His Highness the Crown Prince Knelt and Begged, “Please Don’t Abandon our Engagement!” Translation

10.5.2 What I can do For Alisa (Aleksandr Nikolaevič Goduno’s POV)

Although confused, Alisa smiled gently and accepted my wish.

“I will stay with Your Highness.”

What happiness and reassurance that gave me!

Alisa’s words warmed my heart, to the point I didn’t care about losing my status as a crown prince.

Due to my happiness, my field of vision grew vague.

…Before I noticed it, I was lying on bed while rubbing my eyes. My consciousness gradually cleared.

Beyond the window was still pitch black. It was still the middle of the night.

I was in the bedroom of the Margrave of Arkhangelsk.

I seemed to have dreamed of my own childhood, then of Alisa.

I lit the candlestick. While I was lost in thought, a girl with a gentle expression was looking down at me.

Her pale, crystal-like, beautiful eyes were staring at me in adoration.

“…Your Highness, it seems that you’re awake. I was worried…”

Apparently, because I was having a nightmare, I had screamed in my sleep, waking Alisa. I felt sorry for myself.

When I decided to apologize, I realized something serious.

“A, Alisa, you’re!?”

Alisa’s delicate, white, hand was gently caressing my hair.

My cheeks grew hot… while I was sleeping, such a happy occurrence happened?!

For a moment, Alisa didn’t seem to realize what I was referring to. Then, she immediately withdrew her hand and blushed.

…I wished she’d caress my hair forever.

“N-no, it’s, umm… I’m merely trying to… Your Highness…”

“Were you trying to reassure me?”

Alisa nodded shyly.

Her shy expression was very cute.

Since we had embraced each other before going to sleep, I didn’t think she should be embarrassed of that, but… I was the same as Alisa.

Maybe, my face was also bright red.

“I’m worried about Your Highness…”

“I’m sorry for worrying you…”

“…Did you have a scary dream?”

“It’s a nightmare at first, but it became very pleasant once Alisa entered it.”

Then, I noticed something.

Perhaps Alisa had appeared in my dream because she was stroking my hair.

I believed that.

“Thank you, Alisa.”

Alisa smiled softly and nodded, “It’s alright…”

“But… even if I hadn’t appeared in your dream, I’m right here beside Your Highness?”

Alisa spoke with a faint, whispering voice. She might had become embarrassed. She pulled the blanket to hide her expression.

How cute—I thought once again.

To be honest, I so wanted to caress her hair and embrace her.

But I didn’t have the courage to do it…

I was too shy, and I was afraid I might hurt Alisa.

There was also another important reason.

I had a secret I hadn’t told Alisa, yet.

The reason why Alisa was so important to me. The reason why I fell in love with her.

If Alisa were to learn of it, she might be disappointed in me… that alone was scarier than anything else.

Surely, Alisa thought that she had become my fiancée due to the arranged marriage.

That was half-correct, and half-wrong.

Indeed, Alisa’s father, Duke Tchaikovsky, had tried to turn her into my fiancée. I was once the crown prince after all.

However, in the beginning, Elena—Alisa’s sister—was supposed to be my fiancée.

To wed her with me—that was enough for the duke to achieve his goal. He seemed to also be fond of Elena.

At that time, the Duke intended to make Elena my fiancée.

But that didn’t happen.

“…Your Highness?”

Alisa curiously called out to me while I was remembering the past.

I smiled at Alisa.

“It’s alright, it’s nothing.”

Alisa nodded and gently stared at me with her pale eyes.

I couldn’t help but to reminisce about the past—

—but what could I do for Alisa from now on was to turn this territory into the best, and to live up to her expectations while she believed in me.

I’d be sure to make Alisa happy.

Still, I reminisced—

—that time, it could never be known to Alisa.

I knew Alisa wasn’t happy when she became the fiancée of the crown prince.

Just as the position of the crown prince was a burden for me, the position of the future queen would also be a burden to Alisa.

It was said that Alisa only had a few friends. That was probably because as my fiancée, she was shunned.

Otherwise… there was no way someone as kind and attractive as Alisa would be left alone.

As for the one who put the burden of being the fiancée of the crown prince on Alisa—

—it was none other than me.

Six years ago, I chose Alisa as my fiancée instead of Elena out of my own accord.


***T/N: Awww just be honest to Alisa, I think she’d be glad instead of anything…

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