Ore no Osananajimi wa Joshikousei de Yuusha Chapter 7

Several hours had passed since we were forcibly compelled to come along with the princess.
The carriage rattled as it proceeded through the dark forest.

“We will be there soon.

The carriage stopped after several minutes, just as she announced.

We nodded.

“Welcome!”

A person from the residence welcomed us as he opened the coach door.
First the guardian knights, then the princess, then the two of us followed them out of the coach.

I looked up at the Isky estate. It was a huge, dark and evil-looking mansion.

The mansion itself looked like it had a shadow cast over it.

“I, it looks like a haunted house…”

I was thinking the exact same thing.
I hope the silhouette standing at the window looking at us is not ‘something we’re not supposed to see’.

The order of events is a little backwards, but let’s go a few hours back.
I was asking about our purpose and plans about going to face Marquis Isky.

“Suspected traitor?”

“As you know, there had been long-standing tensions between our country and Cidre.”
“There were rumors that Marquis Isky, whose territory borders Cidre, had been introducing spies.”

Well this is troubling.
Even if you tell me about this world’s situation, it’s all gibberish to me.

“In short, our country and the neighboring country are on bad terms. Then, we suspect that Marquis Isky is letting spies into the country.”
Princess Rosé broke it down for me and explained.

“Hmm…. So Princess is going to inspect him then.”

“Well, yeah, but couldn’t you ask someone else?”

*Haah*, the knights let out a sigh.

“If only it wasn’t Marquis Isky…. This is most troubling.”

Then the princess said something shocking.

“That’s because Marquis Isky’s son, Lord Glenn is my fiancé. I have a clear relationship with Lord Glen.”

“In a rather political way.”

Uwaah—.

“Princess Rosé, please tone it down…..”

“Oh my, I’m not princess Rosé. I’m a relative who looks just like her, Demy Champagne Blanc de Blancs Merry. I have no relation to Lord Glenn.”

“Well, grudges aside, why does Princess Rosé or Lady Demy have to inspect that fiancé?”

Lady Demy, formerly Princess Rosé, said this with a composed expression.

“That’s right, it’s me. If I couldn’t find an evidence of his rebellion, then there’s no choice but to declare them innocent. That’s the rough of it.”

Really frightening, this princess.

“If Princess Rosé says so then… I’m afraid to say, but she was emphatically ordered by her esteemed Father, His Majesty the King. She was half-forced into it.”

“If he couldn’t trust his own relatives, then of course he will lose unifying power. That said, now that the neighboring countries could start a war at any moment, he needs to quickly verify any rumors. Those are the circumstances.”

“Well, I don’t quite get the difficult parts, but I understand somehow. Anyway, you need to find evidence whether this Marquis Isky is a traitor or not, right.”

“Do you have any concrete plans?”

“I want you two to get in touch with the people at the Isky House using your statuses as attendant and maid. … I don’t care how trifling, I want you to collect rumors and testimonies. Servants should be more loose-lipped than the Marquis’ own family.

I see.

“As I said before, my name is Demy, the third daughter of a relative of the Ivan Royal Family, Archduke Merry, making her debut in high society by going around to each and every noble’s house. I ask that you treat me as such.”

“Don’t say anything strange that will get us found out, okay?”

“U, umm….”

“I, I, I can’t do something like p, pretending to be a m, maid!”

“We’ll just say that Lady Demy employed a country girl she found on the way. That way you won’t be out of place even if your manners are bad.”

A~h, she’s going to cry.
Looking at her makes me worried.

“Welcome, Demy-sama! You must be tired after your long journey.”

A bald patch on the top of his head and a long nose featured prominently on him.

“My regards, Tris.” answered lady Demy.

I believe the term ‘Ojousama’ applies to all kinds of characters, but it looks like Lady Demy is one of the high-handed ones.

“Well, uh, I’ve heard people say that you looked like Princess Rosé, but, well, how should I say, you’re even more—”

“I’m way more cute… right?”

“Huh?”

Pushing it even further, Lady Demy said,

Because she said so butler-san became stiff.

Being called ‘beautiful, just like the princess’ is compliment enough already, but to say that you’re cuter than her on top of that, just how cheeky are you, young lady.

“What’s wrong?”

Ooh—, as expected from a butler. He nicely dodged it.

Lady Demy went onwards, looking irritated.
Behind us who were following behind her, Tris bellowed an apology: “P, pardon my insolence!”

“What’s this, does Lady Demy hate Princess Rosé?”

“I wanted to show them I’m not on Rosé’s side, and also, if you’re always being compared everywhere you go you’d get sick of it, right.”

You sure thought this through.

“Probably only Princess Rosé herself in this whole country could say that.”

Then Lady Demy puffed her cheeks a little.

She said that and sulked.

Hearing Arina say that all of a sudden really caught me by surprise.

“Eh, rrr, really? S, ss, sorry, Arina, said something smart even though I’m dumb, huh?”

It’s actually a relief that she said something ambiguous.

Tris, who was drenched in cold sweat, caught up with us, so the secret talk had to be suspended.

There were ten-odd maids on the stairs in front of the residence lined up to the left and right to greet us.
The three people standing in front of the door must be Marquis Isky’s family.

“Welcome to the Isky residence, Lady Demy!!”

Once we were at a reasonable distance the maids greeted us in unison.

“I am Demy Champagne Blanc de Blancs Merry, the third daughter of the Merry house. For three days from today I shall be in your care.”, she greeted them.

As he greeted her with a smile, the man in the middle came down the stairs.

He was perhaps in his 40s.

“I believe this is the first time we’ve met. My name is Malto Macallan Isky. I’ve had the honor of being granted the title of ‘Marquis’ by His Highness The King. I am greatly indebted to the young lady’s esteemed father.”
Lord Malto offered his hand and Lady Demy took it in a handshake.

Then the other two followed down the stairs.

Lady Welsh gave a bow in greeting.

She hid it under lipstick and face powder, but she was a lady with considerable age.

“I take it you know of my son Glenn?”

The introduction had a nuance like that.

“We were fortunate to have his marriage with Her Highness the Princess decided.”

I know how you feel, but please don’t reveal it so openly…….

He had a physique like his father and neat blonde hair.

“Well, I wouldn’t have imagined I would meet such a beautiful young lady. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

With that unpleasant airhead for a fiancé, I understand how the princess would hate him.

Finally, Lord Malto closed the conversation with that and ended their introductions.

Well, let’s intrude on the residence.

Immediately the butlers nodded and stood in the way of the knights.

“Wha……” “What did you say!?”

“Are you saying you’re turning us away at the gates!?”

“Even us humble knights have heard of Marquis Isky’s’ exploits. We do not doubt in his power even in the slightest.”

“Ha ha ha. I wonder what kind of thing do you mean by ‘harm’ in this Isky residence?”

At the end of the quarrel, Tris said the words that became the finishing blow.

“Surely you do not doubt us, the Isky house, who have marriage ties with the princess?”

Uwaaa….h!

Both Malto and Glenn just indifferently let him say that. This means what the butler said was as good as having come from the master.

“Y…. you!”

People really have blood vessels stand out when they’re angry, huh. The two were trembling throughout their bodies, and they were just about to draw their swords.

“You two. Watch your mouths.”

Lady Demy interjected.

“But… m’lady.”

“………~~~~tch!”

They turned towards Tris and bowed deeply.

“We humbly apologize.”

The two understood.

But she endured it for the sake of her goal.
The knights couldn’t possibly ruin all that.

“…… Yuuki, Arina. We’d like to say a few things, please.”

I nodded.

“Please excuse us with this.”

“No no, such vigorous gentlemen, you have been very reliable.”
Tris, turning towards their retreating figures, launched sarcastic remarks.

“….. Well then. That missy over there, is she a maid?” said Tris, turning around to face us who were left behind.

Arina froze up in surprise.

Lady Demy introduced Arina just as planned.

“Hahaa, but she seems to still be lacking in regards to real work.”

“I see. Please leave it to us. ….hm, by the way, how about that lad over there? We thought he was an apprentice knight when we saw him, but that doesn’t look to be the case?”

“He’s my attendant.”

The moment Lady Demy said so, the people around her stirred up a commotion.

Lady Demy added, not minding the others’ reactions.

“Oh my, is it strange? Nobody ever told me there was anything wrong with it, though?”

Lady Demy turned a deep smile towards Tris, who was drenched in cold sweat.

It looks like I’m really going to be her paramour pet….

Immediately, Lord Malto laughed so loud his chest heaved.

Then he clapped his hands.

With that the servants started moving again.

Malto, seemingly pleased by Lady Demy, brought her inside the residence while laughing uproariously.

I thought that I should at least see the knights off.

—just what’s he trying to say.

Anyhow, I should play along with Lady Demy’s ruse.

“Gaah—!”

Look at you.

“Curse you, curse you Isky…!”

Back at the coach, the knights unleashed their anger, taking out their swords and swinging it at the sky.

“Damn them! They’re humiliating the princess even before she’s married!”

“……Y, you seem to be really angry, knight-san…”

“Well of course we’re angry.”

“…… *gasp*! Y, y y, you two…”

“Sorry. We showed you a disgraceful sight.”

“Nah…., it’s obvious you’d get angry.”

“But Princess Rosé could put up with it.”

I do think she certainly put up with it really well.

She could’ve blown her cover and flew into a rage right then and there.

“But I think she could hold her ground because she got mad at you two.”

That was what I said.

“So, probably, her anger at you wasn’t for nothing.”

The two pondered with faces full of melancholy.

The knight took his sword out, scabbard and all, and pushed it onto me.

“If somebody found out you can get out of it saying we made you carry it.”

I gratefully took the sword.

The knight gave me a warning.

“Well, this is no more than rumor, but…. seeing how they behaved I’m sure they must be hiding something.”

“Yeah. We’ll protect Rosé.”

A handshake.

“The princess picking two unknown persons like you up was probably out of a royalty’s capability of judgement. Most of all, it is great that you two were the ones accompanying her.”
“We cannot protect the princess. I’ve never dreamed that I’d say those words someday…”

“”――We’re leaving the rest to you.””
I slowly nodded.”

“…….Yuu-kun, are you angry?”

“………”

I only just met the Princess a while ago, I don’t know the least bit about her.

In this short time I probably felt familiarity with the person called Rosé.

Not just as their master, but because of her personal character.

I’m angry at the name of ‘The Princess’ being used as a figurehead.

Her figure, heading straight for her duty despite being not so different to me in age.

I’m sure even her figure that I haven’t seen.
Everything. Everything is disregarded and used in the name of ‘fiancée’.

Ah. That’s why I feel disgusted.

“….――I’m, angry as well.”

Then Arina said this.

“I see. Then Arina is angry too.” «TN: *shiver*»

“Let’s uncover their evil deeds and get the marriage cancelled.”
“Yeah! Let’s do our best!”

†

Rosé who is going to succeed the kingdom, or the Isky house who sit in their seats watching, waiting for the opportunity to overturn the kingdom, neither of them matter in the least.

That was the plan.

――But, they’ve made a big mistake.

By their foolish acts the Isky house provoked his anger.

Arina looked up at the gloomy residence and grinned.

That’s right, she’s decided which side will be destroyed.

Chapter end