I, the Villainous Prince, Buy the Ruined Villainess with Money - Chapter 10-11

Chapter 10: Alvis’s Way of Doing Things

Heh heh heh, this way I get to step down from the crown prince race.

And at the same time, I got permission to strike at the church.

With this, I managed to achieve both avoiding my ruin and saving Yulia.

I did not want to stay in a place like that for even a second longer, so I hurried into the carriage.

“Um… May I ask something for a moment?”

“What is it?”

“Were you serious about giving up your succession rights?”

“Yes, I do not need something like that.”

“But you used to say so strongly that you would become emperor.”

She said that and looked up at me with her beautiful eyes.

…There was no way I could tell her!

That it was because I wanted to protect her!

“Hmph, it is none of your business (do not look at me like that!).”

“I see…”

Aaaah!? My favorite looked depressed!

That was not it! Even I thought Alvis was too awkward!

But even if she understood, there was nothing I could do!

Still, I did not want her to hate me!

“More importantly, was that all you wanted to say? This incident is a problem for Father as well.”

“It is true that I felt like I had more to say… But strangely, I am not that angry with myself. You saved me, Master, and I do not have to marry that man anymore.”

“I see, then that is good.”

“Hehe, thank you for worrying about me.”

“That is not it. For someone who said she wanted to come with me, you said too little, so I was just wondering.”

“That is… Kyah!?”

At that moment, the carriage braked suddenly!

I instinctively pulled Yulia, who was next to me, into my arms!

And… after waiting a bit, the carriage came to a complete stop.

“…Are you okay? (I am not okay! What is this soft body!)”

“Y-Yes… I am sorry.”

“There is no need to apologize (this is more like a reward!).”

For the moment, I slowly let go of Yulia and opened the carriage door.

“Coachman! What happened!?”

“I am terribly sorry! A child suddenly ran out into the road!”

“I see, so that is what happened.”

What came into view was a crying child and a woman bowing deeply on the ground.

The child had accidentally run into the path of the carriage.

And when the other party was a noble… that counted as a crime of disrespect.

In this world, that was not unfair; it was a very common response.

“Wh-What will you do?”

“You wait there.”

As I approached, the mother’s face filled with fear.

That was only natural, since I was a member of the imperial family… I could even sentence them to death.

On top of that, I was known as an arrogant and insolent prince.

“I-I am so sorry! Please, take my life and forgive us!”

“Mommyyy! My leg hurts!”

“N-Not now…”

The mother was surrounded by her sobbing child and me, and she looked like she was about to burst into tears herself.

Was my face that scary? …It probably was.

When I suddenly felt a gaze, I saw Yulia watching from behind.

…Was this a chance to show her a good side of me?

“Commoner, raise your face.”

“Y-Yes…”

“Do you know any good shops around here? We had just stopped the carriage because we wanted a break.”

“Eh…? What do you… Could it be… Th-There is a delicious cake shop right over there!”

“I see, thank you. Then, as a member of the imperial family, I must give you a reward.”

I approached the boy and cast healing magic on him.

Then, he stopped crying and looked up at me.

“It does not hurt anymore… Because of you, big brother?”

“Hmph, you should be grateful. But a man should not cry without reason. It is not handsome.”

“I do not really understand, but… I will try my best!”

“That is good enough. Mother… I will say this, but there will be no next time. Make sure to teach your child well.”

“Y-Yes! Thank you so much!”

“There is no reason for you to thank me. I simply asked for directions from the parent and child who were in front of where I stopped the carriage.”

Then, the mother hurriedly left with her child.

In a way, that was the limit of what Alvis could do.

When I timidly turned around, there was Yulia with a smile on her face.

“Hehe, you are kind, Master.”

“Wh-What are you saying? I just happened to want a break. Come on, hurry up and follow me.”

“Yes, as you wish.”

That smile overwhelmed me, and my head felt like it was about to boil.

My face probably looked angry from embarrassment and shyness.

Even so, Yulia followed me with a big smile for some reason.

—

Chapter 11: Two People Passing Each Other

The next day, I started moving actively from the morning.

That was because school would begin tomorrow.

It was not just about Yulia; I needed to prepare countermeasures for myself as well.

I had started taking action from yesterday afternoon, but there was a limit to what I could do alone.

“Whew… I really am quite out of shape. Is this the result of my own laziness?”

“No, no, being able to move that much is already impressive.”

“Hah, easy for you to say. I am covered in sweat, yet you have not broken a single drop.”

From yesterday afternoon, I had Sebas spar with me.

This man named Alvis had talent, but because of that, he did not know the meaning of effort.

Probably in the original story, that weakness would be exploited and lead to his defeat.

My older brother Kyle was definitely a hard worker with good sword skills.

“Heh heh, this must be what they call old habits die hard. But you cannot let a retired man like me beat you.”

“Hmph, just you wait. I will score a point on you soon.”

“Yes, I look forward to it.”

“That aside… what is that?”

While I had started training in the garden, at some point Yulia had begun jogging.

Next to her was Yorba wearing a headband, shouting encouragement at her.

“Come on! You cannot serve as a maid like that!”

“Y-Yes!”

“Are you going to quit already!? If you dawdle, the sun will set!”

“…I will do it!”

“That’s the face! Then one more lap!”

…What was that scene straight out of a sports anime.

No, I knew she was doing something.

But seeing it again, it was quite an unusual sight.

“Apparently, she herself said she wanted to do it.”

“I told her to find something she wanted to do, but why did that turn into running?”

“Well, we do not understand either. She just said that first she needed to train her body.”

“Well, it is not a bad thing…”

I did not understand the purpose, but for now I decided to let her do as she liked.

Since she was being targeted, it was better for her to move her body at least a little.

Of course, I would become stronger and protect her no matter what.

To do that, I would step down from the crown prince race and crush Lord Guftaf.

◇

…I have to become stronger no matter what.

I had been completely mistaken.

Alvis… no, Master had been wearing a mask until now.

I was not sure why he had hidden it, but at this point the reason did not matter.

The one thing I could say was that I had been deeply impressed by him.

“It started back then, actually.”

My appearance seemed to attract men, and as the years passed, I received more and more of those kinds of looks.

That made Crown Prince Kyle even more upset, but there was nothing I could do about it.

All I could do was dress plainly and try to stay quiet and inconspicuous.

Even so, those looks never completely went away.

“Master never did anything to me, even when I approached him…”

From experience, I knew his gaze had been on me.

Yet perhaps his pride would not allow it, because he never laid a hand on me.

That was very refreshing, and at the same time it made me feel my own foolishness.

“I ended up seeking salvation… and he saw right through it.”

I had been thinking about what I wanted to do, but I could not find anything in particular.

So first, I wanted to know what kind of person Master really was.

That was why I became a maid and observed him.

“Going directly to His Majesty, protecting me…”

That back of his looked so cool that my chest tightened without thinking.

On top of that, in his awkward way, he saved that parent and child.

So maybe he had been concerned about me from the beginning… or something like that.

“For now, I have decided what I want to do.”

Master is someone who should stand above others.

And I want to be by his side.

No, I have to use my own strength to make Master emperor.

That is why I will become stronger no matter what.