It's Not Like I Want to Play the Role of a Misunderstood, Good-for-Nothing Prince in a Villainess Story! - Chapter 27 – Beldiha's POV

The soldiers were making a ruckus about something.

Thinking it’d be good sake accompaniment, I headed to the barracks dining hall where the two idiots stood in front talking incessantly to the soldiers.

Wasn’t it a fight?

Though internally disappointed, I sat at the very back and listened to the two’s talk while drinking sake.

This nation’s first prince, Zeke, was a fool.

That’s how it started.

Well, I’d heard that story in various places.

They say he’s unserious, skipping swordsmanship and magic.

They say he’s the most hated royalty in the palace.

They say he’s a dud who can’t even dance properly.

They say he was rude to a powerful nation’s dignitary and nearly caused a diplomatic problem.

They say he was a fool who would eventually be abandoned by his fiancée as well.

What, royal family complaints?

I was not too fond of that kind of badmouthing.

Though I disliked both nobles and royalty, to badmouth in such a large group was pathetic.

I tried to leave my seat at a good stopping point, but the episodes from the two idiots had no fool elements about the prince.

They say he shows talent in both swordsmanship and magic, and works desperately hard day and night without resting on those laurels.

They say when someone went back for a forgotten item at night once, after dinner until sleeping he was studying, reading books borrowed from the palace library.

They say he’s quick-witted and equipped with abundant knowledge.

They say he cherishes people regardless of status, is gentle, and has something that attracts people.

They say he’s thoroughly improved at dancing which he was poor at, and is on good terms with his fiancée.

No no, is that really true?

It’s the complete opposite, isn’t it? Spouting big lies… while thinking that, I reconsidered—wait.

The two standing in front might rank high in the knight order with swords, but their heads certainly weren’t good.

There’s no way they could smoothly spout fake episodes like this.

At that time, I became interested in this Prince Zeke for the first time.

Opportunities to work together were rare, but that time finally came.

My first impression seeing him was, ah, that’s the kingdom’s prince.

Even more pristine clothing than nobles, refreshing features.

A success guaranteed for the future.

“Don’t like him.”

I muttered quietly and immediately looked away.

Seeing his privileged appearance, my curiosity plummeted to the bottom.

When it comes down to it, he’s one of those people anyway, right?

Tch, those two idiots getting all fired up is annoying.

Sigh… lost my motivation.

I straddled my horse while drinking sake.

We arrived at the town of Fuze.

A town I occasionally come to drink in, but today I’m not here to play.

And so we arrived at the meal shop.

When the food was brought out, the prince came.

The entire knight order stood up.

Those guys were all of commoner origin.

When someone of noble rank or higher comes, you must stop eating and wait until the noble finishes their meal—that was common sense ingrained in their bodies.

Some were slurping back their drool.

Heh, what’s this?

Look at this cherishing—in the end, status was different.

The noble-sama eats first regardless.

I mean, weren’t the shops supposed to be separate? Those guys will eat more high-class stuff.

In the end…

I watched coldly, but Prince Zeke was different.

While mixing in self-deprecating jokes, he skillfully captured the hearts of the knight order members, all of commoner origin, in an instant.

His voice still high without having changed yet, but what he was doing was people-manipulation skill that puts ordinary nobles to shame.

Definitely not something a mere fool could pull off.

“Huh…”

At this point, my evaluation of him had risen considerably.

But… I wanted to see him up close a bit more.

I headed toward the prince while tilting the sake bottle in my hand.

“Excuse me.”

I sat facing him.

The prince who’d been talking with Ted looked at me.

I’d heard he could do swordsmanship, but what kind of reaction would he show?

While talking, partway through I deliberately released bloodlust to test the prince’s caliber.

Then the perceptive two idiots noticed my released bloodlust and immediately flew over.

Though usually obedient to my orders, only today they admonished me while troubled.

How much do you guys like this guy?

It’s not like I was thinking of cutting him down.

Having seen his actions up to here, honestly I didn’t particularly dislike this prince.

Rather, I’d wanted to serve this kind of lord from before.

Well, ideals are just ideals.

Now, how will he respond to my selfishness?

Watching, the prince showed signs of thinking briefly before immediately calling a waiter and placing something before me.

The highest-grade grape wine this shop had.

And he handed over 10 bottles at once.

One of these would blow half a year’s salary for a soldier.

But this guy casually produced that.

Though it’s one thing to say it, I’m aware I’m being rude.

A rude guy demanding compensation from not just a noble but royalty at the first meeting.

If someone did the same to me, I’d cut them down without question.

Even if I didn’t cut them, I’d think ‘what’s with this guy?’

However, this guy readily gave me high-class sake without showing even one unpleasant expression.

Certainly I was the capital knight order captain, and have long been called the Sword of the Kingdom in swordsmanship.

But in the end I was a risen commoner—some nobles treat me like an object, and there were even those who claim to have respect but get stingy when it’s time to give rewards.

In short, it’s ridiculous for noble-samas like themselves to give expensive things to commoner scum like this guy.

Yet this guy could casually send high-class sake to me, someone at first meeting whose real strength was unknown?

Him being 12 years old was a lie, right?

Before I knew it, we were all praising the prince together in the knight order with linked arms.

No wonder the idiots like him.

No, I’m also one of the idiots who praised the prince in drunken momentum.

After that we arrived at Afkad and immediately went to meet Marquis Ribauto.

Marquis Ribauto had apparently heard my rumors, so he hadn’t done anything irritating so far.

However, what appeared next was Marquis Ribauto’s grandson.

An impudent face confident in his own sword skill.

How conceited. Hmm, what should I do with him?

Suddenly, the prince beside me entered my vision.

Come to think of it, this prince could also do swordsmanship, right?

Moreover, I hear he’s being taught by that Jet-Black Knight.

I thought of something good.

Let me have him fight this guy as a test.

Having decided that, I immediately arranged the setting and had them fight.

That brat called Larba had an orthodox stance.

A form that could generally handle any opponent, normal in that sense.

In contrast, the prince had an irregular stance with one hand held forward.

Since this time was without magic, I don’t think he’ll use it, but it’s certainly unique.

I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.

Then combat began, and the result was a mutual strike.

Honestly speaking, both exceeded imagination.

Larba was a two-handed swordsman, but he was quite skilled.

At this age with this power and technique, I understand getting conceited.

But the prince was also the prince.

At the end, despite smashing the wooden sword from the side, the striking side also broke…

Regarding this, there was also Larba’s sharp swing, but even so the prince used one hand.

Since the other hand was magic-exclusive so he didn’t use it, but if he’d used magic, the prince would have won.

Because that was clear, Larba’s pride was extra wounded.

Hmm, interesting.

From my perspective, though there are slight openings in the stance, at this age he can fight this well?

Whether Larba or the prince, I wanted to watch them a bit closer.

Well, one of them might not come though. Either way, it seems like it’ll get interesting.