30. The Returnee Noble Lady (29)
“He wasn’t even aware of such a thing…? Well, what shall we do now?”
“True~! But, the moment he becomes fully aware of his feelings, everything is going to be so much more interesting~! We can definitely have fun with that~!”
“Please don’t treat the Emperor and me as playthings.”
Jill uttered so to both of her knights, whom followed her all the way from the courtyard. After listening to her, Camila’s eyes widened.
“Jill-chan, don’t you understand your current predicament?! No matter how powerful you are, as long as you’re here, you’re still considered an enemy, you know—?! Your only backing as of now is the Emperor’s favor—!!”
“Exactly. As subordinates, we are only doing our job, which is strengthening the position of our Master. Look, all you have to do is keep that Emperor under leash.”
Such terrible opinions came from none other than her own subordinates…
…Reflexively, she staggered back.
“’U, under leash’, you say…”
“Yeah, you can do that, right? If it’s the Emperor, isn’t he easier to handle than Marquis Veil?”
“I agree~ after all, such a childish Emperor, all you have to do is push him down aaand—“
“—What are you trying to make a 10 year old do—?!”
“We won’t do something as disrespectful as treating you like a child, Jill-chan.”
“Yes. This way, we’re also doing the Emperor a favor. He absolutely won’t hate it, don’t you agree?”
Zeke’s utterly calm question earned him a glare from Jill.
“T, that’s, that’s true but, the Emperor and I aren’t in that kind of relationship—”
“This is just advice but… if you don’t like the guy, then don’t eat his cooking?”
“—ugh! Bu, but that’s—! T, the food is innocent, it’s also delicious; it’s really delicious—!!”
“That kind of attitude only makes a man expectant, you know~! If you truly just want a relationship in name only with the Emperor, you have to thoroughly refuse it~!”
“…I, is that so…?”
She was gradually losing confidence… Looking at such a Jill, Camila blinked.
“…this is also surprising~ did you accept his food without being aware of such facts?”
“No… isn’t she basically just doing what someone of her age would? We’re gradually going crazy mulling over this thing…!”
“But still, we are on Jill-chan’s side~! That Emperor, too! Using such a childish way of courting… wouldn’t the usual him just shrug it off and stay calm despite everything…?”
“W, well, even if you say so, it’s the first for me, having a man fight for me… I, too, am unsure of what to do.”
While saying so, heat rose to her cheeks.
She could hear the birds’ chirpings due to the silence that greeted her.
Suddenly, she was embraced by Camila from behind.
“Yaaan~! So cute~! Cute, Jill-chan is so cute~!”
“What, so it turned out that all we needed was one more push. You guys are so going to be a couple.”
“I, I told you, don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions! It’s exactly because we’re going to become a couple that I deem love unnecessary! That way, if someday His Majesty were to commit a mistake, I wouldn’t hate him for it!”
Towards her utterance, the strength of Camila’s embrace lessened.
“…You’re really a ten year old girl, right~?”
“Haven’t you been treating her like one until now…”
“Yes, but~ the way she talks, it’s too hard-boiled! Regardless of age, the Emperor is an awesome guy. Don’t you feel something—anything—towards him? Like, ‘kyaaa! Cool!’ or something like that?”
Jill could guess what he meant—
—sheer optimism; determination to give your best; basically, the feeling when a heart was touched by love.
“…I have experienced that enough to know I’m better without it.”
“Lieees~! It’s too early to give up! What is she talking about!?”
“Don’t ask me. Well, I don’t know what happened, as such, I don’t want to judge. Besides, you’re still a child, the Emperor too, is still a child.”
Zeke suddenly put his hand on top of Jill’s head.
…Didn’t they just say that they wouldn’t treat me like a child?
…it’s also because of love, I ended up involving you all…
In bitter regret, Jill bit her lips. Yes, Jill’s first love had not only engulfed her entirely, but also ruined everything she had.
This time, she couldn’t afford to make the same mistake.
“Jill-sama! Jill-sama! It’s an emergency—huh!?”
Sufia stepped out of the corridor, only to trip and hit her forehead. Camila came to her rescue.
“Please be more careful next time, Sufia-chan~! You’re Jill-chan’s teacher, aren’t you?”
“U, uh… I’m sorry, I was in a hurry…”
Marquis Veil was recuperating in his villa with his current wife in the villa where Sufia had formerly lived. The Marquis was still under house arrest, but an official document had already been filed to transfer the title of Marquis to Sufia.
Sufia didn’t disagree with Hadith’s decision, nor did she try to escape from the heavy responsibility that came from suddenly becoming the next Marquis. On the contrary, while working as Jill’s tutor, she requested for Hadith’s help in finding a suitor.
Sufia, who had requested so, seemed to have given up on Hadith. Over a cup of tea, she conveyed to Jill that after he had let her Father kept his life, she couldn’t possibly ask more out of him.
However, when they started doing embroidery during the tea party, that was when it became apparent—
—Jill’s embroidering skill—or the lack thereof—Sufia shouted in panic.
“How about dancing—!? Poetry—!? Courtesy—!?”
Sufia came into the general conclusion that Jill couldn’t possibly survive the royalty life this way. Coming from Sufia, it became more convincing—after all, she had experienced the court of the Imperial City. From Sufia, Jill learned what being a lady truly entailed.
…no wonder Sufia often escaped from her studies during childhood…
“Umm… earlier, a letter arrived for Jill…”
After receiving the letter from Sufia, Camila handed it to Jill.
The white envelope had Jill’s name written in dark blue ink.
…when no one should’ve known that Jill was now in the Rave Empire, and moreover, in Veilburg.
It became apparent why Sufia was so panicked.
Above all was the familiar handwriting. Said handwriting incited a nauseating, unpleasant, premonition instantly.
Jill tore the letter and read its content. It was but a phrase—
—but the shock was too much for her, the envelope and the letter fell from her hands.
“Wa, wait, Jill-chan!? What happened!? Calm down, breath!!”
“I, I’m fine… it’s just… I just wanted to escape reality for a moment.”
“Oi, the letter will be blown by the wind—ah.”
“—well, well. As I thought, he just won’t give up easily.”
Awkwardly, Jill turned around to the low voice, which carried the same hint of cheerfulness as before.
He probably came from the courtyard after he finished clearing up. Hadith, who picked up the letter that fell at her feet, smiled.
A smile that was so menacing, Jill found her breath stuck to her throat.
“That is one passionate Prince… then, I also won’t lose, don’t you agree? My Amethyst Princess…”
“I, I don’t think he feels that way about me…”
“Well then, let’s prepare a festive welcome party for him. I shall accept his challenge—after all, love is war!”
Hadith’s eyes weren’t laughing at all.
Jill clutched her head. In her mind, she was beating her former fiancé to pulp.
Why won’t you give up—?! You even treated me like a traitor, and yet, still you dare to—!!!
『I’ll come fetch you now.』
In the present moment, and also six years later in the future, Geraldo De Kratos’ signature handwriting remained the same.
***T/N:
“I agree~ after all, such a childish Emperor, all you have to do is push him down aaand—“
WOW, WOW, CAMILLA, YOU NEED JESUS ASAP–!!!!!!!!
///wind blew as Translator’s Journal part 3 opens/// ///is chewing a stalk of grass/// the day has come… It’s time to pay homage to Geraldo the Little Shit.
like the fact that she might be the reincarnation of the b*tch goddess instead just like the ML is the dragon god.
I wonder if I’m the only one who wants Jill to break down and cry while screaming “ keep that nasty disgusting prince away from me!”
“THE FOOD IS INNOCENT”
Yes indeed it is 😀
I’m starting to feel somewhat miffed because it’s obvious what’s happening and the whole two last chapters where just the author repeating the same joke over and over and over again.
I don’t mind this kinds of plots, character growth being stifled in favor of comedy, or even oblivious emotionally deaf characters.
What I do mind is when the author focuses so much over those same instances, everything has being relegated to the background in favor of portraying the same stupid joke, twice… not even from different POVs… just different instances.
So the formula here is “they don’t know they love each other” “insert misunderstanding joke” “lolicon misunderstanding joke” “trying to make her fall in love joke” “some kind of crisis happens” “their love manages to push trough the crisis with the best possible outcome” “they get a bit closer” “someone somewhere says something that turns into another misunderstanding joke re-establishing the status quo” “rinse and repeat”.
And it’s going to continue that way because the whole Lolicon notion is going to be dragged on for ages because the author is just never going to jump time forward at all for things to get clear, he’s going to milk that joke till the end of the novel.
Predictable outcome, repeated humor without a hint of moving the romance forward, plot uninteresting and predictable…
It’s chapter 29 and the joke has being the exact same joke from the start… when I was reading the whole “romance” first part I was wondering when the action would start, when the action was midway I was so bored I wanted the romantic part to come back (they fought, king came, everything got resolved…) just to be praying that they just move on again towards the action because the romance is never going to advance because of the restrictions the author has set onto his own novel “I won’t fall for him before he falls for me” “I can’t allow me to fall for her”
And it’s obviously all tied to the “curse” in which way?, I don’t care… it’s just a plot device the author is inserting and relying on to keep on the “joke”… it’s just an excuse for the rest of the novel to happen and it’s not even going to be an issue when it happens or it will be settled in a chapter at most… (this is not a spoiler, just a conjecture, cheating dragon god made earth goddess angry or something like that, it’s gonna end up being another misunderstanding)
lil s*t siscon still wants to use her as pawn!
Thank for the chapter ^^
Well, at least now that trash will comes into punching range
“—ugh! Bu, but that’s—! T, the food is innocent, it’s also delicious; it’s really delicious—!!”
Such truth.
… Has anyone considered the possibility of the prince having been under the influence of some mental enroachment (brainwashing) type ability coming from his sister? There is… Something really odd in there, that odd feeling appeared for me when she was described, and this letter makes it stronger, still he lost his chance
Not really, he only proposed to her as war potential, then after using her for roughly 6 years he disposed of her when she learnt of his secret.
Ugh… was hoping that we could do without Geraldork… *polishing my prince killer blade
Hadith upon reading that piece of shit’s letter:
https://giphy.com/gifs/daybreaknetflix-netflix-daybreak-KetUMEi63RbIG7L9yg
ME:
https://giphy.com/gifs/splat-nicksplat-ren-and-timpy-xUNd9EgobSoRBQioX6
I SHALL PREPARE MY ASSHOLE/ IDIOTIC PRINCE KILLING WEAPON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P. S.
CAMILLA WHAT ARE YOU TEACHING JILL?????
‘That’ has come, huh?
grabs machine gun
Excitedly takes out pitchfork. My body and pitchfork are ready!
“love is war!”
Insert kaguya sama joke here