TIRS 32

Posted by zahid, Released on July 17, 2025

CHAPTER 32:

“Louibel Azester Is Dangerous”

Among the many lavish mansions in the capital, none were more famously beautiful than the garden of the Marquis of Winster.

Sitting at a tea table in that garden, a handsome man lifted a teacup with graceful poise. He was Klaus, the firstborn son of the Marquis of Winster and the pride of the household.

Even within his own home, Klaus wore his outfit buttoned up to his neck without a single wrinkle, sitting straight as he sipped tea with elegant composure.

Outwardly, he seemed like the perfect noble gentleman. Inwardly, however, Klaus was deeply troubled.

He was thinking about Louibel.

The Louibel he first met at the Emperor’s birthday celebration—so stunning she looked like she had stepped out of a painting.

And then the Louibel he saw again, walking away while holding the arm of an unpleasant foreign prince.

“It’s fine, Sir Klaus! You can trust Prince Ancelot!”
“He was the one who escorted me at the last ball. Don’t worry, you should head back now.”

Louibel had said this while affectionately holding Prince Ancelot’s hand.

Lately, rumors about the two had been spreading not just through the palace, but all throughout the capital.

Klaus knew better than to trust rumors. Still, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Of course, he reminded himself, he had no real connection to Princess Louibel…

“This is a perfectly natural reaction from a loyal subject of Azester,”
Klaus thought as he gently nodded and set down his teacup.

He was a subject of Azester.

It was only natural to feel disturbed when their princess was seen with a sleazy foreign prince.

Not long ago, a shocking scandal had shaken the empire.

Prince Orent and Duke Hamilton had used a demonic summoning flute to endanger imperial citizens, all while pretending to be heroes.

The Emperor had captured them and was continuing to investigate the matter.

This all happened amidst the already chaotic state caused by a divine prophecy received by the Saintess of the Taal Kingdom.

And yet, Klaus’s first thought upon hearing the news had been:

“Is Princess Louibel safe?”

The prophecy had pointed to a direct descendant of the Emperor as its subject.

The most likely candidates were Prince Orent and Louibel, who had recently awakened as a Swordmaster.

But with Prince Orent now a disgraced criminal, the prophecy’s subject could only be her…

“What the heck? Why are you here, brother?”

Just then, a voice broke the stillness of the garden.

Klaus frowned slightly as he looked up from his thoughts.

“Didn’t I tell you I’d be using the garden this afternoon? Didn’t you hear me?”

Sylvia, his sister, glared at him with clear annoyance.

Behind her stood the housemaids, unsure of what to do.

They needed to prepare the area for Sylvia’s guest, but Klaus had been sitting there in a daze, oblivious to their attempts to move him.

“I invited the Princess. She’ll be here soon. So get lost.”

Unlike her graceful public demeanor, Sylvia was brash and blunt when dealing with family.

Klaus flinched.

Not at the harsh command, but at the words that came before it.

“The Princess? Which one?”

“Who else? Princess Louibel. I introduced her to you before, remember?”

Klaus’s throat went dry at the mention of her name.

He remembered the first time he saw her. With his keen hearing, he had overheard Louibel and Sylvia’s conversation:

“Um, Sylvia… Is your brother’s name Klaus Winster?”
“Klaus Winster? The one who held a sword at age six and killed a bear?”
“The Klaus Winster who studied abroad in the Holy Kingdom, was offered the position of Holy Knight Commander by the Pope, and flatly refused before returning home?”

Even that last bit—something Klaus hadn’t told his own family—Louibel knew.

Had she looked into him?

But why? They didn’t even know each other.

Could it be that Louibel was… interested in him?

Klaus, keeping his confusion hidden, approached her.

And the moment their eyes met—

Thump!

His heart nearly stopped.

Up close, she was even more beautiful. Too beautiful.

He had heard the rumors about how stunning Princess Louibel Azester was—but seeing her in person was different.

“Hello, Sir Klaus. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Thump! His heart jolted again, and he added another impression to the list.

Her voice, like her face, was beautiful.

“The pleasure is mine.”

When he returned her greeting, she smiled—her eyes gently crinkling—and his heart pounded harder.

A part of him screamed:

Louibel Azester is dangerous.

Klaus Winster, considered the model of a perfect knight, had one weakness: a sort of obsessive cleanliness, particularly when it came to women.

He always maintained a cold, polite distance with them. It was the proper thing to do.

But Louibel was different.

Every time she appeared, his heart would jolt.

Each time, his instincts would scream to run away—that she was a threat.

“Why do you look so dumb right now? Quit standing there like a statue and get out!”

Sylvia kicked Klaus out of the garden.

Soon after, the area was set up for a tea party with Louibel.

Klaus, inexplicably restless, kept checking out the window of his second-floor room, waiting to see Louibel’s carriage arrive.

“This isn’t going to work.”

Sighing deeply, he stood up and went to the training yard.

After swinging his sword to exhaustion, he finally felt calm.

As he headed off to wash, he ran directly into Louibel walking from the opposite direction.

“Hello again, Sir Klaus. Fancy seeing you.”

Louibel greeted him with a radiant smile.

So warm, so gentle—it felt like she was truly happy to see him.

BOOM!

His heart trembled like an earthquake.

Later that afternoon, I visited the Winster estate, invited by Sylvia for tea.

I’d written to her asking to see the garden, and she’d gladly agreed.

As soon as I stepped out of the carriage, a cheerful sound effect played.

[SYSTEM] You have arrived at a new location!
[SYSTEM] minimap unlocked!

I was reminded, once again, that I was now a player.

Any place Hezen (the previous player) had visited had a visible minimap, but apparently, he had never been to the Winster estate.

“Minimap.”

As a player, I could use system functions without speaking aloud.

When I silently called for it, the map of the Winster Estate appeared.

I immediately checked for Klaus’s location.

“Huh? He’s not showing up?”

But Klaus wasn’t visible on the map.

Hezen had used the minimap to seduce women with great efficiency, but here I was, unable to even locate Klaus—plus, most of the map was still greyed out.

[You’ve only just unlocked the area. You need to find the guiding lantern in the estate to reveal the full map! ⋆♡̩͙⋆( ᵔ ᗢ ᵔ )]

“Lantern?”

I tilted my head as I spotted a lantern icon in the center of the map.

[That’s the one! The Winster estate is small, so one lantern is enough ♡ ٩(´▽`)۶ ♡]

Piya kindly explained, accompanied by bubbly emoticons.

After fluttering around my room in her baby bird form, she turned back into a system window the moment we stepped outside.

When I asked why, she said kids always tried to pet her, and it got annoying.

“Fair enough.”

Remembering her cute bird form, I nodded. No wonder kids couldn’t resist.

“Princess Louibel!”

Just then, Sylvia rushed up to me, flanked by servants.

“I meant to greet you earlier, but I’m sorry for making you wait.”

Truthfully, I’d arrived 30 minutes early to try and bump into Klaus.

But thanks to Sylvia catching wind of my arrival right away, I didn’t get the chance to look for him.

“No worries. I came early, so I didn’t wait at all.”

“Even so…”

Sylvia trailed off, staring blankly at my face.

“You look especially radiant today, Your Highness. Even more beautiful than usual…”

“Oh, don’t be silly.”

I pretended to be bashful and turned my head.

Of course I looked better.

I had used up every beauty-boosting item Hezen had left behind for this day.

I hadn’t changed my appearance—after all, attractiveness is subjective.

“Besides, the only appearance-changing potion I have turns me bald.”

The from Hezen’s inventory had greatly increased my charm stat.

My appearance stayed the same, but the way people reacted to me softened considerably. Some even had their affection spike.

Apparently, “charm” made people perceive you as more attractive, even if you didn’t physically change.

“Thank you, you charm-crazed birdbrain.”

I silently gave thanks to the dearly departed Hezen.

“Ah! I think I know why you look more beautiful today!”

“H-huh?”

“The power of love, of course!”

Sylvia clasped her hands together dreamily.

“There’s a rumor going around that Princess Louibel has completely fallen for Prince Ancelot!”

“Ah, well, yeah…”

I nodded vaguely.

There were plenty of rumors flying around lately about me and Ancelot.

Being tied to Saltto was annoying, but it worked in my favor.

“We have to go dragon hunting together anyway…”

As I awkwardly replied, I sensed movement nearby.

When I looked up, I instantly rejoiced.

“Klaus!”

I didn’t even have to search—there he was.

Hair tied back neatly, wearing a slightly disheveled training outfit.

He must’ve come straight from the practice yard.

Klaus Winster, heir to the Marquis of Winster
Affection: -180

His affection hadn’t changed since I last checked.

“Perfect. Now’s my chance.”

I’d prepared meticulously for this moment. I turned to him with my brightest smile.

“Hello again, Sir Klaus. Fancy seeing you.”

I thought it was a killer opening.

But then—

[SYSTEM] ‘s affection has decreased by 10. (Affection: -190)
[SYSTEM] ‘s affection has decreased by 10. (Affection: -200)
[SYSTEM] ‘s affection has decreased by 10. (Affection: -210)
[SYSTEM] ‘s affection has decreased by 10. (Affection: -220)
[SYSTEM] ‘s affection has decreased by 10. (Affection: -230)
[SYSTEM] ‘s affection has decreased by 10. (Affection: -240)
[SYSTEM] ‘s affection has decreased by 10. (Affection: -250)
[SYSTEM] ‘s affection has decreased by 10. (Affection: -260)
[SYSTEM] ‘s affection has decreased by 10. (Affection: -270)
[SYSTEM] ‘s affection has decreased by 10. (Affection: -280)