WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Natty
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Copy Skills with Affinity! ◈
Chapter 18: Prince
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“... Lady Noel. Are you all right?”
Stella asked worriedly.
Noel had been deathly pale for some time now, so it was only natural that Stella would ask.
Even when they stood together on the battlefield, Noel had never shown this much agitation. Yet ever since the Prince took Aiden away earlier, she had remained like this.
“If you are unwell, please rest for a while. I will make an excuse to those nearby.”
“... All right. I’ll be back in a moment.”
Noel forced a smile and rose from her seat.
She stepped outside the banquet hall for a moment. Beyond the noisy, glittering venue, the cool night air rustled through her hair.
“...”
Noel looked toward where the wind had come from, her expression hardening.
With senses beyond those of an ordinary person, she could clearly see what lay beyond the darkness.
Mr. Aiden. And the Prince.
They sat across from each other at a table, talking about something.
Noel drew a deep breath.
‘I have no right...’
To interfere.
No matter what they were saying, she had no right to stop the Prince.
Considering the kind of “past” she shared with him, that was only natural. There was a reason she had let Aiden go so readily.
She turned, trying to move away from the people in the distance. With her hearing, she would be able to hear every word they said even from here.
“Break off your engagement to Lionheart.”
... Had she not heard those words, she would have done so.
“In return, I will grant you anything you desire, Mr. Aiden.”
“-”
Noel came to an abrupt stop.
Without realizing it, she looked at Aiden’s face.
She did not know why that was the first thing she did upon hearing those words, but somehow, she felt she had to.
He merely stared at the Prince without any particular reaction, his expression unreadable.
“... May I ask why you are making such a demand?”
At Aiden’s hoarse question, the Prince laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them.
“Dawn is coming, Mr. Aiden. Soon, many interesting things will happen within the Imperial Capital.”
That unreadable smile still rested lightly on his face.
“I simply do not wish for a good citizen such as yourself to remain beside such a vile person and get caught up in such matters.”
“Did you just call Lady Noel vile?”
“Ah, yes. Of course.”
Then.
Like a snake’s tongue coiling around its prey.
“It would take a while to explain, but to put it simply...”
The Prince’s voice lingered in Noel’s ears.
“... That woman ruined my future.”
For an instant.
“The woman known as Lionheart is a coward, a traitor, a failure, a murderer, and a fugitive. She cannot deny it herself.”
Noel stopped breathing.
“Is that not reason enough to call her vile?”
“...”
“Should you not be grateful that I am separating you from such a woman?”
“...”
“And I know who you are, Aiden Kellermain. I know what you want as well.”
The Prince said this with a smile.
“When someone becomes involved in matters beyond their station, they are bound to suffer greatly. Are you not taking on something you cannot handle?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I wish to give you peace.”
Aiden’s body went completely still.
Even to Noel, who had not spent much time with him, it was clearly the expression of someone who had been caught off guard.
In contrast, the Prince continued to look at him with a gentle smile.
“I am telling you to rest at home. Leave difficult matters to great people. Keep yourself away from dangers that may kill you.”
His certain words continued.
As though he naturally believed Aiden would want that. As though he were calmly stating a fact.
As though he were reminding him that someone had forcibly burdened him with a life that never suited him in the first place.
“And above all else.”
As though he was not finished, the Prince paused before continuing.
As though he would certainly give Aiden what he truly wanted.
“No matter what happens from now on, I will protect your family. No matter what. Even if it costs me my life.”
“...”
“I swear it on the honor of the Imperial Family. If that is not enough for you, I will even make a covenant with Karba, the chief deity. I keep my word.”
“...”
“Throw the woman who forced such a... harsh fate upon you to me. Return to your original life.”
Noel clenched her hand until it bled.
He was not wrong.
Everything Aiden Kellermain was going through now had begun when he met her.
Not because he wanted it, but because of her.
“...”
She let out a ragged breath and lowered her head.
After hearing all that, the answer Aiden would give was obvious.
And then.
A feeling of rejection rose within her.
‘... Why?’
She herself did not know why she was reacting this way.
They were bound by a contract. There was no reason for them to emotionally support one another.
If Aiden accepted the Prince’s offer, she could simply find someone else and fill the role somehow. Their relationship was not one in which they gave each other any greater value than that.
But.
‘I don’t want to hear it.’
She did not want to hear that man speak words of rejection.
For reasons she could not understand, that thought came to her without warning.
She wanted to leave at once, but her legs felt as though they had been nailed in place, lacking even the strength to move.
Then, when Aiden quietly opened his mouth, Noel squeezed her eyes shut.
“Your Highness.”
But.
“You’ve got some nerve saying that about my fiancée.”
The words that followed were completely unlike what she expected.
... Noel’s eyes flew wide open.
▣
A chill settled over the table.
After hurling an insult at a direct member of the Imperial Family, such an atmosphere was only natural.
“... It seems you still do not understand.”
Yet despite hearing that, the Prince remained silent for a moment before speaking without any change in expression.
“She has a good public reputation, certainly. That is because the Imperial Family and the military made her that way. But...”
“There must be propaganda mixed in. There were probably many terrible things during the war. I never thought Lady Noel was entirely innocent to begin with.”
“...”
“As Your Highness says, Lady Noel may be different from how she appears. I will not deny that.”
Aiden replied calmly.
“But even so.”
Calmly, but firmly.
He spoke the words.
“I have no intention of breaking off the engagement.”
Certainly, everything the Prince had said was surprising from beginning to end.
It was clear that he and Noel had some kind of unpleasant history. Otherwise, he would not hold such plainly visible hostility toward her.
But.
No matter how dark or serious those matters were.
There was a reason Aiden could never give up this marriage.
-Quest Info
▶ Failure to complete the events listed here will result in massive penalties!
◈ Fake Marriage
- You have been chosen as Lady Noel’s spouse. Maintain your contract with the other party to the end!
The reason he could never give up was written right there in no uncertain terms.
‘Is this bastard trying to get me killed...?!’
No matter what happened, he could not give up his relationship with Noel...!
It was do or die. There was no answer but to keep it going...!
“You will face many things you cannot handle.”
As the Prince spoke in a deeply serious tone, Aiden ground his teeth inwardly.
No, he understood everything the man was saying, but...
‘If I break off the engagement, I’ll die immediately...!’
He somehow turned that desperation into a relaxed smile.
“I am prepared.”
At his immediate answer, the Prince fell silent for a moment.
It was as if he were weighing Aiden because he could not understand what he was thinking.
“... You would do well to think carefully.”
The Prince spoke in a cold voice. He was probably warning Aiden that they could become enemies as well.
‘What am I supposed to do about that...?!’
It was better than dying right away, damn it...!
“It does not matter.”
When he answered without hesitation again, the Prince stared at him with a speechless expression.
“... Why go this far? You are only bound to Lady Noel through a contract.”
What reason was there? He was doing it because he had to...!
But there was no point explaining that. No matter what he said, the Prince would probably keep pressing him like this.
So, he needed to think.
Aiden did not know why the Prince was demanding that he break off the engagement, but he at least needed to stop him from continuing to interfere with their relationship like this. It was annoying and incredibly troublesome.
The best excuse to put a stop to it at once would be...
‘Ah.’
There was one.
Even if it would not solve everything, it could stop the Prince from trying to force his way in and “persuade” him.
“I.”
Aiden smiled brightly.
As though it were a completely sincere truth without a trace of falsehood.
“I like her.”
... He lied without even batting an eye.
It was the boldness one would expect from a man whose profession was con artistry.
“...”
For the first time, the smile vanished from the Prince’s face.
As though he had never imagined receiving such an answer.
“... You like her?”
“Yes.”
“... For such a reason, you would make an enemy of the Crown Prince? The man who will rule the Empire?”
“Yes.”
Silence fell.
It was far heavier and quieter than before.
After a long time passed like that.
“Ha.”
With that brief exhale.
“Ha, hahaha!”
A loud burst of laughter followed.
-System Message
▶ You make contact with “Usurper,” Arden Brimstone Lionel.
▶ [Malice] Level increases by 1!
▶ A new function of “Weaver of Fate” is unlocked.
▶ You copy a “Mutated Skill” from the target!
“...?”
Aiden frowned at the system window that appeared next.
He had never seen anything like it before. Until now, he had copied skills as Affinity increased. What were Malice Levels and Mutated Skills supposed to be?
But before he could even finish considering that question.
Another window appeared.
-System Message
▶ Target “Noel Astria Seamus”’s Affinity increases.
▶ The increase in Affinity is extremely high!
▶ Bond Level surges from Level 3 to Level 5.
▶ 2 additional skill copies are granted!
▶ Your accumulated Bond is sufficiently high. The application method of “Weaver of Fate” will soon change!
▶ Relevant details will soon be added to the Main Quest!
▶ A new entry is added to the quest “Fake Marriage”!
“...”
What was with this person now...?
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