Chapter - 3
I'm going to make an effort to avoid the situation.
I went to see my father again and pleaded with him, playing the weak and helpless daughter as best as I could. I told him I didn't want to see my fiancé, and that tomorrow was too soon. I don't want to see my fiancé, it's too sudden.
"I'm more scared than I am reluctant," I said, and it wasn't an act that my eyes were almost teary.
It wasn't an act.
"Anyway, you won't know if you don't like him or not until you meet him, right? I'm going with you, so don't worry. Now go to bed."
Yeah. That's what I would say. As an adult.
So the next day, I took a carriage to the Duke of Ranangkula's residence, where my fiancé lived.
I heard that this journey would take more than ten days if I actually rode the carriage.
This is where the Tower of Transfiguration comes into play. It is a fairly large magical tower, and is famous for long-distance travel within the continent.
From the one and only transfer tower in the Duke of Lilia's domain to the one and only transfer tower in the Duke of Ranangkula's domain. In this way, the ten-day journey would be reduced to only half a day.
Even if it took ten days, it was fine.
I'd rather never reach my destination.
That was my state of mind.
But time passed uneventfully, and I was stepping into the enemy lines without much of a plan.
(I failed. ......)
As I sat on the soft chair in the parlor, I was already feeling regret.
My father, who was sitting next to me, was concerned about my pale complexion and offered me a hot drink, which I politely declined as I didn't think it would go down my throat.
What I failed to do was to take rest from last night until this moment, because I was too busy worrying about many things. Even in the carriage, I should have at least closed my eyes and been quiet, but I kept looking out the window and trying to escape reality.
If I couldn't come up with any constructive ideas in the end, I should have at least tried to get a good night's sleep and get myself in perfect physical condition before going to this place.
As I waited, chewing on the proverb "no regrets," a knock sounded in the room.
I stood up in time with my father and greeted the intruder.
The first person to enter was an elderly gentleman with white hair and good posture, who walked briskly. Next was a well-bred looking boy with shiny black hair.
I deliberately lowered my gaze to remove my expression. It was the right thing for a lady to do when confronting someone before being introduced. It would not be childlike, though.
The gentleman exchanged a friendly greeting with my father and immediately turned to me.
"Allow me to introduce you, Lord Ranakura. This is my daughter, Lycoris. Lycoris, this is His Excellency the Duke of Ranankura."
After introducing me to the Duke, The Duke turned towards me in a very simple manner.
My father quickly stepped aside, leaving me and the gentleman to face each other.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Lycoris Radiata."
When I finally looked at his face after greeting, there was a very soft smile on his face. His eyes, which were clear but with a hue that looked as if they were looking into the deep, deep bottom of the water, smiled serenely.
Lord Ranangkula was much older than my father, close to fifty, I believe. The wrinkles on his face and hands show his age.
"Oh, how do you do? We met before, when you were a baby, though."
He said in a very friendly tone and kissed the back of my hand lightly. I was tickled by the gray mustache with gray hair that traced the thin skin.
I raised the corner of my mouth in response, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes grew deeper. We laughed at each other and ended our short greeting.
"I'm surprised at how lovely you've grown. Your hair and eyes are similar to your mother's, but the shape of your eyes is exactly like your father's."
My father looked at me and my father in turn and replied, a little embarrassed,
"I'm often told that." My father replied, a little embarrassed, "I've been told that a lot." I was upset at the unfamiliar compliment.
"But you don't look so good. I must have tired you out on the long trip. Is this the first time you've ridden in a carriage for a long time?"
His light blue eyes were full of concern and softness. Then a large, warm palm on my shoulder and a gentle voice urged me to sit down in the chair.
"I'm fine. It's just more distracting to stand or walk around...."
I stammered in vain as I answered.
"I knew I should have come to you. I'm sorry about that."
"No! No! ...It's fun to go to an unfamiliar place. The view of the sea beyond the big city was very refreshing. The circular windmills that I saw along the road were very interesting because I had never seen them before. ...Oh, no, I'm very glad that you invited me here today."
I was embarrassed that I had spoken so hilariously to the person I had just greeted. It's rare for me to get impatient like this.
However, Lord Ranangkula smiled happily and answered my question about the shape of the windmill and even explained it to me.
As I listened to him nodding my head in agreement, I was truly surprised.
This person with a friendly smile is actually the Prime Minister of our country.
This country is a monarchy, and there are five ducal families under the royal family. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
Because of their status, and more importantly, because of my preconceived notion that he was the father of a yandere, I had no idea that such a good man would appear. I think I was really rude. I will reflect on it.
It was impossible not to be happy when the Prime Minister smiled at me and said, "You have a wonderful talent, the desire for knowledge."
To be honest, I was flattered.
To tell you how excited I was, I almost forgot about my fiance standing next to me, who was a yandere...
My father, standing behind me, cleared his throat, and I finally remembered the purpose of my visit.
I looked at the boy standing diagonally behind the Prime Minister.
"I'm sorry about this. Lycoris, let me introduce you to my son."
The ten-year-old Wolfgang Eisenhoot stepped forward, led by the Prime
Minister's large hand, and gave a minimal greeting, saying, "Nice to meet you," and lowered his eyes slightly.
I could barely reply, "Nice to meet you too," and the conversation ceased there.
The two adults were apparently alarmed by the sudden silence in the room.
"It must be difficult for them to talk in our presence."
"Why don't you let your son show you around the garden, Lycoris?"
It seems that they suddenly decided to throw their two ten-year-old children out into the garden, saying, "The two of you youngsters can do the rest."
To be frank, this was a poor idea from the ministers who were in charge of supporting the country.
The right thing to do would have been for the two adults to lead the conversation, soften the atmosphere, bring out a common topic or two, and then leave the two alone. However, when I think about it, I feel that most of the people who play such a role in matchmaking in dramas are women. Even if a man is good at his job, he may not be good at this kind of thing.
I was so upset that I started to analyze....
The boy who was to walk with me along the path leading to the garden was a beautiful boy with thin lines.
Surprisingly, or perhaps inevitably at his age, he was much shorter than I was.
His black hair and bright blue-violet eyes were impressive.
His cheeks are rounded like a boy's, but his face is still intelligent enough. The way he walks, with his back straight and his center of gravity shifting smoothly, is probably the result of a life of being conscious of being noticed, even at a young age.
Game characters usually have an image color, but in his case, it is black. In the game, he was almost always dressed in black. He still wears expensive looking clothes with silver thread embroidery on a black background.
The beautiful boy said to me as we reached the garden and came to a place where our view was blocked by an arch of roses.
"Are you aware that you've been chosen as my fiancée?
My reaction was delayed by the suddenness of the question, but I managed to reply by nodding.
Then the beautiful boy suddenly glared at me with his striking blue-violet eyes.
"Hmm. I don't like it. I can see her face, but I don't like her overall impression.
she's also too big. --But I'll compromise on the family background. I'll compromise. Don't misunderstand your position as my fiancée and think that you can tell me what to do."
Oh, ......, yeah.
That's the kind of character he was.
This is a great way to make sure that you don't get caught up in a situation like this.
The thing I feared the most did not happen.
I was afraid that the moment I met Wolfgang Eisenhoot, I would be completely changed.
Wouldn't my mind start moving in a way that I couldn't understand, and would I fall in love with him to the point where I couldn't even control it? Even if I knew that what lay ahead was ruin, I would be blinded by my passion. That was what I was most afraid of.
Yeah. Good. This is a ---- "no".
Because I'm not a masochist.
I want to punch this cocky little fucker in the head.
It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your money.
I'll just snicker and look down at the blue and purple eyes that are below me.
"If you're small in stature, you're also small in what you say."
Oh, that was a slip of the tongue.
***