A story from Alberto’s POV~
Translator : KuRuuRuu
UNEDITED
The Crown Prince"s Bride
~ Sometimes Brother and Sister ~ 10
While drinking the high quality wine prepared by Marx, Alberto clicked his tongue in his mind.
──What a troublesome story
He was the friend Alberto had been exchanging letters with for a long time, whom he occasionally met with when he went to the neighboring kingdom, and after a long eight years this friend of him finally came back to Noin Kingdom which happened about two weeks ago.
Although his hair got longer, the atmosphere around him was just like before, having an aloof like feeling. With no regard towards man or woman, he was a man who was an expert in grabbing people’s sympathy, and while Alberto couldn’t accept how his lovely fiancée just allowed Marx to call her like before without any hesitation, Alberto thought that it just couldn’t be helped.
The calm speaking style he inherited from his father, as well as his gentle smile. Thanks to those, he was able to get into people’s heart easily as they held no wariness towards him.
He had been a clever man since before, and him learning the flood control technology seemed to be something he had thoroughly prepared.
Since he had also naturally memorized the knowledge of law completely, hereafter he would surely become a useful personnel for Alberto ── but even though Alberto understood it, he stared at Marx with a repugnant feeling.
Alberto thought back upon the day of their reunion.
.
Marx appeared to be enjoying himself quite much as the carefree son of a n.o.bility, nevertheless his body seemed to be thoroughly tempered.
[Long time no see, Alberto. Since the last time we met was during the Thanksgiving, so it has been two years?]
The neighboring kingdom, Sechs Kingdom, held a festival to show grat.i.tude towards the kingdom’s prosperity once every four years. As it was a very grand festival with partic.i.p.ants from all over the kingdom, each time, Noin Kingdom would also send an envoy to partic.i.p.ate and pa.s.s on congratulations from the Royal Family as well as celebration gifts. Noin Kingdom and Sechs Kingdom had a diplomatic relationship, however it didn’t mean that the Royal Families had a close relationship as well.
Alberto going to the Sechs Kingdom was not an official travel, he was traveling incognito. Thinking that it might be nice to see his friend once in a while, he left the Royal Palace for a few weeks.
Since that time, isn’t it? his friend laughed, as an unknown lady was there beside him. With deep blue hair with azure eyes, she was a lady with a neat appearance.
Marx put his hand on her back, and cheerfully introduced her.
[Ah, this is Irene. Irene Düker. She’s someone like my little sister……ouch!]
The minute Marx said someone like my little sister, she stepped on his foot. Marx looked back at her, who was raising her eyebrows while sending out dangerous gaze, and his cheeks immediately stiffened.
[Aah, yes. That’s right…… More or less, how do I say it. I have an arrangement for engagement with her, you see…… This time, for finding peace of mind……or not, for her future study she came here. I appreciate it if you’d get along with her]
Although he had an uncomfortable feeling towards that introduction that seemed to be pressured by Irene, Alberto went according to the etiquette and smiled.
[Nice to meet you, Miss Irene. I’ve been friends with Marx since before. If you are going to be engaged, surely I will meet you more often. My best regards to you]
As Alberto called out to her, she raised her head and looked at him. Although she didn’t seem to be an overly self-conscious lady, she obviously looked at him absentmindedly, and put her hand on her cheeks. Then, hooh, she let out a sigh.
[The real one……]
She faintly muttered out those words. Alberto didn’t have the slightest idea of what did she mean by the real thing, and she kept on feverishly staring at him with her sparkling and glittering azure eyes. He was troubled by that reaction of her.
With her future fiancé right beside her, isn’t having that kind of gaze kind of bad? was what Alberto thought.
Although he felt that it contained a feeling different from a romantic one, if Alberto were Marx, he would surely send out a murderous intent towards that other man right away.
Yes ── if the girl is Christina, that is.
As he thought so, Alberto’s gaze turned cold.
──If by any chance Christina were to look at other man like this, I’ll take her to my room, and by using every possible kind of trick a.s.sault her in order to express my love.
After resolving the incident with Clara, Alberto and Christina had pa.s.sed the time very harmoniously. A healthy relationship ── the Prime Minister who ordered such things, perhaps gave in to the atmosphere of his daughter who was working hard on the wedding preparation, as he often overlooked a lot of things recently. Even the surveillance of the maids was getting looser compared to before, thus within the range of not defiling her, Alberto enjoyed their time together to his heart’s content.
Although sometime he wanted to be cruel, when he was faced with his adorable fiancée’s crying face, he had no choice but to back down.
──I want to quickly marry her.
For Alberto who spent every day enduring himself impatiently, even thinking of an a.s.sumed situation was enough to irritate him. Precisely because he loved her, thus jealousy was deeply ingrained within him. Nevertheless because he loved her, no matter what kind of situation it would be, he would never let go of her hand. Instead, let’s tease her in a way that while it might frighten her but also feels good ── that’s a good plan.
Reaching a crooked conclusion, Alberto’s eyes changed into one that slightly looked like a dead fish’ eyes, and looking at that kind of face, Marx nudged Irene with his elbow.
[Oi, hey. Greeting]
After being urged by Marx, she quickly came to her sense. She corrected her posture, held the hem of her skirt, and bowed her head.
[Nice to meet you, Your Highness Prince Alberto. I am very much happy to be able to meet you]
[Sorry. This one here, seems to be nervous when she’s in front of the royalty, you see. Maybe there will be more suspicious acts coming from her from now on, but I hope you won’t pay any mind to it”
Alberto realized that he was not keeping up the expression on his face, and suu he took a breath. He looked at Marx and showed a gentle smile.
[Is that so. Since I didn’t know that you had an engagement in plan, I was perplexed]
When he smoothly told an excuse, Marx lowered his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders.
[Well, we don’t really talk about this kind of things]
[You’re right about that]
Marx and Alberto didn’t talk about their love affair to each other. Although it was because they were both man, but it was also because when it came to love story, they both might recalled some past they didn’t want to remember.
Perhaps Marx also remembered the past, as the atmosphere around them both became awkward, and Alberto finally continued his words.
[……Next time, I’ll also let you meet with Christina. But before that maybe with Anna first. Anna was looking forward to meet you after all]
[Thank you. Is Hime-sama just like before, a tomboyish little devil?]
With face that showed his complete change of feeling, Marx asked back.
Alberto imagined his little sister’s appearance in his mind, and laughed bitterly.
Even during the incident with Clara, his sister was as usual being such a little devil she is. ──To not meet her for a month, you will surely be dumped by Chris onee-sama, onii-sama. Eh, there’s also no contact from onee-sama? Aren’t you already being hated? ── was the words she spouted out ominously.
[That’s right. Anna doesn’t change at all. But, didn’t you also exchange letters with Anna?]
Just like Alberto, Anna also occasionally sent letters to Marx. Since you communicated with each other, shouldn’t you know? Alberto said, then with eyes filled will curiosity, Marx grinned at him.
[Well yeah. But, when she wrote a letter she’s really faking her personality, you see. Each time each time, it was like exchanging a letter with a sheltered princess, but that itself made me shivered and was fun though]
As expected if you don’t meet face to face you won’t know, right? He shrugged and laughed, as this friend of Alberto put on a face that seemed to sincerely hold an interest in his little sister.
──I don’t understand.
When his little sister wrote a letter she faked her personality, he understood that it was because of her high pride, however, what part of it makes you ‘shivered’?
Even when he held a doubt towards his friend’s taste, after that Alberto let his sister and Marx as well as Irene met, then they greeted the Prime Minister together.
When Anna was reunited with Marx, perhaps it was the nervousness from not seeing him for a long time, her expression was not as bright as usual. And paying no heed to it, Marx whispered to Anna, and promised her something.
While she was a tomboyish girl, the little sister held no immunity towards men; as Marx closed the distance between them, she was surprised and then blushed.
Alberto became a little worry. Since Marx’s lover that was soon-to-be fiancée was right beside him, he believed it was unlikely for it to turn into a strange situation, nevertheless, don’t have any illicit affair, please, he muttered in his mind.
Then the reunion of Marx and Christina, just had to happen on the day that I made her mad.
Christina who was talking about the wedding preparation was so adorable, he inadvertently absorbed in loving her, and was reflecting on it.
You don’t give any opinion at all, saying such things angrily she rushed out from the room though Alberto was able to finally capture her in the end; up until that part it was still good. However suddenly Marx came to visit Anna, hence Christina and Marx ended up reunite with each other.
Meeting Marx, while she was looking towards him, a G.o.ddess ── like an illusion, she showed an exceedingly beautiful smile.
Alberto killed Marx once in his head right away.
What do you mean by this. ──Do you like Marx better than me!?
The fl.u.s.tered Alberto harbored suspicion born from his jealousy, however unexpectedly Christina did not remember anything about Marx. Her G.o.ddess smile was only in the beginning, and after that it was the usual Christina.
So what’s with that first smile──even while he kept on thinking such things, Alberto explained it simply, and Christina had a blank look and seemed to have remember Marx.
Since the way she greeted the two was very graceful, it couldn’t be helped that even Irene was entranced by her. Even during their conversation with Marx, Irene kept on staring at Christina with eyes that shone strangely.
The moment Alberto joined the conversation, this time she was pointing that shining eyes to him.
──It is certainly a suspicious act
It’s not like I don’t think about her suspicious act, but it really is just like what Marx said, Alberto told himself.
Right after Marx introduced Irene, this time the little sister suddenly ran away with teary eyes without even giving any greetings.
What has it become to, Alberto grinded his teeth in his mind towards the chaotic situation.
After throwing a tantrum, Anna didn’t give a response even when one visited her room for half day. Though Alberto worried about it, but in the end he decided to postpone looking after Anna’s trouble.
Above all, the most important thing right now was to appease Christina’s anger, and thus he sent her until they reached her home.
For Alberto who had an unpleasant past of ever letting Christina returned home alone, I will never repeat the same mistake, he vowed in his heart.
That’s why, no matter how much she refuses it, I will absolutely send her home.
Even while she was angry and acted cold, nee, she called Alberto, please called the maid, and depended on him, even her spoiled request was somehow unbearably adorable.
In the end, is she not angry──? he thought, but since she was trying her best to seemed angry, for her sake, Alberto apologized to her with all sincerity inside the carriage.
Holding her hand, circling his hand around her waist, looking into her eyes, he spitted out words of apology and love. While they were talking, her cheeks blushed, her eyes became dewy, with her heart throbbing for him like this, her expression became very adorable.
As he unintentionally became pa.s.sionate, before one knew it ended in a situation where he put all his power to win her heart, but since in the end she finally agreed to reconcile with him, it was all alright.
Although the outcome ended up being completely different than what he imagined when he first met Irene, reality was such a thing.
For Alberto who was engrossed with his adorable fiancée, even if he could have a delusion of teasing her, there was no way for him to do it in reality.
.
Thus after a lot of things happened during the reunion, his friend’s house held a tea party──
Alberto calmly looked during the conversation in the tea room and bitterly thought, Irene seems to have some kind of circ.u.mstances. And then Alberto’s premonition was right on the mark.
After disturbing Alberto’s secret date with Christina, Marx invited them to his own room, then said that he didn’t have any intention of marrying Irene.
Since a long time ago, he was someone whose thinking was hard to understand and was always cladded in frivolous atmosphere, nevertheless for him to just push the trouble to others──unlike his usual self, Alberto had a coa.r.s.e thought about Marx.
For Alberto, the most important thing right now was to make progress about his and Christina’s wedding safely.
Even as it is, he had given a bad image in front of the Prime Minister due to the incident with Clara, and his important Christina was hurt as well.
From now on, no matter what kind of rumor, no matter what kind of obstacle, I won’t let Christina bear it, I’ll make her happy──just when I was saying such things pa.s.sionately, this kind of thing happened.
──What’s with all of this. Is G.o.d testing me? Just how much trouble must I dealt with until G.o.d is satisfied? I beg you, please just let me marry her quickly……!
Alberto resented the G.o.d, however he did pity Irene, and since even Christina pressed him about that, he reluctantly accepted that troublesome story.
Moreover, his little sister was in love with Marx, to even be thrust with such fact that he never wish to know; for Alberto, misfortunes never come singly.
T/N : What amazed me was… despite it being a flashback of his meeting with Marx, half of it is talking about Christina As expected of Alberto, half of his brain consists of Christina…