Spoiler The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen Who Will Become the Source of Tragedy...thread

Okay, the Preparing Arc and the School Arc have basically no Val/Pryde content (the few scenes are mixed in with the Brothers Arc, I looked), so I'm just going to throw Val's reaction to going to school at you. It's funny, anyway.

Again, naming the scenes according to chapter. The following excerpts do not contain the entire chapter. (You'll have to wait until the translator reaches this point to read the whole chapter, or TL it yourself.

Here's the Preparing Arc!

(Pryde POV) II 4. The Princess Hangs Her Head

Spoiler

The Knight said "Report!" And then continued, "I'm reporting to Her Royal Highness Princess Pryde from the royal palace," a report from a guard with special communication abilities in the royal palace.

"The deliveryman has arrived at the direction of Her Royal Highness Princess Pryde. Please confirm it first."

It's Val.

Yes, I had instructed him to come later.
If I look at the clock, it's been a good amount of time since then. I thought I would call him and ask him to wait, but when I looked around, Chancellor Gilbert and Stayle stood up from their seats at the same time.

"Then, Knight Commander and Deputy Commander. Chancellor Gilbert and I will consult with you later."

"Guardian Knights, please do all of the above confidentially."

Let's go, followed by Stayle and even Chancellor Gilbert urged me to leave.
Well, I'm a little surprised at Stayle, who gave priority to Val's errands like the heat from before was a lie. He normally wouldn't mind letting Val wait for an hour.

As Tiara stood up to suit me, the Knight Commander and the Deputy Commander stood up and thanked me. They bowed down, and Captain Harrison and his colleagues followed suit.

I and Tiara return the greetings and hold hands together. As it was time to change the Guardian Knights, I left Captain Colm and Arthur, who quickly took over on the spot, and left the Operations Conference Room with Captain Alain and Deputy Captain Eric.

After thanking the Knight for reporting, he, who seems to be a Knight from the main corps, stretched his spine as if he had been struck by lightning when I came out. After all, anyone would be surprised if the royal family suddenly appeared from the other side of the door .... I headed for the carriage that I got on from the Operations Conference Room.

"......... He already knows about rejuvenating special abilities , right?"

"Yeah. If it's him, he can be fully involved without us needing permission from Mother. It's not a mistake to include him.. ...... Behavior aside, it's good for there to be many people in the school who can protect my sister. "

"It has been proven that special abilities do not degenerate even when rejuvenated."

"Useful for moving behind the scenes"

While walking, an unusually dark ambition and aura was released by Chancellor Gilbert and Stayle.

I was scared and looked back a little, and they were laughing with a black smile and their mouths raised. The smile that suits the grinning sound was an expression that the two of them were definitely thinking about black things. Captain Alain and Deputy Captain Eric also had cramped faces, as if they had noticed.

…… Somehow, it seems that another person has been confirmed to become involved in this incident.

Val, I'm sorry.

(Stayle POV) II 5. The Adopted Brother is Ready

Spoiler

"Seriously ... No, I don't know why ... He definitely hated it."
Arthur, who first heard the story from Stayle, was disappointed with Colm.

After hearing the confession from Pryde in the afternoon, it's still understandable that Val, who knows Gilbert's identity, will sneak into school as one of Pryde's escorts. However, Val, who is busy as a deliveryman and is incompatible with the system of "school", cannot usually be accepted. However, at the same time, Arthur and Colm think that his resistance may have broken at the end because of the reason.

"At first, it was just stupid."

Yeah, Alain and Eric nodded with a half laugh, as they recalled Stayle's story.

When Stayle said, "I want you to infiltrate the school for about a month to escort my sister," Val's rage and refusal were returned in haste. Alain and his friends were by their side as Pryde's guards, but this time Val was not unreasonably angry at all. Rather, Arthur felt a little sympathetic.

Ignoring Val's remarks, which refuses categorically, Stayle and Gilbert said, "If you cover your face with a hood and a cloth as usual, no one would notice if you were 10 or so years younger."

"Height stops at about 18, which is in range for high school."

"You can't tell which one is the bad guy from listening." The two who coolly listened to Val's angry shouts, including Cedric, who occupies one of the five slots for the experience enrollment of the advanced class, and add and subtract by leaving the slots for the common people. He decided to refuse it. Even Pryde, who stepped in to arbitrate with a blue face.

However, Stayle ordered Val to stop and made a decisive move.

"But if you talked about Adam's survival potential, he would respond ... because he knows the dangers of Adam and Tippett."

At that time, Val, who was seriously injured by Tippett, also feels the danger. Furthermore, it is the same Adam who controlled Pryde.

Adam may be alive. However, Pryde won't stop infiltrating the school. And this is something not even known to the Queen. With that said, Val had no choice.

After confirming the truth with the Pryde, she nodded and he yelled, "Ahhhhhhh!", And after smashing his head with both hands as much as he could, while Stayle sharpened his originally bad eyes even more violently. He responded to the negotiations. Val clicked his tongue a lot and swayed in a poor mood during the subsequent meetings, but he still proceeded in the direction of accepting the infiltration request.

"School infiltration is only during my sister's infiltration period. Delivery work is done on holidays and after school. If absolutely necessary during the period, we will arrange for the special ability person to rejuvenate your appearance from here. Furthermore, it is allowed for Adam and Tippett to be disrespected, arrested, and attacked indefinitely on behalf of my sister. You do not have to take classes seriously during the confidential infiltration period. You can take personal actions. Of course, you will also receive a reward at the end. And ... Sefek and Kemet cannot get involved. "

Stayle, who announced the details of the deal he had decided with Val today, concluded, "But the dormitory room is refused."

Eric also remembered the exchange at that time and definitely nodded. All of Val's wishes are accepted unless he reveals the identity of Pryde who infiltrated the school. Stayle and Gilbert also intended to make concessions to the extent that they would be a deal in involving him.

Arthur shouts "Ah?" To Stayle's words. He tilted his head while shaking the glass of sake.

"Don't get involved, don't you act together? Aren't you both happy?"

"At least Val himself said 'I don't need it', 'I'm annoyed' ... well, I don't think it's a lie."
Val cannot lie to the royal family under the contract of slavery.

But neither Stayle nor Arthur think that Val is reluctant to get involved just because they are in the way. Stayle didn't know if it had a different meaning, or if it involved the three secrets previously rewarded by Pryde.

No one here argues against Val infiltrating the school to escort Pryde. They each have their own thoughts, but they can trust that if there was something in the school that threatened Pryde, he would definitely be on her side. However, it was a little surprising to them who were wondering if Sefek and Kemet, who were always together, could act together.

Then the School Arc!

(Pryde POV) II 12. The Fallen Girl Goes to School for the First Time

Spoiler

...... The corridor is suddenly noisy.

I'm sure the rooftop release should have been a month later. As we enter the classroom, we walk out into the hallway as the teachers make noise. The teacher leaned out of the window in the corridor and went to the school building opposite, saying, "You there! Where did you enter?" The passing students are also rubbernecking and peeking through other windows.

The wall of people is so thick that I can't see well, but Arthur looked into it with his back stretched lightly. This may be ...! With the expectation, I asked Arthur "Can you see someone⁈". Then

"......... Pry ... Jeanne, Phillip. He's doing it right away."

A bitter expression came back with Arthur's low voice.

When my face cramped while my expectations were broken in half, Stayle beckoned me in front of the window at a distance, saying, "You can see it from here."

If I look through the window like a Pandora's box that you don't want to see anymore, I can glimpse the rooftop of the high school. The shadow, who was lying there, turned over and turned his back to the teacher's yelling as if he was nailed to the floor. Maybe he's sleepy early this morning, he's tired of returning to school again after seeing Chancellor Gilbert after sending them off, and he's wondering if he had a lot of free time until the start of work. And as Stayle and Arthur stare at him through the window, I silently unlock the closed window.

"Pry, Jeanne⁈!" "Jeanne, I'm better than that," says Arthur and Stayle, but no questions were asked. As the pleasant breeze came into the school building, I leaned forward and took a breath. I scream to reach him, just like the teacher's voice.

"Val‼ ︎ Come to the corridor right now‼ ︎‼ ︎"

I, a second-year middle school student, call out a problem child in the third year of high school and definitely a bad Val.

Pryde Royale Ivy's new school life as Jeanne Berners has begun with the worst of the bad news.

EXTENDED (Pryde POV) II 13. The Fallen Girl Yells at Him

Spoiler

"Well, I'm saying it for you!"

Before the start of work.

I was supposed to preach to Val in the corridor.

I tried to hide my voice so that it wouldn't stand out at least, but it still got rough. If I didn't have to worry about being seen by the students, I would stomp on the ground and yell.

Val, who came to the corridor as ordered by my sermon, was annoyed and leaked only an appropriate voice, "Ah?". He definitely doesn't regret anything from the appearance of scratching his head and yawning boringly.

Val, who Stayle had infiltrate as one of my escorts, stood in front of me in the appearance of a third-year high school student, although his physique changed slightly. Thanks to that, Arthur, who was finally approaching his height, is being looked down at like before, not to mention me, who has become fourteen.

It seems that Val, who Stayle teleported for Chancellor Gilbert to rejuvenate his age after sending Sefek and Kemet to school, was already angry even before he received that special ability. ...... Well, of course. From today, Val will basically be in the shape of eighteen until the end of my infiltration inspection.

Val often wants to hide his face, so he usually wears a hood, a cloth, or lies down during delivery. Furthermore, since his job as a delivery person is limited to deliveries to royalty abroad, the face and identity of the upper management of Freesia are hardly known. It was Chancellor Gilbert and Stayle's idea that no one would care if his age was a little younger, as long as they didn't change his height.

Of course, when necessary, we are prepared to return him to the original form by consultation, but unlike us who hide their identity, if Val disappears or appears after school every time, people will be suspicious. There was also a plan for him to be confused as a relative of Captain Alain like us, but with Sefek and Kemet our identity would become known. They have been informed of the infiltration itself, but I want to hide from them as much as possible the identity of Chancellor Gilbert and those were involved in the extermination battle four years ago.

At first, both of them were happy that Val would go to school, but Val himself strongly ordered them not to get involved with him near the school grounds. Just pretend to be someone else.

It seems that Val wants to avoid meeting the two in school as much aspossible. I'm not sure if that's because of what he said, "I'm sick," or not. However, they seemed happy just because Val was in the school. I think it's encouraging to have someone nearby who can make them feel at ease. ...... It's like a hands-on classroom with parents.

Val, who is neither a royal family nor afraid of having an acquaintance, does not disguise himself as such. However, if he hides his face with a hood up in school, it will be noticeable, so I banned it but allowed him to eat food while he was in the school. His usual jacket is packed in the bag he still carries. All that is left is to tie up the loose back hair in a mess in order to disguise the back view. To be honest, it's too messy as an image change, let alone disguise. The clothes that Chancellor Gilbert prepared for him seemed to have a different impression than usual to our eyes.

Val was a lot older, so when I saw him younger than my actual age this year, I was rude to think that he was "young" from his face. ...... Although it's quite youthful it's the same as the first day we met.

I also gave him some permission for the infiltration, such as refusal to attend the opening ceremony procedure here, and said that he does not have to take classes seriously.

However, I never thought that he would enter the prohibited area from the first day of enrollment. I was prepared for him to go to bed during class, get out of class, and ignore the teacher's attention, and there is no fear of being noticeable. But this time he did a rooftop invasion that shouldn't have been released, let alone escape.

Perhaps he got up from the wall with a special ability. It would have been peaceful if he could at least sleep on a tree!

I didn't want to bother a teacher who didn't know anything more than necessary, and above all, I didn't want to make Val, who was exposing his real face for this reason, stand out. Because he

"What would you do if you were spotted by a bad guy?⁈ You wouldn't be able to fight back⁈"

Hiding, screaming, yelling.

I never thought I would make such a statement to Val, who is much more mature than me.

He cannot threaten or counterattack others under the servitude contract. However, it's common in schools to be targeted if you do something that stands out or is offensive in this way.

They are new to the concept of school, but it is no exaggeration to say that it is an unavoidable man-made disaster for me. It would be awkward if Val, who stands out with his brown skin, was noticed by such an opponent. Moreover, it seems that many of the lower-class residents are rough people!

Val finally responded to my sermon by slaping his head. The face that turned away from me was unpleasantly distorted, and I wonder if he remembers something like that. If so, please avoid any more noticeable behavior.

Even if I am too angry and don't look in the mirror, I can tell that blood is circulating on my face. Already! Already! Even though I'm angry, I don't know what to do when I think that this state of being preached at by a middle school girl will make him stand out if other students see it.

After getting involved so far, I regret, "I should have stopped you from coming along." I thought it would be encouraging and dependable for me to have Val, but I couldn't help thinking that he might be the target of bullying. At least he thinks it was wise to pretend to be someone else for Kemet and Sefek. If Val's bad looks spread, everyone involved with him will be affected. Val is only a temporary admission like me, but Sefek and Kemet will continue to attend school afterwards.

Once angry, I consciously took deep breaths to release the heat. Stayle rubs my back so that I can calm down, and speaks in a low tone.

"It's a self-responsibility at that point. Jeanne doesn't have to worry so much. If Val gets hurt by this, it's his own business."

Val laughed with a nose at Stayle's relentless words.

As Arthur was amazed at his attitude, he said, "Temee, you can't be fooled by my younger age ...", but Val said, "Who knows." It's not that he's not thinking about suffering any damage because he's like this now ...

"... It can't be helped."

It can't be helped this time.

Originally, he didn't want to go to school. I was the one who authorized him to behave badly first by not listening to the teacher and taking a nap. Then I will take responsibility for this much.

Val says "ah?" to me who drops my shoulders while leaking a sigh. After Stayle calls me, I look up. Calling to Val, I looked up at his face, still straight and evil.

"One. Do not enter a locked room or area unless it is an emergency, it is a nuisance to the teacher. Two. Special abilities in the school except for emergencies and to protect yourself or others, is forbidden"

Val growls at my words.

If I, the owner of the contract, give a clear command, he will have no choice but to obey it. In particular, the prohibition of special abilities seemed to be quite a pain for him, and he was frustrated and angry with his teeth exposed.

He didn't complain, but he was clearly dissatisfied with his arms crossed and one leg swaying in poverty. But if I don't do this, he can easily climb the rooftop or prohibited areas again. That is a big problem at the level of being called into the chairman's office. He himself should avoid getting a lot of attention. ...... Or did he think it was okay to let his special abilities be known because he will only be a temporary figure?

"……instead of that"

Hide my voice further.

I raised on my toes and beckoned to speak in his ears, and he raised one eyebrow and curled his back.

And when he heard the words, Val turned his eyes round. Furthermore, a bad smile is raised with a grin. Stayle and Arthur stop at his reaction as expected, but I close my eyes and shake my head. This time I can't help it. I can say that because I know the horror of school from my previous life. It would be difficult if there was an event outside the school where an Aniki, who is like a back-office worker, lies in wait like a bad manga battle.

"And by any chance something happens...... If you face a person who seems to works behind the scenes, regardless of whether you are inside or outside the school, you can double that amount to hide your special abilities. "

"Isn't it really good to spread my wings ?"

"It's forbidden to call us in school. As I explained before, we're Jeanne, Philip, and Jack. We've made concessions so far, so please make concessions too."

It is good? I dared to stare at him with a strongly lowered voice. He is in a good mood, standing up close and looking down at my face from above with a grin. He replied, "Leave it to me," and he gazed at me. He noticed that a high school student had arrived in the corridor, which no one had just passed through, and took a step away from me.

The school has just opened, and although this corridor connecting the middle and high schools was not crowded, the number of students passing through it is not zero. Returning from the middle school building to the high school is the way back to see my brothers. It's just a story, and Stayle and Arthur ask me to go back to the classroom before it seems strange.

I also nod and instruct Val to return to the classroom with just my eyes. As the general students passed by us, Val waved his hand to us with the worst smile.

"Then, don't let Temee and others draw too much attention? Jeanne, Philip, Jack."

Val, who dared to make fun of us by name, turned his back on us, laughing as it was.

We sighed after we picked up our bags and saw him leave in the opposite mood from when he came here.

And that's everything until the Brothers Arc is finished. I thought the arc was winding down, so it wouldn't be much longer, but Pryde just got abducted on her way out of cooking class...

RIP, random highschool duo. We hardly knew ye.

 

Hmm... I wonder if anyone is still interested in Queen spoilers? Because a special episode was released a few days ago to celebrate the release of the first volume of the manga, that helps explain how the Queen was raised, her overly dependent relationship with her husband, and includes a snapshot of the Queen with one-year old Pryde.

I'm going to put the whole Queen half here, but it's only roughly edited for readability. (Like my previous excerpts.)

Spoiler: Child Rosa

"What are you doing, Princess?"

A plain voice is given to a girl less than ten.

The girl who was called by the familiar voice of the woman raised and lowered her shoulders. It is clear that the girl is hiding something even from her back. Furthermore, a bird that may have sensed her upset flies away from her position.

A woman who knew her behavior from an early age quickly understood what she was doing. She sighs without making a sound, and asks again severely with a voice that has erased her emotions again.

"What are you doing?"

"... Kotori-san .... I gave him a cookie because he was so cute ................ I was allowed to stroke it ..."

To be honest, the girl who drops her shoulders in an easy-to-understand manner makes a small complaint at the end.

It was so shocking that she escaped to her only friend, the little bird. However, the woman who knows the feelings of the depressed girl but does not try to understand them exhales loudly this time.

After making a sound, she grabbed the girl's arm with her back turned. It's time for a walk, but she has to wash the girl's hands before that. She sharpens her lips as if to scold her for spending time in the garden without walking. You are the princess of a country, right? She repeat the words she has preached many times.

"Your Highness Princess Rosa. A member of thr royal family does not easily touch animals or others."

The maid, who called her back to her position, said so and slowly pulled her to a nearby well.

She is the only maid who takes care of Rosa and has a strong tone. She is a good nanny who has a history of taking care of Rosa. Having raised Rosa since childhood, she had the strong impression of a teacher, unlike other maids.

Naturally, the time for education and study as a member of the royal family, the time for getting up, eating, and bathing were decided, and the nanny stipulated everything up to free time. For Rosa, who spends her walks, naps, and readings all as her nanny decides, she has almost no free time in the true sense of the word.

Meanwhile, the little bird who visits to share the cookie she has for a snack is Rosa's only healing. But ... it also escaped from her nanny.

Rosa swells her cheeks, but doesn't complain any more. As a matter of course, she was educated as a princess from an early age, and she has no intention of resisting the nanny who is closer and more enforceable than her real parents. Even if people say "I can't" and "I won't", she never goes against her. Because it has been taught that "that is the responsibility of the royal family."

"It must be remembered that your every move, as the foremost heir to the throne, affects the happiness and unhappiness of the people living in Freesia. A single mistake can kill many people. "

The nanny, who has been ordered by her mother, who is the current Queen, and her father, who is the Prince Consort, to "raise her rigorously" and "enforce discipline to raise a good princess without being spoiled," helped her with her original excellence and serious personality. ..

And Rosa knows well at a young age that it is a policy from her parents. She has no dissatisfaction or expectation towards her parents, whom she has only seen at a high position before she even became aware of them. The only discomfort was when she called them "mother" and "father".

The common sense of family, known only in books, is almost like a fairy tale to Rosa. She wonders about each of the small interactions as a family, but she doesn't understand them deeply. More than that, she needs education as a member of the royal family.

Rosa, who has made a name for himself as a princess, has never disliked it or wanted to escape. Rather, she wants to learn if it is something that will be good for the people someday. Because that is her important "responsibility" as a member of the royal family.

However, that does not mean that her doubts will not disappear.

Rosa vaguely thinks while the nanny washes the crushed sweets, the beak marks, and the palm on which the little bird rested under running water.

─ What does it feel like to be hugged?

Shr has had the nanny and maid in front of her hug her and do similar acts many times.

However, young Rosa doesn't know what it feels like to be hugged out of love, not because of an order.

─ Is it true that you can stroke your head?

Even if she hug herself, it doesn't feel right at all. She had hugged the maid on a trial basis, but no one easily hugged the princess there. The nanny, who was told by the queen to raise her rigorously, naturally does not spoil her.

Even if Rosa strokes the maid's head herself, she still don't understand. It's still more comfortable when the maid's hair is untied.

Occasionally she sees the interactions between the children of the royal family and the aristocrats living in the royal residence and their parents. The sight of a young child hugging his mother or father and having his head stroked without any hesitation was like a bird flying freely in the sky to Rosa.

─ What do you do with your parents?

Rosa vaguely thinks of such a thing, but doesn't voice any doubts.

She already knew that all she could ask was what she needed to learn for the royal family.

Spoiler: Adult Rosa

"Ahhhhh cute‼ ︎ cute‼ ︎"

Under the clear sky, a woman's yellow screams rise many times in the garden.

Occasionally, hey ah ah! The guards heard the screaming, and where they had once mistaken the reason for it, now they were used to it. She'll hang her eyebrows like she's in trouble, but her mouth still laughs. Everyone can't help but smile at the mother, who is happy that the girl, who had been raised only indoors until now, is finally able to play outdoors.

A girl who has grown up healthy since she was born, whose recent bipedalism has become so stable that her mother does not need to take her hands. All the guards and maids smiled and watched over the girl who was taken by her mother and moved back and forth in the garden step by step.

To the girl who walked on the lawn without even a single pebble so as not to fall and to be injured, the mother who took the hand gave a voice today while stroking her head with a big smile and her hair disturbed. She bounced it.

"Pryde! You did it very well. Great! Genius!"

"Rosa ... It's been a long time since Pryde started walking, right?"

"Because Albert, didn't you see her walk without me supporting both her hands? With such tiny little feet !!"

Rosa hugged her Pryde tightly on her knees to her husband, who sighed with a laugh at his wife's parenting.

Hugged from behind, Pryde sat on Rosa's lap with a little resistance, her two thin legs hanging out from her one piece.

Look! Albert replied to the half-thrown remark, saying that he understood, to his wife who showed off her daughter's lovely legs with a proud face. Even this exchange is not the first time today.

"Oh, she's really really cute and cute ... Can you believe I gave birth to such a cute girl? Albert"

"I can definitely believe it .... But Rosa. Isn't it good now? It's been a year since she left her milk."

Albert carefully chooses his words for Rosa, who rubs her cheeks together while hugging Pryde so that she doesn't suffer.

Rosa immediately noticed what he was saying, but immediately after that, she swelled her cheeks, saying "No!". She is a dignified Queen, but when it comes to her cute daughter, her true childishness comes to the fore.

Originally she said that she'd dedicate herself as a parent until her first child was weaned, but she couldn't let go of her cute and unavoidable child. And from the day he learned that she still had Pryde, she made this declaration to him many times.

"I won't leave Pryde to a nanny or maid. Because this child is mine and your daughter. I don't know how to be a mother, but ... I can also praise and hug her. I can do it. I definitely don't want to make Pryde feel lonely like me. "

That's right, but her eyes are a little worried when she thinks of a distant memory.

Albert can't argue strongly because Rosa already told him about her past. He knows how hungry she was for a family and love. It was he who taught her what love was for the first time, hugged her, and stroked her head, when she was just a mass of responsibility and her mission as the next queen.

Gently loosen the hugging hands and Pryde, who was in a good mood on her lap, will round her eyes. The crimson hair and purple eyes inherited from her father, and the wavy hair inherited from her mother. Born as a woman, she didn't look like either of her parents, but she was definitely their daughter. Moreover, from Rosa's point of view, there is no reason not to love her daughter, who has the eyes and hair color of her beloved husband.

It's inevitable that Pryde will grow her hair long as a member of the royal family, but short hair is forgivable when she's too small to be introduced to the public yet! The short hair, which is rare for a royal woman like Rosa, suits her young daughter.

Pryde's interest in her mother's knees now shifts to the garden lawn. Rosa gently extended her hand behind Pryde who leaves her knees and walks with a stable footstep to the grass where a few birds had just stopped.

"I love you, Pryde. Thank you for being born. Let me give you a lot."

She hums the words she utters every day.

Rosa thought she couldn't be more happy, but she gently wrapped her beloved little hand between her fingers like a treasure.

It's cute, right. And kind of sad, when you think that Tiara's born only one year later...

And what's worse is that neither the former Queen nor the nanny will ever think that they've done wrong, raising Rosa like that. At least Rosa gets that she didn't treat Pryde well as a mother...which is something, right?

 

Sorry, I felt like crying instead of working on my NaNo project, so I'm sharing another clip. Tiara's vision from the brainwash arc. Which is Tiara's first POV chapter in the series.

(Tiara POV) 569.1 And it is Shown Off

Spoiler

"..., ... oh, my sister ... sama ...‼ ︎"

Dark dark, night world.

On the moonlit tower, I could only cover my face and mourn. ………… Why am I crying?

I don't know. I'm just sad.

I was crying, crying, crying, I couldn't make a sound ... I wondered if I cried too much and broke.

Not only me, I can hear people moaning, mourning, and sobbing. ...... Voices that I know and voices that I do not know are mixed.

"... mmm ... Pry, yd ... mmmm ...‼ ︎"

…………Brother.

My brother was crying when I raised my face.

He clenched his teeth, covered his face with both hands, and collapsed on his knees like he was beaten. The glasses slid down on the covered hands, and was about to fall from his face.

As soon as I saw that figure, the tears that didn't stop became even worse.

It's bitter and painful, my brother seems to be hurt, but crying is even more painful. I can't suppress my voice even if I cover my mouth with both hands. My shoulders tremble up and down, and my throat squeaks again. I've never seen my older brother crying like this in "reality". ……,……………reality……?

"I'll report ... I'll ...‼ ︎ Pryde, Her Imperial Highness the First Princess ... Now ... She's taken her last breath ...‼ ︎"

The knight is reporting somewhere with a special ability.

While crying and enduring, he speaks desperately. ...... Oh, that's right. Sister, ………… Sister, sama ……

My sister is dead.

In front of me. ...... Yes, that's why I and everyone are so sad.

Correspondents are still reporting on the perspective of the headquarters. ... I'm sure my mother and father, Chancellor Gilbert, Uncle Wes, and the Knight Commander ... are very sad.

The knights around me are all crying. Some knights have collapsed as if they couldn't stand. The sight of them holding their faces and crying with eyes full of tears tightened my chest.

A maroon-haired knight is crying, clenching his fist on the cobblestones while sitting flat on the ground. His whole body trembles in defeat so painful that he can't stand it.

The brownish-blonde knight doesn't bend his knees, but his shoulders are terribly round. He shook his fists so strongly that he trembled, and tears spilled like a waterfall down his face. He's calling my sister over and over again.

A knight with red hair stood with a beautifully stretched spine, and ... a lot of tears spilled out of the gaps between the fingers of one hand that covered his eyes. He's so very sad that he tries to endure by killing his voice.

A black-haired knight is scratching his eyes so hard that he seems to try to squeeze them out with his armor fingers. I couldn't see his downturned face hidden behind his long hair. The sword stuck in the stone pavement was shaking.

"The knight of the 7th corps ... Have done their best ... I'm sorry ... I'm sorry ...‼ ︎‼ ︎"

The correspondent, who was painfully and painfully told, began to cry again there.

So I couldn't see it again, and my tear-blown vision became so cloudy that I covered my face with both hands. Then, suddenly, there was a voice of the Knight Commander who should not be here, saying, "What the heck ... what happened now?"

Finally, the video was connected from the main team. Thanks to that person spinning the coordinates here to the knights while crying.

Even if I knew it was from the main team, I still couldn't raise my face. I can only speak my sister's name. No matter how much I call, I know I won't get a reply anymore.

"As you can see in the video I sent you ... We protected Pride ......... When we caught her, she went into a terrible rampage, and we made her bite a cloth so that her tongue wouldn't be bitten ..., ... then, immediately ............... ︎‼ ︎ "

From there, the correspondent collapsed and breathed hard and couldn't say anything.

I know while listening to the knight's report and the words from the main team.

…… Ah …… this is a reality.

As soon as I knew it, my tears stopped.

It's not sad, it's not painful. It was so painful that I thought it would be easier for me to die sadly and sadly, but the feeling of despair like lead stopped even tears.

Raise my face.

As the tears stopped and flowed away, the field of vision became a little darker and clearer. Gaze at the reality while muttering in a silent voice.

...... I didn't receive it.

Stopped by the knight, my voice didn't even reach my brother, and my sister was killed in front of me.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ...‼ ︎‼ ︎"

...... Arthur was also crying.

He will never let go of my sister who closed her eyelids.

While hugging strongly, he buried his face in my sister who lost temperature and cried all the time. He's crying so much that his voice seems to die as I listen.

The older brother who keeps crying while collapsing next to Arthur ... hasn't been able to look directly at Sister yet. His back is getting rounder than before.

I didn't fight, I didn't make it in time.

Only the heat that gently touches my shoulders from behind is warm. …… But that person is also crying. I don't have to look back to know.

He'sstill screaming, his tears spilling and getting my shoulders wet again and again.

"Pryde ... Pryde, de..." ︎‼ ︎ ”

……Mother.

Also, look back on the familiar voice. Before I knew it, it seemed that my mother, not the Knight Commander, was listening to the reports from the correspondents.

My mother is crying, covering her face with both hands. Father gently hugged Mother's shoulders from behind, while he lamented, clenching his teeth and crying silently.

Behind Father and Mother, Chancellor Gilbert, who had collapsed like my brother, looked small. With his face facing the direction of the image sent, only the clear tears continued to flow from open eyes as if he was absent-minded.

“……………… Pryde.”

My brother chanted again.

The elder brother, who spun with a very quiet and sinking voice, lowered his hand covering his face with no force. The glasses caught on his fingers fell on the stone pavement, and my brother looked at Sister's body for the first time since he refused to acknowledge it.

The older brother, who called to Pryde together with Arthur over and over again until she died, ... as soon as he understood her death, his face and eyes turned away from reality. Hiding from it.

The older brother who finally opened his eyes reached for the older sister who was hugged by Arthur. The older sister who lost the power from her face and looked asleep with her eyes closed ... was the same as the sleeping face of the older sister we all loved.

"Is this ..., ............ really a happy ending ... you, can you say ...?"

My older brother, who muttered as if talking to his older sister, shook his lips again immediately afterwards.

The fingertips gently stretched toward my sister's cheeks touched for a moment, and ... fell. My older brother who slammed his fist on the stone pavement, struck his forehead and cried.

"... It's not, uh ...‼ ︎‼ ︎"

Arthur raises a rattling voice to respond to my brother and spins his words.

While the violent voice that seems to spit out and the sobbing are mixed, he raises the face that was buried with his eyes on my sister. He shouts loudly to my brother who has assimilated with the stone pavement without raising his face.

"It's gotta be ...‼ ︎"

Arthur, who forcibly tied his mouth, swallowed it once. I squeak my throat and look into my sister's face in his arms. Immediately after that, Arthur's blue eyes, which kept crying, spilled large tears on my sister's face. Arthur arm that held my sister trembled and he clenched his exposed teeth, mourning again as he barked.

"Hell ...‼ ︎"

Both Leon and Val are being treated for their injuries at the time of this vision, which is why they aren't included.

On a different note, I am. So disappointed. In Eric, Alain and Colm's character designs in the manga. I mean, I didn't really have any expectations about how they look, and if it was just lineart I'd be fine with their design...but the hair tones!!! Eric has maroon hair and Colm's hair is red like Pryde's, so why is the tone used for Eric's hair practically strawberry blonde!? Why is Colm's hair tone so dark it's almost black in places? Alain has sandy blonde/light brown hair, by all rights his hair should be white or a very light tone. Why is it inked black!? I legitimately thought/hoped that he was Harrison at first, because during the Knight Arc Harrison still cut his hair short with a knife (he only grows his hair out after Arthur joins the knights), so that uneven/messy hairstyle Alain has in the manga is spot on for the black-haired Harrison. But. Whyyyyyyyyyyy!?

 

I read all of your post, Thankyou so much for your time to give us the spoilers. I really appreciate it!!! If you dont mind can you continue the story in the brainwashed arc, please? I really want to know what happen when Pryde open her eyes :3

 

I mean, sure? I'd be happy to. But I don't understand from what point do you want me to spoil from. From Tiara's birthday festival, where Adam drives Pryde insane and she spends a couple days in a coma? Or does this particular quote mean that I should spoil the final battle against Pryde, where they get her back? Or do you just want all of the brainwash arc details, because I can do that, too.

Always happy to spoil this story. As I said before, Val/Pryde is keeping me sane, so I've been going back and rereading the story from the Sinner Arc. (The Knights Arc and the Sinner Arc are hands down the two best story arcs in the series, by the way. The brainwash arc is like a very distant third, because while I enjoy having my heart crushed, it was a very slow starter.)

People Who Like This Post...I love you, too. But if you don't tell me what spoilers you want me to post, I'm just going to keep looking for Val scenes I haven't shared yet.

 

Wow...okay, thanks for the help narrowing it down, people. So I'm starting the brainwash arc from part one, the Happy Ending Arc...with more in-depth summaries than before, but I'll go into detail at interesting scenes. Assuming there actually are any...

Okay, I lied. I'm actually starting with the last chapter of the Unknown Story Arc, because it's the chapter where Deputy Captain Harrison joins Pryde's guardian knights, and Val's last appearance until the Villain Arc. It's called self-care. I must maintain serotonin levels.

(Pryde POV) 407. The Indifferent Princess is in a Hurry

Spoiler

...Murder blew past on the wind.

Buwa ...! I thought it was only a light gust, but my spine became very cold.

The next moment, yells and screams, earth and violent metallic sounds echoed almost at the same time, and when I looked back in a hurry, there was no sign of Deputy Captain Harrison, who should have been behind me.

Deputy Captain Eric shouted, "Deputy Captain Harrison⁈," as he noticed. Tiara and I sprint to the person who hurriedly voiced.

"Temee! What are you doing !!"

I heard the angry voice of a second person, and I was relieved while running. Good, it still looks safe.

Deputy Captain Harrison was attacking a small shadow at the end of the road leading to the castle gate. I can only see it flickering over the back of Deputy Captain Harrison, but there is no doubt about the identity of that the clay wall.

"Deputy Captain Harrison‼ ︎Please stop‼ ︎"

Desperately raising my voice, I rush.

While we were running, Deputy Captain Harrison was mercilessly wielding his sword at Val, who was also defending against a sudden surprise attack by manipulating the soil under his feet. Deputy Captain Harrison's sword and ammunition are blocked by sand at the last minute. Kin! ︎Gan! A hard sound reached our ears.

Sefek also fired a series of water cannon attacks, but was easily avoided by Deputy Captain Harrison. Deputy Captain Harrison then throws a knife at them without hesitation. After Val played on the ground, his manipulated sand struck Deputy Captain Harrison with a sharp, thorn-like point. … Maybe by throwing a knife, Val felt that self-defense to protect Sefek and Kemet was permissible. However, the attack was also brilliantly avoided by Deputy Captain Harrison at high speed.

Val finally raised the surrounding ground like a large mud wall. The sound of the earth became even worse, and I couldn't help but stop. From a distance, it was as if Deputy Captain Harrison was fighting an Earth Giant. Still not frightened at all, Deputy Captain Harrison began to destroy the mud wall from the front. The appearance of crushing the strong wall with one sword makes me doubt my eyes.

Every time the wall was broken, there was a water discharge attack from the inside, probably from Sefek, but after all, Deputy Captain Harrison easily avoided it. Perhaps he boiled down the work on the wall that would be repaired by Val immediately after breaking it, and this time he began to run up the clay wall with his high-speed feet. Ah! After the deputy captain Harrison jumped inside the wall this time. Bad bad bad! ︎ At the same time, Kemet's scream and Val's yell echo from the other side of the wall.

"De-Deputy Captain Harrison! Don't kill them!"

I finally got close enough to be heard, and I screamed again to reach beyond the wall.

I shouted after sprinting, so I only screamed once and now I try to breathe with my whole body instead of my shoulders. The other side of the wall became very quiet, and cold sweat overflowed and dampened my dress from the neck to the chest.

I managed to recover enough to take a deep breath, and then speak again.

"They are my delivery people! Don't do them any harm!"

………no reply. What should I do, I have an increasingly unpleasant feeling.

The tension made me breathe hard, and my shoulders went up and down again. My throat is dry. Tiara began to tremble with anxiety, covering her mouth with both hands.

Get closer to the front of the wall step by step and put your hands on it. I hit it, but it was a fairly large earthen wall, so it probably didn't reach the other side. When I tried to go around, the earthen wall seemed to surround them no matter how far I went, and it was rather close to the dome. Perhaps Deputy Captain Harrison had crossed over when Val tried to prevent it with a large dome. … It must have been a complete horror for Sefek and Kemet.

"Can you hear me, Val‼ ︎⁈ Please remove this clay wall‼ ︎"

And then ... Para ... La La La La La!

In response to my voice, his special ability was released.

I was so relieved that I almost collapsed. Deputy Captain Eric supported me, but it was really bad for my heart.

Since it was a large earthen wall, Deputy Captain Eric guides me away from the crumbling wall at once. I pull Tiara's hand and we evacuate together.

The wall was so large that a good number of guards and gardeners had gathered before I noticed. For the time being, the gardener is relieved about the garden only when it is safe.

When the clay walls fell apart and became shorter than our height, we could finally see a figure in the dust. There was a shadow that looked like Val, with Kemet clinging to him, and Sefek was standing still with her hand out. Deputy Captain Harrison is just as rigid in front of them. … With the sword stuck to Val's throat, his purple glowing eyes are directed toward Val through the gaps in his long black hair, as they all glare at each other.

When I ran up, I saw that Val was blocking by manipulating sand between the cutting edge of the sword and his neck to prevent it. But surely Deputy Captain Harrison would have decapitated Val if he hadn't stopped.

The sword is quivering slightly against the sand wall. Deputy Captain Harrison desperately suppressed his desire to swing the sword. Sefek and Val would also like to fight back, but if they move poorly, it seems that Val's neck will fly in the next moment.

Val glared at me with a keen eye past Deputy Captain Harrison, his throat slightly bent. What does this mean, his eyes say.

"Deputy Captain Harrison, I'm sorry I didn't explain! This person works directly for me as a delivery person, and is by no means an enemy."

I stand between them and indicate Val by hand so as not to agitate them.

I introduced Sefek and Kemet as they were, and urged them to go to Tiara with both hands. Kemet was very scared while clinging to Val and Sefek, and Sefek was hostile and a little tearful.

Tiara tries hard to tell them, "It's okay! This person is on our side!", But the persuasive power was zero in front of Deputy Captain Harrison who still refuses to pull the sword away from Val.

"Please, take down your sword ... he won't hurt anyone anymore ...!"

Slowly, slowly, when I spoke like a negotiator, Deputy Captain Harrison finally put the sword away.

The sound of the scabbard in the scabbard finally cuts the tension between me, Tiara, and Deputy Captain Eric. However, the sharp, piercing look is still aimed at Val. After the sword was pulled back, Val finally straightened hisbent neck to its original position and released the sand he was manipulating. Gently reposition Sefek and Kemet behind him to block Deputy Captain Harrison, while rubbing his neck with one hand to make sure it is still on his neck.

"... Hey, Lord. What is this knight?"

Val alternately glares at me and Deputy Captain Harrison.

He seemed to have bypassed anger, and a cold murderous aura was exhaled with a low breath. However, Deputy Captain Harrison was as murderous as Val, and just being by his side made me give up. Still, I move my mouth to introduce them properly.

"He is Deputy Captain Harrison. He is a knight who will often be my guard. Deputy Captain Harrison, he is ..."

"I will never forget ...‼ ︎ The great sinner from seven years ago ...‼ ︎‼ ︎"

Deputy Captain Harrison screamed as if he couldn't stand waiting for my words.

At the same time, the murderous feeling doubled and overflowed, and Deputy Captain Harrison's eyes shone violently. ...... That was it, after all.

Val screams, "Ah?", As if he was finally distracted by Deputy Captain Harrison's words.

Suddenly, remembering that Sefek and Kemet were listening, I instructed Deputy Captain Eric and Tiara to cover their ears by hand. Perhaps because both of them are more sensitive than usual, both Sefek, who was blocked by Tiara, and Kemet, who was blocked by Deputy Captain Eric, shook their shoulders violently. A light scream escaped, and when Val turned, Deputy Captain Harrison pulled out his sword again.

"The crime of trying to kill our Knight Commander ...‼ ︎‼ ︎ It's not enough for you to make up for that with your life ...‼ ︎"

"Ah? After being hateful yourself. If you want to complain, tell that to the Lord over there."

Val finally replied to Deputy Captain Harrison, who was grinding his teeth, as if he understood the current situation.

Pointing at me with his chin, Deputy Captain Harrison's turned around to appeal to me. The eyes seeking explanation are shaking violently.

I explained the process from the contract of enslavement to the delivery person, as I had done with Deputy Captain Eric before, but the murderous aura of Deputy Captain Harrison did not disappear.

The Knight Commander and Deputy Commander are already aware of it, I explain and ask him to restrain himself, and finally Deputy Captain Harrison put the sword away again.

It seemed that he managed to understand, from the appearance of him kneeling down to return, "as you say". ... As soon as he stood up, he told Val with a murderous look, "There will be no second time."

"If you get involved with the Knights again, I'll kill you."

"That's what I want."

Deputy Captain Harrison's murderous aura increases again at Val, who responds with an unpleasant smile that he doesn't want to get involved with the knights.

It seems that they'll start killing each other again at this rate, so I decided to intervene and finish Val's errand right here. Actually, I thought I would take this opportunity to explain again about the international postal service and introduce Cedric, who will be working with Val, but it seems like it would be better to wait for another opportunity.

When I asked Val what he had to do today, it seems that he brought a congratulatory gift and a letter for Tiara's birthday tomorrow. If you look, the items that were carried by Val's special abilities were laying on the ground. Perhaps they were dropped while defending from Deputy Captain Harrison's attack. It doesn't seem that there's any damage due to the extremely low drop from the sand carpet.

The guards were also gathering, so I'm sorry but I let's have them carry everything from here. Right now I want to get Val and his friends out of the castle as soon as possible. I also received a letter and stood between them to hide it from Deputy Captain Harrison's eyes for the time being.

"I don't have a letter for you to take today, so it's okay. Please come again after a week .... Be sure to wait until a week later."

I remember suddenly that after the birthday festival, there's a Captains' meeting for the post-security report and the off-duty days of Arthur and others will continue after that. For the time being, it would be better to leave a gap for them.

I'm really sorry, I push Val's back while saying thank you. Val was annoyed and said, "That's why the knights are." I'll have to apologize again when we meet next time.

This time I'm responsible because I didn't report in advance. For Deputy Captain Harrison, who longs for the knights, the criminal who attacked them was more than water and oil, but land mines.

"... Your Royal Highness. Why do you allow such a sinner."

Deputy Captain Harrison murmured, staring at Val's back that is pushed by me. Immediately after that, Val raised his voice, "Ah?" I'm going to dare to say something that offends Deputy Captain Harrison, so I have to raise my voice to squeeze it out.

"There are so many reasons, but right now he's an important person to me, so I'm‼ ︎‼"

Please, please forgive me here! ︎‼ I scream in a hurry.

Val's back quivered, probably because I was screaming at such a close distance. No matter what, I pushed his back further and felt Val exhale loudly. After a deep, disgusted breath, he looked up and scratched his head as if he was amazed.

Without looking back, Val called Sefek and Kemet with just the movement of his fingertips. The two immediately rush forward at the signal.

Sefek and Kemet stuck to Val and then waved at us. ...... they were still pretty scared of Deputy Captain Harrison.

I wonder what to do if Sefek and Kemet hate knights like Val. From his reaction, Val himself doesn't seem to care about being targeted by the knight, Deputy Captain Harrison.

At the end, when I shouted "I'll see you again next week!", He just waved his hand without looking back.

"……I am sorry."

After watching Val's departure, Deputy Captain Harrison apologized with one word.

When I look, he bows deeply to me. Perhaps he was concerned that he had made a big mistake apart from Val.

Alongside him, Deputy Captain Eric also apologized, and Tiara defended, "So many things happened!"

Even after calling out for him to raise his head, Deputy Captain Harrison seemed depressed. Earlier, I heard that Deputy Captain Harrison thought he was only able to fight, and maybe he thought that was the case again.

"I'm the one who's wrong. I'm sorry that I didn't explain before."

I laugh to show that I am not angry, but after all, Deputy Captain Harrison's face is darker than usual.

Deputy Captain Eric said, "I should have told you in advance," and even apologized to Deputy Captain Harrison. That's what I should have said, as Val's Lord, so Deputy Captain Eric isn't bad at all!

"Neither Eric nor Harrison are bad, and I know already that Harrison is a good knight."

Deputy Captain Eric and Deputy Captain Harrison looked up at my words at the same time.

Deputy Captain Harrison's eyes turn straight towards me when he hears my words. I laughed again at Deputy Captain Harrison, whose continence had brightened from a dark expression to a slightly sunny expression due to surprise.

"Because you found a person who seemed to be an enemy at such a long distance and jumped in immediately. Although it was Val instead of a really dangerous person, it is still a great achievement."

In fact, Val was still a dangerous sinner.

Above all, the fact that Deputy Captain Harrison noticed him at a distance that we didn't notice at all is proof that he was conscious of a wide area.

Deputy Captain Harrison's mouth hung open. Did you think that I would get angry here? If you were thought to be such a princess, you would be a little depressed. Tiara laughed happily at my words and compared me with Deputy Captain Harrison.

I repeatedly assure Deputy Captain Harrison that I am not angry.

"As expected of Deputy Captain Harrison. I can understand why Arthur recommended you .... I'm looking forward to working with you."

With a heartfelt smile on his face, Deputy Captain Harrison's eyes were wide open. ... I'm a little happy to think that it's the first time I've seen him smile for such a long time. Last time he had a scary smile while on the line of defense.

The fact that his beloved subordinate Arthur recommended him must be so gratifying.

Tiara is also looking into the eyes of Deputy Captain Harrison strangely. I look at his face, wondering if something is worrisome. Deputy Captain Harrison also noticed her gaze, blinked once, and looked back at Tiara.

"……is there something."

Deputy Captain Harrison asked in a short word, without taking his eyes off. At the same time, Tiara laughs a little mischievously and looks up at him from below.

"... It's the same eye color as my sister. It's very nice."

I was finally able to see it! Tiara laughed happily, and Deputy Captain Harrison finally turned his eyes. When I heard Tiara's words, I wondered if that was so, so I lined up beside her and looked at his face. Following Tiara, Deputy Captain Harrison, who was looked at by me, recoiled slightly, which was unusual.

Certainly, both Deputy Captain Harrison and I have the same purple eyes. It's a rare trait in this country, so when I notice it, I feel a sense of intimacy.

"That's true. It's an honor to have the same eye color as Deputy Captain Harrison. But ... Deputy Captain Harrison's eyes are much more beautiful than mine."

Unlike my sharp eyes, Deputy Captain Harrison's wide eyes looked like crystals. At my words, Deputy Captain Harrison caught his breath, and

... He turned his eyes away.

Really soon.

Was it unpleasant for people to look at it seriously? ... or to me, what should I do?

I tried to sneakily look at Deputy Captain Harrison, who keeps avoiding my gaze, and in the next moment, Deputy Captain Harrison disappeared from my eyes in an instant.

The wind blew, and when I held my breath and squinted, the next moment he was moving about three meters away. He grabbed his face with one hand and held it down as if he was dizzy, and finally turned his face away from us. ... No way, for him to get so angry. Was it humiliating for Deputy Captain Harrison to have the same eye color as a woman? Or was he just shy when he was looked at by the cute Tiara?

Deputy Captain Harrison? When I asked him from the spot, he looked down for a while and then returned "... no problem" and continued to apologize. Somehow, unexpectedly, the humanity of Deputy Captain Harrison who apologized even more than before was so great that I and Tiara looked at each other and laughed.

After a short pause, Deputy Captain Harrison, who walked normally this time and kept behind us again, was as usual. Either way, when I looked at his complexion, I was relieved that the dark shadow had cleared up, and I reached out to Deputy Captain Harrison again.

"I look forward to your continued support, Deputy Captain Harrison."

When I asked for a handshake, Deputy Captain Harrison stared at my hand for a while, and then gently put out his hand and squeezed it gently.

If I put in a little effort, Deputy Captain Harrison will grab back like a handshake. I shook hands when I met him, but for some reason it was a much scarier grip at that time.

Deputy Captain Harrison, who blinks at me, is so human when I look at him I never thought he could have such an expression.

Although there was a slight misunderstanding, I was happy to realize that the number of reliable guardian knights have increased.

Deputy Captain Harrison is the cutest puppy in the knights, you cannot convince me otherwise. I think Deputy Commander Clark should adopt him. Then Clark and his wife, sister and Harrison, and Roderick and his wife and Arthur, can all just be one big happy family.

And there goes my fluff. Great. Okay, Happy End Arc. (I don't want to.)

The Insulated Princess and the Happy Ending

Spoiler: Chapters 408-415

Because it's the year that Tiara reaches majority, there are more guests attending the celebration than usual and the guards and knights are very busy providing security. Pryde, Stayle and Tiara are busy greeting everyone, and King Joan, King Lance and Cedric are also very popular with the visiting royals. Because the Queen was busy forming alliances and making treaties with other countries as usual this past year, there are more guests invited than during Stayle's birthday a few months prior.

While greeting everyone, Pryde finishes her glass of wine and Gilbert lets her take his. Pryde is excited to see that Gilbert came to the celebration with Marianne, since Stella is old enough now to be left at home with the servants. Gilbert and Marianne deliver their greetings to Tiara, and Marianne thinks that it will be the birthday of Pryde or Tiara's fiancé, or the coronation of the next Queen, the next time they meet at an official venue. Pryde is sad that Stella wasn't able to attend the celebration, and Marianne invites Pryde to come visit at their mansion.

The greetings and introductions are halted by the announcement of Tiara's newly-established event, the dance party, and Pryde, Stayle and Tiara move to the center of the floor. Traditionally the first dance is supposed to be danced with the fiancé, but since the identity of the fiancé candidates are still hidden, there will be more scrutiny on Pryde and Tiara's dance partners.

Tiara takes Cedric's hand to dance, to honor the Hanazuo delegation, and Cedric turns bright red while King Joan and King Lance laugh at him. Meanwhile, Pryde shares the first dance with Stayle.

Pryde asks if Stayle is nervous, and laughs and says that she's nervous, too. She thinks that it's reassuring that her first dance partner is Stayle instead of anyone else. Stayle is jealous thinking that if she wasn't dancing with him, her partner might be one of her fiancé candidates, possibly a Duke or Prince from an allied kingdom.

Stayle tells Pryde that he's happy to have been adopted into the royal family, because otherwise he wouldn't be able to take her hand. Even though he still loves his birth mother and deceased father, he's proud to be by Pryde's side.

Pryde says, "I would still dance with Stayle even if you weren't my adopted brother."

Stayle blushes bright red and asks Pryde to confirm it again, and nearly cries when Pryde calls him an important person to her even without being her brother. So even if he was in a crowd of people with no relation to her, she would look for him.

Stayle tells Pryde to call him or Arthur if something happens during the party. He's worried about the guests doing something because Pryde is too beautiful. She's wearing the usual adult-style red dress that emphasizes her cleavage so Stayle thinks it can't be helped if men are captivated.

The song ends and Pryde wipes Stayle's face because he was crying without realizing it. Pryde tells him again that there's no one who would refuse to dance with a good man like Stayle.

Stayle gets emotional and goes to dance with Tiara this time, and Tiara laughs at him and teases Stayle for blushing. Stayle is so distracted that Tiara has to lead the dance.

Cedric is surprised when Pryde chooses him as her second dance partner, because even if their relationship is good there's still a broken engagement between them. But Pryde reminds him that Cedric is her beloved ally.

Cedric thinks that being able to dance with Pryde is like being in a dream, and Pryde says she's happy that Leon can laugh like that. (Probably a reference to the Fiancé Arc and Leon being the Fake Smile King.)

Leon thinks that he wasn't this affected by Pryde when they met two years ago, but now he thinks that he wants to touch her more. He doesn't want this dance to end. He's finally found the person he loves, but they can only be "allies."

Pryde turns red because of Leon's sex appeal and he thinks seriously about hugging her, but decides against it and tells Pryde that he's happy to be the Prince of Anemone. Pryde thinks that Anemone and the people are happy to have him, because he's someone who loves them so much.

Leon wonders how many times Pryde plans to captivated him and make him love her. He thinks that if she wasn't the future Queen of Freesia he would pay court to her every day, carrying flowers and words of love. The grey days where he was Pryde's fiancé now seem to glitter like jewels.

"...Pryde. I'm a citizen of the Kingdom of Anemone until I die."

"Yes, Leon. I'm a Freesia woman until my death."

The song ends and Leon greets his parents. He thinks that he wants to return to Anemone and his people, who are more important to him than his love for Pryde.

Pryde, Stayle and Tiara select their next dance partners. Pryde dances with Gilbert, Stayle dances with Marianne, and Tiara dances with Uncle Wes.

Gilbert remembers when Pryde was still small and thinks that she's grown into a fine young lady. Pryde is shy and laughs and tells him that she's happy, because it's the first time she's danced with Gilbert. They both laugh at Stayle because of his decision to dance with Marianne, as if to get back at Gilbert.

Pryde thanks Gilbert for cooperating with Tiara's dance party idea and making her very happy. Gilbert remembers how discouraged Tiara had looked when she first consulted him about her idea for this birthday event, but doesn't mention it. Gilbert notices Albert standing beside the Queen glaring at Gilbert with a smile on his face.

Gilbert assures Pryde that if it's for her, he doesn't mind working himself to the bone.

Pryde compliments Gilbert's dancing ability, and he tells her it was natural for a Chancellor. As a member of the nobility, Marianne was naturally better at dancing than him, but after recuperating from her illness, they danced together as physical therapy. He watches Marianne and Stayle dancing, and thinks that Stayle is kind for taking care of her.

"...This happiness is so much more than I deserve."

Pryde is concerned when Gilbert suddenly looks sad and covers his hand with hers.

"I am...no. My mother, my father, Stayle and Tiara. Everyone is happy thanks to Chancellor Gilbert. Even after I'm gone... Chancellor Gilbert will protect both Freesia and the people from now on. Knowing that, I think that the future we don't know is very bright." (Gilbert's hint.)

Gilbert listens to Pryde with wide eyes and laughs, thinking that Pryde is still the same five years later. If anything, her brilliance has increased since then. (Gilbert, this is why Albert keeps warning you not to fall in love with his daughter!)

Gilbert tells Pryde that he will honor their time together for the rest of his life, even hundreds of years from now.

Gilbert gets a little depressed thinking that Pryde will die long before him, like his wife, friends and children. He thinks about how empty his life would be if Pryde wasn't there. Even if he managed to find a cure for Marianne on his own, he would still be bound by his sins.

"Leave it to me. I have already dedicated my life to serving the people you love and care for."

Pryde smiles and tells him not to overdo it, but Gilbert tells her that she's the one who should depend on others more, and that next time she should consult with him before doing anything dangerous. He's talking about the events from the War Arc, and how Pryde made a blood oath that if they couldn't protect the Chinensis Kingdom, Pryde would be burned at the stake. Gilbert thinks that he wants to change that one trait of Pryde's as soon as possible.

Gilbert tells Pryde, who looks scared like he's about to scold her, "... I'll tell you again, Pryde. You are important. Just as Pryde thinks of others, we also think of you. ...I sincerely look forward to your awareness of these facts." He kisses the back of her hand as the song ends.

Gilbert thinks that he will never forget the vow he made that day, to live and do his best for the Kingdom of Freesia, the people, and the royal family.

Pryde and Tiara decide to dance with Knight Commander Roderick and Deputy Commander Clark, as the knights watch in admiration. (Stayle dances with Uncle Wes' wife.) Arthur is surprised that Pryde didn't select Captain Colm, since he's one of the fiancé candidates, and is shocked to witness his father dancing with Pryde. Furthermore, Roderick and Clark are very good at dancing.

Afterwards, Pryde shocks Arthur again by bypassing Captain Colm to choose him as her dance partner. (Stayle dances with an unknown daughter from somewhere, and Tiara dances with Captain Alain.) Arthur turns bright red as Pryde pulls him on to the dance floor and thinks that he cannot resist this person. He feels like he's about to die even before they start dancing, and is only able to dance because he doesn't want to embarrass her.

Arthur thinks that all of the people Pryde has danced with so far are better at it than he is, but Pryde still compliments his dancing and asks if he's done it before. Arthur explains that it's part of the education knights receive upon joining the main corps, but it's his first time dancing with a partner. Furthermore, it's with Pryde. Arthur didn't think he'd ever dance with a partner, but now he's glad he practiced.

Pryde says that Arthur's dancing is amazing for his first time dancing with a partner, and his head almost explodes, he's so happy and embarrassed. He can only keep up with the dance out of reflex, and Pryde is definitely leading.

Pryde gives Arthur a big smile and says, "When Tiara decided on this event, I knew that I wanted to dance with Arthur. Because I want to brag about my knight to everyone in the world." (Don't kill him, Pryde, we need Arthur intact for the Villain arc.)

Arthur tells Pryde that he's also proud to be her knight, and Pryde thanks him for dancing with her as the music winds down.

Next Pryde decides to dance with Captain Colm as Tiara dances with Deputy Captain Eric, further honoring the knights.

Colm is almost as red as Arthur when Pryde selects him as her dance partner, and Pryde laughs and thinks that it's cute. Even if he's blushing, he dances very smoothly.

Pryde compliments Colm, saying that "Captain Colm is nice. He's a good knight, he's smart, he's kind, and he even dances well." Colm only gets more nervous at the compliments, so Pryde tries to calm him down by interlacing their fingers, but it only makes him more agitated. (Going for another murder, huh, Pryde?)

To distract him, Pryde asks if Colm has been getting along with Leon lately. Since Leon took it upon himself to escort Captain Colm around during Stayle's birthday festival to protect Colm from rumors about his fiancé candidacy. Colm tells Pryde that he and Leon mostly talk about books. Leon takes care of him a lot, so Colm feels indebted to him.

Pryde remembers how the rumors speculating about Colm being her fiancé candidate were replaced with various other people, and thinks it's similar to the many rumors about her when she was younger...but doesn't pursue the thought that Gilbert might have spread those rumors deliberately to keep the identity of her fiancé candidates hidden.

Captain Colm tells Pryde that it's an honor to the Bordeaux family for Pryde to dance with him like this, and starts talking about how the knights have grown since that time seven years ago. Even Eric, who was only a recruit at that time, is now a member of the main corps. He says that even if they can't talk about it to anyone else, the knights all know that this is because of Pryde. Everyone respects and appreciates Pryde. And although Colm is currently acting as his father's "substitute," he intends to live and die as a knight. Both he and Captain Alain want to help Pryde as much as they can .

Colm whispers in Pryde's ear, saying, "Please feel free to make use of this body, name and title. I will give you all of me...because we, the knights, love you and continue to think about you."

Pryde thinks that the words sound like a proposal and turns bright red. Even though she knows that the meaning was different, she hides her face against Colm's shoulder and waits for the heat to go down. She thanks him and says, "I also love the knight Captain Colm." (Translation: Pryde loves the Colm that is a knight, not she's in love with Captain Colm.)

Colm thanks Pryde again, and when the dance ends, walks away stiffly. (Good job not dying, Captain!) Meanwhile, Pryde decides to dance with a Prince from a close allied nation, thinking that with Tiara's physical strength, there will only be two more dances. Then, after a short break, it will be time to announce the international postal service.

After dancing, Gilbert rescues Stayle from the princesses and noblewomen who want to pressure him into marriage talks. Stayle thinks that he only wanted to dance with married women, but that might lead him to be criticized, so he had no choice but to dance with young women he had a lot of interaction with. Who knew that they would try to bring their fathers over immediately.

Gilbert teases Stayle for being so popular with women, and tells Stayle that Marianne enjoyed dancing with him. Stayle tells Gilbert that he invited Marianne to pay Gilbert back for letting Pryde have a good time.

Gilbert laughs. Gilbert gives Stayle a glass of sake, and asks Stayle if he's becoming familiar with his work.

Stayle says that he is, thanks to Gilbert. All of his teachers are excellent. (Stayle's normal classes should be ended around this time. The professors he's talking about is Uncle Wes, teaching him Regent work, and Gilbert, teaching him what Royal Consort work he can simultaneously.)

Gilbert says that he's honored, and mentions that he's looking forward to Pryde and the Queen's announcement about the international postal service. As one of Pryde's projects, it should raise her reputation among their allies and help her become recognized.

Gilbert says that Pryde must be happy having such a wonderful person as the next Regent. And offers to introduce Stayle to young women his age so that he can settle down and make a new family.

Stayle immediately refuses and says that the decision about his fiancée will be left up to his mother and father. He thinks that Gilbert brought up this troublesome topic on purpose. The Queen hasn't brought up a perspective marriage partner to Stayle yet, and he thinks that's a good thing, since it will only cut down on the time he can spend on both his studies and his time with Pryde. Rather, he doesn't mind spending his life alone. (Don't worry about it, Stayle. If Pryde doesn't marry you, Arthur will. And if he's been lured away by Captain Colm, you still have a shot with Powell or Amulet.)

Stayle starts to (run away) go to Pryde, but stops at the last moment to tell Gilbert that he wanted to dance with Marianne, and it wasn't just out of revenge. Gilbert laughs and says that he knows.

Stayle thinks that starting tomorrow they will all be working hard again, his mother, father, Uncle Wes, and Gilbert. So he thanks Gilbert for his work in advance. As he leaves, Stayle wonders if Gilbert will be taking care of him even when Stayle gets old. Stayle thinks that he'd get married if he wanted someone to take care of him.

The knights are still in shock that so many of them were chosen as dance partners. Leon think that it really shows Pryde's trust in the knights, and says that it makes him nervous. Captain Colm points out that there's no reason for Leon to be nervous, as both he and Anemone are Pryde's closest ally.

Leon compliments Knight Commander Roderick and Deputy Commander Clark's dancing, and then compliments Arthur...who turns bright red and denies it, thinking that it was only basic choreography. Thinking that he wants to practice dancing more for next time, he looks pleadingly at his father.

Clark laughs and asks Arthur if he wants Clark to teach him for next time, but Arthur refuses, since he thinks Clark will take the opportunity to tease him if he agrees to it.

Captain Alain points out that it would be a good idea to practice if this dance party is going to become a staple at celebrations from now on.

Arthur turns bright red and wonders if he can dance more coolly from now on. Arthur says that Captain Alain was also good at dancing, and says that he was surprised.

Alain laughs and admits that he used to be like Arthur, but he wanted to dance with Pryde someday, so he practiced hard. Leon asks him if Alain was upset that his partner was Tiara this time, but Alain argues that it was still an honor to dance with Tiara, so it was good that he practiced.

Clark says, "Harrison was disappointed. If he had been invited, he might have had the opportunity to dance, too." Since it was Tiara's birthday festival, only a few knights have been invited. Like at Stayle's birthday festival, Arthur and Eric were there as Pryde's guardian knights. Captain Colm attended as Sir Bordeaux, and only Captain Alain was personally invited as a guest.

Leon asks Clark about Harrison, and after being informed, asks if Harrison can dance, too. Clark answers that Harrison should be able to dance as well as Arthur, but Arthur is just impressed that Harrison can dance. (Rude.)

Leon hopes that Harrison is able to attend next time, because knowing Pryde, she'll want to dance with everyone that she was unable to dance with this time. Meaning Deputy Commander Clark, Captain Alain and Deputy Captain Eric, as well as Harrison. Leon says that he's looking forward to it.

Stayle joins Pryde and Tiara, who are talking with King Joan, King Lance and Cedric before the announcement. Cedric praises the dancing, and Tiara thanks him shyly and hides behind Pryde. (That's a first. Pryde's usually the one hiding behind Tiara.)

Tiara tells Cedric that she really wanted to dance with the people of the United Kingdom of Hanazuo. Cedric says that he's grateful since, because of that, it felt like a dream. Tiara turns bright red and says that she only danced with him because she saw him before King Joan and King Lance, but Cedric doesn't care. So long as he caught her eye in a crowd of men.

Pryde blushes from second hand embarrassment, and Stayle compares Pryde with Tiara and Cedric and nods as if convinced.

King Lance hit Cedric over the head to keep him from embarrassing Tiara further, while King Joan laughs. Pryde decides to change the subject, since Tiara is now completely hiding behind Pryde, and asks Cedric if he's ready for the Q&A after the announcement. Cedric says that he already understands the main points, and since the construction of the building site is going along smoothly, they should begin recruiting personnel immediately upon returning to Hanazuo. It seems that they decided to build the postal building where the border wall separating Cersis and Chinensis was. Since it's right in the middle, they shouldn't have any difficulty recruiting personnel from both kingdoms.

King Joan and King Lance promise to cooperate, and ask to be informed if Cedric does something bad again. King Lance says that if Cedric steps out of bounds, he'll drag him off his seat again. Cedric blushes and protests that he won't bother anyone anymore.

King Joan thinks it's like a dream for the United Kingdom of Hanazuo to stand in front of multiple nation's like this. King Lance agrees and hugs Joan's and Cedric's shoulders, thanking Pryde again for the opportunity, and all three bow at once.

All three look emotional, and Pryde thinks it's because Cedric will be leaving Hanazuo to live and work in Freesia. She assures Lance that his brother Cedric will surely become an indispensable part of Freesia, and thanks them all for their cooperation.

At that time, the Queen draws the attention of the guests in preparation for the announcement. She greets the guests at once and praises Tiara's achievement in hosting this event, as well as organizing the earlier dance party.

The guests applaud, and Pryde and Stayle smile at Tiara and think that she's growing into a good princess.

The Queen calls Pryde over to address the guests, and Pryde joins her mother in front of the crowd. Although it's not the first time Pryde has spoken publicly, she still gets nervous. And unlike during the dance earlier when she had Stayle beside her, this time Pryde has to stand on her own. Even the Queen steps back, so she's even more alone.

Pryde introduces herself to the guests again, and but before she can introduce the plan for the international postal service--

--something touches her head.

Suddenly, Pryde's thoughts go sideways and her voice dies. Her mouth keeps moving, but she can't speak. Instead, a scream spilled from her throat and echoed in her ears. She grabbed her head, but her thoughts kept getting messed up. She holds her head, shakes it, and screams like a broken machine, unable to breathe because she can't stop screaming.

--her head breaks.

People call her name and call for a doctor as Pryde falls to her knees, still screaming. They hold Pryde still to stop her from seizing, and the Queen orders the castle gates closed to prevent anyone from escaping.

And Pryde remembers. Ten years ago, when she gained the memories of her past life. Why she was so scared of Queen Pryde's future. Why she believed in her future fall and never tried to change it. Why did she never wonder if she had precognitive ability in addition to her knowledge of the games.

--Because she knew. Ten years ago, she didn't only remember her past life. She was predicting. No matter how much she squirms, resists, and tries to live the right way, eventually "Pryde" will come back again.

Pryde wonders. She knew that the true Queen was Tiara, and thought that she would end Val's enslavement contract as the "next Queen." She wonders why she hasn't entrusted her condemnation to others for some time. Why was she able to talk about future children with Stayle, Tiara and Arthur? (Because you were naming Gilbert's baby, and topics about future children happen, however unlikely they are.) Pryde wonders if she wanted the option of "surviving" with Val when she lost her place. Why did the Queen say that they still had time? Why, when Tiara decided to go to Hanazuo, did I think "If anything should happen"? It was as if I was the Queen. I didn't have any doubts about becoming the Queen, why did I want to take Tiara's place?

Over and over again, there was a feeling of strangeness. Why were they her fiancé candidates? But Pryde didn't forget completely. Captain Colm and Arthur we're proud of their way of life as knights. Even Stayle has been making great strides for the people as the future Regent. There is no reason for these three to abandon their current way of life in hopes of being Prince Consort for me. When Pryde heard about the fiancé candidates plan from her mother and looked at the list, she didn't hesitate at all. She wanted to do it so long as it didn't get announced. Pryde wanted to spend as much time with her loved ones as possible before "the end." Because if they're her fiancé candidates then she'll be able to spend more time with them, like she had with Leon during their engagement.

It was as if she knew her life was over. Thinking that she would be the next to become Queen, but hoping that the end would come without becoming Queen. But after all, life will be like in the game.

But as her memory faded, year after year, she started to think that she had a future. She entrusted her fate to Stayle and Arthur. She taught Tiara about her future work as Queen. She's like an idiot. She should have understood the existence of that prediction more than anyone else.

As the people around her beg Pryde to recover, Pryde thinks that she doesn't want to wake up. Because when she wakes up, she will hurt everyone. If possible, she wants to die like this. But if she must wake up--

--may it be a Happy Ending like in the game.

And may they kill her properly before Pryde can destroy this country that she loves.

And that gets you to Pryde's fall. I'll write about her coma next. The Happy Ending Arc is fairly short, but it drags. And that there at the end? The only time Val gets mentioned in this arc.

While I'm thinking about it. I wrote this earlier (on a different site), but in Freesia there are three types of precognition.
- Vanishing Futures, which show up in the story as dreams about the original game, which are forgotten after waking. (I suspect that Tiara is responsible for the guys having these, but it has yet to be confirmed.)
- Alterable Futures, which are supposedly uncommon but show up in the novel most often. These are futures that can be altered, but the main points usually stay the same (death or injury still happen, but in a different way).
- Unavoidable Futures, which are most common but have only come up once so far. Pryde becoming a threat to the Freesia Kingdom is an example of an Unavoidable Future. It was something that was always going to happen.

 

And now for the next part of the Happy Ending Arc, if you want it. There's a lot of jumping around in this one, since all the guys but Val get POV scenes (what, I miss him). We get to see Pryde collapse from five different points of view (Stayle, Arthur, Cedric, Leon, Gilbert), and read the same description of Pryde sleeping once, sometimes twice a chapter. It's repetitive, okay.

And Adam. Adam's disgusting. You know when a villain is too disgusting to be considered attractive, never mind ship him with anyone? It's when you wonder if the man has rabies because he is literally, physically foaming at the mouth.

Spoiler: chapters 416-423

Pryde is moved to her own room. The doctor is unable to discern what's wrong with her, whether it's an illness, injury, poison or special ability. Because he doesn't know what is wrong with her, there is no way to tell if or when Pryde will awaken. Both Cedric and King Lance inquire secretly about the special ability person who healed Lance, but Arthur had already tried when Pryde first collapsed.

After Pryde's collapse, the Queen ordered the palace closed, but because of the number of guests it's not feasible to keep them confined in Freesia indefinitely. The knights and guards investigate, but find no proof of anyone's involvement, and eventually only those guests who intended to linger in Freesia after the birthday celebration remain, along with Leon, King Joan, King Lance and Cedric.

Tiara and Stayle spend the night sitting at Pryde's bedside while Captain Colm, Captain Alain, Deputy Captain Eric and Arthur stand guard throughout the night. Stayle thinks that if Pryde doesn't wake up by tonight he'll call Harrison so that the guardian knights can rest in rotations with four knights on guard. All four knights are full of self-loathing over their inability to prevent Pryde's collapse. Arthur's eyes looks dead.

Stayle has to leave Pryde's side to join Uncle Wes, and he asks Arthur to take his place at Pryde's bedside with Tiara.

The next day, Arthur tries to convince Tiara to get some sleep, but she refuses, saying that she'll only have nightmares.

Arthur remembers when Pryde collapsed, how time seemed to slow down and even if he ran as fast as he could, he was unable to reach her in time. By the time he reached her, Pryde wasn't moving anymore. Arthur touched Pryde over and over, but his special ability didn't activate, and she stayed like that. Arthur was proud of his special ability that cured numerous people, but it was unable to cure Pryde.

Arthur remembers the doctor saying that Pryde might never wake up, and thought that the world became pitch black. The sight of Pryde screaming during the birthday festival was still burned in his mind.

Spoiler: Cedric Route Dream Sequence summary

Cedric greets Tiara first thing in the morning, and asks her if she slept well. Cedric hasn't slept well at all thinking about Tiara sleeping in his bed. He asks if they should sleep together next time, instead of Tiara sleeping alone in his bed, and kisses her hair (I think). Tiara turns bright red and panics and Cedric is relieved thinking that it won't be difficult to make her fall in love with him. (As someone who has spent 400+ chapters with tsun Tiara, I do not recognize this person. That is not my heroine.)

Cedric says that Tiara's hair is beautiful and this time kisses Tiara's palm, saying that it's a normal greeting for fiancés. Tiara reminds him that they only met the day before. (Then what were you doing sleeping in his bed!?) Cedric corners Tiara against a wall and approaches her only to kiss her cheeks, and asks why Tiara is so surprised. Cedric tells her that he's not interested in stealing kisses from crying women, although he doesn't mind making them cry.

They hold hands as they leave the remote tower, and Cedric admires Tiara's blushing face. He reminds himself that Tiara will hate him soon, because Cedric came to Freesia as Tiara's fiancé in order to kill her. But when he thinks that Tiara was a child who dreamed of love, he doesn't feel guilty for leading her on.

"During these three days, you will be captivated by me." Cedric told her so when they first met.

After Tiara falls in love with him, Cedric will dye his hands with her blood according to his agreement with Pryde, and in return, she will return the United Kingdom of Hanazuo, which was stolen because of Cedric's carelessness. Cedric thinks that he has to get it back, even if King Joan still hates him.

So Cedric doesn't understand why he hesitated to kiss Tiara on the mouth just then. If he kisses her, Tiara won't be able to forget him even if she hates it. If he was stupid like a year ago, he'd have gone for her lips immediately, but now he knows that a first kiss is sacred to women. So he'll leave it as a last resort, or wait until Tiara falls in love and asks for it. If she's destined to die at Cedric's hand anyway, he wants her to die as a pure maiden. That's all he can do for her.

Tiara trips going down the stairway, and Cedric catches her and asks if Tiara is alright. He thinks that it's a bad joke when Tiara asks if he's also uninjured, since he'll have to kill her one day. But Tiara is someone who worries about others.

Someday Tiara will hate him to the point that she'll want to kill him. Since the time that Cedric lost everything, everyone who once believed in him will never forgive him.

Cedric hasn't been able to sleep since Pryde's collapse. When he finally falls asleep, King Joan and King Lance wake him when they come to check on him. Like Cedric, they are pale and worried that Pryde won't wake up. Pryde is an irreplaceable existence to all of them. King Joan has been praying for Pryde because it's all that he can do. (Chinensis is very religious. I think like the Japanese concept of Catholicism. Whole lotta crosses.) They can't even accompany the sleeping Pryde in her room because she's unmarried, and even the United Kingdom of Hanazuo hasn't been eliminated as a suspect yet. Cedric thinks how even the person who saved King Lance was unable to help Pryde, and feels even more useless that he cannot repay his savior, Pryde.

Cedric keeps seeing Pryde's collapse on repeat. How she screamed and struggled until her voice cut off and then fainted, barely breathing. Tiara called Pryde repeatedly and cried without wiping her tears. Leon was pushed back by the crowd and looked so desperate that he almost couldn't be recognized. Cedric thinks of the many people who love Pryde who now feel the way he did upon hearing about King Lance's illness, and feels like his heart is being crushed. Cedric thinks of how she stayed with him that night, and slams his hand against the table when he thinks that there's nothing he can do for her.

There's a knock on the door.

Leon's carriage reaches the palace shortly after sunrise. Leon had returned to Anemone after Pryde's collapse only to return at the first opportunity, with his parents' blessing. Leon greets the palace guards and asks to see Pryde, prepared to wait inside the carriage for hours until permission is given.

Leon can still hear Pryde's screams even now. Since he has some medical knowledge, he quickly realized at the time that Pryde's symptoms were both unusual and life-threatening. Anyone who heard those screams would gave thought the same. Leon thinks that from the guards' reaction, Pryde's condition was still unknown. It's likely that she hasn't woke up yet. He thinks that it only takes a moment for something important to slip from his grasp.

Although there are many people in Freesia with the special ability to heal injuries, someone who can cure diseases does not exist. So when Leon returned to Anemone, he reexamined the books on poisons and medicines, but none were handled in Anemone (poisons and antidotes, not books). Pryde was holding her head, not her throat or chest, so it was probably a disease. He thinks that Anemone has many trading partners with well-developed medical care. If Pryde does not wake soon, he will reach out to them.

Cedric doesn't want to lose Pryde. Just the thought made his hands tremble, and when he became aware of it, his whole body started to shake. He hugged himself to calm down.

When Pryde fell, his world faded to black and white and he could only see Pryde. He couldn't breathe when he saw her lying there as if already dead. He didn't want to leave her for a moment. At that time he thought that he was still Pryde's fiancé. (Combination of shock and wishful thinking.)

Leon thinks how only a short time before that, Pryde was smiling dazzlingly as they danced. He prays that Pryde survives. He doesn't want to lose her. He wants to jump out of the carriage and run to her this very moment. Every second feels like an eternity.

Stayle passes a message through the guards, acknowledging Leon as an ally and granting him permission to enter the palace. The gates close being Leon's carriage, denying access to the other people who want to see Pryde. The knights escort Leon into the palace after confirming him with their special abilities. Leon thinks that the knights guarding the castle gates means that security has been raised to the highest level, possibly at Gilbert's recommendation. He's grateful that Stayle gave him permission to enter anyway. Leon wonders how much Stayle and Tiara are suffering now, and his heart hurts.

Following the knights to Pryde's room, Leon prays for her to wake up.

Gilbert pours through documents related to the guests invited to Tiara's birthday festival in Prince Consort Albert's office. Both Gilbert and Albert are seething with rage over the doctor's inability to diagnose Pryde. It's the first time Gilbert has seen Albert enraged like this, since the Prince Consort is usually calm. His rage is comparable to Gilbert's, when Marianne became sick with an incurable, unknown illness. Albert has already asked Gilbert to ask the person who saved Marianne, but Gilbert says that the person cannot be contacted, since he can't tell Albert that Arthur has already tried and failed to cure Pryde.

Uncle Wes and Stayle have been working without sleep, combing through the list of guests to eliminate suspects and send them back to their own countries.

Pryde being targeted in front of all those guests can only be taken as a declaration of war. Gilbert tries to keep Albert calm, but even he's enraged. Gilbert thinks that if Marianne's illness had been something inflicted upon her he would have been completely useless, so Albert, who can more or less channel the rage into his work, is impressive. Gilbert thinks that if Pryde dies from this, he will never forgive the person who inflicted it on her as a sickening show for the guests. It won't be enough to peel off every nail. (Fun fact: up until the Rebellion Arc, Gilbert is the only one who tortures people. At this point, he's also the only one with a working brain, because neither Stayle nor Arthur have ruled out whether Pryde may have an unknown disease. Gilbert has safely made the intuitive leap toward it being a criminal action inflicted on Pryde. I love you, Gilbert. Have a gold star.)

Albert notices Gilbert's murderous aura and says that he knew Gilbert was angry. (Gilbert cannot hide anything from this father's eyes.)

Gilbert prays that Pryde wakes up soon. That is more important than finding the culprit. How many people will be sad if Pryde never wakes up? When Pryde fell, Gilbert felt like the nightmare from before was happening again. Arthur was unable to cure her. The Pryde lying on the floor breathed so shallowly that she looked like a dead person, and Gilbert was afraid until he was able to confirm her pulse.

At that time, Prince Consort Albert and Regent Wes were angry, and Queen Rosa could only stare at Pryde without blinking. Arthur and Stayle held Pryde so that she couldn't move (during the seizure? unclear), and only the doctor and surrounding people moved. It was as if only Pryde had stopped.

It's not difficult to confirm the people and special abilities of those guests from Freesia, but the guests invited from different countries are a different matter. Their history and relationship with Freesia and Pryde, the people who accompanied them, the contents of their luggage, and their behavior and actions during the celebration. Because of the sheer number of guests, identifying everyone is not something that can be confirmed in only one day. Even Gilbert and Marianne's names are included on the list.

Gilbert returns to Regent Wes' office to share the little information he has with Wes and Stayle. There are ten times the number of people in the corridor than before (mostly knights and guards), and when Gilbert enters the office there are three people there: Wes, Stayle, and Cedric, who lists the number of people he remembers from the festival as Wes and Stayle confirm their documents.

Stayle had asked for Cedric's cooperation in confirming the number of guests with his perfect memory in return for allowing King Joan and King Lance to visit Pryde. Wes and Gilbert are shocked by Cedric's memory that is comparable to a special ability in Freesia (pretty sure that's a stress-born exaggeration since only Cedric and Pryde know the full extent of Cedric's capabilities at this point).

Stayle resolves not to rest until Pryde awakens.

Leon, King Joan and King Lance, who received permission from Stayle to visit Pryde, do not sit in the offered chairs or come close to Pryde. Leon thinks that if he approaches her bed that his emotions will explode at once. Neither Leon nor Tiara, who continues to hold Pryde's hand, can smile as usual. Arthur still holds Pryde's hand on Stayle's behalf.

Leon asks if Pryde has woken yet, but as expected there's been no change since her collapse. The doctor still cannot discern the cause of Pryde's condition, whether it was a disease or something inflicted upon her.

The calm King Joan and cheerful King Lance are barely recognizable. Joan holds his cross necklace as he prays while Lance stood with trembling fists at his sides. When Leon asks, Lance tells him that Cedric has gone to assist Stayle. Leon wonders what kind of assistance Cedric can offer that Stayle wants his help.

Once he felt a little calmer, Leon turned to look at Pryde. (Not again...why do they keep looking at her? Pryde is still sleeping like a dead person, stop bringing it up every...single...chapter. This is why the Happy Ending Arc is boring and repetitive.) Maybe the blood circulation is bad, Pryde looks pale. There is no movement at all, so the sleeping Pryde looks like a doll...or dead. Leon wonders why Pryde has to look like that. If they could only learn whether it was an illness or something inflicted on her, that would give him direction. But he can't even have that. And now that Leon is no longer Pryde's fiancé, he has no right to touch her (literally, he cannot hold her hand... like, are you serious? The only reason you can't hold Pryde's hand is because Arthur will fight you for it, it has nothing to do with your relationship status).

Having given up his position, Leon can no longer touch or speak to Pryde as the closest person to her, but must endure being the future King of her allied country. Now all that Leon can do is pray that Pryde wakes up.

More than an hour after Gilbert left Uncle Wes' room, Cedric and Stayle discover a discrepancy between the guest list and the number of people Cedric counted. Two people on the guest list were not visible when Pryde collapsed. Unfortunately, although Cedric memorized everyone's faces, he doesn't know every name, so they've been confirming by numbers. But even after a second recount, the number still came to two less than were on the guest list. When Pryde collapsed, all of the doors were closed, including the window to the garden, and the guards had confirmed that no one had left the room to wash their hands. Stayle had also confirmed that no one had left the room before that. But in Cedric's memory, there were two people missing at the time where he ran to Pryde's side and scanned the crowd from a place where he could see everyone.

If Cedric's memory and the testimony regarded the blockade were true, then the possibility of Pryde's collapse being artificially introduced was more likely. Not all of the guests who stayed overnight had left yet, but they will leave by nightfall. In the worst case, it's possible that they've already escaped. In that case, they should identify the culprit and make a wanted list as soon as possible. (Does it count as a wanted list if there's only two people.)

Stayle asks Cedric if he can identify the two missing people, but Cedric can't. There were too many guests that Cedric was meeting for the first time. Even if Cedric can identify them by sight, he doesn't know everyone's name.

Stayle and Uncle Wes are shocked, and Wes asks if Cedric remembers everyone's appearance, from their figures to their clothing. Cedric confirms it, but says that he doesn't have any skill at painting, though given the amount of guests it would take a great amount of time to include everyone.

Stayle thinks that he can remember most of the guests' faces, but he can't remember what everyone was wearing. In addition, he also met many people for the first time, and there wasn't time to be properly introduced to everyone. Some only exchanged brief greetings. But he knows someone who greets every guest and takes the time to remember the details about them.

Stayle and Wes call for Gilbert at once.

Adam has been drinking wine in his room since the birthday festival. He thought that he would look more suspicious if he returned to the Rajya Empire immediately so he pretended to look worried when Pryde collapsed, but not only was he not worried, he had no expectations of her waking up. He laughs as he drinks. He thinks that he had a hard time trying not to laugh when Pryde started screaming.

This was the first time he's been able to attend a ceremony in the Freesia Kingdom. Not as an ally, but as a country with a peace treaty. There had been several times where he was invited to Freesia, but "somehow" he was always busy at those times so that he couldn't come. It was to the point where he suspected someone close to him preventing him from coming to Freesia, but no matter how he threatened his aides, both physically and mentally, nothing came up. (It's like he forgot that the Queen can see the future. It is not a state secret.)

He wasn't able to attend Stayle's birthday celebration last time because when he received the invitation, he also received reports about King Lance's recovery, and how Lance had made several public appearances since. When Adam saw him in person, he struggled with the desire to kill Lance right there. If Lance suddenly died, the Rajya Empire would be suspect. He thought about targeting King Joan in that case, or their guest from Freesia (identity unspecified), but thought that if Joan's illness was witnessed, or if Freesia increased their security, it would be hard to plan afterwards. Furthermore, the victim he wanted was the First Princess of Freesia.

After being unable to attend Stayle's birthday celebration, Adam received an invitation to Tiara's birthday celebration/coming of age ceremony.

Adam laughs as he criticizes Tiara's birthday celebration. He thinks that the dance party was stupid, since he had no interest in seeing the princesses dance happily with other men. Tippett listens to him from the other side of the room, not drinking, only standing there like a piece of furniture pretending to be an aristocrat.

Adam thinks that he wants to go home soon. (I think because he has to be on his best behavior in Freesia, so he doesn't feel alive.) Adam goes to bed still wearing his shoes, complaining about the birthday celebration. He wanted to watch Pryde go crazy longer, but she couldn't endure it and fainted too soon. He thinks that princesses are no good after all. He wonders if they're looking for a criminal now, or a doctor, and starts calling the knights outside idiots for thinking that only Freesia is special. He knows that they will never suspect him, much less learn the cause of Pryde's condition.

Adam wonders how long he should leave Pryde like that. One month, or three? He thinks about how Pryde will have withered up by then, and that the Queen will gladly turn Freesia into a slave-producing country to get her beloved daughter back, or engage him to Tiara. If she is reluctant or decides to let Pryde die instead, then she won't have any more children.

Adam doesn't understand why King Lance was cured. Until now, no one has come back from that state. Nearly all of them dry up like a fish and die like that. (They either die early while physically healthy, or die later while all skin and bones.) Adam thinks he should look out for the Cersis kingdom.

Adam wants to go home soon. Now that his servants have been expelled, there is no one to clean up the filthy and cluttered room.

The guards were in a rush when they came to bring Gilbert back to Wes' office. Gilbert had wondered what it was, and when Stayle and Cedric explained, Gilbert thought it was more than expected. It's not evidence, but in this situation even a small amount of progress feels like a big leap forward.

Gilbert wonders if Cedric is aware of his abnormality. (Gilbert I will literally show you twenty chapters full of Cedric hating on his perfect memory. Believe me when I say that Cedric has noticed.) Gilbert thinks that it's abnormal to remember a large number of people at a glance, and usually impossible to remember their clothes and appearance on top of that. Gilbert remembers that Cedric had excellent results when he took the exam to become supervisor of the upcoming international postal institution. Gilbert thinks that once again, Pryde discovered a terrifying talent (Cedric). When Cedric first came to Freesia, Gilbert thought that he was a fool, but now he thinks that he'll need to change that assessment.

As a test, Gilbert quizzes Cedric on the appearance of those he talked to during the celebration, and Cedric lists them all, down to the daughter who changed her color lipstick halfway through the celebration. After confirming several times, Gilbert thinks that Cedric has a wonderful memory and borrows the guest list and a pen from Stayle. Gilbert marks off the guests that Cedric knew by name, and laughs as the list of suspects narrows rapidly. He thinks that they can finally do it. Once they find out who hurt Pryde, they can learn the method. If it was poison, they can find a way to detoxify it. And if it's a guest from their own country who used a special ability, it's enough to capture that person and solve it like that.

Gilbert makes Cedric drink tea to take care if his throat (so he can talk more). Eventually, Cedric ran out of names he knew. The number of people left on the guest list was in the double digits, including their companions. Gilbert grinned and felt like he had already grabbed the criminal's neck. Once they identify him, the rest is easy. In Freesia there are ways to make people tell the truth besides asking.

Gilbert laughed, full of respect and gratitude for Cedric's memory, and anger at the suspect they haven't identified yet. Then Gilbert began to describe the appearance of the remaining guests from the top of the list.

Deputy Commander Clark stopped Harrison during training and ordered him to go replace one of Pryde's guardian knights on watch, since none of them have slept yet. This is no surprise to Harrison. None of the knights feel rested, since they're all worried about Pryde. According to the report there was the possibility of assassination due to Pryde's condition, so knights were mobilized to guard the royal family, the guests and the palace itself. Even Harrison's anger doesn't stick out among the knights, since they all feel the same.

Harrison heads to the royal residence thinking that there's been no reported change in Pryde's condition, so she probably hasn't awakened yet. There's been speculations about illness, poison and special abilities, but no one is certain yet. If they can at least learn the cause, then something can be done. And if the condition is something manufactured, Harrison will never forgive it. It's a deadly sin to harm the First Princess, annoy the Deputy Commander and Knight Commander, and rob his Captain of his master. Staining his hands with their blood is not enough. With permission, he will thoroughly question all the suspects in a row. It doesn't matter if it's an aristocrat or part of a royal family. (Clark, grab your boy's leash, he's doing it again.)

Harrison notices the carriages leaving and wonders if Pryde has recovered yet, but the guests leaving all seem disappointed and wish Pryde a fast recovery. Whatever their feelings, it's impossible to stay indefinitely until Pryde wakes. Harrison wishes that the criminal is in one of the carriages leaving, and fantasizes about chasing the carriage down and apprehending them personally. It's still unknown whether Pryde's condition was inflicted, but if so, Harrison wouldn't hesitate to run until his legs broke.

Harrison informed the knights guarding the palace of his assignment and enters the royal residence. He notices a large mirror on the way and thinks that the Knight reflected there was useless, unable to understand the cause of Pryde's suffering, only able to see the situation in front of his hands. Harrison stops in front of the mirror and looks at his eyes, and remembers Pryde was honored to share the same eye color with him. Harrison, who had nothing, was thrilled. He had never been interested enough to notice that they had the same eye color before. But now he was proud of his eyes for the first time. He remembers Pryde when he sees his eyes in the mirror. There can be no other country than the one governed by Pryde, where she can see his eyes that are the same color as hers.

Harrison leaves the mirror and speeds to Pryde's room as if drawn to her. He thinks that he won't forgive anyone who hurts Pryde. For the Deputy Commander, the Knight Commander, for his Captain, and for the people of Freesia, Harrison will never forgive them.

Harrison reaches the door and identifies himself to the knights and guards standing outside. The entire corridor is filled with the gloomy atmosphere of those worrying about Pryde. There are many people besides Harrison who are angry and afraid to lose Pryde.

Harrison enters Pryde's room and feels like he's been stabbed seeing Pryde sleeping there, with Tiara and Arthur sitting vigil. He feels angry, and informs the knights that he's there for a shift change and can replace any of them.

Harrison thinks that the person who made Arthur look like that, who did this to Pryde, will never be forgiven.

More currently, the Brothers Arc still isn't over, and it's a flashback chapter about Tippett escaping with Adam. It looks like she didn't stab Adam after all...just stuck her arm through his chest to show off her special ability (since she's young enough that the going-through-walls bit is a new development, and he was skeptical). The scene from before said Tippett "pierced his chest," which explains the confusion... probably left ambiguous on purpose to make us think/hope Adam was dead.

It's extremely creepy to think that Tippett is probably younger than Sefek (she might even be Kemet's age), and still refers to Adam as her husband.

 

@DarkeAOU listen i stumbled upon this spoiler thread because and only because i liked the manga art style, promptly fell in love with stayle, saw the 900+ ch count along with the less than 50 ch translated content and noped tf right out. but i really have to commend you for going thru it all with mtl AND posting the summary of arcs even. this is a monster of a series and i think my brain gave up digesting the complicated character relations chart 3 pages in the thread--so thank you for making it all digestible. i do appreciate the snack that is stayle mentions throughout the arcs. honestly im probs gonna take canon manga content up to chapter 7 and just run with it to make a lil 3k stayle/pryde fic, but it's nice to know the general story plot nonetheless

 

Hey, I feel you. I became interested in this series around the time chapter two of the manga made it online, followed it here to read the translated chapters of the novel, which ran out way too quickly. So I went to syosetu to find out who Pryde chose at the end, and the rest is history. (There were only around 600 pages/chapters up then, and now we're at 1008, so it's been a while...and there's still been no development on the ML front.) In my defense, at the time I had nothing else to read, and 600+ pages/chapters looked like something to keep me occupied for a week or so.

To be honest, Stayle was my favorite love interest at the start, too. He checked all my boxes when it comes to love interests--he was already family, unfailingly loyal, and in love with Pryde...but then I read the Fiancé Arc and Val blew Stayle out of the water. It helps that Val actually gets Pryde's heart racing consistently, something Stayle has only managed one time (during the infamous OT3 scene). In a situation where it doesn't even count, because Pryde freaks out every time she receives an oath.

But here, have some food from the Body Arc. (Why yes, I am putting off going back to the Happy Ending Arc, why do you ask? ) As usual, it's not the entire chapter, and has been edited somewhat for readability.

(Pryde POV) 685.1 And Accepts

Spoiler

"So ... I still think it's rude, but I have one request."

A request? From Stayle⁇

It's rare for Stayle, who is always reluctant to ask for things himself.

When I nodded and agreed, he laughed once, saying "Thank you," and then his face tightened again. I see a single line of sweat dripping on his cheeks, illuminated by a small light. As it is, his story gradually accelerates as if he was rushed by something.

"Regarding the recent recapture battle .... Pride rewarded the guardian knights, the knights, and Val, who contributed, but I haven't received anything."

Tiara and Gilbert haven't been rewarded either, but Stayle's small voice turns inside out for a moment.

His jet-black eyes, which were aimed straight at me, shook like an earthquake, and he bit his lower lip once and continued.

"I think ... I think I did a good job in this recapture battle ...! I'm also proud that I was able to contribute in getting you back ...‼ ︎ Doing this kind of thing ... I know it's a shameful act, but ... "

Stayle, who chokes on his words many times, opens his mouth and doesn't move.

As Stayle says.

Without realizing, I didn't count them because they were related to the castle, and because they were royalty.

There was no thought that Stayle, Tiara, and Chancellor Gilbert were also people to be rewarded. Even though the three of them had a hard time because of me, they still helped me. Stayle and Chancellor Gilbert received a lot of abuse from me even before the recapture war.

I'm embarrassed that I didn't count them because we're family. Rather, they're the ones who suffered the most and should have received a lot of thanks and apologies.

When I hurriedly tried to tell Stayle in front of me, I'm sorry

"Hey, reward me ... please ...‼ ︎"

A squeezing voice was emitted.

Instead of looking away as if he couldn't bear it, he meditated tightly, trembling with his fists down, his shoulders raised, and he was tense. While Stayle was looking down, his glasses slipped a little down his face.

"Like the guardian knights ... and Val! Please give me permission for my request, Pryde ...! Only one, only now ... please ...‼ ︎"

...... I felt that Stayle, who had never begged me before, rewarded me for the first time.

Rather than reflecting on my shallowness, my heart is now warmer and warmer.

Then Stayle squeezed his lips and waited for my reply so I couldn't say any more. You can see that he is bright red now without brightening the room. He's so embarrassed, but I'm glad that he put it into words.

Gently reach for his hair with his eyes closed and stroke his fine, silky black hair only on the surface.

"Of course. I'm sorry I'm late. I'll give Stayle anything."

You've suffered so much, ... if it's for the Stayle who keeps suffering and still holds me back in the end.

With that in mind, I stroked his hair from the whorl again. Stayle, who listened to my words, opened his eyes wide like a plate and turned an astonishing color.

When I responded with a smile, his face was distorted like crying for a moment and swallowed something. "Thank you ...", Stayle returned with a quivering hand. "... I can't take it back anymore."

He grasped my hand that was stroking his hair and squeezed it.

When I looked, the hand that was grasped was firmly caught by Stayle with the fingers entwined. The quivering hand holds my hand with a will.

I wondered what happened, and when I looked up at Stayle, who was standing very close to my hand, he turned his head away from me. I turned to follow his gaze, and this time Arthur walked straight up in response to Stayle's gaze.

Tiara opens her eyes round and moves aside for Arthur who appears in front with a serious expression.

When I asked Arthur for his intention, it overlapped with his words on the way.

"Pryde, it's been twelve days today .... My reward, I'll take it, too."

Arthur's face is serious and pale.

………… Eh, eh? Eh⁇ what⁈

In the face of Arthur, who approaches at a fast walk, I try to escape out of reflex. I tried to move backwards, my eyes swaying, but was held there by my left hand, which was firmly caught by Stayle. I can't escape.

Reward.

I remember it well.

About two weeks ago, when he heard the desired reward from the Knights of the Guard, Arthur wanted to postpone his reward until "12 days later." And certainly, today is the twelfth day. But why is it with this timing⁇

Arthur, who wasn't too far away from the beginning, soon lined up with Stayle and stopped in front of me. What should I do, I'm really scared right now.

From Tiara, I heard a small, "Bro, brother ... Arthur ...⁈", with a confused voice. I don't know what it is, but help me!

I have the utmost trust in them, and I know in my head that I won't be killed or hurt here, but my crisis-avoidance instinct is alerting me. In the dim light of midnight, I'm scared of being squeezed by a man who is taller and stronger than me. Moreover, the left hand is firmly caught by Stayle. If it was a TV show from previous life, it would be a scene from just before the murder.

I don't know what they plan, but if I scream, the guards standing outside the room will misunderstand.

Stayle, who looked at me from behind his black-rimmed glasses with his brows and a strong face, and Arthur, who was next to me, looked as serious as at the awards ceremony. The pale color of tension faded away, and now he has a beautiful complexion as if he's decided. Rather, I feel that Stayle's face is dyed more strongly this time.

I didn't know what they want, and I looked back at them alternately, blinking over and over again, and this time Arthur slowly touched and caught my right hand as if holding something valuable.

Arthur's hands, which are much larger and firmer than mine, are so warm that I can relax my shoulders a little. Arthur, who gently held my four fingers from the side. ...... When I think about it, I notice that as a result, my hands were caught by two people.

I can't escape even more now. I was nervous about that fact, and this time my hands were shaking. I managed to keep smiling with a strong face and looked up at them with just my eyes.

"That ... this is ...?"

"I'll takemy reward with Stayle .... I'm sorry for the surprise."

"Um ... what the heck is it ..."

"It's okay. It won't hurt."

What should I do, I can't grasp it at all.

Why don't you say it clearly? However, the pressure from Stayle and the extraordinary supremacy from Arthur made my knees tremble.

The strength in my legs suddenly disappeared, and when I swayed to the side, my shoulder hit the bookshelf. Immediately after the light and dull noise, they supported me with their other hands in a slight panic.

Arthur seemed to notice that my knees were trembling, and he held my hand firmly and let me move so that I could lean my back against the bookshelf. Thanks to that, even if my knees shake a little, I can manage to stand. However, it seems that he doesn't intend to stop.

"I'm sorry, I'll finish as soon as possible."

Arthur bowed to me a little apologetically this time.

Stayle replies briefly, "Yes, it won't take much time." I'm really scared to hear these words before I'm killed.

First, Arthur moves.

From where he was standing, he knelt on the spot without a sound. The view opened up behind him so I could see the clock on the wall behind him. Arthur lowered himself to the point where I could see the long silver-haired knot on his head, but he still kept his hand on me.

And Stayle also begins to move in response to him.

He didn't lower himself like Arthur, but rather took one step closer to me. When I looked straight ahead, I had a view of Stayle's neck, since he was taller than me. I look up and Stayle squeezed his quivering lips, his open eyes shaking. I can tell that he is very nervous. ……Nevertheless.

"I told you earlier, Pryde."

Only the suppressed voice sounds low as if he had decided.

While desperately trying to repair his composure, only his jet-black eyes were honest.

Looking up at me from one knee, Arthur turned his clear blue eyes straight toward Stayle. There is a genuine calm expression on his face and eyes. Only the temperature of his hand holding mine is hot like the sun.

Maybe I shouldn't have looked away in the middle, because Stayle's grip on our entwined fingers became a little stronger. When I notice and turn to look, my hand is drawn closer to him.

"Don't shout, because the guards outside will notice."

Immediately after that.

The two moved at the same time before I understood the meaning of his words.

The dimly lit Stayle at the tip of my gaze looked up and turned my hand as he pulled my hand to him. The moment my head thought that it was a pleasant touch that didn't hurt and was just stretched.

His open mouth touched my exposed wrists.

"That is⁈"

Take a deep breath and hold my breath for more.

I couldn't believe it, but Stayle was definitely kissing my wrist.

Moreover, it is not a light touch. Even if he doesn't touch with his teeth, his open lips firmly suck my wrist. The gentle, moist warmth and the touch of his tongue that sometimes fluttered against my skin send a shock of feeling from my fingertips to my shoulders. ...... Moreover, the feeling is not contained to the left hand.

"~~~~~~~~ ..."

I make a sound.

I closed my mouth without being able to cover it because my hands are caught, but I still clenched it shut.

With my neck quivering, I look diagonally downward.

I confirmed the identity of the touch received at the same time as Stayle, and the moment I saw it, my heart lept as if it exploded.

At the end of my line of sight, Arthur is kissing my wrist.

His mouth was wide open as if he had taken the plunge, and he was almost holding my wrist. The range of his mouth was so wide that I felt as if I was being eaten, and the warmth, softness, and sensation of the attack was more than doubled.

It doesn't hurt either. However, the skin covered by his mouth became even hotter, as if it was just pouring heat. Perhaps because he was holding it deeply, his tongue was more sensational than Stayle's, and I screamed at the unexpected sensation of being rubbed with his tongue rather than licked.

Why, why, and more, why here and there. The question goes round and round in my head, trips and turns around again, shaking my brain to the core. It's embarrassing that I can hear the sound of my heart.

─ The oath of "desire".

It was definitely a "vow" that was too long to call a testimony.

Arthur, who kept holding my wrist in front if his face with his eyes closed, looked like a silver beast when viewed from above. He's very beautiful and very bad for my heart. He'll really eat me.

I couldn't stand it and closed my eyes tightly, and this time Stayle gave me a new feeling, as if he had noticed.

My sucked skin is released slowly so that the shape of his lips can be seen. When I looked in surprise and relief that it was over...he immediately dropped his head to approach a second time from another angle. The touch of his lips and the skin that accepted the brand new sliminess as warmth spread to the tips of my fingers.

When I was stunned thinking that it happened a second time, Stayle released it softly and kissed and sucked at a different angle. Repeatedly.

The thinly open jet-black gaze focused on my wrist shines more bewitchingly than the night sky. As if he was "overwriting" something, he kissed and released my wrist over and over again, taking the time corresponding to the vow, and kissed again. I'm about to die again, it's bad for my heart to do this over and over again, and the sound of my heart is too loud. It's annoying, crazy, and painful, and I wonder what kind of torture this is.

When Stayle finished kissing about half my wrist, this time I was struck by the feeling of my right hand.

My wrist, held as if being slowly tasted, is released from his mouth and exposed to the open air of a cold night. My warm wrists suddenly cooled down and my shoulders went up and down unintentionally.

Arthur repositions his head, holding my wrist in his grasped. Arthur, who had been in a position to hold the back of my hand from above, now holds my wrist so that he can bite from below.

This time I saw the moment he covered my wrist with his mouth, and the heat was dizzying.

Moreover, because of the angle from below, I could see Arthur's face more clearly than before. He closed his eyes since he dropped his kiss, so he can't see, but it's natural for me to watch.

I saw the moment he held my wrist to his mouth and did not hesitate to pinch the skin between his lips. I couldn't stop breathing or even remember how to breathe.

The part that couldn't fit in his mouth during the previous kiss is now warmed by his mouth from the front and becomes incredibly hot. Since the first kiss was a big one, I can feel the part that was held twice in a row gradually swell with the damp heat.

The tongue didn't rub so much this time because I was sucked from below, but this time, each of his well-arranged white teeth softly stroked and rubbed my skin. Maybe because of the dampness, his teeth slipped, and although I didn't feel bitten, I felt my wrist in his mouth more than before. If I meet Arthur's gaze here, I will die seriously with shame.

It's embarrassing to let myself be seen with an absolutely pathetic face, even if I look down or up, and finally I turn my face to the front and press the back of my head against the bookshelf.

Close my eyes tightly and clench my teeth shut in my closed mouth. If I don't see, don't show, or think about it, I don't know what I'm doing, and just wait for the time to pass.

However, when I close my eyes, other information is transmitted. I can hear a faint sound when Stayle's mouth separated from my left wrist, and the scent of Stayle's cologne is more pronounced than usual. On my right, the temperature of Arthur's mouth, the contour of his teeth and the dampness are all so pronounced, and more than half of my five senses are taken up by two people.

In terms of time, it was less than five minutes, but in terms of experience alone, it felt like well over five hours. Many times I thought I would die of suffocation or heart attack.

Stayle slowly halts the double-digit or more kiss, just as Arthur slowly raises his mouth away from my wrist. Both of them literally left a "vow" all over my wrists.

Thinking about tomorrow's dress, it would be perfectly concealed, but it feels like they've taken a lot of time.

I didn't have the courage to open my eyes even after they took their mouths away, so I faced forward with my eyes closed tightly. They held my hands for a while and didn't say anything, but after a few tens of seconds, they called me in turn with a whispering voice, "Pryde" and "Pryde-sama."

Embarrassed. I'm really embarrassed, and I don't know what kind of face to make or where to look when I open my eyes. I meditate tightly and continue to put my strength into the muscles of my face, and I can't say a word through my clenched teeth.

Then, after a while, Arthur asked with a much lower voice than before.

"…………Are you mad?"

Wrong.

However, starting with Arthur's voice, Stayle's hand, which held mine, began to tremble, so I shook my head from side to side in a hurry.

I'm not angry.

I'm just really embarrassed.

I don't know why they swore to a meaningful place like "desire", and I can't even think of a reason why they would want it as a reward.

Unlike my legs, hair and lips, it's not a shameful place at all, but it's really embarrassing.

Even after being released by the two, my breath was rough after holding it so many times. I don't know what kind of face I should make in this situation, but I'm able to understand that even in the dim light I'm very ugly. I'm confident that when I open my eyes, all of my tension will be released and my eyes will tear.

I'm glad it's really, really dark now. If it wasn't, my face would definitely be red.

The more I think about it, the less words I can say.

I didn't want anyone to see these kind of faces. I want to find a hole to hide in.

However, as if waiting for my reply, the two were silent from beginning to end, and the feeling of guilt became heavier.

I still don't know what they meant by swearing, but it's as if I was blaming them.

I gave them permission as a reward. It's too terrible to say nothing here, when I said that I would forgive Stayle anything. There is no reason for them to feel bothered for swearing for their own reasons. If it was me, this reaction would definitely hurt.

I turn my face to the extent of moving my chin and make a conscious effort to move my mouth.

Even though it's my mouth, it's hard and heavy as if I was gagged, and when I say a word with my quivering throat, it's thin and shivering.

"... I'm a little embarrassed ... I'm just ... I'm sorry for being rude ..."

When I let go of a sound weaker than the sound of rain with my eyes closed, the sound of two people exhaling reached my ears immediately afterwards.

After all it seems that they were worried that I was angry. I heard a small "good" from both sides, and I felt that the air was softer than before.

The silence is like tinnitus, and I'm sure that to Tiara, it's like holding your breath. It's extremely quiet, and I'm worried that my racing heartbeat might be audible to Tiara.

The left hand, which had been lifted a while ago, was slowly lowered to the same height as the one held by Arthur, with the feeling of being grasped by Stayle.

When I could afford to think in the corner of my head whether they were lined up, I was called "Pryde" again by Stayle.

I couldn't make a voice and I couldn't open my eyes, and when I returned by just squeezing the hands held by them, Stayle continued softly.

"First of all, I'm sorry for suddenly doing this. This is an oath to you that I and Arthur decided .... I was sure you wouldn't nod your head if I asked outright. Because. "

From the middle of the words, a sad color was mixed in so that it would sink into the softness.

I swallow those words, thinking that the two of them had decided.

Certainly, I would have been afraid to accept the kiss "desire" for whatever reason. Neither a "Sign" nor an "Oath" can be considered a joke. Especially in the case of an "Oath", the weight is different. Of course, both the royal Stayle and the knight Arthur are aware of it.

"But I really wanted to swear here .... I don't want this to happen again. And I want you to know our resolution once more."

Stayle's words delivered one by one were serious, and I knew immediately what he meant by a "situation like this" ... without asking.

I slowly open my tightly closed eyes. The dim room was blurry and hard to see, but the contours gradually became clearer, then the two holding my hands were there.

Stayle, who was kneeling down and looking up at me like Arthur, relaxed his face as soon as our eyes met. Arthur also visibly relaxed his tense shoulders, and ... I wonder how much I made these two gentle people suffer at that time.

How easily I, who fell into madness, trampled on the feelings of my important people. What terrible words did I give to them who tried to reach out to help me over and over again? You want to kill, you want to kill, you hate ... I can't count anymore.

"... Pryde, we will never leave you anymore. No matter how you change in the future, no matter how many people aim at you, we will absolutely protect you in the truest sense. "

Take a breath at Arthur's honest voice.

A voice without hesitation was presented with a stronger look than a blade.

In this case, I could definitely believe in the words of this person who faced me straighter than anyone else and stopped me over and over again. When I noticed, my facial muscles that were so tense loosenee, and my eyes were open normally. But still, my mouth doesn't open well.

For me who can't say anything, Arthur does not hesitate to spin the following words.

"We want the you now who we swore to here. No matter how you change in the future, we hope for the you now .... This is our vow to the you right now."

His eyes, which are the color of the will itself, are so transparent that I envy them.

With the serious look of Stayle next to each other, I can't let go of either of them. They gripped me so tightly that I wanted to regret having opened my eyes.

Arthur's words pierce my heart. As soon as I understood the meaning of the vow they had sworn to me, I felt awkward and uncomfortable. The back of my eyes gradually get hot, and I swallow the words that seem to be crowded many times and endure them.


"We will stop again ...! Even if something goes wrong ... I'll stop you again and again ..."

"We are here, we will continue to protect for the rest of our lives ...!"


What they swore to me was exactly what they said at that time.

Even if I fall into madness, no matter how much I change, they will watch over me forever. No matter how far I fall, fall, fall, sink, to the point that not even my fingertips can be seen, they will always look for me and find me.

Whether I'm real or fake now, they definitely chose me. ...... They said they chose the me now.

They wanted me, who made such a mistake, and was merciless and weak. And

"I'm on your side. No matter where you go, no matter who you choose, no matter whether you leave the country or lose your position and power .... we want you forever. I will continue to hope."

Stiyl's words are spun like a bite.

The words "on your side" makes me tremendously happy.

When I held my breath to suppress the emotions threatening to sweep me away, my face became tense. I couldn't hide my face with them holding my hands, and I turned my head to the side and hid my ugly face. I can't show such a face to the two who are kneeling at my feet.

However, my reaction made them confused again. After being called Pryde, Pryde-sama, I realized that I had done it again. If you turn your face away from the current words, it seems as if you are refusing. That's not true. I'm so happy that I really want to cry now, both because of their feelings and their vows.

When I opened my mouth, the thread seemed to break, and instead I grabbed their hands with all my might. When I squeezed it hard enough to think it might hurt, two hands that are stronger than mine gently squeezed back.

Arthur calls me in a calm, low voice and pulls me a little.

"... Show me your face. If you allow me, I'd like to swear to you again, this time from the front."

Pitiful, ugly, embarrassing, I can't show it. A list of emotions fills my head as if overwriting the gentle Arthur's words.

I hurt so many people, bothered them and made them suffer, they were so kind to ask for permission to give me an oath. I hate myself because I can't return anything to them and I can only thank them and apologize.

Still, I turned my face again as if I was snarling at the two gentle people.

As soon as I turned my eyes, I couldn't stand it anymore and my face was distorted to the point where I could even see myself crying. I'm sure my eyes are red and my face is wrinkled with too much force and it's terribly ugly. Even so, instead of worrying about the facial expression, the two looking up at me smiled happily.

My tense hands are squeezed back. And they slowly open their mouths without even visual cues to each other.

"Pryde. I want you now, who is innocent. I will continue to look for you, even if I am not an assistant."

"Pride, I want you, who is both stronger and weaker than anyone else. You can lose everything. I will always want to be your knight."

I can't stand it anymore.

The sight is blurred by a feeling of happiness that makes me happy and painful.

On the verge of blurring and disappearing, I saw them kissing my wrist again at the same time.

The two soft touches are still very gentle, and I don't know if the lips separate from my skin or still touch. I feel surrounded by the same drowning relief as when I was on the tower.

I'm stiff and uncomfortable, and make a squeaky sound. I couldn't wipe the tears that overflowed, and I exposed my messy faces in front of them. I was barely able to stand.

Two people who wanted and found the me "now."

Even though I'm awful and weak and have committed such a terrible crime, to them, I'm still someone they care about enough that they want to leave me an oath.

I am filled with the same relief as when they hugged me on the tower. And they will surely remind me as many times as I want in the future.

I really thought it was okay no matter what. They swore to be on my side even if I lost everything. They promised that I would never be alone, even if I was abandoned or traveled all over the world.

My body trembled to the depths of my core, and even when I tearfully moved my mouth, there was no voice to give thanks. My throat is tingling, but I have convulsions, so it's more painful.

Strong eyes narrow but open as tears flow endlessly, there was nothing to be seen but my wet face.

Click.

...... I heard the sound of the clock hand strike clearly.

Immediately after that, the voices of the two were gently released.

Called with the same gentle voice as Pryde and Pryde-sama, it makes me feel uncomfortable and painful.

The voices of the two were clearly combined in a world where the field of vision was dark, whether my eyes were closed or opened.

"Happy birthday."

The words made my quivering knees fold beneath me.

I'm sure I've never had such a happy and tearful birthday in my life. You can't find such a wonderful birthday present anywhere in the world.

While shaking the hands held by the two, I put my strength into it. The temperature of the two who hugged me with their other hand was much warmer than I was.

Being sandwiched between two people, wrapped up in their arms, and leaking tears, he speaks in the usual way.

"Because we have already left an oath. Like with Gilbert and Val, never allow this wrist to receive testimony or oath again."

"Both are overwritten .... It's our only oath."

Yeah, yeah, I felt like my wrists, which I hadn't been concerned with until now, were mysteriously washed clean.

So you see, it's a sexy scene, but also...not really? (Tiara being in the same room the entire time is just...I am so sorry. Who is more red right now, I don't know.) And any shippy progress can be (and has been) waived away as them reserving Pryde's wrists so that Adam can't kiss her there again. Because even when she's insane, Pryde will instinctively protect the places where she's received oaths.

Which is why Book Two starts with everyone family/friendzoned in Pryde's heart. Except for Val (and Colm, I guess), who continues to reap the benefits from not being a Capture Target. Which means literally nothing in middle school. Sigh. Maybe next story arc. (I want to learn more about Stayle's history, but I also want this neverending month inspection to end already. Call me when Dios, Croy and Amulet get to high school.)

Ahh...and now I have to go back to summarizing the end of the Happy Ending Arc. Why can't Adam just go die in a ditch already.

Also, what complicated character relations chart on page three, I've been the main contributer here since page two and I haven't written anything like that. Like, what's complicated? Stayle and Arthur are best friends/wingmen and Val and Leon are drinking buddies/friends/wingmen, and Joan and Lance try to play wingmen for little brother Cedric, too. And everybody but Cedric is in love with Pryde. Except Gilbert is in deep denial because he's happily married to his childhood sweetheart, so he doesn't notice. Gilbert is also a wingman. Pryde's. As soon as she decides who she wants.

 

Accusations have been made. So I'm gonna give a quick and easy character list. Only mentioning the main characters.

Freesia Kingdom
Royal Family

Spoiler

Rosa Royale Ivy.
Has wavy golden hair. Met at 26 during the Family Arc, currently 37 at the time of the Successor Arc. Special ability person of Precognition. Queen of the Freesia Kingdom. Died before the first game in the series.
- Has no idea how to raise Pryde.

Albert (full name unknown).
Has red hair. Met at 29 during the Castle People Arc, currently 40 at the time of the Successor Arc. Prince Consort of the Freesia Kingdom. Died before the first game in the series.
- Best friends with Gilbert.
- Primary caregiver to Pryde.

Wes Royale Ivy (birth name unknown).
Has blue hair and blue eyes. Met at 24 during the Brother Arc, currently 35 at the time of the Successor Arc. Special ability unknown (possibly memory erasure). Regent of the Freesia Kingdom. Imprisoned by "Pryde" before the first game in the series; was eventually freed and retired.
- Married late and has a daughter and a son.
- Probably buried the Rajah Empire general in his back yard.

Pryde Royale Ivy.
Born June 14th. Has wavy crimson hair and purple eyes. Reincarnated at 8 years old during the Castle People Arc, currently 19 at the time of the Successor Arc. Special ability person of Precognition. First Princess of the Freesia Kingdom and Last Boss of the first game in the series.
- Personal maids are Marie and Lotte.
- Personal guard is Jack.
- Hates "Pryde" the most.
- Uses "Jeanne" as an alias.

Stayle Royale Ivy (birth name unknown).
Born July 25th. Has black hair and black eyes, favors black-framed glasses. Met at 8 years old during the Brother Arc, currently 17 at the time of the Successor Arc. Special ability person of Teleportation. Adopted as the First Prince and future Regent of the Freesia Kingdom and a Capture Target in the first game of the series. One of Pryde's fiancé candidates.
- In love with Pryde.
- Best friends/training partners with Arthur.
- Slowly starting to forgive Gilbert.
- Wants to protect Powell.
- Uses "Phillip" as an alias.

Tiara Royale Ivy.
Born February 14th. Has wavy golden hair and golden eyes. Met at 7 years old during the Family Arc, currently 16 at the time of the Successor Arc. Special ability person of Revelation. Second Princess of the Freesia Kingdom and the Heroine of the first game and recurring character throughout the series.
- Personal maids are Chelsea and Curler.
- Will absolutely protect Pryde.
- Taught to throw knives by Val.
- Tsundere over Cedric.

Freesia Castle Staff

Spoiler

Gilbert Butler.
Born November 29th. Has light blue hair and light blue eyes. Met at 24 during the Brother Arc, currently 35 at the time of the Successor Arc. Special ability person of Age Manipulation. Chancellor of the Freesia Kingdom and hidden Capture Target in the first game of the series. Gilbert's route is the canon game route.
- Married to Marianne.
- Father of Stella and unborn child.
- Best friends with Albert.
- Feels eternally grateful to Pryde.
- Uses "Gilles" as an alias.

Freesia Knights

Spoiler

Roderick Beresford.
Has silver hair and blue eyes. Met during the Family Arc. Special ability person of Slash Invalidation. Knight Commander of the Freesia Kingdom. Died before the first game in the series.
- Married to Clarissa.
- Arthur's father.
- Best friends with Clark.
- Provides adult supervision to Pryde.

Clark Darwin.
Has blond hair and silver eyes. Met during the Knights Arc. Special ability person of Water Evaporation. Deputy Commander of the Freesia Kingdom. Died before the first game in the series.
- Married and has a sister.
- Best friends with Roderick.
- Keeps Harrison in line.

Alain Berners.
Born October 10th. Has golden brown hair and orange eyes. Met during the Sword Arc. Pryde's guardian knight and 1st Division Knight Captain of the Freesia Kingdom. Died before the first game in the series.
- Has a huge family with more than ten siblings.
- First love is with Pryde.
- Friends with Colm and Eric.

Eric Gilchrist.
Born December 9th. Has maroon red hair and maroon red eyes. Met during the Knights Arc. Pryde's guardian knight and 1st Division Knight Deputy Captain of the Freesia Kingdom. Died before the first game in the series.
- Has two younger brothers (youngest Keith).
- Greatly respects Alain.
- Treasures crimson handgun given by Pryde.

Colm Bordeaux.
Born January 10th. Has red hair and reddish brown eyes. Met at 21 years old during the Knights Arc, currently 28 at the time of the Successor Arc. Special ability person of Super Strength. Pryde's guardian knight and 3rd Division Knight Captain of the Freesia Kingdom. Died before the first game in the series. One of Pryde's fiancé candidates.
- Pressured by parents to marry Pryde.
- Older brother is heir to family title.
- Friends with Alain.

Arthur Beresford.
Born August 27th. Has silver hair and blue eyes. Met at 13 years old during the Knights Arc, currently 20 at the time of the Successor Arc. Special ability person of Healing Illness (self-proclaimed Plant Energizing). Pryde's guardian knight and 8th Division Knight Captain of the Freesia Kingdom and a Capture Target in the first game of the series. Inherited the legendary title of "Paladin." One of Pryde's fiancé candidates.
- Idolized his father Roderick from childhood.
- In love with Pryde (doesn't realize for years).
- Best friends/training partners with Stayle.
- Loves all the knights, but especially Colm.
- Uses "Jack" as an alias.

Harrison Dirk.
Born October 30th. Has black hair and purple eyes. Met at 27 years old during the Alliance Negotiation Arc, currently 28 at the time of the Successor Arc. Special ability person of Super Speed. 8th Division Knight Deputy Captain of the Freesia Kingdom. Died before the first game in the series.
- Respects/Listens to Clark > Roderick >> Pryde > Arthur >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Stayle and the knights whose abilities he respects >>>>> Cedric.
- Was inducted into the knights by Clark.
- Is grateful to Pryde for saving Roderick.
- Thinks Arthur is the cutest.

Freesia Kingdom Citizens

Spoiler

Val (full name unknown).
Born September 4th (celebrates October 26th). Has dark brown hair and dark brown eyes, and dark skin. Met at 18 years old during the Knights Arc, currently 25 at the time of the Successor Arc. Special ability person of Earth Wall. Convicted sinner and delivery person of the Freesia Kingdom and a mid-game boss who died in the first game in the series. Signed a slavery contract to Pryde.
- Family with Sefek and Kemet.
- In love with Pryde (doesn't know it yet).
- Drinking buddies (friends) with Leon.
- Still wants to hit Cedric.
- Really hates Wes.

Sefek (birth name unknown).
Celebrates birthday October 26th. Has brown hair. Met at 11 years old during the Sinner Arc, currently 14 years old at the time of the Successor Arc. Special ability person of Water Production. Delivery person assistant of the Freesia Kingdom. Originally born to the Bastier family. Died before the first game in the series.
- Escaped from her birth family.
- Family with Val and Kemet.
- First love with Val.
- Friends with Tiara.

Kemet (birth name unknown).
Celebrates birthday October 26th. Has black hair. Met at 7 years old during the Sinner Arc, currently 10 years old at the time of the Successor Arc. Special ability person of Ability Enhancement. Delivery person assistant of the Freesia Kingdom. Died before the first game in the series.
- Family with Val and Sefek.
- Greatly respects Val as a protector.
- Friends with Tiara.

Marianne Edwards Butler.
Has light pink hair and light pink eyes. Met at 27 years old during the Sick Person Arc, currently 32 at the time if the Successor Arc. Died before the first game in the series.
- Born to a Count family.
- Has two older sisters (Annie, Mary).
- Married to Gilbert.
- Mother of Stella and unborn child.
- Friends with Rosa.

Amulet Eflon.
Has brown hair and vermilion eyes. Met at 14 years old during the School Arc. Special ability unknown. Heroine of the second game in the series.
- Wants a job in the palace to meet Stayle.

Helen Farnum. (source: Helen of Troy)
Has white hair and warm grey eyes. Met at 17 years old during the School Arc. Secondary character in the second game of the series.
- Has two younger brothers (Dios and Kouroi)

Dios Farnum. (source: Castor and Pollux)
Has white hair and leaf-green eyes. Met at 14 years old during the School Arc. Special ability person of Synchronization. Hidden Capture Target in the second game of the series.
- Has an older sister (Helen) and a twin brother (Kouroi).
- In love with Pryde.

Kouroi Farnum. (source: Castor and Pollux)
Has white hair and leaf-green eyes. Met at 14 years old during the School Arc. Secondary character in the second game of the series.
- Has an older sister (Helen) and a twin brother (Dios)
- Tsundere over Pryde.

Powell (full name unknown).
Has golden hair. Met at 14 years old during the Sinner Arc, currently 17 years old at the time of the Successor Arc. Special ability person of Electricity Manipulation. Capture Target in the third game of the series.
- Rescued from slavers by Stayle.

Anemone Kingdom
Royal Family

Spoiler

Leon Adonis Coronaria.
Born April 17th. Has blue hair and jade green eyes. Met at 17 years old during the Fiancé Arc, currently 20 years old at the time of the Successor Arc. First Prince of the Anemone Kingdom and Capture Target in the first game of the series.
- Betrayed by his two brothers (Homer and Erwin).
- Dissolved engagement with Pryde but still loves her.
- Drinking buddies (friends) with Val.
- Ruined the Bastier family as a favor to Val and Sefek.

United Kingdom of Hanazuo
Cersis Royal Family

Spoiler

Lance Silva Lowell.
Has golden hair and fire-red eyes. Met at 22 years old during the Alliance Negotiation Arc, currently 23 at the time of the Successor Arc. King of the Cersis Kingdom. Driven insane before the first game in the series; cured during the Cedric route.
- Older brother of Cedric.
- Shares a brotherly relationship with Joan.
- In love with Pryde
- Formerly one of Tiara's fiancé candidates.

Cedric Silva Lowell.
Born August 9th. Has golden hair and red eyes. Met at 17 years old during the Alliance Negotiation Arc, currently 18 at the time of the Successor Arc. Second Prince of the Cersis Kingdom and Capture Target in the first game of the series. One of Tiara's fiancé candidates.
- Younger brother of Lance.
- Shares a brotherly relationship with Joan.
- Has a worshipful relationship with Pryde.
- In love with Tiara.
- Deeply regrets everything he did in Freesia.

Chinensis Royal Family

Spoiler

Joan Linne Dwight.
Born July 16. Has white hair and golden eyes, favors fine-rimmed glasses. Met at 21 years old during the Alliance Negotiation Arc, currently 22 at the time of the Successor Arc. King of the Chinensis Kingdom. Minor character in the first game of the series.
- Shares a brotherly relationship with Lance and Cedric.
- In love with Pryde.
- Formerly one of Tiara's fiancé candidates.

Rajah Empire
Former Freesia Citizens

Spoiler

Adam Borneo Nepenthes (real name unknown).
Has purple hair and blood red eyes. Met at 19 years old during the Sinner Arc, currently 23 at the time of the Successor Arc. Special ability person of Madness. Crown Prince of the Rajah Empire and mid-game boss who escaped in the first game of the series.
- Replaced the Rajah Emperor's firstborn son.
- Considers Pryde his masterpiece.

Tippett Sethos (real name unknown).
Met during the Sinner Arc. Special ability person of Transparency. Concubine of the Crown Prince of the Rajah Empire and Heroine of an unknown game in the series.
- Adopted by a nobleman in the Rajah Empire.

Hope it's not too confusing for you.

 

lmao wait i feel like i need to clarify this first

when i said "complicated character relations chart on page 3", i was hoping to imply that since there's a great magnitude of plot for over 1k+ chapters now, i found it hard to keep up with what's happening unless it's isolated per arc HAHAHA t'was supposed to be completely figurative

in short, i wasn't placing fault on you at all, i was just ridiculing my inability to keep up with what's happening in the series, considering that i'm still making a plan for said fic and am currently debating whether i'll be canon compliant or escape to the hills with what little i know

btw thank you for that translation! stayle in glasses is now a weakness of mine and ill forever bereave the fact that it isnt illustrated in the manga so far ;m;

holy shit an actual guy is able to defeat best boy stayle??? hjsdfhljaskdf DAMN ok, alright, im gonna add that to the list of reasons why i should try to catch up, which would pose a great threat to me considering i'll have to mtl 1k+ ch myself with a vengeance. i think im gonna block off my entire winter break

IM GONNA CRY ASDFKJHK i feel bad for him but also that's funny, it's ok stayle you have fangirls

ah i did get the vibe that it's very plot centric, but HOLY SHIT, i cant comprehend how the author plans to go about that. the romance is so slowburn they havent even turned the stove on

why do i get this ominous feeling that they'll be doing this restart progress thing every time until the games are completed

 

omg @DarkeAOU i feel bad fhdjfhajls it was supposed to be a joke i swear, i hadn't meant to force you to *actually* make a character relations chart im so sorry LMAOOO ;w; but for all that it's worth thank you for making it, the service you're doing for thirsty heretical last boss queen readers is near godly

 

To be honest, I'm wondering if the list looks incomplete without character descriptions. Since I noted down everyone's hair and eye colors, too.
* Just added it.

The character chart wasn't hard at all though, since I already had something in the works for it (with a bit more detail). This one is fairly bare because you wanted "less confusing."

But yeah, I try to keep putting new things on here. I'm obsessed. And, you know, procrastinating on the brainwashing arc. Like I did when I read it the first time.

The glasses aren't in the manga yet because they're a gift from Arthur! (Given offscreen, sadly.) So you've got a couple more chapters until Stayle starts wearing them. But he starts wearing them basically immediately after the Knights Arc, so it won't be long.

 

ngl, when i read that there will be brainwashing, my mind immediately flit to thinking "hey isnt this awfully convenient to wash off the black soot from OG!Pryde's timeline"??? and i kind of maybe sorta ,,,,, dig it. not adam, he sounds like a douche and he can fly right off, but the levels of angst that the humongous arc and pre-arcs has seem like it would make me cry. so im saving it for future escapism.

btw i just skimmed the thread so forgive me if this has been answered, but did stayle remember the OG timeline (partial or complete)? is he aware of the 'game' from Pryde's prev world? and if so, was it a Big Deal for him? OG!Pryde did force him to commit matricide, and i doubt that's any less traumatic even if he got a restart

im so sorry for bombarding you with questions (that might be repetitive), feel free to answer it whenever! for now, upon learning that homeboy stayle WILL get his background cut open and left to hang at the laundry line at part 2, i've decided to just not comply with the canon at all and make the "fic" a tiny private project HAHA

tiny addendum: upon learning that there's more stayle/arthur friendship scenes, i fear for the day when i mtl out of sheer desperation and inevitably fall to the rabbit hole, never to resurface

 

Nope, no one remembers the events of the game except for Pryde. There are frequent game flashbacks, but it's explained in the aftermath of the brainwash arc that those are "Vanishing Futures." Which means that no one remembers them, they're just upsetting dreams that fade from memory by the time they wake up. (I'm speculating that Tiara is unconsciously showing the guys these dreams in her sleep, because her special ability is showing others futures that she's forseen...and she's been having these dreams since she was six--and forgetting them, since they're Vanishing Futures.)

Pryde is obviously masking her game knowledge by calling her memories predictions, but she also gets legitimate predictions later on, too. And she hasn't told anybody about her previous life...they just think she's messed up because she foresaw an entire country celebrating her death at the age of eight.

Spoiler: their thoughts

They think that if an eight year old child saw such a future, it's amazing that her personality was not further distorted.

 

@DarkeAOU thank you for the spoilers! At first I would've wanted to read the WN but when I saw the number of chapters and it's still ongoing... I decided to abort the plan and just stick to the manga So you really helped us a lot and they're all super detailed and concise. I read all the spoilers you gave and somehow I started to jump ship into the PrydeXVal because of you when I was originally shipping Stayle for ML.

Spoiler: Gonna be a long rambling of my analysis on ValXPryde

Somehow reading all the moments between Val and Pryde from the spoilers made me think that everything that Val does is a grand saga on how he tries his hardest to gain recognition as Pryde's most suitable consort lol And like everyone just keeps shoving him troublesome tasks (esp Stayle and probs Gillbert) to judge whether he was truly worthy of their jewel and joy Pryde and even if he does, they'd still mess with him just to spite him or something like that

On the other hand, I can't really gave much comment about Pryde. A lot of the trope about reincarnated individuals are that they acted more mature sometimes and treat some people close to them as their juniors, so maybe actions that Pryde thinks of as just comforting a child or something is thought of as romantic by shippers (like me).

My rose-colored glasses made me think that Pryde really have affection to Val more than she thinks though. Like, that phase of mutual pining where two people likes each other but one person was too oblivious to their own and the other person's feelings to even think it was love. I mean, I can imagine Pryde hugging Stayle or Arthur and crying when they just woke up from a heavy injury, but jumping into their arms and let them hug you fully like how you coddle a baby? Maybe not

The not otoge love interest is already a huge pros for Val, and the proposal(?) in the fiancé arc? Perfect because 1) He's not forcing her, but give her a new option and 2) She seriously considered his proposal and gave a reply. Part of me also wants her to just elope but eh Pryde loves her country and takes pride in being the 1st princess so Val gotta work harder to gain approval so he can be a prince consort instead no matter how ridiculous it might sounds to everyone

TLDR: I approve of Val amd Pryde. I hope author will give us ValXPryde as endgame or there will be mobs and pitchforks from my village

 

Can someone spoils moments for Prydex Arthur or Prydex Stayle?? those are my ships I kind of prefer them more than Val

 

First off, welcome! Val/Pryde is a great ship. And I'm not just saying that because Val makes me laugh (though he does). Spent the entire day today in the emergency room, and let me tell you, I really missed him.

Gilbert knows that he has no right to judge Val since normally he'd be hung with the same rope. But I think you misunderstand Stayle's actions here. It's not that he wants to test Val, it's that he believes Val is the appropriate tool for the job he wants done. Gilbert has Val collect information about illegal activity in Freesia. Stayle has Val perform rescue work. Tiara brings Val to render the Rajya Empire's entire army useless.

None of these things have anything to do with Val's job as a delivery person (except arguably for Gilbert's), but in each case, Val is uniquely qualified to accomplish each of these tasks. And he is paid with the right to stay beside Pryde, and also actual cash money. (They just want Val to stop flirting with her. )

The only ones who are skeptical of Val and want to separate him from Pryde are Mom, Dad, and Uncle Wes--because they don't know about Pryde and Val's history or relationship, and only know Val as a criminal who is too close to Pryde. (Which is why Val actively hates Wes, and only considers Stayle a mild annoyance at worst.)

Nope! The thing about this series is, our protagonist died at 18 years old before reincarnating as 8-year-old Pryde. When Pryde met Val in the Knights Arc, he was 18 to her 11. So going by that argument, Val would only be three years younger than her. He's the closest thing she has to a peer. And if you look at their interactions, particularly in the Celebration Arc, that's exactly how Pryde treats Val. Every touch that Val has given Pryde, she has reciprocated. The only thing (aside from the Oaths) that Pryde hasn't done yet is fall asleep on him. But we've got time.

That said, Pryde is slightly off-brand in that she thinks of herself as a kid after reincarnation. A very mature kid, but that's part and parcel of being a princess.

EDIT: More specifically in this case, until the War Arc, Pryde has thought of/treated both Stayle and Arthur as children. (She has a brief moment of surprise in the War Arc when she notices that Stayle is growing up.)

I would laugh so hard if this happens, because the thing about Val is, he doesn't want glory. He doesn't want credit for any of his noble actions (rather, he wants to bury them). For Val to be considered eligible as Pryde's Prince Consort, he would literally, physically have to save Pryde/Freesia in the most public way possible, where his actions cannot possibly be concealed, and become as renowned as Arthur (who received a legendary title for his actions during the brainwash arc). Which, to be fair, Val would absolutely have the power to do (with Kemet backing him).

But I think that Val would absolutely hate every minute of it and insist on still being a delivery person, where he can have some degree of anonymity. Eloping is possible, but becoming Prince Consort, even without any power or responsibilities attached to the position...that would be harder.

I think it would be fantastic if they were endgame, too. It's just a more mature relationship for Pryde, won't contradict her entire worldview, and won't leave me starting blankly at the screen like if Pryde ends up with Stayle or Arthur. (Because if she is going to hook up with someone that massively codependent, then she should just take them both home with her. Why even bother picking? )

At most, Pryde would have to accept Sefek and Kemet as Val's family, which is absolutely no problem since they all love each other anyway. (Pryde just wishes that they would call her "Pryde" instead of "Lord" like Val. )

 

Hmm...sure, if you want me to. It would take a couple days, though (since I'd have to literally reread everything from the Gilbert Arc, plus I still need to finish summarizing the brainwash arc). Should I include the Stayle and Arthur friendship scenes, too?

Well, it would be fairer to the ship debate to have all three competing men fully visible.

 

@Zeref_96

So the very first shipping scene is actually a Stayle & Arthur scene. That's just how they roll, go with it. (I thought about trying to separate Stayle and Arthur's scenes with Pryde, but it's a triad relationship. I am not kidding. These two are more inseparable than conjoined twins.)

Again, naming the scenes according to chapter. The following excerpts do not contain the entire chapter. (You'll have to wait until the translator reaches this point to read the whole chapter, or TL it yourself.

First, the last chapter of the Knights Arc!

EDITED (Arthur POV) 39. The Future Knight and the Adopted Brother

Spoiler

"... May I ask a question?"

There were so many things that Arthur didn't understand, so he had to ask.

"Go ahead," Stayle-sama answered.

"Why do you care about me becoming a knight ... Why does First Prince Stayle need a training partner such as myself ...? There are many other things for you to learn as a member of the Royal Family, such as law and rulership, and other things ..."

The prince was busy. That was something that even Arthur was aware of. Furthermore, Stayle-sama was originally a commoner who was adopted into the Royal Family. Arthur was sure that he still had a lot to learn. And as the prince, there were a number of people to protect him, including those from the Knight Order ...

"I want to protect Ane-kun."

... Arthur was speechless.

Stayle-sama answered without the slightest hesitation.

All of his questions were answered with a single sentence.

"As you know, Ane-kun is strong. However, it's true that the incident two days ago was her first combat experience."

Two days ago ... The time the cliff collapsed.

Stayle-sama looked down as he continued to speak.

"I am sure that Ane-kun will repeat her rash actions in the future. So long as the people she wants to protect are within her reach."

Yeah. Pryde-sama was that kind of person.

Arthur knew that very well.

"Yet Ane-kun is not invincible ... She told me herself, 'I can never win against raw power.'"

That was when Arthur noticed.

As he recalled Pryde-sama's fight two days ago.

Pryde-sama wielded her sword against a number of much-larger adult opponents.

Yet she only dodged and parried, and avoided getting caught in a battle of strength ...

Arthur realized it once more.

That's right, she is ...

"Ane-kun is a fragile young woman with no strength."

Stayle-sama said, as if reading his mind.

"Ane-kun was only eight years old when I came to live in the palace. Yet from that time on ... she was already afraid of something."

She was afraid ...?

Arthur remembered Pryde-sama's words the day before.

'The moment that you have judged me to be an enemy to the people of this country ...'

A cold chill ran down his spine.

Stayle-sama continued to speak without realizing his discomfort.

"I do not know what it is that she fears ... But I can tell that there is an intangible sense of turmoil weighing on Ane-kun even now."

Arthur remembered what his dad told him that morning.

There were negative rumours about Pryde-sama even now.

"I must protect Ane-kun. Everything I have learned so far is for that purpose. That's why I decided to study swordsmanship."

Stayle-sama pointed his sword at Arthur again.

"It's still not enough."

The sharp gaze did not resemble a kid's at all. Arthur could see his strong willpower.

"I want to become stronger. I have to protect Ane-kun ... but I'm still too weak."

Despair darkened Stayle-sama's eyes.

"Even if I grow stronger, it won't be enough if I'm only as strong as Ane-kun."

Stayle-sama tightened his grip on his sword.

"I am prepared to risk my life to protect Ane-kun. But I cannot lose. There is no point if I am unable to protect her even after risking my life."

Stayle-sama leapt out at him.

Arthur blocked the overhead swing with his sword. The clash of their swords echoed throughout the training hall.

Their swords slid against each other.

"It's still not enough."

Stayle-sama said it again.

As if he was far from satisfied with himself as he was now.

"Even if I can protect her from the political machinations of the adults, and the evil plots against her ... it still won't be enough. Without strength that surpasses Ane-kun, and raw power ... When the violence is over!!"

Stayle-sama held the hilt of his sword with both hands for more power. The blade approached Arthur's face.

"I won't be able to protect Ane-kun."

The point of the sword was right there by his face.

Arthur grasped his sword hilt with two hands as well, and pushed the blade aside.

Stayle-sama retreated a few steps.

"Arthur. You will surely grow stronger. Stronger than me, stronger than Ane-kun ... You will become stronger than anyone else."

*Shorter because we're literally right here in the translation right now.

Next is the Sword Arc!

(Arthur POV) 49. The Merciless Princess is Defeated

Spoiler

I took the hand of the seated Pryde, and pulled it.

Pryde-sama, who stood up without difficulty, leaned against me with that momentum. My face gets hot again because of Pryde, who says "I'm sorry" while bracing both hands against my armor.

Pryde-sama is so close to me that I was worried about the smell that I didn't care about during the previous bout, the length of my eyelashes, and so on.

Pride, who slowly regains her posture, is still standing at a close distance to me, so I look at her from top to bottom again.

… Wow, good looking.

It may be rude to say armor looks good on a woman, but honestly, the crimson dress was a great match for her hair color.

The appearance of a knight was reminiscent of Pryde, who fought by tearing a slit in her dress during the cliff battle two years ago, and the moment I saw it, my heart seemed to stop.

Moreover, since Stayle called it "matching", I really wondered if my heart would burst as it was. On top of that, it's a duel with Pryde. I wanted to see how much my helpless self who couldn't do anything two years ago has changed now, and whether I was a little closer to the Pryde of that time.

I once heard from Stayle that "my sister's strength is out of the standard". It's just her talent. It's true that for the past two years, I've been working with Stayle almost every day, but I've never seen Pryde practice once.

Yet, this strength.

At first it was a wait-and-see, but soon I did it seriously. I used my whole body to disarm Pryde-sama and send her sword flying. … But I'm having a hard time like this. In addition, Pryde has a top-notch sniper skill. In terms of overall strength, Pryde is far stronger than me.

… It's still not enough.

I have to be stronger and stronger.

I also joined the Knights main corps. I will learn more from now on. Then more. Until I'm strong enough to win against opponents that even Pryde struggles with.

Then, after all, I shouldn't ask for more.

Suddenly, I wonder what I was thinking when I decided to join the Knights.

But then, together, "that" is about to change ...

After all it is difficult without an opportunity.

But now I don't have time to stop. Two years ago, I swore to myself that I would move forward step by step.

"It's true, Arthur. You really can beat my sister."

Then the Gilbert Arc!

(Pryde POV) 55. The Ruthless Princess Stops

Spoiler

"I have many things to say to you, but ... I'll just ask this now. Did you say you want to be taken back to the castle? Are you a sinner prepared to admit all of your sins? Then I'll use my special ability right now and teleport you to the dungeon. Or will you not plead guilty and just blame my father? If you're not a sinner, I don't have to take you anywhere. You can just walk home. Either way, it's your fiancée who is the root of your evil."

"Stayle‼ ︎"

This time, I will raise my voice with all my strength.

At my words, Stayle shook his shoulders. While holding the edge of his glasses for a while, Stayle looks back toward me.

He looked like I had never seen him before.

His eyes were about to start crying, distorting his face with hatred and anger.

Chancellor Gilbert is down on the ground and clenching his fist on the spot. He continues to mutter Marianne's name, trembling with a murky voice.

"Why ...? Pryde ... To such a man ... Why show mercy!"

His hands are shaking. It seemed that Chancellor Gilbert would be stabbed to death if Stayle was stimulated even a little.

I silently touched Stayle's sword in an attempt to lower it.

What should I do, these eyes, facial expressions ... I know from the previous game.

It looks exactly like the expression on Stayle's face when Pryde ordered him to kill his mother the day before Tiara's birthday.

"Why ...‼ ︎ This guy, to Pryde ... He tried to sacrifice anyone ... People ... He thought it was okay to tilt the country‼ ︎"

It sounds like he's saying that he should kill him right now. I'm sure he hasn't been able to make a calm judgment.

"I'm sorry, Stayle. Still, Chancellor Gilbert ..."

"This guy isn't the man you believe in Pryde! He's an adult who has only thought about kicking you down or using you until today! Until now ... until now ..."

At that point, Stiyl clenched his teeth and wept in his eyes.

Stayle's appearance is painful, and I hug the Stayle in front of me, knowing that I should give priority to Chancellor Gilbert now.

I squeezed him with my arms and patted his head, holding the face of Stayle, who was about to cry.

"I'm sorry, Stayle. Still, he's my beloved nation."

That said, Stayle grabbed my body back with both arms. The sound of the sword pointed at Chancellor Gilbert fell to the ground.

"Hmm ... that guy ... hurt ...‼ ︎ from long ago ... your name ... you ... again, again, again, again, in places you don't know ... forever ..."

Because of such a man. Continuing on, hugging Stayle who tried to endure his tears, I somehow found out.

He hates Gilbert because of me.

"Thank you, Stayle. You surely protected me without my knowledge."

Saying that, I stroked his head over and over again.

As I do so, the arms hugging me gradually loosen.

At the end, as if the poison had been removed, Stayle slowly lifted his arms away from me, took off his fogged glasses, rubbed his eyes with the sleeves of his clothes, and said in a small voice, "I'm sorry."

… Good, it's the usual Stayle.

* Not strictly speaking a Stayle/Pryde scene, but I had to let Stayle call Gilbert out.

(Arthur POV) 62. The Knight Thinks

Spoiler

I'm glad I had this special ability.

It wasn't a shameful power.

It certainly made sense, right now at this moment.

When I thought so ... I was in tears.

I have to thank Pride.

Who gave meaning to my special ability.

Above all, showing me how to save the people in front of me while I could still make it in time.


"There are people who I want to help. But in order to do that, you'll have to ... make a big difference in your life. I don't know if it will get better or worse ...! "


It didn't really matter whether it was good or bad.

Even if at the worst, my life ... My life as a knight. Even if that changes.

Rather than that, I hope to have changed today the lives of those two people.

I just want to keep the unwavering belief that Pryde has in me.

I want to be proud that I was able to save people with my special abilities.

"... It's a lot ... Pryde ..."

When I remembered the day today, my voice suddenly leaked.

I thought I could finally help Pryde-sama, but in the end I felt saved again.

Spread both hands on the bed and fall down.

"Give up, my sister has always been that kind of person."

Stayle cuts me off in one word and groans on the spot.

“……………… You know how she is.”

Yes, I know. That's why I decided to devote my everything to that person.

"... N? ... Is Temee okay?"

I don't care about me. That's Stayle.

Look only at Stayle's neck.

Instead of laughing at Stayle, who knows what's going on, I sigh.

"Temee ... I didn't really expect that about Chancellor Gilbert."

Chancellor Gilbert ... my first impression was that he was a spooky and creepy man. Even so, Stayle didn't seem to think much about the Chancellor Gilbert. On the contrary, he even hated being called similar to Chancellor Gilbert. On top of that, his confession. To be honest, at the time he admitted to spreading Pryde's bad reputation, I decided to hit Chancellor Gilbert someday.

But Stayle's anger shouldn't have been at this ratio. I know how much this guy has done for Pryde for a long time. What Gilbert did was an act of trampling the efforts of us and Pride, a betrayal of all the royal family.

I can't forgive him

(Stayle POV) 62.1 The Adopted Brother is Ill-Mannered

Spoiler

Oh, I want to kill this guy right now.

The hand holding the sword seems to move seriously.

For such a man, I've been for five years

"Stayle! ︎ ”

Pryde's voice made my thoughts white for a moment. Thanks to that, my hand stopped trying to swing my sword.

Immediately after that, it was Arthur's words that crossed my head.


〝… Which one is similar.〟


It was the words he said when he talked about the similarities between me and Gilbert at the Knights Order.


〝… Buwa ah .... Isn’t that? 〟


No, he said.

I was honestly happy with the words.


"Unlike that Chancellor, Temee ... You haven't had such a bad luck now and in the past."


Oh, it's different. I thought so.

Nevertheless.

Reflexively hold down the glasses that Arthur gave me. If Gilbert is different from me, if you're worried about it, just hang it up. That said, it was a gift for me.

… But what about the me now?

Like Gilbert, I am cunningly calculated and trustworthy, and understand the feelings of criminals. I keep asking questions.

What's the difference between Gilbert, who I kept hating, and me now?

Looking back towards the Pryde, she looked terribly surprised.

I wanted to protect this person.

From dingy adults, from Gilbert.

I hate Gilbert from the bottom of my heart.

I can't forgive Gilbert, who tried to make use of Pryde while he fell.

I want to kill him right now.

However, to Pryde that may not be good.

She would give mercy to such a man and try to forgive him.

Such a man has no such value.

"Why ...? Pryde ... To such a man ... Why show mercy!"

I want to kill.

I want to stop the breath of this man as it is.

I won't hesitate myself.

This man who tried to trample my Pryde cannot be forgiven.

"Why ...‼ ︎ This guy, to Pryde ... He tried to sacrifice anyone ... People ... He thought it was okay to tilt the country‼ ︎"

I hate Gilbert, I have a grudge, I'm annoyed, and above all

Scared.

That this guy that might one day hurt my Pryde.

A human like Gilbert. A dingy adult.

... a human like me.

Those thoughts were already in my head, and I didn't know if it was Gilbert or myself who wanted to hurt Pryde, who it was that I hated so much that I wanted to kill him.

Pryde apologizes to me for some reason and still tries to protect Gilbert. I forgot my position, and this time I interrupted the words of Pryde and shouted.

"This guy isn't the man you believe in, Pryde! He's an adult who has only thought about kicking you down or using you until today! Until now ... until now ..."

When I said that, my emotions were so crowded that I couldn't stand it.

Pryde doesn't know. How much this man has spread Pryde's bad publicity.

Until now, how much Pryde has been striving to become a queen who thought about the people.

I always wanted many people to know it.

However, due to Gilbert's notoriety, a person who does not know Pryde will believe in rumors as Gilbert wants, and other people slap his back.

Until now, how much Pryde has been tossed around by this man only because of her name and existence.

It must have been none other than Pryde that was hurt by this man the most.

"I'm sorry, Stayle. Still, he is my beloved nation. "

Still, she forgives this man.

With that said, I was hugged by Pryde, who stroked my head, and was advised, and the heat of my boiling head quietly melted away. The sword slipped out of my hand as all my power was released. Unable to bear it, I squeezed Pryde's body as hard as I could.

… How can this person be so innocent?

"Hmm ... that guy ... hurt ...‼ ︎ from long ago ... your name ... you ... again, again, again, again, in places you don't know ... forever ..."

I hated it and couldn't help it.

Pryde has always been hurt by such a man.

That pure and beautiful name was dirtied many times.

Regrettable, regrettable, regrettable.

I've known the true nature of this man for five years.

Until today, I couldn't beat this guy.

To such a pitiful and miserable man.

Every time I heard rumors about the bad reputation of Pryde, I couldn't forgive it.

I couldn't afford to give up on Pryde's value, whether he tried to make use of it or throw it away.

I couldn't afford to sacrifice even this country that Pryde loved.

Why am I so helpless?

After five years of hard work, I couldn't protect my Pryde even from such a man.

I just got sick, my heart got dirty, and I approached that hateful man, so I think I'm not suitable for Pryde.

"Thank you, Stiyl. I'm sure you protected me for a long time without my knowledge. "

That was just one word.

With just that one word, I felt that everything was forgiven.

All my weaknesses, ugliness, and filth.

The warmth of Pryde purified the stagnant parts of me, and every time she stroked my head, my heart was healed and filled.

What would have happened to me at that time if Pryde hadn't done that?

Perhaps I would have really crossed the line in my hatred and fell.

Then I'm sure I couldn't be near Pryde anymore.

Thanks to Pryde, I was stopped.

Above all, when I saw Marianne and Gilbert saved by Arthur ... I thought from the bottom of my heart.

I'm really glad I didn't have to kill Gilbert.

(Stayle POV) 62.2 And Promise

Spoiler

"I have all the brains and skills I need to match the Chancellor! Unlike me ... he's different!"

At the end, I swing a pillow to hit Arthur's feet. When I stopped throwing and breathed on my shoulder, Arthur also stopped throwing.

"... Hmm ... Hmm ... I might not have been able to ..."

Words leaked while looking down.

Arthur says ah? I bite my teeth and left it to the momentum to raise my face.

"... I might not have been able to protect my sister ...‼ ︎"

There were special abilities to heal the illness.

At that time, if the back-office workers knew about Arthur's special abilities and Gilbert exchanged that information for my sister.

When I think so, I'm scared and feel unbearable.

"Oh ... he was ... strong ..... all the people working behind the scenes ... he defeated them ... even the sword ..."

I can't beat all of them by myself even now.

The last time Pryde helped me with Gilbert, who was surprised.

Otherwise I couldn't win.

Yet Gilbert conquered them alone.

"At that time ... Gilbert was ... pointing his fangs directly at my sister ..."

I'm sure I would have been robbed of my Pryde without help.

I endured it even before Pryde, but as soon as I put it into words, tears overflowed regardless of my intention.

Arthur said nothing and stared at me as if to listen.

I'm disappointed for him to see me crying, so I wipe it with the sleeves of my clothes, but even if I wipe it, tears overflow.

"In the end, I ... I wasn't able to win against that guy ... I couldn't beat him ... I've worked so hard ... Until now ... Today ... Can't I protect my sister?"

Buff.

The pillow hit my face again.

Arthur kicked the pillow up to me with almost no movement.

The moment a slightly damp pillow falls from my face, I catch it and glare at Arthur again with my eyes full of tears.

"Wow, oh, oh, you just couldn't protect it!"

Arthur was already looking straight at me before I glared at him.

"Temee was protecting it! You've been talking about Pryde for a long time before me!"

He spoke in a manner similar to swearing, and told me the exact opposite, and I was amazed.

"When I was a kid, when I heard Pryde-sama's bad rumors, there were a lot of similar rumors all over the city, but now, even if I come visit with my mother or go down to the city, Pryde-sama's bad rumors are gone. I don't care what it is .... Temee was holding them down. "

I lost my words.

"Tell me, who? In a place where only the royal family and seniors could stay, who was blocking it every time that stingy snake approached Pryde. Who? Who was closer to Pryde than anyone else? Who continued to spread the rumors and reputation of Pryde? Who? Protected Pryde so that no one would look at her poorly. What continued to support that. "

He stood up from his bed and slowly walked towards me. I noticed that his eyes were much more angry than mine.

"It's all Temee!"

He looked down, yelled, and almost cried in his eyes.

"So what if you couldn't protect Pryde even if you fought.⁈ I guess you were right before! I wonder if you thought you could protect the person alone against anything!"

I can't help but listen to Arthur's words. I didn't think he would deny the sword with him as he brushed his arms.

However, with the following words, he cannot completely hide his upset this time.

"I'm for that!"

Yelling, Arthur slammed his fist into his chest. The low bang sounded like a heartbeat.

"Didn't Temee say it first when it was decided for me to join the knight's main corps."


"Are you satisfied with this?”


This is the first word Arthur gave to me when I went to see him after he won the main corps exam.

I understood the meaning of Arthur's words at that time without confirming it.

"Temee said it two years ago. Become a knight quickly. Didn't I hear it that time? Why are you telling me something strange?"

Arthur, who was so terrifying that he couldn't say what he had forgotten, continued to say, "Why?" If I can't answer, it's a feeling of intimidation that I'm likely to be killed.

Of course I remember.

I wanted Arthur to become a knight early.

So when Arthur became a recruit and when he joined the main squad, I was really happy and happy.

Because…

"I'm a shield to protect my sister from political power and intangible things. And Arthur, I want you to be a sword that protects my sister and slashes anyone who exercises physical power."

That's it.

I did say so.

So I wanted Arthur to become a knight early and protect our Pryde.

Looking at me with his eyes wide open, Arthur took a step back with a tongue-in-cheek.

"I'm not screaming. Temee properly did the role of Pride-sama's shield."

I was playing a role.

For some reason, I was saved by those words.

Stunned by the shock, Arthur extended his hand in front of me.

"Promise me."

In a word, he keep going to me with a few wrinkles between his eyebrows.

"From now on, when Pryde moves, be sure to call me. Absolutely."

I can only ask Temee, who is near Pryde, for this kind of thing. While saying that, he gives me a strong look.

And as soon as I grabbed Arthur's hand, he said in a clear statement.

"I will protect Pryde, you, and Tiara all at once."

(Pryde POV) 63. The Ruthless Princess Goes to Visit

Spoiler

The moment I tried to speak to Marianne, who thanked and instructed the guards to leave, and got up from bed and welcomed us.

Doss! ︎

… Somehow, a tremendous noise echoed in the room.

Surprised, I turned to the sound, where Arthur dared to slam his fist into Chancellor Gilbert's belly. Chancellor Gilbert was holding his belly and curling his back with a voice that didn't sounf like him. Stayle shook his shoulders behind Arthur and laughed unusually.

"Oh, Arthur⁈ Suddenly what ..."

The guards trying to leave the room are pale wondering as to whether Arthur should be suppressed, and Marianne and the maid are surprised and holding their mouths with both hands.

"I'm sorry."

Arthur bowed his head, saying so without any ill will, and slammed his fingers.

"I've long since decided that the guys who spread Pride-sama's infamy will someday be on the verge of dropping."

As it was, Arthur, who stood proud as a prince, said, "I had decided to hit him from a week ago," and was a little sick.

I was wondering why ⁉︎, but Marianne was worried that her fiancé would be okay with this, and when I looked back, he had a bitter smile.

"Well ... I hit you, so as you please, Chancellor Gilbert. I will receive the punishment for my violent actions against the Chancellor later."

At last, Stayle laughed with his belly at Arthur, who straightened his posture. It may be the first time for me and Tiara to see Stayle laughing like this.

Then, for some reason, I heard a laugh different from Stayle's laughter. When I looked, Chancellor Gilbert was shaking his shoulders, holding his belly that was beaten by Arthur.

When I saw a suspicious grin, I felt a sense of crisis, and unconsciously pulled Tiara closer to me.

Then, Chancellor Gilbert, who slowly raised his body, showed his face. He called "Arthur Beresford," and Arthur replied with a slightly tense look.

“……… You are… really wonderful.”

Chancellor Gilbert laughed, saying that, with his sharp eyes sharply pointing at Arthur, he gently lifted his mouth and smiled with an indescribable smile.

I didn't understand the meaning of the statement at all, but for the time being, Chancellor Gilbert did not seem to get angry after that, and returned to his posture as if nothing had happened, and smiled at Arthur.

"Punishment is ridiculous, because I was did more than enough to be beaten."

As it is, don't worry. Arthur twisted his head a little strangely at Chancellor Gilbert's laughter.

Only Stayle, who managed to stop laughing, had a dark smile behind Arthur saying, "Good Arthur, do more."

*Also not a shipping scene, but I think it's important.

At this part of the story, the romance quotient is sadly lacking. But they're young still...is what I want to say.

The next story arc is the Home Party Arc, which has more sweet scenes...or rather, Stayle and Arthur explode over Pryde's gap moe.

Arthur is two years older than Pryde, and Stayle is one year younger. So in the Knights Arc, they're 13 and 10, in the Sword Arc they're 15 and 12, and in the Gilbert Arc they're 16 and 13.