It's Not Like I Want to Play the Role of a Misunderstood, Good-for-Nothing Prince in a Villainess Story! - Chapter 86: The Second One?

“Here you go, I made this. Would you like to eat some?”

“Thanks, I’ll take some.”

Lunch break.

I ate lunch together with Misty in the school courtyard.

The side dish I got from Misty was delicious.

Recently, my relationship with Misty had changed.

I wondered if it was since I learned a little of her inner thoughts when we raided the Violet family.

I thought the distance between us, which had been apart, had returned considerably.

I had more opportunities to talk without being reserved with Misty, and although Misty sometimes averted her eyes, she generally met my eyes and talked to me.

It seemed we returned to the sense of distance… the relationship like when we were children… when we used to play together in the Royal Palace gardens.

I also had a change of heart, but something must have changed in Misty too.

Thanks to that, school life was very fun.

Eating lunch with Misty in the pleasant spring cheerfulness.

Isn’t this the best?

I wished times like this would continue forever…

While I was narrowing my eyes at the warm sunlight, a shadow suddenly formed next to me.

Oh?

When I looked, a petite girl was standing next to me.

Her black hair was tied with a barrette; was she a first-year?

She was clutching her skirt and had an anxious expression.

Was it that? Is she nervous because I’m a Prince or something like that?

That’s troubling, a fan? If you want an autograph, please bring a colored paper board.

While muttering such light jokes inwardly, I put on a smile that looked composed for the time being.

“Hello.”

“H-Hello! Um, do you remember me?”

Now then, even if asked if I remembered her, did I have any acquaintances among the underclassmen?

I glanced at Misty, but Misty didn’t seem to have any idea either.

Or rather, she was glaring at me a little. Why?

Hmm…

I thought for a moment, and realized with a start.

That’s right, if this face was a little younger…

“…Sierra?”

The moment I said it, the girl’s expression brightened up instantly.

“Yes, I am Sierra Libout!”

“Oh, it’s been a long time!”

I stood up while raising my voice.

Sierra Libout.

The eldest daughter of the Marquis Libout family, and Larva’s younger sister.

“You enrolled, huh.”

“Yes, starting this year.”

“I see.”

If Sierra was enrolling, Larva should have at least said a word.

“It’s been about three years.”

It really brought back memories of when we charged into Duke Romash’s mansion.

“Zeke-sama, um… how is it?”

Sierra asked while placing her hand on her chest.

“What is?”

“Have I grown?”

“Well of course…”

Her height had grown a little, and her face felt less childish than back then… she had a chest too, not small but not particularly big either… yeah.

She was slender originally, after all.

“Yeah, you’ve grown. I didn’t recognize you at first glance.”

–I’d just say that much.

When I said that, Sierra smiled genuinely happily.

Was she this honest?

“Is she an acquaintance?”

Before I knew it, Misty had stood up and was standing next to me.

“Ah, Misty. She is…”

“You seem to be quite close; to think you had met such a cute person without my knowing.”

Huh? Somehow isn’t Misty’s pressure strong?

I felt something beyond her words.

“Nice to meet you, you are Zeke-sama’s fiancée, Misty Claudia-sama, right? I am Sierra Libout. A member of the Marquis Libout family. Pleased to meet you.”

Sierra bowed respectfully.

“Oh my, so you were Larva-sama’s sister. Your features are similar.”

I was a little anxious due to the initial atmosphere, but the conversation between the two seemed more okay than I thought.

Both Misty and Sierra were polite people, and since there were common acquaintances like me and Larva, there was no hostility whatsoever.

“How is school life?”

“Let’s see, I feel I’ve finally gotten used to it…”

Misty was acting like an upperclassman.

This kind of thing was nice, wasn’t it.

“Ara? I thought it was lively, what are you doing?”

While watching Misty and Sierra talking, Stella walked over from the side.

“Weren’t you with Toprak?”

“He says he’s eating with Levin-kun today, since a new book arrived from the Seylan Country, they’re going to talk about that. Those two are close, aren’t they.”

Shared hobbies are good for people becoming friends, after all.

“You should have listened together with them.”

“No way, if boys are talking amongst themselves, it’s better not to disturb them. Though that applies to girls too.”

“Certainly.”

For the same reason, I also moved to a slightly distant place to watch Misty and Sierra talking.

“Right right, did you see that guy who says he came from the Papal Territory? ‘Divine Child Blessed by the World’ was it? Quite a grandiose name, isn’t it.”

She meant Albert.

“Yeah, I saw him. He didn’t feel that amazing though.”

“As I thought, right? Levin-kun was sweating cold sweat, and Toprak-sama was also saying with a serious face, ‘That is the rumored… I can’t take him on…’, but I also didn’t feel he was that amazing.”

Levin and Toprak thought so too.

Hmm, that Beldiha was also saying something unconfident, so could it be there was something special about that guy?

“A guy like that wasn’t in the game, right?”

“He wasn’t, he didn’t appear in the sequel either.”

“Nn, sequel?”

What’s that, I didn’t know about it.

“Ara, you didn’t know? ‘Prism Lovers 2 ~Bride of the Empire~’.”

“What is that weirdly catchy title?”

Sounded like a game where your father suddenly gets burned to death or you make monsters your allies.

“Was it interesting?”

“The difficulty was high, you see. Or rather, I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but what does this game’s production company think dating games are? It’s not a death game (masocore game), so a little more…”

Yeah yeah, I super understand.

While talking with Stella about how dating games should be more kya-kya ufu-fu (flirty and fun) and we would forgive a little bit of muddiness, Sierra and Misty had come close before I knew it.

“Zeke-sama, who is that person?”

“Ah, she is Stella Warden. A noble’s daughter.”

“Noble’s daughter… What a lovely ring to it. Or rather… eh? Did you already make a move on a new student? Isn’t it fast? Cheating? Is it cheating? Does the cursed triangle exist here too?”

She was saying something unnecessary on the side, but I was introducing her so shut up.

“Stella, this is Sierra. Sierra Libout.”

“Libout? That means…”

“Yes, she is Larva Libout’s younger sister.”

“A-Ah! The Mighty Sword’s! Right!”

Come to think of it, this girl wasn’t really involved with Larva.

“That thing, umm… nice to meet you!”

Don’t you have anything else to say?

No, looking back, I didn’t really see her talking with Misty much either.

When Larva and Doriema came, she was talking with a troubled feeling too; could it be she had the communication skills of a slug?

Sierra observed Stella silently with her hand on her mouth.

“Wh-What is it?”

“No, could it be that you are fond of Zeke-sama?”

“Ha? There’s no way! I have a person decided in my heart named Toprak-sama.”

“I’m glad, I thought I was perhaps the third one.”

“””Eh?”””

It probably wasn’t a coincidence that the three voices synchronized.

It was an ‘Eh?’ asking back ‘What did you say’ from everyone present.

“Sierra, what do you mean?”

“Look, didn’t Grandfather say it? About me.”

I suddenly remembered the events at the Libout mansion.

“Engagement…”

It was years ago, but still… she meant that?

“Zeke-sama. Did you say engagement just now? I remembered, I feel like I heard such a story some years ago…”

“No… no no…”

Misty was looking at me from super close range with a smile that offered a glimpse of ruthlessness.

You’re wrong, it’s not like that.

“Lady Misty, please be at ease.”

Oh, good. Sierra. Tell her the grandpa just said it on his own, tell her it’s a misunderstanding.

In the first place, Sierra wasn’t enthusiastic about it, right?

However, Sierra blushed just a little and–.

“I don’t mind being the second one though…”

“Zeke-sama!?”

“Wait, I said it’s wrong. First listen to me!”

Misty-san, aren’t you too strong? I can’t pull you off with my strength!

What is it? Isn’t the strength correction amazing? Is this the power of a game protagonist!?

“…I feel like I was called by Toprak-sama just now so I’m going back to the classroom.”

“Wait a minute! You stay here!”—–“I’m tired…”

After that, I explained politely and thoroughly that Marquis Libout had said it on his own and I had no such intention, and finally got her to understand.

It seemed Sierra said it in the sense that her fiancé isn’t decided yet, and there is such an option too.

I wished she wouldn’t say things that invite such misunderstandings.

Even so, to think it’s still not decided; even though I thought Sierra would be in great demand, it seemed Marquis Libout was also examining the partner quite carefully.

Well, he was a shrewd man, so he would probably do well when it came to his grandchild.

Since it was time, I headed from my room to the dining room.

When I entered the room, Mother, Tigos, and unusually even Father were sitting.

Even though he had been eating in a separate room for a while recently because he was in poor health.

While thinking that, I took my seat and ate the dinner that was brought.

When I smacked my lips at the usual delicious meal and was drinking after-meal tea, Father slowly placed his clasped hands on the desk with a thud.

When I glanced at him, Father’s face was serious and unusually in work mode.

Or rather, wasn’t he looking perfectly at me?

“Wh-What is it?”

“Zeke, I don’t know if you’ve heard but… In a few days… as soon as preparations are ready, the Saint has been decided to head to the Papal Territory. It seems the Pope’s physical condition is not good.”

“Is that so.”

The Saint to the Pope’s side?

Father’s physical condition… well his cough had stopped so maybe it was fine.

So, what did the Saint going somewhere have to do with me?

“You follow along too, and come back safely together with the Saint.”

“Ha… that is… do you mean I am the Saint’s guard?”

When I asked back, Father grinned.

“You are royalty, aren’t you? Why must royalty guard a Saint?”

That’s right, but!

Father’s smile definitely wasn’t just that, right!?

‘Come back safely together with the Saint’… didn’t that unexpectedly imply ‘if something happens to the Saint, don’t come back alone’?

Didn’t that mean I was serving as a guard too after all!?

“Fa-Father!”

While I was thinking that, Tigos raised his voice.

“It is dangerous for Brother-sama alone to go to the Papal Territory, I will go with him as a guard.”

Tigos volunteered.

Certainly, me alone was dangerous… eh? Was the Papal Territory dangerous?

No wait, judging from his tone just now, it certainly was dangerous…

Did Tigos rarely worry about my safety?

What kind of change of heart was this?

–However, Father gathered wrinkles between his eyebrows and looked at him as if glaring.

“You just enrolled in school.”

“However…”

“Tigos, are you dissatisfied with my decision?”

“No… I said something presumptuous, I apologize.”

Tigos became dejected.

Father closed his eyes once, and then looked at Tigos.

“You have enrolled in school with much trouble. Learn well and behave well so as not to stain the name of the Royal Family.”

He said words of follow-up.

That’s right. Tigos just enrolled. Concentrate on school.

But if he got suspended like me, he could go regardless of school.

Royalty getting suspended… Haha…

No wait, wasn’t ‘so as not to stain the name of the Royal Family’ just now mocking me?

When I was sweating cold sweat inwardly, my name was called.

“Zeke.”

“Y-Yes.”

“This time, I will assign the Royal Palace Knight Order as the Saint’s guard, and the Royal Capital Knight Order and your confidant as your guard.”

Royal Capital Knight Order meant those usual guys would come, wait…

“Confidant?”

“It means I will temporarily exempt him from the work I am entrusting him with.”

“…? Understood.”

With just that, Father stopped saying anything.

I wanted to ask in detail ‘What do you mean?’, but this was the pattern where I couldn’t ask anymore.

It’s troubling when there are no detailed explanations like this…

But a Saint, huh, I wonder what kind of person she is.—–Several days after that.

Gathered in front of the Royal Palace were the Saint and the Royal Palace Knight Order.

And the familiar members from the Royal Capital Knight Order.

And–.

“Zeke-sama, it has been a long time!”

My confidant of confidants whom I hadn’t met for years.

The Jet-Black Knight Rubert was standing there.