The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1268 - 195 - Devilish Smile (1)

Chiaki’s POV

We were all gathered around the large dining table again, the long polished one that could easily seat all of us without anyone needing to squeeze in or awkwardly fight for elbow space. It had kind of become our usual spot. At this point, sitting there with everyone almost felt routine, like the kind of thing you’d expect from a school lunch break rather than from people who had been dragged into another world.

The food for lunch today was the same as usual.

And like always, it tasted really good.

The cooks here never seemed to miss. Every dish had this warm, comforting flavor that reminded me that even though we were far away from home, someone was still putting in the effort to make sure we were taken care of. The rice was fluffy, the meat was cooked just right, and the soup carried this rich aroma that should have made anyone hungry the moment it reached their nose.

But for some reason... I just couldn’t focus on it.

My mouth moved, my hand moved, but my mind was somewhere completely different.

"Are you okay, sensei?"

Sakai-san suddenly asked.

Her voice pulled me out of my thoughts like someone snapping their fingers in front of my face.

I blinked and looked up, realizing that she was staring straight at me with a slightly worried expression.

It was only then that I noticed something strange.

My hand was moving on its own.

I was scooping food with my spoon... but I wasn’t even bringing it to my mouth properly. I had been lifting food and then just stopping halfway like some broken robot that forgot what its job was supposed to be.

Honestly, if someone had filmed me right now, I would probably look like a glitching NPC.

"No, I’m fine," I said.

At least, that was what came out of my mouth.

But there was no way I could actually tell them what was going on.

Because how would I even explain it?

There was absolutely no way I could tell them that earlier... I had seen the Princess’s boyfriend making out with the Vice Commander.

Just thinking about it again made my brain short-circuit.

I honestly couldn’t believe that something like that had happened in real life.

Stuff like that only happened in stories, right? In those messy drama plots where characters cheat, secrets explode, and everyone ends up yelling at each other in the rain.

But seeing it in real life?

That was something else entirely.

And on top of that...

It was the first time I had ever seen something like that myself.

Just remembering the scene made my face heat up instantly.

Seriously, my brain decided to replay it in full detail like some cursed highlight reel.

"Sensei, your face is really red. Are you sure you’re okay?"

This time it was Asada-san.

Great.

Now more people were noticing.

"N-No. I’m fine, really. Nothing’s going on," I said quickly, waving it off.

Very convincing. Totally believable.

If acting classes existed in this world, I would definitely fail them.

At this point, though, there was no way I could say anything.

Because the more I thought about it, the more complicated the situation became.

Is... polygamy a thing here?

That thought suddenly slipped into my mind.

If it was, then maybe what I saw wasn’t actually that strange.

Maybe relationships here worked differently.

Even though I personally wasn’t someone who believed in polygamy—I’d honestly prefer a simple monogamous relationship—I couldn’t just assume my own beliefs applied here too.

This wasn’t my world.

And forcing my own values onto people just because I thought they were right would be pretty arrogant.

Still...

Even knowing that...

I just couldn’t get the image out of my head.

Princess Myrcella had helped us when we first arrived here. When we were confused, scared, and completely lost, she had stepped in and made sure we had a place to stay, food to eat, and some sense of stability.

Because of that, I couldn’t help thinking about it.

What if Princess Myrcella didn’t believe in polygamy?

What if she preferred a normal relationship too?

Or worse...

What if she didn’t even know?

My stomach twisted a little at that thought.

So what should I do?

Should I tell her that her lover might be cheating on her?

But then another thought immediately crashed into that one.

What if I was wrong?

Maybe I misunderstood what I saw.

Maybe there was some explanation.

Maybe I had walked in at the worst possible moment and jumped to conclusions.

Ugh...

Why did this have to be so complicated?

My brain felt like it was tying itself into knots.

What am I even supposed to do...?

The more I thought about it, the worse it got.

It was like trying to untangle headphones from your pocket—except every time you fixed one knot, three more appeared.

And right when my brain was starting to overheat from thinking too much—

Princess Myrcella walked into the dining room.

The moment I saw her, my entire body stiffened.

Guilt hit me so suddenly that it felt like someone had dropped a heavy weight right on my chest.

I couldn’t even look at her properly.

Should I really stay quiet about this?

The thought lingered in my mind like an annoying echo.

When she noticed me glancing at her, she smiled.

A warm, gentle smile.

And somehow... that only made me feel worse.

My eyes immediately darted away like a kid who had just been caught stealing snacks from the kitchen.

Then I felt something even worse.

Footsteps.

Getting closer.

Slowly.

Very clearly heading in my direction.

Oh no.

I could feel my heartbeat speeding up.

My chest tightened as my heart started pounding so loudly that I was convinced everyone at the table could hear it.

"Are you alright, Miss Chiaki?"

Her voice was calm and gentle.

I forced myself to respond.

"I am fine."

The words came out, but my voice felt fragile, like it might crack if I spoke even one word louder.

Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice.