Rejecting the Betrothal Promise
“I don’t like it?”
“Why me and not that Eugene guy? What the hell is so special about that guy?”
“Eugene... Eugene... Eugene... Even though you're with me, in the end it's only that guy's name...?”
“Hah... I know... You don't exist in my heart... That place is occupied by Eugene Kaiser...?”
“Why?! I am the one who can stand by the young lady's side! This Kyle de Rozen!”
Typical defeat lines,
all these draining lines were poured out by only one person.
That person was Kyle de Rozen, the sub-male lead in the romance fantasy game Swordsman Obsessed Over by Young Ladies.
Kyle de Rozen is, structurally, a sub-male lead in the romance fantasy game who couldn't be very charming as the protagonist's rival.
Usually in galleries or the game overall, he was called not Kyle de Rozen but Kyle Rozen.
Nevertheless, he occupied a significant portion of the Swordsman Obsessed Over by Young Ladies gallery, not less than the heroines or the protagonist,
for the reason that he was so dog-like in snatching away the heroines that it became a sensation.
Honestly, if I had just stayed put, wouldn't one of them have been able to win?
Compared to the protagonist, he was in an overwhelmingly superior position in every way,
and his relationship with the heroines was also clearly superior, except for a few.
Except for the very early stages, he was constantly getting his ass kicked and losing the heroines one after another, and eventually collapsed miserably.
He was, in a word, a defeat specialist sub-male lead designed to illuminate the protagonist Eugene Kaiser and help him grow.
But a problem arose.
“Young Master Kyle, are you awake?”
I opened my eyes and confirmed the unfamiliar ceiling, and after transmigrating into Swordsman Obsessed Over by Young Ladies,
Hmm... the maid is pretty.
That Kyle de Rozen had become me.
Ha... he's handsome... cool...
After a moment of thinking that it was fucked up,
I watched the pretty maid leave, then stood there blankly for a moment at what was happening, and then dressed myself properly.
While doing so, I looked at my appearance in the mirror,
that is, the appearance of Kyle Rozen, the human embodiment of defeat,
and couldn't help but admire it.
Kyle de Rozen is a truly amazing guy. 189 cm tall, a sculpted body forged with muscles,
his looks are called the empire's topmost handsome man along with the protagonist Eugene Kaiser who will appear later.
Hoo... this is the crest of the Rozen Ducal family... it's cool.
And there's more.
The Rozen family is one of the five great noble families in the Elysium Empire,
and it's a ducal family at that.
Considering only the closeness with the imperial family, it enters the top three.
Kyle Rozen, you deserve to be bullied. You damn fool.
With that spec, he took all the heroines.
Eugene Kaiser is probably rolling on the floor right now.
So, what kind of guy is the protagonist Eugene Kaiser?
He is the descendant of a fallen noble family.
Not just fallen, but a family that completely collapsed like a dog,
so he can be seen as a guy who grew up rolling in the slums, not even commoners.
But the protagonist buff is enormous. Sword talent that surpasses swordsmanship, charm that makes people say "wow~" even for things that aren't particularly interesting.
So-called growth-type cheat character?
A character who smashes through the difficulties that come with overwhelming talent like a hot knife through butter and climbs up.
Humanly speaking, it's cool.
Actually, he caught both rabbits, romance and coolness, and was hugely popular among users.
That's why everyone was sufficiently convinced when this huge spec Kyle was snatched away from the heroines.
Wow...! That's the imperial treasure sword Helios bestowed directly by the Emperor!
On one side of Kyle's room, on a luxurious sword stand made of dark red wood,
the imperial treasure sword Helios bestowed by the Elysium Empire Emperor was placed elegantly.
Kyle's first appearance, that Helios was really cool as hell.
If the protagonist Eugene succeeds with swordsmanship,
then naturally, the rival Kyle must also have tremendous talent in swordsmanship.
As a sub-male lead, Kyle is called a tier 1 genius swordsman.
Even for a noble's bloodline, it was said that it would take until the late 20s to reach Sword Expert,
but he broke through it at 20 years old, the year he entered the academy,
which would be the minimum Sword Seeker Alpha, and with good luck, he could even aim for Sword Master.
With this talent highly praised, the Emperor even bestowed the imperial treasure sword Helios.
Fucking, how good is his head? Just by looking at the names of the books there, I know their contents.
While I was admiring the Helios as if handling someone else's sword,
I looked at the bookshelf on the opposite wall.
If we only talk about Kyle's talent in swordsmanship, it's a bit disappointing.
This guy is basically a jack of all trades, you could say.
Swordsmanship if it's swordsmanship.
Academics if it's academics.
Politics and socializing were also rare for nobles his age.
Because of that, by the time he started clashing with Eugene Kaiser, Kyle de Rozen's influence had spread across the entire empire.
He had connections with the imperial family,
exerted considerable influence in noble society,
and his name was known not only in the academy but also in the imperial knight orders, the holy knight orders, and even the imperial guard.
Thanks to that, no matter what episode unfolded, he clashed with the protagonist Eugene Arden. So one of his nicknames is Kyle here too?
In swordsmanship tournaments, the opponent in the finals.
When an incident occurs in the imperial court, a political rival.
When a problem arises in noble society, a noble on the opposing side.
And when it involves a heroine.... this is hard to mention.
Well, no need to say. I know better than anyone. Holder of the most clear records in the Swordsman Obsessed Over by Young Ladies gallery. Maybe that's why I transmigrated.
Schlunk...!
That was now becoming my own business, not someone else's.
I shook my head in frustration and put the Helios into the sword sheath.
Schlunk.
Perhaps because it was the imperial sword, the sound of the sword entering the sheath oddly felt good.
I can understand a little of Kyle's feelings when he saw Eugene. With this spec, he was snatched away.
Kyle de Rozen.
Even with this level of spec, he eventually lost to Eugene in the original story.
Not just lost, but not even just lost.
At first, he had an overwhelmingly superior advantage that felt like a flea and an elephant.
His relationships with the heroines were also something he could protect as long as he didn't do anything stupid.
The family was also Kyle's overwhelming superiority,
ability was Kyle's superiority.
Connections were Kyle's superiority.
But eventually, starting from his presence in the continent, the heroines gradually moved to Eugene Kaiser.
There's no helping it. The opponent is the protagonist, after all.
Thinking about it, the answer was simple.
Even if Kyle did a lot of stupid things, in the end Eugene was the protagonist of Swordsman Obsessed Over by Young Ladies.
And Kyle couldn't give up competing with that Eugene.
Among Kyle's many stupid acts, the biggest one, in my view, is this point.
Unconsciousness of self due to unnecessary pride and obsession.
…… I shouldn't do that.
This was the conclusion I drew.
If Eugene is better at sword than me?
Then I should acknowledge that Eugene is better.
If Eugene has more popularity than me?
Then I should acknowledge that Eugene has more popularity.
If Eugene is chosen by the heroine?
That's Eugene's life, and it's not a place for me to feel inferior.
I don't need to get involved in that. In the growth narrative of the protagonist Eugene Kaiser.
After carefully organizing my thoughts, I sat on the bed.
I just need to live my life moderately. Thinking about it, that guy will definitely grow well without me anyway. Why? Because he's the protagonist.
While it might be difficult for a human with emotions, if one knows the original work well, it's sufficient.
There was no reason to suffer while competing with the romance novel protagonist who was forced to be the best and take the heroines.
That was the fate of Eugene in this game, and Kyle's fate when tied to him.
If Kyle in the original work couldn't overcome his inferiority and competed in everything and collapsed miserably,
I, on the other hand, would distance myself from Eugene and not see that sight.
With this spec, there are so many things I can do without competing with Eugene. I can live enjoying life. People should abandon greed, after all.
It's a ducal family, no less.
It's the ducal family that is the real power in the empire.
Eugene will do his protagonist thing, and I will do my thing as the successor of the ducal family, leisurely.
Perfect plan.
Smirk...!
Once my thoughts were organized, many things to do in the future popped up.
Perfect. A satisfying smile naturally rose on my lips.
Knock knock...!
Just as I was alone, chuckling to myself,
the sound of knocking on my door was heard.
“Young Master Kyle.”
It was the maid from earlier.
“Your father is looking for you.”
“Father?”
“Yes. He said to come to the study.”
“Understood.”
Father is looking for me.
That's right. I should go meet father. I got up from the bed.
Then, what kind of person was Kyle's father?
After digging into my memory, an image of a person overflowing with dignity came to mind, though not scary.
Duke Van Basten de Rozen.
Close friend of the current female Emperor of Elysium.
Although he himself isn't particularly greedy for politics,
his actual influence can be seen as the real power of the continent.
The son of such a person is me.
…… Is the difficulty of this life really too easy?
That acted as a burden and wall for Kyle in the game.
Things like having to meet expectations, having to surpass, etc.
But for me, who has no greed, it's just a cheat key.
I smiled faintly and headed to my father's study.
“You have come.”
“Yes.”
As I entered the study, the Rozen Duke looked up from the documents.
Similar brown hair to mine,
eyes overflowing with dignity,
still robust physique despite having aged, befitting the Sword Seeker Alpha just below Sword Master.
His face was so similar to Kyle's that it was impossible for a thief to not notice, even without explaining that he was Kyle's father.
“Sit down.”
Duke Van Basten adjusted his posture,
and I sat opposite him.
“.....”
After that, the Duke stared at me silently for a while.
“Have you finished preparing to return to the academy?”
Then he opened his mouth carefully.
I would be a third-year student at the academy this year.
Originally, I should have been a fourth-year, but I took a one-year leave due to successor training.
This is normal for children of high nobles.
“Yes. It's finished.”
The Rozen Duke has the main territory near the imperial capital,
and many attached territories including fiefs.
I had spent the year traveling around all those places and receiving lessons.
“Your voice is full of confidence.”
Duke Van Basten showed a subtle smile.
For me, I roughly understood the meaning of that smile.
What he intended with this successor training this time was to wake up his son's conceit.
But it didn't turn out as I thought,
and eventually, he expressed his regret for his son who was dog-like snatched away by Eugene Kaiser.
The Duke's bitter heart as a duke of the empire must acknowledge his son's rival.
“I will show you the results as confident as I am.”
“Okay.”
To my answer, the Duke gave a short reply.
Actually, I am confident.
But it's a different confidence from the previous Kyle.
So-called confidence without greed?
“The reason I called you today is different.”
“What is it?”
After a few more trivial stories,
the Duke pushed a document lying on the desk in front of me.
“You will meet Elena soon?”
“Yes. Elena is scheduled to visit here.”
Simultaneously mentioned name Elena.
Elena is my childhood friend I've known since we were kids.
“I see. The Arden Marquis family also contacted me.”
Moreover, she is the eldest daughter of the Arden Marquis family, another imperial real power responsible for the north.
And she's a heroine...
A heroine.
Elena de Zel Arden, one of the heroines snatched by Kyle from Eugene Kaiser!
This Kyle guy is a fool who even snatched his childhood friend.
Still vivid in my eyes, that shitty act.
Someone might say "Well, some people can do that, why call it a fool?"
But why would he turn his back on his childhood friend?
It's a truly dogshit act.
Make Eugene like you so that you can win against Eugene... ugh, this is making my face hot...
At some point, the competition between Kyle and Eugene with Elena in between unfolds.
Naturally, Kyle, who started losing like a dog from the beginning,
this fool couldn't stand losing in that match and encouraged his childhood friend who likes him to seduce Eugene and make him like him.
Why? Because by then, Elena would have become friends with Eugene.
That's why he got called a fool.
From this, I get a rough idea of what kind of story the Duke is going to tell...?
The current story progress,
the envelope's vibe the Duke showed,
probably my first test stage after transmigration would unfold.
“The Rozen and Arden families have maintained good relations for a long time.”
“Yes.”
“You and Elena have known each other since you were young.”
“That's right.”
“You are the same age.”
“Correct.”
Then the Duke's preparatory lines,
“So, how about officially promising your relationship?”
His quiet voice revealed the core of the current conversation.
The betrothal promise.
What is the betrothal promise? It's a different concept from engagement,
but it's not a formal engagement, but a task to publicly declare that both families positively accept the future marriage.
In high noble society, it's a very important procedure,
and from the moment of betrothal promise, it's recognized as a relationship close to pre-married couples in high society.
However, unlike engagement, it can be revoked at any time depending on the two people's wishes or the family's judgment.
But how easy is it to revoke? Anyway, it's a significant procedure.
In the original story, Kyle and Elena start as a betrothal promise relationship from the beginning.
Because of that, Elena, who is caught in the competition structure between Kyle and Eugene Kaiser, has to go through actual agonizing,
and Eugene well consoles her, making them get closer rapidly.
“What do you think?”
The Duke's tone asking "What do you think?" didn't feel sincere at all.
Why sincere?
Real curiosity.
Why? Because the Duke already knows what his son will say.
Kyle doesn't like Elena much. Elena also likes Kyle.
Many heroines from the Swordsman Obsessed Over by Young Ladies world are connected around Kyle.
However, the emotions? The colors of favor are different for each.
For Elena, it's close to the legitimate wife from Kyle's perspective.
Of course, that's from Kyle's viewpoint.
That's why when Elena moves to Eugene's side, Kyle goes into overdrive.
That is, Kyle would answer "Yes!" to the Duke's question without hesitation.
“......”
On the other hand, I paused for a moment.
“Why no answer?”
The pause was unexpected, and the Duke tilted his head.
To him,
“I don’t like it.”
I rejected the betrothal promise with my childhood friend Elena.
Naturally. I have no intention of moving according to the original work.