CH 56

A wistful night breeze blew through the air, reminding me of the end of summer.

The veil I’m wearing swayed softly. The Night King, whom I assumed to be Duke Marcotte, led me to a large balcony on the second floor.

Unlike the hall earlier, only the rustling and swaying of leaves echoed pleasantly.

The raven man, who suddenly appeared before I noticed, told Mika to remain at the front of the balcony. Mika would be displeased, but I knew that if anything went wrong, Mika would be watching through the window and it would be fine.

The man’s cloak slowly fluttered as if leading the way for me. Although he has not introduced himself yet, this man is quite tall. I’m not certain because he is wearing a mask, but I think he is a little taller than Mika.

He wears gloves on his hands. Besides, I noticed it earlier when he kissed the back of my hand with his mask on. This man is also wearing a black cloth under his mask, and even the color of his hair is not visible.

(If I could just check to see if his hair is gray or not, I would know which one he is. That means he’s very well-prepared…)

He’s probably the eldest son, but I am at a loss to judge, as some people’s voices may not change much even at an older age, and others may be physically fit even at an older age.

Is there some reason why he just can’t show his skin?

The man turned around and asked, “May I speak to you tonight without the formalities?” I agreed, thinking it would give me a better view of the other party’s intentions. The man began to talk.

“Which one do you suppose I am?”

“Ah, well… Is it okay for you to ask such a thing? In a place like this?”

“Yes, of course. I invited you here, after all. Which one do you think I am, Your Highness?”

“Louis Marcotte, I think.”

He spoke calmly, so I thought that maybe he is the current Duke Marcotte. But I still had a strong impression of his earlier impertinence, so I answered with the name of the son, Louis. I stared at his frightening mask, thinking that he was a man who spoke in riddles.

The man put his hand in front of his mask, put his face close to my ear… and whispered.

“It would be scary if it was neither of us, is it not?”

“!”

A sickening sensation ran through my spine.

That’s right. He won’t say who or what he is. So I don’t even know who this man is. The raven man from earlier also only referred to him as “Master” or something like that.

But I’m sure that if he intended to harm me, he wouldn’t have been this roundabout with it. There should be many better ways to do it.

At the very least, it must be someone associated with the Duke of Marcotte, since he is familiar with the mansion’s construction.

However, the anxiety and uncertainty made my body tremble.

I would feel a little better if Mika was next to me. However, this man went so far as to say that he would not talk if Mika was present.

The man continued, still not saying his name.

“You are feeling scared now. And then, you are thinking that you want to rely on your knight.”

“…That’s not true.”

“You are beautiful, pure, and honest. And also… clueless.”

Suddenly, I felt as if cold water had been poured over my head.

It was not wrong for him to say so, since he had said he’ll “talk without the formalities” in order for him to talk openly.

But what he pointed out was something I was very aware of. In my first life, I lost everything because of that cluelessness, and I also destroyed myself.

Now, I am trying to change little by little, but not everything is going well.

About Edessa, about the “ears” I wanted to place all over the country, about magical plants, about everyday magic, and the many things I had to do in the coming new school semester. On top of that, all those things are not known to other nobles.

I’m nothing more than a clueless third prince who keeps withdrawing himself.

I gritted my back teeth and endured the sadness that threatens to overflow.

The man seemed to be looking at me, then said.

“You are feeling sad now. You are someone who feels sad, and not angry, when your vassal points out something of you.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“Marcotte has witnessed history. This has been the case since the founding of this country, when we received this title. There is much to learn from history. On that basis, I believe that the country is now facing a tremendous crisis.”

History… Indeed, even at the academy, we have studied the history of this country, the Malacia Kingdom, and the Rubrum Empire. But it was just a thing of the past, so I don’t think much of it. But when the phrase “tremendous crisis” came from the Duke of Marcotte, who had decided to remain silent until the very end even in my first life, it made me wonder what was going on.

Perhaps this is meant to be advice from him to the royal family? That kind of optimistic thinking went through my head.

But even that thinking seemed to be seen through by him, and he said to me in a tone of dismay.

“You are indeed beautiful, Your Highness. You are so very pure that it seemed as if you had descended from heaven, or truly from the land of the fairies, to this country. Trusting others is a virtue. However… the one you are dealing with is not your friend.”

Getting told harsh things, I feel intimidated.

I know that he’s saying very harsh things in an unpleasant way, but perhaps because of the soft tone of his voice, there is a nostalgic feeling to it, and I almost misunderstand.

Even though he was just saying that he’s not my ally.

And then, when I was about to ask what of the history that he mentioned… I was hit with the question of why I was called here in the first place. If he thinks the country is in great danger, it should be my older brothers who get called here at the very least.

“Why did you only send invitations to me and not to my older brothers?”

“You cannot be sure of that yet. Perhaps your older brothers were here as well?”

“I wish you would stop talking in riddles like that.”

“But that is… what nobility is. The thing you have been avoiding.”

I gritted my back teeth as I was quickly cut off.

Where is the issue?

He said that perhaps the country is facing a crisis, so I was sure he had something to tell me, some advice, something to tell me to do. But he just dodged and dodged everything, it was as if I was being played.

“And so, what are you trying to say?”

“No, nothing? Well, let’s see. Then, as I was impressed by the beauty of Your Highness, let me gush out my true intentions. I was not going to tell you, but I let it slip out of my mouth. Tonight, only for Your Highness the butterfly. I have never, nor will I ever, invite other princes here.”

“…….”

What a sarcastic way for a man to talk! I feel like my stomach is boiling. Under the mask, furrowing my brow, I thought to myself, I’m asking the reason why I’m the only one invited here!

“You are thinking, ‘Why me?’ now. You are also feeling a little irritated. Your Highness, who is so honest and straightforward, reveals everything clearly to the other person.”

As he said that, I gasped in realization.

Just now, the other party was not a friend or anything, he was preaching what it was like to have a conversation as a nobility, but I ended up becoming emotional. I grunted in response, thinking that I always seem to get caught in his pace.

But it’s not time to say something like that.

I always ran away from what I thought I didn’t like, and what I reached was a future of being burned at the stake. Whatever this man’s intentions are, I will not make the same mistake this time.

The thoughts I had just before I died, and the thoughts I had this summer, pass through my mind.

What I did wrong, on top of being incompetent and clueless, was that I was always running away from things.

“Are you trying to say I’m foolish?”

“You are angry at me. And then, you feel regret and sadness for what you had done up until now. It becomes even easier to understand. You are an adorable one.”

He talks about it as if he’s trying to soothe a child.

I want to put this conversation back on my pace somehow. Since returning from death, I have repeated the experiments at every social gathering, albeit only a little. And yet, here I am, at the mercy of someone who is clearly more skilled, and I can’t say anything back.

—It’s frustrating.

No, maybe I don’t have to say anything back. I couldn’t even make room for a smirk or a smile.

I heard a hint of him chuckling.

And then, it disturbed me even more.

“Your two older brother princes won’t move with their roles. There is a struggle for the throne in every generation. Marcotte has witnessed it all the time. The clueless, incompetent, and foolish third prince is only beautiful, but you are a piece that can move.”

Again, I reminded myself that I’m the one who allowed him to talk without the formalities.

I knew it myself, but I had never been told such things so directly.

If I had to say, I think in my first life Mika was desperately trying to tell me something close to that.

I bit my lips tightly.

“Are you frustrated? But, you may be a free piece with the power to change history.”

“Huh?”

“You are the unknown. There is also a possibility that you will amount to nothing. However, …I wanted to meet with you because the pieces that had been immobile began to move in unpredictable ways.”

I was relieved that he chose the word unknown to describe it.

Just as he said, there is a possibility of me failing without being able to become anything. As was the case in my first life, there might be a future where I lose everything and probably can’t even defend my country. However, if he described me as unknown, he’s probably expecting me to do something a little bit… That’s what I thought.

I hesitated about what to do, and still decided to ask in shame.

“I…”