I Played the Role of the Adopted Daughter Too Well

“Oh? Well, I’ll really make sure that you don’t know what to do.”

In fact, on his own way, Jeremy was proud that he had a good plan. Jeremy was the only one who promised, and this was actually a day earlier than the promised date. He deliberately created this situation so that Viola could not refuse his offer. However, her response was surprising.

“It means that there will be a duel between you and me.”

Jeremy doubted his ears for a moment.

‘Duel?’

On the dueling ground he knew? Really, a duel?

“Uh… my ‘duel’ and your ‘duel’ have the same meaning, right?”

“Of course.”

Viola pointed her dagger at Jeremy and Jeremy shrugged his shoulders in embarrassment. But even at that moment, he still didn’t lose his relaxed smile.

“Let me clarify the duel I’m thinking of. First, a fight to determine victory or defeat. Second, a fight that’s fought under certain conditions and forums in order to resolve resentment or insult.”

“Exactly.”

“Why do we have to duel?”

“Because you looked at me and my family too easily.”

The smile disappeared from Jeremy’s face.

If she said ‘because you looked at me too easily’, there was a possibility that this could be resolved through conversation to some extent. However, she mentioned ‘me and my family’. She mentioned ‘Bellato’. This meant Viola was serious.

‘Uh… This isn’t it.’

Jeremy was perplexed. He had no desire to duel Viola.

“I just wanted to explore the ruins with the young lady.”

“I didn’t promise, and even if I did, it would have been tomorrow.”

Viola continued to point her dagger.

“When you made this move, did you think I was a piece on a chessboard that you were playing?”

“Oh no, what are you talking about? I never thought of it that way.”

“Your intentions are not important. That was the result.”

Viola knew Jeremy was a character with an innocent and positive personality. He was far from scheming or intrigue. His intentions must have been naive. For example, there was a very high probability that he light-heartedly thought, ‘It would be fun to explore the ruins with Princess Viola!’, or ‘If I find a treasure while exploring the ruins, I can give it to Princess Viola as a gift!’.

“You made your board and acted like I would play on it. In front of so many people who follow you, you acted as if I would move according to your plan. Who do you think I am?”

“Yeah…”

She was Princess Viola Bellato but he couldn’t say it. There were too many eyes all around. The moment he said that, he had the feeling that he would never be able to be friends with Viola.

‘She’s made it impossible to answer. Did I fall for my own trick?’

Viola was basically saying, “Go ahead, take out your sword and eat it.”

Soon, the ironclad guards of the Viscounty arrived to control the people. Viola had requested this in advance. One of the people who had flocked there even asked a guard, “John, who the hell is that woman?”

“…”

But the guard was silent. In fact, they didn’t know who that woman was. She was a young lady of high rank and they only moved after receiving the Viscount’s order to actively support what the young lady was doing.

“Who dares challenge our Prince Jeremy to a duel?”

“Isn’t it the same as refusing to give roses to a beautiful woman?”

“It is, but…”

“I think this is a good opportunity to see Prince Jeremy’s excellent swordsmanship.”

“Oh? Come to think of it, you’re right.”

Viola could feel it, the longing of his extreme fans. To them, Jeremy was an idol and a god. Since she dared to take out her weapon against such as Jeremy, she should expect Jeremy to display his beautiful sword skills and gracefully subdue her. Yes… their eyes were brutal. How could there be no one on her side? In what way could she say that there was no prejudice?

“Prince Jeremy! You’re our role model!”

“Prince Jeremy! Please punish that cheeky young lady!”

Jeremy was in even more trouble.

‘Ah, this isn’t it…’

He wasn’t aiming for this… He was just wanting to meet Viola with a light heart. He thought he was pretty smart, but he was mistaken.

‘Do you know what I see? I see a naughty young girl!’

Jeremy scratched his head. He actually wanted to tear his hair out, but he couldn’t because the situation would probably get worse. The favor of those who thought they were on his side was twisting the situation.

“Then, shall we move? This doesn’t seem like a good place for a duel.”

* * *

Inside the Viscount’s residence, there were three gymnasiums used by the Viscount’s knights, one of which was being used by Viola and Jeremy.

“Lord Hickson, are they okay?”

“Just speak as usual. What kind of bastard do you think Lord Hickson is?”

The Viscount frowned. He had spoken softly because they were near the kids, but that didn’t matter to Hickson.

“Are they okay?”

“It’ll be fine. Viola is smart. She always thinks one step ahead.”

With a worried expression, the Viscount looked at Viola and Jeremy, who were standing in the middle of the gymnasium floor. He knew Viola was great, but she was only a twelve-year-old girl. Her physical development was incomparable to Jeremy’s. At that age, the difference between one and two years of age was huge. Besides, wasn’t Jeremy already called ‘a small storm’?

Jeremy smiled shyly and said.

“There are no onlookers anymore, so can I just apologize and we move on?”

“I can’t do that because I am a Bellato. Don’t you remember what I said?”

“What was it?”

During her first meeting with Jeremy, Viola had said: “Come to the duchy with the true face of the prince.”

“But the prince never showed his true self. He tried to make me move by tricks that were difficult to understand.”

“Grunt. I’m really sorry about that.”

“I think the time to fix things with an apology has passed.”

“Are you really going to duel me?”

“I have been sincere ever since the young master called me privately.”

Of course she wasn’t sincere. If she fought for real, she would be in big trouble. There’s no way she could fight properly against the small storm Jeremy. As a last resort, there might be a way to bring out the real Viola, but in fact, she wasn’t aiming for that right now.

“How can I fight the princess?”

“Why? Is it because I am a Bellato?”

Viola moved her head sideways with a look of disapproval.

“Bellato will not become involved if any injury or death is a result of a legitimate duel. There will be no regrets, so you can rest assured.”

“No, that’s not it…”

Jeremy scratched the back of his head. In fact, Jeremy had never crossed swords with a woman.

“A lady is… a little…”

“Are you speaking about the essence of that word?”

Viola was right. She knew that Jeremy, who was the main supporting character, had the mindset of ‘If you are a knight, you must protect the lady’.

‘It’s only different if the woman is a warrior who has mastered swordsmanship.’

If the opponent was a knight, even if it was a woman, Jeremy would do his best in the duel. And that was because it was just common courtesy towards a warrior. However, the current Jeremy was still young and would not have had the experience of dueling a woman.

“I crossed swords with a woman for the first time when I was 19.”

“Her name was Medea.”

“I couldn’t hold out against her sword for even 3 seconds.”

There was a story in the novel about Jeremy having a fight with a girl for the first time at the age of 19.

“I was originally a stupid person who thought women were weak.”

“But after meeting Princess Medea, my thoughts have completely changed.”

At this point in time, Jeremy still held the stereotype that ‘women are weak’, and Viola pointed it out correctly.

“You mean you can’t duel with me because I’m a woman?”

“That, that…”

“Before I am a woman, I am a soldier. Do you have the mindset to insult a warrior? Well, sir.”

“Oh no, Princess Viola. That’s not it.”

Then Tundra came forward. He got down on one knee and spoke politely.

“Master, is it okay if I fight for you?”

“You? Why?”

“I don’t think that it’s right. The master is a much stronger person than I am, but I don’t think there is a need to cross swords directly with Prince Jeremy.”

Jeremy ate honey and became mute. 

Editor’s Note: Korean proverb meaning being unable to speak. Equivalent to the English, “Cat got your tongue?”

“You won’t tuck your tail and run away from me, my master’s dog, will you, Prince Jeremy?”

He hated to admit it, but since he insulted her first, he really couldn’t refute this insult from the other side. The justification was there.

It was plain for Jeremy to see, Tundra was a fighting dog with blinded eyes.

* * *

Hickson stepped in as a witness for the duel.

“Well, don’t kill each other because that will make me tired.”

She arranged for Hickson to restrain them if the situation became too dangerous, just in case there was an accident. Viola was finally able to put her mind at ease.

‘Ah, it’s done.’

She avoided a direct duel while preserving her prestige as a Bellato. Hickson could intervene, so nobody would die.

‘I’m sure Jeremy will feel uncomfortable with me because of this incident, right?’

That would be for the best. Because of Jeremy’s personality, he would not hold a grudge. He would just feel a little uncomfortable. 

‘It’s best to keep a distance.’

Meanwhile, while holding a large iron sword, Tundra stared at Jeremy. Jeremy used an ordinary iron sword borrowed from the Viscount instead of his famous sword.

“Tundra, didn’t you say that you’ve been learning the sword for five years?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve studied it for over 10 years.”

“I know.”

“That’s why I’m using this sword. I don’t want you to misunderstand, because I’m not looking down on you. I’m just pursuing fairness in regard to the time we’ve each spent learning swordsmanship.”

“As you like.”

For Tundra, it didn’t matter either way. He didn’t think he was fighting a duel now as duels were only for nobles or prestigious warriors.

‘What I do is hunting.’

He was a hound for its owner. He was proud that his identity as Tundra was a companion dog.

‘I just need to hunt.’

It was okay even if the method was not noble. All he had to do was hunt.

Tundra’s mindset had changed from the main character in the original novel.

‘I didn’t like you from the start.’

It was like this from the first meeting when Jeremy walked out of his master’s room at midnight. That aroused Tundra’s anger.

Seeing that Jeremy was filled with a subtle mischief, he had just been waiting for an opportunity. He thought this was a good one.

‘Stay away from Princess Viola.’

Those eyes… It wasn’t the look of a warrior who came out to fight. Jeremy felt that it was the intense look of a beast wanting to chew on him. And that wasn’t incorrect.

‘It’s like a dog’s possessive desire to monopolize Princess Viola.’

He didn’t understand it well, but decided that he didn’t need to understand.

‘I just wanted to get close to Princess Viola.’

It wasn’t that she was a woman that he was attracted to or anything like that. Viola was too young to be seen as a woman. In the first place, Jeremy had no interest in women. It was just that in Jeremy’s eyes, Viola was a princess who was interesting and mysterious, and that’s why he wanted to get to know her.

‘If you go that far, I’ll have to as well.’

For some reason, he felt that Tundra was so obsessed with Viola that it was unsightly. He seemed to think that only he could be friendly with Viola.

‘You’re not the only one who can get close.’

As if he had read his thoughts, Tundra said, “Your eyes, I like it.”

“Anyway, I guess I really have to fight. You’re being really obstinate.”

“What?”

“That’s just… how it is.”

Their gaze collided in midair.

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Translator Note:

From now on you will be able to see any interesting editor comment in green. Since our great editor, Swamp Rat, knows some probers and korean expresions I decided to keep them here for you in a different color so you can diferenciate them from the novel text. We hope you like it!!

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