Villainous Lady, The Obsession Begins

【Chapter 64 – From the Third Prince to the Second Prince】

 

Thanks to traveling warmly, the time it took to return to the main castle of Karinen was almost cut in half, to put it mildly, compared to the time it took to get there. Looking at the castle gates and feeling a sense of relief for overcoming a hurdle was short-lived, as I was informed of an unexpected visit from my parents, which made me tense up again.

“The Second Prince is coming here?”

Was the Second Prince allowed to enter Preseria?

To my question, Father nodded with an expression that showed he wasn’t pleased either.

“The youngest prince of Chitrum visited Preseria, and he came along with him.”

The story that followed was even more surprising.

The youngest prince of Chitrum, Gunnar Ambroseti, had fallen for the Crown Princess. The lovesick prince had volunteered to become a consort!

“Did, did the Chitrum royal family allow that?”

Preseria had become a great empire two generations ago. Even after the emperor changed twice, Chitrum was still resisting the empire using the desert as a barrier.

“Of course not. But the youngest prince went as far as a hunger strike.”

It seems the youngest prince, like me, was a late child and monopolized the affection of the royal elders. When such a child rebelled for the first time in his life, the King of Chitrum, who had been troubled, finally surrendered.

‘Indeed, no parent can win against their child.’

“His Majesty the Emperor, while feeling sorry for Count Lambert, is secretly welcoming it.”

They’ve been hostile countries so far. If they’re not going to absorb them into the empire, perhaps it’s better to move in a friendly direction.

But what about the person’s own will?

“Did the Crown Princess agree too? I thought I heard that she was on good terms with Count Lambert…”

Count Lambert is the Crown Princess’s husband. He was her knight since childhood, and now he’s the captain of the Crown Princess’s personal guard.

This time, instead of Father, Sister Elga answered while pressing her brow.

“Lumiere will probably accept it. Separate from loving Count Lambert, she wouldn’t refuse an exotic handsome man who rolled in on his own.”

“Uh…”

The Crown Princess was into that too?

As if hearing my inner thoughts, my sister naturally added,

“Yes. Minuelle, just like you.”

“S-Sister!”

While liking handsome men wasn’t a flaw, it was still embarrassing to hear it said in front of my parents. But Father went even further.

“She inherited that aspect directly from Judith.”

“What?”

“She married me, didn’t she?”

He smiled brightly without a hint of boasting, looking like a flowering tree.

“Ah, I heard that Dad chased after Mom…”

“That’s right. I fell in love at first sight when I saw her at the coming-of-age ceremony. A lady wearing a black uniform instead of a dress…”

It was time for the love story of my parents that I had heard many times before. Noticing this, I hastily raised my hand.

“Wait. Wait a moment, Dad.”

It was cute how my usually calm father acted like a doting parent at times like this, and it was always an interesting story to hear, but now wasn’t the time.

“I understand that the Second Prince is returning because of the youngest prince of Chitrum. But why is he visiting the Grand Duchy in the far north?”

“He said he wanted to get some fresh air after a long time.”

Fresh air in this cold place? Doesn’t Roquette have fresh air?

“We’re not too keen on it either, Minuelle. But His Majesty personally asked us to take special care of him, so it became difficult to refuse.”

“His Majesty did?”

Did the Emperor suddenly develop affection for the Second Prince?

I was just grumbling inwardly like that. As if the grumbling sound echoed deep inside, a face I had buried deep down suddenly came to mind.

‘Esadien.’

Did a sense of duty to look after the Second Prince again arise after he disappeared?

There was still no news of Esadien returning to his place.

It wasn’t just the face that surfaced in my memory. The faintly smiling face, the face looking up at me while kneeling, the hopelessly crying face – they all flashed by in order.

‘Ah, go away! Be erased! Disappear!’

I shook my head vigorously to erase those images.

‘I wonder where he is and what he’s doing. I hope he at least appears in one piece.’

Go back to where the people who love you are.

I thought that while stroking Elle, who was curled up on my lap as if it was natural.

‘Hm?’

But somehow, Elle’s body felt stiff, as if tense.

“Elle, are you uncomfortable somewhere?”

I stretched out its legs and body and kneaded them, but there was no place where it seemed to be in pain. It was just quietly letting me handle its body as usual.

“That’s strange…”

“Meow.”

Even though it meowed as if it was fine, the uneasy feeling didn’t go away. I was about to try to comfort it more when Father called, so I had to stop.

‘I’ll give it a treat later. I should make a new toy too.’

I made that secret promise to myself.

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I could immediately tell how my parents interpreted the Emperor’s request to “take special care” as soon as the Second Prince’s party arrived.

To think they would assign two servants each even to the attendants.

‘This is more like…’

Surveillants? In other words, a warning not to try any foolish tricks within the Grand Duchy.

What was more surprising was that among the Second Prince’s attendants, there was a familiar beautiful face boldly present.

Wavy red hair, golden eyes like coins.

“Why, why is Lafesch there…”

Isn’t the female protagonist too much like a bouncy ball?

Unlike Theodore, it was impossible to predict where Lafesch would bounce. Looking back, she had been like that since we first met.

“I really don’t understand what she’s thinking.”

I thought I wouldn’t have to meet her again once I left Roquette.

At that moment, Lafesch’s golden eyes met mine exactly. Neither of us looked away first, maintaining eye contact.

It was the arrival of the Second Prince, Austin Roquette, that broke the stare.

“Thank you for welcoming me, Grand Duchess.”

Without fail, there were two servants following behind Austin. He glanced at them meaningfully and shrugged his shoulders smugly.

“I didn’t expect such a warm welcome, though.”

“His Majesty is showing great interest in Your Highness.”

“I know.”

Austin, who brushed it off as if it was nothing, threw a smiling glance at me after looking at Sister Elga.

“So this is the youngest princess, the Spring of Karinen.”

What? The Spring of Karinen?

Before I could judge whether such a cheesy nickname was really circulating or if Austin had just made it up, his hand approached me.

It wasn’t a private setting, and all our retainers and the prince’s entourage were watching. I felt uneasy, but I couldn’t avoid it.

But at the moment when our two gloved hands touched, I heard a clicking of the tongue that I hadn’t expected to hear in such a setting.

“Tsk.”

What was that?

I was surprised, but Austin had already bowed, so I couldn’t see his face. Above all, I involuntarily shuddered at the sensation of his lips pressing firmly on the back of my hand.

‘Who actually kisses while greeting in this day and age!’

I’m so thankful I was wearing gloves.

To me, Austin said with a bright smile,

“I’m delighted to finally meet you, Lady.”

You’ve got to be kidding.

Looking closely into Austin’s eyes, I could declare with certainty.

His eyes were as beautiful as green leaves in sunlight, but behind them, dark schemes were coiled up.

‘This is truly a rose with thorns.’

If Esadien’s face was one that shattered everyone’s preferences, Austin’s face seemed to be molded exactly to my taste.

But Austin was too much of a bad guy to like just for his face.

“It seems the Lady isn’t too pleased.”

“Is there any reason to be pleased or not when meeting for the first time?”

Watching my face slowly harden, Austin smiled brightly like a child observing something incredibly interesting.

“Oh my. It’s a shame we don’t see eye to eye.”

And then, with that smiling face, he dropped a nuclear bomb.

“Marry me, Minuelle Karinen.”

“…!”

What did I just hear?

For a moment, my soul left my body, hit the stratosphere, and returned. When it did, my body was standing there with its mouth gaping open shamelessly.

The surroundings, well, needless to say, were in an uproar.

“Your Highness, I understand that you had no prior interaction with my daughter.”

My father’s verbal wall was relatively mild.

“D-Dear!”

Father and Brother-in-law Sodiem desperately clung to Mother and Sister Elga, who had placed their hands on their sword hilts without need for questions.

It wasn’t just chaos on our side.

“Y-Your Highness?!”

“What a sudden statement this is!”

Seeing how the people who came with the prince were reacting, it was clear there hadn’t been a single word about this beforehand.

Moreover,

‘Why is Lafesch glaring at me like that!’

It was eyes burning with anger as much as when she confirmed I was Palos’s sponsor, no, even more than that.

Would a laser that cooks cup noodles in 2 seconds be this hot!

Cold sweat broke out on my forehead involuntarily.

‘Don’t tell me she was aiming for the Second Prince after Esadien?’

No matter how many times I thought about it, it was too different from the original work. Wasn’t she originally not such an ambitious girl?

“Lady Karinen, no, Lady Minuelle. Will you answer me?”

As if oblivious to the commotion around, Austin fixed his gaze solely on me and demanded.

‘If he’s asking for an answer, I should give him one.’

Mentally shouting ‘Add one pumpkin here!’, I spoke clearly.

“I refuse.”

Refusal should be firm. It was one of the things I learned while dealing with Esadien.

But Austin was no less of a ‘my way’ person than Esadien.

“Hm? I can’t hear you.”

It was obvious he would keep pestering until he got the answer he wanted, so I tried to pull my hand away, but it was firmly held and showed no signs of moving.

Rather, Austin’s hand applied more pressure, making it painfully tight.

Still, I didn’t want to whine ‘It hurts’ or anything like that in front of this guy, even if it killed me.

So what should I do?

I stuck close to Austin as if I had given up on pulling my hand away. Until the voluminous skirt of my dress touched and crumpled against his legs.

His eyes looking down at me, sparkled with interest.

“I’ll say it one more time.”

“How kind of you.”

I smiled kindly, as if meeting Austin’s expectations, and…

“Hohoho.”

I kicked his shin hard with my foot hidden by my skirt.

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

Austin’s body reflexively bent as he took a direct hit to the shin… I mean, joint.

‘Yes! Fireshot!’

The effects of becoming healthier due to the contract with the spirit are showing here.

I grabbed Austin’s collar and made a fuss as if supporting him when he was about to fall.

“Oh my, are you alright?”

And I whispered the firm answer I had promised once again into Austin’s ear.

“I said no, you idiot.”

“What…”

Even Austin couldn’t hide his bewilderment at this point, but I ignored him and ordered his attendants and servants.

“What are you all doing? Attend to His Highness. He seems to have weakened greatly from the long journey.”

Only then did everyone start moving busily as if waking from a spell.

Austin, who allowed himself to be supported by them without refusing as he left, turned to look at me just once.

“I showed an unsightly appearance. See you again.”

His eyes, narrowed from smiling, seemed to lick me whole, sending a chill down my spine.

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Thank you for reading! ♡

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