Volume 1 - CH 12

VOLUME 1: Chapter 12 – The Viscount of Milford

Even though I wanted to escape from the castle, it seems impossible to do.

“Even if you escape, there are spirits, so it is easy for Greed to find your whereabouts. Or maybe useless?”

The words Milly-sama said yesterday keeps revolving in my mind. Based on what she declared, then there’s nowhere to escape wherever I go anywhere in the world. To escape from the Hero, perhaps the only way is to die……

To be honest, ever since the event in the hall, I was hoping, wishing as if clinging to a rope, that they’d notice the misunderstanding and cancel the marriage.

I wonder if sending a letter to my parents for the permission of marriage is due to Greed-sama’s unparalleled determination that he felt. I remember such feeling, it is like being surrounded by walls in every direction then it narrows. It is practically unavoidable to feel that an encircling net is being formed.

Greed-sama’s proposal in the hall, Milly-sama’s stories, and then the words of the King and the letter of my father.

……As I thought, I should have just refused it all in the hall.

But how could I have refused with that atmosphere? Even if I turn back the time, I don’t have the courage to refuse.

…… It may have been a different story if someone else liked me. But then it will become a triangle.

Although the one that I love is in my heart, the maiden heart is wavering after being proposed to by a strong and handsome Hero. The one that I love and the Hero that loves me. Will the wavering maiden choose to love or to be loved……?

Oh, I’m sorry. In escaping reality, I fell into a delusion!

But, I think I would have chosen the one that I like. That would be the reason for refusing the marriage. Or if I insert a punch line “In fact, I was secretly longing for the Hero”, it may become dramatic as a story.

――The Hero who gave us the hope of light. But he does not a suit with myself who is an ordinary mob character. There must be another person who can make him happier. So I am shedding tears and refusing the courtship of that person I yearn for―again, I’m sorry. I felt cold as I said that myself!

Who is that character?

I used tsukkomi on myself, but such punch line does not exist. Absolutely none!

――Next!

The Hero is handsome. I don’t deny it. His good looks is bad for my heart.

The Hero is strong. After all, he’s a walking disaster and an ultimate weapon.

The Hero’s future prospects is promising. Even if he is not the hero, being loved by spirits so much, he is in great demand from other countries.

Being desired by such a Hero, I am the luckiest maiden in the world! There’s no such thing!

To the future that I am unlikely be able to escape, I tried to at least suggest those things to myself, but it seemed to be useless. I cannot but keep going on using tsukkomi.

I hate this side of me. This side of me who is being a tsukkomi even during escaping from reality!

Oh, I guess I just have to give up and accept it. While sitting on the sofa of the royal office and going along with the joke that is otherwise known as reality escapism, I was filled with trepidation as I think of the future shrouded by dark clouds.

“This is your father’s reply. Aren’t you curious?”

Even so, the king told me not to touch the letter sent by my father.

While shaking my head in low spirits, I sent a gaze filled with hatred to the letter with the seal of my Milford family and said.

“I can’t read it but I think I know the reply. The content is, ‘Because it is troublesome, I leave it to my daughter’s will. Ha ha ha.’, isn’t it?”

The King smiled wryly at what I said. “‘Ha ha ha’ was not included, but if you take the flowery words and euphemisms, you’re exactly right……. As expected of that Viscount Milford’s daughter.”

――That Viscount Milford.

I am a normal viscount’s daughter, like the other ordinary mob characters. But my family members―especially my father and older brother―are somewhat unusual. To the extent that the King and other nobles call them using the article “that”.

The Viscountcy of Milford is an old family lineage that exists ever since the time of the founding of the kingdom of Schwarze. But really, it is just old. The actual situation is that it is a rural noble family who dominates the territory which is located at the southern end of the country, and does not have industries or special products. Moreover, the title has been Viscountcy ever since the foundation. It is said that it is not possible or impossible if there is no ups and downs in the ground.

Why is my family called “that”? It is all due to the characters of the heads of the family of the successive generations.

It is troublesome. It is about negative principles. They do not show any interest in things other than their own hobbies and live appropriately according to the motto “Put off till tomorrow what you can do today”. The heads of the family for successive generations possess such temperament. It also manifests itself in my family precepts, I think.

“If difficult problems arise, postpone it!”

I remembered when I replied to the Hero’s proposal, I also said that.

Because such words are in the family precepts, it is important to know the characters of each generation. It would have been troublesome for everyone to resemble each other. However, even with that kind of trouble, the head of the family will do it, and sometimes it seems that he remembered the King. Conduct himself well with neighboring countries in the scene of warfare, like avoiding conflict.

However—the grounds for using “that”—although the King offered to elevate the rank, he refused it because it was troublesome. I bet he thought that it was troublesome because he would have to participate frequently in the events in the castle. Doing tasks when feels like it but does not lust after power, an eccentric viscount who does neither harm nor good. That was the moment he was recognized.

Since then, it seems that the family of the Viscount of Milford came to be called “that”. I knew that such articles were attached for the first time when I came to the castle.

“Is that the daughter of Viscount Milford? Can she become of service in the castle? What if she resigns because it is troublesome?”

That was what I was told. If you think about it, they were rude.

Only my father and older brother are troublesome. My mother and I were extremely ordinary mob characters. It seems like a prominent personality that manifests only in the men of the family. I think if they did not receive curses, they’re commendable men with only negative principles.

When I came to the castle to become a lady-in-waiting, at the beginning I became acquainted with the royal family’s magician, Famir-sama, and I spontaneously begged him to investigate the curse. That experience was nostalgic and painful.

Because Famir-sama said, “There is no curse. It’s just that the temperament was incorporated into the gene.”

Gene, what a troublesome level…!

A curse is one hundred times better. I’m not sure if this is pathetic or ridiculous, but I seriously thought about breaking off my relationship with my father and older brother. Just looking from the distance, the extremely troublesome work might be the important points in the story. Living with such people is not fun.

With these men who say their favorite phrase, “Eh~, it’s troublesome.”, how much have they made me feel irritated? I think that my Tsukkomi attribute was absolutely cultivated by that two.

Such a troublesome father and older brother cannot force me to marry because they received pressure from the royal family. Since it is troublesome to leave the judgment to them, it is easier to see fire than to leave a reply. There is a possibility that they excused themselves from it because of the reason that the Hero proposed marriage himself, and said something like, “Eh, it seems troublesome to become a relative of the hero.”

Thinking now from this, it is doubtful whether the Milford estate will be safe or not, so they replied, “All right!” to the King’s request.

“Well, that’s why Aria, everything depends on your judgment. Please decide carefully.”

“……Ah, yes……”

After listening to the King, I left the office. It felt like my all my HP were depleted. Better yet, it might be better to say I was forced to marry by the royalty.

If that’s the case, I give up.

I headed to the princess’s room and heaved a deep sigh. Along the way, the soldiers and the maids were looking at me with curiosity and were whispering among themselves and I felt more depressed. Apparently, yesterday’s case seemed to have spread in the castle in a blink of an eye. It was me the whole time.

Don’t tell me, is this the end of my plain life……?

I was planning to meet an ordinary person like myself, get married and plainly grab the ordinary happiness. Well, let’s just say that the plan is not yet decided.

It was shortly afterwards that another shock hit me like that――

After entering the princess’s room, shortly after calling out, “Princess, I returned now,” the princess who held a large paper her hand ran over to me.

“Aria, there’s a big trouble! An extra scoop about that marriage proposal was published in the ‘Hero Times’…… You were mentioned, Aria!”

The princess thrust out the paper towards me while shouting.

“――Huh?”

I saw the top page of a newspaper held in front of me and I became wide-eyed.

『Urgent news!

Finally, a passionate love affair with the hero, Greed…….?!

Ms. A works as a lady-in-waiting of Princess Louise of the Kingdom of Schwarze. It seems that they have met when the Hero was asked to rescue the country’s princess, who was kidnapped by a demon. The hero, who splendidly rescued the princess, seemed to propose to her at the hall of the royal castle. Will they get married soon?! The Hero Times will continue to pursue this delightful news. 』

There was a big portrait of a woman who looks like me next to the article. However, the eyes were hidden with a black line in the picture.

If I was my ordinary self, I would have unleashed my tsukkomi. However, my mind is blank at the moment.

“…………”

“Aria, your soul left your body. Get a hold of yourself.”

I heard the voice of the princess and I felt my body trembling. It seems that the soul that left came back suddenly.

…………

…………Wha—

What the hell is this……?

——A few seconds later, my scream echoed in the room of the princess.