[Vol. 1 Epilogue] I Am Artistic

The world is a stage.

Arabella looked at a chessboard on a table near the window, in a tower bedroom. Everyone got their own room, but Arabella and Kousuke shared one. And Mochita slept anywhere.

The chess pieces weren’t on the board yet, Arabella found the board in a storage chest and just began to set it up. She wasn’t going to play, she just wanted to set it as a room decoration or, symbolism.

Animals, plants, monsters, and inanimate objects are the props. Or background. They don’t take any roles. They simply exist and behave according to what nature or humans dictate them to.

She lifted the white queen chess piece and stared at it. While humans choose their own roles out of their own will or not. However, no matter who they are, they share one rule: behaving respectably. Even the evilest person would shout their name and be proud of what they do. And even the humblest person would be proud or not blame themselves for their humility.

Maybe God wants humans to strive to be a good person. Thus, God gifted us with ego. However, that instinct, combined with their intelligence, leads humans in different directions, to different roles...

Arabella put the white queen in a random square around the top right of the chessboard. The royal family proudly takes up the roles of greedy and egoistic bastards. They are actually the most powerful pirates under the disguise of being saints without God.

The church, Arabella took the white king chess piece and put it around the top left, is playing as the voice of people and God against the royal family. But they often call nonconformers as heretics. And thus, they distribute their influence to smaller churches that are against each other. Seems foolish.

She touched one black knight chess piece and rotated it with her fingers. The neutral faction. Our duchy and a few other duchies, try to be the king of their land. While they get passed around between the royal faction and the church faction. They actually side with whoever is stronger, although not vocal, or they try to offer a compromise.

Then she put the black knight around the left of the center row. And she lifted one black bishop, while she stared at it for a while. The unknowns. I never thought there was a hidden faction in our politics. The dukes of the World of Library try to rule the world through their massive accumulation of human intelligence: books. And any form of records, even art.

Arabella placed the black bishop on the bottom left. She curled up her lips and took a white rook. While I’m traveling around the world with my fiance and this ridiculously strong party, I wish and also look for, the unrealistic role, or miraculous faction, that is called...

She dropped the white rook gracefully---so it wouldn’t roll---on the center of the board.

... a heroine.

A heroine is unrealistically kind. She doesn’t wish for anything in return. She lives for herself. But also gives everything to everyone around her. Even she would forgive anyone who ever wronged her. With some tears on her face.

A heroine is also unrealistically powerful. She gathers every single male lead on her side. From the royal faction. From the church faction, the neutral faction, and even the hidden faction. She F*CKS everyone without ever touching them. Everyone just gathers naturally around her like a loyal dog. Everyone barks and behaves like a slave. Even like an object. A chair.

She held her cheek and looked down at the chessboard. Can I find her? Who knows.

My fiance told me about the Bolly Kingdom, the Ghost City, and more interestingly, Murim. Should we go to Murim after this to look for a heroine? Who knows.

But I also need to finish my guidebook first, so I can fulfill my role. Arabella curled up her lips again and played with another black knight chess piece.

I have, if I may say proudly, set up my role perfectly so far. Maybe I can fulfill my role perfectly in the future. Who knows.

But I did spout bullshit that I want to leave a legacy like Father. I also did choose someone as my partner. And did set up the stage for my own story: a wholesome romance of an artistic lady.

Even numbers are beautiful. Or to be exact, I desire only to see pairs. It’s pleasing.

Why did I hold my fiance’s hand although he wore that dirty clothing? Because I wanted to prevent him from going away? Pfft. No way. I just wanted to be in a PAIR on my stroll~

Why did I refuse to be in his palm at that dinner? Because the dishes arrangement displeased me. One Oshiruko, one Daifuku, where was the pair? Why did I try to make my fiance attack that tentacle together with me, when Lady Adelina was in danger? Because I want to be in a pair. Did I want to help her? Pfft. Why, did I need to?

Why did I offer my hand to my fiance when we arrived at the World of Library? Yeah, because I wanted to be in a pair. Why did I rub my chin, imitating my fiance, when we were in the Great Library? Yes, yes, of course, because I wanted to be in a pair. And that was the reason too I held his hand when we were going up to this island.

Pairs are beautiful... Like when Saintess Flavia wore a crimson cross tie to match Sir Hal’s crimson suit. Or like when Sir Maxentius painted the doors crimson to match Lady Adelina’s hair. And only a great artist can turn it into reality.

Like me.

And of course, I cast a curse on my fiance when he went behind that tree. So he couldn’t get hard unless he thought that he was gay---which was unlikely---because my stage was supposed to be a wholesome romance: a wholesome romantic interest, not an abusive and violent male lead-

A wholesome moment like holding hands awkwardly or motivating each other while having a piggyback, not a naked moment like in a BL book. A wholesome couple dynamic, not cheating and whatnot. And a wholesome ending, like a kiss under the moonlight.

Therefore, my journey has been romantic and wholesome, hasn’t it?

The door was opened. Kousuke walked to Arabella with a disgusting grin on his face. “My lady, can I kiss you? Over the bed,” he said.

Arabella chuckled, What a horny man. Then she gazed at him. “No funny thing, okay? Just a kiss,” she replied fondly, and teasingly.

“Sure, sure! This humble person always upholds his promise, aren’t I, my lady?” Kousuke bowed and pointed at himself.

“Okay, then,” she loosened down her ribbon tie and lay on the bed. Kousuke looked like an uncontrollable beast but only for a moment before he was on top of her. Then she held his back and pulled him to taste the sweet part of her.

I too, tend to devise schemes, although artistic ones. So I think we are really like two peas in a pod.

Isn’t it romantic?

[End of Volume 1, “Our New Home”]