I feel like this chapter makes our MC Camilla look bad (in the first chapter she actually appears), but she’s not a bad girl! Just very honest and kinda hot-headed. Give her a chance!
Also, sorry to shove j.a.panese suffixes and stuff down your throat, breaking the immersion. Translation accuracy is not guaranteed, as always.
Source:
Prologue 2――――I can"t accept this.
Just why in the world do I have to be subject to this?
Staring at the scenery of marshland as far as the eye could see, Camilla tightly clasped her trembling hands.
Certainly, she wanted to be the Prince"s fiancée.
However, that was what any girl of suitable age wanted. Conversing with the Prince while mingling in high society, people who didn’t become attracted to him were virtually none. That’s because even out of the royal family, Prince Julian"s appearance was particularly good-looking. Furthermore, compared to the straight-laced First Prince, he was amiable and had a sense of humor. How to say, his disposition was indeed popular among females.
Certainly, Camilla was the reason why the rumor 『Lizelotte Ende is an amorous woman』 was spread.
But it wasn"t like she spread it purposely. Camilla had just seen Lizelotte strolling alongside a man that wasn"t the Prince and simply brought it up as a topic of conversation during a social event. That story was embellished and turned rambunctious, finally falling at her feet for her to trip over. Though Camilla was the catalyst, it evolved from gills to lungs. It wasn"t essential for her to take responsibility for a rumor that walked up and about by itself, right?
Certainly, she wielded the authority of her house. She used it without reserve.
Using it to partic.i.p.ate in a tea party she wasn"t invited to, even using it to obtain the privilege of being the Prince"s first dancing partner at b.a.l.l.s; if she asked her parents then they"d grant her every wish. But that as well, what was wrong with using what you possessed? It"s just like how people with good looks arm themselves with their beauty. Since those skilled at song and dance used them to approach the Prince, what was wrong with using the influence of her family?
Certainly, she had gone a little too far. It was true that she confronted Lizelotte, made her cry, angered the Prince and troubled her parents.
But the fault didn"t lie solely with Camilla. Lizelotte faked her tears as well, and Camilla was forced to swallow many things because of her.
Feigning a docile face, Lizelotte was quite a thing. If Camilla cursed at Lizelotte, the girl would return the favor five times over. Even more than Lizelotte"s scandal, malicious rumors of Camilla would be spread by her"s truly. The isolation of allies in high society towards Lizelotte was something the girl had done to Camilla herself. She had only used her authority and a.s.sets to return that favor, nothing more.
And, Camilla wasn"t Lizelotte"s only enemy. Everyone else would frequently speak ill of Lizelotte, even more than Camilla did. On the contrary, Camilla would rebuke them for saying too much. Despite that, they quickly changed sides. Everyone turned into Lizelotte"s allies. Camilla, unable to give up on the Prince, was isolated, and she confronted Lizelotte in the end.
Certainly―――― Camilla didn"t act wisely. However, she never did anything as horrible as what the newspapers strung together. They just wanted to set up a villain for the Prince"s and the Baron"s Daughter"s love story.
Nevertheless, she became an existence sneered at by society, made to marry an ugly man who others were terrified of just looking at, and even now, she was being conversed about and laughed at amusedly in high society.
By no means was this reality something she could accept.
But, more than her scandal in society, more than being exiled from the royal capital, what Camilla really couldn"t accept, was the "him" in front of her right now.
「How is it, Camilla-san? Apparently it"s a wild boar acquired from the western forest. They"re very fatty around this time of year, and very delicious.」
Lord Montenacht of the Mohnton territory. In the courtyard of the residence on a hill overlooking the land, Lord Montenacht, also known as Alois, spoke as he stuffed his mouth with meat.
In front of Alois was a plate br.i.m.m.i.n.g with a mountain of meat, making her doubtful that there was only one boar"s worth there. With the meat still on the bone, they were roasted until golden brown. Just as Alois said, she could see the abundance of fat at a glance, the surface of the meat glistening.
Alois skillfully devoured that mountain with a knife and fork as he ate. The napkin that dangled from his chin was stained with multiple splotches of meat juices. But without paying attention to such trifling matters, Alois deliciously ate the meat, polishing down the mountain.
Slightly distancing herself from Alois" mood, she fixedly stared at his giant body. The sun was inclined to the west; it was still early afternoon. It wasn"t the time for breakfast, nor lunch, and of course, it wasn"t yet time for dinner.
「Alois-sama…… I believe you invited me for tea, so that"s why I came, but…… 」
「Tea, ahh yes, there is tea! How much sugar do you take with it? Five? Six?」
With a large table sandwiched in between them, Camilla and Alois were sitting face to face. On top of that table, hidden in the shadow of the meat was a pot of black tea and a small jar filled with sugar cubes.
「Alois-sama……I"ve told you, yes? That I can"t marry you.」
「Yes, yes. I"ve heard, many times…………」
At Camilla"s words, Alois hung his head despondently. Even so, it wasn"t as if his large body would shrink, and it definitely wasn"t as if his hands would part from his meat.
「You"ve stated that it would be impossible to exchange the kiss of vows with my current self. As such, you will not marry me until I"ve lost weight.」
「Yes. And so, Alois-sama. After hearing that, what your response was, do you remember it?」
「Of course! I"ll lose weight for you. I will definitely marry you――is how I replied.」
The impa.s.sioned Toad of the Swamp partly straightened up as he spoke. If he moved, then the table moved with him. In front of the tremor-like vibration, Camilla smiled broadly.
「Then――――」
No, even if she wore a smile, her face was as expressionless as a mask.
「Why don"t you put in a little effort to slim down then, you meaty toad――――!!」
Camilla yelled. Trying to wrest the meat away from Alois, she grabbed his arm.
The slight sensation she felt on her palm at that moment, she"d never forget it. She wasn"t sure who"s fat it was between the pork or Alois himself, but it had the feeling of genuine lard.
Camilla really couldn"t accept it.
How was she supposed to exchange a kiss of vows with such a meaty toad in front of G.o.d? There was nothing she could do about having her spouse chosen for her. From the start, Camilla was the daughter of a n.o.ble. She was vaguely prepared to be wed off into a political marriage.
But on the other hand, Camilla was a young 18-year-old maiden. Even if a marriage with someone she loved was impossible, at the very least, there was a line that Camilla would not budge on inside her heart.
And her partner, the frog man, was outside of that boundary.
That"s why, yes. Until his appearance turned into something Camilla could at least kiss.
His large body, his untreated skin and his neglected hair. And, the clothes that seemed like he didn"t care at all about the public’s gaze. She had to correct all of that.
――――Until he becomes human-shaped, I"ll train him……!!
Eyeing the trembling Alois, Camilla vowed strongly in her heart.