Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 298: The Witch and The Ash-Covered Bride (8)

The heir of the Lumière Count family.

The young man, known to others by the title of ‘Prince’—a rather treasonous moniker from the royal family’s perspective (had he acted that way outside his territory, his head would have been swiftly removed, but since he kept it within his domain, they pretended not to know)—was, objectively speaking, quite an outstanding individual.

A tall frame, a handsome face, and a dignified voice.

He was skilled in dealing with people, was something of a prodigy in his studies, and while his martial prowess was somewhat lacking, his interest in dance and theater ensured his body was far from frail. After all, dance is a culture that the weak can hardly enjoy.

However, this prince had one flaw: he was a stickler for faces. A huge stickler.

By rights, a noble’s marriage should be determined by political factors and family standing rather than the spouse’s appearance, but for the prince, being pretty was the number one priority, even if it killed him.

When his father scolded him, asking if a pretty face could put food on the table, his bold declaration, “I would rather be a hungry aesthete than a well-fed pig!” was a perfect fit for the phrase ‘as idiotic as it was magnificent.’ Let’s just gloss over the fact that some philosopher somewhere would have wanted to bash his head in upon hearing it.

And at this very moment, the face-obsessed prince was experiencing the bliss of a lifetime.

Wow, she’s beautiful. Seriously, drop-dead gorgeous.

He was so happy that his linguistic abilities had somewhat deteriorated.

The woman’s skin was like white jade, her hair like silk, and her eyes and lips like jewels.

Whenever their eyes met while dancing, she would offer a gentle smile, and the sight sent a shiver of thrill down his spine.

This alone was enough to send the prince’s affection for her skyrocketing, but the mysterious woman continued her assault, as if determined to seal the deal tonight.

“Embarrassingly, I can’t handle sour foods very well. So I tried my best to at least eat bitter foods. It was frustrating to be treated like a child, you see.”

“The Lumière territory is such a beautiful and peaceful place. It must be thanks to the wise rule of you and your ancestors, Prince.”

His number one priority was, in any case, appearance.

This was an unshakable rank in the prince’s mind, but to put it another way, it meant that there were other things he considered for the second and third spots.

But the mysterious woman was perfect in those aspects as well.

Her masterful dancing skills (the effect of a harsh, drilled-in education), hobbies that matched his own in every minor detail (she had simply researched the prince’s preferences beforehand and was tailoring her words accordingly), and on top of that, a wealth of culture and knowledge (the cheat sheet was a magnificent thing).

A fierce flame ignited in the prince’s heart.

It was a desperate, intense will to make this woman his partner, no matter what.

The woman skillfully evaded questions about her family and name, but her elusive, mysterious demeanor only made the prince more desperate.

“P-Prince! Why do you keep dancing only with her…!”

“Sister, calm down! Your face! Watch your expression!”

The other young ladies, who had attended the ball only to end up chugging drinks without so much as a single dance with the prince, stared at the pair with eyes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠full of jealousy and envy. But the prince, already fixated on the woman before him, paid no mind to such trivial matters.

The night deepened, and the clock’s hands neared midnight.

“It is now time to awaken from the dream.”

When the woman’s face was suddenly cast in a sad shadow, the prince was startled and asked her why.

“What do you mean by that? Awaken from a dream?”

“Ah, Prince. I am bound by a pact to a wicked witch. That is why I cannot speak my name or station. I only wished to see you, a prince so renowned throughout the land, just once, so I slipped away from the witch’s watch. But if I stay here any longer, I will surely be discovered.”

The prince was momentarily flustered, but he soon spoke gently to reassure her.

“Rest assured. Excellent knights are guarding this ballroom like an iron wall. No witch, no matter who she is, will be able to threaten you.”

“No, the witch is a truly powerful being. I cannot allow you to be put in danger because of me. Please, let me go.”

Ah! What a pitiful yet noble heart!

The prince was moved. If he thought about it calmly, the story had a few holes in it, but with his eyes already clouded by love, he failed to notice.

As they were bickering over whether she should leave, the clock finally chimed, announcing midnight.

And immediately after, the ballroom’s main doors flew backward with a deafening noise.

CRRRRAAAAASSSSH!

As the startled guests either screamed or held their breath, staring at the entrance…

‘It’ revealed itself.

Clank.

Clank.

With every step, a heavy, dull, metallic sound echoed.

Around its neck, it wore human skulls like a necklace. Its exact form was obscured by an ominous, murky black smoke that shrouded its body, but its overall shape resembled that of a knight.

The mysterious black knight surveyed the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ballroom with deliberate movements before its menacing gaze landed on the woman beside the prince.

While the ordinary guests, and even the skilled knights, couldn’t so much as breathe under the pressure emanating from the black knight…

The prince, who remained relatively unscathed (because the black knight had deliberately excluded him from its oppressive aura), stepped forward protectively and shouted.

“Who are you! Do you know where you are, causing such a ruckus!”

The reply came not from the black knight’s mouth, but from the skull necklace it wore.

《We are the servants of the great witch, and we are the executors of her will. O prince of the mortal world, that woman is the witch’s property. If you hand her over obediently, we will depart quietly without causing any further disturbance.》

While the others were paralyzed by the tin… no, the black knight’s pressure skill and couldn’t move their mouths, the love-blinded prince shouted defiantly.

“Nonsense! How can you say this woman is the witch’s property!?”

The skull replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

《It is because a special blessing rests upon that woman. It is her destiny that any child she bears will become a great figure who will leave their name in history. All things special and precious in this world are the witch’s property, so is it not natural that she, too, is the witch’s property?》

The prince was outraged.

“What kind of twisted logic is that! It’s nothing but a one-sided claim by this so-called witch!”

《So, you intend to stand in our way?》

“Of course! If I cannot protect one pitiful woman from injustice, how can I live with my head held high as the heir of Lumière, no, as a man!”

At the prince’s bold cry, a hot flame ignited in the hearts of the soldiers and knights sworn to protect him.

Their bodies, which had been frozen by the black knight’s oppressive aura, became free as if melted by the intense heat. It was definitely not because the Tin Knight had released his aura at the perfect moment.

The knight commander shouted.

“Protect the prince!”

“Yes, sir!”

Many soldiers and knights charged bravely toward the black knight.

However, the black knight’s power was far too great.

*F-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-t-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f--!

The people in the ballroom, including the prince, and even the attackers themselves, couldn’t properly grasp what had just happened.

The only certainty was that the soldiers and knights who had pointed their swords at the black knight were subdued in a single instant and now lay rolling on the floor.

The only silver lining was that none of them appeared to have lost their lives or suffered fatal injuries.

《This was a warning. I cannot guarantee what will happen next. Now, prince of the mortal world. Hand over the woman. She is destined to be offered as a sacrifice in the witch’s ritual.》

“A-A sacrifice?”

《Yes. But that is no concern of yours.》

The prince swallowed hard.

He could not accept the unreasonable reality that such a beautiful woman was fated to lose her life as a mere sacrifice.

However, his opponent was a being that could effortlessly subdue even the most skilled knights.

Though the prince could handle a sword, his skills were far from exceptional. This was a monster he could not possibly handle.

Just as he hesitated, torn between his pride as a man, his love, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his reason…

Someone gently took his hand.

“It’s alright, Prince.”

The woman in the beautiful white dress spoke to the prince with a gentle smile.

“I am but a lowly girl who could never dare to associate with someone as special as you. However, thanks to your benevolence in trying to provide a joyous time not only for the powerful and wealthy but for all who live in this land, I was able to have this one last dream in my life.”

“No, I… I was just…”

The prince was at a loss for words, overcome with shame.

He had only loosened the entry restrictions in the hopes that there might be some pretty faces among those of humble station.

He’d had none of the noble intentions the woman spoke of.

However, the woman quietly cut him off.

Her benevolent smile, as if she knew everything and understood, made the prince’s heart ache once more.

The woman walked toward the black knight on her own.

She appeared incredibly dignified, but the prince, who had watched her from right beside her, could tell.

Her back was trembling as if in terror.

The prince could no longer hold back.

“Haaaaah!”

He drew his sword and swung with all his might at the black knight.

The swordsmanship, unleashed in a half-conscious state, was more perfect than any attack he had ever made.

However, the difference in their skills was too vast.

The prince’s sword strike was easily deflected, and a returning kick mercilessly slammed into his stomach.

The prince flew backward, crashed into a pillar, and collapsed in a heap.

He tried to get back up, but his limbs merely twitched, refusing to move.

As he saw the black knight raising its sword to strike him down, he braced himself for death.

“No!”

The woman screamed and threw herself over the prince, embracing him protectively.

She had rushed over in such a hurry that one of her shoes came off, and she practically fell on top of him.

The black knight’s sword, which had been about to cleave the prince in two, stopped a hand’s breadth from the woman’s skin. The knight sheathed its blade and lightly struck the woman’s neck with the pommel.

The woman collapsed, unconscious.

The black knight grabbed her and was about to leave, but its footsteps suddenly halted.

《Hmm. Well now. It seems the witch found your struggles quite amusing. The witch says this: if this woman is so precious to you, then let us make a wager.》

“Cough, cough. A-A wager?”

《Yes. If you, Prince, can find the woman somewhere within this land of Lumière within the next two days, you win. She says she will then grant the woman her freedom as a special exception. However, the woman can never reveal her identity herself, and if you fail to find her within the allotted time, the two of you will never be able to meet again. Now then, I wish you the best of luck.》

“W-Wait. Wait…”

The prince pleaded desperately, but the black knight and the skull, as if they had said all they needed to, took the unconscious woman and left the ballroom.

The soldiers of Lumière tried to give chase, but the black knight, as well as the carriage and horse the woman had arrived in, had vanished without a trace, making further pursuit impossible.

All that remained was a single ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠glass slipper, left behind when the woman had thrown herself to save the prince.

From the next day, the prince’s efforts to find the owner of the glass slipper began.