I went up to the castle to participate in the second day of the party, but I was feeling very, or rather super heavy.
Because it was only the yesterday of today, right?
There’s definitely got to be something.
However, although the spirit kings had barged in on us last night, we couldn't not participate, so we got on the carriage and rode to the castle we had come to last night.
After all, the invitation was for the entire three days.
Unless there was a serious health problem or a relative's misfortune, it would be a disgrace to the royal family if I did not attend.
It can't be helped, since my life is too precious.
On such a second day, unlike last night, the number of participants was off the charts.
I heard that yesterday it was only a limited number of nobles, but for the next two days, other people are coming too, so the venue is full of people as far as the eye can see.
Well, to put it simply, the stares and other things that pierce my body are also extraordinary.
Thanks to this, my mood plummeted as soon as I entered.
No way what’s with this, I’m totally being watched-...
As an actress, I'm supposed to be used to the stares of others, but Augusto-san's overly high specs have doubled the harshness.
By the way, the venue I'm in right now is a different place from last night's, but it's also connected to last night's venue.
I thought last night's venue was big, but this one is bigger.
Furthermore, the venue includes a courtyard to accommodate as many people as possible for the next two days.
Uhm, well for now let me just say.
What's going on with the structure of this castle?
No, I have the structure of the castle in my memory, but if I try to put it in writing to explain it again, it will be very troublesome, so I'll just let it go.
As I nodded my head in agreement, I suddenly noticed two familiar figures at the entrance of the hall, right near the open door.
A beautiful woman with loosely wavy silvery blue hair, and a kind-looking blond man who looked a little younger than Augusto-san.
Both of them were looking at me with wide eyes and startled expressions, as if they had seen a ghost.
I wondered to myself how they could recognize their original faces, but I couldn't help it since it was Augusto-san.
I mean, I was really scared that maybe there really was a ghost behind me, but there was no sign of it.
Uhm, well, why are you staring at me so hard, these I've seen you two somewhere.
At any rate, without panicking or making a fuss, I decided to search for these two people as a set in Augusto-san's memory, although slightly panicking and making a fuss inside.
Search result, one
Laurist Couple.
Augusto Werstein's sister, Rosalind (37), and Julia Werstein's brother, Rosalind's husband, Emilio (43).
The parents of the niece, Christia.
No, it's not just acquaintances, it's already past the line of relatives!
Eh, what’s with this, what should I do, what should I be doing with this?
Eh, well, uh, for now a greeting, first I should greet them.
It would be too unnatural for me to ignore them when our eyes have already met, and more importantly, they're family, so I have to do my best.
Speaking of which, I'm not sure what Augusto-san called these two. But in this situation, I don't know if I should act too familiar with them.
Also the husband is the same age as Augusto-san so I even more so don’t know what to call him!!
Brother, and he’s brother-in-law, even if I say brother-in-law, I don't know what to call him anymore!!
Oh no, what should I do, I can’t decide.
By the way, it is actually quite common for friends to marry each other's sister to each other's brother in order to strengthen the connection between the noble families! To set up something so troublesome, country!!
Uhm, first of all, calm down, me, alright, anyway, I'm the one with the higher status, so I should greet from here, probably.
So we'll just have to make it an official greeting?
I thought about it all at once, but the sudden appearance of Augusto-san's family caused a panic in my head and I felt like I was breaking out in a cold sweat.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it? Count and Countess Laurist."
As much as possible, I tried my best not to be swarthy, so I relaxed my eyes and tried to be friendly without being rude.
My voice sounded calmer than I expected, which made me a little nervous inside, but I was determined not to screw up here.
Then, the beautiful woman, Augusto-san's sister, opens her mouth, as if she couldn't help but leak it out with a stunned look on her face.
“Onii-sama?¹”
The voice was so small that it seemed to disappear into thin air.
"…"
The blonde-haired man, the sister's husband, muttered with a similarly stunned expression as her.
No, if you called me brother-in-law, I won't know what to call you, even more you son of a bitch.
"I'm glad to see you're doing well."
For the time being, as I just say such safe words, imouto-san² distorts her beautiful face like a small child, and her eyes, which have the same hanging shape, and ice blue color as Augusto-san's, stained with tears.
Just as I thought so, the momentum of her tears accelerated, and she rushed towards me, tears spilling out in loads.
“Wah, onii-sama!"
“Oh, hey, you shouldn’t be leaving your own husband to come and hug me.”
In order to cope with the sudden and incomprehensible situation, despite not knowing what to do, I hold her in my arms and gently pat her on the back as if to appease her, and say a line that Augusto-san would say.
It's okay if your tears soak into your clothes because they'll dry up if you leave them alone, but you have to stop your nose from running, okay? It'll become crusty.
"I'm glad. I'm really glad. Welcome home, onii-sama…!"
Imouto-san isn’t howling yet in my chest, but in a momentum as if she were about to, her tears are spilling as she says these words in a trembling voice as if squeezing them out.
You seem to be having a very emotional reunion, but I'm very sorry to say that I'm not Augusto-san.
…… Uhm, it can’t be helped.
When I looked at the husband, he was looking at me with a really complicated expression, like he was looking at something he missed, relieved, and yet about to cry.
The only saving grace was that the expression was completely devoid of malice.
What can I say, Augusto-san must had a lot of people worried about him, I think once again.
I guess the reason why he didn't notice at all was because he couldn’t afford it.
It’s a reason, that’s not even a reason.
Because that's just running away, isn't it? I can understand if it was for a while, but 12 years. Seriously, no way.
I can understand it, but I don't want to sympathize with it.
When I was thinking about it, my panic and guilt calmed down a little, and I felt a little more relaxed, so I'm going to do my best.
… Alright, it’s spirit, get the spirit, me.
Because this is the crucial moment! Hang in there, me!
I have to live as Augusto-san, and I have to fool them.
... Hey, I'm feeling a little bit broken thinking about it again, what's wrong with me?
This is no time to be emotionally unstable with guilt, hang in there, me.
I took a breath so that no one would notice.
"… Ahh, I'm home. It’s difficult to say it was safely, though."
I clapped Imouto-san on the back and told her in the same, slightly calmer voice as before.
Then, imouto-san looked up with great vigor.
Her face was colored with surprise and anxiety, and her mouth was trembling as she tried to say something.
All I could think about this imouto-san right now was how lucky I was to have this height difference.
If there hadn't been so much difference in height, Augusto-san's chin and imouto-san's forehead would have collided with great force.
If that happened, it would have ruined everything, and it would have been a comedy.
In a serious scene, that's not good.
"What do you mean by that?"
While I was thinking about this, it was the husband who responded to my words.
He seemed to be in a serious and somewhat confused mood, but he must have decided that he still had to ask.
Even though I was trying to get him to do it, I feel more guilty when he gets into it so honestly.
No, yeah, it can't be helped.
My brain is already in a mess, and there's a huge temperature difference between the inside and the outside, but it can't be helped.
"Hmm, this is not the time to talk about it. Shall we go to the courtyard?"
"...... Yes, yes, Rosa needs to calm down a bit. ………"
When he agreed to my suggestion, his gaze suddenly turned elsewhere, and he froze with a surprised expression on his face.
“Is something the matter?"
What's wrong all of a sudden? Did something happen?
"No, it's Christia…"
When I turned my eyes to follow the puzzled husband's gaze, I saw something unexpected.
"Respected is the wrong word! And please don't disparage ojisama based on your own assumptions when you don't even know him well enough!"
Meikko-chan, who had just declared loudly and crisply, was glaring at the boy while covering her mouth with a fan.
Eh? Wait, what? You mean me? Oh, no, you mean Augusto-san?
No, no, no, why are you arguing in a public place like this?
And what's more, that boy looks familiar to me.
However, I was confused and things went on without me, and the other boy retorted in defeat.
"What do you want me to know about such people?
Ugly, lowly, pig-like aristocrats, that's what they are."
The boy who said that to meikko-chan with a scornful look on his face gave me the feeling of a rich man with a very bad personality.
Uhm, Augusto-san is being bad-mouthed a lot.
Well, if you're that fat and have a bad reputation, you can't be trusted no matter how you're treated.
I can understand, but I'm still angry.
Hahahaha, what a little shit.
"If you say anything else, I will twist your noble mouth.”
Suddenly, meikko-chan assured the boy with a very scary face.
She seemed to be very angry.
Meikko-chan is a really good girl.
To be able to get angry for a pig like that, she's a rare good girl.
I'm so happy for you, Augusto-san. They love you so much.
“A!?"
The boy who was scared by meikko-chan's anger stiffened his body for a moment and looked away.
The boy was scared of a weak girl.
But meikko-chan, looking at the boy as if to chase him down, said crisply.
"Please apologize."
In response to meikko-chan's words, the boy shouted at her in a bitter, poorly worded reply.
“Do you understand what you’re saying?"
“That's obvious.”
Meikko-chan was so dignified as she said it quietly and crisply, and I had a vague feeling that she would become a good woman in the future.
But even though it was just a quarrel between two kids, it was still a bit of a commotion, and people were gradually gathering around us.
There was no way that Augusto-san, the source of the argument, could just sit back and watch.
I think I have no choice but to call out to them.
I didn't want to act too conspicuously, but I had no choice.
They were my family members, after all.
Meikko-chan isn't supposed to be a part of my family, but because of the memory of Augusto-san in my mind, she's almost like family.
Also, she's my family member in this world, so I guess I should keep her as my family member.
I felt a mixture of discomfort, inconsistency, and then a feeling that she was cute because they were family, which almost made me feel bad, but I fooled myself by not thinking about it too much.
I breathed in lightly to get rid of the feeling, and said the line I had thought of in my head, trying to make my voice audible even from a distance.
"What the hell is going on? A lady should not raise her voice, Christia."
“Ojisama!?"
I'm not sure if my appearance was unexpected or not, but Meikko-chan turned around in a panic and her startled expression was like an angel.
What a cute girl.
I can't help but think it's because of Augusto-san's memory that she's so cute, and her dress suits her so well.
While I was loving my niece in my brain for nothing, I turned my attention to the boy who was arguing with her.
The boy looked relieved for a moment, and then immediately raised his eyebrows suspiciously.
He looked like he wanted to say. Who the hell are you?
"...... Who is that?"
Ah, he really said it, there was no twist.
There's a little more to it than that.
...... I've really seen this boy somewhere.
Where was it?
Search results: 1 applicable.
Ludwig Sheva Lunamilia
First prince of the Kingdom of Lunamilia, 12 years old.
First in line of succession to the throne, he is the first child and the eldest son of the King and Queen.
He has a sickly younger brother who is seven years old.
His personality seems to be a little distorted due to his spoiled upbringing.
He is talented, but has a short temper.
Niece, Christia’s potential fiancée.
.................. Yes, let’s change.
No, no, no, no, this can’t be meikko-chan’s fiancée, no way, no way.
Not even a candidate, he can’t be, no way, no way, no way.
I mean, a prince? This is? Eh? A prince? No, I thought I'd seen him before, but is it okay with this as a prince, this country.
I knew he wasn't appropriate for meikko-chan, but seriously, if his personality is this twisted, it's no good, yeah, I reject the bad prince.
I mean, it's been explained to me, so I guess he has a more solid personality distortion than I expected.
Well, no matter, for the time being, I have to pay my respects to the royalty, so for the time being, I'll give the knight's salute.
“Why, prince, it’s been since the birthday party last time, it’s been a while, I’m Augusto, the head of the Werstein duchy."
"Who the hell are you!!"
His eyes widened and he said with all his might.
No, you just said my name. Let's put aside the fact for now.
Well, yeah, if that pig turned out to be such a handsome man, I certainly wouldn't understand either.
Especially this little shit, no good prince.
But even though I'm annoyed, he's a child of someone who's in a higher position than me, so it's no use for me as an adult to get angry.
I'm an adult, I'm an adult, I'm an adult, okay.
While making such self-deprecating suggestions to myself, I returned to the position I had bowed to and spoke back to the little shit prince.
"Well, I lost a lot of weight while I was ill for a month, so it's not surprising."
"You've lost weight!? It’s nothing so light!! You're clearly a different person!"
He pointed out in a crisp manner and even louder.
As I thought.
By the way, at this time, the pronunciation is de (→) su (↑) yo (↑) ne (→) - (→)³, as such.
Well it doesn’t matter, uhm.
But didn't your parents teach you not to point at people, you rude person?
Well, the explanation says that he was spoiled growing up, so maybe that's why.
Okay, next time I see the king, I'll hold his face.
You're letting him get too carried away just because he's a late bloomer.
No, you can't do that. He'll never grow up to be a good for nothing person.
Well, this is not the time to be escaping from reality, so I'm going to try my best to come up with words.
“A different person, that's a funny thing to say
Before your highness was born, I had this kind of physique, you know?"
“Na, how would I possibly know about something before I was born?
As I thought.
Well, even though I thought so, I couldn't just leave it like that.
So, I'll tell you some facts.
"Hmm, that's strange. Although how could Your Highness not know about this?"
“What did you say!?"
As I put my hand on my chin and tilted my head loosely, the little shitty no good prince glared at me with almost gnashing teeth and asked wildly.
Such a little shit no good prince, ah how long and troublesome, is kuso ouji⁴ okay?
I told the kuso ouji as I looked down on him.
"In the corridor leading to the audience hall, there is a portrait of His Majesty the King and his wife in their youth, together with me and my late wife."
"...... Huh?"
Perhaps it was too unexpected, but he made a wonderfully stupid face.
This kuso ouji seems to be stupid as well.
"Don't you know? Then you can ask His Majesty about it later.
I'm sure he'll be able to tell you some stories from our school days that Your Highness never knew about."
“Eh?"
The kuso ouji froze, leaking such a small voice as if he had no idea.
I'm not sure if it's still on display because Augusto-san's memory is fuzzy, but it's true that there are portraits of them from their school days, and it's also true that they used to be on display.
If you were to look around you, you would be able to see if there were any such paintings, but the fact that you haven't seen them displayed in the castle, in a place where you would normally pass by, means that you can't see what's going on around you.
That's why you get nicknamed by me with something like kuso ouji.
I bowed to him, thinking to myself, he's probably an idiot who can study.
"Well, Your Highness, I'll be leaving now."
That's it.
Let's go back to imouto-san's place.
"Well, Christia, let's go."
“Eh, ah, eh?"
I bowed to him, trying to look graceful but not overly dramatic, and then turned to meikko-chan, who was staring blankly at me for some reason, and called out to her.
Whoa, my niece is a real angel, she's so cute.
There's a huge difference in cuteness between her and kuso ouji that can’t even be measured.
It's really a typical example of how spoiled people turn out to be.
“Wa, wait!"
Suddenly, the kuso ouji raised his voice.
Ehh, there’s still something more, kuso ouji.
I knew he was a troublesome guy, but I didn't show it on my face at all and turned to him again with a calm and dignified attitude.
"Is there anything else?"
I felt uncomfortable, wondering why I had to be so respectful to this guy, but I still asked him with civility.
To which the kuso ouji then glared at me with great intensity.
"What are you planning to do… !?"
The question that came out of kuso ouji's mouth made me inwardly cringe.
Uwah... I feel like I'm being misunderstood in a troublesome way...
No, but, uhm, well for now let's just listen.
Hang in there, it'll be fine, probably, I'm sure.
"...... What do you mean? Your Highness."
"You can't tell me you're not up to something, taking your niece for yourself. And it seem you even call yourself a wise man!"
In response to my question, the kuso ouji replied with an extremely smug and confident look on his face.
Uhm, wait a minute, what's kugutsu⁵?
I can’t remember the kanji, wait, I'll use Augusto-san's knowledge for now.
Let's see.
Marionette (read: kugutsu, kairai, deku)⁶
(1) A person who is manipulated and used as desired by someone behind the scenes.
(2) A puppet.
I see.
You know a lot of difficult words, don't you, kuso ouji?
Well, you don't seem to be making use of them at all.
Hmm? Wait a minute, you mean to say that basically this kuso ouji wants to say that meikko-chan is a puppet?
Huh? No, no, no, no, why.
It’s already beyond annoying, it’s disturbing, what's this guy, what is this?
I'm so angry, it’s no good, I can't find the words.
I did my best to suppress the irritation that was welling up inside me, and looked at kuso ouji, trying not to show it.
But I want to say this at least, so I'll speak without reservation.
Taking a small breath and I spoke clearly as if letting it out.
"It's fine if you doubt me, but I would appreciate it if you didn't say anything that would embarrass Christia."
“Eh?"
My words must have been too unexpected for the prince.
He blinked a few times and even tilted his head.
It's not cute when you do it, no, I do think it's cute because the appearance is good, uhm, but it pisses me off.
“I that the way Your Highness is saying this is the same as calling my niece, Christia, something like a fool.
She is not stupid enough to become a puppet."
A puppet can only be a person who has no self.
In fact, this kuso ouji is probably the most appropriate for the position.
My meikko-chan is nothing like that.
Besides, I have no intention of having a puppet or anything like that at all.
Also, I have no idea what the point of that is.
I don't think it's necessary at all at Augusto-san's position.
But as expected, of kuso ouji was furious, showing no signs of listening to my words at all.
“How could I trust a thing you say!"
Uhm, what a little shit.
Feeling my opinion in the kuso ouji severely dropping, I stifled the big sigh I was about to let out.
I can't help but feel that the future of this country is shrouded in darkness at the thought of this being the next king.
I'm so worried, I can't take it.
I'll have to get someone to do something about it before the country falls apart, but it doesn't have to be meikko-chan, does it?
"If that's the case, I'll advise you to remove her as a potential fiancée."
"What the hell… !?"
His eyes widen in astonishment, and then I tell him plainly, leaving the kuso ouji speechless and unable to continue.
"She's my little niece. It's a pity that she's being neglected by someone she might spend the rest of her life with."
It's too pathetic to be forced to take care of someone like this for the rest of your life.
It's not something a child can do, to be educated from the age of elementary school to stand alongside a prince they don't like for the sake of the country, and then to correct the prince.
That kind of thing should be left to a child who wants to be a queen! I don't think meikko-chan needs to get involved just because she's good at everything, including magic.
...... Well, this, who decides who the candidates are? I'll ask the king on the premise of face-grabbing when I get a chance.
It seems that Augusto-san treated him like this even in his memories, right, King?
Although I've been thinking about such things, as expected I don’t let it show in my face.
So now, it would look like a good looking Ossan with a villainous face is nothing but looking down at a child and asking questions in a pompous manner.
If I'm not careful, it might even look like I'm snubbing him one way or the other, but whatever.
Suddenly, I turned my attention back to the kuso ouji, and I don't know what he was thinking, but he was glaring at me in rage.
"You dare to say that…!"
I guess he thought that everything was in the palm of his hand. That's not true, though.
Even if I say it, it doesn't look like he’ll listen to me, nor does he plan to listen, at this point he might even misinterpret my explanation.
Ahh! Oh my god! Such a pain in the ass, this little shit!!
With an air of dismay that even the kuso ouji could understand, I exhaled.
"...... As I said before, it's fine if you doubt me, because my credibility is at an all-time low."
"What do you mean…!"
I can hear the sound of teeth chattering coming from the mouth of kuso ouji as he said the words as if he was twisting them, but I think the people nearby even without Augusto-san’s specs can hear it.
This kid is seriously depressing.
"...... Your Highness."
I stare into his eyes as I call out to him.
Then, the prince's complexion suddenly turned pale.
“U!?"
He tried to say something, but it wouldn't come out.
He tried to look away, but he was too scared to do so.
In such an atmosphere, he took a step back.
"I hope you won't underestimate me too much."
Don't underestimate me too much, or I'll lose my temper one day.
I'm trying to keep it under control, but it's the best I can do for now, so please bear with me.
“Ojisama!"
Meikko-chan called out, and the hem of her dress was pulled down with a small gesture.
When I slowly turned my gaze in that direction, I saw meikko-chan with her eyebrows raised in annoyance.
"What's the matter, Christia?"
"Please don't interfere in children's quarrels."
She spoke crisply and admonishingly, and I felt a shock as if I had been hit in the head with a blunt object.
Eh, wai, no way......
I got scolded… seriously!?
Ah, it’s bad, but somehow I feel like crying.
I'm so sad.
Eh, what's this, I'm super shocked.
Why? Did I do something to make you angry?
It’s no good, calm down, me, I can do it, it’s alright.
Let's see, children's quarrel, uhm, that's right, that was the case until I intervened.
I mean, meikko-chan wanted to stay out of it because I intervened and she got even more pissed. Maybe.
Okay, that makes sense.
Maybe not, but that's okay for now.
I'll take that as that for now. Alright.
But, however, that logic doesn't apply now, does it?
"...... I understand what you're saying, Christia, but this is a public place, and it's not a good idea to make a scene."
In a party room, you never know who is watching where or how.
In other words, a third party's conversation, which is only speculation, can spread as the truth, and eventually become a big deal.
I'm going to ignore the fact that I may have caused more trouble than I deserve.
My niece, who is wise, must have understood from just these words.
Her eyebrows lowered, but she still stared straight back into my eyes.
"That's... I am very, very sorry…"
I think it's amazing that she can immediately admit that she was wrong and apologize without making excuses.
It's something that, that kuso ouji could never do.
I doubt if I could have done it when I was little.
She looked remorseful and was about to start crying, which made me a little nervous.
But I'm going to follow up, because even if I keep looking at her like she's such a cute little niece, she might scare me even more and make me cry.
"I don't blame you, you're still a child and it's natural for you to make mistakes.
But do you understand that this is not the place for a fight?"
"Yes, it was unladylike behavior…"
Uhm, you can't give a response like that unless you understand what you’ve done wrong, meikko-chan is amazing.
"So you know what you have to do?"
"Of course!
I apologize for the disturbance, everyone. I'll take my leave now, and I hope you all enjoy the party."
Meikko-chan replied cheerfully to my question, twirled her skirt and turned to the onlookers, calling out to them gracefully and cutely.
"…………”
The kuso ouji's face is resentful, as if not satisfied with the situation.
Hey, cause, what are you staying quiet, speak up, we can’t disperse like this, kuso ouji.
I looked at the fucking prince and called out to him, cracking up really badly inside.
"Your Highness?"
"... U!
As soon as the kuso ouji heard my call, he seemed to wince as if in a hurry, and then he made a gnashing noise, and then he looked around again with a prince's crisp attitude.
"I'm sorry to have disturbed you all."
Well it seems really reluctant, but I don’t care
Really useless, this kuso ouji.
"Your Highness, if you'll excuse us."
"Good day, Your Highness."
After checking on the scattered onlookers, I thanked them, accompanied by meikko-chan, and called out again to the kuso ouji, who looked at me with a kind of bitter expression.
"…… Ah, you should enjoy the party.”
Hahaha, your face is saying the opposite of your words, kuso ouji.
I thought so, but it didn't matter, so I let it pass and left.
[1] : お兄様 - it’s a respectful way to call one’s older brother
[2] : 妹 さん - little sister
[3] : ですよね - it’s the “as i thought" above it, she’s talking about the intonations, dragging out the sound, and the pitch up.
[4] : クソ王子 - from クソガキダメ王子(Kusogakidame ouji) aka little shit no good prince; pretty much means shit prince.
[5] : くぐつ - I am confused where she takes this from, I don’t remember the prince saying anything like this, but maybe it’s another reading of something or she’s just reading between the lines
[6] : 傀儡, くぐつ(kugutsu), かいらい(kairai), でく(deku)
Prince, rejected. Thanks for the chapter!