Reincarnated User Manual

Chapter 270

The concubine’s garden.

Louise shouted at Shiron with a startled expression.

“To assault His Majesty? Are you out of your mind?”

Bang! She slammed the table in her shock. Shiron, brushing off the ringing in his ears that came too late, lifted his teacup.

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

“Even if it’s not a joke! There are things you say in the right place and at the right time! If you’re going to talk about it, at least do it somewhere private!”

Louise stood up abruptly and pointed all around her. The places she pointed to were filled with knights and attendants, all fulfilling their duties.

What she meant was, they weren’t taking their eyes off this place.

“You just need to stay quiet. They’ll probably think we’re just having a casual conversation.”

But Shiron wasn’t too concerned. It wasn’t that he was ignoring them; after all, their job was to support and protect the royal family. It was right for them to be on guard against outsiders, even if the outsider was a close friend of the emperor.

“Didn’t you hate getting involved with me?”

Louise cleared her throat and sat down quietly. Shiron had expected her to leave, but it seemed the outrageous suggestion had piqued her interest enough to stay.

“When did I ever?”

“Ever since the labyrinth, you’ve been purposely acting mean… ack.”

“What did I do to act mean?”

“…Never mind.”

Louise held back her words, sensing that this would only lead to more back-and-forth questions and answers.

Even when she had fallen into filth, he hadn’t saved her. Even when she had stumbled, he hadn’t helped her up. Even when he could easily wield his sword, he pretended to be weak and kicked her backside. But Louise held her tongue.

She knew deep down it wasn’t because the man truly hated her. If he had really hated her, he would have left her to die or simply killed her when she whined like a child.

‘…Even though he should be taking care of himself first.’

Louise glanced at Shiron’s right foot and sighed. The discomfort she had felt earlier eased a bit when she saw no signs of limping from the injury he had sustained on the way here.

“Then, tell me why you’re suddenly talking like this.”

“…If I tell you the reason, will you assault him?”

“Can you please stop saying ‘assault’?”

“I can’t think of another word. Or should I say ‘rape’ instead?”

“You could just say that I want to spend a night together.”

Louise frowned as she spoke. Her expression clearly signaled her discomfort, but Shiron didn’t bat an eye.

“That’s the problem.”

Shiron tapped the table and narrowed his eyes. Louise, confused by his brazen attitude, looked at him as if she didn’t understand.

“What’s the problem?”

“Your head is rotten.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Even if you forced it, barely anything would happen. How do you plan on securing a successor with such a lazy mindset?”

Shiron recalled the times he had been with Siriel not long ago. Despite their repeated efforts, there had been no news. Eldrina had said that it wasn’t easy to conceive, especially for someone like Shiron, whose body was conditioned for constant physical activity.

“Plus, you said Victor is sleeping in a separate room. He might not even feel any desire for you, so you might as well strip down and jump him.”

“…”

“Here, take this.”

Shiron placed a handful of medicine bottles in front of Louise. Inside the luxurious glass bottles was a sticky crimson liquid.

“…What is this?”

“Aphrodisiac.”

“…”

“It’s an incredible product that can turn even the most modest virgin into a wanton prostitute, and even a man who’s exhausted himself will lose all self-control when a woman comes near.”

Louise looked at the bottles, then back at Shiron, her expression a mixture of disbelief.

Her first thought was, does it really need to go this far? Her second thought was to ask where he even got such an item.

“…”

Finally, she was shocked to find herself holding one of the bottles. She had never wished for a life without love, but just a few days ago, she had promised herself that she would quietly serve as a dutiful wife without causing trouble.

Yet here she was, succumbing to the sweet temptation.

With this… with just this, she could win the love she had longed for.

Even if that love was forced through the use of a sorcerous aphrodisiac, she no longer cared whether it was genuine or not. She had no room to be picky between body or heart.

Louise had waited too long.

Even if she were condemned for assaulting him for the rest of her life, it would be worth it.

If he had cut off all attention toward her, leaving her to stop loving him on her own, perhaps she wouldn’t have harbored this one-sided affection.

But torturing her like this—it felt like she was being cruelly strung along with false hope.

“Good.”

Shiron nodded as he watched Louise clutching the bottle.

‘Perfect.’

With this, both his prestige and the future of the royal bloodline were ensured.

“Wait for me in the concubine’s quarters.”

Shiron took the remaining bottles and left.

---

That night, Victor was met by an unexpected guest.

“What’s going on? Coming to see me at such a late hour.”

Since becoming emperor, there were few people with whom she could be at ease. And even fewer would come without notice and not cause any discomfort.

“You said you’d do anything for me, right?”

Shiron Prient.

The man in front of her had every right to be there. The moonlight streaming through the window stretched the approaching man’s shadow.

“Are you talking about what we discussed last time?”

Perhaps because they were alone late at night, Victor felt her lips grow dry. However, she didn’t lick her lips or reach for water.

Shiron hated exaggerated gestures, and while he liked to poke at her subtly, Victor didn’t want to be hated by him.

Victor calmed her racing heart.

“I feel like I owe you too much. I was planning to visit you privately anyway…”

“You said you’d do anything for me, right?”

“…I did say that, but only within my ability. Why? Have you finally thought of something you want?”

“That’s right.”

Shiron nodded and looked at Victor. Though he didn’t show it, she could hear his heart pounding, which made her feel troubled.

It wasn’t because of Victor’s excessive kindness.

Half of that pounding heart was Shiron’s own.

‘The effects of the drug still haven’t worn off.’

He thought the effect wouldn’t last long due to his high tolerance, but even though it was faint, the residual effects of the substance remained in his body.

Feeling embarrassed by his emotions, Shiron checked if his face was flushed.

Though it was because of the drug, he found it ridiculous that he was getting excited just by being alone with a man.

Shiron, now right next to Victor, pointed outside as calmly as he could.

“Come with me somewhere.”

“…At this late hour?”

Victor asked, surprised.

“Why? Don’t want to? You said you’d do anything for me.”

“No, it’s not that I don’t want to… it’s just not what I was expecting.”

‘Is he going to put a leash on me and take me for a walk…?’

Victor waved her hands but eventually lowered her head.

‘What the hell is this guy thinking?’

Shiron avoided looking at the subtle twitch at the corner of Victor’s mouth. The pounding in his chest grew stronger as a bonus.

“Anyway, let’s go out. I’ll tell you more once we get there.”

“Oh… okay.”

Victor hurriedly grabbed her coat and followed Shiron. The knight on duty asked where she was rushing off to, and she made up an excuse about going for some fresh air with a friend.

“Hah…”

The night air was cool.

In the serene courtyard, flowers sparkled under the moonlight, and grand statues added to the romantic atmosphere.

…If only the person next to her wasn’t a man.

“Shiron, aren’t you going to tell me what the favor is?”

Victor cautiously asked Shiron, who was walking in silence.

“We’re almost there. Wait. I’ll tell you then.”

“…If you’re asking me to give up the throne or something, I can’t do that.”

“It’s nothing like that.”

Shiron responded, glancing around. The palace was so enormous that it took several minutes just to reach the concubine’s quarters.

“I don’t make unreasonable requests.”

“…Huh?”

Victor looked up at the building they were approaching.

This was a place where many women had lived for centuries, including Victor’s own mother.

And now, Louise lived here in the concubine’s quarters.

However, unlike usual, there wasn’t a single guard outside the building tonight.

‘What’s going on? Did something happen?’

Sensing that something was off, Victor moved closer to Shiron.

“Shiron?”

As always, Victor called out to him, but for some reason, this time, there was no reply.

Instead, Shiron pushed open the large stone door.

They climbed the stairs and walked down the hallway. Victor should have been suspicious of how Shiron was navigating a place he had never been to before as if it were his own, but there was no room for such thoughts right now.

Before she could question it, Shiron placed a glass bottle in her hand.

“Drink it. That’s my request.”

“…What is this?”

“A tonic. Especially good for men.”

“…?”

Victor, confused, opened the bottle and sniffed it. It had a sweet, fruity aroma, like a pleasant fruit wine.

Without a second thought, Victor drank it down. His deep trust in Shiron made him do so.

“Just in case, take this too.”

“Huh? Wha—?”

Shiron pulled out more bottles and filled Victor’s pockets with them.

“Ugh!”

A tingling sensation. His chest felt warm where Shiron’s hand had brushed against him.

‘…What’s happening?’

Flustered by the unfamiliar sensation, Victor touched his body.

He shouldn’t have.

Just the touch of his clothes brushing against his chest or groin sent a thrilling sensation down his spine.

“Ah…!”

“It’s working better than I thought.”

Shiron watched as Victor’s half-closed eyes began to drool uncontrollably.

“Hey, hey! What did you make me drink?!”

Victor demanded, but Shiron paid no attention and threw her forward.

Clang!

“Your Majesty. Please excuse me.”

“…”

Victor didn’t fall or land awkwardly. Louise, who caught her as she was thrown, let out a heavy breath.