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

The Chapters are unlocked everyday at 10:24 PM UTC (should be around this time), You may still see the locked symbol in front of the chapter but you can click on it.

By the time the ice melted, the forest’s master Brachiotortle seemed to have calmed down, glanced at us once, and lumbered off deep into the forest.

Originally gentle-natured and not prone to attacking people.

Furthermore, apparently it wasn’t the type to be in the forest at the mountain’s base—and especially not near the entrance like this.

“If the master dies, the monsters deep inside go on a rampage, so I told you squad leaders multiple times before departure not to kill it.”

“We didn’t hear anything like that.”

“Hmph. I agree with him.”

“Haaa… How many more years must I keep telling you two to listen when people talk…”

Over there, Garim and Debut were sitting in seiza receiving a lecture from Tarsen.

Good grief. The reason they’re being scolded is so childish.

“Zeke-sama. You’re in quite a position to be looking away. Do you understand your own standing?”

“Yes.”

And I was receiving a lecture from Misty in a separate location.

“Listen carefully. You’re the one who will inherit the throne next. Why would you do something so dangerous?“

“Well, but I had to do it, and worst case Tigos is there…”

“That’s not the point! If you died, what would become of me, left behind?!“

“What would become of you…”

The moment I raised my face and our eyes met.

Misty looked away with a “hmph.”

What’s with that? What’s with that?

Do you hate me that much? Is even making eye contact with me so unpleasant?

Haa, forget it.

What the hell? Is it really that bad?

Even when I greeted you, you wouldn’t make eye contact for over a year, and there were times at parties when I took your hand and you pulled away as if repelling me.

But you know, today I wished with a glimmer of hope that maybe you still liked me… but it was just my imagination.

Rather, maybe I’ve been making you uncomfortable.

Once you become the betrothed of the next heir to the throne, you can’t break off the engagement, after all.

Was she indirectly telling me to break off the engagement?

In the end, it’s the same as the game, just a matter of sooner or later.

I thought from the start that everyone’s favorability toward me was strangely low.

At parties, nobles I met for the first time almost certainly looked at me like I was a suspicious character.

Vaguely, I was thinking maybe there was some kind of negative modifier applied to me.

And what I’d been thinking this past year was that Misty might also become like that around when school started.

If so, maybe it was inevitable that things turned out this way sooner or later…

“Zeke-sama.”

“Isn’t it fine?”

When I coldly said that while looking down to avoid eye contact anyway, I felt like Misty turned around.

“What do you mean?”

What do I mean? I mean exactly what I said.

“Misty… you don’t like me. Actually, you hate me.”

“Eh?”

What’s with that surprised face? Why would you think I haven’t noticed?

“Why do you think that?”

Why, you ask.

“Because Misty, even when I talk to you, your expression doesn’t change at all, and you won’t make eye contact with me at all. Remember? At the party when I escorted you, I took your hand but you let go.”

I wondered if maybe my hand was sweaty and slimy and disgusting, and I was so shocked that I washed my hands over and over at the palace after I got home.

Even though it was almost winter, I kept washing them until Sebastian stopped me, so before I knew it, my hands had turned bright red.

“I’m bad at thinking about people’s feelings, and I didn’t notice that you were uncomfortable, and it must have been hard for you to bring it up. Like breaking off the engagement…”

I feel like crying… but the thought of forcing something unpleasant on Misty and seeing her dark expression for the rest of my life is unbearable.

“Father… no, I’ll talk to His Majesty myself later…”

I’ll inform him.

I tried to raise my face and say that, but I got stuck on my words.

Misty was making an incredible face.

Dumbfounded with eyes wide open, her mouth half-open like an idiot, and drool even dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Eh, what’s with that face? What kind of emotional expression is that? Is drool something a noble lady should be dripping?

“Ah, ah… eh? Huh? Huh huh?”

While confused, I wiped Misty’s mouth with the silk handkerchief I had hidden in my breast pocket.

Carrying a handkerchief is a noble’s refinement!

But still…

Misty came to her senses and looked back and forth between me and the handkerchief.

“Excuse me. Thank you very much.”

“…No problem.”

This atmosphere is a bit strange. I feel like I made some mistake.

“Zeke-sama, aren’t you misunderstanding something?”

“Misunderstanding? You mean that wasn’t drool?”

“That’s not it!”

I was surprised. If it came out of your mouth but wasn’t drool, then maybe it was snot… no no, there’s no way Misty would produce such a thing. Misty probably doesn’t even go to the bathroom.

This is bad. I’m getting confused by Misty’s strange behavior in front of me.

“First of all, there’s no way I could ever hate you, Zeke-sama.”

“Eh, then why won’t you make eye contact with me? Even now… look, you just looked away while saying that.”

“That’s… there’s a deep reason for that. From now on, I’ll try my best to make eye contact as much as possible.”

“Try your best? You don’t have to force yourself…”

“No! If something like that would lead to breaking off the engagement! I’ll gouge out my eyes.”

“You don’t have to go that far!”

Gouging out your eyes because you don’t want to look at me has way too much risk!

“Then wh—!”

Just as I was about to ask “then what,” everything went dark before my eyes.

I was enveloped in something soft and warm, yet reassuring, with a sweet pleasant smell.

When I realized I was being embraced, a voice came from above my head.