WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

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

Chapter 5: Don't You Have a Fiancé?

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Astin was a man who was all show.

That was Azelin's firm assessment of him.

While waiting in the drawing room earlier, Azelin had heard whispers from the hallway.

What she heard was so outrageous it was laughable.

"Did you see it yourself? The young lord defeated thirty knights?"

"I told you, it's true! If you don't believe me, ask the people involved. Aren't things going well with you and Garten? Go ask him."

"Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?"

A ridiculous rumor that Astin had gone on a winning streak against thirty knights.

'What a joke.'

Azelin snorted behind her fan.

He knew she admired knights.

That made it obvious he had planted shills in the hallway.

Astin had always been a man who did nothing but boast.

He was a nuisance who habitually lied to ruin other people's reputations.

Now, he had no shame at all, even dragging his servants into this farce.

He never hesitated to fabricate lies to hide his incompetence.

Azelin knew Astin's shallow nature all too well.

Even now.

"Oh. Your mask is thicker than your makeup."

He spoke of things he knew nothing about as if they were fact.

"You're truly... a hopeless liar."

He was still the same man.

"You've always been like this. You exaggerate yourself with absurd boasts and make up scandals that never happened to drag others down. Does that satisfy your pathetic pride?"

Whenever she got genuinely angry like this, Astin quickly tucked his tail between his legs.

And that wasn't all.

He would wag his tail, promising to give her anything she wanted.

Azelin believed he would do the same this time.

"I tolerated everything until now, but this time you've crossed the line. I can no longer overlook you tarnishing my honor! Apologize properly and beg for my forgiveness!"

"Enough."

Valdemar, who had remained silent, raised a hand.

Azelin flinched beneath his presence.

"Raising our voices any further would disgrace both our houses."

Azelin gritted her teeth and glared at Astin.

Normally, this was when he should have come crawling to her first.

Yet Astin was absentmindedly picking at his ear.

"Lady Azelin. You are my son's betrothed. Cardenos may take issue with the fact that you held a private meeting with another man."

An engagement was not simply a private affair between two people. It was an oath carrying the honor of both houses.

If a young lady secretly met with another man.

If the affair Astin had spoken of was true, Azelin would have to bear the consequences.

Scrape!

The chair legs dragged across the carpet.

Azelin's bloodshot eyes flashed fiercely.

"It seems we can no longer have a proper conversation. I will take my leave for today."

With a stiff expression, Azelin gave Valdemar a slight bow.

She started to turn away, then stopped in front of the two men.

"But I have something to say as well. The insult I suffered here today will not end as a matter between us. You should be concerned about the friction between Cardenos and Rosenthal that will result from humiliating Rosenthal's eldest legitimate daughter."

"We will."

Even as the eldest legitimate daughter, she could not threaten the head of another house. They were not even in the same league.

Still, Azelin showed no sign of regret. If anything, she looked relieved.

Her father, the head of Rosenthal, valued his daughter more than his house.

"Hmph!"

Azelin coldly left the drawing room.

Bang!

Beyond the door, the sound of heels striking the marble hallway gradually faded.

The drawing room looked as though a storm had swept through it.

Valdemar was the first to turn his gaze toward his son.

Complex emotions filled his predatory eyes.

"Astin."

"Yes."

"Was what you said earlier true?"

If Astin's revelation had been nothing more than a rash outburst, he would suffer greatly in high society.

As Azelin warned, Rosenthal would not sit quietly.

True or not, this had already become a complete mess involving the house's fate and honor.

Despite Valdemar's questioning, Astin calmly sipped his tea.

"There's no need to tire yourself out trying to find out."

Tap.

He lightly set the cold teacup on the table.

Astin spoke in a low voice.

"That bastard will come looking for us himself soon enough."

"That bastard?"

"Julian, the man Azelin cherishes so dearly. She'll come here hand in hand with him."

Valdemar frowned.

Azelin, who had just insisted she was being falsely accused, would bring that man here?

"Are you saying Julian will give false testimony that your accusation is baseless?"

"No. He'll admit to all of it."

"...Admit to it?"

Tap. Tap.

Astin drummed his index finger on the table.

"Azelin will rush to Julian. She'll tell him they've been caught and ask what they should do."

"Julian, please don't do this. Our love has to end here. My betrothed is a Cardenos. If they discover our relationship, they won't let it go."

"That can't happen. How could I hand you over to a coward hiding behind his house's power?"

"What are you going to do?"

"In the Moon Goddess's name, I'll challenge the heir of Cardenos to a duel. Astin will accept once he learns I'm from fallen nobility. He's a man made entirely of bluster. He'll beat me senseless in front of you and try to win your heart."

"Julian will challenge me to a duel. He'll demand that I stake breaking off my engagement with Azelin on it."

Under imperial law and the sacred code of chivalry, the loser of an honor duel had to submit to the winner's demands.

If Astin lost, there would no longer be any grounds to bind Azelin through their engagement.

There would be almost no repercussions, either.

Bards' ballads, salon gossip, operas, plays, romance novels.

Forbidden love that could not exist under the current system was all the rage.

And what if a knight from fallen nobility defeated the heir of a prestigious house in a duel and won the love of his life?

It would be the romance of the century, shaking not only high society but the whole system.

Such a romance would become their reputation, and that reputation would flow into the prestige of their houses.

'This damned romance fantasy.'

A ridiculous romance could turn a house's engagement into scrap paper.

There was a reason this world was a romance fantasy.

"That's an absurd assumption. It won't happen."

Valdemar clicked his tongue, and Astin shrugged.

"Let's see what happens."

* * *

In a secluded old classroom at the Imperial Academy.

Under sunlight streaming through the window, Azelin stood in a man's embrace, her face pale.

"It was right in front of the head of Cardenos. That braggart said something like that in front of the head of the house!"

Azelin told him about the humiliation she had suffered in the drawing room yesterday.

Her voice trembled with emotion, unlike her usual self.

Julian's face stiffened after hearing the whole story.

Before long, resolve filled his eyes.

"Astin. That delinquent young lord has finally crossed the line."

"What should I do now? If Cardenos makes an issue of this, then my father..."

"There's nowhere left to retreat. If we keep taking this without doing anything, everything will happen exactly as Astin wants."

Julian gently wrapped an arm around Azelin's shoulders.

"I'll challenge that bastard to a duel myself."

"Julian, no. Astin may be Astin, but he's still a Cardenos. If they retaliate against us at the house level..."

"Don't worry, Azelin. I have a way."

A deep confidence spread across Julian's lips.

"It will be a sacred duel in the name of honorable chivalry."

Julian then explained his plan, invoking imperial law and chivalry.

After hearing him out, Azelin stopped crying and nodded.

"I believe you, Julian."

Bang!

Just as the tender atmosphere deepened, the closed door burst open loudly.

It had definitely been locked.

The embracing pair quickly sprang apart.

"Aah! Please hide me!"

The one who rushed in with silver hair flying behind her was Lucia, a student at the academy.

She hurriedly crawled beneath an empty teacher's desk, breathing hard.

Lucia was the one who had forced open the locked door.

That explained it. Her body was frail, but her strength surpassed even the head instructor's.

Azelin snapped irritably.

"What is this disgrace, barging in all of a sudden? Is someone chasing you?"

"Yes! They really are chasing me! Not one person, but three!"

Azelin gave a disbelieving laugh.

"His Highness the Crown Prince, the empire's foremost merchant guild leader, and the Northern Grand Duke's second son?"

"I told you!"

"Those important people are all looking for you because they like you, and you're running away? You really have it good."

"That's exactly why it's so stressful! I want to have a normal school life, but they won't leave me alone!"

Lucia whined, clutching her head.

Azelin had to admit it inwardly.

Having watched her from nearby all this time, Lucia did live an exhausting life.

Peek.

Lucia poked her head out and glanced down the hallway.

After confirming no one was coming, she let out the breath she had been holding.

"Whew... What a relief. But Azelin, is it okay for you to be here alone with Julian? Don't you have a fiancé?"

The question struck straight at the heart of the matter.

Azelin raised her chin without changing expression.

"Don't misunderstand. Julian and I are only fellow students."

"That's right. She asked me to teach her swordsmanship."

"Oh, I see...?"

Lucia nodded a few times.

A strange discomfort remained on her face.

Author's Note

It got long as I wrote, so I split it in half. That means a double update tomorrow! I'll post one chapter in the morning and another in the evening.

+ I posted an illustration in the announcement! Love you!

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