The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]-Chapter 392: Substitution

Who wouldn’t barge in after hearing something like that?

The prince, that’s who.

Because Xavier was suddenly caught in an awkward position after arriving right when he did.

His hand had actually been raised to knock on the door, but he stopped when he heard Luca continuing, afraid he’d end up distracting him.

Inside, however, Luca’s face was bright red with embarrassment, oblivious to the panic he’d unintentionally caused outside. Princess Kira clutched his shoulders, frantic. "Why would you say something like that? Are you hurt somewhere? Poisoned? Which part feels wrong?"

Luca shook his head rapidly. "N-No! Not to the degree of intense physical pain! I mean...I don’t think so?" His voice grew smaller, confused even by his own symptoms.

Princess Kira narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him. "Then why would you suddenly say you’re dying?"

"Because when I looked it up, people aren’t supposed to have odd heartbeats or have difficulty breathing while resting!"

"And sometimes, my chest even tightens, and my head overheats..." he trailed off before looking up at Princess Kira and Ada, who listened intently.

"Luca, that sounds serious, but when do you experience it? Have you gone to the healers?"

Luca swallowed, embarrassment swelling up again. "I thought so too, but just now you mentioned the tiny drums...I don’t know if this is tiny because they don’t feel so tiny when I see or think about him..."

"The drums?" Princess Kira repeated slowly, her eyebrows furrowed.

Luca nodded solemnly. "You talked about drums. About your chest feeling weird whenever Bunbun logs on. That’s how you said you knew it was love..."

"Oh!" Princess Kira brightened instantly. "You mean your heart! That’s great, Luca! You’re not dying, you probably have a crush!"

"A crush?" he asked, hearing a new term to add to the list of growing ones. free𝑤ebnovel.com

"Yes! Well, normally, it starts out as a crush, then eventually moves into liking, and once it becomes really strong, it becomes love!"

Luca stared at her in disbelief. "But...why does it feel so terrifying then? It-it gets hard to breathe. And my palms sweat. I feel dizzy whenever he’s around. It doesn’t feel normal at all! Doesn’t that mean something’s wrong with my body?"

Outside, Xavier’s eyes widened, his expression unreadable as he accidentally overhears this. Now he really couldn’t knock like this!

Princess Kira, in contrast, was absolutely delighted. She clasped Luca’s hand, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Luca! Those are all perfect signs! You’ve definitely got it bad!"

He flushed, growing more confused. "But how do you know it’s a crush or love and not...indigestion or—or a panic attack?"

"Well, does it happen randomly, or only when you see or think about him?" She asked, eyes shining at the possibility of hearing about a love story.

"Well, normally it happens when I see him and then I remember the lines of the book I just read," Luca admitted shyly, voice dropping to a whisper as if confessing a terrible secret.

"Okay, that’s certainly helpful. Because feelings can be like this, and attraction doesn’t even follow rules. But Luca—"

"Aren’t you already married? Don’t tell me you have a crush on someone else???" she asked gravely, suddenly wondering why a married person would even have such a problem.

"Huh? No! It’s not someone else, it-it’s my husband!"

"Your husband? You’re already married to him—how could you not know?"

Luca fidgeted, glancing downward as he whispered, "Because it was kind of accidental..."

Princess Kira’s eyes bulged. "Luca! Do you mean to say you married without love? Without even knowing your feelings?!"

"No—I mean, yes—" the guild leader stumbled over his words, heart thumping wildly. "But I never felt like it was wrong to be married to him..."

The princess sighed dramatically, hand pressed to her forehead. "Oh, thank the ancestors! I was terrified you’d be in some tragic political union. So you do like him?"

She never thought this was a possibility because of how she’d always seen them when they were together. In fact, she’d been so sure! So to suddenly hear this, color her shocked!

"I think?" Luca squeaked uncertainly. "But how can I be sure? And what about him? What if he doesn’t feel the same?"

He thought about Xavier and what could possibly happen if he didn’t feel the same way.

"Hmm...you said you read a book, right? Show me." It was a rather drastic approach, but she wanted to see what book was so life-changing it shook someone like Luca.

At first he hesitated, but Princess Kira was being really helpful and had experience, maybe she could help him and his brother who also had no idea.

So he risked it, showing the material he’d been hiding for a while now.

"Oh! This one?! Aha!" exclaimed the princess, who was shocked to learn that Luca had read a fanfiction written by one of the girls in school!

And that kind of all things! But since they were married, it should be fine, right?

Actually...hmm.

"I think this is a good one, and I want you to answer a few questions," she cleared her throat, which got the small animal standing at attention.

"Okay, first, do you dislike what’s written here?"

Luca thought about it honestly, remembering how he was so embarrassed the first time he read those parts, but he didn’t think he disliked it. So he shook his head.

"Good, very good!" Princess Kira nodded. "Then what if we change the characters a bit? Maybe the white-haired roommate has changed into another person, but the story remains the same."

"Say, another classmate? Ah! Maybe a black-haired one?" added the princess, who watched the color drain from the guild leader’s face.

Luca’s ears rang at the words, and he was suddenly horrified at the thought because the things in that story...! They are certainly things that were impossible to do to someone who wasn’t his husband!

"No! I don’t think it’s possible if it’s not my husband!" Luca clutched at his chest in mortification while the women before him nodded at each other.

"Then, if you weren’t married to Lord Xavier, would it now be fine if the character is replaced?" asked Ada, who was starting to see the point of all the questions.

Not married to Xavier? Luca’s heart clenched.

Why would he not be married to Xavier?

Wouldn’t that be really sad?

It would be, and somehow, it wouldn’t feel right.

So he shook his head.

"Hmm. Then, Luca, would the story be alright if you’re not married to him, but the character remains as is? The same white-haired man named Xavier?"

Oh.

Luca blinked, his tight muscles relaxing at the thought that didn’t sound so bad, just embarrassing.

He hadn’t really answered but the two women who have long sinced idolized a tomato would know one when they see one. And before them, Luca was turning into a human-sized tomato.

It seems like they’ve got their answer.

"Luca, I think you like him. Like him to the extent that your body would instinctively reject anyone but him," started the princess, whose eyes were beginning to sparkle!

She lived for this kind of moment! And they say love is stupid?! It’s them who are stupid! How could they not see the beauty of blossoming love?!

"Wha-what?!" stammered the flustered beauty.

Princess Kira nodded proudly, like a professor approving her star student’s progress. "Luca, all these signs mean you’ve developed a strong emotional attachment to Xavier as a person, and not because you’re married to him. In fact, I’m impressed—you’ve unknowingly surpassed basic attraction!"

Luca gasped softly, "Then what should I do? Should I tell him?"

"Why not? You already have an advantage!"

"Advantage???"

"Trust me," Kira declared dramatically, placing a firm hand on Luca’s shoulder. "Take it from someone who had to go to war just for a ’good morning’ text—you’ve already won half the battle!"

Correction: It was a war and an epidemic. And if she got her good morning text, how hard could it be for Luca, whose husband was right outside the door?