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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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With firm strides, Eileen approached with an expression colder than the eternal snow of the North and a voice just as frigid.
Hey, no matter what, this was the terrace of the banquet hall.
Even if everyone was tactfully giving them space, they were still a princess and a grand duchess.
There was even a saying that during the day, the birds listen to your words, and at night, the mice listen.
What’s more, this place could be called the eye of the typhoon without exaggeration.
Surely they wouldn’t fight here, right? I thought nervously as I watched the two of them, but my expectation was blatantly betrayed.
“Elena, explain yourself.”
“About what?”
“…Haa.”
Although she usually had little change in expression, anyone close to her could easily grasp Eileen’s state of mind right now.
The slightly raised gaze that seemed displeased, the tightly pressed lips, and the expression that was subtly furrowed, not the usual expressionless face, clearly showed that she was really angry this time.
No matter how you looked at it, Eileen was fully prepared to fight Elena here.
Just as the wise saying of the great sage trainer came to mind, that betrayal happens because you have expectations in the first place,
“Are you crazy?! Why are you adding fuel to the fire!”
“Well, if my cousin says it like that, it makes it seem like I forcibly brought someone I dislike, so there’s no choice.”
Elena naturally wrapped her arm around my shoulder, and this kind of skinship was sure to fan the flames of Eileen’s anger right in front of her.
As expected, Eileen’s expression rapidly changed from moment to moment.
Until just now, it was a slight change in expression that only someone close to her could notice, but now it was a face that anyone could see was openly angry.
Wondering what this princess was thinking, I glanced at her from the side, and while Elena was smiling with her mouth, her eyes weren’t smiling at all.
It was clear.
‘From the beginning, they both just intended to fight here, didn’t they?’
Both Elena, who was provoking her as if she wanted to fight outright, and Eileen, who fell for that provocation spectacularly.
Come to think of it, they were cousins, right?
In any case, they were relatives.
The saying that blood is thicker than water wasn’t there for nothing.
“Elena Esgelant, I’ll warn you for the last time. Get your dirty hands off him right now.”
“Eileen Nord, I’m sorry, but I can’t grant Your Grace’s request. After all, he’s attending this event as my partner right now.”
“…If you insist on choosing punishment.”
“Are you thinking of calling for a duel? Well, if it’s against Your Grace, I don’t need to go easy on you either.”
It was an atmosphere where it wouldn’t be strange if one of them took off their glove and threw it down at any moment.
It was a situation on the verge of erupting at any time, and in the end, I had no choice but to step in.
“Sigh…”
A deep sigh welled up from deep within my lungs.
As soon as I let out a sigh, Elena and Eileen’s gazes turned towards me almost simultaneously.
Actually, even I found it a bit funny when I thought about it.
Just a moment ago, I was nervously watching them, worrying that they might fight, but as soon as I sighed, the situation was instantly reversed.
But what can you do?
“So, Your Highness the Princess and Eileen. Are you going to fight here right now? From the way you’re talking, it seems like one of you might throw down a glove. Go ahead, I’m thinking of watching.”
I said in a deliberately sarcastic tone.
In the end, it could only be concluded with the pattern of me pretending to be angry and mediating here again.
To be honest, if I were to make a candid remark, I also found this situation fucking annoying.
It was stressful for me to just stand by and get caught in the middle of their conflict disguised as keeping each other in check, but more than that, the fucking feeling stemming from self-loathing gave an unpleasant sensation like bugs crawling up my body.
Since they’re fighting, I have to mediate, right? What else can I do?
If I got angry, they’d stop fighting for a moment and be at a loss with me, so they’d have no choice but to stop fighting.
It wasn’t an easy way of thinking.
In a sense, it felt like I was selectively going along with the laws of this world only in this aspect for my own convenience.
Of course, even though I felt this self-loathing, the effect was superb, so I had no choice but to choose it every time even though I was aware of it.
“…It seems Your Grace is mistaken. There’s no way we would absurdly call for a duel in a place like this.”
“That’s right. No matter what, we’re not so lacking in judgment that we would do that…”
If they were dogs, wouldn’t they have instantly lowered their tails while whimpering?
With the illusion that their invisible tails had drooped dejectedly, both Elena and Eileen waved their hands in denial, insisting that wasn’t the case.
See?
When the man pretends to be angry, the atmosphere instantly changes from seemingly about to hit each other.
Inwardly cursing at this world that was fundamentally rotten somewhere, I retorted with a wry smile, lifting only the corners of my mouth.
“Then that’s a relief. I thought both of you would do something that would be in the newspapers the next day, with so many nobles outside.”
“Your Grace seems to have jumped to conclusions. There’s no way that would happen.”
“…That’s right, we wouldn’t fight in a place like this without distinguishing between public and private matters.”
The murderous atmosphere of who would throw the first punch was gone without a trace, and both of them were cautiously gauging my mood.
…With this, the world where no one got hurt except me was complete.
Actually, apart from my mood being a bit foul, I was not sure if I had any wounds to speak of.
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We had clearly entered the terrace as two, but we came out as three.
Naturally, as the center of attention from the nobles throughout the banquet hall, I could clearly hear them whispering among themselves when I enhanced my hearing with mana.
“Could it be that Her Grace the Grand Duchess of Nord has also decided to support Her Highness the Princess?”
“You never know. Perhaps both of them have feelings for the young Weiss.”
“Hey, you. Are you saying it’s some kind of love triangle then? Come on, speak some sense. You sound like my husband.”
“…Tsk, I suppose you’re right. Then is it fortunate that Her Highness the Crown Princess left right away? Her Highness the Princess has been getting more and more blatant lately, so she seems to be in a bad mood recently.”
As expected of nobles who lived and died by power, they were letting their imaginations run wild among themselves.
But ma’am, that possibility you mentioned is actually correct.
They say assuming is what kills people.
The Grand Duchess of the North and the Princess fighting over me because they both like me?
If you just switched the genders, it was a romance fantasy novel right there.
In fact, that was actually the setting here.
And Elena and Eileen, who could easily eavesdrop on the nobles’ chatter without going to the trouble of enhancing their hearing with mana like I did…
‘Don’t be embarrassed over something like this for no reason…’
Perhaps they belatedly felt shame as the nobles jokingly pointed out the truth, showing signs of embarrassment.
Well, at least they realized that this was a shameful thing to do.
“I might really not live up to my reputation at this rate, seriously.”
As I muttered a complaint while leaving the banquet hall, both of them flinched.
No, come to think of it, I really might not live up to my reputation.
Although it unintentionally became a Tallulah quip, anyway, it was worrisome.
If you would ask what I was worried about, of course it was about what to do with these fighting chickens who thought of fighting as soon as they met each other.
Even if, hypothetically, one of them succeeded in seducing me and we ended up getting married, I was worried about how the other four would react, that was how bad their relationships were.
It wasn’t even a love triangle, but a hexagon.
What’s more, it was even more unfair in the sense that it was the consequence of the pre-regression me’s womanizing.
No, why do I, an innocent person, have to bear the consequences of what I didn’t even do?
Honestly, it was a bit unfair, but what can you do?
“Um, Lord Rudrick. I think you may be misunderstanding something right now…”
“Your Highness, let’s talk in my room.”
“…Alright.”
I shut Elena’s mouth with a single word as she tried to say something.
It felt like it was time to sort things out.
I was questioning why I had to keep stopping their fights and getting stressed, but this was the opportunity I had been waiting for.
Eileen also seemed like she was about to say something, but she closed her mouth tactfully after seeing Elena.
As I walked silently without a word, the other two followed behind me like criminals.
By now, Arwen should have returned to the room…
I don’t know, I’ll just take this opportunity to admonish Arwen not to fight again since she fought with Eileen last time.
My head was starting to get more and more complicated.
And those complicated thoughts always ended up concluding that the root of all evil was the pre-regression me.
Going around womanizing here and there, wagging his tail happily.
And in the end, he irresponsibly died without choosing anyone, so an innocent person like me got hurt.
Thinking like this made it even more unfair, you know?
“…Um, Rudrick.”
“Yes?”
But perhaps my unfair inner thoughts showed on my face.
Eileen, who had been carefully gauging my mood, opened her mouth.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but your expression is a bit…”
“…Pardon? My expression?”
“You had an expression that looked extremely resentful.”
“…?”
I tilted my head.
However, Eileen, who was about to say something, only mumbled with her lips and soon shook her head, saying it was nothing.
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