Chapter 7

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Chapter 7 : My Start Will Be Small (2)

To ruin a country, driven mad by love, what kind of charm must that person possess? This was the problem Legina found most difficult to answer when she first decided to become a troublemaker. Even if she just vaguely found someone, if that person wasn’t charming enough in the eyes of others, it could cause problems. So, at first, she intended to roughly gloss over that part. As the saying goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”; if Legina herself was madly in love, what did it matter what others thought? She figured it would be a problem buried by her outrageous troublemaking once she vaguely passed it off as a “fated encounter,” preventing anyone from questioning the reason further.

But at this very moment, the most perfect answer to that problem appeared.

Unless they’re blind, everyone will be convinced.

Who would dare doubt that she fell in love at first sight upon seeing that face? The fact that everyone gathered in the training ground, including Legina, was spellbound by Aaron’s face was proof.

“Your Highness, is there anything bothering you?”

“Ah, no. I’m sorry. I was a little surprised.”

“It’s fine. It’s common.”

“…Huh?”

“Even my subordinates, whom I’ve known for a long time, are sometimes surprised.”

“I-Is that so?”

A subtly disjointed reply came back, strangely different from his first impression, but the man before her was too excessively beautiful to consider it odd.

“So, that is…”

She barely managed to recall that she had something to say to Aaron, but her mind was working so “barely” that it was hard to continue her thoughts.

“Taking a deep breath helps a lot.”

“Uh, huh? What did you say?”

“It’s a method our ducal family often uses.”

Oh, right. The people of the Vestein Ducal House would see that face every morning and evening. They must have a coping mechanism for encountering this face without preparation… No, wait a minute, they see this face every day? My heart feels like it’s going to burst just seeing it for the first time! Does it get dull if you see it every day? No, this kind of beauty isn’t something you get used to by seeing it constantly, so is it training? Training the heart?

“Their hearts must be incredibly strong.”

“I don’t know about their hearts, but most of the people in the ducal house are generally strong.”

“…Did I just say that out loud?”

“Yes.”

To unconsciously blurt out her innermost thoughts… This was getting scary. Legina squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and decided to calm her rapidly pounding heart first.

Why does he smell good too?!

Legina involuntarily recoiled a step, clutching her chest as she inhaled. When she blocked her sight, he attacked through her smell. Should she really propose a ‘deal’ to such a man? No, proposing it wasn’t the problem; she was too worried about her own state if Aaron accepted the deal.

But conversely, it means he has the perfect appearance to bewitch someone and ruin a country. Of course, I don’t intend to ruin the country!

Legina recalled the last sight she had witnessed before her regression. The stench of blood from those who died following her pricked her nose, followed by the faces of the traitor and his sorceress, who had looked at her with arrogant expressions. Was it thanks to that? Her rapidly beating heart thumped, paused for a very brief moment, then slowly began to regain its normal rhythm. The blood that had been hot throughout her body cooled as an added bonus.

“I showed you an unseemly side on our first meeting. I apologize, my lord.”

“Not at all. Compared to others, you recover quickly.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

Though her heart was beating at its normal pace, the shock of Aaron’s beauty hadn’t lessened. Legina slightly averted her gaze from his face and gripped the wooden sword she had put down. She felt like she needed to hold something to feel at ease.

“How do you find the training ground?”

“Excellent.”

It was natural, as it was a training ground built exclusively for the Imperial Family. It was large enough for an entire knight order to use, and filled with various equipment and weaponry made only from the highest-grade materials; it would never seem lacking to anyone else.

“They say all the wooden items are made of Dacon wood.”

“Yes.”

“It’s wood that absolutely won’t leave scars on the Imperial Family’s bodies, so you don’t need to worry about leaving bruises during lessons.”

“Yes.”

“The, um… Theore is late. My apologies, my lord.”

“Not at all.”

Despite his beauty, Aaron wasn’t exactly suited for long conversations. Of course, just looking at his face would be satisfying, and time would probably fly by, but unfortunately, Legina was short on time. She had originally planned to exchange pleasantries, soften the atmosphere a bit, and then subtly bring up the matter. But hearing her blood, which had inexplicably grown hot again, and the rapid thumping of her heart, she felt she couldn’t afford such leisure.

“Um, my lord.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I have something important I need to speak with you about. Could you please find me after the lesson?”

So Legina immediately got to the point. The real conversation, after all, needed to be a secret one between just the two of them after the lesson. Since this was all she could say here, she thought it was fine to disregard the atmosphere.

“If you command it, I will obey.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

True to his lineage as the head of the pro-Emperor Vestein faction, Aaron bowed his head without much question and replied that he would obey Legina’s words. Feeling a little better at his response, Legina looked towards the open entrance of the training ground. Thanks to achieving her objective faster than expected, she had quite a lot of time left until Theore’s estimated arrival.

In that case, she needed to speed up her beloved brother’s appearance.

Legina smiled lightly and spoke to Una. “Una! Go fetch Theore right now. Or tell him I’ll come myself and throw another chair at him.”

“Yes, yes! Your Highness!”

Una, who had been staring blankly at Aaron’s face ever since he appeared, startled and darted out of the training ground. At Una’s quick footsteps, the maids, who belatedly came to their senses, began to sneak glances at Aaron’s face again, unable to hide their flushed cheeks. If you asked what the difference was between before and after they came to their senses, perhaps it was that before, they stared openly, and afterward, they looked secretly? In any case, they were definitely captivated by Aaron’s beauty.

Legina, caught up in the atmosphere of the maids, glanced at his face while fiddling with the handle of the wooden sword in her hand, then managed to speak again with difficulty. “My brother is a bit lacking in punctuality.”

“I am aware.”

“I’m sorry, my lord.”

“You already apologized earlier. It’s fine.”

“Uh… Hmm… My lord, are you always so quiet?”

“Generally, yes.”

“Ah, I see…”

It was incredibly, stiflingly awkward. If she had known her conversation with Aaron would end so quickly, she would have come out a little slower… regret washed over her.

I need to look like I’m in love, but it’ll be a problem if I can’t even meet his eyes.

She knew there were people who were shy and couldn’t meet the eyes of someone they loved, but the “troublemaker” persona Legina was pushing for needed to be aggressive. That way, even if she caused trouble, it would seem natural.

C-Constantly looking at him, the day will come when I get used to that face… right? No, I can get used to it! Yes! I believe in myself! You can do it.

Legina cheered on her future self and decided to retreat for now.

“My lord, may I be excused for a moment?”

“Is something the matter?”

“I was thinking of fetching Theore myself. I apologize for your first lesson.”

“If it’s such a matter, it might be better if I were to go.”

“No! No! Ahem, it’s my brother’s affair. I’d like you to wait here for a little while.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Smiling as naturally as possible at Aaron’s nod, Legina led Selma and the maids out of the training ground. She left in such a hurry that she even forgot to put down the wooden sword she was holding.

Praising herself for quickly escaping before her heart burst, Legina rapidly walked until she turned a long corridor and finally spotted Theore. Her threat to come immediately must have worked, as Theore was in a furious rage, clearly heading towards the training ground.

“Hey, say that again! Say it again!”

“I-I apologize, Your Highness!”

“You were talking so well earlier, why can’t you speak now?! Huh?! Hey! Are you ignoring me now?! Huh?! Are you ignoring me?!”

“N-No, Your Highness! We have committed a capital offense! Just once, please, just once forgive us…!”

Two kneeling attendants and a furious Theore. Legina sighed, thinking her brother, who had been quiet for a while, had caused trouble again.

“Theore, would you mind explaining what I’m seeing right now?”

“…When did you get here?”

“Just now. So, would you care to explain?”

Theore fell silent, whether from knowing his fault or being afraid of Legina. From his stubborn face, she sensed a resolve not to speak even if he were beaten to death, forcing Legina to sigh again. At times like these, it was faster to ask those around him.

“Una?”

“When I arrived, the situation was already like this…”

“Then you two, who are kneeling, tell me. Why was Theore angry?”

“Save us, Your Highness!”

Legina had naturally taken on the role of saving the servants and maids who suffered from Theore’s troublemaking. Perhaps that’s why? The two kneeling servants crawled forward and clung to Legina’s legs.

“We were wrong. Please, please save us!”

“Please save us!”

Just as Legina wondered why they weren’t explaining what happened despite clinging desperately, Theore’s Head Attendant, who had been silent until now, spoke with a stern face.