I Became the Hero’s Bride! - Chapter 23

IBHB 23 – She’s a pervert

TL: Eevee
Ed: Hungry Panda

The capital was lively with the sounds of festivities. To celebrate Princess Clarice and the Hero’s marriage, the royal family had decided to hold a festival. There were numerous background reasons as to why they did so. To help bolster public relations that were damaged by the protests, as well as to completely seal the deal with the matter of the engagement.

Either way, the two people involved in said engagement that could arguably called the main characters of the festival, especially Clarice, wanted to smash through a window yelling “freedom!” If she hadn’t hastily gone out and aggravated the protestors at that time then at least she wouldn’t have had her nose cut off with her eyes wide open.(1)

No, before that, considering how much they were howling with anger against this marriage, how the heck did they turn to celebrating this engagement as easily as flipping pancakes.

Did they even have a conscience?

“The hero was quite popular among the people to begin with. It’s a marriage between the two most celebrated people in the country, so there’s no way they wouldn’t be festive.”

In that case why did they attack Hero-nim so much?

“Completely the opposite. It’s because he was so popular that they felt all the more betrayed. Up till now, Hero-nim has denied all the scandals surrounding himself and you. Because Clarice was a man and he didn’t like men. So everyone was resting reassured, then let alone the news that Your Highness was now a woman, the news that the hero was engaged to you as well came out of absolutely nowhere, so the CLC naturally felt like they’d been backstabbed.”

But according to the Senyun the CLC had a hobby of enjoying ‘coupling’ her and Hero-nim together?

“Imaginations are only enjoyable as long as they remain in the imagination. During the demon king crisis, people heard that Your Highness almost married an orc and although they revelled in their minds, they didn’t want it to actually happen.”

Why the heck would you use that as a comparison?

“By the way, I was the source for that one.”

All of a sudden that comparison became so much more acceptable.

That wasn’t the only thing that had Clarice on edge. There was another horrifying problem that made everything else pale in comparison. It had sunk beneath the tsunami of reality up till now, but it was only after the engagement was set up that it came back up to the surface. The thing that rose up to the choppy surfaces from the depths was something that she quite simply couldn’t look at head on, something that horrified her to make her just want to shut herself up in her room, eyes and ears sealed. It was terrible. It was horrible.

And that name was-

“Your Highness. Have you studied for the bridal night?”

Bridal night. That was, the ‘first night’.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaghh!!!! Clarice clutched her head and despaired. Despite Karina looking on with pitiful eyes, she didn’t care and crawled back under the covers. Her face was burning red like an inferno.

She knew she was being an idiot. But how could she help her embarrassment. Engagement lead to marriage, marriage had the bridal chamber waiting, and what happened in the bridal chamber was s… s…. se….

Aaaaaaaaaaaagh!!!!!!

Dunno about anyone else, but bridal chamber with Hero-nim! Bridal night! First night! S… s…. se… Khm! That! There’s no way she could do that!

“So does that mean it’s alright with someone else?”
“Never!!!”
“Isn’t it alright then?”
“But, but! I don’t… Want…”

Clarice mumbled, her face peeking out from below the covers. Her face blushed bright as she fidgeted, looking every bit like the woman she was meant to be. Great job, Madam Wellington. Karina stoppered up her nosebleed and smirked.

“So reject ⟶ abject ⟶ accept, so that means you want it, in rhyme, don’t you?”
“…………”

More than her fear of the first night, her annoyance at Karina was greater.

“Before that, the two of them are waiting for you. Your Highness, now would be a good time to head to the parlor.”

Was it that time already. Clarice dragged her lifeless feet to the parlour. Although Karina tried to convince and reassure her in the meantime (“Your Highness. Sex isn’t such a scary thing. Don’t be too scared. It actually feels really good?”, “Have you done it Karina?”, “I saw it in an ero-doujin.”,”…………”) it didn’t seem to have much effect.

The two of them arrived at the parlour. Having safely accompanied Clarice, Karina left to accompany the ‘guests.’ Left alone, Clarice took a deep breath before she opened the door. Peekaboo. Through the gap between the doors she could hear an argument in full storm.

“Weird thing? Senyun. What kind of a regrettable name is that? I only taught some of your comrades Womb Power?”
“That’s-what-I’ve-been-saying!! Why did you teach them that kind of thing! Now everyone’s stripping because of you Eri! God damn it!”
“Don’t you know that good things are meant to be shared? Now my lifelong wish has finally started to take fruit and you’re not even supporting me…”
“Shut up. Who wouldn’t know that you’re just selling out the princess’s name?”
“Why? Isn’t it the truth that it’s ‘The Womb Power even Princess Clarice learnt?’”
“Don’t use the princess for that kind of crap! It’s disgusting!”

Ah. She didn’t want to go in. She really didn’t. But she couldn’t help it. Feeling like she was swallowing needles, walking across coals barefooted, she went in. As Clarice showed herself the two of them stopped fighting and stood up.

“Princess?!”

Senyun who greeted her with a bright smile as if she’d never been angry in the first place,

“Y, y-y, Your Highness. Ehem. Have you been doing well?”

Ericia who greeted her all fidgety like a dog that needed to ‘go.’ For the record, she was wearing bikni armour. Sigh. Clarice sighed and made a disdainful expression.

“Eri. This is inside the palace. At the very least, put on a robe.”

Urk. Crestfallen, Eri pulled a robe around herself. It was quite the pure expression, maybe as a result of having nearly been killed by Clarice(and Minwoo). Although she’d brought it onto herself.

Senyun ran over to Clarice and pointed at Ericia.

“Princess! Princess! Throw this nutcase into the dungeons immediately under lese majeste!”
“Calm down, Senyun. Lese majeste?”
“This idiot’s spreading false rumours that you’ve learn Womb Power to spread it around! There’s no way that Your Highness would learn something as dumb as that! Wouldn’t you?!”
“…………”

Clarice could only hold her peace. I’m sorry. That kind of dumb power, I learned it. At her depressed reaction, Senyun’s eyes began to be dyed in the colours of terror. Her reaction was similar to a commoner boy that just learned that pretty noble ladies pooped and pissed just like everyone else.

“Eh? Surely, not…. Right? Surely Your Highness wouldn’t have…”
“And what did I say? That it was the truth?”

Ericia smirked smugly. Senyun backpedalled in horror. Ericia somehow crept up behind Senyun, grabbed her shoulder and whispered in her ear.

“Don’t you want to learn it too, Senyun? It’s a chance to have the same power as Her Highness?”
“Th, that… I, I…..”

Senyun looked towards Clarice with plaintive eyes. Right now she was most certainly torn to make a decision. Feeling that if she left this alone, Senyun too, would fall to the hands of exhibitionism, Clarice called over Ericia.

“Eri. Know that if you keep trying to recruit Senyun I’ll order your womb to be ripped out of your body.”
“………..”
“And from now on, don’t use my name either. If you do, I’ll erase Eri’s name from the nobles’ registry.”
“…………”
“Answer.”
“……Sob, I, I’m sorry…”

The trauma was significant.

Lamenting that her personality had really taken a turn for the worse lately, Clarice bade the two people sit. As if it were perfectly natural, Ericia sat on Clarice’s opposite side, as far away as possible to boot, and in contrast, Senyun stuck right close to Clarice. Clarice glanced at Senyun.

This was somewhat awkward. She’d prefer it if she kept her distance somewhat. But on the other hand, Clarice was amazed at how even though a woman was snuggling right up and personal with her, she didn’t feel even a trace of attraction. Although Clarice was the somewhat dense type to begin with, the bigger reason was that she’d already seen all of Senyun’s shameful and should-not-be-seen moments and hence she had no romantic feelings for her at all. To be honest, even if it wasn’t Senyun, all of the women around her had some screws loose with their heads so she wondered whether she even had any romantic feelings for women.

If you were to provide an example-

‘I will have, hold and cherish her for the rest of my life.’
‘I don’t want to lose my important person a second time.’
‘Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?’

……………

“Princess? Your face is bright red. Are you feeling ill?”
“N, no. It. Th, that. Ehem!”

Couldn’t be helped. Even from a man’s point of view (although she was a woman now) he was so wonderful.

“B, before that, the reason I called the two of you here today, was to ask you something.”

Even while her heat still hadn’t passed off, Clarice quickly changed the subject.

“”Ask us something?””

“I heard that the two of you, with Hero-nim were accompanied by the Holy Maiden of the Mitohi faith on your adventures.”
“”Urk!!””

Holy Maiden. When those words came out, both of them shuddered instantly. At the odd reaction, Clarice’s eyes widened.

“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. If it’s the Priestess, she’s just…. Right?”
“Mm. Princess. Why are you asking about our adventures with the Priestess?”
“Nothing much. I just wanted to know just what kind of person the Holy Maiden is.”
“”…………””

Senyun and Ericia shared an unreadable glance between each other. Senyun cautiously opened her mouth.

“How much does Your Highness know about the Holy Maiden?”

It wasn’t like Clarice knew that much. Since each member of the hero party was doing their own thing in the demon king castle, she couldn’t meet with them, and at the victory party that the kingdom held to celebrate the hero party’s return she was stuck in her room recuperating. To sum up what Clarice knew, it was as follows.

Holy Maiden. Name, Orleia. Holy Maiden of the Mitohi faith, which worshiped the God of the Pupil Mitohi, that governed over all things sexual. Age 18, a member of the hero party. Famous for her gentle pure personality befitting of her role as the Holy Maiden.

“Gentle…”
“Pure…”

The two people were lost for words. Whenever she acted coy and shy and peaceful in the name of image-making, they’d said it made them lose their appetites, but to think it actually worked.

Senyun scowled and said.

“That, I don’t know where to begin…. But not her.”
“Sincerely for Your Highness’s sake, for the sake of Your Highness and Minwoo’s peaceful marriage, it would be the best if you don’t meet with the Priestess.

Senyun nodded. Just what kind of person was the Holy Maiden? That curiosity only lasted the briefest period before the words she heard next made her freeze.

“In one word.”
“One word?”
“She’s a pervert.”
“……Pervert?”

Just as their conversation was getting heated, a knock on the door echoed through the room.

Knock knock.

“Your Highness. The Holy Maiden has arrived.”
“”?!””

Senyun and Ericia leapt up from their seat. Both of them had expressions doubting their ears. Feeling somewhat apologetic, Clarice replied.

“Come in.”

When she did, Karina opened the door, and the Holy Maiden appeared. Senyun and Ericia gaped, horrified. Clarice couldn’t take her eyes off the Holy Maiden’s pure appearance. Pure white. White hair, white skin with white dress, everything about her felt incredibly pure.

A clean person. That was her first impression of the Holy Maiden. It felt like not even the ‘p’ in pervert would be anywhere near her.

“Your Highness. Greetings. I am the Mitohi faith’s Holy Maiden, Orleia.”

Orleia held the edges of her dress and curtseyed. Her eyes made beautiful crescents as she smiled. Clarice was surprised at the fact that her eyes were red, and surprised again at her sharp gaze similar to a cat. But above all that, to the extent that all the above could be considered charming points, Orleia was beautiful.

As if she was saddened by the still-frozen Senyun and Ericia, Orleia pouted.

“Both of you, it’s been a while. Really, how could you not keep in touch all that time?”

Between. Us. She enunciated clearly in a quiet whisper. Senyun scowled and asked.

“H, how are you here…”
“I told the princess to keep my coming here a secret. As a surprise♪ fufu. It’s Princess Clarice’s wedding soon, so it’s only natural that I arrived at the castle, no?”

For. My. Darling. She enunciated clearly in a quiet whisper. Ericia scowled and asked.

“Just what are you plotting?”
“Plot? Oh my, I have no idea what you’re talking about♪”

Having expertly batted away her questions, Orleia approached Clarice. Her brilliant eyes licked every inch and crevice of Clarice’s body from up close. For a moment, Clarice felt an odd embarrassment like she’d suddenly been stripped naked. She shuddered unconsciously.

“Indeed. A beauty as the rumours described. It’s hard to believe that you were once a man.”
“Or, Orleia, too… Is extremely beautiful.”

A foolish answer. Fufu♪ Orleia laughed diabolically in her mind.

“We’ll be getting quite close with each other so you can be comfortable with me. Oral. My name’s Orleia so you can me Oral.”

Because I really like oral. She whispered stickily into her ear.

‘In one word.’
‘One word?’
‘She’s a pervert.’
‘……Pervert?’

She realised those words were correct.

Author’s Note

Next chapter gets a tiiiiiiny bit dirty so what can I do it’s not like I can just post a Nobless or something…;;