Volume 13 Chapter 445 Victoria, The Opposite of Hate is Not Love
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The night Sumeragi Kukuri returned to the Harem after the dating reality show had ended, a party was thrown to celebrate her victory.
”Kukuri, a sincere congratulations to you!”
”Thank you so much,” she replied.
Clad in a beautiful kimono, Sumeragi Kukuri was surrounded by the princesses of various nations who had watched the show, all of them showering her with blessings. Because she had bound (結) to Shirogane Aqua, she would formally leave the Harem tomorrow to move to the Shirogane Kingdom’s main residence. This was truly her last night here. I waited for a moment when the crowd had thinned to approach her.
”Sumeragi Kukuri, congratulations on your outcome.”
”Thank you, Victoria, it means a lot.”
We exchanged stiff pleasantries and professional smiles.
”I’m certainly exhausted. Would you care to step into the next room for a little chat?” she asked, a clear tone of relief in her voice.
”Yes, that sounds lovely, I suppose~desuwa you.”
I accepted her invitation, and we slipped away into an empty room. This way, no one would be able to overhear our private conversation.
”My congratulations again. How does it feel to be marching out of the Harem with your head held high, I wonder?” I questioned.
”Well. I never thought things would turn out like this, but I’m happier than I expected.”
Seated in a chair, Sumeragi Kukuri wore a radiantly clear expression, as though a heavy burden had been lifted from her soul. She gazed straight ahead. Her profile showed less of the typical anxiety for the future and more a profound hope for the path ahead. Yes, just like my sister, Kanon, who had become his wife… Honestly, that man is such a nuisance. Yet, seeing Kukuri’s genuinely happy face made my own expression soften unconsciously.
”I truly thought I would just stay here forever, you know,” Kukuri confessed quietly.
”…I understand completely.”
The Shirogane Kingdom’s Harem is a space that no other country can interfere with, not even their own. It’s the only place in the world recognized as extraterritorial. Even the nation of Japan can’t touch a soul like Sumeragi Kukuri while she’s here. Someone once called the Shirogane Kingdom a happy golden cage.
”This is a place where no one else can interfere… For someone with a complicated situation like mine, it was the most peaceful place in the world, the only place I could find serenity.”
”That’s true, isn’t it.”
It wasn’t just Sumeragi Kukuri. Su Shenliu, Shams, and even I… for all the problematic princesses gathered here, this place was a formidable shelter against interference from both our own countries and others.
”I was content to simply waste away here. Emily-oneechan is here, and if I opened the window, I could see Aqua-sama. That alone was enough for me. Victoria, what about you?”
In response to her question, I briefly closed my eyes to organize my thoughts. She was speaking to me not as the head of the Sumeragi family, but as just Kukuri. If that was the case, I should answer not as Victoria of Stars, but as just Victoria.
”It’s the same for me. From here, I can clearly see the happy faces of my sister Kanon and Hermie. That was always enough. But… ever since I came here, I’ve realized just how utterly imprisoned I was by that country, by Stars.”
And yet, I still love that country, I still love Stars. Even now that I’ve left, I worry about it, and I pray for a bright future for its people and its nation.
”Imprisoned… Yes. I’m sure both you and I, and everyone else here, were simply too trapped. That’s why we were so satisfied with the comfort we found here.”
I nodded at Sumeragi Kukuri’s words. We didn’t need anything more. We didn’t wish for anything more; for me—for us—who had lived in a cage since birth, it was absolutely sufficient.
”But I failed. I became greedy. I kept thinking, just a little more, I want a little more, and somehow, I ended up like this.”
”Hmph,” I chuckled delicately.
The same face materialized in both our minds.
Shirogane Aqua.
The man who shatters even preordained futures, who refuses to allow any kind of predictable outcome. It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a boy. He faces everyone head-on with sincere intensity, and once your eyes meet his, you aren’t even allowed to lie to your own heart. If you dare reach out your hand to him, he will smash everything—even if the whole world turns against you, even if God won’t allow it, even if your future is decided—and guide you toward the light.
Hmph. No, that’s not right. My sister and her friends would say he drags you down into a quagmire instead. But if the world you find after being swallowed by the swamp is a happy one, then perhaps that’s acceptable.
”I had been thinking about all sorts of things, but… when he said something like that, in front of the cameras, to the whole world, it just… you know?”
Remembering the event, Sumeragi Kukuri’s cheeks flushed a soft pink, and she showed an unmasked, un-performative expression.
”It just felt stupid to think about all the possibilities of a future that might not even come.”
”Quite right. Especially since that man and Yukishiro Emily are so ephemeral (刹那的) and completely thoughtless. Wouldn’t we look like fools if we were the only ones thinking so deeply?”
At my words, Sumeragi Kukuri clutched her stomach and laughed, revealing all her teeth. Honestly, Kohina Yukari and my sister say the same things, but I always think, You’re the ones who tolerate his behavior the most! When I mentioned that, Kukuri couldn’t stop laughing.
”Speaking of which, I heard on his radio show recently, a listener asked Aqua-sama how he would spend his last few minutes if a meteor were going to crash in five minutes. He said he’d immediately train himself and evolve to be able to destroy the meteor in under five minutes. It’s completely nonsensical!”
”The terrifying thing is that with him and Morikawa Kaede, it feels genuinely possible. And Yukishiro Emily, who was the listener, just looked completely enlightened and kept saying, ‘As expected of Aqua-sama’ until the end.”
There is no greater waste of time than the radio show when that man is with Yukishiro Emily or Morikawa Kaede. The three of them genuinely don’t think about anything. Well, they do think, but then you feel so foolish, trapped by your own petty worries, that you realize how ridiculously small your own problems are.
”That’s why I was so happy. He said he would protect me, no matter who or what the threat was. After hearing that, I had no choice but to make a commitment, didn’t I?”
”Yes. I understand that feeling well.”
Sumeragi Kukuri stared intently into my eyes.
”Victoria, please be careful.”
”Eh?”
Careful of what, exactly? Sumeragi Kukuri smiled at me, then smoothly rose from the chair.
”That man doesn’t care about your resolve or your current situation; he’s someone who comes at you head-on and crashes into you. I had planned to tell you to be honest with your feelings and not lie when the time came, but I know now from my own experience that you can’t lie or deceive yourself in front of him. So instead, I’ll warn you: be prepared for when that moment arrives.”
Sumeragi Kukuri stretched lightly to loosen her body, then began walking toward the door.
”Well, I must go now. It wouldn’t do for the main person to be gone any longer. Victoria, thank you. That was fun.”
”Thank you, too. I’m glad I could speak with you before you left the Harem.”
I watched Sumeragi Kukuri leave the room with a calm smile. Commitment, she said. What do I actually want with that man?
Frankly, I’m perfectly happy the way things are. No pregnancy, no marriage. Just a fleeting, instinctive embrace where we lie with each other and chase pleasure. That’s enough. Whether there is love or a future doesn’t matter to me. Yes, it doesn’t. Because I am…
”Victoria-sama.”
Aqua’s voice jolted me back to the present.
”Ah…”
His lips gently touched mine. That simple contact alone dragged me back to reality. I wrapped my arms around Shirogane Aqua’s neck, pressing my body close to his and reciprocating his kiss.
Oh my. The heat pressing into my abdomen is already so firm and hard. The warmth travels through my belly and straight to my core. Honestly, the female body is such a hassle. It reacts to the seed of a male who wants to procreate, throbbing all by itself, completely independent of my thoughts or will.
”Fine. Come here.”
I feigned an air of confidence, leading him to the bed. I had intended to simply satisfy my lust with a quick, uncomplicated position to avoid any emotional entanglement. However, a flicker of Sumeragi Kukuri’s happy face crossed my mind, and I thought, perhaps seeing the way he wants me isn’t so bad after all.
”Victoria-sama, you’re beautiful,” he whispered.
”Yes, I know that, don’t I,” I asserted with confidence.
A lie. Compared to my stunning grandmother and Kanon, who is her spitting image when young, I know my own looks aren’t particularly remarkable. Even so, this man is sincerely telling me he finds me beautiful, from the bottom of his heart. I took his hand and brought it to my chest.
”Save your words. Come now, let’s do what feels good.”
Because that’s all we are, isn’t it? Nothing more, nothing less.
A slow intake of breath escaped me as his hot presence slipped inside me. My body, which had been tense the first time, knew the pleasure that awaited, and willingly accepted him, molding itself to his shape.
I felt myself losing the line between us, the boundary gradually dissolving with every rhythmic thrust of his hips. Our heat mingled, becoming a single, uniform temperature, until the line where our skin met became indistinguishable. I suppose I’m in no position to criticize him, Yukishiro Emily, or Morikawa Kaede either. I surrendered everything to him, chasing a momentary climax and pushing away all my concerns.
A shudder ran through me.
Ah. He finished, didn’t he. I looked at his face, a blush creeping up my cheeks. Honestly, the look on his face when he releases is the only time he’s truly cute. I wrapped my arms around him and held his head against my chest. I finally understood why Kohina Yukari always wants to pamper him.
”You’re still large. It’s alright. Do whatever you like, for as long as you want. It’s not like any man other than you is going to use this body anyway,” I whispered against his hair.
I didn’t want to open my legs to anyone else, but I certainly wasn’t going to tell him that, or he’d get too conceited.
Ah.
He pushed deeper than before. Hitting my deepest point, the sensation threatened to completely invade my mind. Honestly, instinct is such a bother. It so easily blows away reason. I believe that reason is what makes us human. Therefore, this is purely the pursuit of biological pleasure.
A soft gasp escaped my lips.
He repeatedly tapped my deepest core, a sensation so intense it truly felt like my mind would break. Consume my body more. Love me more. Look at me more. Just for now… only think of me. No! Stop! That’s wrong!
A cry of protest escaped me.
I turned my face away from him, using my weak arms to push against his hard, unyielding chest. Any more than this… is just too much, I can’t handle it.
My lips were easily captured, and I answered the movement of his tongue with a deep, consuming kiss. If only I weren’t trapped in this complicated position, I would…
No! I must not think that!
Perhaps it was my talk with Sumeragi Kukuri. The honest part of me that I usually suppressed with reason was trying to emerge.
Ah.
I had thought about it before. How happy I would be if I were loved by this man as simply one woman.
”I… I like you.”
”I like you too, Victoria-sama,” he said softly.
No. This isn’t right! I quickly tried to cover my words, telling him that I merely liked having s*x with him. But I couldn’t quite pull off the lie.
”I like Victoria-sama because you always try your best, regardless of whether or not we are intimate.”
Why… why! Why do you give me the very words I want to hear the most? Not from my mother, not from the people, not from anyone else, but you see me more clearly than anyone else! Because there are so many other girls around you who are much more wonderful, honest, cute, and beautiful than I am!
”I dislike you, you idiot. Hmph,” I scoffed.
”Victoria-sama…”
He gently kissed my cheek, which I had angrily averted. Stop that! That sweet, childish kiss is my greatest weakness! If you’re going to kiss me, then make it a deep, full-on kind of kiss! If you just did that, I wouldn’t have to think about anything but releasing my desire.
”Do you know? Hate is the same as love. Because the opposite of love is indifference.”
”You… Kohina Yukari says the same thing, but honestly, don’t you need to go get your head checked?”
My face was bright red as I glared at him, denying his words. It’s no good. The moment I deny it with such fervor, I’ve already lost.
”Therefore, even if you hate me, I will absolutely make you like me just as much.”
”—! Ah, you!”
That’s right. Nothing works on this man. Giving up on arguing, I finally looked back at him. And he kissed my cheek again. I told you to stop that! That frustrating kind of kiss is my greatest weakness, especially since I’ve never dated a boy! Do you understand?!
”Victoria-sama… no, Victoria.”
I was startled to be called by my first name.
”I don’t know what you’re thinking, Victoria, but I’m not a weak man who can’t protect just one person like you. Besides…”
Shirogane Aqua gently touched my hair.
”I’ve already made my own commitment.”
My eyes slowly widened at Shirogane Aqua’s words.
”The day I first went to Stars to snatch Kanon away, the time of the revolution in Stars, the incident in Hiroshima, Kanon’s kidnapping, and the recent attack… I realized that it’s not enough for just Japan to be okay. So, I have no choice but to change the whole world to protect the people I love and the country they live in, don’t I?”
Changing the world, he says. Only a complete fool or an arrogant idiot would say such a thing. Heh, I thought. I suppose he is more arrogant and more idiotic than anyone else I know.
”So, if you’re worried about something, Victoria, I’ll blow all those worries away for you.”
”Aqua…”
Truly, thinking too deeply about him, Yukishiro Emily, and Morikawa Kaede makes everything else feel ridiculously unimportant. I wrapped my arms around Shirogane Aqua’s neck and quickly reversed our position.
”Vi-Victoria-sama!?”
I smirked at Shirogane Aqua’s surprised face.
”Oh my, what happened to all that boldness you had just now?”
I mounted him, and then slowly began to move my hips. Be prepared. All of this, all of it, is your fault!
”Now, finish quickly. I won’t forgive you with just two or three times today.”
I surrendered everything to pure instinct, continuing to move my hips above him until I finally lost consciousness from exhaustion. So this is what it feels like for a woman to be overwhelmed with the desire to conceive.
A very good lesson, indeed.
I felt Shirogane Aqua’s hard presence still inside me as I finally let go of my consciousness.
—
Summary:
The Harem party for Sumeragi Kukuri’s departure triggers a moment of reflection and deep denial for Victoria. Her conversation with Kukuri highlights the ‘golden cage’ theme and Aqua’s chaotic, irresistible influence. Despite her resolve to maintain a casual, purely physical relationship, Aqua’s sincere declaration of love and commitment to change the world shatters her emotional defenses, leading to a passionate, exhausting physical surrender as a means of escaping her own overwhelming, contradictory feelings. The scene ends with her acceptance of her desire and his power over her.
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Character Insight:
Victoria’s defining trait is her rational denial of her emotional state. She attempts to intellectualize her relationship with Aqua as ‘purely biological’ to protect herself from the political danger of true love. Her final actions are a complete, physical submission, demonstrating that her instinct and love for Aqua have fully defeated her intellectual guard. She is a woman who sees herself as a ‘weak’ beauty compared to her sister but is consistently seen as ‘beautiful’ by Aqua, showing her deep-seated insecurity.
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Behind the Scene:
This chapter serves as a crucial emotional pivot for Victoria, using Kukuri’s decision as a catalyst. The author intended a ‘pleasure’ scene (Nocturne arc) but instead focused on the high emotional and political stakes of Victoria’s relationship with Aqua, demonstrating that even the most guarded characters are susceptible to his influence. It sets up Victoria’s ‘commitment’ and what she is willing to risk in the future.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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