Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 002
Chapter Title: First Welcome (2)
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The social reputation of Rose Vicander, as detailed in the report, was terribly poor.
Harassing her stepsister relentlessly, spilling tea at tea parties or otherwise embarrassing others, indulging in extravagance unbecoming of her family's status... things like that.
Utter nonsense and slander.
Of course, I knew this was the work of Rose's stepmother, Viscountess Vicander. It was all to paint Rose as a villainess and bury her in high society.
Bill has no idea.
And that's how this ridiculous farce unfolded.
It was a joint effort between me for not giving precise orders and Bill, who misunderstood everything and went overboard on his own.
"Again,"
I was about to tell him to prepare once more, to let these people in quickly.
Pooo—
Then the horn from the outer walls blared, signaling the arrival of visitors.
"...We'll talk later. Good work."
I gave Bill a brief nod of approval and silently stared ahead.
It was too late to send these people away and tidy up now. I'd have to make do somehow.
Right, this is how our family welcomes a bride.
Rose had never experienced anything like this before, so she wouldn't know the truth. She'd have no choice but to believe me.
With that thought, it suddenly felt like a pretty decent welcome ceremony.
...Probably. At least the grandeur was impressive.
Amid the gleaming armor, the guards and knights radiating murderous intent, and the impeccably aligned servants...
I waited for the carriage of the woman who would change my life—not a dragon, but my wife.
And then, it hit me.
How many times has Rose regressed by now?
I'd only experienced Rose's life from the novel twice. I had no idea if this world was pre- or post-regression from her perspective.
If she was still living her first life, cooperating on future events would be tricky.
No helping it.
My ability to handle the future remained unchanged. The methods might differ slightly.
A dust cloud from the approaching carriage became visible in the distance.
"Everyone, attention!"
As it drew close enough, the guard captain bellowed.
Clop, clop.
The carriage passed between the ranks of guards lining both sides of the road. Even as billowing dust rose, they didn't flinch.
As if ready to defend the castle to the death against any threat.
......Though the complete lack of any threat was a minor issue.
Clop, clop.
Soon, the carriage passed the guards and neared the mounted knights.
"Draw swords!"
Knight Captain Mathias shouted.
Shing!
All the knights drew their blades in unison. They looked ready to slaughter the carriage on the spot.
......Let's not speak of it.
Flash!
The well-honed edges gleamed coldly under the winter sun. The carriage raced down that path of icy light and...
Screech—
...came to a smooth halt before the castle gates.
The coachman put in quite the effort.
With the lord and all his retainers waiting, who wouldn't be tense?
Whoosh.
At my glance, Bill stepped forward and grasped the door handle.
Creeak—
The worn carriage door swung open, revealing the woman seated inside.
A shabby, rough dress and plain red hair peeking from under an oversized hat. For a new bride, she looked utterly destitute.
Pfft.
A chuckle escaped me.
A luxurious villainess, huh.
To think they'd expect me to believe those rumors after seeing this. The Vicander family's negligence was astounding.
Next up... right, the escort.
I barely remembered escorting anyone. Yet ingrained habit was a fearsome thing—it flowed flawlessly without a hitch.
"Madam."
I extended my hand toward the carriage interior, and
"!"
The woman startled, snapping her head up.
Rose-petal red hair, and nestled in its midst, green eyes like leaves.
What would a rose look like if personified?
What an overly honest name.
Cruel, too. Rose's appearance was far from the glamorous image most associated with roses. That's why she always berated herself for her plain looks.
But to me, she just seemed like a delicate girl without any sharp edges.
Though she seems a bit small.
Are all girls this age this tiny?
As that thought crossed my mind,
"Your Excellency?"
Rose, having confirmed it was me, parted her lips slightly. Her eyes darted wildly over my face.
Why is this guy here?
Her expression screamed it. This wasn't surprise at a stranger or someone new.
It was the reaction of encountering a familiar face in an unexpected place. Meaning, the Rose here was likely post-regression.
Good.
A faint clue, but it eased my mind. Time to move things along.
"Madam, my arm hurts."
Pure exaggeration. No way it hurt from holding it out this long.
But it was enough to snap the dazed Rose, who had been staring at me, into motion.
"Ah. S-Sorry."
She reflexively raised her hand. But it never settled onto mine.
"......"
Instead, only a wary gaze swept over my palm.
Was it okay to accept this escort? No, was it right to? What ulterior motive? Why is he doing this to me?
Her eyes shook with such dilemmas.
Just as I expected.
I knew melting Rose's wariness wouldn't be easy.
After a lifetime of cold treatment from Dane in her previous life, she wouldn't open up just because I was being nice now.
Squirrel... yeah, just like a wild squirrel.
Fur bristled in fear, eyeing me warily. She even looked like one.
But I was confident I could tame this little squirrel—no, Rose.
If I tamed the wild beasts of the Calmar Mountains, a person should be easy.
Time and effort. A simple, textbook approach.
Wait for her to open up, provide delicious food and a warm bed. Show her human touch isn't so bad.
Then, the creature growling from afar would soon rub against me.
By this method, I'd have to wait for Rose to place her hand on mine herself.
But I don't have time to wait.
So the method I chose was...
Whoosh.
To reach out to Rose without warning.
"Gasp!"
My brow twitched at her instinctive shoulder hunch, but
Grab.
I merely took her hand lightly.
"Pardon me."
Then, with firm strength, I pulled her to her feet.
Swoop.
Like uprooting a crop from the field, Rose's body came without resistance.
"?"
Her lightness felt off. But I drew in her rigidly stiff body anyway.
"Ah!"
Wide-eyed, she collapsed into my arms.
"!"
The moment that unease crystallized into conviction, my brows furrowed.
What is this body?
Too light, excessively so. Her waist was slender enough to wrap in one arm.
"Y-Your Excellency."
Even the grip of her hands clutching my forearm was pathetically weak.
Feels like it'd snap if I squeezed.
I knew she'd been neglected by her family. Forced to eat meager meals alone in her room because of the cold glares at family dinners.
Amusingly, the report twisted it to say she dined alone due to her excessive misbehavior.
This confirmed it.
Definitely the food and bed strategy.
Everyone loves those who give good food and comfort. Logic that applied to beasts and humans alike.
No better way to win Rose's favor.
Yet, for some reason...
A bitter taste lingered, an unpleasant aftertaste. I should be glad to find her vulnerability, but something felt off.
"Be careful."
Hiding my irritation, I set Rose down gently.
"Are you all right?"
"Y-Yes? Yes......"
"Can you walk?"
"Uh...... Y-Yes......"
A thoroughly unconvincing response.
Her eyes wandered aimlessly as she hastily stepped back to the ground.
"Madam, let me ask again. Are you sure you can walk?"
As I stepped closer,
"Yes, yes! Yes!"
Rose stumbled back two steps.
Clearly putting distance between us. Her limbs creaked like an unoiled suit of armor.
That brief touch was that unpleasant?
I'd resolved not to love her, but did she have to recoil this much?
I barely kept my grumpy mood from seeping into my tone.
"The new Madam seems quite high-maintenance."
"Pardon? No, it's Your Excellency who......"
Rose started to protest but glanced at my eyes and promptly bowed her head.
"I'm sorry."
No need to apologize that much. It was like a habit ingrained from constant apologies.
Had she grown up in a home where no one listened, only pushed her relentlessly?
"......Let's go."
I wanted to grab her hand and drag her along.
Whoosh.
But I held back and offered my hand again. No point making her shrink further.
"But—"
"Or do you plan to stand here all day?"
"......No, I'm sorry."
Finally, Rose placed her hand atop mine in resignation.
"Then."
The moment I spun toward the gates,
"......"
I faced people showing off their jaw-dropping skills in various ways.
Guards with mouths agape, knights opening and closing theirs repeatedly, servants clamping theirs shut entirely.
Butler Bill and Head Maid Selma included, Knight Captain Mathias gawked with bulging eyes.
What are those expressions?
They looked as if they'd seen something unbelievable—or the sky falling.
Their gazes converged on my hand touching Rose's. Eyes screaming disbelief that the hand used only for slaying monsters could escort a woman.
Whoosh.
I raised one eyebrow,
"Ahem, ahem."
"Cough."
"Ahem."
And they snapped to, sealing their mouths.
Some squeezed their eyes shut, others stared at the sky, a few bowed their heads deeply.
"Eh?"
Rose, turning with me, startled and looked around, finally noticing the crowd at the gates.