Yotogi no Kuni no Gekkouhime - Chapter 3

Translator: Keeez

Chapter 3: Paradise.

After successfully executing her daily jailbreak, Selene felt her emotions gradually cool down. While walking in the quiet forest, Selene’s thoughts come to a conclusion that the possibility of her beloved big sister becoming the sex-crazed prince’s prey is extremely low.

The books that Arue would sometimes brought for Selene who had no proper education are mostly picture books that contain history, maps, etc. But since those books are mostly for children, the knowledge she obtained from them are only on the surface level. Still, those books helped her to at least have some information about this continent.

What Selene noticed from all these books was that, compared to the prince’s great country with gigantic territory and influence over the continent, Aquila Kingdom which is located in the southernmost part of the continent is rarely mentioned in the books. To put it simply, the country she’s living in is just some boondocks on the continent.

Though Arue might seems like an angel in Selene’s eyes, but for the debauched prince who’s in search for the most beautiful from various contries, to think that he’d choose Arue who’s from a small insignificant country is simply unthinkable. Akin to how a young president from big city who had lots of supercars would never go to some random countryside village just to buy a Super Cub1. Now that Selene has comes to this conclusion, her mood lightens up as she lightly skips to her destination.

You might think that a lone young girl walking in the forest, relying on only the moonlight to illuminates her path is too dangerous, but Selene isn’t scared of that fact at all. As for why, it’s because around her there’s a large number of mouses following her.

These guys are Butler’s subordinates, they’re experts when it comes to the forest, and at the same time they also act as Selene’s bodyguards and guide. With their huge numbers, they communicated to each other using their network to its maximum capability so that no harm can come to Selene by telling her what animals are dangerous or what poisonous plants will give her a rash if touched. Thanks to their effort, Selene can walks leisurely in this forest even with her eyes closed.

“Arrived.”

After a while of walking deep inside the forest that people from the palace rarely even approach, Selene stopped in her tracks.

In the middle of the forest jam-packed with trees exists a lush low grassland with colorful flowers in full bloom. In the center of this grassland is a small pond, the full moon is reflected on its calm water surface. This miniature garden-like area is what Selene called ‘Paradise’.

“Ummm, seeds, seeds.”

Selene reaches her hand into her pocket and takes out a tiny round grain―― a plant seed. Everytime Selene had a meal, if there are vegetables or fruits she’d keep their seeds secretly. Then Selene would look for a suitable place for the seeds, dig the soft soil with her bare hands, and then plant them.

In her past life, Selene has always liked to grow plants or raise animals, but since her apartment’s room has no balcony, the most she can do are just some potted plants in the room. But now she have one large plot of land to do whatever she pleases with it, though she can only come here at nighttime. In a sense, this place is truly a paradise for Selene who’s under such a situation.

However, it’s impossible for a young girl can manage everything here, in actuality she simply just dug out a hole and put the seeds in it and call it a day. Though the way she dug holes is about as sloppy as a squirrel’s, but thanks to the fertile soil and southern climate, the plants planted grow steadily. And with her effort over the years during confinement, this field has become Selene’s secretly created flower garden.

“Done. Training, begin.”

When Selene finishes planting the seeds she had prepared, she proceeds to her next daily routine. She walks to the edge of the pond, closed her eyes, before kneeling down in a praying pose. This is her magic power training that she came up with. Since she knows that magic exists in this world, she wanted to try it herself too. However, no one would teach her about magic so Selene decided to do something about it on her own.

“Ramen, Somen, Copenhagen……”

Selene recalls some words that sounds magic-like in her head before starting to chant the incantation.

Selene continues to put in effort that’d be in vain today again as well, with a faint hope that perhaps if she concentrates enough on praying, then maybe some sort of spiritual power or power of the earth or something would awakens inside her one day.

But since her effort over the years bears no fruit at all, and it’s also getting tedious as she goes on, so she usually stops about three minutes into the incantation. After finishing her daily training, she plans to catch a live grasshopper for Butler as usual before returning to the room.

“What are you praying so piously to? Or is that perhaps a song? O beautiful Spirit of the Moon, please do tell me.”

Suddenly a voice comes from behind her which startled her, she hurriedly turns around, and is even more shocked.

While Selene was concentrating on her prayer, a lone man was walking nearby her. He’s still young of age with well-proportioned body, his platinum blond hair shines brilliantly under the moonlight. He is dressed in pure white formal uniform with golden eagle embroidery, with just one glance and you know that it is made out of high-quality material.

However, all the decorations on his body pales in comparison to his marvelous facial features. That’s just how handsome he is. As if to not scare Selene away, the young man smiles softly while slowly approaching Selene.

“I apologize for my rudeness for suddenly speaking up to you. I couldn’t resist my feeling of wanting to look at you from up close you see.”

He said with a voice akin to those of poets while wearing a relaxed smile with his lovely lips. His smile is so charming that if a woman were to be approached by him like this she’d certainly fall head over heels for him right then and there.

――A woman that is.

“Hate you!”

Selene outright rejects him immediately in a loud voice before dashing away like a rabbit.

Perhaps her words are completely unexpected, the young man has a stunned expression on his face, but when the young girl turns around and start running away, he comes back to his sense and reaches his hand out to her. However, Selene who had moved a second earlier than him quickly evades his hand that almost touch her by changing her direction and jumping into the bushes.

“Please wait a second!”

Selene can hear the young man’s pleading from behind her, and can also feel that he’s chasing after her. However she never looks back. She runs through the bushes with all she got, trying desperately to shake off the young man’s pursuit.

Had this been a flatland and during daytime, a powerless young girl would’ve already been catched easily. But right now the forest is cloaked in darkness, and Selene knows this forest like the back of her hand. Without much difficulty, Selene successfully shakes off the young man. But she doesn’t stop running, she dashes to the warehouse with all her might even when she felt like her heart was about to explode, and when the ivies is in her sight she climb up the ivy at breakneck speed.

『Ohh, princess! You’re back very early……』

Butler who had been waiting for his master at the window is stupefied. Usually his master would walk back while humming happily, bringing back souvenirs for Butler and the mouses who had been guarding the place before giving it to them while kindly thanking them for their hard work.

But today his master isn’t like that. She is breathing roughly gasping for air. Her hair dishelved, her clothes in disarray. She immediately collapses onto the bed as if she had ran out of strength, the mouses that are acting as dummy doll hurriedly jump out of the way.

『Princess! What exactly is going on!?』

“Over, everything, is over……”

『What are you talking about!? Are you implying that something grave has happened!?』

The forest mouses are bewildered and ran out the window. But Butler, perplexed, rushed to his master’s bedside where she’s lying face-down. Never having seen his master this stressed, Butler walks around Selene who collapsed on the bed anxiously.

But Selene is so exhausted that she doesn’t pay attention to Butler at all.

The cause for this rush was that young man she met in the forest. Even for Selene who had only heard rumors about him, she recognized him immediately that the young man is the Holy Prince. Though it’s still unclear why he’s there, but she couldn’t care less about that.

“Uuu! Cheater! Unfair! Biased!”

Selene spits curses while still burying her head in the pillow. What the hell is that guy? He’s so good-looking that it’s as if he’s a prince isn’t he? But no, he’s actually a prince though, but can such an idiotic existence that looks like he has came straight out of an otome game be allowed to exist? No, it will never be allowed to exist.

Rumors are always exaggerated. So Selene thought that the rumors related to the Holy Prince must’ve been exaggerated as well. However, when she really met him, she thought that the title of Holy Prince truly befits him. Though Selene believed that her big sister Arue is a genuine innocent angel, but if he were to make advances on her, then even the goddess statues made of stone would immediately fall for him.

『Princess, please calm down first. May you tell me what happened in the forest? If you’re willing to, this humble Butler will gladly help you out.』

But Butler’s caring voice doesn’t enter Selene’s ears at all. Right now, the scenes from Selene’s past are replaying in her head. It is a scene from the kind of game that she likes from her past life.

Under the beautiful full moon, on a calm night, the prince and princess of the same age―― are finally able to spoke their true feelings to each other clearly. Then their lips were placed on each other’s, and they proceed to do the acts that children under eighteen are not allowed to see――

“UwaaaAAAaaAAAaaaaAaaaAAaaaAAaahhhh!!”

『P-princess! Please calm down!』

Selene, while scratching her hair, writhes at the worst possible situation that is replaying in her head, crying. Ahh, even though I had already planned to fall into the forbidden relationship with my Arue-neesama. To think that a theif would suddenly comes and snatches her away from me just like this.

“Selene! What’s wrong!? Selene!”

When she heard that voice, Selene looked up in surprise. The seal pattern on the door glows with light and the door was opened, and Selene’s first love, Arue, rushes in hurriedly. Selene is confused, not knowing why she’s here even though the banquet is still ongoing, meanwhile Butler hurriedly hides under the bed.

“Nee-sama, why……?”

“Well, that is…… More importantly Selene, you’re in such a shape, what’s wrong!?”

“……It’s nothing.”

“There’s no way it’s nothing!”

Her hair dishelved, her clothes messy, Selene’s condition is certainly not normal. Seeing so, Arue hurriedly rushes over, reaching her hand out to touch Selene’s cheek but then her eyes widen in surprise. As for why, that’s because her cheeks are full of tears. This is the first time she ever saw her little sister crying, her little sister who remained composed even when she was abandoned by her mother.

“So you were, crying……”

“……Un.”

Selene had no choice but to affirm. Well, telling her outright that she’s crying because she’s imagining something stupid about her big sister is a little too much, and she’s in no situation to tell her that she isn’t crying either. And before she’ll be asked about why she cried, Selene decided to changes the topic by saying something.

“That, with prince, how going?”

Since in her head right now are just pure hatred for the prince, Selene couldn’t come up with other topics to talk about. In response to her painfully squeezed out words, Arue opens her mouth with disheartened expression.

“It was no good…… the prince didn’t even look at me……”

“Eh-“

“I’m so sorry…… even though I said that I was going to do my best. Your onee-chan failed to make him fall for me……”

Arue mumbled while looking down, like a child knowing that she is about to be scolded.

At evening, even though she tried so hard to show off her good sides, and even prepared herself to use her body to court the prince, yet Arue messed up a lot of things in the end. Thus meant that Selene’s only thread of salvation is now severed. How dejected her little sister must be when she knows this truth.

Though Selene said that she doesn’t have to flirt with the prince, but Arue thinks that that’s just Selene pretending to be tough. And the evidence for that is, the fact that Selene is crying in this very room at this very moment. Her little sister who always wears a calm attitude whenever she talks with her must’ve been in agony every night. Yet she can do nothing to help her. Arue’s heart is overwhelmed with the sense of guilt and apology to her little sister, who had been enduring the sadness all this time.

What would my sister thinks of such a pathetic big sister? Even though she spewed all that big talk earlier, but in the end she couldn’t achieve anything. For her to blame it all onto me is not far-fetched. Arue thought so.

But that didn’t happen. Instead of blaming good-for-nothing big sister, she smiles in satisfaction for some reason. Selene fixes her posture while keeping that expression before sitting on the bed.

“Nee-sama, crouch.”

“Eh……? L-, like this?”

Arue crouches down on the floor just as Selene told her, and her eyes sight is now at the same level as Selene who’s sitting on the bed. Then, Selene wraps her arm around Arue’s neck, hugging her.

“W-, what’s wrong? Selene?”

“Stay still.”

Selene replied in commanding tone, then Selene wraps her arms around Arue’s neck, clinging to her. The warmth of Selene’s body flows through Arue’s tense and stiff body. Both of them hugged each other without saying a word for a while, but then suddenly Selene whispers into Arue’s ears.

“Good good.”

As soon as Arue heard those wosds, all the emotions within her heart begins to pour out. Even though her big sister is such a failure, but she still kindly says “Good good.” as if she’s soothing a young child. Speaking is not Selene’s forte, that’s why often time she shows her feelings through action. Even when her big sister made such a grave mistake that deserves all the insult she can come up with, yet Selene gently embraces and forgives her. What a kind-hearted little sister. Large drop of tears begin to form on Arue’s eyes.

“Selene, ahh, Selene……! I-, I’ll not give up yet…… I’ll try even harder for your sake!”

“Don’t try hard, please.”

“It’s okay to not worry about me you know. We’re sisters, we only have each other, just you and me aren’t we. It’s okay to cry when you want to cry.”

Strict social etiquette, other man she doesn’t know, for Arue who was exhausted from all of those things, the embrace from her kind-hearted little sister really gives her a peace of mind. It feels as if she’s the younger one even though she’s the big sister. It’s only in front of Selene that Arue doesn’t have to act like a princess. And that makes her very happy.

On the other hand, that also gives Selene a peace of mind as well, though for a different reason. Selene has a doubt, is Arue hiding the fact that she did that already a secret from her? And to confirm that, Selene embraces Arue’s neck, checking around her neck carefully, while also enjoying her soft fair skin as well. Then, when she finally confirmed that there’s no hickeys―― no traces of the princeon her, Selene mumbled the following in satisfactory voice.

“Good good.”

Arue and Selene, in the room where a single beam of moonlight shines through, the two princess sisters hugged each other lovingly. Butler looked up with a smile on his face from under the bed at the scene of beautiful sisterly love.

『Uumu, but still, what exactly happened though?』

Butler wonders as he put his paw on his chin, just like how a human would. Tonight’s turn of events truly exceeds his imagination. However, his master has regained her peace of mind and that’s all that matters. Butler thought to himself so. To not thoughtlessly pry further into his master’s heart is also one of the butler’s job as well.

Now, you might be wondering why the prince, who was supposed to be at the party, is there in the forest instead, and what exactly happened to Arue? We’ll have to go back in time a bit for that――