3. A Sudden Love
Lydian, who fell in love, was quick on his feet.
Paying no heed to the fact that Buffeg went out could and Dargal fainted, Lydian proceeded with his marriage arrangements.
Writhing on his bed, Buffeg bewailed, “—Because of my incompetence, an innocent girl has to suffer…!”
…However, the girl Lydian fell for, Eleonora, was far from innocent.
Furthermore, despite being a duke’s daughter, she was born a villainess. She’d go out of her way to assert her dominance.
If someone picked a fight with her, she’d be sure to repay them a hundredfold. If not, she’d be the one to pick a fight. She’d also purchase dangerous goods and wait for opportunities to use them.
She was arrogant and conceited, if there was a Villainess Championship, she’d rank in first place. Before that could happen, though, Lydian noticed her.
Under normal circumstances, he’d have consulted his father, the king, and went through the formalities of an engagement. Instead, Lydian bought a ring and stormed to the Duke of Bazestilma.
“Lady Eleonora, my feelings for you have only grown stronger with each passing day. As such, I’ve come to propose marriage to you. Will you be my fiancée?”
When Eleonora came to the drawing room to greet him, Lydian kneeled and stared straight into her eyes.
Bending his knees, Lydian presented her a ring, complete with a ring cushion. Despite his young age, he seemed like a prince from a fairy tale.
At the end of the day, even the villainess was still a maiden at heart.
Blown away, Eleonora made a swift decision. “Yes, please!”
Even though the duke and the duchess hadn’t given their input, they agreed. After all, it was a chance to establish a connection with the royal family.
“I shall entrust the rest to the two of you.”
With such a throwaway line, they hastily departed to uncork a bottle of wine in the other room.
“My grandson might become the next king!” “That’s right, Honey!”
Afterwards, Lydian finalized the engagement.
The royal couple, who were only informed after the incident, were taken aback.
“—Did our Lydian finally fall in love!?”
Instead of criticizing his rash decision, they only saw it as an opportunity. After all, if they missed this chance, there was no saying that their son would be interested in girls in the future ever again.
At the council meeting, his engagement was met with a backlash. But then Lydian said, “If you don’t give me permission, shall I unleash the legendary fire dragon to burn the whole country?”
The meeting concluded with unanimous agreement at the same time as Lydian conjured a magic circle in the air, and Eleonora officially became his fiancée.
At the usual tea party, the queen sighed; documents pertaining Eleonora in her hands.
“…This lady. Although her status is wonderful, the same can’t be said about her attitude. Sir Buffeg, how did Lydian fall for such a person?”
At her question, Buffeg could only shake his head.
After all, Buffeg himself was also caught off guard.
The queen called for an investigation, but there was nothing of significance between Lydian and Eleonora. Although they both attended the same official tea parties several times, Lydian was aloof the whole time.
Sure, she was beautiful, but not the most beautiful. Moreover, she had a terrible personality.
Buffeg, who was the type to prioritize intellectual curiosity over his own life, dared to ask Lydian directly. He truly had no idea why the young prince was so hung up over that girl.
“Your Highness Lydian, it’s about Lady Eleonora… What do you find so attractive about her?”
At the dining room where the scent of dinner wafted…
The king, who was fond of family gatherings, tried to have dinner with his family as often as possible. Buffeg, who was considered as part of the family (together in the same boat), was honored to be allowed to sit with them.
In fact, he could be considered a hero for asking such a question in such a place.
Without feeling offended, Lydian answered.
“Hm, that’s right. Well, I found her interesting, but the ultimate reason was because my magic didn’t work on her.”
“““HUH—!?”””
Buffeg, the king, and the queen were surprised.
Actually, the maid too, but she had a duty to uphold, so she was only surprised on the inside.
“Rather than not working, would it be more precise to say that my magic was absorbed by her? Truly, how unexpected that was…”
As he reminisced, Lydian seemed to be having fun.
—More importantly, Buffeg’s jaw fell open.
Lydian was the most powerful wizard known to Buffeg!
His magic wasn’t at the level where it could be easily absorbed just like that!
“—Before anything else, how did you know that your magic didn’t work? No way, did you…”
“I’m a gentleman, you know? There’s no way I’d do that to a lady.”
‘You!? A gentleman!?’ Buffeg screamed internally. The king and the queen were quiet, while the maid stayed expressionless (professionalism).
Paying no heed to the awkward dinner, Lydian began to explain.
“Originally, Lady Eleonora was a regular customer of the shop I run. Due to a minor accident, a bomb exploded. Oh, but instead of gunpowder, it contained magic power. An average person would’ve been blown to smithereens, but she was unscathed.”
Lydian joined his hands together, as if he was gushing about his idol.
Okay, that’s indeed a feat, but how exactly did it develop into love…?
Buffeg glanced at the royal couple, and in response, they paled and shook their heads. Not even those in charge of manufacturing understood, apparently…
“Your Highness, by ‘shop’, do you mean the one that sells poisonous plants and deadly weapons? The one that was originally run by the mafia…?”
“Uh-huh, yup. That one. To make extra money, I’d sell my hand-crafted items. It’s quite a profitable side gig.”
Lydian spoke chirpily, but in what world is making explosives considered a side gig?
No, in the first place, why would a duke’s daughter frequent such a place?
Rather than falling in love, shouldn’t someone be wary of such a person?
“Also, you mentioned that Lady Eleonora was a customer. What exactly did she buy?”
“Well, either a torture device or a poisonous plant. I made sure that everyone who purchased dangerous goods is followed and investigated. Instead of using them, it appears that she collected them. Fascinating, isn’t it?”
As he laughed, Lydian’s expression lit-up like a lovestruck youth.
After hearing Lydian’s explanation, Buffeg reached a conclusion.
I see. It’s the usual trope of a perfect prince and a girl who isn’t interested in him. After being fascinated by her, “How interesting.” He took a fancy in her. Although, it’s a bit different.
“I see, in other words, after your magic didn’t work on Lady Eleonora, Your Highness was intrigued by her. To you, she was an ‘interesting woman.’”
“I guess so.”
Lydian nodded.
Buffeg was still not convinced, but realized that it’d be pointless to try to understand the full extent of Lydian’s feelings, so he didn’t pursue the matter.
—For the time being, regardless of the reason, it’s good that he developed human emotions.
Even if their first encounter was extreme—even if his fiancée turned out to be someone irredeemable…
…It’s probably a good sign.
Buffeg tried his best to convince himself.
Yet, for some reason, the wild laughter of the duke’s daughter, who had a wicked personality, echoed at the back of his mind.
Immediately, an alarm blared in his head, warning him: ‘Don’t mix, it’s dangerous.’
When a potent drug was mixed with another potent drug, they wouldn’t neutralize each other, but instead spread poisonous gas into the surrounding area.
“…No, maybe we’re doomed?”
Although the issue with Lydian’s fiancée was resolved, Buffeg felt shivers ran down his spine as he feared that more troubles had arisen.
Translator’s Note:
The prince’s side gig turned out to be such a wild adventure.
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