WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

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◈ The Pushover Young Lord in a Romance Fantasy Won't Take It Anymore ◈

Chapter 16: Are You Upset?

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"Have we met somewhere before?"

Astin tilted his head slightly.

His deep, subdued gaze held no particular emotion.

"Who knows? We may have crossed paths once."

His voice was indifferent and dry. Lucia accepted the explanation inwardly.

Astin was the direct heir of the grand ducal house that ruled the Empire's west.

There was a good chance they had run into each other at one of the countless social events or banquets they had attended in the past.

Neither remembered it. The memory had simply remained somewhere in the backs of their minds.

Lucia searched her memories for a moment. For some reason, she desperately wanted to figure out when they had met.

'No, that's not what matters!'

She came to her senses.

Wasn't he the scoundrel who had brutally beaten her close friend?

"Y-you. I know all about what you did to Azelin."

"Do you? I'd almost forgotten about it already."

Lucia's brow creased at Astin's listless reply. That shamelessness, without a speck of remorse. Her eyes sharpened.

"His Majesty the Emperor is arriving!"

The chamberlain's announcement thundered through the ballroom.

Every sound in the hall died at once.

The nobles all turned their heads, as did the four men who had been watching Astin with murderous eyes.

"Enjoy the evening, Lady Lucia."

While her attention was elsewhere, Astin leisurely disappeared into the crowd.

Lucia wanted to run after him, grab him, and smack him over the head. But she could not cause a scene in front of the Emperor.

Biting her lip, she turned to greet His Majesty.

"Miss Sia."

Crown Prince Zenon had been cautiously watching for a chance to close the distance.

He finally approached and spoke in a low voice. His eyes held a deep wariness toward Astin.

"What is your relationship with that young lord of Cardenos?"

"Nothing. If I had to put it any way..."

Lucia shot Astin a fierce glare.

"He's an enemy. An enemy who humiliated my friend."

"Ha ha ha! What a relief. I was worried that violent man might have designs on you."

Lucia merely nodded vaguely.

She watched Astin's retreating back as he moved farther into the crowd, biting down on her lip.

'Astin von Cardenos.'

According to the rumors, he was a wastrel who spent every day prowling entertainment districts and drowning himself in pleasure.

A scoundrel who had raised a hand against his fiancée after obsessing over her and being repeatedly rejected.

Even at a glance, his rugged features and roguish appearance suited those rumors perfectly.

"He looks like a total chain smoker."

He looked like the kind of man who would lure an innocent young lady into bed, have his way with her, then tuck a cigarette between his lips.

Lucia's sense of smell was sharper than most people's.

She had expected him to reek of stale tobacco, but Astin's scent was a little unexpected. He smelled clean and fresh.

Perhaps he took some pride in his natural scent, since he did not cover it with perfume like other nobles.

Of course, no matter how he smelled, that bastard still needed to be taught a lesson.

* * *

"Hoo..."

I quietly swallowed a sigh of relief.

I'd expected Lucia to react like that.

From a friend's perspective, it was enough to make anyone see red.

No matter what had actually happened, it was only natural to believe your friend's words first.

Luckily, I got away at just the right time. If the Emperor hadn't arrived, we probably would have gotten into an argument.

"Brother."

Celine came trotting over from afar.

Young ladies really were exhausting.

She had spent hours getting dressed up at the estate before leaving.

Even after arriving at the Imperial Palace, she had reapplied her makeup, smoothed the wrinkles in her dress, fixed her hairstyle, and checked her gloves and fan.

"You're a whole new person."

At least the long wait had been worth it. Celine looked undeniably prettier.

"Now go do well. This is your debut, isn't it?"

"D-do what?"

"Go make some connections."

Celine's eyes darted around uncertainly.

She obviously didn't want to leave my side. Fidgeting with the hem of her dress, she even hid behind me.

"Ah...!"

I quickly stepped aside and pushed Celine forward with a hand against her back.

If she kept hiding behind someone, she would end up a useless wallflower.

She had to mingle on her own and lead conversations for people to think well of her as a noble young lady.

That was how noble society worked.

"Don't chicken out. There's nothing to be nervous about."

"...."

Celine nodded as if resigned.

After taking one deep breath, she cautiously headed toward the group of noble young ladies.

Surely they wouldn't look down on her or give her a hard time just because she was illegitimate.

If there was a young lady so flower-brained that she would do that, I had no intention of standing by.

"Damn, you startled me."

When I turned my gaze, I flinched.

Four men were glaring at me as if they wanted to kill me.

Hm. I knew all those faces.

They had been like that ever since I exchanged a few words with Lucia.

"Lady Lucia, you are as beautiful as ever today!"

"Ahaha... Thank you. You're very beautiful too, my lady."

Lucia was keeping one eye on me too.

She was buried in the crowd and only attacking me with her stare, but the moment an opening appeared, she looked ready to come straight for me.

"Ahem."

Their stares stung.

A lot. Really a lot.

I gave up on the idea of clearing things up with Lucia directly.

Not because I thought she might say, "How am I supposed to believe you?" It was more because of those four men.

Even the Crown Prince was staring at me as if he wanted to kill me. I needed to be careful.

Ignoring those five, I started walking.

Even a wastrel with a rock-bottom reputation had to show his face around a little.

Holding a glass of champagne, I confidently headed toward the center.

"Ahem."

"Oh, my."

Whoosh-

The crowd split apart like the Red Sea the moment I appeared.

Whenever our eyes met, people startled and looked away, then slowly stepped backward.

It was like they were dealing with someone carrying a plague.

"Seriously."

Now that I thought about it, I wasn't in any position to worry about Celine.

A wastrel young lord who had turned a delicate young lady's face into mush.

Rather than feeling wronged, I let out a disbelieving laugh.

Noble duties, my ass. Should I just hole up in a corner and sip the leftover wine?

I enjoyed some time alone after that. Almost by force.

- Ah, may I have your attention!

The tedious social gathering was reaching its height.

- Lords and ladies! You have waited long enough!

Snap-

The lights in the hall went out, and the auctioneer's voice boomed through the ballroom. The surrounding chatter quieted as well.

The auctioneer offered the usual thanks for the Emperor's benevolence, then said something about all the esteemed guests lending splendor to the event.

Anyway, the Founding Festival Commemorative Auction had begun.

- We cannot waste even a single second of your precious time! Please take your assigned seats!

Everyone took their seats and held their numbered bidding paddles.

I knew how the Founding Festival went, at least from the novel.

In a typical auction arc, the cliché was for the protagonist to secure a hidden prize nobody knew about, or a slave with hidden potential.

But the Founding Festival I had seen as nothing more than words on a page hadn't contained a damn thing like that.

All I remembered were socializing, ringlet-haired young ladies going, "Oh ho ho," third-rate villainous nobles, and Lucia's debutante ball at the end.

A minor subplot like the auction had been skipped outright.

- Our first lot is a treasured piece from the master jeweler Termion! An opal crystal crafted through Master Termion's devoted labor! The starting bid is five million shillings!

If there had been a hidden prize, Lucia, the protagonist, would have secured it first. Since she hadn't, that meant there was nothing.

So I had practically no expectations for the auction.

- Eight million shillings, sold! Our second lot is a treasured possession of Court Count Baldiak! An incense burner excavated from ruins in the Duchy of Arken! The starting bid is seven million shillings!

Jewelry crafted by the finest artisans. Rare artifacts excavated from ancient ruins.

One after another, luxury goods that would make nobles drool went up on the stage.

The room grew heated, and bidding paddles fluttered constantly through the air.

Weapons forged by renowned masters were among the lots as well.

I wasn't particularly interested. I had better things at home.

- Our next lot is the twelfth item!

By then, the auction was already past its midpoint.

- An artifact accessory personally crafted by the top student of the Imperial Academy and rising star of high society, Lady Lucia von Elzerna! The starting bid is ten million shillings, and-

"Twelve million shillings!"

A bid rang out before the auctioneer could even finish.

There were plenty of nobles who wanted to win Lucia's favor.

Sure enough, countless nobles raised their paddles and called out bids.

"Fifteen million!"

"I bid twenty million!"

"Thirty million!"

The four men were, without question, the fiercest among them.

They locked eyes with murderous intensity as their bidding paddles stabbed the air.

What a ridiculous money war.

Were they trying to buy the item, or buy a woman's affections with money? I would bet on the latter.

The original novel never revealed who won this mess. The entire auction portion had been skipped.

Still, the result was obvious without needing to think too hard.

'It'll be the Crown Prince, obviously.'

No matter how powerful the nobles or how wealthy the merchant guild masters were, their opponent was the Empire's next sun.

Neither an individual nor a house could possibly defeat the Imperial Family's overwhelming financial muscle.

"Fifty million shillings."

It was a relaxed bid that crushed the competition in one blow.

At Crown Prince Zenon's words, the room quieted as if cold water had been poured over it.

Just as I expected.

- Fifty million shillings! Any higher bids? No? Three, two, one! Sold! Sold to His Highness the Crown Prince for fifty million shillings!

The Crown Prince let out a hearty laugh. Naturally, his greasy gaze was fixed on Lucia.

Lucia's lips trembled as she clapped with an awkward smile.

At this point, she felt burdened by all the men. Even I could tell that much.

Still, when the debutante ball came around, Lucia would choose the Crown Prince.

According to the original story, they would dance together at the debutante ball.

Then, little by little, she would share her affections with the other men and build a reverse harem.

That was Lucia, the romance-fantasy protagonist I knew.

"Damn, just thinking about it makes my stomach churn..."

I was going to have to watch that sickening display.

- We will disclose everything transparently! After deducting the commission, eighty-five percent of the winning bid, forty-two million five hundred thousand shillings, will go to Lady Lucia, the consignor! At Lady Lucia's request, this amount will be donated to those in need!

Clap, clap, clap!

Applause broke out.

"As expected of Lady Lucia. What a kind heart."

"To donate all that money... I don't think I could even give half of it."

"No wonder His Highness the Crown Prince keeps lavishing his affection on her."

It was a good thing to do. I clapped as well.

Lucia was the protagonist, and protagonists were always on the side of good.

She had played around with men until the end of the world came, but...

At heart, she was a good person.

She understood the greater cause too. Lucia was the only one who fought with me until the very end.

- Our next lot is the keepsake of the late General Vermang, former commander of the Imperial Regular Army's Third Legion. The General Star Sword of the Ring!

The overheated atmosphere subtly cooled.

What went up on the stage was clearly different from the magic swords that had received such praise earlier.

An old sword with plain decorations, marked by the passage of many years. I studied it closely.

"What is that?"

"It just looks like an old sword..."

"Who was General Vermang again? Some general from the old days?"

"He died more than ten years ago. I only know the name myself."

General Vermang. As a knight, I naturally knew that name.

More than a retired soldier, he had been a knight who had defined the golden age of the Rings.

Even at the moment of his death, he donated all his wealth to the order of knights and put his beloved sword, which had been with him throughout his life, up for auction.

He left a will saying that every shilling from the sale should be used to train the next generation.

- The starting bid is four million shillings!

Four million could be considered cheap if you thought of it as buying not only a sword, but also his honor and the years he had lived.

I looked around for no particular reason.

"Ahem..."

"Four million..."

The nobles who had been raising bids until then fell silent. The same people who had bid more than five million on luxury goods.

The reason was simple.

That sword could not serve as a luxury item.

Knights could not even use it in battle.

Rust covered parts of the hilt, and the blade was chipped too badly to restore.

At best, it could only be used as a decoration or a ceremonial sword.

Gulp-

Someone swallowed in a corner of the hall.

A group of white-haired old men sat there with tense expressions.

Their trained physiques told me they were General Vermang's former comrades.

They watched their fallen comrade's sword on the stage anxiously. Glancing at the crowd's reactions, they swallowed dryly.

Their eyes begged for someone to place a high value on the sword. They desperately wanted someone to preserve their dead comrade's dignity.

"...Four million two hundred thousand shillings."

"Four million five hundred thousand."

"Four million seven hundred thousand shillings here."

Bids came sporadically from the crowd. Even then, only small amounts trickled in.

They were sympathy bids, casually tossed out by great tycoons who wanted to do the bare minimum for appearances.

The General Star Sword of the Ring was a famed sword with somewhat limited use, as it was compatible with the Sun Ring.

And the legacy of the Sun Ring was treated as washed-up everywhere.

Even now, whispers of "a relic of a bygone age" passed among the nobles.

They didn't know that Luna was an Outer God's puppet string.

But even if they did not know, it was wrong of them to appraise its worth so cheaply.

They did not respect the honor of knights who endured hardship.

The Sun Ring deserved respect in its own right.

"...Would it not be better to pool our funds?"

I looked toward the old knights. They had already lowered their heads as if they had given up.

"Yes. We cannot let General Vermang's sword rot away like this."

"Then let us combine whatever we can afford. If I sell even my gold ring... I could scrape together about one million."

"I can give one million five hundred thousand. What about you?"

They wanted to preserve General Vermang's dignity.

I couldn't let that happen.

Anyone with any sense would mock the old knights for being so transparent.

- Five million shillings! Any higher bids? If not, it will be sold at this pri-

The auctioneer stopped speaking. His eyes fell on me.

I straightened from where I had been leaning against my chair.

Then I raised my bidding paddle high and waved it.

- Number 326! State your bid!

"Fifty million shillings."

Every sound in the hall stopped.

I could feel a barrage of stares so intense that my skin prickled.

Among the countless eyes turned toward me, Lucia stared at me with an astonished expression.

Even after our eyes met, she simply sat there and kept staring.

Was she...

Was she upset because I bid exactly as much as her item had sold for?

Author's Note

I thought applying for Plus would make it happen right away! Aaargh!!

Footnotes:

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