CH 23

For now, let's leave aside the matter about the second prince.

Because honestly, it's kind of scary.

There's no harm in appraising him after the information gathering, right?.

If I saw some weird Status without preparing myself beforehand, I don't think I would be able to hide my distress...

So, for the sake of preparing my heart as well, I'll first proceed with the information gathering.

"Come to think of it, I heard the Duke of Rottenstein's youngest daughter got engaged recently. Were you already aware of it, Miss?"

Having just returned my attention to the conversation, the young lady sitting next to me, who looks to be about the age of a junior high school student, spoke to me.

Not only am I aware of it, I'm the very daughter in question.

Well, with my presence being so thin, she probably couldn't recognise who I am.

Does this mean my incognito mode is a huge success?

For now, I'll pretend to be a third party.

"Yes. I heard her betrothed is the son of the Schneiver Company."

As soon as those words left my mouth, the other ladies who had been listening to our exchange joined in the conversation.

"I hear they could tell it was fate from the moment they laid eyes on each other, regardless of their status!!"

I don't know if Ursch-kun felt that it was fate. I'd be happy if he did, though.

"And that as a Duke's daughter and the second son of a merchant company, they met a lot of opposition because of their differing status!!"

Hm? No, there wasn't really any opposition though?

"Goodness!! Is that right? Although I have heard that a lady from the Rottenstein family got engaged recently, I did not know the details! Would you mind telling me?"

There was nothing to be said in detail...

It was only about us going from provisionally engaged, to being congratulated by people thinking we were engaged, to us actually getting engaged.

"Apparently, the lady in question is named Isabella. After meeting the Schneiver Company's son, she went directly to her parents and introduced him as her fated partner, furthermore expressed her wishes in marrying him."

"My!! As I recall, Isabella-sama is only six years old, isn't she?"

"No matter what age you are, fate is fate!! It has nothing to do with age!!"

"I wonder where my fated partner is...? Oh, but I can't. My parents would never allow me a marriage out of love..."

"Shh!! The Rottenstein Duchess and Isabella-sama are supposedly attending the tea party today!! Everyone, keep your voices down!!"

"Oh my!! Are you sure? Where is she?"

The young ladies of my table began to look around the greenhouse and at the other tables.

"Isabella-sama's mother is a former princess, so I hear she too had inherited the royal family's thick, gorgeous, golden hair. As for her eyes, I heard they were a vibrant blue with gradations mixed in, the Rottenstein family's distinct trait.

"Oh? Where may she be? The Duchess of Rottenstein is here, but I do not see anyone who resembles Isabella-sama."

Um.... I'm right here... at the same table.

It pains me to do this, but I'm currently on an undercover mission so I can't reveal myself just yet.

Sorry, I guess?

Despite looking around the greenhouse, the young ladies were unable to locate me. Giving up, the topic of conversation returned to my engagement with Ursch-kun.

"With the people around them opposed to the engagement, they spent weeks exchanging letters with each other, formulating a plan to run away together!! And then!! They finally carried it out!!"

Huh?!?!

Nonononono!!

Although we did have the option to run away together, we never actually did it.

"An elopement!! In order to realise their love of different statuses, they chose to run away, is that right?"

"But they were only six years old, weren't they? How were they planning to make a living?"

"It seems they had considered that as well. After running away, the two of them planned to register as trainee adventurers at the Adventurer's Guild."

Huh? Huh?? We did???

Ursch-kun and I went to the Adventurer's Guild to register as trainee adventurers?!

Did something like that ever happen?

I mean, I've never even heard of a trainee adventurer before. The heck is that?

Ah, Ursch-kun might know what it is.

Now that I mention it, I'm starting to think we did go to the Adventurer's Guild to register as trainee adventurers.

......No... we didn't. We didn't.

"But when they arrived at the Guild, Isabella-sama's personal maid had found them out. 'Please allow me to accompany you, My Lady!! I wish to continue serving by your side, even if you wish to leave your life as a noble!!', she said!!"

''Goodness..... Isabella-sama is simply adored by her servants."

Who are we talking about here? That's not about me, is it...?

Isn't it kinda mixed with some other story of some other person?

To summarise, the rest of the conversation by the young ladies continued in a similar manner.

The adventurers who heard the story shouted,

"It is our mission to serve Isabella-sama, and our destiny. Maids who can't fight will only be a burden to Isabella-sama!!", and challenged the maid to a duel, with the victor earning the right to be my servant.

The maid accepted the challenge, successfully beating the 3 adventurers deep into the ground at the price of her legs getting broken.

But then came my brother, Daemon Zak Rottenstein, captain of the Imperial Knights First Unit.

Facing my brother who intends to bring me home, the maid stood in his way with her broken legs in order to allow my escape.

The confrontation between the wounded maid and a captain of the Imperial Knights caused a huge commotion within the Guild. Taking advantage of it, the adventurers assisted me and Ursch-kun in getting away.

However, while on the run, Ursch-kun and I witnessed an illegal slave trade run by the Mafia.

Now with the Mafia on our backs, Ursch-kun and I fled for our lives before getting separated from each other.

Thus we evaded the hitmen hired by the mafia, all the while searching for the other...

It was Brother Daemon's fiancée, Maureen-sama, who noticed our situation when she had come to town to do some shopping.

She immediately headed to the Imperial Knights' Barracks, intending to inform Brother Daemon that I was in trouble, but unfortunately he was out on a separate matter.

There, Maureen-sama, the Leader of the Imperial Knights's daughter, decided to take matters into her own hands. She gallantly mounted on a warhorse, leading a handful of knights into the city to rescue me from the clutches of the mafia.

In the midst of all this, as I found myself alone in an unfamiliar part of the city, I encountered a beautiful and mysterious masked warrior.

She discovered my talents, and made me her apprentice.

After 2 hours of rigorous training, I had awakened my abilities, gaining enough physical capability to run up a clock tower.

At the same time, Ursch-kun was looking all over for me while fighting back the mafia hitmen.

By coincidence, he was met with my father, the Duke of Rottenstein, on the main street.

"If you wish to wed my daughter, you will have to fight me, a former A Class adventurer, and prove that you are strong enough to protect her. Only then will I acknowledge you!!"  My father challenged Ursch-kun to a duel, wielding a battleaxe he "coincidentally" had in his hand.

Ursch-kun agreed to his terms, and as the onlookers watched on, the battle with our engagement at stake began.

In the end, my father had shown an opening in the duel, allowing Ursch-kun to use his alchemy ability and fuse my father's battleaxe with the stone pavement.

Successful in sealing my father's movements, even if just for a few seconds, Ursch-kun then brought out the whip for the wagon horses that he "coincidentally" had on him, and attacked.

Brilliantly, he had defeated my father.

At that moment, Maureen-sama and the other knights had arrived on scene.

My father and brother who had finally acknowledged Ursch-kun decided to work together with him to rescue me, and requested the aid from members of the Knight Corps and the Schneiver Company.

With the aim to ensure my safety and the extermination of the mafia, they moved out.

After an all-out war with the mafia leading deep into the night, Ursch-kun and I had our touching reunion on the wide street.

As for the cavalry unit who happened to be present at our reunion, they were so moved by the depth of our love that they collapsed on the spot and cried.

.........How in the world did it turn out that way.

※Puzzle box: A box that cannot be opened unless done in a predetermined manner. Confirmed failure to first-timers.

It is also called a secret box or trick box.

The number of puzzles may vary, like the one with 211 puzzles. ...I don't think you're ever taking out what you stored in that one.

A/N:

I received this cool, mysterious comment saying "Shunmin, roaring at dawn"

So, Shunmin-san roars at dawn, yes? A beastman perhaps?

There's the kanji for spring in it, so I'd like her to be a girl. Preferably a tiger beastman.

The Eighth Emperor of the Garou Empire, his firstborn—Princess Shunmin.

The princess was a tiger beastman with beautiful jet-black fur and crimson red stripes. Just before her 10th birthday, her father the emperor had passed away, and thus it was decided that she was to be crowned as emperor when she turned ten.

The young princess had a fiancé 10 years older than her. Until she became an adult, the government of the country would be entrusted to her fiancé instead.

However, that very fiancé had fallen in love with another—a vassal of his. In order to obtain power and authority with her,

he constructed a fake prophecy, saying that "Shunmin is the cursed black tiger that would cause the empire's downfall. If she is not contained, the empire will be destroyed.", and sparked a rebellion.

Those of the royal family and loyal vassals who resisted were executed one by one. Shunmin, who was still 10 at the time, was captured, and shoved into a small puzzle box, unable to get out.

The fiancé then proclaimed himself as a hero who saved the empire from the cursed black tiger, claiming the emperor's throne and marrying the vassal he fell in love with.

With the lives of her dear family and vassals taken, Shunmin was filled with anger towards the man who had been her former fiancé. Trapped in the small puzzle box, she was unable to do anything but mutter her resentment towards him. Soon enough, it turned into curses.

On the dawn of the 18th day she was trapped, with her dying breath, Shunmin roared her final curse, and died in the tiny box.

Ever since, the descendants of the man who took over as the Garou Empire's royal family has been cursed by Shunmin.

Even after the Empire fell into ruin, the curse remained, whittling away at the inheritor's mental health, and affecting those around it.

Eventually, that curse will be known as a "Special Hereditary Skill".

Special Hereditary Skill: From the Deadly Sin King series, 《The ◼️◼️ of the Sloth King》

That is,

The one who held her last breath in a small, dark box,

The Ninth Empress of the Garou Empire, Shunmin's curse.

And that was how I almost added a hidden backstory to the Deadly Sin Kings skills!! Way too close!!

That kind of backstory is waaaay too heavy, and would easily get out of hand!!

More than anything else, I feel sorry for Shunmin!! Even though she's just a sweet, laid-back little girl who loves to bask in the sun and take naps!! That bastard of an ex-fiancé, I'll never forgive him!!

Ah... I'm sorry the afterword about imaginary stuff got so long.

T/N: The original comment the author received was「春眠 、暁に吼える」

When literally translated, it'll mean smtg like "Sleeping soundly during spring, roaring at dawn" (?????)

Author used the「春眠」part as the tiger princess' name, n didn't specify how it's read (could be read as Harumin for all I know) , but the phrase itself is read as "shun min"

winter: Shunmin... (┬┬﹏┬┬)