CH 71

71  Monologue of a Certain Duke Daughter 10

When we had just finished our small tea party, I was informed that His Highness Elliot had come to visit. And he send a message that said he wanted to talk with me in private.

What the hell did that mean? Was it really as everyone said? Did his attitude change and become rather strange like the others as well?

Feeling curious, I apologized to the other girls for leaving first before going to the parlor room where Elliot was waiting for me. When I arrived, I found that Elliot was waiting for me with a gloomy expression on his face. His mood seemed to be extremely bad to the point that I almost closed the door again in reflex.

Seriously, what should I do now? I couldn’t just ignore him and leave, could I? With that thought in mind, I took a deep breath and said, “Sorry to keep you waiting, Your Highness Elliot. You seem to be― in a really bad mood. Can you tell me what soured your mood?”

“― Tell the others to leave us alone.” He ordered without even trying to hide his displeasure and even forgot to keep his manner. However, I couldn’t do anything to him. As such, after making tea, I did as he wanted.

I signaled my attendant, Meriel, and Elliot’s attendant to leave us alone in the room. Then I said, “Please drink the tea first. I’ve become quite skilled in making tea as of late.”

I mean, how can I not be skilled when all I need to do is to pour hot water in? I amusedly thought to myself as I held the cup on the saucer and brought it to Elliot. However, he didn’t show any reaction to my gesture. Seriously, just what in the world happened to him? He was acting like normal. If there was something different, it was that we managed to exchange a short conversation.

“Uhm….”

“His Majesty― told me to love you properly.”

Wha- I never saw that coming at all.

“But I wanted you to love me too. Not just Frederick.”

“Wha… What are you… trying to tell me?” I asked, confused.

He caught my hands and looked me in the eyes. His eyes were sparkling. Girls who faced this sight would already swoon over him. However, to me, this sight only led me to think. Someone, help. Save me from this creep!

“Simeon had already told you, right? You should at least put some effort to love your fiance. You are my fiancee. Since that’s the case, you should love me. That way, I can put more effort so I can love you too. That’s why love me.”

“That’s….”

He was right on the money. If this was a normal situation. Unfortunately, because I was aware of the engagement dissolution event as well as the fact that he hated me… I could never come to love him. Understanding that fact, being the normal person I am, of course, I would try to put some distance in our relationship to diminish the damage as much as possible.

Waifu was limited to 2D after all, not a real one. [TL: Waifu, 2D wife or husband]

“You dislike me, right? Is it because I’m not my big brother?!”

“I have never thought of you like that! Furthermore, let me tell you first, you’re wrong about me liking Frederick-sama.” I immediately refuted to stop Elliot from becoming a loose cannon.

I did love Frederick, as a waifu that is. Even if I had reincarnated in this world, that never changed because I had never had any hope I have a chance to tie the knot with him since I was supposed to die in any route in the game. In short, if I wanted to love someone, the first thing I had to do was to survive my supposed death penalty.

“Although I have no idea why you told me that, let me remind you that I’m your fiancee, Your Highness Elliot. I’m not someone who will commit adultery. Not only because of my education but also because of my own morale.”

“Then, you’ve to love me, not just Big Brother. Give me your ‘True Love’. You’re the saint, after all, so create a miracle for me, the descendant of the Six Gods.”

He was being serious. However, that event he was asking for is supposed to happen six years in the future. It would become a reality after we enrolled into senior high school division in Selendia Academy. At this point, it was way too early. Furthermore, it was Heroine-chan’s job to give you that miracle, not me. Then again, the chance for that to happen was low.

Ah, wait a minute, could it be… the reason why the other rangers took assertive attitude in approaching their fiancees were to… create a miracle too? If that were their intention, then they were off the mark.

I mean, in Theodore’s case, it felt more like an exception among exceptions. It was likely that the reason he could create such a miracle was that his partner, Muriel, was on the very of dying. Hence, the world’s correction force worked together to prevent that.

In my opinion, the miracle happened for the sole purpose of letting all characters to gather at the beginning of the game. However, there was no way Elliot understood that. Besides, if Theodore’s miracle was really caused by the correction force, it meant that the same force would force me to die too.

I refused to succumb to such a fate though.

“That’s….”

“Ha… can’t love me, eh? Well, that’s natural I guess. The one you love is my big brother after all. I’m abandoned by the saint. I have now lost my qualification as the crown prince. The one who receives your true love is my big brother after all.”

Wait a minute. Elliot was acting strange here. It was as if he had become desperate. Seriously? Since when did he sulk like this?

“I don’t understand what you are trying to say here, Your Highness. I’ve never said anything about yearning for Frederick-sama, nor did I abandon you. Moreover, Elliot-sama, you are the only crown prince. So, how could you lose your qualification?”

Despite what I said, Elliot was looking at me with eyes filled with suspicion.

“Then, give me the miracle of love. You should be able to do that, right? You’re the saint after all!”

“I. AM. NOT. THE. SAINT!” I spelled out firmly, staring into his eyes. However, I noticed that he was looking at me as if he was looking at an exotic animal.

“What are you talking about? You managed to avert many dangerous situation with the power of your foresight, right? Just like this time. Even though His Majesty and the Dukes were wrecking their brain trying to find the goal of our enemy, you easily found out that their goal is to gather life force to revive the demon king. I think not even the demon race expected that you found out their goal that easily. Furthermore, I heard that you wrote the book of prophecy. If that’s not the power of a saint, then what is it? A joke?” He shouted then grabbed my shoulders and pressed me on the backrest of the sofa.

Ouch. However, more than the pain, I was more scared of the current Elliot.

“I’m telling the truth. I am not the saint.”

“CUT IT OUT ALREADY! ARE YOU LOOKING DOWN ON ME?! You have six attributes and saved people who should have died with the power of foresight and book of prophecy that is written in the ancient language. With all those factors in, you’re now telling me that you’re not the saint?! IF YOU’RE NOT A SAINT, THEN WHAT ARE YOU?! Listen carefully. You’re the saint. This is an undeniable truth. AND THAT’S THE REASON WHY WE’RE ENGAGED, RIGHT?! OTHERWISE, WHY DO YOU THINK I WANT TO BE E-!”

Elliot suddenly stopped before he finished his sentence. It seemed he realized that he had just said something that he shouldn’t say to me.

“Anyhow, seeing that we’re bethrothed, I want you to love me. And give me the power befitting the descendant of Six Gods.” He said, bowing his head.

I had no idea that he was so obsessed with such things. However, I really couldn’t grant his wish. Because I wasn’t a saint. I couldn’t grant them even if I wanted to. Additionally, the one who love Frederick was him. In brotherly sense of course. Frederick himself also cared about him as his family and little brother.

That aside, he shouldn’t be able to love me, yet he wanted me to love him? As if I could do that. I mean, why should I love someone who would eventually broke my heart? No, to be more exact, why should I love someone who couldn’t love me? Were I a masochist, huh?

“― Then, if I love Your Highness Elliot, would you love me too?”

“Yeah.”

“Will you love me more than you love Frederick-sama?”

“… W… Why did Big Brother’s name come out of nowhere?”

“Because the one who love Frederick-sama isn’t me. It should be you, right, Your Highness Elliot? That’s why I tried to become a mediator between you two so you can spend more time with him over a cup of tea. Or, am I wrong?”

Elliot averted his gaze. Bull’s eye, huh?

“I thought you… love Big Brother.”

“The one who love Frederick-sama is you, right, Your Highness Elliot?”

Elliot stared at me with a surprised expression on his face as he slowly let my shoulders go. He then sat beside me.

“… I’m always told to do my best when I was a child. Everyone… His Majesty, Mother, my teacher, even my chamberlain. All of them told me that I should do my best since I will become a king. The pressure was too much, so I ran. Then, I met Big Brother. He praised me for doing my best to fulfil my obligation. I am really happy. That’s why I did my best so that he will praise me again. Honestly, I don’t really care even if he’s my half-brother. For me, he’s my big brother.”

“I think Frederick-sama will be really delighted if you tell him that.”

“So he doesn’t hate me.”

“Of course not. Frederick-sama knows how much effort you put to be a great king. The same goes for me.” I said, causing Elliot to smile happily.

Seeing his happy smile, I inwardly heave a sigh of relief. Finally, that fixed his bad mood.

“― In fact, I myself don’t understand about love at all. And expressing love like Theodore-sama and Muriel-sama is simply beyond my ability. It sounds embarrassing, but I might understand if it’s an intimate relationship like my parents. So, though it’ll take a long time, will you wait till I understand love that my parents have?”

Though it might turn my feeling toward Elliot into that of familial love, what can I do? It was much better than leaving him on his own device.

I mean, I had no idea that he would become this terrifying when all his pent-up feeling exploded at once. Thus, I would try my best till I could become someone who truly love Elliot as a man. This might be a stopgap measure, but I really had no choice but to do this. I needed to prevent darkness, that was created by thirst for love, from eroding Elliot’s mind.

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“I don’t mind. I also― honestly have yet to understand love. But I’ll also try to put some effort to love you.”

Yup. We’re truly peas in the same pod in this regard. Still, I have no choice but to understand this matter about love. Alri~ght, let’s do my best to love you.

I shall do my best till I could truly fall in love with him.

… Not that I had any other choice. I couldn’t leave this poor thing on his own device after all. Although this might be the case now, I had no intention to accept my death.

Screw the correction force of the scenario. I wouldn’t lose to something like that. No, sire. I would definitely LIVE!