The Villainess Is Being Doted on by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Country 43
Pearl"s Heart"Pearl."
Grail"s voice rang in Pearl"s palace-there was something in it that was colder than the ocean floor.
It was enough to make the lord of the palace, the Fairy Queen of Sea, shudder.
She had never heard her sound so severe, so cold.
Grail had never become angry before. She was always kind and gentle, no matter what she did. But now she-, no, he, was furious.
"Grai…l…"
Pearl called out to him with desperation.
Hearing his name called, Grail smiled a little, but his eyes were serious. He smiled silently, looking at her. He pushed up his beautiful hair-and then it changed to clear, blue hair that was straight. His woman"s dress turned into male clothes. He now looked like the real Grail.
Anyone who saw him might think that he was the sky itself.
"I changed my appearance because you said that you hated men…but, I hope you don"t mind now?"
Pearl wasn"t sure about anything anymore. She took a step back.
She was afraid of him now.
"Uhh, I…"
"Pearl. There is no one who can blame us Fairy Kings for causing natural disasters. There are times when it is deemed a necessity."
Grail continued to talk, all the while, he slowly approached Pearl.
"But-"
Grail knelt so that his eyes were level with the now sitting Pearl.
"-You understand that it is wrong to involve the humans in a matter that is between us?"
Pearl could feel her eyes getting hot.
She could not understand why life was so unfair to her. Of course, it was due to her own thoughtless actions.
-Why is it me who has to endure such hardships?
She looked dumbly at the furious Grail. And she reconsidered recent events.
The reason that everything started to fall apart was because Tiararose had come to this country. Because it made no sense for the Villainess of a game to appear in the sequel.
However, in this world where everyone lived-there were none who cared about it.
The first people to have acted were the fairies of the sea.
It started out of a desire to make their beloved Aishira happy. They thought that Aishira would be happy if only she could be united with Aquasteed.
However, it was a futile effort to try and part Aquasteed and Tiararose, who cared for and loved each other.
But Pearl herself, cared little about this matter.
And the next person to make contact was Grail.
As he was giving Aquasteed his blessing, Pearl knew that they would eventually meet. But-she had not antic.i.p.ated for them to become so close.
"Pearl?"
-She had thought the Fairy Kings were supposed to be alone. But in the end, it was only her who was alone.
Seeing Grail and Keith laugh and enjoy themselves had made her feel gloomy. Perhaps she too could become friends with the humans? But that seemed like nothing but a dream.
"I do not mind being alone."
Pearl announced to Grail. Her eyes were emotionless.
Grail gritted his teeth. It was not the answer he had desired. He knew that she, more than anyone, longed for friendship. But Pearl was stubborn, and she closed herself in a sh.e.l.l.
But it could not be helped. And so Grail sighed-and then the doors swung open with a loud bang.
"Queen Pearl!"
"Uhh…hh…"
"Aishira Pearland, and Elliot."
While surprised, Grail was the first to address them.
Aishira was the closest person to the sea—but Elliot. And his face looked horrible.
And then Grail immediately remembered that it was he who had drunk the love potion.
"Pl-please. Can you give us an antidote to cure him of the effects of the love potion?"
Aishira pleaded. Pearl looked at the two in silence.
"Elliot, you have the power. Why do you not make Aishira your own?"
"Pearl!"
"! King Gr-Grail?"
Aishira was shocked to see him out of his usual feminine form-but she quickly looked back at Pearl. And she desperately made a case against the manipulation of a person"s heart through potions.
Then Elliot came forward and said "No."
"We are too different in social status. …The person that I love is a n.o.ble."
"Elliot…"
Aishira and Grail swallowed at this sad confession. They didn"t know who this person was, but he was right that the wall that status posed, was high.
Grail smiled sadly. Pearl stood up from her throne and pointed her fan at Elliot.
"And why do you care about such things as status? If you are a man, then you need only attain the power to protect the woman you love!!"
Pearl shouted angrily at Elliot. She had never spoken so loud until now.
"Men care too much about status. He too left me, saying that we were too different. A human and Fairy Queen could never be united. Yes…"
"Pearl."
Pearl"s eyes filled with tears.
Grail offered her his handkerchief to try to calm her down, her she would not stop talking.
"And yet, he said that he would take my name so that he would not forget me. As if I needed such half-hearted dedication…"
The tears that fell from her eyes looked like large pearls.
Aishira looked at her and was struck by something. Pearl had said that her name had been taken.
-My name is Aishira Pearland.
My family had Pearl"s name, and we are loved by the sea fairies.
-In other words, long ago, someone in the male line had rejected a marriage proposal with Pearl?
She had never heard of such a story before. The last few generations of her family had lived in peace. It must have been very far in the past.
-But if it were true…what a cruel thing it was.
For the man you love to marry someone else and take your name. When Aishira considered how Pearl had to watch this happen so close to her, she could understand why she had been hated.
And yet, Pearl had allowed the sea fairies to bless her. And the sea had always been calm until now.
-Was it all thanks to Grail?
Aishira stole a glance towards him. She saw that he wore a pained expression. That alone was enough to show that Grail knew of what Pearl experienced.
"…I, I am sorry. I will become stronger."
"Elliot, your tears…"
Elliot had stopped crying after hearing Pearl"s words. There was a strength of will in his eyes now. They were no longer the eyes of someone who was smitten by Aishira through the effects of the potion.
"It seems-like the effect is gone now."
"Yes."
"Then you should go. Go to this person that you care for."
He would no longer talk of status-that was what Elliot"s eyes said. Pearl smiled with satisfaction, and then she teleported him away.
Then she looked back at Grail and Aishira several times before sighing deeply.
"…I am sorry to have troubled you. My treatment of you, Aishira, was terrible. And I put much fear in the hearts of the humans."
"No, no…Queen Pearl. It is I…I did not know anything when receiving the sea"s blessing…I am so sorry."
"It is nothing. I was too willfully ignorant of the affairs of humans."
Pearl smiled faintly.
Then she looked at Grail.
"Grail…Thank you for keeping an eye on someone like me. I had thought that I had forgotten about him. I thought that it was only you…I am a sorry Queen."
"I do not blame you for that at all. You were used by an awful man. You must forget him."
"What…?"
Grail"s large hand moved to pat her on the head.
Then he sighed, put his hands on his hips and considered what should be done next. Grail knew that she had her reasons, and yet he felt that she had crossed the line this time.
Had she not caused so much damage to others, he might have overlooked it as childish jealousy.
"I would never have imagined that you liked me enough to cause a tsunami. I thought that you hated me."
"! I, I…!!"
Pearl frantically shook her head at Grail"s word. Her hair ornaments ringed in protest.
"But, Pearl. You must properly understand what you did. As Grail, Fairy King of the Sky, I will…"
"Please wait!!"
A voice rang just as Grail was about to announce his punishment. It was Aishira who forced herself to shout and stop him.
"…Aishira Pearland. This is no time for a human to intervene."
"I understand. …But."
Grail answered in a low voice after being cut off. He wasn"t as angry as he had sounded with Pearl, but it still caused Aishira to shake. She took in a deep breath and continued.
"Please. Allow me to receive the punishment in Queen Pearl"s place…"
"! What are you saying, Aishira? I do not require your pity!"
Pearl objected immediately, but Grail considered Aishira silently.
"While I may not have known it, I owe a great debt to Queen Pearl. Could you not allow her punishment to be to serve me…"
"You would have me serve a human?"
The air in the room became very tense.
But Aishira was not intimidated by it, and she nodded. She felt that it would surely be a lighter punishment than whatever Grail-the Fairy King had in store for her.
Additionally, it would mean a great deal for a human to wield the power of the Fairy Queen. Even if it was temporary.
Aishira"s decision was calculated. But she also did believe that this was the best choice for Pearl as well.