party split in two. Paku, Charter, and Arianne go to the emperor. And Dondon goes somewhere else.

(What’s the matter, Your Highness?)

Soon after, there was a man who blocked them.

(I need to see Your Majesty.)

Paku assumed that the soldier who stopped them would immediately retreat. However,

(Why is Your Highness here? I thought Your Highness left for the Harpion Empire.)

Paku’s eyes reached the soldier. (I didn’t know I had to report my progress to a soldier.)

The soldier clearly looked at Paku’s words, but he didn’t get out of the way. Having served as a soldier in the emperor’s unit, he had a rough idea of the imperial family’s tendencies. And the Prince Paku he knew never came before the emperor called. His intuition told him that something was wrong.

(I brought slaves to give to Your Majesty. They’re rare in Kelteman.)

At Paku’s words, the soldier looked at the two people behind Paku and widened his eyes. (Are they from the Harpion Empire?)

(That’s right. This is the harvest from this war. That’s why I came first to offer it to Your Majesty.)

The soldier laughed inwardly.

The soldier’s vigilance was quickly broken down by the fact that Prince Paku, who had been rude and arrogant as if he was not interested in becoming an emperor, was eventually trying to win the emperor’s favor.

(I committed a rude act. Please forgive me.)

The soldier gladly made way, and Paku pulled the rope tied to Charter’s and my wrist and moved forward.

“Something’s not smooth from the start.”

Paku replied calmly to Charter’s words. “Anyway, it’s over, so that’s enough.”

Charter noticed that Paku’s situation wasn’t very good. A soldier stood in the way of the prince? It was impossible by common sense.

Charter raised his vigilance in case of any unforeseen circumstances. In case of emergency, he needs to take Arianne away immediately. Fortunately, no soldiers stopped them after that.

“Here we are.”

The place where Paku stopped was a very large tent. Arianne’s eyes were wide open as it was almost the same size as a three-story mansion.

“You will see the emperor now, so stay still,” said Paku, glancing back at Arianne.

Arianne took a deep breath and looked at Charter. As soon as she met Charter’s unwavering eyes, her tension gradually subsided.

“Let’s go.”

As Paku approached the tent entrance, the soldiers guarding the entrance approached and asked. (What brings Your Highness to here?)

Paku repeated what he had said to the soldier earlier. (I have come to offer the harvest from the battle against the Harpion Empire to Your Majesty.)

Paku pulled the rope in his hand and showed Arianne and Charter. He said that he brought the Harpion Empire citizens as slaves.

(Please wait). The soldier entered the tent and came back after a while.

(Your Majesty has allowed it.)

As she followed Paku into the tent, she saw another tent. And when she entered the tent entrance, there was another tent at some distance. I was surprised in many ways when I saw the emperor’s residence made of three tents. First of all, the tent was larger than it looked from the outside, and the inside was so magnificent and splendid that it couldn’t be seen as a portable tent.

If Dondon was just a collector obsessed with gold, this emperor seemed to have collected all kinds of valuable things.

No, why do you build a tent based on common sense and move around carrying trees like that? It was the conclusion that this emperor, who carried their wealth instead of cannons while going to the battlefield, wasn’t insane.

Paku went further after passing through the forest area at the entrance of the innermost tent. After a while.

Somehow, there was a small waterfall in the wilderness where it was hard to see a drop of water and a drop of grass.

Arianne suddenly had an ominous hunch that things wouldn’t work out today. The emperor of the Kelteman Empire was a madman. Whether it was money, bluff, or whatever, that person must be insane.

Then, the curtains of the bed by the waterfall were lifted, and a pair of men and women appeared. A half-naked man with well-toned muscles and a small woman with a disheveled appearance. The man picked up clothes that had fallen under the bed and walked past them as if he didn’t care.

“Huh? Why are you just passing by? Come on, grab it…”

Arianne was anxious that the emperor would just leave like this, but Charter whispered low to her.

“That person is the emperor, Arianne.”

Arianne’s gaze moved along with Charter. At the end of her gaze was the little woman from before her running through her hair. A woman who appeared to be in her early thirties at best. She never seemed to be the mother of a grown son in his twenties.

Only then did Arianne notice. The little woman’s eyes looked just like Paku and Dondon. It was the eyes of an untamed bright yellow beast.

(Paku.)

When the woman’s mouth opened, Paku knelt before her without hesitation. (Your Majesty.)