"I will take responsibility for you," he declared with a dead-serious face.

"Responsibility my ass! Do you really think they can break racial barriers and strip me of my Dark Lord title? That’s beyond magic—it’s realm of cosmic laws! Do you think they’re gods?" I snapped at his stupidity, then suddenly realized my own rudeness. I cleared my throat. "Sorry… I forgot to turn off acting mode."

"Your tantrums are kinda cute," he mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Die, pervert!" I hurled the Oxford dictionary. The Hero raised his arm to block, but this time its hard corner struck true—right into his gut.

He doubled over, gasping and grimacing. So satisfying. My mood instantly lifted.

Yep, Oxford’s still the best weapon!

But: "Stop faking. Aim a little lower, and you’d be my new little sister."

"Hiss—so vicious."

"Vicious is my nature. Hmph? Got a problem?"

"Actually, you’re just tsundere…" he muttered under his breath.

"What?" I grabbed a fruit knife beside the apple. "You know that saying?"

"What saying?"

"If lust brings disaster, cut it off to end it forever." I scraped the blade against the cage bars, creating a shrill screech.

"Whoa! Don’t do anything crazy!"

"Get castrated, you perverted shut-in lolicon!" *Whoosh!* A sharp white flash sliced cleanly through something unmentionable.

A soul-crushing wail erupted—like an injured wolf, or at most, a stray mutt.

The protagonist felt utterly refreshed…

Okay, not unmentionable. "Agh! My limited-edition adult figure!"

"So why’d you bring weird stuff when you transmigrated?"

"Agh! It was my treasure! I just bought it before transmigrating—I was still playing with it when summoned!"

Whoever summoned him must’ve been utterly devastated.

I’d hated that naked little doll for ages. Seriously, why’d the Hero bring a figure when transmigrating?

To… handle biological needs?

What a loser. I don’t want a rival like this.

So many cute girls chase him, yet he only loves a plastic doll. How… EQ-deficient.

I smoothed my messy long hair, sitting upright on the fox fur. "A serious question."

"Go ahead."

"What do you think of the Princess?" I asked carefully.

The Hero paused, then cautiously replied, "Which princess?"

"Princess Caiwen."

"Oh, I’m not worthy of her!" Lott blurted out instantly.

*Facepalm!* Why does this feel like a tragic backstory? Their words mirror each other… utterly inexplicable.

"Can you tell me why?"

"Princess Caiwen is brilliant and talented. As the empire’s eldest princess, she masters music, chess, calligraphy, painting, singing, dancing—and governs skillfully. A delicate woman serving as regent, handling endless state affairs…"

"Hold up. Repeat the last part!" I spotted something off.

"Handling endless state affairs?"

"No—you said she’s regent?"

He nodded. I was stunned. This princess isn’t simple—a powerless woman on the regent’s throne…

"But… isn’t the Church handling things?" Is Princess Caiwen lying to me?

"The regent was chosen by veteran ministers. The Church couldn’t interfere directly. For major policies, especially foreign affairs, the Princess defers to the Pope when unsure. But she handles minor domestic issues smoothly. Over time, the Church started making decisions outright," the Hero explained. "Princess Caiwen is too young and inexperienced. The Pope has served the empire for decades—his judgments are reliable."

This info hit hard. Simply put: the Princess rules as regent, the Pope advises. But she feels weak, crediting the Church for successes.

The Church influences imperial power but can’t harm Caiwen due to prophecy. Unlike typical novels, they’re not ruthless.

Just snippets from the Hero reveal such tangled politics. This world really isn’t simple.

"By the way, why say you’re unworthy of the Princess?"

"Because the King wanted to betroth her to me. I refused."

*Double facepalm!*

A Hero and a Princess—even without me, the Dark Lord, setting up rescue scenarios, they’re childhood friends. Why do both think they’re unworthy of each other?

I’d swap places with the Hero in a heartbeat to chase girls! That blinding protagonist glow!

A shut-in is a shut-in. Ignoring all those girls to waste time with a Dark Lord, unmoved even when a loli Dark Lord chases him.

Total scum…

Chases him? Wait—did I just say "chases him"? Did I? Ugh… it was just an escape tactic. Yeah.

What a waste of the King’s efforts to protect her position.

"You’ve met the Princess already?" he suddenly asked.

"Slow reflexes." I clicked my tongue, grabbed an apple from a side table, took a bite, and pointed it at him. "Thank Princess Caiwen. If I hadn’t promised her something, I’d have escaped long ago."

"*Sigh*…" He exhaled deeply.

"Why sigh like an old man at your age?" I acted mature, shaking the apple.

"That’s a real apple. Shaking it won’t spawn red packets." He leaned close, crouching to stare. "*Sigh*…"

What the hell? Is he possessed? So random.

"Can’t you act cute for once? Always blank-faced or scowling. With your looks, zero self-awareness." He shook his head, utterly disappointed.

"Act cute?" I shot him a massive glare. "I’m a straight guy—why act cute?"

"Meow… mmmph!" I shoved the apple hard into his mouth. "Cute yourself bloody!"

"I’ll do my best to fix your girly instincts," he declared, pounding his chest. Then he licked his lips. "An apple bitten by a cute girl… heh heh~"

"Get lost!"