Chapter 14
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Chapter 14 : Even a Troublemaker Prepares Thoroughly (4)
“My, my heart…”
It hurt. This was the first time her heart had pounded so fast, and she was also learning for the first time that such a pace could cause pain. Legina squeezed her eyes shut, clutching her rapidly beating chest with both hands.
“Deep breaths, Your Highness.”
“Y-Yes, deep breaths…”
She tried, but it was impossible. Aaron’s scent, thick and close as he leaned over her, made it impossible for her to calm down. No, what perfume was he wearing that merely smelling it made her heart pound like this? Legina pressed down on her chest, which was now beating even faster, and pleaded with Aaron.
“My lord… just… step back a little.”
“Ah, I see.”
Feeling the shadow that had covered her disappear, Legina took a deep breath. Fortunately, as Aaron moved away, her heart quickly began to return to its normal pace. The only slight problem was that she felt weak. She was so surprised that she couldn’t even think about the Danilan flowers being crushed beneath her.
“Are you alright?”
“…Yes.”
“You’re not alright. Allow me to assist you.”
“…Please, my lord.”
At times like these, he should just pretend not to notice… Legina grasped Aaron’s hand and rose to her feet. Her crumpled dress was stained with red flower juice. Was it fortunate that the scent wasn’t strong? Legina ran a hand through her hair, which was as messy as her dress, and sighed softly.
“I showed you an unseemly side.”
“I am accustomed to it.”
“…You don’t mean you’re accustomed to my unseemly side, do you?”
“Yes.”
He was clearly a beautiful man, yet somehow, he was still a bit strange. Legina dusted off the hem of her dress and met Aaron’s gaze, specifically his cheekbones.
“For now, please forget what you just saw.”
“Yes.”
“And to pick up where we left off earlier…”
“I remember your instruction that after Your Highness declares the annulment of your engagement, I am to maintain my position and remain silent, no matter what actions you take.”
“…You are reliable, my lord.”
“Yes.”
…He was annoying. She still couldn’t even meet Aaron’s eyes, but he was annoying. She didn’t know why he was annoying, but he just was! It was hard to articulate, but Aaron’s unwavering, almost mocking demeanor, maintaining the same tension from beginning to end, made her surge with frustration. And her own situation, where she couldn’t even maintain her dignity and only showed an embarrassing mess due to his beauty, was laughable.
It was an experience she had never had, neither before nor after her regression. So Legina laughed. Because being different from before her regression was a very good thing. At least it meant she wasn’t following the same future she knew.
“Then, my lord. Now that our business is done, shall we do some digging?”
“The servants haven’t arrived.”
“There are empty pots here, and a small shovel here too.”
“Shall I do it?”
“Or should I?”
Aaron looked into Legina’s eyes. His red eyes clearly held the unspoken thought, ‘Are you serious right now?’ but it didn’t affect Legina, whose gaze was fixed on his cheekbones.
“Since you’re doing it, please pick only the especially large ones, my lord.”
Beautiful was beautiful, and annoying was annoying. Legina, who had resolved in this life after her regression to absolutely not be on the receiving end, was smiling brightly.
A few hours later, Legina’s lavish carriage departed the Vestein Ducal House. Behind it, a supply carriage followed, laden with Danilan flowers, their red petals carefully dug out from the Duchess of Vestein’s garden.
Gissley, who had been watching Legina’s carriage and the supply carriage loaded with Danilan flowers disappear into the distance for a long time, spoke to Aaron, who stood beside him.
“What happened?”
“I was invited to His Highness Theore’s birthday banquet.”
“…I can already see the young ladies who will be lining up at the mansion door to be your partner.”
“I have a partner. Don’t worry.”
“What?”
Gissley, who had been following the disappearing carriages with his eyes, turned to look at Aaron. He couldn’t quite understand what his brother, who inherited their mother’s beautiful face, had just said.
“You…”
“No woman.”
“But you have a partner…”
“I do.”
“I told you not to speak so briefly.”
“Brother, you also need to fix your circumlocutory way of speaking.”
It was a conversation between brothers of extremes. However, the stubbornness in their tones was so alike that no one would be able to say they weren’t brothers.
“Is it Her Highness Legina?”
“I cannot say.”
“It is Her Highness, then. What on earth is she thinking?”
What was the young princess thinking, proposing to Aaron to be her partner for the banquet, while still having her fiancé? Legina had always shown a submissive demeanor towards the Emperor. Though sometimes it made him feel pity and frustration, he considered it a burden she had to bear as a member of the imperial family and tried not to think deeply about it. After all, he thought she would become the Duchess of Slyveig and be on the opposing side to himself, who would one day become Duke.
But what about the princess he met today? There was no sign of her usual timidness. No, she seemed more confident than usual. Gissley, who had been lost in thought for a long time, staring in the direction the carriage had disappeared, turned and headed back into the mansion, with Aaron, who had been quietly standing by his brother’s side, following him.
“You wouldn’t tell me even if I asked, would you?”
“No.”
“Right, the banquet is soon, so I’ll find out then.”
Perhaps he should just prepare himself mentally? Gissley, muttering to himself, suddenly remembered something and stopped in the mansion’s lobby. Aaron, who had been walking behind him, also stopped, puzzled by his brother’s action.
“By the way, Aaron.”
“Yes.”
“It might not be the time to point it out, but… how on earth did you stand before Her Highness dressed like that?”
Gissley’s gaze slowly moved from top to bottom, scrutinizing Aaron’s appearance. A light white shirt and black pants. It was fine for being at home, but it was highly disrespectful for meeting a guest. Gissley scratched his chin, observing his brother’s overly casual attire, despite not having time to prepare for a sudden visit, which was too informal for standing before royalty. If Duke Vestein had been here, he would have been furious.
“Her Highness Legina is not yet an adult, so it won’t be officially recorded as a ‘formal’ visit, but she is still royalty. Even if it was an unannounced visit, we have a duty to greet her in the most perfect manner possible.”
“I know.”
“You know, yet you looked like that?”
“Usually, they are too preoccupied with looking at my face to care what I am wearing.”
“…What?”
“I simply wanted to move quickly and reduce the time Her Highness had to wait, rather than fuss over an outfit that wouldn’t even be looked at anyway.”
Gissley’s eyebrows twitched, watching Aaron, who was replying at greater length than usual. There was only one instance when his brother’s words became long.
“Tell me honestly.”
“It was bothersome.”
“Haa, Aaron…”
Gissley covered his face with both hands and sighed deeply. His brother, who seemed to act like a bear despite looking like a fox, was actually a fox with many tails. And Gissley, by the privilege of blood, knew one of his brother’s unspoken life philosophies: ‘Use everything that can be used.’
“You deliberately came out with your hair half-dried, didn’t you?”
“I’ve tried it before, and it was effective.”
“Using a honey trap on a minor…”
“I haven’t had my coming-of-age ceremony either, so it doesn’t matter.”
A honey trap just to avoid the bother of changing clothes. Gissley, led by Aaron into the drawing-room, leaned back deeply into a plush sofa, observing Aaron’s face. It was a beauty that even longtime servants found hard to get used to after a long absence. Sometimes even he himself was startled, so what must it be like for others?
“…Tell me honestly, Aaron.”
“About what?”
“Have you developed any other feelings for Her Highness Legina?”
“No.”
At Aaron’s firm answer, Gissley continued.
“Her Highness Legina, though young, is beautiful. She will undoubtedly become the most beautiful woman in this empire by the time she has her coming-of-age ceremony. I could understand if you developed other feelings.”
His family was already greatly worried due to Aaron’s insistence on remaining single. Recalling Duchess Barbara Vestein, who often urged him to at least have a romance, seeing her youngest son, unlike him who was already engaged, roaming rough battlefields alone without a fiancée, Gissley looked at Aaron.
“There is nothing of the sort.”
“Aaron.”
“And you know that a person’s appearance holds no meaning for me, don’t you?”
Finally, Gissley sighed again and closed his eyes. Yes, there was such a thing as a mirror in this world, and his brother had excellent eyesight, enough to distinguish the tail feathers of a hawk flying in the sky. Seeing his own face reflected in the mirror every day, how could the beauty of others truly register…? Of course, Aaron wasn’t a narcissist infatuated with his own beauty. It was simply that his own looks were so exceptional that no matter how beautiful others were, they just seemed unremarkable to him.
“Sometimes, that about you irritates me.”
“It’s fine. You don’t hate me, do you?”
“…Including that, it’s even more irritating.”
Aaron, knowing how much his brother cherished him, didn’t even blink as he turned his gaze towards the drawing-room window and thought of Legina.
[“Don’t worry, my lord. I will absolutely never fall in love with you.”]
She said it so firmly, but could she really do it? It wasn’t overconfidence; Aaron knew better than anyone what effect his face had on others. Thanks to it, he had repeatedly undergone several unpleasant experiences that he didn’t have to…
Maintain maximum distance.
After all, that was also the condition the Imperial Princess had set. Just act as usual. It wasn’t a difficult task. No, if he used this opportunity well, he could resolve all bothersome matters at once, so he had to succeed, even if it was difficult. And wasn’t it an order? Aaron had perfectly carried out every order given to him until now. This time would be no different.
Aaron steeled his resolve and awaited the Imperial Prince’s birthday banquet, which was soon to come.
– Mochinuna.
