“Today’s complaints are…”

The moment I took a step out of the Crown Prince’s office, I was snatched by a Knight of the Guard and was led away.

It seemed like His Majesty wanted to start complaining the moment I was thrown into the Reception Room, so I decided to take the initiative.

“Uhm… Your Majesty, haven’t you complained enough about now?”

It’s time that I raised my hand and gave him some advice.

He said Irene-sama was refusing to get engaged and rejected every suitor that came for her.

He said she just wanted to concentrate on the work with the Duke’s family.

So, what else was there to complain about? Couldn’t he just let me go now?

“Recently, my relationship with lady Irene had been good…”

For some reason, His Majesty looked directly at me. I had no idea why.

Huh? What’s with that? Was I right to assume?

Did you no longer need a complaint listener anymore?

“I have a lot of complaints about you, Rururia.”

“Ugu! And you’re going to force me to listen to them!?”

…This again!

The King was the same as the Crown Prince!

I guess this was all I could expect from these two brothers! How was I supposed to deal with this!?

Leaving me screaming, the King turned to send a signal to the servant behind him.

“Well, complaints aside, I have other business with you needed to be tended today.”

As he said that, the servant dropped a bundle of papers between the King and me.

The impact of its landing caused one sheet to fall off the mountain of paper.

Huh? It was a picture of someone with some inscriptions on the bottom…?

“They’re family trees you’ll be needing for matchmaking.”

“…Whaaat!? For me!?”

I didn’t need to have a fiancée, but to be honest, even I was starting to wonder what to do about that.

It would be troublesome to have His Majesty set me up with someone… So, if possible, I wanted to refuse.

Despite me being confused, the King started to show me portraits one after another.

They were pretty detailed and precise, appearing to have been drawn with the latest technology.

No way… The Crown Prince’s portrait was in here, too!?

…I must be cursed!

“You can pick whoever you want. This Perseus guy seems nice.”

“No, the Crown Prince is a bit…”

I had only just met the Crown Prince, but there was something off about him.

I can’t compete, and even if I got engaged, I’d have frozen to death before the marriage with my luck.

I just have a dangerous life… I must, by all means, decline.

However, my Count-level family was low enough that refusing such a match would be incredibly rude.

Even so…! There were other family tree options in here, which meant it would be okay to reject the Crown Prince, right?

“Well… How about Solan, who you’ve been getting along with so well recently?”

“Ugh!? Solan-kun is just a friend…”

“Hmmm… How about that School Director that you know? He’s part of the Marquis Family.”

“Wha… Ho… Hold on a minute!”

“We also have… the Chief Magician or the Margrave… You’re both pretty close in age, weren’t you?”

“Yo… Your Majesty! Please wait a minute!”

But the King kept going through pictures one after the other unceasingly.

What the hell was happening?

Your Majesty, we’ve never talked about this before?

“What happened… That you’re suddenly setting me up with suitors?”

The King’s expression changed when I asked.

The mirthful atmosphere suddenly became solemn.

“Lady Rururia, you have come to hold an important position in our country. If you don’t marry into a house connected to the Royal Family or some other high ranking figure, it will be a huge scandal.”

His voice was somber, so I hid my sigh as not to be rude.

Huh… Wow… I didn’t realize I was so important…

How troublesome… This was all because of those two damned nicknames, wasn’t it!?

Ahhh. I just want to give them back! Who even gave me those titles!?

“And also, anyone that marries you will get the Dragon with you. A bunch of proposals had come in from abroad, as well.”

So, he’s the bonus…. No, in this situation, it’s like they’re marrying the Dragon, and I’m the bonus.

But I don’t want to get sent off abroad just because of my Dragon!

Although I was indignant, I tried to play along at least a little with the matchmaking to please His Majesty.

“Uhm… What about the Knight Commander…?”

…Ah, that’s not a great option either.

It’s not like I particularly wanted to marry the Knight Commander. I just thought it was weird that the Chief Magician was a candidate, but he wasn’t.

I tried to think up excuses, but the King’s eyes narrowed, bearing the face of a politician.

…At that pressure, I felt strength enter my body.

The King slowly opened his mouth.

“Anyone but Lionel.”

The King’s voice was icy, giving me goosebumps.

Huh… Why was it just him that’s off-limits?

My confusion must have seemed obvious, so His Majesty kept talking.

“It would have been best if you were just the Dragon Knight’s Bride, but now you’re also the Savior of the Nation and the Love of Dragons. Such a woman must be with one of a strong bloodline… So, some man with an unknown pedigree… would be unsuitable to be with you, Rururia.”

Even so… There was one more annoying little thing I wanted to ask, but I decided not to.

I felt uncomfortable at the King’s use of the words: unknown pedigree.

I thought the King was tolerant; he allowed Vidika-sama, a foreigner, to be accepted as a Knight Captain, marrying a nobleman… Which was something unthinkable in any other kingdom.

It’s odd to hear him talk about blood and birth like this.

Then I remembered… Didn’t I hear that the Knight Captain was a nobleman?

“Wasn’t the Knight Commander the son of another former Knight Commander?”

“Well… I won’t go into detail, but the man said, ‘That’s not my child.‘ So, he’s…”

His Majesty puckered his face as his words trailed off.

I have a bad feeling about this.

“They say he’s the child of a monster.”

“What do you mean?”

I responded reflexively. I clenched my teeth unconsciously, a groan emerged from my mouth, but I didn’t care.

Who would say such a thing about their son!?

What a harsh man he must have been.

Why make him your son if you had such abusive words to say!? Oh, how that angered me!

…So, the King thought that the Knight Commander was unsuitable for me?

“…Your Majesty, do you really believe that?”

The King laughed in a low, lonely voice, not hiding his irritation.

“I don’t know. I don’t know. The more I researched, the more it seemed as though he’s not fully human… So, I just stopped looking.”

His Majesty’s words knocked the wind out of me.

I felt sadness well up in my chest.

Maybe the King searched so hard because he wanted to prove he was really human.

The King’s eyes appeared more sunken as I thought about that.

I closed my eyes and remembered the Knight Commander.

I remembered his expressionless, blood-lusting, rude laughter.

…I guess he was more potent than a human, with an iron mask-like expression and a talent for killing.

Even so…

“He’s still the Knight Commander.”

I didn’t really reply with that. I just muttered.

How can the King claim to know a man he’s never met?

I wouldn’t even be here if he hadn’t saved my life.

…Right?

The King looked straight at me then laughed happily.

But in the next instant, it turned to a mischievous smile.

“Why, Lady Rururia, were you so attached to Lionel… Oh, I see, I see…”

“Hey, what do you mean by ‘I see‘!?”

No, no… This was the typical reaction.

It’s not… Not… It’s not like he’s special to me or anything…

“I understand what it’s like to be young, but those feelings will interfere with your marriage.”

“Why go back there? There’s no interference at all! Come on, Your Majesty!”

The King ignored my screams, seeming excited as he shoved the pile of papers in my direction.

The Crown Prince’s picture was at the top…

Our eyes met… I’m frozen!

“Then who do you choose? I recommend Perseus.”

Wait a minute! What happened to that solemn atmosphere from just a second ago?

I already said no way to the Crown Prince, so let’s take a break… Take a break from this!

So much is being thrown at me at once, I don’t know what to think!

Whenever I ended up overthinking, my brain would start to hurt.

No, no… That’s just what I think.

I’ll have to reject this “fantastic” proposal immediately!

Wait a minute, Rururia.

Yeah, I’m in a pinch right now!

Think hard, Rururia!

I don’t want to be a high-ranking aristocrat… That sounds hard.

I’ll avoid any options like that as much as possible.

I have one idea…

This will take all of my power to surpass.

I don’t know if this will even work.

All I can do was to bet on it.

“Please put this on hold on behalf of Vidika and Isabella!”

When I yelled that out, the color drained from the King’s face as he dropped the pile of papers.

“Ah, that nightmarish pair!?”

The King started to tremble. His face alternated between green and white.

Huh? Was he really that scared? Even though he’s the King of this country?

…I wonder what Vidika and Isabella did to him!

Clenching his papers, the King asked me to approach him closer… What did he want?

“I… I understand. I’ll put it on hold for now. If I do, then you won’t say anything to those two, right!?”

“Uhm… Okay?”

The King let out a sigh of relief.

Shouldn’t I have been able to decline without resorting to this?

As I thought about it, I smiled at my Phantom Brother, who said, “You idiot, if you rejected them all, then you’ll be single for life!”

How harsh.

I guess he’s kind of right…? It’s just the way he said it was too harsh.

If I rejected everyone, I’d be alone forever.

They’re high-class people. They wouldn’t marry me if I rejected them once before.

His Majesty let out a scream like he wanted to hunt me down.

“So, you like Lionel? Was he really better looking than Perseus?

“I didn’t say that. But regardless, I still won’t go with His Highness, the Crown Prince!”

The King proceeded to recommend the Crown Prince over and over while complaining excessively.

Why would he complain about me to me!?

If this kept on, I’d really quit being his complaint listener!

Or maybe not…

Ah. What am I going to do about this matchmaking matter?

I needed to make a decision, but it still felt so impossible…

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