The Villainess Who Was Dumped Got Married into My Family, a Mob Noble from the Frontier, and Turns Out, She's an Amazing Capable Wife? - Chapter 07: The Duke's Daughter and the Promise

Chapter 07: The Duke’s Daughter and the Promise

Asking what kind of decision it was is kind of rude.

It must be about something that happened at school. 

“Is saying time will solve everything… just wishful thinking?” 

“…”

Alicia listens silently, so I continue.

“Once you make a decision, it’s natural the other option disappears. Even if you get revenge, what’s gone won’t come back.” 

Just like in my previous life, and the family I lost to death. 

There are things you just can’t do anything about.

After being told my family died in battle, I desperately chased the enemy general, continuing to fight in a losing battle, causing more of my soldiers to die.

Dying in battle is an honor, fought with pride. I was told not to foolishly chase in unfavorable situations, to prepare for next time.

And honestly, the lack of servants and such was my fault.

But still, losing the family I had lived with was unbearable—

“No matter how much I was taught it’s inevitable, I still regret it. But I’m grateful to those around me who loved and raised me, and that’s when I realized I still had everyone else left.”

I said this, looking over the land of Brave.

“Not everything is lost, and there’s still so much left. That’s why I’m trying to be the noble I never wanted to be, and why I’m thinking of going to the school I never wanted to attend.”

In this story, the country faces various disasters and wars. 

Despite becoming a battleground and a stage for disasters, the Brave territory is treated as less significant, hardly known or considered a side part. 

I wanted to resist this fate. 

My deep desire was to save my beloved family and my second home from becoming mere stepping stones in a terrible plot. 

But, I wouldn’t say it out loud!

To the public, I’m protecting the Brave territory, so probably the people there think highly of me, which is satisfying. 

“What if nothing was left?” 

Alicia asked, after hearing my story. 

“What would you do if everything you’ve been taught you were meant to do from birth can never happen again?”

“If you’re not dead, something remains.” 

I responded, trying to calm Alicia down as she became a bit emotional. 

It seems the prince, her former fiancé, still occupies her heart. 

She had devoted her entire life to him since their engagement, and accepting the situation and moving on isn’t easy. 

My guess is that a strong sense of duty or unrequited love might have led her to become a villainess in a whirlwind of chaos caused by magic worms. 

It seems love and hatred are inseparable, no matter the world.

Hmm, it kind of feels like going through a breakup? 

“Nothing is left! The past me is dead… as a member of the duke’s family… so in this forsaken place… sorry, I misspoke.”

While touching the scar from a burn on her right eye, Alicia suddenly looked at me and then quickly looked away. 

It feels like I can’t just casually suggest starting over in this new place to her current self.

It’s not like you can easily settle such issues. 

I’ve lost my family too, so I understand. 

You just have to man up and carry the truth, but what’s the right thing to say?

There are several characters to pursue in this story, so maybe I could help by steering Alicia away from the prince to another character’s storyline, helping her get back on track.

It might follow the villainess route, but with me here, she won’t be consumed by bitterness, right? She could prove herself with her abilities. 

But no, that won’t work.

Eventually, the protagonist gets recognized as a saint, and the prince’s brilliant insight or whatever will be praised, leaving Alicia even more cornered. 

Are we stuck?

Feeling somehow frustrated with all this worrying might just be something in the Brave blood. 

Let’s think simply. 

Sebas said it too, right? Being straightforward and tackling things head-on is best when you’re clumsy.

I’ll just be honest with my feelings.

“Alicia, I’ll protect you for as long as I live.” 

“…Eh?”

She looked surprised, as if wondering why I suddenly said that. 

The right choice, I figured, was to keep her close.

To never let her go. 

Not just to avoid my ruin, but because I simply wanted to.

Everything about her, her struggles, being tossed by fate, it all seemed so familiar, and I genuinely wanted to protect her.

“If the duke’s daughter in you is gone, then the person in front of me is Alicia, who has come to join the Brave family, right?”

I offered my pinky finger to her, who remained silent.

In this world too, a pinky promise is a symbol of commitment. 

“Then, this is one thing I can promise: I will always protect you.” 

What’s the point of being a Brave if I can’t protect my land and family?

I carry that pride with me as I live now.

Though love between two people who’ve just met is unlikely, and my words might sound like some flirtatious man’s cliché, they come from a genuine place and for a solid reason.

“You really say the most unexpected things, don’t you? Since this morning.”

“Well… I tried to find the right words, but us Brave men aren’t used to this kind of situation, and I could only say what I truly felt.”

I often think the Brave family isn’t cut out for nobility. 

How much easier it would have been if we were just a family of soldiers.

“…Fufu.”

Alicia chuckled as she saw me scratching my head. 

“Was it really that strange? I’ve never said anything like that before… My father and brothers were the type to speak with their actions…” 

“Actually, it’s the first time someone has said something like that to me face-to-face.”

“Eh, I thought as a duke’s daughter, you’d have heard such things from many people.”

“People who blurt out such unusual things tend to be avoided, you know?”

Aren’t those cheesy lines what nobles are supposed to be good at?

“Darn… Now all the practice I did in secret so Sebas wouldn’t nag me about finding a good wife when I start attending school feels wasted…” 

“What kind of silly practice is that?”

“Well, I was the third son and never had to deal with other nobles much, so it’s not like I had a choice. The Brave family isn’t good at that sort of thing.”

I was kind of shocked.

If Alicia hadn’t come to be part of our family, I would have probably been labeled a flirt as soon as I started school. 

Alicia sighed as if she was dismayed at my distress. 

“But, I don’t dislike it. It’s straightforward.”

Her shy smile was so beautiful, I couldn’t help but be captivated.

“You might be right; I might have been overthinking things too much.”

She murmured, looking over the land of Brave. 

“So small, huh? Clinging to a past that’s gone and wallowing in it forever…”

“Well, that’s human nature.” 

“But in the Brave family, that kind of thing is forbidden, right?”

“Yeah, feeling down is okay once, but after that, you’re supposed to move on.”

When I told her that sincerely, she offered her pinky to me.

“Going back to school with me, you’ll probably attract a lot of attention. Honestly, it might feel like you don’t belong, and there could be hostility… But will you still protect me?”

“That’s something I’m good at, leave it to me.”

Her clean, white finger linked with my calloused and dirty one. 

This feels nice, somehow.

Let the capital have its own love stories.

I’m going to share my fate with her, yeah. 

That’s when I had an idea.

To solidify this promise, let’s have a third party witness our oath. 

To prove my words aren’t just words and as the best romantic gesture I can make, let’s call him.

“Alicia, wait a moment. I want to redo the part where I make the vow.” 

“…Huh?” 

She looked a bit displeased.

Not good, but I really wanted to make this vow properly. 

“Just wait, I’ll call him now—Onyx!”

When I called the name, a huge black dragon landed beside us.

That was quick? 

Well, he must have been secretly watching me, so it makes sense.

We didn’t encounter any monsters on the way here, probably because of him.

“What do you want, Ragna Vel Brave?”

“You’ve been watching, so you know.”

Onyx, the black dragon with sleek black scales and white stripes, is my friend.

“I’m making a vow to protect her for the rest of my life. Witness it.”

“Vowing in front of a dragon, eh… You know what it means if you break it?”

“I know.” 

Breaking the vow means giving your body to the dragon.

Basically, being eaten. 

“I have no intention of breaking it, and it’s probably more convenient for you too, right?”

“Do as you wish.” 

“Alright! Alicia, I swear on this dragon to protect you for my entire life.”

After getting the okay, I turned back to Alicia, only to find her fainting with her eyes rolled back. 

“Uh, what…?” 

“Fainting like this, what a delicate girl. Well, a vow can be made alone, so let’s just say I witnessed it. Farewell then.”

“Uh, yeah.” 

With that, Onyx flaps away over the mountain range.

I thought swearing an oath in front of a dragon was like something out of a fairy tale and super romantic, but I never imagined it would end like this.