The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Noble in a World with a Skewed Gender Ratio - 28-29

Chapter 28: Lance’s Side ①

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The celebration for Princess Tia’s fifth birthday would be held in the royal capital soon. Mother and I headed to the capital a little early. I think Mother was doing this on purpose out of consideration for me, knowing how much I talked about Princess Tia and El to her…. I just hoped I could see both of them as soon as possible. It had been a long time since I had been to the royal capital, but the city was still as bustling as ever. The capital was much livelier than our territory. I wondered if this was all thanks to El? After all, our territory was benefiting from his ideas too. Reversi, spinning tops, stuffed animals and condiments like miso. Those things had spread out around the world rapidly, along with El’s name. Within a blink of an eye, El’s innovation had become a staple for every house. I learned from a letter that El was planning to make another seasoning called ‘soy sauce’ and ‘vinegar’ available to the public. It was truly hard to believe that we were both the same age… But that was why I always did my best everyday, be that in studying or practicing martial arts. Still, I could feel a big gap between us. I hoped someday I could become someone I could be proud of too…. That was my wish for now..

After a long journey, we finally arrived at the inn. We took a small break in the inn before my mother suggested.

“Well then… Lance, shall we go see Princess Tia now?”

“Huh?”

“Fufu~ You want to see her, don’t you?”

“Tha-That’s…”

Mother smiled gently as she stared at me understandingly. It seemed Mother could see right through my feelings… 

“Now, let’s go!”

“O-Okay.”

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We went to the castle and greeted His Majesty first. No matter how many times I saw him, His Majesty always looked so dignified and majestic. His long beard and his sharp eyes that seemed to see through everything looked so cool. Although he was quite old, but still exuded a commanding presence that belied his years. Not to mention, the crown resting on his head and that red cape of his were just so cool!

After we finished greeting His Majesty that I respected so much, we headed to the castle’s courtyard. It seemed Princess Tia was in the courtyard. There was a cafe terrace there. People often went there to enjoy tea and other refreshments. Apparently, this cafe terrace was El’s idea as well…

While I was thinking about El, I caught sight of Princess Tia. She was wearing something that looked like a military uniform today. Maybe this was her training getup? Princess Tia looked so cool in her military uniform though. Judging from her outfit, it seemed she’d be going for martial arts training after this. Still, I felt glad I could have a chance to talk a bit with her. 

“Princess Tia, it’s been a while, huh?”

“Princess Tia… It’s been a while…”

“It’s been a while, Teresa-sama, Lance-sama.”

After exchanging a simple greeting, Mother went off on her own. This must be another way for her to show her consideration to me. After enjoying some casual conversation with Princess Tia, our topic turned to His Majesty.

“His Majesty is really cool, right?”

“…What?”

Hu-Huh…?

Her expression was different from what I expected?! Why?! Tia’s eyes suddenly changed. She looked like she was staring at trash before she shifted her gaze to the distant sky.

…Huh..? …Huh? What…?

“…Yeah… I guess…”

She definitely didn’t say that sincerely! Just what happened?!

“Umm… Did something happen between you and His Majesty?”

“Huh…? Nope… Nothing! I don’t have any issue with that trash— I mean, Father— I mean, His Majesty! I’m still maintaining an appropriate distance with him, so it’s fine.”

Trash?! Did she just call him Trash?! She even hesitated to call him Father. She corrected herself to ‘His Majesty’ at the end. Maintaining an appropriate distance… That should be okay, right…? No, that was definitely not okay! Just what had happened?! What made Princess Tia act like this? Maybe I should avoid talking about His Majesty for now. In that case…

“Umm… I wonder what El is doing? He should be on his way here, right?”

“Huh…? El… You mean that El?”

Umm… There was only one El though? Besides, the moment I mentioned El, Princess Tia started fidgeting. She looked nervous and her cheeks even turned red. 

WHAAAAATTT?! This is THAT, right?? It’s definitely THAT, right?? Even someone like me can immediately tell! Does Princess Tia like El?!

“Your face is red… Did something happen with El?”

“Fueh-?!”

POOOF!!

Princess Tia’s face grew even redder. Every visible part of her skin turned bright red. 

This is IT! Unfortunately Princess Tia, I already figured it out.

“The-There was nothing! Nothing happened, you know?”

“Something definitely happened yoooo! (I said this in Miyakawa Takeshi style) Tia, your reaction is way too obvious, you know?”

“Au… Au….”

“Not ‘au au’…”

I see… Well, it’s understandable though. El is cool and amazing after all. If I were a girl, I’d definitely fall for him too. I see.. Is this what a broken heart feels like? But… I’m not as sad as I thought I would be… Maybe my feelings for Princess Tia weren’t love? Maybe I just admired her? Yeah… That must be it… In that case… I should support them! I will make their relationship work! After all, both of them are important to me!

“Tia, I’m asking this as a friend, but you like El, right?”

“……….Huh?”

What was with that long ‘huh’? Don’t tell me… You haven’t realized your own feelings?! Seriously?! 

“Li-Li-Li-Li-Li-Li-Like?!??! Me-Me-Me-Me-Me-?! To-To-To-To- El?!?!?!”

What is this… She’s already head over heels for him. 

I thought to myself as I saw Princess Tia stammering in front of me.

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T/N: Kids these days~

Chapter 29: Lance’s Side ②

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“Have a drink and calm yourself first…”

“O-Okay…”

I had never seen Tia this flustered before. She took a sip of her drink, followed by another sip. Finally, she was able to calm herself down a bit. With a new profound determination, she nodded at me. 

“Ma-Maybe I-I like El, I guess?”

“Well… Only you can tell. This is your feelings after all.”

Well.. To be fair, Tia is the only one that’s still oblivious of her feelings. Pretty sure everyone around her can tell right away that she likes El.

“Uugh… I guess so.. Then… Can you hear me out a bit?”

“Of course. Take your time. You can tell me everything. For example… What did you think of El when you first met him?”

“….What I thought of El?”

“Yeah. You two met when you were three years old, right?”

“Yeah.”

“At that time, did you already fall for El?”

“Ummm… I met him the day before the birthday celebration… I encountered a girl named Mimi who had gotten lost. We both called out to Mimi at the same time. That was my first meeting with El. I remembered that I actually thought El was a girl at first. We searched for Mimi’s mother together.”

I see… So they had already met the day before the birthday celebration. Maybe… They were destined to be together after all?

“Okay.. And then?”

“On the day of the celebration… El.. She said that I looked like an angel or goddess… He said that so calmly. He was so cool back then…”

“Whoa~”

Sure, I also thought Tia was beautiful at that time, but to say that Tia looked like an angel or goddess… El, you were really smooth, huh? I guess at that point in time, Tia was already smitten for El?

Ugh… I need to hold the desire to interject. El!! You’re so sly!!

“Since my third birthday celebration, I’ve been thinking about El all the time and… When I think about him, my heart starts beating faster… You know, like, thump, thump! The rhythm feels pleasant though and so…. Since I can’t go see him, I thought that I need to at least send him letters and stuff…”

See!! You’re totally in love! Your heart starts beating faster when you think of him! That’s a clear sign that you’re already smitten!

“And when I got a reply to my first letter, I was really happy… But then, El wrote something about taking on a maid named Leila. I’m a bit anxious… Maybe you could say I’m a bit irritated…”

That’s jealousy, right?! Tia!! How can you not realize your feelings about El when you’re already jealous of the girl around him?! Maybe Tia is the oblivious type? Maybe she’s born with a cut on her emotional line? Just like those precut mochi from ‘Satou’…

“But then again, I realize that he’s kind to everyone around him… I understand he took Leila in because he’s kind like that, but still, I couldn’t help it. I’m still a bit worried about Leila… I even wrote a letter to Erin to tell me if there’s any change in El.. Ah, but keep this part a secret, okay? I’m only telling you because you are you, Lance.”

Tia put her index finger to her lips in a shushing manner. Her cuteness almost made my heart skip a beat.

But still.. For her to even ask Captain Erin to keep an eye on El…. Isn’t Tia a bit out of line? El… It seems Tia already knew everything about you, you know?

“Erin wrote in her letter that El and Leila were sleeping together… They even took baths together! So I… I only did this occasionally, okay? I’m not doing it everyday, but well… I kind of.. I kind of cursed him a bit once or twice….”

Tha-That’s scary!! You’re scary, Tia!! Cursing him when you guys are not dating yet?! I mean, what are you thinking?? Cursing the person you like?! And you still didn’t realize you like him until today?! What do you mean once or twice?! The right answer should be never!!

“The other day, I really, really wanted to meet El… I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I went to l’s territory under the guise of ‘inspection’ together with that trash- I mean, with His Majesty.”

Did she call His Majesty ‘trash’ again?! Just what’s happening between them?!

“And when I finally got to see El after so long… I saw Princess Miria from the neighboring country pressuring El to marry her..”

El?!?! You even charmed the princess of a neighboring country?! What??? Are you trying to earn the title of Princess Killer or something?!

“I actually don’t want to remember this part, but that ‘boobs fanatic’ appeared and everything turned to chaos…”

BOOBS? Did she just say ‘BOOBS FANATIC’?! A lady of her stature shouldn’t be saying such crude things!! Umm… Wait. Just what really happened? Besides, this ‘boobs fanatic’… Who is she talking about exactly?

“Anyway, let’s forget about that part… I spent a few days with El… I would gaze at his profile while fishing… I also wanted to hold his hand, but I couldn’t. I kept stretching and withdrawing my hand, but then… When our hands finally touched, El squeezed my hand back!! We then ate miso glazed skewers together and El had some miso on his lips, so I scooped it up and ate it…”

SO SWEEEEET!! Ahhh!! You guys are so sweet I need some coffee to balance the sweetness?!  I mean, how come you guys are not dating after all that?! You two are totally into each other!! Look! That’s exactly what lovers do when they’re together!!

“After that… I couldn’t stop thinking about El.”

“That’s because you’re completely in love with him! You’ve already fallen for him! Hard!! You keep thinking about El all the time because you love him so much!”

“…Really?”

“…Tia, after all that, it’s hard to say otherwise. You really need to have more self-awareness.”

“Bu-But this is my first time feeling this way… I-I don’t know what to do.”

“…Well, just tell him? If you don’t, he’ll never know about your feelings.”

Especially since this is El we’re talking about… He seems to be the oblivious type about this kind of thing…

“Then, should I do it like in the books? Using drugs to make him fall asleep and keep him imprisoned for life-“

“STOP STOP STOP!! THAT’S THE WRONG KIND OF BOOKS!!!”

“….Huh?”

WHAT WAS THAT?!?! How did those thoughts even cross her mind?! The heck… Drug him and imprison him for the rest of his life?! Uwah….. One wrong move from El and he’s screwed for life… A-Anyway, I tried my best to tell Tia what I know… El, you better be grateful, okay? Both of you are important to me. I hope things will go well for both of you…

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T/N: Tia almost dived right into the yandere route!