Episode 56: The Queen of Wheels
“It was worth getting caught up in the Aristocrat Faction’s scheme. I had such a wonderful encounter! In that respect, I wouldn’t mind thanking them!”
Seriously…?
She knew all along?
Was that airheadedness a bluff? Or is she just naturally like that?
Ugh, I really don’t understand the world of politics!
I’ve never been a working adult, a salaryman!
And of course, I’ve never been a politician!
I guess I really can’t beat the “Aristocrats,” who are professionals in politics and scheming…
“The Aristocrat Faction said that a ‘wicked sorcerer who defies the state’ was assisting Count Missgancia, leading to illicit wealth accumulation… But no, not at all. He’s a wonderful sage!”
The Princess is beaming.
But even I can tell by now.
If I were inconvenient or useless to the Princess… she would have adopted that scenario.
But now, because I’m more useful than she thought, she’s chosen to incorporate me.
I really don’t like this!
Stop it!
I really don’t want to get involved!
Seriously, it would be easy to kill all these guys, but if I did, I’d lose 100% for sure…
Being dragged into a situation where “you’ll lose 100% if you don’t listen” feels like a defeat, but getting caught up in trying to resist will only lead to a dead end.
Like a child’s tantrum, throwing away all the benefits and stubbornly going against them is pointless…
That childish stubbornness, like a thug who absolutely won’t yield the road, is a mindset that naturally disappears as you become an adult.
That “I won’t bow my head to anyone!” kind of light novel protagonist mentality, well, it’s cool but only leads to losses…
At this point, the only way to deal with it is to “clearly refuse requests when you don’t want to do them.”
However, I want to maintain the attitude that “I can run away anytime if I get fed up.”
“If we have this ‘Sage of the Frontier’ and Mortimer, the guardian of the renowned Missgancia, the Mortimer family’s bloodline will be secure for a hundred years… It’s more than sufficient for me to marry into, isn’t it?”
Ah!
That’s right, this Princess is going to be the first wife of Count Missgancia’s son!
…So, in the next generation, will the Queen be ordering me around in place of Count Missgancia?!
Ugh… ugh…
Well, she probably won’t make unreasonable demands, but she’s quite the character…
I’m treated like a relative, like an uncle, by Gerald-kun, Count Missgancia’s son and the next Count.
You know… there’s always that one, right?
The mysterious uncle who’s at family gatherings during New Year’s, who you don’t really know what he does for a living, but he’s trying to look young, knows a lot about games, and gives you pocket money…
Gerald-kun, the next Lord, respects me as that kind of mysterious uncle figure.
So, I thought it would be easy to manipulate him! But with this Princess getting involved, it won’t be so simple.
Ah… life just doesn’t go as planned…
“Wuuu〜〜〜!!! Uuu〜〜〜!!!”
In the carriage on the way back, I was having a small, cute kind of meltdown.
“…Dru, do you dislike it that much?”
“I hate it! I hate it!”
“Fufu, poor Dru… It’s tough, isn’t it? It’s hard to catch a break, isn’t it?”
Rosalinde was devotedly comforting me.
Rosalinde’s affection level skyrocketed after I protected her from Marlene, aka Legendary-san’s attack, and she’s showing me an incredible amount of affection.
Originally, she was unintentionally in a sheltered state due to her illness, but even so, for a noble to marry a commoner like me is something that wouldn’t happen with just a little bit of affection.
Seriously, if you told a normal noble’s daughter, “Marry a commoner!” it would be like saying, “Mate with a dog!” and would be extremely rude. Frankly, you couldn’t complain if the person who said that was suddenly killed by her parents or relatives. That’s how much of a matter of honor it is.
But she, Rosalinde, is willing to abandon her noble status to marry a commoner who is treated like livestock.
It’s true that I’m called the “Sage of the Frontier” and even nobles give me respect, but regardless of that, it’s truly exceptional for a noble to want to get together with someone across the social divide.
Seriously, that’s why I can’t clearly refuse her or abandon her.
It’s not just about having a pretty face or liking her personality, but first and foremost, she’s determined.
That’s why I want to respect her.
“Fufu, fufufufufu…♡”
Rosalinde shamelessly clings to my arm.
Although it’s not Christianity, the religion and customs of this world demand excessive chastity from women of noble status.
For an unmarried woman to cling to a man’s arm is truly “not allowed.”
But Rosalinde is doing it in front of the guards.
She’s seriously showing everyone that she’s Andrews’ woman. She’s betting everything on me.
With this much infatuation, I can be sure. Rosalinde will do anything to get together with me, no matter how unfavorable the conditions…!
This trip to the Royal Capital, what I gained was Rosalinde’s “heart”… It’s your heart! Something like that?
…I have to think that way to keep going!!!