The Noble Girl Who Finds a Nerdy and Plain Guy Moe Thinks that the Arrogant Prince is in the Way Translation

Extra 17.2 The Battle of the Third Prince 3

“Welcome home, Your Highness Sevan. Congratulations on placing 2nd in the magic tournament.”

After arriving at the royal castle, Sevan’s educator was who welcomed him. While he was riddled with wounds, she gave him very pleasant smile.

“…I haven’t told you the results, yet.”

“Yes, but one look at Your Highness tells me that you achieved a very good result. Even if you didn’t win the tournament, you were close to doing so.”

That was right.

He was feeling miserable because he was so close.

If he had won, he would be brimming with joy and courage. Had he lost before reaching the semifinals, he would’ve been able to accept it.

“You don’t have to feel bitter about your defeat, Your Highness. The most important thing is to make the most of this loss and praise yourself for having given your best.”

She said that because she knew how bitter Sevan was.

“Congratulations on being the runner-up.”

“…Yes…”

Was she heartless?

But he couldn’t get angry. He loved her familiar smile which was full of femininity. Such was the exact definition of being defeated by love.

“By the way, Sophia, I’ve brought home some rare… fruit? Well, they should be fruit. Would you like to eat one with me? I’ll have it peeled off.”

“My! Are you sure? I’d be delighted!”

He wanted to eat the fruit that was said to have the effect of improving one’s love life. He wanted to be like that couple who were close with each other.

When Sevan invited her to eat, Sophia unexpectedly agreed.

“What’s the name of the fruit?”

Normally, Sophia wouldn’t eat at the same table as Sevan. Maybe she was giving him a small reward after he returned in tatters.

“Uh… a pear-like thing?”

She was just being compassionate. Meanwhile, there was nothing he could do but be strong.

“…Why do you sound unsure?”

“Oh, no, don’t worry! It’s nothing suspicious!”

Dangerous!

There was a possibility that Sophia would refuse to join him because she was unfamiliar with the fruit. She would refuse when it was actually a fruit that could fulfil romance.

“It’s a fruit that is famous in the hometown of the maid of Ms. Clydea! It’s very delicious!”

He had to convince her somehow! Aside from the unclear name, Sevan rushed to explain.

“It’s difficult to harvest fruit from the male and female trees—I mean, difficult to pollinate!”

He tried to repeat the story he had heard at that time, only to realize glossing over it would be easier.

“It’s said that if people eat them with their beloved, it’ll improve their love lives!”

Sharina seemed to be familiar with the fruit. She was eating one with Riol at that time—as such, it couldn’t be poisonous.

“Anyway, it’s very tasty! Let’s eat one together, Sophia!”

His face was sore after forcing a smile. At least, let’s have tea together!

“A, alright then… I will prepare a table…”

He seemed to have managed to persuade her. Sevan was relieved. Before Sophia could change her mind, he hurriedly summoned a maid to peel the pear…

What Sevan didn’t notice was the fact that Sophia, who was always relaxed, was unusually shaken.

***

“It’s said that if people eat them with their beloved, it’ll improve their love lives!”

She couldn’t believe it. Due to that piece of trivia, she was caught off guard.

Sophia Brightwell sat at the same table as her student, Sevan. At that point, her calm was but a façade to conceal what was actually going on inside her mind.

“So, I covered half of the arena with an earth magic circle, only for him to turn it over.”

“I see…”

She lived by studying hard. When she had officially been appointed as an educator for Sevan, the third prince of that kingdom, five years ago, she thought it was a vocation. She believed she could cast aside everything about herself until she raised that little prince well. Said belief didn’t change even after she had reached the age where she had to seriously think about marriage.

“Turning the magic circle over… how did he do that?”

She was afraid of having to quit her job due to marriage. As such, she tried as much as possible to avoid contact with men.

“He said that it’s a temporary contraction of the magical circuit that connects the caster and the magic circle.”

Before taking that position, there were no discussions for engagement between her and other men. That was partly because her father had planned to turn Sophia into a candidate for the first prince’s fiancée.

She was sometimes called out to, but Sophia herself wasn’t interested enough to deal with it.

“It was really amazing… In an unexpected way, he reversed the situation…”

Sophia drew a conclusion as she calmly looked back on her love affairs while listening to Sevan about the final round of the magic tournament. The conclusion was a little, no, quite unbelievable.

“I think it’ll okay to enter him into the Hall of Fame next year.”

No, let’s calm down.

Wasn’t it good that she realized it before it was too late?

She could take advantage of that failure for next time. It was hard to believe, but such was the truth—

“In other words, he’s exceptional and is no longer on the plane of fighting for victory or defeat.”

—because she wasn’t used to men at all. Straightforward words like, ‘I love you,’ were her weakness!

The word, ‘beloved’ that Sevan had recently spoken had pierced her chest out of nowhere.

She could no longer turn away from that fact.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that the winner’s seat is completely his and that the other participants are competing for the position of runner-up.”

That Sevan had long since entered quibble mode was helpful. During that period of time, she was able to compose herself. It seemed that Sevan hadn’t realized her inner dilemma either.

“In other words, a tournament that decides the runner-up… That means, by becoming the runner-up, it’s already considered a real victory. In the first place, victory means being alive and in shape…”

He entered a philosophical mindset. It may be better to stop him soon.

“That’s why I think it’s okay to treat the runner-up as the winner starting next year. What do you think?”

“Your Highness, I said that you don’t have to regret losing. I didn’t mean you could twist the result.”

Sophia regained her calm and smiled at Sevan who appeared as if he had been slammed hard to the ground.

“…Okay.”

While looking at her dejected student, she suddenly thought that his shoulders had become a little wider than before.


***T/N: Such a chad advice from Riol… it worked immediately… or maybe its the fruit-like something…

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