Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Perhaps Groundless Slander
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The moment Canelian gripped the sword's hilt,
I snapped to attention.
'Canelian still believes that making Raisha queen is the only way to save the kingdom.'
If the kingdom had just crumbled spectacularly, she might have been so moved by my leadership that the playboy image would have been washed clean.
No, stop with these wicked thoughts.
I need to steadily build her favor until she thinks, 'This playboy is at least genuinely trying to be a good ruler.'
Otherwise, I might end up as the tragic king assassinated by his Swordmaster queen without a trace...
"It's not a lie. I definitely received a revelation at the altar."
"That's strange. Why reveal it only now, after thousands of years?"
"There's a reason. Come closer."
"If someone overhears with magic or reads my lips, it'll be trouble. So come closer."
"...All right."
I just wanted to practice gradually closing the distance.
Canelian approached reluctantly.
Up close, she was on another level compared to seeing her on a monitor.
My trusty companion NPC was alive right in front of me.
Suppressing a surge of emotion, I whispered softly.
"Mana Herbs were created by the first dragon for the dragonkin.
That's why they only bloom and produce seeds with dragon energy. They don't bloom naturally."
"...!"
Canelian's eyes widened.
She finally sensed I wasn't spouting baseless lies.
"Is that true?"
"Would I have offered all that precious liquor without a thought?"
Her expression said it all.
You had no idea how valuable that was, did you?
"Duchess, as I said before, I had circumstances beyond my control during my wayward days. I'm confiding in you because you're my fiancée."
"...Not yet, she isn't."
Her reaction softened.
Is this okay?
"Did the Ancestor truly tell you how to cultivate Mana Herbs?"
"It's true. Offering all that liquor is proof."
Even I admit it's shaky evidence.
"Can you swear on your name and honor as prince?"
I flinched a little.
That was noble-speak for 'Are you staking your neck on it?'
"I swear."
"Fine. I'll trust you one more time."
As expected, Canelian, who knew the prince's pure evil nature, had no intention of becoming a naive crown princess.
'I might have to prove myself to her for the rest of my life.'
What can I do?
Blame whoever possessed this playboy of all people.
It might have been easier if I'd possessed plate-mail knight Xante.
"By the way, Duchess, Ceres doesn't know anything yet, does she?"
"No, my sister still thinks she's going to be crown princess."
"We need to hurry back to the palace. I'll notify Ceres Duchess as soon as we return."
"P-Prince..."
Canelian hesitated several times before speaking.
"My sister has dreamed of rising to nobility... She's been counting the days until she becomes crown princess..."
Obviously a lie.
I nearly burst out laughing at how hard she was trying to string the words together.
But I desperately maintained a solemn expression.
"I know. It's regrettable to crush a young girl's pure heart.
But producing royal heirs is vital to the royal line's survival. As the next king, this is non-negotiable, and you understand that, Duchess."
"...Please, just make sure she doesn't get too hurt."
As if Ceres would be hurt.
She'd be thrilled to escape an unhappy marriage.
Still, breaking off the engagement—or changing fiancées—wouldn't look good for a noble duchess's honor.
Canelian was asking me to preserve her sister's reputation as much as possible.
Mischief got the better of me, so I teased.
"Of course I'll respect Ceres Duchess's honor and pride. The more sincerity you show, Duchess Canelian, the harder I'll work."
"... ."
Canelian pondered for a moment.
Then she suddenly dropped to one knee before me and pressed her lips to the back of my hand.
The moment her soft lips touched,
it felt like electricity tingled from my hand through my whole body.
"I only ask for Your Highness's mercy."
"... ."
Through her cascading red hair, a snow-white face smooth as marble.
Her vividly glowing red eyes stared straight at me, so breathtaking I could barely breathe.
If I could make this Swordmaster knight my full companion NPC, how reassuring would that be...
'One thing's certain: her sister is Canelian's absolute reverse scale.'
Handle it carelessly, and the bomb goes off.
And I'd be caught in the blast.
'From now on, treat Ceres like a golden-threaded sea bream.'
"Trust me, Duchess."
"I do, Your Highness."
I know it's a lie.
I'll have to keep proving endlessly that I won't bite people or the kingdom anymore.
Violet hair and violet eyes.
Skin pale as if it had never seen sunlight.
Ceres Purely Elryad, first duchess of Elryad Duchy and Canelian's older sister.
Congenitally frail, no one in the duchy had expected her fragility to attract the playboy prince's interest.
They naturally assumed it would be the healthy Canelian for the political marriage, but the young playboy prince whimsically chose Ceres as his fiancée.
Every rumor Ceres heard about the prince was terrifying.
Hanging someone and whipping them until flesh tore and bones showed.
Smashing someone's head with a liquor bottle after forcing them to kneel.
Hundreds of maids killed to silence them for bearing the prince's child.
"Duchess, raise your head."
"...Yes, Your Highness."
Ceres trembled as she barely lifted her head.
His sculpted handsome face gazed at her with kind eyes, but she shrank like a frog before a viper.
To her, he looked like a vibrant rose brimming with poison.
How many had that alluring beauty tormented?
"Do you know your sister, Duchess Canelian, is on the verge of becoming a Swordmaster?"
"...Yes?"
Startled, Ceres turned to her sister beside her.
Canelian gave a wry smile and nodded lightly.
"Ca-Canelian? Is that true?"
"...One step left. It might take decades."
"Even so, reaching that step at your age is remarkable. Isn't it, Duchess Ceres?"
"Y-Yes, you're right. Congratulations, Canelian!"
Ceres was genuinely delighted by her sister's achievement.
The prince spoke again.
"I'm truly sorry to you, Duchess. As the next king, I have selfish desires. I want to give my heir a Swordmaster mother."
"...!"
Ceres's eyes widened.
She covered her mouth with both hands.
"I apologize sincerely for making you my fiancée on a whim in your youth and now changing it on another whim.
This is just a monarch's selfishness to infuse Swordmaster blood into the royal line, not because you're lacking in any way."
An astonishing thing happened.
The prince stood abruptly, dropped to one knee before Ceres, and bowed his head.
"Y-Your Highness! P-Please don't! How can the next ruler of Arcana bow to a minor duchess like me...!"
"I'll spend my life proving to all that the engagement changed due to no fault of yours. And..."
The prince looked up while still on one knee.
He presented a small jewelry box and revealed its contents.
A ring embedded with a red gem lay inside.
"... ."
"... ."
For a moment, the sisters' expressions turned strange.
Didn't this look just like a proposal?
Fortunately, the prince quickly cleared the misunderstanding.
"It's a consolatory gift for tarnishing your honor. This relic-grade artifact is called [Sunset-Infused Ring of Life].
It boosts the wearer's life by 10%... and improves health."
The sisters' faces filled with shock.
Health-related relic artifacts were immensely valuable.
It could fill the massive hole in the kingdom's treasury from the prince's holy site tour.
And he's giving it away like this?
"I-I can't accept it! How could I take something so precious!"
"Please accept it. For the sake of the ducal couple who bore you."
"... ."
Mention of her parents brought tears to Ceres's eyes.
The prince slipped the ring onto her right ring finger.
"I'll live with the debt of having hurt you for life.
I'll treat Duchess Canelian, who will be crown princess, even better than what I owe you."
Ceres's eyes welled up with tears.
"I-I'll pray to Violaena forever for... a happy marriage, Your Highness."
Only then did Prince Ragna rise from the floor and sit back in his chair.
"Sorry, sis."
"No, it's for the best. I'm too frail to be queen of Arcana anyway..."
Light refreshments followed.
The prince led the conversation cheerfully.
Surprisingly, he knew every myth and legend from across the continent.
Ceres was quickly engrossed in his tales.
No bard had ever told stories this captivating.
"Really? A whale monster lives in Balteg Lake at the Empire's center? How did a sea whale get to an inland lake?"
"Before the north froze like now... Geographic evidence that the lowlands of Partago Plains connected Balteg Lake to the ocean..."
They lost track of time in enjoyable conversation, but frail Ceres had to leave first.
Even as her maid helped her away, she couldn't hide her regret.
"Your Highness, can you tell more next time?"
"Anytime. We're family now, aren't we?"
After Ceres left,
Canelian's expression cooled with just the two of them remaining.
"You're quite skilled."
"I have some interest in fascinating stories."
"That's not what I meant."
She recalled the prince kneeling to slip on the ring.
Canelian shook the image from her mind.
VIP bedroom.
Lying on the plush bed, Ceres closely examined the ring on her finger.
The prince's sculpted face floated between her fingers.
Kind expression, gentle eyes.
Recalling him slipping on the ring made her heart race suddenly.
Ceres shook her head vigorously and pulled the blanket over her face.
No matter how she looked at it, he didn't match the rumored playboy.
Perhaps...
"...The prince has been suffering from utterly groundless slander all this time?"