Episode 6: The End of Obscuring Shadows
Just when I thought I could earn Leo’s approval by enduring enough beatings, the situation suddenly became complicated.
“I heard that the school’s recommended participants will be joining the main match.”
“Well, it could be anything.”
So, it’s a forced participation. I see. Well, I don’t really intend to win… It will just be my way of apologizing exploding in front of all the students.
“I understand your words, dear brother. But why do you have to involve me in the main match?”
“It’s decided. The main match will gather all the students in the school. It is the most suitable place for you to acknowledge your sins and apologize for the cruelty you have shown Lucille at school. Above all, if you don’t do this, Lucille’s deep scars of sadness will never heal.”
“Hmm… Scars of sadness, huh?”
While I was pondering, Leo’s gaze turned to Charlotte, who was observing the situation.
“I heard you are engaged to Charlotte.”
“Yes, I should have informed you myself…”
“Because of your scheming to take Charlotte away from me, Lucille got hurt. Then, when you lose, I’ll make you apologize with Charlotte as well.”
“Fine, fine, apologies, apologies… Wait, what!?”
“…Dear brother. Charlotte has nothing to do with this incident. If there is anyone who needs to make apology, it’s me alone.”
“Oh? So you admit your involvement?”
“No, it’s not like that… I’m saying that Charlotte shouldn’t be dragged into this.”
“I wonder… It’s just what the cursed child says. Only a few people who like you will believe your words, right?”
“…………!”
He struck a nerve…
Well, it’s true. If everyone would unquestionably believe my words, I wouldn’t have assumed the role of the villain prince in the first place.
“I’m convinced. So Charlotte is also an accomplice, huh! How despicable! Maybe I should have condemned her back then…!”
“That’s not true! Charlotte has nothing to do with this!”
“I don’t think so… It’s just what the cursed child says. Only a few people who like you will believe your words, right?”
…Dear brother. Charlotte… don’t you realize it? The old you, you weren’t the type of person who would do something like this.
Scene transition
Since it seemed impossible to stay at the training ground, we quickly left and headed to the garden.
“I’m sorry, Charlotte. I got you involved.”
At the moment, I feel like I made the biggest mistake. I dragged Charlotte into this.
“Don’t worry about it… Actually, it might be a good thing.”
“A good thing? What do you mean? You’re being treated as an accomplice, you know?”
“Al won’t have to play the role of the villain prince alone anymore.”
“That was just an act, and it was the only option for me. Don’t worry about it.”
“I do worry. I don’t want you to keep hurting yourself by taking such measures.”
“I am the cursed child, blessed by the Night Witch. A symbol of ill omen… No one will believe the words of someone like me. They won’t trust me. They will only look down on me and despise me behind my back. In that state, I won’t be of any use to my family… But as the villain prince, people will obey me.”
Even if I give orders, only the [shadows] directly under me will follow them properly.
I didn’t choose to be born this way.
But I was born this way, there was no way to change it.
I have to find a way to live with the cards I have. Unfortunately, I had no cards to choose from.
So, I gave up. I decided to fully embrace the role of the villain prince.
“In that case, let’s work hard to earn their trust! I’ll help too!”
“Trust, huh… It’s difficult for someone like me, who is stigmatized. That’s why I’m resorting to the methods of the villain prince.”
“It’s challenging, but not impossible. If we don’t take on the challenge, nothing will ever change… Right?”
That’s what it means to be caught off guard.
When I was young, on the day when Charlotte tried to abandon her dream, I handed her a picture book.
Indeed, I… said those things. The idealistic words of the protagonist in the picture book.
“Is this your way of seeking revenge?”
“Hehe… You remembered, huh?”
“You think I would forget? Actually, I’m surprised that you remembered.”
“There’s no way I could forget. At that time, your words, Al-kun, saved me. You saved the goal I held in my heart… and my fading conviction.”
Although I exchanged words with Charlotte, that time was just a brief moment compared to Leo-nii. So, I thought I had long forgotten about it.
I have been saved by Al-kun twice, in the past and now… That’s why it’s heartbreaking to see everyone misunderstanding Al-kun as the villain and judging him with biased eyes of prejudice.”
“And besides…” Charlotte smiled.
“A country where everyone can get along. That’s my dream.”
It’s too naive.
“Even if betrayed by yout fiancé, even if no one believes you.. Charlotte, you can still have such idealistic dreams.”
However, it’s too dazzling.
“If I hadn’t been helped by Al-kun, I might not have been able to have those dreams.”
Beautiful idealistic dreams… She can still have them.
“I’m not saying I want to be like Al-kun… but I also know the pain of not being believed by the people around me.”
When Charlotte’s engagement was broken… she faced the eyes of the surrounding students who believed Leo-nii’s words as if they were looking at a criminal.
“It’s… painful not to be believed by people… Especially when they are important to you… I know that’s why I want to put an end to it. I don’t want anyone to go through such pain anymore.”
Well, who knows… It’s just what the stigmatized say. Only a few people, like you, would believe your words, right?
Leo-nii didn’t listen to what I had to say.
…In the end, both Charlotte and I were people whom Leo-nii didn’t trust.
“I give up…”
It’s more painful than I expected, piercing through my heart.
Leo-nii’s words. Charlotte’s desires.
“I only know one role assigned to me. I never thought there could be another role… but I felt it would be a shame to extinguish her light, this beautiful idealistic thing.”
“In that case, let’s think together. Makina-san and I will help too.”
Her warm hands embrace me, albeit trembling slightly.
She’s worried. Charlotte is too. But still…
“Since an adorable fiancée is pleading like this, how about Al-sama gives in once in a while?”
Makina joins the conversation, bringing more tea.
Her usual lightness is appreciated. No, she’s deliberately doing it.
“…Yeah.”
I never considered any other path or options.
If there’s someone who can show me that… maybe it’s worth a try.
“Maybe we should attempt a different approach sometimes.”
“Sigh… Finally, with the adorable fiancée is pleading. It’s about money, isn’t it, Al-sama?”
“Shut up! We should focus on what to do from now on!”
“Oh, they ran away.”
“They sure did.”
Charl and Makina are laughing together, getting along well. Their breathing is perfectly synchronized. That Charl… I hope he won’t be influenced by Makina in any strange way.
“Well, let’s clear up the current situation a bit. So far, Al-kun will participate in the match in two weeks and will have a match against Leo-sama, right?”
“If he loses, there will be a public apology from Al-sama and Charlotte-sama. Leo-sama’s actions are still as unpredictable as ever… but honestly, I have a question for Al-sama.”
Makina takes a breath and asks, “Do you intend to defeat Leo-sama?”
She questions the fundamental aspect of it.
“I see. The way things have been going, I would intentionally lose to Leo-nii with my previous methods. But I can’t do that this time. I don’t intend to involve Charl in my way of doing things.”
To be honest, I won’t know until I try. I’ve never seriously fought Leo-nii before.
Makina seems to have something on her mind in response to my words. She lowers her gaze, as if pretending not to see something.
“Hmm… in that case, we need a backup plan. It won’t do if we lose and say ‘Oops, we screwed up’.”
“True. Well, first of all, Leo-nii’s goal is to make us confess and apologize in front of all the students. Winning or losing is secondary. The most important thing is to prove that [Charl and I are not the ones who mess with Lucille].”
“If that’s the case, we also need to investigate whether Lucille-san was actually harmed… It would be best if we could find the real culprit.”
“Yes, that’s right. Well, we’ll let [Shadow] investigate that.”
[Shadow’s] investigation skills are excellent. Considering that they are occasionally lent to the king, it can be said that their abilities have been proven.
“We still have two weeks until the match… What can we do…”
“I’ve got it! Let’s [Increase our allies! Operation Image Boost!]”
“Don’t steal my lines, okay!”
And what’s with this operation name?
“Hehe. Makina-chan is a raid-type maid, you know.”
There are even bothersome maids like that!
“Based on the feeling from earlier, Leo-sama will probably spread the word that Al-sama and Charlotte-sama are accomplices. If that happens, the image of Charlotte-sama as a victim that Al-sama created will be ruined.”
“That’s probably true. If it comes to that, we won’t know when the judgment show, like the one at the social party, will start. At least there won’t be anything until the match, but there’s no guarantee.”
“Even without that, as Al-sama’s reputation falls, Charlotte-sama’s reputation will also decline to some extent. You understand that, right?”
“Well… yeah. That’s probably what my father, who arranged Charlotte to be my fiancee, intended.”
Even so, I didn’t plan to change my approach, but it backfired. I thought that once we dealt with Leo-nii’s issue, we could dissolve the engagement or whatever. That was naive.
I realized through this incident that my actions directly led to negative consequences for Charlotte and unnecessarily put her in danger.
“You won’t understand until you experience it, right, Al-sama?”
“Shut up… I do feel bad for Charl.”
“I don’t mind at all. If anything, being involved makes me feel like a proper fiancee, don’t you think?”
“It’s good to have a cute fiancee with a positive attitude, Al-sama.”
There’s no room for disagreement on that point, so I fall silent. Whether she knows it or not, Makina’s quietly smiling face is annoying.
“In the first place, it’s strange that exposing the Third Prince in front of all the students and making him apologize is accepted. But for now, it seems to be accepted. Why is that? Al-sama’s image is bad, and because we have too few allies, we easily forgive such things.””
“Is it not possible to ask for assistance from His Majesty the King?”
I’m sorry, but I can’t ask for help from the King, can I?
“That might be fine, but it’s difficult. Even if there is no evidence, the fact remains that a commoner named Lucille was manipulated by the third prince. If we openly oppose her, it will lead to distrust towards His Majesty the King.”
“I see… in that case, we won’t be able to rely on the power of His Majesty the King.”
“So, what we need is to improve the image of Al and Charlotte. At least, we should overturn the current image of them being ‘accomplices who committed cruel acts against Lucille.’ Otherwise, she might be falsely accused again, and we won’t be able to gain more allies.”
“Improving Al’s image… the quickest way would be to achieve some accomplishments or feats, right?”
“Yes, exactly. Al-sama and Charlotte-sama should actively contribute and achieve great things. It would be best if they can also show gratitude and gain favors. That way, they might be able to win people over and make them allies.”
“If we don’t increase our allies… we might end up isolated and even face the possibility of being expelled from the country.”
“That’s what we call the ‘Al faction.’ Well, compared to the powerful ‘Leo faction,’ it’s practically non-existent. If we were ordered to be expelled from the country as we are now, we wouldn’t even have time to argue and would have to say goodbye. Since Al lacks allies, other royal family members can easily eliminate him.”
“But if we increase our allies… it means that it will become difficult for anyone to easily harm Al, right?”
“Yes, indeed. If we can secure the support of a prominent figure, even Leo will find it difficult to target Al directly. Furthermore, it will foster trust among those around us. However, without a reasonably good reputation, it will be challenging to convince potential allies to join our cause. Fortunately, we now have Charlotte by our side, and we can count on the cooperation of the Duke of Mercenne’s family. Increasing our allies is undoubtedly necessary in addition to these efforts.”
“I see… so ‘improving the image’ and ‘increasing allies’ go hand in hand.”
“Exactly. Let’s recap. Our objectives in the two weeks leading up to the tournament are to ‘improve Al’s faction’ image’ and ‘expand our circle of allies.’ Although these measures are precautionary in case Al loses the match, winning would be the best outcome.”
“That’s why we won’t know until we give it a try, right?”
“Well… let’s proceed with that mindset. Regardless of the outcome, these steps are crucial moving forward.”
Makina nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders, disregarding the meaningful gaze.
“Improving the image and increasing allies seem like challenging tasks to accomplish within two weeks.”
“Nevertheless, let’s give it a shot.”
“…Yeah.”
It didn’t matter what strangers thought of him… but he yearned for his family to believe in him.
However, his words failed to reach his older brother, Leo.
He couldn’t convince anyone to have faith in him.
That’s why he, at the very least, wanted to become someone who could believe in his own words when speaking to his family.
That’s what he resolved.
“The time for hiding in the shadows is over.”
That determination coursed through him. It was his declaration.
He would transform his newfound resolve into action.
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Thanks for the chapters.
The pacing is a bit hurried this time
Minor typos
>“Sigh… Finally, with adorable fiancée /is/(1) pleading. It’s about /money/(2), right, Al-sama?”
(1) unnecessary
(2)/time/
>Their breaths are perfectly synchronized. That Charl… I hope /he/ doesn’t get influenced in a strange way by Makina.
/she/. Btw, is “Charl” and “Sharu” interchangeable?
>/And what /And what’s with this operation name?
Unnecessary
it should be charl. fixed, thanks