12. The First Stirring of Love
Thanks to Kfir’s intervention as a “tourist of the Great Yng Empire,” the group that had set their sights on Letty’s hotel as a secret stronghold—clearly the minor characters from the United Kingdom of Merli who were here to engage in strong-arm tactics —had already vanished without a trace. From what I could gather from my not-so-clear script and their reactions at the time, although they must have been offended, it seemed they were too intimidated to seek revenge for the moment.
As for the situation inside the hotel, since the matter was resolved, business appeared unaffected. Sister Rasputin and the others worked tirelessly all day before happily closing up shop. Hopefully, these Rosians haven’t forgotten: being waitstaff was merely a guise for them .
Nighttime.
After washing up, I prepared to obediently return to the room on the second floor of the hotel. At Kfir’s strong insistence towards Letty—”We have to stay together because we’re engaged!”—I was sharing a room with her when a sneaky little figure suddenly grabbed my arm!
“Letty…”
“Shh!”
Without giving me a chance to respond, she pulled and tugged me into another room, then with a click, shut the door behind us.
Who else would have the audacity to pull me away at this hour? Clearly, it was the Empress of the Rosian Empire—Ivan Letty.
“Empress Letty, what’s going on? If you have any requests, can’t you tell me tomorrow morning?”
I didn’t have time to check the script; I could only helplessly stare at the little girl in front of me. The moonlight was dim, making Letty’s room even more obscure. Although this was a hotel in the Rodma Empire, where every room was similar, I still couldn’t shake off a feeling of “unease.” This was further confirmed the moment Letty silently responded to me.
“…”
It would be normal for this fiery and domineering little girl to have some extra demands. If she felt restless at night and insisted on having me tell her stories to keep her company, I wouldn’t find it strange at all. But now… under the night sky, Letty’s silence didn’t resemble her usual self at all.
The next moment, as I finally managed to discern Letty’s expression, the script finally appeared!
[Letty feels bewildered and anxious because of this morning’s events.]
How could the Empress of the Rosian Empire be afraid of a few minor characters? So… Letty isn’t anxious about those minor characters, but rather…
Anxious about my actions this morning!
—
I hope this captures the essence and atmosphere of the original text!
When I realized this, I also noticed the hesitant expression on Letty’s face as she lifted her head. No wonder she didn’t dare to turn on the light; otherwise, I would have clearly seen her adorable, rosy face, and Letty would surely have exploded with rage.
I decided to find an excuse to cover it up; otherwise, the atmosphere felt a bit dangerous.
“What’s wrong, Your Majesty? If you’re looking to thank me for this morning, you really don’t need to go to such trouble. We were supposed to be working together on this investigation. If you’re facing some obstacles, it’s only natural for me, as a member of the Great Ying Empire, to help you out.”
Letty is also one of the bosses in the script, and her capricious nature could easily lead to a scenario where she might say something like, “If I’m not happy, I’ll stab you!” However, as long as I could say some nice words to cheer her up like I am now, this little loli could be a formidable ally.
That said, while I thought I hadn’t said anything “ambiguous,” Letty’s reaction was unexpected.
“II didn’t thank you at all!”
After accepting her usual tsundere response with a smile, Letty came closer to me in the dim light. As she approached, I realized that the situation was not as easy to handle as I had thought.
She was already sensitive to heat, and now it was a late evening close to bedtime. Letty was wearing a dress so thin that I could almost see her little belly through it, not to mention her soft arms and fair legs exposed to the air! Her usual two ponytails had transformed into golden hair cascading down, faintly carrying the scent of having just bathed.
As soon as I sensed something was off, I hurriedly backed away, sitting to the side to try to “calm down.” But Letty leaped directly onto my lap, tilting her head back to look at me with her big, watery eyes, a hint of sadness in her gaze.
“Big brother, I wish you were originally from Rosia…”
【Letty has set her sights on Euclid!】
Ha… haha… I can’t laugh. If I were really from Rosia, after Letty set her sights on me, who knows if I would even get to meet Kefir now.
“You don’t need to say that, Your Majesty Letty. I’m already here, right? As a member of the staff, it’s only natural for me to help you with some troubles; there’s no need for thanks.”
“I already said I didn’t thank you… I just…”
Sitting on my lap, Letty hesitated, her hands fiddling with my clothes, and I couldn’t tell what this little loli was thinking. In the end, she simply started to act spoiled!
“I don’t know! You can’t think about this morning anymore! Do you understand!?”
Looking at the script, I understood Letty’s feelings just now.
【Letty feels shy!】
“Okay, okay, I won’t say anything.”
I certainly wouldn’t be foolish enough to provoke this irritable loli; I just needed to keep her in a good mood. And then, the next moment, could it be because Letty had been in contact with me several times now? The script revealed something I couldn’t ignore!
【Letty’s existence is related to the treasure Kefir obtained in Rodma!】
This… the script implies that Letty is not just the prologue to Kefir’s story in the Rodma Empire, but even… the key to Kefir’s “level-up treasure hunt”!?
I was momentarily stunned, but this shock made me overlook the footsteps gradually approaching from outside the door! As for Letty? She had been sitting on my lap, playing with her fingers, as if she was about to say something!
“Um, big brother, actually I…”
And just as Letty was about to speak, I clearly saw from the next line of the script that [Kefir discovered Euclid in Letty’s room!]—a revelation that could lead to my demise—when the situation had already spiraled out of control.
Smiling, Kefir entered peacefully, holding a pillow, completely devoid of any “hostility.” The door should have been locked; how did Kefir get in? I figured it was better not to pry into that question.
“Ivan, Your Majesty Letty, have you been chatting with my fiancé in the middle of the night? Are you done? Can I take him back now?”
With that, Kefir smiled at me.
What a misunderstanding! I hadn’t even had the chance to react before Letty pulled me away…
“II wasn’t chatting at all!”
Panic-stricken, Letty was about to tell me something but decided against it. She hurriedly jumped off my lap and began to push me towards Kephir!
“Stop bothering me about him! Go, go, go! Everyone out! Don’t block this great emperor from sleeping!”
As I was pushed by Letty, I glanced at the script…
【Letty wants to confirm her feelings but has no chance!】
Just as I thought…
Then, with Kephir’s “keen sense,” she probably guessed Letty’s feelings almost perfectly. So…
“Ha, haha… Kephir, let’s go back to sleep! We have to start the investigation tomorrow!”
Letty, oh Letty, you’ll be able to sleep soon, but me tonight… I’ll probably spend the whole night figuring out how to explain this to Kephir.
It hurts, it hurts, Kephir, can you hold my hand a little softer? This feels like a vice grip.
——
A new color illustration of Letty will be updated soon, along with the long-awaited Letty pillow. The pillow will be available as a prize for the monthly lottery next month, so stay tuned.