Aah, this chapter was so hard to translate. There are few sentences I’m not sure about. Oh, oh, but the next chapter is my favorite of this mini-arc!
TL: clover
ED: clover
I looked at the distant scenery, where the absentminded Klaus was swarmed by the girls.
This was similar to something.
……Piranha?
While thinking a pretty rude thing, I escaped the area gracefully.
It seemed that Tricia and Marquia who I made friends with some time ago were in the group that was currently surrounding Klaus.
What should I do?
Would Ann take care of it?
Just as I thought so, I saw Ann heading towards that direction to rescue Klaus.
She wasn’t afraid of a group of ten or more ladies who were older than herself.
So strong, huh~.
I also had to emulate Ann a little.
Well, I was going to have a relaxing meal with Tirnanog.
When I thought so, I was spoken to by another person.
“You are Erica-sama, daughter of the Aurelia official, huh.”
It was a boy who had dark violet eyes with long platinum blonde hair which I recognized as the characteristics of Ignitia’s people at a glance, along with a small purple dragon.
He looked like about 12 or 14 years old.
By the way, he resembled one of the royal aristocrats of Ignitia who were surrounding the King, Queen Consort, and Prince Auguste some time ago.
“Will you dance a single song with me?”
“……Yes, thank you for your consideration. How should I call you?”
It was pretty distracting to dance with such a stranger for the first time.
But I guessed he couldn’t be refused carelessly, as he was someone from Ignitia.
“Oya? Do you not know about me? You can never do that, as someone who is a Duke’s daughter.”
“Pardon me. This is my first time coming to the Kingdom, so I am not familiar with Ignitia’s aristocrats.”
“There is no choice, I’ll forgive you, Duke of Aurelia’s daughter. My fame is not enough to reach the end of this continent’s western region.”
I desperately soothe my cheeks that seemed to cramp.
Wasn’t the introduction too long?
Somehow it felt like the self-proclaimed angel prince, when I met him in an unofficial place.
What’s wrong with him, at the banquet hall of the Royal Castle, he didn’t give his name to someone who he invited to dance.
“Fufufu. Remember this. If you remember, it should be useful in the future. I am Louis Ode-Ignitia1. I am the younger brother of Margrave Charles Ode-Ignitia, who governs the Ignitia’s territory in Karkinos, the City of Reconquest.”
Louis Ode-Ignitia.
I might have gained the attention of another troublesome person.
He was from Ode-Ignitia family, in other words, the branch family of Ignitia royal family.
Both Louis and Charles were cousins of Prince Auguste, and they also had the right to succeed the throne.
This person named Louis Ode-Ignitia was not posted on the website of 『Liber Mostrorum』 or the character booklet.
He didn’t appear in the second scenario that I had played.
He was a man of Karkinos continent and wouldn’t go to the magic academy at the same time as me.
My death flag was probably had nothing to do with this person……but he was from the royal family, even if it was just the branch family.
I felt troubled, but since he was from the royal family then I couldn’t possibly ignore him.
I wore the mask of a Duchess as tightly as possible.
I took the hand presented by Louis and started dancing while being led by him.
He put his face closer to my ear and muttered.
“You are an interesting girl. I heard of it. According to that, Auguste is an angel, huh?”
Uh……after all, just who was around that time?
My black history was exposed quickly.
I felt the muscles of my face stiffened.
However, outwardly I smiled back with a piece of thin skin.
“That’s right. But Prince Auguste was so beautiful that I mistook him for an angel.”
I didn’t know what led to me being eaten alive and what not restricted, or to what extent people were listening to this.
Since it would be troublesome if they ironically happened, I would force myself to push through this.
Louis then twirled strands of my hair twice, keeping the angle of his face slanted, and made a sidelong glance.
“‘Beautiful’ is usually said to someone like me, Milady.”
“……Is that so, Louis-sama.”
I was about to draw away from him, but I managed to bear it somehow.
I wondered if this person was a narcissist.
Certainly Louis was also a beauty, but I thought that he was inconspicuous among Ignitia royalty that was entirely made of beautiful people.
“Hahaha, but, Duke Aurelia’s daughter. No matter how much he is beautiful, you shouldn’t approach that prince.”
“Is that so, Louis-sama.”
“Prince Auguste is, how should I put this……he is a thorny rose. Even if he is beautiful, if you touch it, it will hurt your hand and make you bleed. Have you heard of one or two of his rumors?”
“No, I do not like such rumors—”
“No, no! Wait a moment! The prince’s rumors, they were not rumors that could be talked about in a place like this! You do not know who could be listening!”
The one who brought up the topic was Louis himself.
Besides, in such a loud voice, I had the impression that the surrounding people made strange rumors about me.
Perhaps he thought that he could easily deceive an 8-years-old girl into believing the rumors.
I wondered if the original Erica didn’t question the rumors about Auguste.
“I think I want to get along with Prince Auguste, but the prince seems to hate me. I was going to train the poor boy who cannot ride a dragon yet, but he will not go out with me at all. It is a pitiful story, even though we are cousins.”
“That’s unbelievable, Louis-sama.”
Louis seemed to positively hate Auguste.
Or, did he think that Auguste was in the way as a rival over the succession to the throne?
Either way, he would like to take advantage of the bad rumors and made Auguste’s position worse.
This was troubling.
If I agreed then it was likely to be spread around that the Duchess of Aurelia was a friend of Louis by the surroundings, and if I disagreed then he would loudly speak of the opposite things to manipulate a different impression.
I would do my utmost to make it clear properly.
“Prince Auguste has been totally distorted in the past few years. I am anxious and can’t help worrying. I want to be friends with that poor friendless child. I am a gentle person so I want to be friends with everyone.”
“Me too, Prince Auguste is not a person like the rumor. If you are going to become friends with him, I also—”
“You had better quit it! Prince Auguste is rough, I do not know what to do if a defenceless little girl like you approached him.”
“Is that so, Louis-sama.”
It was becoming painful to keep wearing the mask of a Duke’s daughter.
How long would the evil mouth continue while pretending to care about Prince Auguste?
With this kind of people surrounding him, I felt that it would be understandable for Prince Auguste to become similar to an alabaster statue.
While doing such conversation that seemed to hurt my stomach, Louis held my hand and I was going to make a turn……at that time.
“Who are you! To steal the dance partner of another person……!”
Louis’ voice was heard from behind, not in front of me.
In retrospect, Louis was a little far away, stiffening with his hand out in the air sporting a strange expression.
Then, who was this person taking my hand?
The one in front of me was a tall person who hid their face with a mask that usually could be seen in a masquerade ball.
They were wearing Ignitia’s nobility costume, a hat with feathers, golden mantle embroidered with golden thread, and boots with high heels.
Blond hair was spilled out from under their hat.
Who was it?
I felt like we had met somewhere.
“Pardon me. I thought whether the princess was bored because it was such a tedious step that I felt like yawning.”
“What did you say!? That statement, do you know that I am Louis Odeugnitia!”
“Hmm~? Odeugnitia? Never heard of that name. Is that a name of a rural nobility somewhere in the country?”
“This……this plebeian! There was no need to say that!!”
Louis became indignant by the insulting words and provocations.
Beyond the mask, eyes similar to those of a mischievous child were laughing.
“Perhaps, you are……”
“Then, I will take the princess away.”
The person took off their mantle lightly and held it over us as if to obstruct Louis’ line of sight.
In a short period of time while the mantle was slowly falling down from the air, the masked person moved quickly like a lightning bolt.
They put a black hair wig on my head and hid the characteristic golden hair.
Hung a gray robe on my shoulders and hid the luxurious blue dress.
With the quick work of the masked person, I quickly turned into a figure of a Harvan’s aristocrat.
The masked person themselves took off their hat and mask and freed their covered hair.
When a mantle was wrapped around their waist like a wraparound skirt and worn a veil with a plain color, that person quickly tuned into a figure of a woman in a dress.
Those changes only took a few seconds.
The surrounding people who were watching the series of movements were surprised and opened their mouths blankly.
To Louis’ line of sight who was behind the mantle, we would have seemed as if we disappeared.
“You are……Devil-san?”
“Shh, please be quiet.”
That person who took off the mask was the self-proclaimed Devil-san who I met in the depths of the cathedral.
Right now she had lowered her skin’s exposure and was wearing a dress with modest hues like a maid.
I only saw a man until a while ago, it was like magic.
She pulled me, who was in a completely plain appearance, as she moved away from the circle of dancers.
☆
Brought by Devil-san, I reached an unpopular terrace.
There seemed to be only one cloud in the sky, the starry night sky spread out.
The sea around Island of Messenger seemed calm, and the light of the stars was reflected on the calm water surface like a mirror, shining brightly.
It looked as if the castle was floating in outer space.
With such a fantastic sight, Prince Auguste who had a lonely smile was standing there.
1 オドイグニシア (Odoignitia) but it is spelled as Ode-Ignitia. The author said she had the image of ‘the land where the song of the dragons echoes’ when she named it that.
