If You Win, Your Prize Is The Princess

T/N: Mild sexual content between the protagonists, references to sexual predators, and the more NSFW aspects of Sylia’s mercenary past this chapter.

If any of this makes you uncomfortable or you already had doubts about this series due to how young the characters intentionally are, I suggest you stop reading.

For my part, I don’t enjoy it but I’ll continue with this series as it was a Novel Pickup Request and I want to at least try to finish it for other’s sake.

Why was she so restless? Sylia wondered about it and put her hand on her chest.

However, all she gets is the pounding of her heart.

“Uuuu…” she moans.

She turns to the source of the roaring of her discomfort: the luxurious bed. The construction was masterful, the mattress and the duvets placed atop the frame were unquestionably brand new, they were waiting to provide Sylia the best in sleeping comfort.

“Uuuh,” she moaned.

Unfortunately, no matter how much she moans, the situation doesn’t change. And the one who was supposed to be sleeping in bed with her, Luna, wasn’t in the room at the moment.

“Shall we take a bath together?” Luna asked, shortly after dinner.

Sylia had smiled and refused because she’d already had enough earlier today, but in truth, she didn’t dare to go in with Luna. In that respect, Sylia was rather weak.

Luna had a somewhat lonely expression as she left for the bathhouse, Sylia felt a great deal of guilt over it.

" "

And now it’s time to play the waiting game.

“I made Luna look like that and it’s now it’s hard to wait here because I’ve got nothing to do…” Sylia muttered. “I should have gone with her.”

Without hesitation, Sylia collapses on the sofa, feeling fortunate that no one else is here with her. Then, she lays on her back and faces the ceiling.

“It’s so bright,” Sylia said.

Dazzled by the light of the chandelier, Sylia raised her hand before her eyes and tried to shut it out, just like Luna had done to light it up.

“Shut off, shut off,” she said.

Obviously, the room remained bright and the chandelier unchanged.

Sylia enjoyed escapist fantasies like that, but the reality was going to come sooner or later.

“I’m baa-aack, what are you doing?” Luna asked, looking suspiciously at Sylia holding her hand out to the chandelier.

Sylia waved with that hand in reply.

“I’m tired and I know we’ve taken a nap, but perhaps we should to bed now?” Luna asked.

There it is, Sylia realized it was coming. It’s not like they would do anything else.

“Y-Yeah, we should,” Sylia said stiffly.

Sylia got up from the sofa. And at that moment, she had a sudden thought. A new idea.

(Huh? I should just sleep on the sofa, shouldn’t I?)

There wasn’t a problem with such a high-quality sofa so long as she laid down on her back. Sylia by herself would f comfortably. With that moment of inspiration, Sylia proposes the idea to Luna.

“Hey, Luna!” Sylia said. “I’ll be taking this one today.”

“That’s no good, isn’t it?”

“Huh?” Sylia asked.

However, she was shot down the moment she said it.

Luna looked at Sylia with a big smile. “Aren’t we supposed to be sleeping together?” she asked.

“Y-Yes….” Sylia said, her voice rising at the end. For some reason, from that powerful smile, she had no choice but to yield and nod.

Luna sighs like she was amazed at Sylia’s reaction. “Mou, you promised we’d be together tonight, right?”

“R-Right,” Sylia said. “I’m kind of nervous now that it’s time.”

“Do you really have to be this nervous…?” Luna asked.

“Yes!” Sylia screams in her heart. To start with, it isn’t normal to share a bed with someone you’ve just met that day.

The other person is also a beautiful girl named Luna. Furthermore, she’s Sylia’s bride. The more she thinks about this, the more hesitant she becomes.

(We’re not going to do anything else…) Sylia thought.

She was also a 15-year-old girl. It’s not like she doesn’t know what married couples do.

Having lived in environments mostly surrounded by men, she inevitably heard the inappropriate stories of what they did with the women they fancied, and some of them came onto Sylia despite her still being too young to know any better.

Of course, Sylia fought back, which is why she had relatively deep knowledge about adult matters. She did not have the practical experience to match, however.

(Why am I so nervous…?) Sylia thought.

Will she really be able to sleep peacefully? Sylia’s inner battle was about to begin.

“Well, go on ahead,” Luna said after climbing into bed, pulling back half of the duvet, and inviting Sylia in.

“P-Please excuse me, I’m climbing in…” Sylia muttered.

There was no point in buying more time. As Sylia realized that, she decided to finally prepare to do it.

Sylia puts a knee on the bed. The soft mattress yields under her weight. If she threw her whole body in, she’d feel its gentle, pleasant embrace wrapping all around her.

But, there was also Luna. Sylia didn’t pay too much attention to her, Sylia realized she’d changed into her sleepwear after her bath.

“Did something happen?” Luna asked.

It was a pale pink nightie. Luna was supposed to be younger than Sylia and still a young girl but probably because she’d taken a bath, Luna’s face was slightly red, her blonde hair was glossy, and her pleasant scent overwhelmed Sylia all at once.

This might have been all just in Sylia’s head.

“Since you took that nap, will you be going to bed any time soon?” Luna asked.

“I-I can fall asleep right now, yeah,” Sylia said.

With one knee on the bed, she moved the rest of her body onto it and laid down slowly. “Uah, amazing…” she muttered.

The mattress slowly sinks around Slyia’s body and wraps around her. She hadn’t realized that such a soft bed existed in the world.

“Fuah, aaah,” Luna yawned, covering her mouth with a hand. Sylia wondered if she really was that tired, her eyes looked so sleepy. “I’m so tired from today…”

“Same here…” Sylia said. “There was so much that happened.”

Sylia was stiff as a stone until she climbed into bed, the moment she was in, the highest-quality mattress, something that smelled good, and her drowsiness made all the tension in Sylia’s body disappear.

“Sylia,” Luna said.

“Hmm… something wrong?” Sylia asked.

Goso-goso, Sylia slowly shifts around and turns to Luna. The pillows were already so close they were almost directly next to each other, that action puts their faces very close together.

“About what you did today…” Luna said. “I don’t think I’ve thanked you properly yet,” she said, smiling.

Sylia looked apologetic and turned her body onto her side. “There’s no need to thank me,” she said. “We’re a married couple now, aren’t we? It’s only natural that we help each other.”

“But…” Luna started.

“If anything, because I busted into that room and caused a fuss, I should be apologizing,” Sylia said.

“Th-that’s not true!” Luna cried as she hurriedly throws her arms around Sylia and hugs her.

“Lu-Luna?” Sylia asked, panicking as she feels Luna squeezing her tightly. She felt the softness and warmth of a girl like Luna, she felt her face was heating up a bit.

“I was happy you did it,” Luna said. “We forced you into this marriage with considering your circumstances, Sylia, yet you rushed to my aid.”

Luna slowly buried her face into Sylia’s chest. “I have something to ask of you.”

“Eh?” Sylia asked, taken aback by the suddenness, but Luna didn’t hesitate to continue and ask something outrageous:

“Sylia… do you like girls?”

“Buh…?!” Sylia sputters, shocked at the unexpected question, at a loss for what to say. “Wh-Wha-What did you just say?!”

She hurriedly tried to pull away from Luna, but with both of them laying on the bed together, Sylia couldn’t move properly and put distance between them.

“I did say we’d only be married for a month, right?” Luna asked.

“R-Right,” Sylia said. “Well then, what about that?”

“There’s something, or rather everything about this marriage has been bothering you, hasn’t it?” Luna asked.

“That’s, well… but, if you don’t want to talk about it, it’s not important–” Sylia started.

This is exactly what Luna said during the two pillows on the bed fiasco, Luna said she wanted Sylia to trust her and not protest for a month. Sylia was sure Luna meant it, but Sylia can’t say anything out loud right now.

She doesn’t want to force the issue. There was also the desire to stay at the height of luxury for a month.

However, Luna seems to think that wouldn’t be enough.

“I’m still a child but… I’m not unaware of those matters,” Luna said.

“Ho-Hold up a minute, Luna?” Sylia asked.

“So, whatever you want, Sylia, I’ll–”

“WaaAAAAHHH, STOP, STOP!” Sylia yelled.

This must have been incredibly embarrassing for her. With Luna’s face bright red, she put her hands on the chest of her nightie and tried to pull it off. In response, Sylia stopped her with speed like never before.

“It-It’s fine!” Sylia cried. “You don’t have to do anything with your body!”

“Is-Is that so…?” Luna asked.

“Please, I’m begging you,” Sylia said. “Please, just calm down…”

“… I, I’m sorry,” Luna said.

Perhaps Sylia’s desperate pleas calmed Luna’s mind some, and when Sylia’s face also turned red, Luna sheepishly straightened out her ruffled clothes.

“I hope we can talk about it someday, but until then, let’s take it slowly,” Sylia said. “We’re already a married couple.”

Luna smiled at Sylia for a moment then suddenly burst into laughter. “Sylia, I’m so glad I met you, truly so,” she said as she slowly buried her face in Sylia’s chest and curled up.

Sylia has had no sisters. But she slowly put her hand on the small of Luna’s back, wondering if they should be like this.

Luna quivered and stiffened for a moment, but after a short while, she got used to it and relaxed into Sylia’s touch.

" "

And she muttered with a sweet voice, “Somehow, this reminds me of when I slept with my mother…” Luna muttered.

“I see… wait, what?” Sylia asked.

It makes Sylia think. Today, in the royal castle, she’d only met Luna’s father, Dien, and her brother, Kaehn. It occurs to her she’d never met Luna’s mother.

“Eh, about your mother, Luna… Luna?” Sylia asked.

“Suu, suu…” Luna snored.

Sylia could hear it as she cradled luna in her arms. Luna had quite comfortable and easily set out to dreamland.

“Ah, geeze, I still don’t know anything, do I?” Sylia asked.

Slyia thought that she’d become very close to Luna this day, but it struck her that she didn’t really know anything yet.

“Well, but, starting tomorrow… this will be okay, won’t it?” Sylia asked.

She’ll just have to learn things one at a time. Luna, and then the rest of this country. And she’ll dedicate this month to Luna.

With all that in mind, Sylia slowly closes her eyes. It wasn’t long before they were both quietly asleep once more in this room.

The month that would change Sylia and Luna’s fates begins now.