TN: A quick note, a lot of this chapter has some throwbacks to older chapters so remembering those makes this chapter even better.
Serea took the hamburger bag and cup of tea that I just bought.
She peeked into the hamburger bag and took a small bite out of the burger. She is trying it for poison. I’m really grateful for the consideration. [TN-1]
The terrace was also full, so we ended up sitting on the stone steps leading to the cathedral with everyone else for lunch. Jack was happily eating skewered meat and sandwiches he had bought from somewhere.
The girls were absorbed in various sweets, candies, and confectionery. Seeing them, Jack whispered to me.
“Hey…How do you feel about the idea of your parents picking your fiancé by themselves, about your future marriage partner being predetermined?”
“I guess it’s an enviable position.”
“This is why it’s impossible to speak with kids. You have no understanding of other people’s hardships.”
I almost started laughing at the sighing Jack.
“I do wonder what kind of hardships the esteemed son of a viscount has?”
When I said that, Jack started scratching his head.
“My bad. There are still kids struggling to eat every day; compared to that my hardships are laughable.”
“Well, you figure out a thing or two after taking care of a lot of kids in the hospital and orphanage like me.”
“Again, my bad.”
“So Shin, do you like Serea?”
“I love her.”
“I really think you are amazing; being able to think like that. Did you ever think about marrying her in the future?”
“Of course I have.”
Though actually, I already have.
“I end up thinking ‘That must be really nice’ when I see your relationship.”
Oh? Our esteemed lord Jack is a romantic.
“Meeting someone normally, falling in love with them normally, starting a relationship normally, don’t you think that by skipping these experiences and suddenly getting married out of nowhere is like losing an important part of your life?”
“Isn’t it more of a positive, not having to deal with the frustration of unrequited love, the embarrassment of confessing, or the disappointment of being rejected?”
“What’s with that business-like view on love!? The only reason you can say that is because the two of you are already all lovey-dovey!”
He says that and pokes my head. Well, if it was Shreegan, he would already be yelling ’Explode already!!!’.[TN-2]
“Ah… I get it. In short, you are embarrassed. It’s no good to hide your embarrassment like that, you know?”
“That… is a part of it. But! You have no way of knowing if you will find a better and cuter girl down the line, right?”
“Men! I tell you! I wonder, do they all have a harem fantasy?”
“What’s wrong with you suddenly? ...That’s gross.”
I used the mannerisms of our dance teacher.
“Hahahaha! Seriously though; what are you unsatisfied about? Miss Silvia is really cute, and, more importantly, she really likes you. I really think she is a great girl.”
“Well she is at least better than your plain looking girlfriend.”
“…Try saying that again.”
I say that, then I poke his head.
“My bad, that was a slip of the tongue. Seriously, sorry about that.”
Jack scratches his head, and apologises.
“Miss Serea is a really honest girl.She looks a bit plain at first glance, but when you get a better look; she really is cute. Shealso seems kind. I can see why you like her so much.”
“The plain at first glance is unnecessary. Don’t you try making a move on her, though.”
“Why would I make a move!? Anyway!How should I put it… I can tell that Silvia is a nice girl. But, well…Whenever I’m with her;it always feels like a bond between two noble households.A connection between a baron and a viscount.Mo matter what happens, I end up feeling this way.”
“Ah haa …”
“I feel like there is a wall between us, like we don’t actually connect for real. I end up thinking that she is probably just going along with everything just because we are betrothed.”
“Do you know about her highness Saran, who got married in the neighbouring country of Halfa?”
“I do, I do. The princess. The one who got married to the prince from Halfa.”
“They have been married for two years now, and they already have one child with another on the way.”
“Wow! They really are in love.”
My elder sister's plan to ‘dye the Halfa country with the blood of our Midland royal family’, is steadily progressing.
“Prior to getting married, her highness Saran couldn’t even remember her partner’s face properly.”
“No way!”
Jack is totally shocked.
“In the grand scheme of things;whether it’s a political marriage or a marriage of love isn’t that important. The important part is what happens after you meet each other. Love isn’t something that one person can work on by themselves. Both parties need to patiently work on it together. Try to cherish her a bit more, try to get to love her. After all, you still have many years before the actual marriage.”
“…That does sound nice too.”
“And in the first place, do you really think that a man, who can’t make his own fiancé love him, would be able to win over the cuter girl he meets down the road? I don’t.”
“You’re not wrong there.”
After we finished our lunch, Jack offers his hand to Miss Silvia.
“Uhm…… it would be troublesome if we got separated.Give me your hand.”
“…Yes!”
Miss Silvia was surprised, but she shyly reached out and grabbed his hand.Then Jack helped her up.
“Say, would you like to come to my territory? I want to hire you. If you were to study at my territory, I’m sure you’d make a great government official. You’ll be my right hand man.”
Jack told me just as we were about to part around dusk.
“Nah. I have a job here in the capital, and I don’t wanna break up with Serea.”
“Figures. Too bad…… Well, don’t forget about me.”
“Yeah yeah. We’ll see each other again anyway, right?”
“Definitely.”
As he said that; we shook hands.
We met again the next day at the after party for the vassal conference. [TN-3]
Ah, this is awkward…… As I escorted Serea into the venue towards His Majesty the King, Jack and Miss Silvia were just staring at us mouths agape.
After we finished greeting the important people in the venue, we headed straight towards the two of them, who already had their heads bowed.
“T-th-the other day, I was not aware that it was you, YourHighness. You have my sincerest apologies. How could I apologise enough for what happened?”
“Cut it out.There is no way you could have known. Just act like you always do.”
“I a-as well haven’t been able to notice who you really were, Miss Serea……Lady Serea, I have repeatedly been impolite.”
“Please raise your head. It’s our fault for not telling you. I’m sorry.”
“Wait, wait, wait!Let’s go to the veranda first. We are standing out too much!”
I pulled the two of them to the terrace.
“Come on, let’s stop it with all of that. We are all friends, right?”
“…… I should have noticed. Looking back there were a lot of clues. When I think about it, YourHighness has spoken like a prince from the first time we met.”
“……The same goes for me as well.”
“It’s ok already, and stop talking like that. Let’s just separate our public and private lives.”
The two of them finally raised their heads.
“Just keep calling me ‘Shin’ like before. I don’t mind if you just say ‘you there’, or even if you call me ‘bastard’. When we aren’t in public, just act like you have until now.Come on Jack, we are the same age anyway, aren’t we?”
“Silvia, you too.Please just call me Serea.”
“O-oo……”
I guess it’s hard for her to do that right away.
“You two.You are both going to Flora academy, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then we can all hang out at the academy, too. I’m counting on you from now on.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you ‘yes’ me! You would say ‘sure thing’ in this kind of situation.”
“I understand……I mean, sure thing.”
“That’s it!”
At that, we all started laughing. Their faces are a bit stiff though.
“Why is Your Highness willing to forgive me?”
“At first, when you thought I was just a commoner, you looked down on me.However, over time, you came to think of me as a friend, right?”
“That’s because I thought ‘this guy has his life figured out better than me’, so I just……”
“Well, I think of you as a friend too. I thought that I could be friends with the two of you.Friends that won’t care about each other’s social statuses.”
“I think the same. Silvia, you always talked with me like I was the same as you, and never looked down on me for being a commoner.”
“Without even knowing that you were the prince’s fiancé, I consulted with you about so many things……”
Miss Silvia is bright red.
“What did you discuss?”
“It's a secret between us girls!”
I got Serea mad, I guess I can’t prod any further. Anyway, probably something like how to get closer to Jack or similar.
“Ah!Now that I think about it, you didn’t tell her some embarrassing stories about me, right? Serea?”
The music changed.
“It’s time to dance! Let’s go!”
We left the veranda and headed towards the dance hall. Serea and I walked hand in hand.
Together with many lords and their children, we gracefully danced to the waltzthat Strauss is conducting. We were dancing a proper adult dance this time. The venue collectively let out sounds of admiration.
With my elegant leading, I’m the only person in this world who can make Serea look the most stunning. On this part, I’m unwilling to compromise.
Serea isn’t wearing a particularly eye-catching dress. Even without some special new fashion, the reserved girl, Serea, is the protagonist of the venue.With every eye trained on her, it had to be this dance. The moonwalk! Shuffle Shuffle Shuffle.[TN-4]
The whole crowd was in a commotion. This dance is like a magic trick!The trick is to show it just once in one day so that you don’t give too much away.
Ah, also, Serea’s skirt was slightly shortened, so that her feet could be seen. Normally, a lady's skirt is designed to hide the shoes so that any missteps won't be noticed. Wearing a skirt that reveals the shoes is a bold move and one wouldn’t dare do it without confidence in their dancing skills.
Once the music ended, we received an applause from the entire hall, along with the other children dancing.
We then go to the pair of Jack and Silvia that were acting like wallflowers.
“Miss Silvia, could I have the second dance?”
“How could I dare dance with your highness.”
“A lady isn’t supposed to embarrass a gentleman.”
“…Yes…”
When she said that; I took her hand.
“Come on Jack-sama!You don’t plan on embarrassing a lady, do you?”
“No, I’m just really bad at dancing.”
“I don’t mind, come on.”
Serea grabbed Jack's hand, and led him to the centre of the dance hall.
Swish, swish, swish, spin, spin, spin.
Thump-ta-ta, thump-ta-ta. Ahahaha!
Led by Serea, Jack is also starting to look good!
Dancing, you know, even if you're bad at it and it looks uncool, it doesn't matter at all! As long as you're having fun, that's all that matters. Do you understand now?
Now Jack, go dance with Miss Silvia too.
[TN-1] Again… why is the noble lady of one of the most powerful families in the country poison testing food……
[TN-2] The whole Japanese joke of “normies explode” basically someone that doesn’t have a significant other says that to someone he perceives as having no trouble in their love life.
