Chapter 12.4 is here and I should give another warning that this chapter ends with a cliffhanger… >< But worry not as September is around the corner and there should be a lot of parts uploaded in September! Also, the heroine cracked in this chapter.
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Chapter 12 Bertia 17 Years Old (2)Part 4/4
Translated by LynneSuzuran & Senhiro
I watched at the [scenario] I'd created unfolding before me without feeling any deep emotion.
Baroness Heronia was similar to Bertia.
Therefore, because there is a story that follows the [scenario] from the so-called [otome game], there was a tendency for them to proceed in a way convenient to them under that assumption.
If you deny it entirely, they'd question if the premise has already been broken or not, but if you let the misunderstanding continue without denying it, it's highly likely that the story would continue without them noticing that the premise has already failed.
It's unexpectedly difficult to realize on your own that you have the wrong assumption about something.
That's why, I previously told Kulgan to not confirm or deny anything regarding Marquis Noches' crime.
It resulted in this situation.
Precisely because they had this assumption, if this assumption was destroyed, their unshakeable reality wouldn't be anything but a misconception.
Her field of vision was extremely narrowed because she was swept along by the easily understood depiction of the future that is the [otome game scenario]. As a result, she wasn't able to notice a thing until she made a decisive mistake.
The last chance that was given to her was completely crushed by her very own hands.
…It was very unfortunate, wasn't it?
"Aah, that's right. Regarding Earl Conmorno, Baron Sagil, Viscount Conservatier, and while I'm at it, Earl Uradil, whose name hasn't been mentioned up until now, both I and His Majesty the King are already aware of their crimes and connections to Marquis Noches. We received an intel about their suspicious movements. We asked for Marquis Noches and Kulgan's cooperation to infiltrate them and investigate. In other words, Marquis Noches isn't a criminal, he only feigned association with these criminals in his investigation, which means that he was someone who was tasked to arrest the criminals."
As everyone's gaze turned towards Marquis Noches as if asking, 'Is it true?', my father and I bowed our heads to confirm it.
"Since the investigation's finished and things have turned out this way, I'll have to arrest Earl Conmorno and Baron Sagil in this place. Also, in regards to Viscount Conservatier and Earl Uradil… The knights have already headed towards them."
…Despite saying that, actually, we've already finished securing Viscount Conservatier and Earl Uradil who weren't present at the moment.
Since I had predicted this, I had already taken measures beforehand to ensure their arrests.
After all, there was a high possibility for them to run away if we didn't speedily arrest them.
We can't afford to make a mistake in such a matter.
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"Well then, with this, your [objection] is dismissed as all just your own misunderstandings, but… what shall we do? You have tried to humiliate my fiancée and Marquis Noches in the presence of everyone like this, so it won't be finished with just this, but… In this case, it would be necessary to talk it out as fellow noble families, but first, you should cool your head a bit."
Baroness Heronia was astonished at my words, and the guard knight nearby seized her arm and stood her up from her previously seated position.
Although he seemed to be supporting her at first, his hands were using a lot of force and it'd be correct to say that he seized her in a way so that she wouldn't be able to escape.
"…This is weird."
Baroness Heronia murmured those words as she sat down again in resistance to the knight who was trying to pull her arm and lead her to exit from the room.
"Why can't you understand? I'm the heroine, and yet…"
Baroness Heronia, who had been looking down, raised her head and suddenly glared at me and Bertia.
"Why wasn't I chosen?! Didn't I act the way you wished for?!! Even today, I'm wearing a yellow dress!! Didn't I choose it for you?! Yet I'm still treated like this?!"
The knight hurriedly tried to subdue Baroness Heronia who was heading towards us like a demon shouting words whose meaning I didn't understand.
Watching her who acted violently even further, 2 other knights quickly came over.
"What a weird thing to say. I don't remember ever saying that I want to choose you, and I've never thought so, either."
"What?! Even though you're the android prince!! You, if you didn't choose me, then you would just become an intelligent doll without a heart, you know?!"
"…S-stop."
In response to Baroness Heronia who began to curse at me, Bertia tried to stop her by shaking her head with an expression that seemed like she was about to cry.
"I'm your [fated girl], right? You would immediately ascertain it if we kiss. After all, I am the heroine. The mark of the [fated girl] will rise to the surface of this body. Hey, Your Highness, you understand, don't you? If you don't obtain me, from now on, you're going to experience everything just like what you've experienced until now, a colorless world and boring days. Then, finally when you aren't unable to bear with that boredom… you're going to fall into ruin."
Although Baroness Heronia was seized by several knights, she still scowled at me with her burning eyes, desperately uttering her arguments.
However, I didn't understand the meaning of the words that she said.
She talked as if I knew about the [fated girl], but I do not know of such a thing.
I also have never heard about how a mark would rise to the surface with a kiss.
I turned my gaze towards my father, thinking that he might happen to know something, but despite his complicated expressions, he shook his head to indicate that he didn't know anything about her words.
When my gaze fell to Bertia who was in my arms, tears had already fallen on her face which turned from pale to white as a sheet, trembling as she lightly shook her head and muttering, "No, no."
Even while she looked like she was about to collapse, she still desperately spread her hands, trying to cover my ears to protect me from Baroness Heronia's verbal abuse.
I grasped her hands gently while telling her, "I'm all right."
At that time, I came to understand for the first time why she stubbornly didn't tell me anything concerning the [downfall].
She didn't want me to hear the numerous harsh words that Baroness Heronia uttered just now.
Because she thought that I would be deeply hurt by those words…
She is truly stupid.
So stupid and… really adorable.
"You have to have me, or it would all be useless!! Because I am here, you will be able to get your heart for the first time. If I'm not there, you won't be able to think of the people as humans, and would remain as the heartless you!! If I'm there, you'll be able to shine as the finest crown prince for the first time!! That woman, it's foolish to think that she'd be able to help you get your heart, she can't even attract your interest. After all, she's nothing but a third-rate villainess. That's why, stop these guys immediately and take my hand!!"
"…What are you doing? Just hurry and get her down."
I turned my cold gaze at her as she was ranting and raving around, and commanded the people, who were pressing her down, with a low voice that seemed to crawl along the ground.
I didn't really understand the meaning of the words that Baroness Heronia said, but it was certainly something that didn't give me a pleasant feeling upon hearing them.
I felt like there was a sensitive part somewhere deep inside my heart that I hadn't realized was there before, and it was now rudely clawed at by those words.
If not for Bertia who tried so hard to cover my ears while being pale-faced, I wouldn't have been able to keep my composure by this point.
"No! Stop it!! I'm His Highness the Crown Prince's [fated girl]!! A special existence that can't be replaced!! Understood? If you don't take my hand right now, you will definitely regret it. That's why… No! Stop!! Let me go!!"
The two knights dragged along Baroness Heronia who continued to shout even further.
Her hair had been disheveled and her face was in a mess due to her tears, yet I only looked at her indifferently while hugging Bertia.
At that time…
Gashaaaan!!
With a loud sound, the stained glass skylight which was right above our heads suddenly broke.
“Your Highness!!"
"Fushaaaaa!!"
I quickly covered Bertia's head to protect her from the raining glass shards.
Amidst the rising screams from the surroundings, Kuro and Zeno quickly moved.
Kuro raised a barrier around us while Zeno blew away the falling glass shards with his wind magic towards a direction where there were no people.
After checking the situation from the edge of my vision, I relaxed my arms and looked around to confirm the situation around our circumference. Then, I noticed that there was a ball of light that was flying overhead in our direction with great momentum.
As I narrowed my eyes to look at the dazzling object, I came to see that the object flying at such high speed was actually Baroness Heronia's bird—the light spirit.
"Shaaaa!!"
In no time, Kuro moved in front of us as she snarled at the light spirit that obviously held malicious intent towards us, trying to intimidate it as she strengthened the barrier's power to protect us.
The barrier which originally only had a thin membrane became thicker and it started to be clad in black lightning.
Nevertheless, the ball of light accelerated its speed even further instead of slowing down.
All of Kuro's fur was standing on end.
Zeno put up a defense to keep Kuro's unleashed powers from affecting the surroundings.
Seeing the knights who quickly ran towards us in order to protect us from the mysterious ball of light, I immediately gestured at them to stop.
They might not be able to see it, but right now, there was Kuro's barrier around us.
If they carelessly approached it, they might be at risk.
Bachi, bachi, bachi!!
Jarring noises could be heard as Kuro's barrier and the ball of light made contact.
Unable to move forward, the light spirit hurled her body at the barrier and still unable to advance, countless wounds accumulated on her body.
"…Pi-chan?"
Baroness Heronia stopped shouting and murmured dumbfoundedly as if she was surprised that her partner had suddenly appeared.
"Pii… Pii…"
The light spirit tried to chirp as she wanted to respond to her master even as she was gasping. As if she was mustering her last strength, the light spirit unwrapped her camouflage and shifted her body to a mass of light, heading towards us while strengthening her power.
Bachii.
"Kyaann!"
For an instant, a small white spark ran through Kuro's hands who was trying to maintain the barrier.
Aiming for the instant when Kuro reflexively withdrew her hand, the mass of light turned into a very thin beam and pushed its way through the barrier.
"Tia!!"
The spirit, on the verge of burning up her life, was finally about to reach us.
Even when I used Zeno's power that was inside of me to defend, I also embraced Bertia within my arms and used my own body as a shield.
"Ce-Cecil-sama!!"
Bertia's cry resounded within the assembly hall.
Close to my ear, I could hear the snap of the chain of the earring that Bertia gave me.1
Pachii.
A faint pain to the degree of approximately a shock of static ran through my back.
It was the light spirit's last torch of life.
The moment I felt like the injury shouldn't have any power left to harm me, everything before my eyes was dyed white.
"Cecil-samaaaaaa!!"
I could hear Bertia's sorrowful scream close to my ear, but without being able to do anything, I lost consciousness.
The matching couple earring that Bertia made, from chapter 8 ↩