Hickson’s apology was quite crude.
“I said…”
“What?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Of what specifically?”
Hickson’s face flushed red. Why was it so hard to apologize when you’re older?
“I hit you a lot in the past.”
“I heard that you became a drunken bastard.”
“Are you talking to an enemy?”
“Then correct my words.”
Viscount Seall put down the cup from which he was drinking hot black tea. White steam rose from the transparent cup.
“You didn’t hit me too much.”
“…?”
“I just stayed quiet because it wasn’t worth responding to.”
“Okay?”
“I decided that responding to violence with violence was not befitting the dignity of a nobleman.”
Viscount Seall laughed, “it’s in the past.”
“Really?”
“When you lost your daughter, I honestly thought you would go nuts.”
Hickson frowned. He made up his mind to come and apologize, but it felt like his sore heart was being squeezed. Should he just accept this jab? For a moment, he had the feeling that since he had long been known as a madman anyway, it wouldn’t matter if he acted as a madman.
“My heart was evil. Would you like to hit me?”
“You really know how to inflict harm with your words, yes? I thought my ears would bleed because you always used to talk about dignity and honor.”
“Let’s make an agreement.”
Viscount Seall held out his right hand.
“Seall, I confess that I had an evil heart and I apologize. I beg your forgiveness.”
“I can’t think why not. Anyway, do you also accept my apology? Do you want to say anything else to me?”
Hickson grasped Viscount Seall’s hand.
“Just… it’s a pity about your son.”
A strange sympathy was formed between the two. One lost a beloved daughter, and the other lost a beloved son. Viscount Seall let go of Hickson’s hand after clearing his throat.
“I have a question for you.”
“What?”
“You claim to be Princess Viola’s guardian, right?”
A big smile crept across Hickson’s face. He shook his index finger back and forth.
“Yes! Didn’t Princess Viola ask me for my help?”
“Princess Viola?”
Viscount Seall saw Viola as a cool-headed and reasonable person. She didn’t seem like the type to reach out to anyone for help.
“She wished to have a good adult next to her. She said she needed an adult.”
“How unexpected.”
“What?”
“That she chose you as a good adult.”
“I know!”
Even Hickson thought it was funny. Viola said that she thought she was on her own and reached out for help. Why did she reach out to him?
“The Princess Viola I saw has a thorough nature.”
“I know. That’s truly what Viola is like.”
“Princess Viola recognized both your need as well as her need for your help.”
“My need?”
“Isn’t it because she wanted to help you, who is a fool?”
“You said Viola wanted to help me?”
Hickson pondered for a moment. Come to think of it, it seemed like that to him, too. His life changed when he met Viola.
‘She rehabilitated me from living like a loser.’
How should he describe it? Was it correct to describe it as a kind of salvation?
“Looking at the result, it’s correct that she helped me. But why?”
“Princess Viola is a ‘White Bellato’. I have never seen a more worthy successor to the White Bellato.”
That was right. It was the same for Hickson.
“Princess Viola seems to have a keen eye for judging qualities.”
Otherwise, these situations could not be explained.
“She reached out to you, who was no different from a disabled person, and she dared to come here as a special envoy and bring me to her side. And…”
The Viscount paused for a moment. It was difficult for him to speak. There was a child in the womb of the woman he loved. A child that would be born as a result of his wife’s infidelity.
“Why are you pausing, wasting time?”
“…she took over as guardian of my child.”
“What? Are you having a baby?”
The Viscount nodded his head.
‘Not exactly my kid though.’ He swallowed the words.
At the point he decided to forgive his wife, it didn’t matter.
‘From now on, it’s only me, my wife, and my wife’s child. That’s it.’
She didn’t know if he had forgiven her, but at the point he chose to forgive, he had to embrace his wife’s everything. That’s what Seall believed forgiveness was.
“My child has tremendous magical talent.”
“It hasn’t even been born yet, but she said she knew that?”
The Viscount nodded, and Hickson snorted, “ha!”
“What?”
“Aren’t you fantasizing too much about Bellato?”
“What?”
Hickson flared his nostrils. It was a very rude attitude.
“You know that Heron Bellato is my friend, right?”
“I know.”
“No matter how monstrous Bellato’s blood is, would they have such an ability?”
“…”
“Even if you have a fantasy, you should have it in moderation, old man. Why would Viola say that? The family will think it’s weird if she just helps you, so she had to come up with a reason. How could she recognize the fetus’ magical talent? Is she a god?”
Seall felt the impact of those words as if he had been hit on the head. Come to think of it, he knew that, too. Recognize fetal magical talent? That was impossible even for the mage tower wizards.
‘Ah…’
Seall was in deep shock and was unable to speak for a while. It was as if he could see a different side of Viola. Hickson smiled and followed him.
“It’s true that she’s the ‘Iron-Blooded Bellato’ who can wear a thousand masks.”
“…”
“But she is really warm and cute.”
“Your standard of ‘warm and cute’ is very strange. Have you gone mad?”
Really. It seemed that he was not very aware. Hickson couldn’t really mean that!
“But, it’s still a bit strange that she said it, right?”
Hickson was laughing, “hahaha!”
‘Viola’s warm and cute side is only known to me!’ He decided to keep this precious secret to himself.
Suddenly, Viscount Seall’s butler knocked.
“What is it? I told you not to disturb me.”
“I need to report that there is a great commotion in the manor.”
“A commotion?”
“Prince Jeremy appeared.”
The butler continued his report. It was said that when the beautiful Jeremy appeared, a number of women who followed his beauty became entangled and small accidents occurred. The Viscount’s head throbbed.
“Three cases of injury from accidental contact with wagons, and six cases of injuries from women pushing each other. Two of those incidents were from when they fought by grabbing each other’s hair.
“Is that about it in a nutshell?”
“That’s right.”
The butler realigned his glasses and continued his report.
“It’s called the new culture of young people.”
“New culture?”
“Yes. These people who express their likes to the point of madness are called ‘fangirls’ or ‘fandoms’.”
“Fangirls? Fandoms? There are all sorts of strange terms.”
“Some of them are quite radical. They idolize and follow Prince Jeremy.”
“What on earth did they say was going on at the manor?”
The butler took a deep breath. This was the main point.
“It’s because Prince Jeremy said he was waiting for a beautiful young lady…”
So the uproar grew even bigger. Some extreme fans, who assumed that the ‘beautiful young lady’ was themselves, grabbed each other’s hair and even fought.
“But it looks like he is waiting for Princess Viola.”
* * *
[I’ll be waiting for you at the town square.]Viola frowned. At the end of the short note was the engraved name ‘Jeremy’. Viola recalled the contents of the novel.
“Whenever Jeremy appeared in town without a disguise, accidents caused by extreme fandom never ceased.”
She could tell without looking. There would already be a commotion.
‘Because it’s in the early days of fandom culture…’
The author actually wrote it himself. He said that Jeremy was like a first-generation idol in this world. Before the mature fandom culture took root, it could be seen as the initial stage. That’s why this was better than Korea in the 21st century, which had a lot more extreme fans.
‘Wouldn’t it be better not to go out?’
No matter how she thought about it, it was best to stay still. If she got involved with Jeremy for no specific reason, she might get hit with all sorts of abuse or even stones from that fandom. However, more text was automatically generated on the note. It seemed to be made so that the words would be revealed after a specific amount of time.
[If you don’t come out after an hour, I’ll sing a serenade to Viola Bellato.]Viola let out a deep sigh.
‘You want to serenade Viola Bellato?’
To Jeremy’s fandom, Bellato’s greatness didn’t matter. So the moment Jeremy sang a serenade to Viola Bellato, countless Jeremy fans on the continent would regard Viola as their archenemy.
‘What the hell are you up to?’
Viola called Zenon.
“Mask.”
“Yes, Princess.”
A special mask from puppeteer Sebastian Marcos. It so exquisitely resembled a human face that it was impossible to recognize it as a mask. After finishing her disguise, Viola started walking.
“Zenon, follow me. Together with Tundra.”
In order to prevent any unforeseen incidents, she headed to the plaza accompanied by her two strong escorts. She deliberately rode in the largest and most luxurious carriage of the Viscount’s family. She also asked the Viscount to arrange security guards in advance.
‘In this way, unnecessary quarrels will be avoided.’
Jeremy was sitting near the fountain in the center of the plaza. Hundreds of fans surrounded him, watching Jeremy by taking quick peeks at him. Some even signed out loud as if their lifelong wish had been fulfilled.
“Zenon, is the Viscount’s territory big enough for hundreds of girls to gather?”
“It looks like they rode here in carriages from the county right next door, Princess.”
“…Okay.”
“Do I really have to go to this extreme to meet Sir Jeremy?”
A fancy carriage and horses used only in wartime. In addition, a mask made by Sebastian Marcos, and even the security guards of the Viscount Territory.
“You can’t injure innocent people. Take great care lest they misbehave.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to reveal that you’re Viola Bellato?”
Viola shook her head. It’s true that Zenon was a great butler, but he didn’t seem to know the horrors of extreme fandom.
“Even Bellato’s name is useless in front of them.”
“…Really?”
“Their eyes will ignite with fire when they stare at me. If it then turns out I’m Viola Bellato…” Viola’s eyes darkened.
They would never look favorably on Viola Bellato. It would result in the creation of thousands or even millions of invisible enemies. Just thinking about it made the sky turn sickly and she became afraid. But her words were indifferent.
“They will disrespect Viola Bellato, and then Viola Bellato will have to kill them. I don’t want to shed unnecessary blood.”
“You’re a princess after all.”
They arrived in front of the fountain and the carriage door opened. Escorted by Zenon, who also wore a mask, Viola got out of the carriage. She felt the numerous stares. The threatening mood was electrifying and her heart began to pound.
‘No, Viola. Stay still.’
It felt like the Viola of the original novel was about to jump out. In one regard, the aggressive life of fandom was more threatening than the cut-throat life of a Bellato.
“You predicted this situation, Prince Jeremy.”
“You’re here!”
Jeremy jumped off of the fountain and bowed.
“Nice to meet you. The lady is here, but now I don’t know what to do.”
“Oh? Well, I’ll really make sure that you don’t know what to do.”
“What do you mean?”
Jeremy predicted all of this and deliberately threatened to serenade Viola. He thought that in this situation, Viola would be unable to act, but that thought was an illusion. Jeremy didn’t know Viola well yet.
From Jeremy’s point of view, a response came that he could never have imagined.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
From now on we count with the help of an editor. Please give a warm welcome to Swamp Rat!!
Hello there! This is RJR. Thank you very much for reading.
Next post will be released on August, 15.
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