NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 30: Time to Act!
Chapter 30: Time to Act!
“You’ve spent so much time with Little Aier, how come you haven’t made a move? And today, you let her come back all alone? What kind of nonsense is that?”
Reina was looking extremely angry right now. She was furious with her clueless son, who had so much time alone with a girl but still hadn’t tried to get close to Aierjisi. At this rate, when would Yake ever find success in love?
“Mom… Aier and I aren’t in that kind of relationship. We’re just master and servant.”
Yake had to explain once again his relationship with Aierjisi to Reina.
“What’s wrong with a master-servant relationship? Who says it can’t develop into a romantic one? Do you know that the king of the Pamil Kingdom, Gaia, ended up marrying the Ice Dragon King, who was once his slave? Why can’t you do the same?”
Reina clearly did not agree with Yake’s reasoning. Yake felt helpless. After all, that was a world-renowned king, and he was just an ordinary adventurer—how could he compare?
“Mom, comparing me to Gaia is just too much. I’m not on that level.”
“I don’t care! Anyway, I’m giving you one month. If you haven’t gotten Little Aier to fall for you by then, don’t bother coming back!”
With that, Reina left the Study, leaving Yake in despair.
“Why does my family care so much about my love life? I’m only 24 and not in a hurry! Besides, I don’t even look old!”
Yake sighed while looking at himself in the mirror. No matter what he thought, his mom had given him an ultimatum. Then… should he just try to make a move on this Little Princess?
【Aier, I like you! Will you go out with me?】
【Huh? Are you brain-dead or have you finally lost it? I know my figure is charming, but I have no intention of pursuing my servant. Plus, you’re human and I’m a Blood Clan princess—what makes you think you’re worthy of me? Yake, you should really be more self-aware.】
After fantasizing about confessing to Aierjisi and the likely response of this Little Princess, Yake felt it was hopeless.
“Sigh. It’s so frustrating. What should I do?”
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t come up with a strategy. After all, she was a princess, a Noble! How could a commoner like him ever win her over?
【Why not… come clean with the Little Princess and see if we can act out a performance together?】
Since Aierjisi never put on airs, Yake felt that this Little Princess was actually quite easy to communicate with. If he talked to her, maybe they could fool Reina together.
“Okay, that’s the plan! First, I’ll go find her.”
Yake left the Study and went upstairs to his room. To avoid waking the Little Princess, he opened the door quietly. However… Aierjisi was currently lying in bed, sound asleep.
【You said you had things to deal with, but you’re just napping?】
Looking at the Little Princess, Yake silently complained. Since she was asleep, he didn’t need to worry about disturbing her. As long as he didn’t make too much noise, he wouldn’t wake someone who was already sleeping.
【Should I wake her? Nah, I’ll wait for her to wake up and then talk about the act.】
Yake gave up on waking the Little Princess. If she woke up in a bad mood and cast some weird spell on him, he’d probably suffer social embarrassment. For the sake of his life and reputation, he decided to wait until Aierjisi woke up on her own before discussing the performance idea.
Meanwhile… Aierjisi was piecing together her fragmented memories in her consciousness space.
“Let’s call it a day for now. I’ve almost completed a third of it. At this speed, it shouldn’t take long to finish reconstructing this memory.”
Seeing the portion of memory that was already forming, Aierjisi nodded. Once she finished piecing it together, she would finally understand what it was all about.
“Yake should be back soon. It’s time for me to wake up.”
Time flows at the same speed in the consciousness space as it does in the outside world. Aierjisi had been there for nearly two hours, and Yake should have returned by now.
“Ah… Yake, you’re back.”
As she opened her eyes, Aierjisi saw Yake sitting by her bed.
“Um, Aier, there’s something I want to tell you.”
Now that the Little Princess was awake, Yake could finally start discussing their act.
“What is it? Speak up.”
Aierjisi yawned, asking Yake what he wanted to say.
“Well, my mom said I need to find a girlfriend in a month, or she won’t let me back in the house.”
“Oh, I see. Yake, you’re 24 this year, right? By human standards, you really should be looking for a girlfriend. So, who caught your eye? Do you need your master to help woo someone?”
Aierjisi was intrigued. Helping her servant with his love troubles was part of her duty as a master.
“Actually, I don’t have my eye on anyone yet, so Aier, can you help me out? Just pretend to be my girlfriend in front of my mom. I really need your help here, or I’m in big trouble.”
Yake clasped his hands together, pleading with Aierjisi.
“Well… pretending to be a couple isn’t a problem. But I don’t have any romantic experience, so you’ll have to guide me on what couples do. After all, this was your idea.”
Aierjisi agreed to Yake’s request, but since she lacked knowledge in that area, she would rely on him.
“You don’t need to worry about that! I’ve been pressured to find a spouse plenty of times, so I know how couples are supposed to act!”
Yake confidently puffed out his chest, assuring Aierjisi.
“Alright, I’ll follow your lead! But just a heads up—if we get found out, I won’t take responsibility for what Reina might do!”