Akuyaku Reijou no Naka no Hito

Chapter 14.1

Extra Story : Former Fiancee's Regret

Translated by KaiesV
Edited by KaiesV

This is now the start of the Extra Stories. Thank you reading this series.

By the way, this is Williard’s POV.

My fiancé was a person who could do anything. Of course, she was not without her flaws, as she had a cute side to her, a ditzy side that could usually behave like a lady but would make the slightest mistake when she wasn’t paying attention.

However, since we became engaged… I’m always being compared to that girl. While I was proud of Remy, there was always a part of me that envied her talent and ideas.

A first-rate sorcerer, she has developed a number of useful magic tricks for daily life, and has also been involved in the development of products that are purchased by everyone from the nobility to the common people with her out-of-the-box ideas. There are not one or two social problems that she solved by proposing a system that no one had ever heard of.

Of course, I was inspired to do the same. I had studied and worked hard to become the king she deserves, and has made some achievements, albeit unremarkable. But that was not as good as Remy’s in the eyes of the surrounding nobility. I know that myself… I understand, though. More than anyone else, I was glad that it was Remy who was more pleased than myself to praise me for that little accomplishment, and at the same time… I felt frustrated.

It was impossible for me, a hard-headed person with unrestrained ideas, to try to imitate her. And I don’t want to do what Remy did. I don’t want to follow in Remy’s footsteps. The day we talked in that arbor, we promised each other that we would complement each other because we are different in what we are good at. Remy has always kept this in mind and continues to work tirelessly for her country and for me. Of course, I am also trying to live up to Remy’s reputation in many ways… Whether I excel in politics more than Remy, whether I was well versed in history, whether I was regarded by those around me as someone「excelling at delivering solid results…」My inferiority complex toward Remy never disappeared.

I love her more than anyone else, but I envy her more than anyone else.

The words「As expected of the Crown Prince’s fiancée,」which I had heard often since I got to the academy, also put pressure on me. I knew Remy was doing her best to be「as good as」for me, but I wonder how great I look in Remy’s mind. If it weren’t for the title of “crown prince,” I wouldn’t have been chosen as Remy’s fiancée, and I don’t think I was far off the mark in that prediction. But Remy herself… She works hard for me because she loves me more than anything else. It makes me a little calmer to think that way, and I had become dependent on it.

The Star Maiden, and I had not heard that term since I was studying the history of the kingdom. She is a woman who fought as a comrade in the same party as the hero who founded this country, became his wife, and supported the founding of the country as its first queen. It is said to appear when the world is in great turmoil, and has the power to protect its allies during battle and strengthen the abilities of its friends. It is said to「borrow the power of the stars to draw out the talents of one’s companions,」and has the power not only to enhance existing powers, but also to awaken dormant talents, enhance the productive capacity of people outside of battle, and enrich the harvest of farmland. A hundred court magicians would not be able to do the same thing if they tried to do it with magic power. A woman who can make such out-of-the-standard power come true with a special power called「Star Prayer」was monikered as the「Star Maiden.」

A girl with strong magical powers was found among the commoners, and the royal castle was informed that the power「to enhance the abilities of one’s friends without using magical powers」had been observed, as the legend goes. Even I, as a royalty, had only heard of her in folklore, so naturally there were no remaining guidelines for dealing with her, and I was extremely confused about how to accept her. However, we could not leave her on the city streets, we had to help her learn to control her power and at the same time protect her from those who would maliciously try to use the power of the Star Maiden.

However, when the state took custody of the girl, the Star Maiden, the father of the traveling merchant demanded a large sum of money as if he were selling himself, saying,「I’m going to be separated from my only beautiful  daughter,」the official who had come with her to Royal Capital to take her into custody was indignant by stating,「If the power of the Star Maiden or whatever she’s called is useless, I’m not returning this.」

That’s what that Star Maiden… The girl, Pina, was so afraid that it was almost pathetic to watch. She was living on the streets, but for our convenience, she was asked to join the aristocracy to learn because of her special powers. The king, my father, told me that I needed to take care of myself, Remy, three members of my entourage including Claude, and Stefan and David’s fiancée, who would actually help me in the school, in order to protect the Star Maiden. David’s fiancée is older and has already established herself as a knight, so she will not be present at the school on a daily basis, but we are told that she will be accompanied by her same gender outside of the school as an escort on many occasions.

Given the power of the Star Maiden, in the future she will certainly be a military matter… It will be a matter of national security. We call it protecting, but this is enclosure… However, I felt sorry that I could not respond in any other way, so I said to my companions,「At the very least, let’s all help to make the school life enjoyable for the star maiden, for she is a citizen of this country before she is a being with unique powers. It is our duty as royalty and nobility to protect the lives of our people,」I said to my friends. Remy was the only one who seemed somewhat uneasy, and I could only think that it is sometimes unusual for Remy, who gets along easily with people she has never met before, to be shy.

「Hey… What does Williard think?」

「What does it mean?」

「That Star Maiden girl… I got the impression that it was very different from the story of the official who went to pick her up…」

「Certainly! … She’s kind of like those widows who look at us funny and sometimes invite us to their salons… They touch you by voice, by eye, by pretending to be accidental…」

「They do that to all of us, and if I hadn’t been told she was the Star Maiden, I would have mistaken her for a whore.」

Stefan is rubbing his arm, which seems to have been touched. I looked at him as he said,「I was taken by my father-in-law as part of my studies. I didn’t actually deal with them,」he said with an inedible smile.

The first meeting with the Star Maiden made a good impression… I can’t really say that’s the case. When we attend tea ceremonies, there are many who seek the favor of a concubine or concubine, even though they cannot compete with Remy, who is a full-fledged queen candidate. Of course I don’t fall for those women, but she’s more overt and aggressive than they are… I kind of pulled away.

Incidentally, Remy and her friends were irritated by the Star Maiden’s behavior during the tea party prepared for「the sake of friendship」by Adriana, Claude’s fiancé, and immediately after the Star Maiden withdrew from the tea party, she said, 「I’ll give you a palate cleanser!」And went to redo the tea party with just her circle. We men are being left alone.

By the way, Remy looked anxious and cute earlier. I’m sure she had seen me being flirted with many times when we usually go out socially as partners. I wonder if she is concerned about the story the Star Maiden who have appeared since the founding of the country have often been the companions of kings. I found myself feeling a little pleased.

「She gives the impression of being modest, but strong at her core. She looks forward to being able to learn, and although she is not nearly as educated or knowledgeable as she could be, she is not stupid. A likable girl with good manners for a civilian, and a visible willingness to be as polite as she can be… That’s what you were saying, right?」

「… She’s trying her best to be a little more comfortable in an unfamiliar place and to be liked, but maybe the person we’re setting the example for isn’t a good one. Well, if we educate her properly in the royal court before she enters the academy, it will solve some of the problems… I think.」

「As always, Your Highness seems to have exemplary thinking.」

「Did the official make a false report? But for what purpose… she’s not a child in a financial situation where bribes are available, and I don’t think she’s a honey trap…? That official had a taste for little girls…」

「…Well… It’s just that she needs to be monitored. At any rate, as long as she is the Star Maiden, she will be ours in the future… That’s why she’s in a position where we can’t let go of her out of the country.」

「If she bend the umbilical cord and go to another country on hee own, it’s not good for us, but if she was tied to a country in a way that shows she was tied to the country, we will get a lot of flak from foreign countries.」

We have no intention of launching an invasion, but if we are as powerful as the lore says, the effects of that power that we have refined will be felt throughout the soldiers of the country. I would hate to see her taken into custody by a foreign country and used in a war.

The reason for putting her in the academy is to incorporate her into the aristocratic society and incorporate her into the country by attaching her to the second son of the appropriate noble family and onward. As it is, decent aristocratic children will shun her, and it’s going to be difficult if we don’t join forces to educate her.

All of us did not have a very good impression of her at this time. And what’s more, she didn’t like having other women around, so she asked the royal family who was giving her protection to fly me away from Remy and the others. Of course, they would not listen, but after hearing this, Remy, Adriana, and the rest of our fiancées began to avoid the Star Maiden.

Apparently, she rejected the girls who kindly pointed out her manners with tears in her eyes, saying they were「talking mean」to her. With that, Adriana said,「It seems difficult to be present until Pina-san is willing to understand the meaning of our guidance,」and the three of them, including Remy, left this circle. The castle side is allowing it rather than making waves. Oh dear, to tell you the truth, if I could get out of this, I would, too.

I even suggested to the king to not send her to the academy until she learned some proper manners, but he rejected the idea, saying,「What is the use of sending a person who is to take the reins of the country in the future if you can’t control her like this?」…Apparently, the Star Maiden don’t seem to learn properly without me and David and the others, so the education staff tossed up the idea that it would be better to send her to school with us. Sure, in case you’re wondering, I’m at my desk in class at the academy, but… The report said that was also difficult when she was alone with her educator. She had already moved to the dormitory, and she did not want to return to the royal castle now because it would cause a lot of misunderstandings. I can tell you that they threatened her that it was her education as a bride or that she would be mistaken for one of them.

Since the Star Maiden’s educators included Aunt Margarete, whom Father had a hard time with, I can’t help but wonder if Father just pushed her to the one who was easier to make her do what he wanted her to do.

However, it seems that this hardship will continue for the time being, and the four of us are encouraging each other.

「Lady Pina, as I said before, the only people allowed to touch a man’s arm are his family or his fiancée.」

「Kyaah!! I’m sorry, sir… this was normal for commoners, so I’m still stuck in my habits.」

And I was getting fed up with repeating the exchange for what seemed like the umpteenth time every day. I’m not asking her to memorize a whole book, why can’t she remember something as simple as「don’t touch a man’s body unnecessarily」right away?

Stefan, who is often appealed to by the widows, said,「She does that on purpose, don’t she?」and looked at me, the one who most often falls prey to her, as if I were a stranger. I resent you for not being yourself, Stefan. And David, who tends to run away these days because of his training. The same goes for Claude, who reads his book and doesn’t participate in the conversation, looking as if he doesn’t care.

The Star Maiden always try to be with us. In the first place, it was a shelter to the extent of「you can count on us if you need anything,」but it is always mixed in during breaks and after school unless we refuse. When I asked why she didn’t want to make friends, she said,「You guys don’t like me because I’m a former commoner…」But in this school, where there are three or four special students in each class in each field of study, magic, knight’s apprenticeship, and such, that explanation just doesn’t sound right. No other commoner students have raised the complaint of「exclusion on the grounds of being a commoner」as the Star Maiden put it. I don’t think she would be able to make friends if she were stuck together all the time with us in different grades and classes, however…

Whenever we have some alone time in our rotation to get away from the Star Maiden, she appears out of nowhere and talk to us. I get tired just talking to her because she sometimes give me strange answers without any context. Before I know it, she’s behind me, she speaks the language but I don’t understand half of what she’s saying, and if she wasn’t a living person, I would be in a horror tale.

Eventually, we relieved when Star Maiden says,「I have a few things to do after school today, and I can’t attend the tea party, even though I’ve been invited every day,」and「I’m going to spend lunch with someone else today,」and then will not show up for the rest of the day.

So I didn’t think deeply about it, nor did I try to. I don’t know how it happened that she always smelled so sweet, or why I never felt uncomfortable even though the scent was so strong that it was almost too strong for my nose to handle. The Star Maiden who had been so shunned by those around her somehow became surrounded by a large number of friends at all times, and one day we started calling her「Pina」as we were asked to do.

It was sickening to see the emotional disconnect between my mind and the fact that I was receiving homemade cookies and eating them right in front of her eyes, even though I was tasting poison.

Why do I find myself so fond of Miss Pina, whom I have always disliked? I cannot reject Miss Pina herself, even though I am disgusted by every single action she has taken. When someone touches my arm, my head can tell that it is wrong for a woman to do such a thing, but my heart is filled with joy. It was disgusting.

「Your Majesty, Williard… It’s kind of hard to call you. Hey, can I call you Will, Your Highness?」

「Ahh, it’s fine.」

My mouth was speaking on its own before I answered that I only allow nicknames to my family and fiancée. Claude, who was beside me, gives me a look as if he sees something incredible. I myself can’t believe what I’m doing right now… Just now, what am I doing…?

Pina takes my arm, nauseated and unable to move due to the disconnect between my thoughts and instincts, and says happily,「Yay!」In my head, I know「I have to reject her,」 but it’s like when someone I love takes my arm… I remembered the heartfelt joy as I escort Remy. I tell myself there’s been a mistake and reach for my tea, forgetting that I still have Pina attached to it to calm me down a little.

And this I was completely unaware of, but Remy was watching the whole thing from the entrance of the salon.