WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Pushover Young Lord in a Romance Fantasy Won't Take It Anymore ◈
Chapter 37: I See
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The Ashen Forest.
A land beyond human reach that even the Empire's military had given up trying to conquer.
In other words, even the Imperial Family had washed its hands of it. If my words were twisted, they could be taken as an insult to the Crown Prince.
If that was how they wanted to hear it, so be it.
“Puhahahahahaha!!”
Crown Prince Zenon was the first to react.
Clutching his stomach, he burst into uproarious laughter.
“The Ashen Forest! An expedition into the Ashen Forest?! Young Lord Astin, are you joking right now?”
“That’s what I’m saying, haha! The Ashen Forest?”
“Isn’t that boast a little too outrageous, Young Lord?”
Starting with the Crown Prince’s laughter, amusement spread through the nobles like an infection.
The Crown Prince even smacked my shoulder repeatedly as he laughed dramatically. Tears had formed at the corners of his eyes.
By the time the noisy laughter gradually died down and turned into awkward coughs, I calmly spoke again.
“I mean it. An expedition into the Ashen Forest.”
A breathless silence settled over the tent.
It was this easy to seize control of the nobles’ mood.
Say that I would do what they could not even dream of, and they immediately lost their nerve.
“Young Lord Astin. Did you mean what you just said?”
An elderly noble asked carefully. I nodded.
“Yes. I did.”
“That’s absurd! Do you even know what kind of place the Ashen Forest is?”
“I wouldn’t have brought it up if I didn’t.”
The crowd began to stir.
The room’s attention slid away from the Crown Prince and toward me.
“Think it over again, Young Lord. That is not courage, but recklessness.”
“How can you throw away Cardenos’s precious bloodline so carelessly?”
“It is no different from walking into your own grave. It is good for the young to be full of spirit, but you must not take your life so lightly.”
If Cardenos’s heir died pointlessly in the Ashen Forest, the political world, tangled as tightly as a spider’s web, would shake as though struck by a massive earthquake.
Everyone knew it, which was why they raised their voices to dissuade me.
“Enough with the noise! Why are you all making such a fuss?”
The Crown Prince, on the other hand, stopped the nobles who were trying to talk me out of it.
I barely managed to hold back a laugh. I would have been disappointed otherwise.
Thump!
As he had done before, he grabbed my shoulder again.
“Hasn’t he said that he wants to go? He intends to fight for his house’s honor. Trying to stop him would be disrespectful to a knight, would it not?”
His gleaming eyes urged me on.
“Besides, Young Lord Astin carries on the lineage of the Old Rings. Enduring a little hardship should be nothing to him. Isn’t that right, Young Lord Astin?”
“Yes, it is.”
I had expected the Crown Prince to push me toward it without a thought for the consequences. He was an idiot more obsessed with love than his country.
If I died on my own, he would be rid of a troublesome rival in love.
Nothing could please him more than my entering the Ashen Forest.
It was nothing new.
The Crown Prince had always abandoned state affairs, blinded by his love for Lucia.
And as he himself had said, there was Selena, the eldest daughter. Even if I died, Cardenos’s legacy would continue.
The Crown Prince smiled in satisfaction and patted my shoulder. What a hypocritical gesture.
“An Ashen Forest expedition. It is a plan grand enough to stir the heart just by hearing it. Go ahead and try it. I shall support your courage.”
“Um...”
At this point, I let out a hesitant sound, making my earlier declaration seem like the bluff of an impulsive young man.
The Crown Prince leaned in with a darkened expression.
“What is it? Don’t tell me you lack confidence?”
“To be honest, yes. I had been planning it for some time, but it is still the Ashen Forest.”
“Hah! How can a man go back and forth like this?”
Thump! Thump!
Zenon struck my back hard. This bastard really loved putting his hands on other people.
“Fine! If you truly set out on this expedition, I promise the Imperial Family’s full support. Does that give you a little more confidence?”
Perfect.
I widened my eyes as if startled.
“Y-Your Highness. Do you truly mean that?”
“Haha! How can a real man say two different things with one mouth?”
Zenon always tried to keep his word, especially declarations made in front of his followers.
A few words said to save face had made it possible to cover part of the expedition’s expenses with the imperial treasury.
“Imperial support!”
At this point, I switched off my brain.
Head-in-the-clouds mode: on.
“With that, success is guaranteed! What is the Ashen Forest compared to that!”
“Oh?”
“With Your Highness’s grace, we could even conquer the Demon Realm! Just give the order, and I’ll go anywhere to put on a little sword dance.”
Perhaps that was the answer he wanted, because the Crown Prince laughed heartily.
“Good! Very good! I, Crown Prince Zenon, give you my word! Whether it is equipment from the Imperial Knights or military funds, if your expedition needs it, I shall gladly provide it!”
“Your grace is boundless, Your Highness!”
“Just do not back out halfway through. A real man must take responsibility for the words he speaks.”
“I will remember that, Your Highness. Since a real man must stand by his word.”
So you’d better do the same. You absolutely must.
As the mood reached its peak, the Crown Prince raised his glass high.
“Now, everyone, raise your glasses!”
The Crown Prince’s shout echoed through the tent.
“To the success of Young Lord Astin, Cardenos’s heir, in his expedition!”
The nobles still only exchanged uneasy looks.
Is this really all right, Your Highness? Deep doubt showed on every face.
“To the Ashen Forest expedition!”
The nobles reluctantly raised their glasses.
It was the resigned reaction of people who had seen the Crown Prince’s head-in-the-clouds idiocy too many times.
“C-Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
Beyond the glasses raised into the air, I saw dozens of eyes fixed on me.
There was contempt for a little brat who did not know his place, concern for a pitiful noble, and even open mockery.
It did not matter.
I alone knew what they did not.
Clink!
I raised my glass and clinked it with theirs, then poured the wine down my throat in one gulp.
“Khah! How does it taste, Young Lord Astin?”
“The wine tastes especially sweet today. Thank you once again for your promise, Your Highness.”
“Haha! Yes, yes. Enjoy yourself before your expedition!”
The romance fantasy’s pushover Crown Prince was right here. Idiot.
* * *
Grand Etoile, the finest restaurant in the heart of the imperial capital.
I sat across from Lucia in a private room I had secured with difficulty.
“Does the food suit your taste?”
At my question, Lucia elegantly set down her fork.
It had seemed suspicious that she had been avoiding my neck and collarbone ever since we met.
Even now, she kept averting her eyes. For some reason, she also looked sulky.
“Is something wrong?”
“...”
Lucia pressed her lips together tightly.
After a brief pause, she answered bluntly.
“I had a nightmare recently.”
“A nightmare?”
It was a completely unexpected answer.
Could a single nightmare really put her in such a bad mood?
The Lucia I knew was not usually like this. Today, she seemed unusually moody.
No. Perhaps this had always been her personality.
I had met Lucia during the chaos of war in my first life.
“It must have been a vivid nightmare.”
“Yes, very. A lucid dream...”
She trailed off as if she truly did not want to remember it.
The atmosphere was too ominous for me to pry carelessly.
Stirring up a young lady’s complicated feelings would only tire me out.
I carefully took a glass bottle from my crossbody bag.
When I slid it across the table, Lucia cast it a sidelong glance.
“What is this?”
“It is the cosmetic I told you about before.”
Lucia, who had been avoiding my gaze all this time, met my eyes directly.
Looking slightly surprised, she picked up the glass bottle.
“This is it? The cosmetic you told me to look forward to?”
“Yes. Would you like to try it here?”
Lucia blinked.
“May I?”
“Of course. Shouldn’t we see how our bet turns out?”
The corners of Lucia’s lips lifted.
“You must be confident.”
I shrugged instead of answering.
Lucia lightly wiped her mouth with a napkin, then took a small hand mirror from her handbag.
She opened the lid, scooped out a little cream, and gently spread it over the back of her hand. Her touch looked very soft.
When she spread it over her face a moment later, a subtle pearl-like glow caught the light beautifully.
The change in Celine had been remarkable, but Lucia’s was even greater. It was enough to make me think, This is why she is the protagonist.
A clear emotion filled Lucia’s eyes as she looked at her reflection.
“Wow. This is awful.”
“...What?”
My thoughts stopped for a moment. Forgetting even what I had been about to say, I stared blankly at Lucia.
Pfft.
Lucia covered her lips with the back of her hand and quietly laughed.
“You’re so gullible. I was joking. I wanted to see the dumbfounded look on your face.”
“...”
“Seeing it in person is so refreshing. Show me that expression more often.”
If the Lucia I knew had acted like this, I would have smacked her on the head first.
Then we would have bickered again. “Don’t you see me as a woman?” she would have said...
“Are you listening, Young Lord?”
“Yes. I am.”
“To be honest, I thought cosmetics were just cosmetics. How different could they be? It seems I was wrong.”
Lucia examined her skin from every angle in the mirror.
“I am genuinely impressed. It spreads smoothly, and the subtle shine on my skin is beautiful. I think it is far better than the products supplied to the Imperial Family. The fragrance is not overpowering, either.”
It was a sharp assessment befitting an expert.
Feeling awkward, I cleared my throat first.
“I developed that cosmetic myself. I did not borrow anyone’s help. I made it alone.”
“Do you want to see my dumbfounded face too, Young Lord? Here you go.”
Lucia’s eyes widened. Her mouth also hung open foolishly.
She did not know it, but I had seen that expression quite often.
Lucia tapped her cheek as she hummed in thought.
“It does not irritate the skin, so it seems I could use it for a long time. With this, the noblewomen of the imperial capital may come knocking with bundles of money.”
Lucia set the trends in the imperial capital, so her approval guaranteed the quality.
Now all that remained was to make money.
Once Lucia appeared at a salon, the fuse would be lit.
At the end of that money trail was the Patrian Merchant Guild head’s neck.
It would not be difficult. I had already laid out the plan in detail.
Ting. Ting.
Lucia tapped the glass bottle with her fingertips. A crisp, muted tap rang out.
“But...”
Lucia began in a whisper.
“Is that the only reason you asked to see me?”
What she wanted to know was obvious from her question.
The current Lucia stood somewhere between affection and curiosity toward me.
Either way, she had romantic feelings for me.
At this point, flirting with her once was practically expected.
I smiled faintly and opened my mouth.
I had intended to use some lighthearted banter to match the mood.
That was probably the kind of exchange men and women had in this peaceful era.
Rustle.
Lucia tilted her head and tucked her loose hair behind her ear.
“...”
Her cheek was fully exposed. Two red eyes stared directly at me.
My open mouth slowly closed. My lips moved, but all I could do was swallow.
My eyes avoided hers.
Even so, her gaze remained on my face.
It had always been that way.
Even when I did not look at Lucia, Lucia looked only at me.
Even when I kept my distance, she was the one who came closer first.
I could not put the warmth Lucia had given me into careless words.
“Yes. That is the only reason.”
“...”
“I also came to have a meal with you. Like we are doing now.”
My heart would not allow even the smallest flutter of excitement.
Not for me, and not for Lucia.
Lucia slowly lowered her gaze.
A bitter smile spread across her red lips.
“I see...”
The unscarred ruby color in her eyes dimmed.
I closed my mouth, though I had been about to say something.
Author’s Note
Thank you to F-Ria for the 100-coin donation!
Footnotes:
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