WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

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

Chapter 36: Talk About Killing the Mood

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Up close, Selena's skin looked even more pitiful than I had expected.

The Selena I remembered had skin as white and dewy as snow.

Even without touching it, it looked firm and bouncy, enough to rival Celine's mochi-like cheeks.

It was only natural for me to feel bad seeing skin like that go to waste.

Without a word, Selena looked back and forth between me and the cosmetics. Her eyes asked what the hell I was doing.

She spent most of her days asking and answering with her eyes.

Selena was even more tight-lipped than Father, Valdemar.

"I have ten more jars to give you, Sister. Should I bring them all over?"

Selena's tightly pressed lips parted.

"Instead of wasting time joking around, go train."

"I'm not joking. Please accept your little brother's sincerity. I made it with you in mind. You can apply it to your wounds instead of ointment. Use plenty in the morning and evening, and they'll heal within three days."

The innate complex of being born out of wedlock. The endless blood and sweat she had shed to cast off that label.

Knowing her life, I could understand her hostility well enough.

Whoosh!

Selena suddenly grabbed me by the collar, pulling me close.

"You'll get yourself killed."

She muttered through clenched teeth. I remained silent.

Maybe my lack of response annoyed her. She shoved me away irritably.

"Just like you hate me."

As though she had touched something filthy, she dusted off both hands.

"I hate you too. Far more than you hate me."

"I don't hate you, Sister."

Selena's soft breath caught. Her movements froze for a moment as surprise flashed across her face.

I didn't miss that brief opening.

Quickly dabbing some pearly cream onto my fingertip, I reached for Selena's cheek.

The instant it touched her red, chapped skin, Selena flinched.

Smack!

Selena slapped my hand away, but I had already spread it over her cheek.

"How is it? Better, right?"

I was sure she'd change her mind after trying it once.

I forcibly took Selena's hand and pressed the cosmetic jar into it.

"Call me if you need more later."

Scamper!

I left as though fleeing, worried she might give it back.

* * *

After Astin left, Selena sat on the edge of her bed again.

She stared coldly at the glass jar she had accepted without thinking.

The thought that he had mocked her to the very end carved a deep furrow between her brows.

"Arrogant bastard."

Selena walked over to the trash bin. Without hesitation, she turned her wrist over it.

Thud.

The glass jar dropped into the bin.

It was satisfying to have it out of sight. If anything, she was disappointed that it had not shattered.

Selena dropped into the chair before her vanity.

Astin had mocked her over her damaged skin, but he wasn't wrong.

Her fingertips rose absentmindedly to touch her cheek.

It was the exact spot where Astin had ambushed her with the cream.

"...?"

Selena's silver eyes wavered slightly.

The feeling beneath her fingertips was noticeably different. Instead of rough and dry, it was soft and moist.

More than anything, there was the pain.

Her cheeks had always stung and burned whenever she washed her face.

The other areas still throbbed with heat, but the pain in this one spot had faded.

Selena hurriedly lifted her head and looked in the mirror.

"...."

Amid her red, chapped skin, one cheek alone shone porcelain white.

It gave off a faint glow and had become spotless, without a single blemish. The difference was so clear she could feel it in real time beneath her fingertips.

Could mere cosmetics really have such an effect?

Doubt rose within her, but she couldn't deny what she felt beneath her fingertips or what the mirror showed her.

Selena stared at the vanity mirror for a long time.

Knock, knock.

A light knock broke the silence.

"My Lady, I've come to clean."

When Selena opened the door, her assigned maid stood there.

Selena silently nodded. It was an unspoken permission to enter.

After bowing respectfully, the maid began cleaning the room with practiced hands.

Even while the maid cleaned, Selena's gaze remained fixed on the vanity mirror.

No, to be precise, she kept glancing at the trash bin reflected in the mirror.

...The trash bin containing the cosmetics she had thrown away.

"My Lady, I'll empty the trash bin."

Selena's shoulders jumped.

The maid was going to take it. The trash bin.

"Stop."

Selena spoke without meaning to.

Selena herself was surprised, but the maid's face turned pale.

Lady Selena had raised her voice to a servant.

Unless someone had made a mistake, Selena never spoke aloud.

"M-My Lady? Did I make some kind of mistake...?"

Selena swallowed a cough, trying to appear calm.

"The trash bin."

"Pardon?"

"That trash bin. I'll empty it myself. You may leave now."

The daughter of a grand duke was going to empty the trash herself.

The maid couldn't understand it, but she bowed first. She didn't dare question her master's command.

"Have a good day, My Lady."

Click.

The maid left, and Selena was alone in the room.

Step. Step.

The maid's footsteps grew farther away. Selena didn't move until she could no longer hear them at all.

Once complete silence settled in, Selena rose from beside the bed.

"...."

She pressed her ear to the door. There was no sign of anyone outside.

Then she glanced at the trash bin by her feet.

"...."

After a brief hesitation, Selena bent down.

Rustle.

The grand duke's daughter began digging through the trash.

The fact that no one else was there was at least some comfort.

* * *

I had arranged a trip to the imperial capital.

The biggest reason was, of course, to meet Lucia. Needless to say, I needed her as the exclusive model for the cosmetics.

There was somewhere I needed to stop first, though.

The Imperial Autumn Grand Hunt.

It was a hunting event dressed up with the grand excuse of fostering unity and martial skill among the Empire's young nobles.

Normally, only central nobles were invited. Why had they gone out of their way to invite me?

The reason was obvious.

The person who had sent word to Cardenos was Crown Prince Zenon.

He had set the stage to restore the pride bruised at the debutante ball and show off his martial prowess.

A massive magical beast forest stood on the outskirts of the imperial palace.

Numerous tents had already been set up in a clearing within the hunting grounds, where a cool autumn breeze blew.

Inside the crown prince's gold-trimmed tent, the heat from the great nobles who had finished hunting made the air stifling.

"Hahaha! It put up quite a fight, but it was worth it!"

Zenon drove his bloodstained longsword into the ground and laughed heartily.

At his feet lay a vicious magical beast with its head severed.

It was a Black-Horned Bear, infamous for being especially savage among low-grade magical beasts.

"As expected of His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"How did you cut down such a massive magical beast in a single strike?!"

"You are the Empire's pride, Your Highness! With His Highness the Crown Prince here, the Empire's future is assured!"

What are they talking about? That bastard is so crazy over a woman, he'd sell out the Empire.

The nobles surrounding him burst into applause. I also smiled faintly and clapped along.

For a moment, my gaze met the crown prince's directly.

He had been laughing heartily until then, but whenever he looked at me, his expression turned strangely sharp.

He was making it painfully obvious that he was aware of me.

'I expected this much.'

The day Lucia chose me at the debutante ball.

Since that day, the resentment of those three men toward me had become obvious.

I'd deal with merchant guild head Ethan later. He had dared poke the whiskers of a sleeping Black Lion.

Compared to him, Zenon was nothing.

His desire to quietly crush me was unpleasant, but almost cute.

'But what are you going to do about it?'

Suppressing a laugh, I turned around.

That bear the crown prince had caught? It was big.

Still, the magical beast I had hunted was a higher-grade creature.

A Venomous Boulder Toad.

The nobles were deliberately ignoring my prey.

They praised the crown prince, yet occasionally glanced my way.

The crown prince himself was no different.

He had called me here to crush my spirit, only for it to backfire. I could practically see him boiling inside.

"Young Lord Astin."

As expected, the crown prince strode toward me.

"Your hunting skills were excellent today as well. You truly are the Empire's sword, the eldest young lord of Cardenos."

It sounded like praise on the surface.

A closer look revealed the strange twist in his smile. Even his tone was barbed.

His intentions were obvious, but I smiled pleasantly.

"You flatter me, Your Highness. Unlike you, I was simply lucky."

There were times when I had to lower my head before the crown prince.

Zenon's lips rose slightly at my respectful attitude.

He downed his wine in one gulp, then shook the empty glass.

"No need to be modest. With your skill, it's a waste for you to stay cooped up in the west. I'm not joking. I think you'd be more than capable of being sent to the north."

Well, well.

So this was his real point.

"Like your sister, Lady Selena. Hmm, come to think of it, is she the eldest daughter born out of wedlock? Even someone born out of wedlock can achieve that much, so a legitimate son should do even better, shouldn't he?"

The crown prince swept his gaze over the gathered nobles.

"Don't you agree?"

The nobles exchanged wary looks before chiming in.

"Y-Yes!"

"A northern expedition for Young Lord Astin? The Imperial Capital Gazette will be thrown into an uproar again!"

"Haha! Exactly what I mean!"

You get to hunt comfortably here while your sister went north and suffered like a dog.

And you, the legitimate son? Are you going to keep doing nothing?

He was trying to humiliate me before the nobles in that way.

When I remained silent, the crown prince placed a hand on my shoulder.

"What, is the north too soon for you? Well, you're still young and lack experience, so it may be too much. I understand. I only said it in passing."

There was a nasty contempt mixed into his voice.

The nobles in the tent understood the crown prince's dark intentions as well.

They looked as though they expected me to bow my head in shame or laugh awkwardly and let it slide.

"By the way, Duke Beitern. Can someone born out of wedlock never become the heir of a house?"

"That is not the case. A legitimate son holds first place in the line of succession, but that may change at the house head's discretion. There have been quite a few cases where a child born out of wedlock inherited the house headship over a legitimate son."

"Hmm... Is that so?"

The crown prince shot me a sidelong glance.

How could he be so obvious about trying to provoke me? I should learn that skill too.

"Your Highness is right. I still lack the experience to go to the northern front. I haven't even set foot in the north yet."

Zenon's brows arched gracefully. The corners of his lips slowly rose.

"It's good to see you admit it. Yes, knowing your own limits is important. Some hot-blooded young men recklessly set foot in danger because they are too eager. You are wise, so you'll live a long life. Hahaha."

Pat. Pat.

He casually patted my shoulder.

"Don't take what I said earlier too much to heart. It isn't that you are lacking, but that Lady Selena is exceptional. You should be proud to have such a sister, shouldn't you? Regardless of bloodline, you should respect her as a person."

"That is correct. My sister is certainly a more outstanding and capable knight than I am. I've been learning from her and preparing for an expedition myself."

"Oh, an expedition? It can't be the north, so where are you planning to go?"

Every gaze, including Zenon's, turned to my lips.

There was no real expectation. They simply wanted me to answer already.

I slowly looked over the nobles gathered around me.

Then I met the crown prince's eyes at the far end.

"The Ashen Forest."

"...What?"

"I am preparing for an expedition into the Ashen Forest."

At my answer, the crown prince's nasty smile froze coldly.

Footnotes:

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