The Winter is Almost Here – Q of Diamonds (Part 3) Note: Please don’t read it in the little pop-up for the reader. For some reason it doesn’t reflect my later edits (which I often make a lot of after publishing), so please click ‘view original’.
One Day I Became a Burikko Villainess n.o.ble Girl, . Honto tutorial .
Think of it as throwing money at the author and Alphapolis, and getting a book with squiggles and pretty pictures as a pleasant extra.
“And so, His Majesty agreed, and sent me here instead, you’re saying.”
I’m a little angry. Marrying me off in place of Camille?
“You’re angry, aren’t you… But I couldn’t consider any n.o.ble girl other than you, Beatrix.”
I don’t understand his taste at all. Even though he was with that adorable Camille for so many years he wasn’t interested at all, and instead takes a liking to me? I’m tall, and relatively muscled too. To think he likes a girl who swings around a sword as her job.
“Achille was in support as well. In support of bringing you, who knows about Frau Monier because of the story, into our Garnet. His judgement was correct, wasn’t it. You seem to know the thing in more detail than Camille, after all.”
…Mn, well, I was pretty into the game, after all. His Highness Royce might think of me as a really knowledgable person but… I’m actually just a gamer. Please don’t look at me with those sparkly and expectant eyes.
“The second is to strengthen the ties between our nations. Thanks to Frau Monier messing up various things in our country, there are a bunch of n.o.bles who want to go to war with Topageria, you see. In particular those old, foreigner-hating bureaucrats… are a little worrying, after all.”
War…? I can understand wanting to avoid it somehow. I don’t want war between our two nations either. Right now I have people important to me in both countries.
“The third is that by giving exceptional conditions for the engagement, I’m using myself as bait to gain Topageria’s cooperation. Right now the commoner extremists are hiding in Topageria. In order to catch them all, Topageria’s cooperation is essential.”
I was thinking that he was a prince who did nothing but sparkle, but that isn’t the case. He’s seriously thinking about his country.
“I really am sorry for getting you wrapped up in Garnet’s issues. But I don’t regret it, you see.”
His Highness stood up from the opposing sofa, and walked towards me. Every movement was polished and refined. While feeling nervous, I looked towards him.
“U-, Um?”
His Highness Royce walked as far as right before my sofa, and suddenly got down on one knee. Truly like a prince out of a fairytale. Despite the situation, he didn’t feel out of place at all. As expected of the prince-character, Royce Garnet.
“…I want you, Beatrix.”
“R-, Royce, what are you-? Please don’t kneel in front of me!”
While smiling, he took my hand while I was panicking… and kissed me on the palm.
“…!”
Rising up through my face… was a suddenly rush of heat.
“What a thing to do…”
Because of my unrest, the voice that I protested in grew weak… My heart is thumping away.
“I couldn’t hold back in front of you… Would the top of your foot have been better?”
“I-, I don’t have such hobbies-!”
I immediately moved my legs away. Ever since I’ve come to this castle, I’ve just been toyed around by this prince. Even when I flare up at him, just like this time, my pace is immediately destroyed.
“I’m not asking you to forgive me. But, I would be happy if you opened up to me, even if just a little.”
Royce’s azure eyes wavered in unease for a moment …at least that’s the feeling I got. Even though he used his authority to force me into being his fiancée, why is he making a face like that?
What is this? Just as I’m thinking that he’s pressuring me with a dark aura, he looks at me with pleading eyes like that… A kiss on the palm is… an expression of entreaty, right?
I don’t understand him at all. In my life so far, this is the first time meeting somebody so hard to understand. Even though the in-game Royce was so much easier to understand. Even though he was supposed to be a harmless man who did nothing but smile… The man before my eyes is somehow strange.
Even after that, His Highness continued to tell me about the state of Garnet but… More than the contents of this conversation, I was more concerned with His Highness himself.
I was concerned with him, but it definitely wasn’t in a romantic sense. I mean that I was concerned about what sort of personality he had, okay!?