Lord of Charm



Over the next few days, there was a short ceremony in which Kisuke received his new rank. Additionally, he got a new room, which he had all for himself. And for a few of the female guards too, just to stay in shape.

"Hello Kisuke, I'm Captain Hayato Sasagawa. Under Chief Shirokami's command, I will teach you swordsmanship from now on every day before your session with the sixth prince. I hope you can be ready for harsh training. Since I'm spending my precious time training you, don't expect to get any rest."

"Thank you, Sir. I will train hard."

Thus, a round of beating began. Hayato would teach him a few moves and practice with him harshly until Kisuke got it right. Just like he said, he didn't go easy at all.

"You learn fast. If you keep this up, you will be as good as the offspring of the elite families within a few months. They train with the sword since childhood, so it's a great achievement."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Kisuke, your future is bright, and you can stand by the next empress' side. The second princess wants to extend an invitation for you to meet her tonight for dinner. There's no commitment, and she only wants to meet you again."

"It will be my pleasure to accept."

Inwardly Kisuke was grumbling about the fact that the second princess surrounded him with her people.

"Great, I will let her know then. You can show this letter to the guards at the palace's gates, and they will let you in. Someone will wait for you there and lead you to the princess' house to meet her."

"I will be there. Thank the princess for inviting me."

Kisuke gave him a smile and left the palace.

'I'm not sure if the princess will be sincere with me or try to force herself on me. If she woos me sincerely, it will be against my values to steal her magic and get her killed. Hehe, it feels funny to be wooed and taken out for dinner by a girl; makes you feel like a princess.'

He had to admit there was a certain charm to proactive girls. Although he would never agree to join a harem with other men, it was like a refreshing vacation in a separate world in which the women chased men. 

Although he didn't know if it was the same for commoners and elite families, he only interacted with the imperial family.

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"Hey Little Brother, I'm going on a date tonight."

"Really? With whom?"

"Hanako."

"Second Sister? Is she forcing you?"

"If she is, can you stop her?"

"I can!"

"Can you?"

"I can… try."

"It's fine, really, she just invited me for dinner. The food at the canteen isn't that good anyway, at least I will have a decent meal."

Kisuke was talking to Tanjirou during their usual break after an hour of sparring. Tanjirou wore a depressed expression when he heard Kisuke was dating his sister; if they become an item, he might lose Kisuke's support.

"Don't worry though, didn't you say you don't have aspirations to capture the throne? Even if Hanako and I become a thing, I won't let her do anything to you."

"Big Brother, you deserve better than her. Do you know she already has one husband?"

"Wouldn't she divorce him for me?"

"Why would she? She only collects men like our mother. If anything, you can expect her to add another man to her harem when she's tired of you."

"Then I will just have to turn her down when she invites me to a second date."

Kisuke smiled at the nervous Tanjirou, making him pout when he realized Kisuke was just teasing him.

"Whatever, go have fun. Don't try to have sex with her and run away; once you placed your hands on the imperial family, you can never leave. If she wants to be exclusive with you, she'll have to behead or imprison her current husband."

"I never knew that, thanks for the heads up."

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"Hello, I've been ordered by the second princess to come here tonight."

Kisuke showed the letter with the princess' signature to the guards at the palace's outer gate.

"Little Brother, aren't you still new in the Imperial Guard? You're so lucky to be noticed by a princess so soon."

"I'm just lucky to be so handsome."

"Hmph, show off. Go, don't make the princess wait for you. Just follow the right path until you see the second princess' mansion. It's a 3 floors mansion, you can ask the guards around there."

"See you around."

Although the guards were one rank higher than him, it wasn't an official setting, and he didn't have a reason to be formal with them. As a mage and a sergeant, he didn't have to act like a recruit anymore. 

After walking for a few minutes, Kisuke saw a large mansion ahead. Asking one of the guards around, he learned it was the second princess' mansion as expected.

'Her mansion is much better than Tanjirou's house. Must be the benefits of being older and having a proper faction.'

Once the next emperor or empress would be selected, the rest of the princes and princesses would have to leave the palace's grounds and move to mansions outside. 

"Hello, I'm Kisuke. I've been invited by the second princess to attend dinner."

"Oh, you're the handsome foreigner who is supposed to arrive. Go in, the second princess waits for you inside."

"Sure, thanks."

"Kisuke, you've made it. Come sit with me. Servants, serve the first dish. Guards, leave us alone."

The guards frowned when they heard that. Although Kisuke would have to give up his life later if he harmed the second princess, he still could choose to do that.

"Aren't you still going to wait outside? Give us some privacy and leave quickly."

The princess said impatiently, and the guards soon left without voicing any doubts.

"Hello, Second Princess. You're beautiful in this dress."

She was wearing a traditional garment of the Nikkokuni land. It had a wrapped front and long, wide sleeves. The dress had a broad sash horizontally around Hanako's stomach. The fabric reached just slightly above her ankle.

"Dress? It's called 'Kimono', it's an article of traditional clothing we wear in official settings or when we want to look good."

"I'm sorry, I'm so goofy when it comes to women's garments."

Kisuke laughed and tried to get out of the weird situation. He had no idea how to explain he didn't know about traditional Nikkokuni clothing.

"Men wear them too though."

"Haha, you got me there. I'm clueless about clothes in general. I come from a poor family, and I only had 2 pairs of clothes and a coat for the winter. Now that I'm in the military, I didn't get the chance to wear anything fancy other than the uniforms."

He decided to take the easy way out and activate his charm, conveniently making the princess trust him and move on.

"It's okay, with me you can have as many clothing articles as you want. Or you can also wear none, which would be fine too."

She smiled at him suggestively.

"I heard the princess already has a husband."

"Why are you addressing me so coldly? Use my first name as you do with my little brother. Call me Hanako."

"Hanako, I've heard you already have a husband. I'd be too jealous if I had to share you with others."

"I can't divorce him. How about that, if you prove yourself vital in my faction, I promise not to marry others, and I can even find a reason to execute my first husband for you."

"That's heartless. Wouldn't you execute me too if a more capable man offered to serve you?"

Hanako was getting anxious when she realized she made a blunder. The more she spoke with Kisuke, the more she felt a tingling sensation in her chest. She wanted to conquer this man no matter what it takes.

"No way, Dear. I really want you to be by my side because I like you, that's why I'm willing to give you such an offer. I married my first husband only because I wanted to gain the support of a magus, and his affinity was high enough to be my husband even if I become the empress."

"Is he Chief Shirokami's son?"

"He is."

'That's quite an open-minded father right there.'

Kisuke thought to himself when he remembered how the chief encouraged him to get the princess' grace.

"Wouldn't you need his support in the future, too?"

"Not when I'm stronger than him. I'm sincere with you, I hope you can see it."

The two flirted with each other as they had dinner, while the servants kept serving the next dishes.

"Thank you for coming. Here's my gift for you, I hope it can help you advance sooner."

She got up and walked to him, handing him a storage bag full of resources. When he reached with his hand to take the bag, she stepped forward, tip-toed, and gave him a long kiss.

Kisuke held her waist and kissed her back deeply, allowing her tongue to start a war of attrition against his. The slippery feeling on his lips was wonderful, but Hanako was still the first one to let out a moan of pleasure mid-kissing.

They separated from each other and wiped the saliva off their mouths with the back of their palms.

"I enjoyed our dinner together. It's a shame that going one step further would bind me against my will."

Kisuke said with an apologetic tone and Hanako nodded with a distracted face. She was still savoring the taste of the kiss, and barely paid attention when Kisuke turned around and left.