Happy Friday!
Here’s another chapter of Swain Hakushaku. This chapter is not from Mira’s POV, but Prince Alan’s POV for the first part, and then the rest is all Dia. I hope this doesn’t confuse anyone.
Enjoy the chapter and I’ll see you next week. Have a nice weekend.
Let's talk about a certain woman.
She did not have any special social status nor was she extremely beautiful. However, that woman had an appeal that attracted people. Maybe it’s because of her youthfulness, but she’s docile and cheerful, and was not corrupt.
No matter how hard to please people were, they would often become emotionally attached to her.
I did not think that I would be someone who was hard to please, but I’m probably the type of person who treats others coldly. I had a sharp tongue, and if my mood was bad, I would most likely turn around and confront them. Someone like me was limited on the number of intimate relationships that I can have. Even the friends that I had now, you could say that I knew full well that I didn’t have that many friends. However, this woman easily won someone like me over. For me, this woman had become, someone who was much more special than anyone else.
It couldn’t be said that she grew up in a very blessed environment, but this woman was, the world’s wisest woman.
Aah, though.
One morning, this woman turned cold.
The world’s wisest woman, had left this world.
The kind Leonora. Leonora whom I loved.
I wanted to protect her.
If only I had more power.
That’s why, at the very least, a memento…
「What’s wrong with you. Is it your new obsession to be making faces?」
When I laughed scornfully and clicked my tongue at my friend, he pointed at me with his finger.
「Shouldn’t you be thankful? At any rate, I was the one who gave Miss Swain a push on the back.」
「Acting like you did me a favor. Even if you didn’t say it, I would still thank you.」
I properly expressed my gratitude as we walked down the hallway.
We were walking around and patrolling as student council members during the lunch break, but it was just an excuse to avoid doing paperwork. As expected, for today, even I was not in the mood for paperwork.
The incident two nights ago, was that all a dream? Sure enough, how long had my unrequited love been unreciprocated for? For it to come true in an instant, did it actually happen?
To be honest, wasn't it because I couldn't distinguish illusion from reality?
Similar to when we were younger, she would talk to me without using polite speech, but the next day, she would go back to it, and I could not tell if there was anything that changed with her.
「The expression that you had on when you returned from the women’s dormitory was the best. Just open your mouth and say it.」
「No, that might not have been Mira. I may have been bewitched by someone.」
「Having so much power over you that you can’t even honestly be happy, Miss Swain is quite the woman.」
From here on was a row of sixth-year students’ classrooms.
Speaking of sixth-year students, there was the prince who gave off the feeling that he was looking down on me whom he has only met several times, Marian's son, as well as Alwick's Alfonso who is jealous of me. It's quite uncomfortable for me.
It was also inevitable that I'm hated by a blood relative of Mira. It was my fault that Mira received an injury that left her on the verge of life and death, and the matter of the betrothal as well, the only one who didn't know that the agreement was forced by Roderick was Mira.
「Saa! We're leaving.」
「Dia! Be the horse!」
「Yes?」
「Be the horse! Put me on your shoulders!」
「I'll leave it to you, Dia.」
She requested something of me. Or rather, where did they pop up…come from.
Carrying His Highness Prince Yurii, Mira, bumped into me with a smile on her entire face. Being close to me within the school would cause needless jealousy, so we should be avoiding each other, but it was Mira who proactively came over to me.
Yes, there's no doubt that it wasn't a dream.
「You seem to be having a lot of fun.」
「Let's play make-believe! Hey, Mira!」
「Yes, although we shouldn't be doing this, we're playing war.」
Wanting to ride on my shoulders, His Highness Prince Yurii, who transferred himself over to me from Mira's arms, climbed up to my neck. How dangerous. Wait a minute. I'll do it for you. You'll fall.
「I'm going to go give an invitation to Al, but he's being a little playful.」
「Aah, Alan and I received it from His Highness Prince Yurii yesterday…」
Naturally, having received it from His Highness Prince Yurii, Alan was happy and cried.
「Yes. Then please run with him on your shoulders to Al's classroom.」
「Telling me to go there.」
Alan was shouting.
「I'll go. Switch with me, Judias. I could even fly in the sky if you let me carry him on my shoulders.」
Right now, he doesn't care if he doesn't fly in the sky, so it's ok even if he doesn't fly.
「I'm hated by Alfonso though.」
「That's true. Ah, stop. As expected, please don't move.」
Saying that to me, Mira greeted someone she recognized who was walking by.
「How do you do, Your Highness Prince Romeo. Cain too.」
The two people who were called to a stop didn't hide the looks on their faces that showed that they were truly annoyed. However, after that, Marian's son. who saw my face, grimaced all the more, seeming to even want to utter 「Geh」.
Similarly, when he saw Alan, His Highness Prince Romeo also pouted a little. We immediately gave them a dark smile in return though.
「Because I saw you and your companions, my mood turned bad. Count Swain's daughter.」
「I'm sorry to hear that.」
So strong. My fiance was strong.
On top of not being cowardly, she stopped smiling.
「If you want, Your Highness Prince Romeo as well, please come to the party on Saturday.」
It seems that he quickly understood what was going on. Because, Alan already invited them. Of course, they refused though.
His Highness Prince Yurii complained to Mira, saying, ‘Don’t joke around’, but Mira splendidly ignored that.
「Cain is also coming. You should be fine with it.」
Marian’s son was shocked. Perhaps my pushy fiance had just selfishly decided it just now.
I too couldn’t be calm over inviting Marian’s son to my house. For the very young His Highness Prince Yurii, it was probably also important for him to be celebrated by his brothers. However, rather than His Highness Prince Gilbert, His Highness Prince Romeo was the second most dangerous person after the queen. Marian was still the most worring. And so, for me, he was also someone I should hate for making my precious person sad.
I couldn't come up with a good plan, but in the end, it seems that Mira had chosen to deepen the relationship between His Highness Prince Yurii and his brothers.
「I'm not like senpai, I'm not someone who was so much free time every day.」
「I knew you would say, something like that. Dahlia, told me your plans.」
「…that younger sister…」
As if he was going to click his tongue, Marian's son increased his pace, as if running away. Without a moment's delay, Mira stopped him.
「You don't have any plans, isn't that right?」
「I didn't tell that person about each and every single one of my plans; she just said it on her own.」
「Do you have any plans?」
「There's no need for me to go along with you.」
「You're an inflexible child.」
「Please say whatever you like.」
After saying this much, Marian's son gave me a fleeting glance. This guy, he actually clicked his tongue this time .
「You too, Just one day is fine, right Romeo?」
「Did you forget about my refusal the other day, aniue?」
Her smile hadn't disappeared, but her eyes were telling me to not say anything.
「Al is coming too.」
「Al…? Aah, Wasn't he your cousin? Why are you telling me that he's coming?」
「Ara…? Aren't you friends? You two were even talking to each other the other day…」
The expression in Alan's eyes changed.
This was also the first time I've heard about it. That's because the person under surveillance and someone related to the Swain House were closely related.
「With Alwick? …aah, I only picked up something that he lost, but what about it?」
「Araa…even though it's an opportunity to deepen your friendship. I told you before, you're unsociable, so it's hard for you to make friends, right?」
「Isn't it because your personality is rotten and that's why you can't make any friends?」
「I'm fine. However, you're lonely. At night, you would often, look like you're about to cry because it's lonely to be by yourself.」
「I have no idea what you're talking about.」
My fiance was not a natural airhead, but someone who's pretending to be one, so she was telling an embarrassing childhood story with malice. She was holding a grudge because she was told that she had a rotten personality. Moreover, she was aware that she had a bad personality, so she could not refute it, which was why it had come to this.
「It's fine even if those guys don't come! Let's go, Mira! Al is right over there!」
「Ah, wai! It's dangerous! Your Highness!!」
The extremely naughty His Highness Prince Yurii, who you wouldn't think was royalty, jumped off from my shoulders. That was bad for my heart.
Pulling on Mira's hand, His Highness Prince Yurii ran forward without looking back. I had heard that he wasn't on good terms with His Highness Prince Romeo or His Highness Prince Gilbert, though I don't know if we could say the same for the unpleasant Alan, but it seemed like it.
Staring at His Highness Prince Yurii who was leaving, His Highness Prince Romeo fondly looked at him. He made it seem like it was annoying, but to some extent, he was looking at his younger brother like he treasured him.
My friend who was next to me was muttering something.
Leonora.
It was a name I remember hearing before. I have not met her personally though. Even if we passed by each other by chance, I might not have noticed her. Because she was only a maid.
「Why are you looking at Yuriel like that, Romeo? Do you hate and resent him? You would hate that child who was just born? If so, then I might get a little angry. I vowed to protect that child.」
Just getting a little angry could trigger a war. Such a friend's words were a pretty effective threat.
The younger brother of my friend who was around the same age as me gave a small happy laugh.
「I'm not interested in an idiotic man and a stupid woman's child. If you vowed, then you can just do whatever you want. I did not know about that.」
「It seems that you love that stupid woman.」
「Aniue should know this. I hate idiots. However, more than that, I hate stupid people.」
With a faint smile on his face, the second prince folded his arms.
「Compared to me, aniue is the complete opposite. Are you not that one who was attracted to that stupid woman?」
「I won't deny it. That woman, was wiser than anyone else, stupider than anyone else…and more beautiful than anyone else.」
With a smile that was more gentle than any smile that I have ever seen, my friend looked calm, even though it seemed like he was tormenting himself over something.
「You want something. For what reason are you doing what you're doing? Is it not for Leonora's sake? In that case, what are you going to do with Yuriel?」
「I'm not an idiot who would tell the enemy what my intentions are.」
As he said the word 'enemy', the air around us became much colder. His Highness Prince Romeo who was passing by Alan was already ignoring us.
Having been left by himself, Marian's son also left, stopping next to me for a moment. Reflected in this guy's eyes was not Alan, but me.
「…if you're there, Mira would definitely, be broken.」
The attitude clearly filled with hostility was, aimed towards me and it seems that it wasn't aimed toward my important person.