"What are you trying to get away with? Look, I don't care what you heard, as we talked about before. Right, brother?"
King Maintia, with a twinkle in his eye, proclaims such a thing. Next to him, King Poseidon nodded his head in exultation. Our escape route was completely blocked. Now I have no choice but to say something. I suppress the urge to punch the idiot, and try desperately to recall what he said.
"So, ...... a long, long time ago... ......"
I vaguely remember, but I'm sure I learned it in school: ....... Yes, was it Mr. Imoto or Mr. Morio from Japanese class? ....... No, wait, was it in a college class? ....... With these thoughts in my mind, I slowly begin to talk about the story, trying to recall it.
"Once upon a time, there was a man of color.
"Well, you sound just like me and my brother. Did he fall in love with you? I'm looking forward to it."
"No, I'm not talking about the man, but about the lady-in-waiting who served him."
"Oh, a woman's heartbreak? That's interesting."
"One day, the maid of honor received a love letter.
"Oh, so?"
But the woman was still young and had never been in love.
"Well, that's nice. So?"
"After all, as a matter of etiquette, when you receive a love letter, you must respond. However, since it was the first time for her to receive such a letter, it was difficult for her to reply.
"Yes, that's right. If a man is not interested, he should say he is not interested, and if he is interested, he should meet her at a ball or something. What were the people around ...... doing?"
"Naturally, the lady's sisters, who were her colleagues, told her that she had to respond quickly, but she was so confused that she couldn't respond. In any case, whether she was going to meet him or not, she herself would be seen as a frivolous woman if she did not give a proper reply. If any strange rumors were to start because of it, her future life would be affected, so it was inevitable that she would be cautious.
"I see! You have a point. Mm-hmm. She must be a smart woman to think that far. I would like to meet her and talk with her.
"No, King Maintia. No, King Maintia. It's just a story. There is no one in particular.
"What are you talking about? You are very realistic for that! ...... I see, you don't want your wife to find out, do you? Yes, I know. I know firsthand how depressing it is when the great king finds out. I know how King Agartha feels. I understand.
"No, no. It's just a story ......."
"I don't want to talk about boring. Let's continue."
A voice with a dusky tone echoes in my gut. I look over to see King Poseidon staring at me with a serious expression on his face. My body trembles with the power of the voice. I'm scared. .......
"...... Okay, I'll tell you the rest of the story. ...... well, the maid of honor was so slow in replying that her master, a man of color, wrote the letter for her."
"Oh, I see, I see. And what did you write back?
"I don't remember learning the contents of the letter, not ......, but I remember that he wrote a model of a reply and I wrote a reply based on it. I remember ...... that when the man saw it, he said what a wonderful reply it was and was delighted."
"Well, I'm curious about the content. What did you say back? Don't be coy, just tell us."
"Well, as I recall, you sent me a love letter that said, <
"Well, that's quite a nice reply. But why do you make such a roundabout way? You are a man and a woman, you either like each other or you don't! If you like him, you drag him into bed, if you don't like him, you seduce him until he likes you, and if he doesn't accept you, you drag him into bed and love him until he likes you. ...... That's all you can do!"
...... You're going to drag me into bed either way. How much more of a beast can you be, you stupid prick?
King Maintia shakes his head, looking uncertain. I look at King Poseidon, who keeps looking at me with the same expression as before. When his eyes meet mine, he nods slowly. He seems to be willing to listen to what I have to say.
"There's a reason for this roundabout reply," he says, "women didn't get out of the house very often. If they could meet freely, as is the case now, they could see, talk with, and assess a partner's abilities before deciding whether or not to enter into a relationship, but it is difficult to get to know a partner when it is difficult to go out, and moreover, when meeting with men is extremely limited. For this reason, we send letters like this to each other to exchange information and to gauge the competence of the other person."
"King Agartha!"
Suddenly, the king of Maintia stares at me with a serious look on his face. I look at him in surprise.
"This lady-in-waiting, she's not a lady-in-waiting in the king's palace, is she? No, you don't have to hide. Well, a lady of the palace can hardly have contact with outsiders. And this woman is quite trusted by the king and queen, isn't she? Yeah, you don't have to say it. That's how good she is. ....... And a very beautiful woman at heart. Well, then, she must be careful. It makes sense now."
"No, that's not all. No, it's not only that. That way, you can even measure the depth of their affection. Yes, that's a good idea. Sounds interesting. So what do you think?"
King Poseidon smiles at me, but his eyes aren't smiling at all, which scares me. I cough and calm myself down and continue talking.
"So, they ended up going out with each other.
"Oh! That's great. So?"
"So, after they had been dating for a while, I received a letter from a man.
"Oh, and? What's the story?"
"<
"What? You mean to tell me that a little rain is going to stop me from going to see him? What kind of a man do you think you are?
"Well, King Maintia, are you saying that you are a man who would drop everything to see a woman under any circumstances, rain or shine, rain or shine?
"Yes, I have those feelings."
"Have you actually been there?"
"...... no."
No! I look at him in disgust.
"If it rains, your clothes get wet. You can have fun keeping each other warm when you're wet. ....... Why don't men notice that? Ummm... ...... that's a shame."
"What did the woman say?"
Whoa, King Poseidon's eyes are scary. I straighten my posture and continue to speak.
"Well, the lady is ....... I believe I wrote, <>. When the man saw this, he ran out of the house in the rain, soaking wet, without taking anything from the man. ....... That's how I remember it.
After I've told you all this, I realize something. Oh no, is this a heartbreak story? This alone does not tell us whether or not you have a broken heart. I must have talked about something different from the order. With this thought in mind, I fearfully look at King Poseidon. He is silent with his eyes closed.
"Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!"
Suddenly, King Maintia began to laugh. It was so unexpected that I froze as I looked at him.
"Ha ha ha! Rain of tears...... soaking wet....... Ha ha ha ha! A rain of tears! Brother! Brother!"
This fool is laughing his head off. When I look at King Poseidon, he is lying on his face for some reason.
"Hmph, you ...... laugh ...... laugh ...... too much ...... hmph, ahahahahaha. Huahahahaha!"
"Brother! Brother!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
For some reason, they are clapping each other's shoulders and laughing hysterically. What was so funny? I have no idea what their pressure points are. I look at Lafayence, who is standing next to me, puzzled. He looks at the two of us and smiles wryly.
"Here ...... General ......."
"Well, good for you, Lord Linos."
He shakes his head slowly at me, as if to say that he was amused and that the result is all right. Then he moves his face closer to mine and opens his mouth in a small voice.
What happened to the man after all?
"I don't know, but I think he probably dumped me."
"Well, how can you be so sure?"
"They won't like it if you have a lot of salt in your tears."