THE PRINCE’S CONFESSION AND THE PRINCESS’ MISUNDERSTANDING (PART 1)

In the drawing room where I talked with Ms. Christy yesterday.

The room was not exactly expansive nor was it splendorous, but a calming color decorated the furniture uniformly, and it was clean without a single speck of dust. Unlike yesterday, however, the one who sat on the master sofa and welcomed the guest was me.

By the way, I was still wearing my usual black dress. I didn’t really have any other proper clothes to change into, and obviously enough, you can’t get a new dress tailored in a single night. This dress is formal enough to not make the occasion uncomfortable.

And, quite opposite from yesterday, the one who sat on the guest sofa across the spotless table was a boy of the same age with pale golden hair, Luke (Lucas).

It’s been about 10 months since I last saw him. Back then, he was quite androgynous and cute, but now he’s grown a bit taller and wider, he looked quite surprisingly more masculine. Of course, that didn’t mean he suddenly had square shoulders and all that… His face still retained that sweet and gentle vibe, but, how should I say this? He has that growth boys naturally have.

And then, there’s that innocent smile he had for me. At first, I thought he was simply happy he could meet a friend after almost a year of not seeing each other, but… even after the light chit-chat we’ve had, that enchanting smile of his was still there.

Grin grin grin grin grin
grin grin grin grin grin

Confronted with such a cloudless smile, confusion brewed in my chest.

(…huh? I thought you came here to ask for advice about that marriage proposal that distresses you so much?)

For that part, that bright smile that kept on shining sure looked like he had no problems whatsoever, though? I tilted my head, confused. Is he finally escaping reality? Or has he come full circle and accepted reality instead?

Whatever was happening inside that head of his concerned me, but of course I could just give the straight ball and ask: “I thought you were here to talk about the ragweed princess?” In the end, all we’ve had is a casual chit-chat, though strictly speaking it is more that Luke was making small talk and I replied to him.

“So, how has your life been this past year, Jill?”
“I have been training and studying in Tenebrae Nemus whilst my mentor is scolding me every day, as always.”
“Heeh. For me, I already asked my father to start training me to become a full-fledged Dragon Knight.”

Luke puffed out his chest proudly before he casually asked me something while blushing for some reason.

“B-, by the way, do you remember the first letter I sent… to you?”
“I do. You talked about how you wanted to be a proper Dragon Knight like your father. Of course, I remember it.”
“Aah… yeah, that too, but… um, the last part.”

I don’t understand why he starts slurring words, but I still nodded, then recited the aforementioned letter.

“‘One day, I will come back for you on a wyvern of my own,’1 is it? How could I forget that? I dearly await for that time to come. That is why, hang in there, and give it your best. You have my full support.”

In short, the feeling of a boy who can’t wait to get his license and show off his ride. I understand that.

“So you will wait for me, Jill?! You will wait until then?!”
“Yes. I look forward to it.”

I noticed that the family steward, Royce, along with the maids who are waiting in the room, gave us this strange warm, raw gaze, as if they were watching something heartwarming.

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Huh. I put my fingers on my chin, craning my neck in wonder if I said something strange when Luke suddenly dropped a bombshell.

“I understand, Jill! I won’t falter anymore. I will firmly refuse to be engaged to Princess Syltianna, daughter of Frontier Count Aulanthia of the Imperial Kingdom!”
“H…huh….?!!”

Wait, wait! We only had some light chat, didn’t we?! How did the talk leap that far ahead?!! Seeing me wide-eyed, my face rapt, Luke gave me a reassuring smile and nodded.

“Rest assured. I know I will be going against my father’s wishes. I also know that there are a lot of things that rest on the success of this engagement, things I still don’t understand. However, I do not want to marry a woman I don’t love and fool my own heart. The Great Founder… great-great-grandmother said that nobles and royalty marry for the sake of the people, not for the interest of a single person. However, how can a man who fails to make a single woman happy be expected to bring happiness to his people? A forced marriage is not only unfortunate for both parties, but it is also disrespectful for your partner.”

Luke then became the picture of determination…

Wait, wait, you, wait! Think logically. You’re a preteen who’s still dependent on your parents, and a nobleman at that!! First of all, let’s discuss it with your family before you decide on anything, okay? Why, of all things, are you making such a life-turning, critical decision so casually in front of me right now??!

“Truth be told, it’s been tearing me apart. But, I was surprised I would meet you today, Jill. I even heard instructor Christy adopted you. She’s ill-natured, really. If only she told me about it earlier, I wouldn’t have been so distressed for so long.”

Yes, well, I won’t object to your claim that Ms. Christy is ill-natured. But, my adoption is hardly her fault. I mean, I got adopted literally yesterday evening.

Incidentally, when Luke was first guided into this room by the steward, Mr. Royce, he looked like a spinach leaf wilted from salt, but boy is he not springing up full of vitality as if he was a different person right now.

Well, what do I do? Somehow, we’re no longer on the same page starting somewhere in our past conversation, but I have a feeling that Luke suddenly decided to floor the pedal and go all the way to rebel against his family because of me.

Would it be safer if I lightly rebuke him here? I mean, it is going to suck to be held accountable when things are already too late.

Then again, something is warning me acutely that if I push the wrong buttons right now, I might just dig a much, much deeper grave for myself.

(Hmm~m. Well, Luke does make a solid point, but now I see him like that, he might be someone much more troublesome than I thought. Come to think of it, he is of Regina’s blood…)

While I was brooding with what words I should choose, Luke took the initiative to broach the topic.

“By the way, you knew Princess Syltianna, Jill?”
“Well, I do, and I don’t, in a manner of speaking… surprisingly, one cannot see when it’s right under one’s nose.”
“Okay…?”
“Ah, please don’t mind me. I was speaking of the old version, not the new version that you’re engaged with, Luke.”
“ ? —I don’t understand, but you see, I have actually had the opportunity to meet with her three times since last year.”

Hoho. You sure meet each other quite often. Well, how do I put it… considering the vast distance between the Aulanthia Frontier Count territory and the Imperial Capital, I can see that my father — the Frontier Count, and Mr. Eilmer are both quite serious with the engagement.

…is what I would have thought at first. Apparently, the Frontier Count side indeed had to go through a long-distance trip to visit Luke’s family —and that is even with them using the teleporter that connected Tenebrae Nemus with the imperial capital— but that was only for their first trip. They used a Shift Portal for their second and third trip, making their visit that much easier.

By the way, the Teleporter was different from a Shift Portal. The Teleporter refers to installed, interlinked gates connecting two specific points in space, making a shortcut — much like a bridge that connects two cliffs. While indeed the gates are anchored in place, people and goods can be teleported away freely. In comparison, the Shift Portal is a terminal that lets specific people teleport to any registered place they want — much like a facsimile machine.

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At first glance, it may seem that the Shift Portal is more convenient, but it can only send a person to the location they have registered themselves beforehand, and it is restricted to individual teleportation at most, and no heavy luggage can be brought with them.

In the end, it’s not a matter of which one is the superior option, but rather each one has its own strengths and weaknesses.

“In short, Princess Syltianna has been using this Shift Portal technology to come to see you, Luke? She must love you very much.”
“Well, I wonder about that…”

References

Mab: A little bit of a retcon. I didn’t realize the second meaning of the sentence.