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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: A Misunderstanding
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Until now, if Arabelle wanted something, she got it.
Whether it was an object or a person.
Once she set her sights on something, she was the type of person who had to have it, no matter what it took. That was Arabelle.
So, she had never doubted that her marriage to Karayan would naturally come to pass.
Even if Karayan was disgusted by the idea, even if he spent more time away from home than in it.
She believed that as long as he was the sole heir to the ducal House of Heart and a Legion, he was destined to be with her.
But then some girl who looked like a white rice cake shows up and swoops in to take it all away?
“If Karayan had brought home someone better than me, I would have accepted it. Fine, she’s better than me, I could live with that.”
Arabelle nodded.
Arabelle believed there was no one in the world superior to her.
This belief had never once wavered in her entire life.
Which meant she had no intention of accepting it from the start.
“But he said they’re already married. That means Father must have given his permission, so how can we undo it?”
“Father is the problem, too!”
Hah!
Arabelle let out a great, frustrated sigh.
“I went to all the trouble of summoning Duke Heart, but when he actually saw him face-to-face, he couldn't say a single word!”
“…”
“I mean, didn’t he call him to give him a piece of his mind? But instead, Father was the one who got an earful! For meddling in such a private affair!”
Arabelle wore a look of disbelief. Eliot patted her on the shoulder.
“He is Duke Heart. A Legion who thinks nothing of taking a human life. Father was probably just being cautious.”
“Hmph. No matter how great Duke Heart is, he’s not the emperor. If he harmed Father, he’d become a fugitive. He wouldn’t be that thoughtless, would he?”
“Arabelle.”
Eliot called her name in a low voice.
His violet eyes, which had always been gentle, now held a serious glint.
“He’s a cold-blooded man who killed not only countless Legions but also his own father and wife.”
“I already know he killed the previous Duke Heart! But the part about killing his wife is just a rumor, isn’t it?”
“It’s a story only a few whisper about, but it’s likely not entirely false.”
“…It’s only because I’m still young. Once I’m a little older, I’ll be able to crush someone like Duke Heart with my power. I’m a Legion, too.”
“Of course, you will.”
The chances of Arabelle defeating Duke Heart even after she grew up seemed slim, but Eliot patted her head as if he were proud of her.
Arabelle received his touch as placidly as a well-fed cat.
“Did you tell Marcel?”
“Don’t even mention my eldest brother!”
As if she had never been so docile, Arabelle’s eyes shot up fiercely.
“My eldest brother is not just stupid, he’s heartless. Is he even human? So annoying! I can’t stand him!”
Arabelle threw a fit.
“He said the Young Master of Heart isn’t the only suitable marriage partner for me, and since I’m still young, we should just wait and see! Isn’t he an idiot?”
The first prince, Marcel.
The second prince, Eliot.
And the youngest princess, Arabelle.
Though they were the only three siblings, Arabelle did not particularly like the eldest, Marcel.
As she always did, Arabelle began to bad-mouth Marcel.
Eliot listened with an unfaltering smile before he spoke.
“Still, it is strange. The Young Master is still a minor, isn’t he? There should have been no need to rush the marriage.”
“Right? That’s what I’m saying. When I sent my proposal, they put it on hold, saying it was too soon. If he gets married now, what does that make me?”
Arabelle narrowed her eyes.
The more she thought about it, the less sense it made.
Marrying another woman while this Arabelle was waiting?
Sure, that girl was surprisingly bold and cute for someone so small. But that was the only good thing about her.
“Bel. What was the name of the one who married the Young Master of Heart?”
“Lumina Lanshuss.”
Though she’d claimed it was a family she'd never even heard of, Arabelle remembered Lumina’s name perfectly.
“Unlike mine, her name is so plain. You’ll know when you see her face, brother. She looks just like her name sounds.”
“Lumina Lanshuss. Lanshuss.”
Eliot repeated the name as if committing it to memory.
“Hmm… Bel. If you’re that displeased, how about we do this?”
“What is it?”
Eliot whispered to Arabelle.
Arabelle’s expression, which had been sullen as she listened, brightened.
“Yes, I like that!”
Arabelle, who had been full of complaints when she came to see Eliot, was suddenly in high spirits, as if none of it had ever happened.
Enough so that she could finally think to check on him.
“Brother. Are you feeling all right?”
“My leg was hurting a bit until a moment ago, but as soon as you arrived, Bel, the pain vanished completely.”
A cane rested beside Eliot.
It was an object Eliot always carried after an accident had left him with a limp.
The flawed prince.
Everyone avoided him, a man abandoned even by his own mother.
It was only natural that his standing as a prince had diminished.
But Arabelle liked Eliot.
It wasn't just because he was easier to talk to than her foolish older brother.
Even though an accident had left him unable to use both his legs properly, Eliot was still Eliot.
Her one and only brother in the world, who treated his Legion sister as comfortably as he would a normal human.
Even if their late mother had denied that fact.
“Brother! Should I stay with you today? You said your knee aches when it rains. And I think it’s going to rain in a few days.”
“How do you know?”
“I’m a Legion.”
Clinging to Eliot, Arabelle smiled brightly.
***
*Huh?*
Lumina blinked slowly.
She'd woken up from a nap to find Karayan gone.
Until now, Karayan had acted as if something terrible would happen the moment he took his eyes off Lumina.
Therefore, it would have been natural for him to be somewhere nearby.
But she couldn’t sense his presence at all.
*Looks like he's run away from home again.*
He had said he spent more time out of the house than in it.
In fact, when Lumina had briefly returned to the Lanshuss estate, Karayan had run away again.
Had the time finally come?
With this calm thought, Lumina shot up from the sofa.
*Thump, thump.*
With a blank expression, Lumina walked over to the bed and flopped down on it.
“It’s all mine again!”
Aaah—.
Lumina took full possession of the plush bed. This spacious room was now hers to use alone.
It felt as if she could hear a faint scream from the part of her that insisted she shouldn't be so greedy.
But since she had already compromised on staying in this room, her conscience didn't prickle in the slightest.
“It feels quiet for some reason.”
Everything was the same as usual, yet she felt a little bored. Strangely, she wasn't happy.
Sliding out of bed, Lumina opened the window.
Leaning out, she was bathed in the brilliant sunlight.
Perhaps because it had just rained, the sky was clear without a single cloud. The view of the garden below was also perfect.
As she gazed around blankly, Lumina spotted something.
“Oh?”
Karayan was part of the scenery outside her window.
A Legion was a Legion, it seemed.
The moment Lumina spotted Karayan, he whipped his head around as if he had felt her gaze.
Their eyes met.
So he hadn't run away yet; he was still at home.
Feeling a strange sense of delight, Lumina waved her hands frantically like a child.
“…?”
But his reaction was quite odd.
Karayan quickened his pace and rapidly disappeared from her sight.
*What was that? Was he annoyed that I was happy to see him?*
She wasn't expecting him to wave back.
A simple acknowledgment would have been enough.
But perhaps unwilling to even grant her that, he left as if he were fleeing.
Lumina could only stare, bewildered, at the scenery where Karayan was no longer present.
It was then.
*CRASH—!*
“…?”
She thought the door was breaking.
Startled by the loud noise, Lumina spun around.
And there stood Karayan, who had indeed ripped the door clean off.
*Weren't you just in the garden a moment ago?*
The monstrous strength it took to tear off the door was surprising, but more than that, had it even been five seconds since Karayan disappeared from view?
It felt like it had only been three seconds.
Yet here he was, right in front of her.
*Blink, blink.*
Blinking, wondering if she was seeing things, Lumina realized it was real and spoke.
“Is something wrong?”
“That’s what I want to ask.”
“…Pardon?”
Why?
Lumina couldn't understand why that question was being directed at her.
“You were waving.”
“Yes.”
“At me.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Lumina affirmed his words one after another.
They were talking, but it felt as if they weren't communicating at all.
“So what about it?”
“I thought something urgent had happened.”
“What? No. Nothing’s wrong, I was just happy to see you, Karayan!”
This time, it was Karayan who seemed not to understand. His expression was peculiar.
Lumina kindly added a more detailed explanation.
“Our eyes met from a distance. It's not like we hadn't seen each other in a while, but wasn't it far enough to feel happy to see you?”
Karayan stared at Lumina in a daze. Then, as if the strength had drained out of him, he muttered.
“I thought something had happened to you and you were calling for me…”
*Thud—.*
The door Karayan was holding fell to the floor.
From the sound alone, she could tell it was considerably heavy. A door befitting a ducal estate.
“So you ran all the way from the garden up to the third floor in an instant? Because you were worried about me?”
For just that reason?
Lumina tilted her head.
“You didn't fly, did you?”
Like a true Legion, Karayan showed no signs of being out of breath despite having run so fast.
Instead, his face seemed to have turned a little red.
He wasn't out of breath, yet his face was red. It was strange.
