Kays Translations

5. Vigna　

When I left his room, I washed my face and tried to keep my composure.

But as I touched the necklace he had given me, I looked in the mirror and saw myself with a red face and a shy smile on my face.

“Oh, what kind of face should I face him with tomorrow?”

I dressed up in front of him, danced with him and he told me I was beautiful. I've never been happier. The first time we met, he told me I was beautiful, didn't he?

As I held my beating heart, I remembered the past with my feelings that I’d long realized.

I was an orphan. I didn't know my parents' names or faces. One day, I was abandoned in front of an orphanage. But now I know why. It must be the color of my hair. It's the bright light blue hair that’s unique to abominable children.

When my parents saw it, they must have been afraid of me and thrown me away. People are afraid of things that are different from themselves, it’s really easy to understand and it was the same at the orphanage. The sisters at the orphanage didn't care about me any more than they had to and none of the children at the orphanage wanted anything to do with me.

So, I thought I would be left alone and die for a long time. Until I met them…

The first time I met Grace and Bowman was at a store that sold everything from food to weapons. All I wanted to do was to save my monthly allowance and buy some cookies.

As I was asking the unfriendly old lady for my favorite cookies, she suddenly kicked me out and tried to sell the few remaining cookies I was about to buy to another customer.

Now that I think about it, it was probably so that I, as an abominable child, wouldn't cause any problems in the eyes of the nobles. But I didn't know that, so I went to the shopkeeper grandma and stumbled upon Grace, who was with Bowman at the time.

“What the hell are you doing? I was shopping first, so why don't you give it to me!”

“What do you… or rather that hair?"

The person I complained to started to yell back with an uncomfortable look but then looked at my hair in a curious way. It happens all the time. They go straight to looking at it as if looking at something disgusting.

“You're so beautiful! I've never seen hair this beautiful before. I envy you. Oh, you want some of these cookies? I'll eat them with you if you want. Hey, Bowman, she can right?”

"Sorry sweetheart, he doesn't have any friends his own age, he could use some company. Of course, I'll buy you a cookie."

"Eh… yeah.  Well, if I can get them for free, that's great."

The unexpected turn of events left me dumbfounded and I ended up chatting with Grace over cookies while Bowman talked to the grandma.

He was an aristocrat and though his words were pompous, he treated me as a human being, which I enjoyed. He seemed to be interested in the life of the commoners and wanted to talk to me again, so I agreed as long as he gave me free cookies.

Apparently, I was just the right person to talk to while Bowman was talking to the old lady.

I also enjoyed listening to him talk about the many things he knew. He also told me that I was called "Abominable Child," but that my hair was actually a special color because of my high magical power. He wasn’t afraid of me, probably because he knew that.

"If I have so much magic power, maybe I can learn magic somewhere and be good at it right?”

It was meant as a light joke. Since magic requires specialized knowledge, it’s a skill that only rich people such as nobles and merchants can learn. So I’d given up on the idea that having magic since I would need money. However, he answered with a big smile.

“Oh, that's fine. In exchange, Vigna will be my servant for convenience, is that okay?"

“Huh? Eh?"

I think I looked really dumb at that moment. While I was confused, he talked to the orphanage and before I knew it, he had made me his personal servant.

After he took me, I realized that he was the third prince of this country. It seems that some people were against letting an outsider into the castle, but with his words and Bowman's "I'll take care of it if anything happens", permission was granted.

After that, I took care of Grace while learning magic from the wizard of the castle, dancing and even practicing with the sword. Grace seemed to be weak and looked disappointed whenever he lost to me. I wasn’t good at classroom learning, so I felt frustrated every time I lost to him.

Then I was recognized for my talent in swordsmanship and magic and began to be allowed to participate in training to become a knight. Looking back on it now, I think Grace recommended me to become a knight because he saw me happily swinging my sword and using magic.

I had thought that such a noisy but fun daily life would continue forever. However, that daily life was shattered by something unexpected.

That was when I started to receive training to become a knight in earnest. I met him less often, but strangely, I was able to do my best when I thought I could be his strength.

“I'm sorry Vigna, but I'm not good enough. My father and brothers made fun of me for my unusual skill.”　

He was always bossy, waving unfounded confidence, but he was kind. He gave me a weak smile and said.

“You can use your skills to your advantage. I’m sure you can."

The words of comfort that came out of my mouth as I hugged him were such common words.

The power he had acquired was not suitable for combat, but it seemed to be very useful for logistical support and information gathering. However, that power was not recognized in this country. A king is the most powerful person in the world. That was the tradition of this country.

Then his treatment changed drastically. In the end, there was no birthday party for him, and the dance we had practiced together went to waste. Few people came to see him anymore, and the only people he talked to were me and Bowman.

And as a knight, I was beginning to make a name for myself and there were people who wanted to pull me out of Grace’s and into their own faction. I think it was probably the same for Bowman.

I was so worried about him in this situation that I once took a day off from my knight's work to go see him with the cookies that brought him and I together.

He was buried in his books and when I approached him, I said cheerfully, "Oh, you look good. You're very studious, aren't you?

“Yeah, my weapon is knowledge and if I can gain useful knowledge and help this country, my father and brothers won't be able to ignore me. Hahahaha, Grace Vermillion will change this country.”

“You're really amazing."

That was my true feeling. I know the truth. I know how much he had suffered and how amazing it is that he continues to work hard, even though his life has been transformed by the fact that he’s unskilled.

When I looked at him with respect, I said, a little embarrassed.

“I believe you can do it, so you can't give up without trying.”

“What obvious things are you saying… I'm sorry, I just remembered something."

I felt my heart flutter at his words. He took my not so comforting words seriously. It made me happy and I felt my heart flutter. Oh, yes, he always listens to me and acts like a cool guy in front of me.

And I love him like that. I don't remember the reason why. I don't remember how it started, but we've been together for a long time and he's always secretly helping me out when I'm in trouble, treating me like a human being and I can't help but fall in love with him. 

Of course, he and I are too different in status. I don't think we'll ever get together. I can't let him know that I like him. That's why I intentionally hit him hard.

But at least, I want to be of use to him. I've since worked bloody hard to learn magic and swordsmanship. Grace is powerless? That's easy. All I have to do is become his military force. That way, his power in the castle would increase.

And before I knew it, I was chosen as a member of the King's guard and was called the strongest of them all. The calls from the other factions became stronger, but I ignored them all. I am the sword of Grace. 

And when I heard that he was going to be banished to the frontier, I chose to follow him without a moment's hesitation.

I never thought that my dance practice would come in handy in such a situation. I laugh to myself as I remember the past. Of course, I know what I'm doing.

This party is the unveiling of the man named Grace Vermillion. I’m just sort of an accessory to make him stand out. But that's okay. Edward apologized for using me, but I honestly don't mind.

Because I got to dance with him.

It was like the prince and princess of my dreams. Grace was so cool. I knew that idiot would look great when he was properly dressed.

As I changed my clothes, I looked at the mithril sword I had carefully placed there. This is the bond between me and Grace. It is the mithril sword that was given to me when I was chosen as the strongest of the knights of the King's guard. It is proof that I worked hard for him and was recognized. When I look at it, it gives me memories and motivation.

I may be weaker than Galatea, but I have been protecting him all along and he brought me to the party. This means that he trusts me, right?

With this in mind, I finished changing and went to ask Edward what I should do about my escort duty today. It's not that I don't trust him, but I still don't feel like entrusting my escort duty to someone else. At the very least, I should ask him to move to the next room. Before I can knock on the door, I hear someone talking to someone else.

“Fufufu… I'd like to remind you that you should not let Vigna know about this.”

“Yes, let's just take Grace-sama with us.”

“I can't wait to see the look on Grace-sama’s face.”

I felt something in my chest instantly go cold. What are they up to? I decided to keep an eye on Grace's room while erasing my presence.

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