I Married the Beautiful Female Protagonist In Order To Survive

2. Never Make Promises Lightly to Elves

My impression of Aedefe’s Kingdom of Prus—or, rather, of the quintessential “blonde, blue-eyed elven beauties” led by Aedefe—wasn’t particularly strong, truth be told. Perhaps it was because their “thought processes” were so different from my own from the start. My thoughts on the elves generally boiled down to this: Aedefe was basically a freebie, and that Aunt Mel was an “old acquaintance” of Uncle Zerola.

I heard they knew each other back in their “student days,” and I vividly remembered Uncle’s description of the elves from before Clophee and I became “so close.”

“Never make promises lightly to elves, because they truly can wait for that day.”

I thought he was joking at the time, but Uncle wore a surprisingly complex expression then. Come to think of it, was that something a henpecked husband who’d swallow his secret stash of cash at the sight of his wife would say?

No, there’s no point pondering that. What Uncle is or isn’t to his wife is none of my business. The most important thing is…

Right now, at this very moment, it seems I’ve stumbled into a situation that mirrors exactly what Uncle described…

“You said last time, when you came again, you’d listen to me~ You’re a ‘King’ now, surely you wouldn’t want to ruin your credibility?”

After the tour, Aedefe, who had taken me to rest, dropped this bombshell the moment she closed the door.

It left me feeling a strange mixture of “nervousness” and, more prominently, “unease.”

L…last time? Which last time? Where was this last time? What did I even say last time?

That kind of…I doubt even some of those glued to their screens would remember that kind of “promise.” Why on earth does Aedefe remember it so…clearly?

Cold sweat trickled down my back, but I had to plaster on a “gentle” smile. Only a fool would admit to forgetting at a time like this, because…Aedefe had no reason to fabricate such a promise, and the script wouldn’t lie to me, either.

[Euclid once made a promise!]

What good is that now? At least tell me what it was about!

But after telling me that much, the System went silent, leaving me alone…with Aedefe.

Aedefe, after uttering those words, didn’t immediately press me for an answer. Instead, she hung her coat on a rack, revealing a sleeveless white shirt underneath. Heaven knows if she had any inkling that I had long ago “forgotten” about the promise. She seemed to be “relaxing” casually, yet remained silent, most likely waiting for my reply.

I…I wanted to try my best to remember, but in the blink of an eye, I could see the edge of the elf’s bare arm, where, through the gaps of the sleeveless shirt, something faintly visible resided.

And then, my head was filled with those thoughts. I’m a horndog; I admit it.

Finally, after waiting for my response for what felt like an eternity, Aedefe murmured another phrase.

“Forgotten?”

“No.”

To bluntly admit forgetting would be horribly gauche. I opted for a more refined approach: “It’s merely buried deep within my heart.”

The elfin lass’s tiny fist immediately connected with my gut. A grumbling retort followed close behind.

“Hmph~ I didn’t expect you to remember anyway. But whether you do or don’t is irrelevant, as long as *I* haven’t forgotten. Making promises with us is a terrifying thing, you see. If you never intended to fulfill it from the start, we’ll hold that promise over your head for the rest of your days. You know Mel who hangs around with us, right? Look at her, still clinging to some nonsensical, ancient promise, without even the slightest thought of settling down.”

That Auntie Mel?

If I had to point a finger at who was entangled with her…

A chill of unease washed over me. Auntie Mel’s situation made me think of Adelf before my eyes. If I genuinely forgot this agreement, would she…?

“Uh, I’m just recalling it, I’m just recalling it now. Coming here alone was already part of my plan to ‘recall’ it all. No need to get worked up.”

I think I understand why the uncle was so bitter when he said, “Never make deals with elves.”

I was just about to access the script’s power to skim through it – I could probably guess the gist of the agreement, but I needed the specifics like time and place. However, Adelf’s response sent my anxiety soaring.

“Didn’t you say you were here to seek out ‘chaos’? Well, lucky for you, there’s some standing right in front of you.”

[Adelf has not been affected by ‘chaos’.]

That’s what the script… told me. But before I could respond, the elf had thrown her arms around me in a full-on embrace.

Though she could only reach my waist, the expression on her face as she looked up was already entering “foul play” territory.

“Ikaros is keeping an eye on what you’re doing, and the result…? I saw those *things*. You’re so efficient and ruthless when it comes to seducing that cunning she-fox from Great Britain, but not with me?”

“You remember your promises to *her* with crystal clarity, but mine is a complete blank?”

It’s not true, I didn’t, that was a matter of circumstance, this agreement as long as you give me a minute… no, ten seconds, and I can recite it perfectly to you!

“If the ‘chaos’ you speak of is negative emotions, then if things continue like this, I’m sure I’ll turn into someone just like that. I believe you’re not some faithless b*stard who made a promise to Mel and then couldn’t keep it, so…”

“I don’t care why you came here. Now that you’re here… don’t leave.”

The words barely out of her mouth, the elf in front of me grabbed my collar and started… dragging me toward some place where one could “lie down”.

Thank goodness Adelf had her back to me, preventing me from seeing the expression that must have been plastered across her face, or the tremor that had already begun to wrack her small form.

“To have the assistance of the Prussians, this is the ‘benefit’ that I’m seeking. You. Tonight. You’re staying. Now if you made a promise now, you wouldn’t forget, right? You tortoise b*stard. Faithless b*stard.”

It’s not true, I didn’t, the uncle just estimated that there was no way to complete it, but although I forgot it, didn’t I come anyway?

The elfin lass before me then began her “preparations”.

“Mel, shut down all contact and monitoring devices. Everything that happens next, you treat as ‘unknown’. Tonight, the equipment in this room ‘malfunctioned’ all night long, understand?”

Auntie Mel understood.

That…

I understood, too.

After all, that I could come to the Kingdom of Prussia alone…

Actually held within it a layer of meaning; to “receive a princess through the emperor’s edict.”