kscans

Chapter 12 - The Little One’s Fiancé

"Yes, I thought I had gotten used to it by now."

With a twitch at the corner of his mouth, Romel looked at the gifts the twins had received. They were in a waiting room off the palace’s grand hall.

Only those involved were seated, each wearing a complicated expression.

"This unprecedented gift is a problem, but the bigger issue is that your crystals have no color."

Now that he mentioned it, the twins’ crystals were still the same rutilated quartz they had started with. No color had appeared at all.

"Does that mean we weren’t granted any attributes?"

Romel murmured to the curious Little One, his expression grave.

"The opposite. It means you were granted all attributes."

"Wha?"

Chihiro let out a dopey sound and stared intently at her crystal.

She learned that when one has all attributes, they cancel each other out, which is why no color appears on the crystal. There had been a few cases in the past, so this was apparently certain.

Romel’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he began to speak in a heavy tone.

"When we report this to the palace… we will invariably receive an invitation to the royal family."

"Does that mean… eeeh?"

It meant a proposal of marriage.

The few all-attribute users who had existed in the past had apparently become royal consorts to the kings of their time. Chihaya was the heir to the House of Count Gyorgy. He might just escape, but the problem was Chihiro. She could be married off to Wilfe, skipping right over Theodore.

Romel held his head in his hands as the Little One stared in stunned silence.

"Really. It seems like you have a constitution that makes it impossible to live without getting involved with the royal family. Seriously, why does it have to be you?"

It was a line he had muttered countless times before, but never had it weighed on him so heavily. Because this time, it was a sure thing. Even in the freedom-loving Frontier, there existed an unspoken, unwritten rule that could not be overturned. It was that those who possessed the shining luminescence and those with all attributes must marry into the royal family. Even in Frontier, which was not bound by old customs, things that had clear practical benefits could not be changed. Luminescence and magical power had a high probability of being passed down to the next generation. It was only natural to incorporate them into the royal family. In fact, it was because this had been repeated that members of the royal family with luminescence appeared and boasted high levels of magic. Romel himself, while he did not possess the luminescence, had magical power that surpassed his elder brother, the King, and he also had three attributes.

With a deep sigh, Romel looked over the Drago family.

He had expected it, but Drago’s face was demonic, and Sakura’s faint smile was so sharp it was frightening. Chihaya didn’t seem to fully grasp the situation, and Chihiro wasn’t even trying to hide her thoroughly disgusted expression.

This family doesn’t care about the royal family or anything like that. In a way, this family is a royal family.

If things go wrong, Sakura might just return to Kilfan and take the throne. The Little One’s family had plenty of escape routes.

It was plain to see that they would have no qualms about skipping across borders and fleeing, saying they didn't have to be in Frontier. And the Lords of the Forest would likely assist them.

They’re just too free. It’s a good thing, but still!

The only saving grace was that the Little One liked Frontier. She wouldn’t cast it aside herself.

Romel, with a slightly troubled expression, glanced at Chihiro. Sensing something in his gaze, a chill ran down Chihiro’s spine.

"This is a proposal. Would you become my fiancée, in name only?"

"""What?"""

Their voices were perfectly synchronized. They really were family.

Romel gave a wry smile and explained further.

"Fortunately, I do not have a fiancée. My status is also that of royalty. If it is a marriage to me, the royal family will not be able to interfere."

To be honest, Romel had little desire to get married. He was persistently pursued by a garden of blooming flowers, and marriage proposals rained down on him, but he showed no interest at all. Frankly, the thought of it was a hassle, and Romel had only one mistress. She was a woman of low birth, so he could not marry her, but she was modest and understanding, and had served Romel for a long time, content with just the allowance of a mistress. Of course, he provided her with a generous allowance, but if asked whether he even felt love for her, Romel would have to fall silent.

For such a man, the thought of doing anything with the little girl before him was nonexistent. She would grow into a beautiful woman, but to Romel, Chihiro was like his own child. He couldn't possibly harbor any improper feelings for her.

He explained this and proposed they get engaged as an emergency measure.

"If you ever fall in love with someone, you can just break it off. A broken engagement is not a good thing for a noble, but you’ll be fine, right? Causing a scene with the royal family would look bad too, so would you consider it?"

That made sense.

Running away would be easy. If they were willing to cause a huge scene. But that was not an option at a time when she was about to get busy with her pilgrimage and other things. She had a good environment here, with a carriage and a home for the monsters prepared, and training from the knight order. To abandon all those preparations and start over would be an incredible hassle.

After a moment of silence, Chihiro nodded to Romel.

"You’re right. That might be the best way."

"Chihiro?"

Chihiro gave a simple explanation to her wide-eyed parents. Romel would not break his promise. It was just a fantasy on a piece of paper. If it resolved things smoothly, she was all for it. Drago and the others had no choice but to agree.

However, Chihiro had another concern.

"Romel. Rumors might spread that you have a thing for little girls, you know?"

The people around them burst out laughing. The civil officials desperately tried to stifle their laughter, their shoulders shaking. The man in question, Romel, seemed to have anticipated this and wore a strained smile.

In that case, it’s settled!

Romel and the Drago family hastily prepared the documents to create the appearance that the engagement had already been arranged. Romel’s trusted civil officials accepted them and fabricated a story that an audience with the King to announce the engagement had been scheduled for the next day.

"You can’t get engaged until after your seventh birthday baptism. It’s decided that even if it’s arranged, it only becomes official after the baptism. So, we can just say that it was already decided, and the audience was scheduled for the day after the baptism."

Romel’s eyes narrowed with amusement.

I see. To think he came up with all that and made the preparations in such a short time.

Many nobles had witnessed the items the twins had received, and it would be impossible to silence the bishops.

Romel must have desperately racked his brain to find a solution.

In a way, it was a daring move that put his own reputation on the line.

Relieved, the Little One looked at Romel with a bashful expression.

"All-attribute users? The Gyorgy twins?"

"That is correct, Your Majesty."

The King and Queen, receiving the report of the baptism from the bishop, looked at each other in astonishment. The girl had been on the list of potential fiancées for Theodore. What a stroke of luck. With this, the other nobles would surely have no objections. They could welcome her with proper preparations.

However, if that was the case…

"If she has all attributes, would it not be more appropriate for her to marry Wilfe rather than Prince Theodore?"

It seemed the Queen was thinking the same thing.

Wilfe already had a fiancée. The wedding was in two years, but the girl would be of a perfect age to be welcomed as a consort after that.

The King and Queen squealed with delight as their dreams grew.

But the next day, those dreams were shattered into a million pieces.

"…"

Before the speechless King and Queen stood his younger brother, Romel, and a beautiful black-haired girl.

The previous day, the King had heard that Romel’s engagement had been decided and that an audience was scheduled. Thinking that good things came in pairs, he had accepted the documents.

It went without saying that his jaw dropped when he saw the name on the document, and even now, seeing them before him, he still couldn’t believe it.

"Ah… Romel. Are you certain this is the one?"

"I am, Your Majesty."

"You are nearly thirty, are you not? By the time you marry, will you not be close to forty?"

"That would be the case."

"That would be the case is not an answer!"

The King, unable to bear his nonchalant younger brother any longer, finally shouted.

"You knew that this person was a candidate to be one of the princes’ consorts!"

"That is precisely why."

Taking a breath, Romel puffed out his chest.

"Do you believe the nobles, who value hierarchy, would silently stand by and watch? The resulting friction would become an unfortunate wedge for this person… and by extension, for the princes as well. Therefore, I thought that if I were to marry her first, we could eliminate such future concerns, and so I made an offer to the House of Count Gyorgy."

Chihiro’s eyes widened slightly at the words she was hearing for the first time.

She had never heard that she had been a candidate for the princes’ consort, nor of the friction it would have caused.

And then she understood.

That was why yesterday’s conversation had happened. Even without the matter of the baptism, an offer from the royal family had been planned. Romel, who had known this, had secured an escape route for the Little One in case she refused. He must have prepared it in advance to somehow avoid the engagement without causing a scene with the royal family.

So that’s why things went so smoothly yesterday.

The set of documents had already been clearly dated.

The documents themselves had been completed last year. All that was left was for Drago to sign. It was a bold move that only Romel, who handled internal affairs, could have pulled off. On paper, the engagement had been informally decided at the end of last year.

The Little One was impressed by Romel’s usual thoroughness.

In her line of sight, the royal brothers were still bickering.

"I never knew you had a thing for little girls! So that’s why you were fooling around without getting married!"

"Fooling around, you say. Shall I try doing that for real? I leave the paperwork to you, big brother. I was just thinking I’d like to take a long vacation."

At Romel’s words, a flustered Queen nudged the King in the side. Snapping back to his senses, the King hastily retracted his previous statement. If Romel were to disappear, internal affairs would descend into chaos. It would become an unmanageable mess with nobles trying to worm their way in.

"I went too far as well. But are you truly certain? Drago, is the age gap with your daughter not too great?"

The King and Queen looked at Count and Countess Gyorgy, clinging to a sliver of hope.

"I will leave it to my daughter’s judgment."

"Her happiness lies in marrying the one she loves."

To a seven-year-old child?

The King stared at the two who had so casually affirmed it, then couldn’t help but look at the little girl before him.

"Are you fine with this? Romel is an old man, is he not? There are younger, more suitable men, you know?"

The unfortunate Wilfe, and my former brother Theodore? Not a chance.

In her mind, the Little One waved her hand dismissively, then smiled elegantly and performed a graceful curtsy.

"I am deeply honored by this proposal. Though I am unworthy, I will devote myself wholeheartedly to becoming a good partner."

It was a perfectly delivered speech.

The people around them, their eyes wide with admiration, felt something nostalgic about the little girl before them.

As if they had seen it somewhere, sometime before.

Understanding the meaning behind her words, Romel couldn't help but cover his mouth with his hand, a faint blush creeping into his eyes.

I want to be your bride.

It was a line that every father wanted to hear from his daughter at least once. Romel’s shoulders trembled, and Drago glared at him with a dangerous look in his eyes. Sakura, as if exasperated, lightly twirled a strand of her hair.

"It is decided then? I look forward to our future together."

That single sentence sealed their fate, and the King and Queen were once again on the verge of tears.

On paper, the engagement had been decided nearly a year ago. They had no choice but to approve it, and so the two were officially engaged.

This would later cause another great commotion, but of course, the two of them had no way of knowing that now.

Somehow, it will all work out today, too.

The Little One muttered to herself.

Climbing over walls, breaking through them. The unchanging Little One will surely forge her own path tomorrow as well. ♪