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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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A Corporate Slave Becomes a Villainous Nuisance in a Zombie Apocalypse
Episode 49
Praha answered simply.
"I'm the worst kind of man."
"Actually, I prefer that. I'm an expert at liking bad men."
Then why did you even ask?
Yusara winked at Praha, who had fallen silent.
"Your Highness, you have no interest in me whatsoever, do you?"
"...Yes."
"That's fine. I'm used to it. Everyone hates me, so indifference is actually quite tolerable."
"...."
"Oh, ‌‌‌you're frowning now, aren't ‌‌‌you? So you really do hate me after all!"
That's not it. I'm just bewildered by this conversation.
But Yusara didn't give Praha a chance to defend himself.
She'd already firmly concluded in her mind that the Crown Prince hated her too, and ‌‌‌she laughed.
Here she was, being told that someone disliked ‌her.
Standing before someone who despised her.
Smiling so brightly.
'Come to think of it, she was smiling like that in the Banquet Hall earlier too.'
To continuously smile, speak, and expose oneself before people ‌‌‌who hated her and hoped for her to fail.
Just how much courage did that require?
Yusara spoke.
"As you've surely realized by now, ‌‌‌‌I don't only like ‌‌‌‌men who seem promising."
I know. If anything, it's quite the opposite.
"Regardless of what a man feels, I like whoever ‌appeals ‌‌‌to me—surely it's time you understood that, Your Highness?"
It was a kind of declaration of war.
A declaration that from now on, she ‌would like him.
The kind of declaration that Praha, born on the battlefield and living alongside war, had experienced countless times before. Familiar.
Yusara, offering her heart in the way most familiar to Praha, grasped the back of his hand.
And brought her lips to it.
It was primarily how ‌‌‌men showed affection to women ‌they favored.
"I'll attend every banquet during New Year's week. I need to show that I'm unaffected."
"...."
"See you at the next banquet, Praha."
And then Yusara left.
Leaving behind on the back of Praha's rigid hand, if only for a moment, a very strange sensation—as though it had been touched by ‌‌flame.
"...."
Left alone, Praha opened and closed his hand once.
Then he turned back behind the curtain and resumed reading his book.
"Your Highness! So you were here!"
Until the Attendant, who had heard of Praha's whereabouts from the Knights, returned with the Crown ‌‌‌‌Prince, who had absconded without ‌‌‌permission.
* * *
Yusara was resolute.
'Did she change her target ‌‌to the Crown Prince? How shameless of her!'
The mockery of others didn't faze her either.
'The young lady is currently interfering with my afternoon schedule.'
Even Praha's rejection couldn't defeat Yusara.
But even Yusara had her breaking point.
"Why won't you just do it?!"
Praha looked down silently at Yusara, who had blocked my path in the Corridor of the Crown Prince's Palace.
She dared to stand before the Crown ‌‌‌Prince with such confidence.
'Does the young lady not fear me?'
The difference in build was considerable.
Now that Praha had finished growing, he possessed the unmistakable physique of a man.
Tall ‌‌frame, long limbs, broad and thick shoulders.
Even the Attendants, who were much larger in stature than the young lady, felt intimidated when he stood before them.
And he was the Crown Prince besides.
Yet before Praha, whose single hand could completely cover her face, Yusara seemed to feel no fear whatsoever.
"Yes? Please answer me!"
She even stamped her foot, urging him to respond immediately to her words.
'She pays no mind to my station at all.'
So Yusara ‌was treating Praha simply as the man she loved.
Not as the Crown Prince.
"What exactly would you lose by becoming engaged to me?"
This was the period when Praha had unilaterally rejected the marriage proposals between them six times.
Honestly, from Praha's perspective, he ‌‌couldn't fathom what she saw in him to propose in the first place.
Because the way Praha had been treating ‌Yusara was....
'Praha, would you perhaps be free tomorrow afternoon....'
'I'm not available.'
'Praha, will you come to ‌‌‌my birthday party?'
'No.'
Praha gave Yusara no quarter.
He had judged this approach better than giving Cyprus-like leeway.
'If the young lady comes looking for me, don't inform me. If she wishes to see me, ‌‌‌‌have her request an audience like the other ‌‌officials.'
Yusara waited for hours in the Audience Chamber every day for Praha, who refused to see her.
Often, the Audience Chamber would empty and Yusara would remain alone until ‌the day's audience hours ended.
'Petitioners with actual business ‌‌‌take priority.'
'Your Majesty, even so....'
'There is no "even so." I cannot receive someone who simply wrote "because I wanted to see you" on their petition.'
'....'
'It was a natural judgment on my part.'
I hadn't meant to insult Yusara.
I simply couldn't understand her reasoning.
But even as I thought that, sorrow accumulated in Yusara's heart.
And finally, it burst forth.
"You don't even know me. Even if we're not engaged right now, you could at least give me a chance!"
Speaking to the Crown Prince with such vehemence?
The eyes ‌‌of the Attendant and advisor accompanying Praha widened in shock.
Praha, watching Yusara pout with tears glistening in her eyes, quietly took a step forward.
Because Praha was so large, even his slight movement was enough to shield Yusara from the gazes of those around them.
"You won't accept my handkerchief, you refuse when I ask to meet, you didn't come to my party...." ‌‌
There was so much to feel sorrowful about.
Usually, I find myself ‌‌wanting to sigh when I see her pale cheeks flushed red like that.
"Was it because I liked Cyprus?!"
You won't like me unless I'm your first choice?
As Yusara cried out again, Praha answered quietly.
"That's not the issue."
"Then why!"
"Because you don't actually like me."
"...What?"
"You're only pretending to like me to provoke Cyprus's jealousy, aren't you?"
"...."
"If you're looking for a way to restore ‌‌your pride, you'd do better to seek it elsewhere."
Even as he spoke, Praha was inwardly surprised. ‌
'I hadn't intended to be this honest.'
Wasn't this exactly like sulking and saying, ‌‌'You don't actually like me—you're only doing this because of Cyprus'?
After hearing his response, Yusara fell silent.
"...So you never thought I liked you for your own sake. In that case...."
"There is no 'in that case.'"
Weary, Praha pressed his hand to his forehead.
"No matter what. Whatever happens."
Praha spoke with finality.
"I will never come to like you."
So please give up and find someone else—a better person—and be happy.
"You deserve someone kinder and more gentle than me."
I'm too blunt, I ‌‌‌don't understand women's hearts well.... In any case, you already know I'm not a good match for you.
"No."
But before Praha could ‌‌finish speaking, Yusara cut ‌‌‌‌him off.
Yusara took a step closer.
Holding ‌‌his gaze directly so he couldn't turn away, Yusara ‌‌‌‌spoke with ‌‌conviction.
"You're going to fall in love with me someday, Praha."
"...."
"Someday, without fail."
I couldn't remember ‌‌‌how that conversation had ended.
Had Yusara simply turned ‌‌‌‌and walked ‌away after speaking her piece?
But that resolute declaration remained etched ‌‌in my memory.
'You're going to fall in love ‌with me.'
You're going to fall in love with me....
Praha lifted his head, emerging from the reverie.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Ah....
Now I understood what that sound was.
This was—
The war drum announcing my defeat.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Praha, who ‌‌‌had lived on battlefields. And Yusara, ‌‌‌‌who had declared her heart in the manner most familiar to such a man.
Between Yusara who said I would fall in love with her, and Praha who insisted it would never happen.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The sound of ‌‌‌‌my heart beating.
The sound announcing Praha's defeat.
'Have ‌‌‌‌‌I truly lost?'
No, not yet.
No, I don't know.
"Your Majesty, if you're in considerable pain...."
"I'm fine." ‌‌‌‌
Praha replied to the concerned Tangerine and quickened his pace.
With powerful strides, Praha caught up to Yusara in an instant, and stood before her, his breathing perfectly composed and undisturbed.
"Your Majesty?"
Wide, round eyes looked up at Praha.
"Did you have something to say?"
Eyes that weren't a perfect ‌‌‌black.
"I don't eat roasted bird."
Eyes that made me wish they would continue looking at me.
"Your Majesty?"
Those eyes were looking at me.
"...Are you heading to breakfast?"
"Yes. And you, Your Majesty?"
"I've ‌‌‌‌arranged to receive a map of Promé Castle from the Lord of ‌‌‌‌Prome."
The ‌‌‌breakfast provided by Promé Castle, then.
"Will that property manager be joining us as well?"
"I wouldn't know?"
That man called Smoothie?
The pretty-faced man had attended to the princess throughout the banquet, his expression radiating as though he considered it an honor.
When the princess whispered something to him, he burst into laughter.
Sitting apart, Praha remained curious about what those two had been ‌discussing all evening.
The white, smooth fingers of the man pouring juice for the princess.
"You haven't even been able to eat, working so hard.... Surely you don't have to copy the map by hand?"
"I can memorize it by sight."
Suddenly, Praha became self-conscious of his own appearance—nothing refined about it, just a shabby shirt draped over his frame.
He'd wanted to escort Yusara to the Dining Hall.
But his palms felt too callused and rough to take her hand.
"The cinnamon rolls at this castle are delicious. Have you tried them?"
"Oh, no. Not yet."
"You must try them."
'Did he really rush over just to recommend cinnamon rolls?'
Praha bowed his ‌‌‌‌head to Yusara, who was regarding him with a puzzled expression.
"I'll see you this evening."
* * *
Praha appeared suddenly, recommended cinnamon rolls, and vanished.
I, Yusara.
Was I perhaps lacking in ‌‌perception? ‌‌‌‌
"Is it really that delicious?"
Something about Praha's demeanor seemed off, but I couldn't quite pinpoint what.
Tilting my head in confusion, I headed toward the Dining Hall.
'Why did he say he'd see me this evening?'
Bewildered.
"It's probably nothing."
I shrugged to myself.
And that evening.
"... Good heavens."
What Praha meant by seeing me this evening.
Now I ‌‌understood.
[(Temporary Safe Zone) Promé Castle]
- Yusara, Praha, Cyprus, Yujein, Tangerine (Alive)

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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our ‌official site: valirscans.org
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