I GOT SUMMONED IN A PEACEFUL WORLD

THE DEATH TRAP IS THERE PART 2

A tense silence had settled over the room after Lillianna’s assurances. It was Luna who shattered it, her voice cutting through the quiet with surgical precision.

[Well then, Milady. While I understand your personal anxieties regarding your… advancing marital eligibility, I do believe it is time we—]

[I said no such thing!] Lillianna’s composure broke, a flush creeping up her neck. She cleared her throat, forcibly smoothing the frustration from her features. [Ahem. That is to say, we cannot remain here indefinitely. I must ask for your patience. A more thorough explanation regarding this world's customs will be provided once we have relocated to my estate. Would that be acceptable?]

Her request was polite, but it was not a question. It was a directive.

[Wait,] I interjected, seizing on the new information. [This isn’t your home, Lilia— I mean, Duchess Albert?]

A faint, genuine smile touched her lips. [Please, Kaito-san, just Lilia is fine. And you may speak casually. We are, for better or worse, bound together for a time.]

[Alright… Lilia. Then, just Kaito is fine for me too.] The informality felt dangerous, a potential misstep in a world where hierarchy seemed everything, but I needed to establish some semblance of parity.

[Then, Kaito, it is,] she said, her smile warming slightly. [To answer your question, this is the Grand Temple, the only place in the kingdom with the power to conduct a Hero Summoning. It is not my personal residence. My home is… quieter. And far more secure for this conversation.]

The implication was clear: these stone walls had ears. Her smile, for all its beauty, was a tool, and I was acutely aware of how easily it could disarm a person. Beautiful, powerful, unmarried, and living under the thumb of a kingdom in crisis. The pieces of her puzzle were fascinating, and terrifying.

After Lilia excused herself to check on the "Hero's" briefing, the three of us were left with Luna. The maid moved to a sideboard, her movements efficient and silent.

[Would anyone care for more tea?] she asked, her tone neutral.

[Th-Thank you,] Yuzuki stammered, then gathered her courage. [Umm, Luna-san? This might be rude, but… Lilia-sama is so beautiful and kind and important… why… why is she still single?]

Kusunoki didn't shush her this time. She, too, leaned forward slightly, her curiosity overriding propriety. It was the kind of human gossip that felt strangely grounding amidst the cosmic upheaval.

Luna’s lips quirked into a wry smile as she poured the steaming, amber liquid. [A pertinent question. The reason, unfortunately, is rather… political. You see, His Majesty the King, Lilia-sama’s elder half-brother, holds a rather… intense affection for her.]

She paused, letting the words hang in the air.

[Intense?] I prompted, a cold knot forming in my stomach.

[To put it plainly,] Luna continued, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur, [the King’s devotion borders on obsession. There are… rumors. Whispers that any man of noble birth who has ever shown serious interest in the Archduchess has subsequently found his family's influence diminished, his trade routes plagued by bandits, or himself assigned to a lengthy, remote diplomatic post far from the capital.]

Yuzuki’s hand flew to her mouth. Kusunoki’s eyes widened.

[It’s a… sensitive topic at court,] Luna finished, her gaze drifting meaningfully toward me. [As a result, the Albert Ducal estate has, for all practical purposes, become a 'men-prohibited zone.' All our guards, stewards, and attendants are women. It’s been that way for years.]

The pieces clicked into place with a horrifying finality. The all-female entourage. The separate explanations. Lilia’s palpable tension when her status was discussed. This wasn’t just about a summoning mishap; we had been dropped directly into the center of a royal family’s pathological dysfunction.

Luna’s eyes locked with mine, and her wry smile turned into something sharper, almost pitying.

[Which, Miyama-sama, makes your presence a truly historic achievement. You are the first unrelated male to be granted an invitation to the Albert estate in over a decade. Congratulations.]

The word "congratulations" felt like a death sentence.

Kusunoki slowly turned to look at me, her expression a mixture of dawning horror and profound pity. [Miyama-san… was it? It was… nice knowing you.]

Yuzuki’s eyes welled with tears. [We… we won’t forget you, Miyama-senpai! Even after we get back to Japan!]

My blood ran cold. The logic was inescapable. I was a bug that had flown directly into a Venus flytrap. A walking, talking political scandal waiting to happen. If the King’s jealousy was as fierce as Luna implied, my mere presence in Lilia’s home was a provocation. I wouldn't be vanished by magic; I'd be vanished by a king's decree.

[Ehh?] I managed, my voice a weak croak. [EHHHHHH?! Wait, you can’t be serious—]

The door swung open before I could fully articulate my panic. Lilia stood there, her expression serene, utterly unaware of the executioner’s axe Luna had just hung over my head.

[The arrangements are complete,] she announced pleasantly. [The Hero and his retinue have departed for the royal palace. Our carriage awaits to take us to the Albert estate. I hope you will find it comfortable.]

She smiled, that beautiful, disarming smile, and gestured for us to follow.

I stood on trembling legs, the "honored guest" now feeling like a condemned man walking his last mile. The otherworld was at peace, but a different, more intimate danger had just snapped its jaws shut around me. The death flag wasn't just raised; it was casting a shadow over my every future step.