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I couldn’t stand it and went to confirm their relationship from the morning.
“Good morning, Ouga. The weather is so nice today, it’s like the beginning of an enjoyable day.”
I spotted him on his way to school and casually struck up a conversation.
This has been my recent routine.
“…………”
Well, I know.
I can’t blame him for being cold towards me.
I did that to him, after all.
For every hurt he felt, I’ll hurt just as much. If that’s what it takes for him to forgive me…
“Good morning, Karen. You shine so brightly today, it’s almost like you outshine the sun.”
“…………Huh?”
An unintentionally dumbfounded voice slips out of my mouth.
“But yeah, Karen is right. It has indeed become a wonderful day. Meeting you in the morning made it so.”
“…………”
“Let’s talk more if you’re up for it. See you later.”
He patted my shoulder and left with a smile.
Did that just… happen?
Ouga praised me…?
He’s happy to see me…?
I gently touch the spot where he touched me.
A faint sensation remains.
“Ouga…”
My heart starts pounding.
The feelings I thought I had suppressed are still lingering in my heart.
***
“Kukuku… Did you see that, Mashiro? Karen’s dumbfounded expression.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Looks like my prediction was correct, huh? Alice, keep an eye on the Crown Prince Arnia’s movements from now on.”
“Understood.”
Everyone seems satisfied with my perfectly executed act.
But their warm gazes directed at me are somewhat… odd.
It’s like they’re looking at me like a mother watching over her child’s growth… No, it must be my imagination.
“This is unacceptable. I won’t allow myself to be used for political purposes.”
Yesterday, I saw through Karen’s plan to use me as a pawn, so I immediately came up with a countermeasure.
This approach to her is part of it.
Karen can’t refuse me. After all, her purpose is to make the playboy Crown Prince jealous.
So, it’s somewhat convenient for her if I approach her.
“Alice, Ouga-kun is so adorable.”
“Lord Ouga lacks experience in dealing with people his age due to various circumstances. We shall observe him as his attendants and watch him grow. Besides…”
“Besides?”
“He might be thinking about things we can’t even imagine. Lord Ouga is compassionate and has a heart to execute justice.”
“Yeah… Maybe… You’re right…”
The two women seem to be whispering to each other, but I don’t eavesdrop.
They are probably admiring my excellent acting skills.
For now, I will continue with this plan for a while.
The endpoint will be when Karen realizes she can’t handle me and retreats.
Then, the student council’s watchful eyes will be gone, and I’ll kill two birds with one stone.
A genius, after all. I won, Gahaha!
Feeling good since early morning, I enter the classroom with a triumphant air.
***
“Your hair is beautiful. I can tell that you take good care of it. I can see why everyone likes Karen.”
“What a refreshing floral scent. Oh, it’s Karen. I thought she was a goddess.”
“Karen’s skin is so smooth. It’s like a snow fairy.”
Lately, my childhood friend has been acting strangely.
He’s been showering me with compliments that I could never have imagined coming from him.
But that’s beside the point.
“Uhuhu… Uhuhuhu…”
I check that there’s no one around and let out a little giggle, then jot down the recent events in my diary, hidden in the inner pocket of my uniform.
“Ouga praised me…”
Ouga is my prince.
Yes, we’ve been destined for each other since we were little.
I used to be very weak, even the maids looked down on me.
Being born for a political marriage, I thought I shouldn’t have been born into this world.
Until that day when Ouga reached out to me.
Ouga was amazing.
He carved his own path, overcoming any obstacles.
It was so cool.
“Now you belong to me.”
When he said that, my body trembled with joy.
The joy of being needed. I felt like I could dedicate my whole life to him.
…Looking back now, maybe that was Ouga’s way of proposing.
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Since then, he protected me from the bullies. There was no benefit for him to be involved with a crybaby like me…
That must be it.
I see. Ouga loves me.
Then we both have feelings for each other.
Let’s get married.
“Hey, Ouga-kun. You’re doing that thing to Levezenka-san, do it to me too.”
“I won’t. Absolutely not.”
“Aww, you’re stingy.”
“Mashiro, you’ve become less reserved lately…”
I stare at the two of them talking amicably in the classroom as they pass by each other.
…That should have been my special seat.
Lately, they’ve been stopping to talk with each other more frequently.
Of course, that attracts attention from other students.
Rumors have started to spread that “Ouga Vellett is trying to woo Karen Levezenka.”
Well, it doesn’t bother me at all.
He hasn’t officially proposed yet, but maybe he will next time.
If that happens, I’ll give him a proper answer.
I wouldn’t mind giving up the Levezenka name.
For the honeymoon, Floishe, the City of Water, or Lirichera, the Garden of Blessings, would be nice.
Both are famous tourist destinations, and it would surely be a fun time.
Instead of a mansion, I want a small house, just the two of us without any maids.
Oh, but I want five children…
“Karen-sama.”
–My head immediately cools down at the familiar voice.
It’s the child from the branch family of the Levezenka family.
The surveillance hired by my father.
“After this, you have a dinner with the Crown Prince Arnia. Shall we move soon?”
“…I understand.”
It’s a gloomy time.
The daydreams of escape are over, and reality comes crashing down.
…Why isn’t Ouga my fiancé?
Suppressing the lingering thoughts, I leave the place to spend time with someone I don’t even like.
Silence dominates the space.
No conversation can possibly arise.
Because we have never nurtured love between us.
“…………”
The clinking of tableware echoes.
Yet, we still have these dinners as a pose for my father.
That’s why no one else is in the room besides the two of us.
We can’t afford to expose the cooled-off relationship.
…No, they probably realized it a long time ago.
No laughter has ever leaked out.
Still, if we continue this engagement… I must be seen only as a tool.
“Hey.”
Suddenly, I’m called out, causing me to shiver involuntarily.
It seems I had been sinking into my thoughts and unconsciously looked down.
When I raise my head, I see the Crown Prince of Arnia with his chin on his hand, looking at me.
“Y-yes. What can I do for you?”
“Lend me some money again. Five gold coins will do.”
“W-what… Didn’t I just give you some the other day?”
“I already spent that. That’s why I’m asking for more.”
“S-so, you spent it…? On what…?”
“You should be able to figure it out without asking. It’s for a genuine girl, not someone pretending to be a man.”
“…!”
I’m not pretending to be a man because I like it…!
I want to take off this constricting sarashi and wear a skirt, spending my days in cute clothes.
But I’m scared of what my father will say if I stop being a man.
All my desires are kept hidden because of him.
All the pain from being hit, having my hair pulled, and being beaten with a stick is deeply ingrained.
This curse called father won’t set me free.
Right now, even though I’m desired as a woman… if my father knew that my failures are my own doing, I wonder what kind of expression he’d have.
“What’s with that rebellious look? I don’t mind breaking off the engagement, you know?”
“T-That’s…!”
“But I wonder what your father would think if that happened?”
…He’d undoubtedly lock me up.
If that were all, it wouldn’t be so bad. I’d probably be sent to some remote area, after being provided with a doppelganger and humiliated.
Indeed, I was educated to become an heir, but my position is disposable if I’m not useful. Or perhaps I’ll be ordered to bear the child of some influential noble…
That person would handle that easily.
For my father, everything is just a tool.
He’s just using me to expand the Levezenka family.
“You get it now, right? You just have to do as I say,” said Prince Arnia, with a sinister smile.
He knows.
He knows that I can’t defy my father.
That’s why he’s demanding such a large sum of money.
“By doing so, the royal blood will be incorporated into the family lineage. The Levezenka family will be treated one rank higher than other ducal families. You’ll be able to produce an heir. Your father will be overjoyed.”
Even though he knows I can’t ask my father for money…!
If I were to request funds from him, the purpose would be revealed, and it might reach the king’s ears.
Then the prince would be scolded by the king.
Anyone can predict what would follow.
Feeling disgusted, he would present me with a broken engagement.
In other words, he never intended to marry me from the beginning.
He covered all the expenses for my enrollment in the Magic Academy from his personal funds.
And it’s nearing its limit.
“Geez, my father can’t even understand how commoners feel. I’m the crown prince, after all. If he just handed me the money, I wouldn’t have to deal with such troublesome things.”
Translator Note : If you like misunderstanding comedy, checkout, Sir Black Knight who does not want to be an additional rangers, a new novel that recently I picked up
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poor waifu don’t worry mc will rescue you from this misery and think he’s being evil when he’s not lol