Ally walked up to Prince Elias and Genius, a sociable but piercingly cold smile on her lips.
“Forgive me for greeting you while looking like this. ――Long time no see, Prince Elias, Lord Genius. I wanted to express my gratitude as I hear that Scarlet has been 『extremely indebted to you』, so I accompanied my daughter as her bodyguard this time.”
Genius, and with a slight delay, Prince Elias hurriedly returned her knight’s bow. After all, Ally was a legendary, heroic woman.
＊
Back in the days, she had perfectly guarded the princess as someone possessing such outstanding abilities in magic and swordsmanship that no one in the Royal Knight Order could best her. As a matter of fact, she was such a swordmaster that not few wailed over her not having been born a man.
She was feared by everyone because she also had a strict personality and extreme adherence to order and discipline, and thus it was a famous story how Duke Chaudgal, during his days as a student, had been completely beaten by her, when she visited the academy, fell in love, and eventually married her after an aggressive pursuit. Even nowadays there were rumors about people naturally straightening their back whenever she approached, and as a matter of fact, Prince Elias and Genius did so just now.
＊
“No, please forgive me for being late in greeting you. I should have visited you at once, but I got delayed by family matters,” answered Genius with a deep bow.
Whatever happens, I must avoid the engagement being revoked. If lowering my head can achieve that, I’ll bow my head as often as it takes. Hasn’t the advisor of the current king clearly shown that this is the duty of a capable aide?
Genius felt Prince Elias looking at him suspiciously, full of displeasure, but he ignored it, keeping his head down.
But, suddenly Ally laughed derisively as she looked down on Genius.
“Brat, aren’t you getting ahead of yourself by thinking that your apology carries any value?”
“!!”
Her scoffing voice pierced Genius’s ears and heart.
“We’ve already received your parents’ apology. Scarlet had been absent just then, so I dealt with it, but I told your parents that we’d consider it, if you and your love-blind lord mended your ways. So? The answer you reached was your earlier attitude?”
Genius felt cold sweat running down his back and sides.
She had heard their entire conversation. Despite Prince Elias’s arrogant attitude, he had treated Scarlet as fiancée whenever adults were nearby. He never used such cold words and behavior in front of the adults, and Scarlet had apparently remained silent about it out of pride.
Of all things for her mother to have witnessed how Scarlet’s affections vanished through a conversation Genius would never want her mother to hear was a disaster.
…And it also showed his own failure of not having been able to admonish Prince Elias…once again.
“…I would like you to give my lord a bit more time with the apology to Lady Scarlet. He will clearly show his sincerity from now on. Please wait for the good news out of your daughter’s mouth.”
“I won’t,” Ally quickly shot him down. “My daughter has outstanding foresight. Because of that, she pushed our ducal house to develop in ways I’d have never imagined. She forged a friendship with the hero’s partner even while knowing her to be a commoner, and while depending on her friend’s intellect, she blessed our family with fantastic golems. This is purely Scarlet’s achievement. …And that very Scarlet told me that you are incorrigible.”
Prince Elias and Genius froze. When both looked in Scarlet’s direction, they found her standing with her arms folded and watching them with a cold and indifferent expression she had never shown them before.
“Until today, my daughter hadn’t deserted you. Though, personally I’d have given up all hope on you long ago. No, to be precise, she continued to give you a chance even after being told by her friend, Damsel Indra, to cut all ties with you a while ago, but even so, she told me to give her some more time and that she’d rely on me in case it seemed like she wouldn’t be able to handle you lot. And just now she discarded you. …We’ll call off the engagement. I’ll inform the king, but I thought I should tell you first. Both of you, consider your own future course. I’m a woman myself, so I do dote on the daughter I gave birth to. ――Prince Elias, if I had to hand my daughter to someone like you, having a commoner marry into our family would still be a much better option. Anyway, have a nice day.”
Ally turned on her heels after destroying the two verbally, and went back to her daughter.
＊
“…That’s how it is. We’ll look for a new husband for you from now on, so don’t be too discouraged, okay?”
Scarlet nodded with a stiff face in response to her mother’s remark.
“……Aww, damn it, I might be unable to marry in this world as well. But, oh well, whatever. I guess I’ll build my own little harem with Indra the cheat and Mr. Sword who’s good-looking and yet a good-for-nothing.”
“Damsel Indra is a woman, isn’t she?”
“Yet, she has been treating me kindly, just like a man. …For the first person to truly treat me gentlemanly to be a small girl is extremely disappointing, but I’ll simply think of it as being better than not experiencing such a treatment at all.”
“…I see. Given that I’ve never been treated kindly by men either, I can’t really say anything about it, but…what has Gerard said about this?”
“Father believes that Lord Sword and Lady Indra are going to marry. That in itself might also be possible…guhehehe…”
“Don’t give me that creepy laughter all of a sudden!”
“O-Oops, my bad,” Scarlet casually wiped the drool away.
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