Kays Translations

Chapter 10: Strange Woman (Grayson’s POV)

After finishing the first dance with applause, I started eating and drinking with my partner, Miss Charlotte. We sat down on the sofa by the wall with plates of roast beef and cake. While looking out at the center of the crowded room, I stab a fork into my quiche. I glanced next to me and saw Miss Charlotte with a strawberry from the shortcake in her mouth. Her bright blue eyes sparkled and her cheeks relaxed, the sweet, ripe strawberries seemed to suit her taste. I guess she's no different from the others around her in this way. And yet, she's a brilliant woman who followed my lead perfectly…

"──── What a strange woman."

I muttered this almost unconsciously, and her Tanzanite eyes, which had been on the cake, looked up at me.

"Did you say something? I couldn't hear you over all the noise."

"No, it’s nothing"

When I shook my head, Miss Charlotte asked, "Is that so?" while leaning towards me. I stared at her again facing the shortcake full of fresh cream and squinted. It was refreshing to have a woman outside of my family within arm's reach. Her lavender hair looked soft and fluffy, and her blue eyes looked fresh. Her skin was as white as snow, and her pink lips looked peachy and delicious. Her face is probably one of the most beautiful in the world. I can't say for sure because I’m the type to not know the difference between a beautiful and ugly appearance, but ... I felt Miss Charlotte was beautiful. But it wasn't when I met her that I thought she was beautiful, it was when she declared to me that she would ──── "stop playing the role of my sister's support."

As soon as I saw her radiant face and dignified eyes, my black-and-white scenery suddenly became spectacular and the world became colorful. Her face, which I could only vaguely see ...... or even not see ..... was revealed to me and I could recognize it as a human face. It was probably the first time I’d ever taken a good look at her face. That's how uninterested I am in other people… To be honest, I wasn’t interested in Miss Charlotte herself at first. I was just curious as to why she was hiding her abilities and had no interest in her beyond that. But when I saw her straightforward eyes and forward attitude, for some reason I wanted to cheer her up.

I wanted to give her a push as she decided to live for herself. That's why I asked Miss Charlotte to be my escort and put her next to me like this. At the end of the day, I guess I've grown to like her ──── so much that it hurts. If I had to give this feeling a name, it would be ────

"──── pet love, I think?"

"Huh?"

She reacts to the answer that I came up with after serious consideration with a look of 'confusion'. She left the remaining bite of shortcake and stared straight into my eyes.

"Does your Highness Grayson like animals?"

"I don't hate them. Not that I like them either… But I do like my horse, Black Tyrant. He's like my sidekick."

Thinking of the black horse that’s been with me since I was a child, I narrowed my eyes slightly. The love I have for Black Tyrant and the feelings I have for Miss Charlotte are very similar. The purple-haired beauty's eyes sparkled as I thought to myself, "So it’s pet love, after all."

"Wow! Your Highness has a favorite horse! I’m envious! What kind of horse is Black Tyrant?"

I don't know if she's interested in riding or if she just likes horses… but Miss Charlotte looks at me with curiosity. I was tempted to pat her on the head for her childlike innocence… but I managed to resist.

"Black Tyrant is, as the name suggests, a black horse. He's strong and fast, but he's also a very rowdy horse… No one but me rides him. But he's a smart guy and won't let women and children touch him. Instead, he splashes mud and shit all over them… The other day, he covered a neighboring princess in mud."

I got scolded so much for that that I went directly to the princess to apologize...... He’s my horse, so he wasn’t killed, but if it was a normal horse, it would have been cut down on the spot. 

As I thought of the past, the purple-haired beauty next to me put her hand over her mouth in surprise, saying "Well, that..." But I didn't detect any particular disgust or see any discomfort on her face.

"If I ever have the chance to meet Black Tyrant, I'll be careful. I don't want to get covered in mud."

"Yeah, you'd better. He's rowdy. If you're not careful, you'll be covered in mud in an instant."

Having been covered in mud several times as part of communication, I sighed, "How many hours did I take in the bath before the mud was cleansed." 

The purple-haired beauty giggles beside me, her eyes somewhat distant. I was glad that she seemed to enjoy listening to my dull story… she really is a strange woman. The feeling I called "pet love" tingled as I gazed at her smile. ──── suddenly I  noticed the clock.

The clock read 21:00, which meant an hour had passed since the party started. The mandatory welcome party is scheduled to last until midnight, but from 21:00, the party is completely voluntary. In other words, you’re allowed to go home an hour after the party starts. Since morning, I had planned to go home immediately it was 21:00… What does my partner, Miss Charlotte, think?

"Miss Charlotte, it's past 21:00, what do you want to do? If you still want to stay in the hall, I'll stay with you…"

I asked as I couldn't leave my partner in the hall. After glancing at the clock, Miss Charlotte made a slightly troubled face, and then stopped talking. Could it be she wants to do something but finds it difficult to say?

"You can be honest with me."

"Huh? Well, but ..."

"You don't have to worry about me"

"Um, even if you say so ..."

When I told her "You can be honest with me.", the purple-haired beauty looked puzzled and shifted her gaze back and forth. I opened my mouth again, letting out a deep sigh at her attitude.

"If you still want to enjoy the party, I'll be your partner till the end. So, be honest with me…"

"──── That's not it!"

Miss Charlotte forcefully disagreed causing me to instinctively say, "Huh ...?" As I watched her roll her eyes, the purple-haired beauty became more talkative.

"To be honest, I'd like to leave right now! Oh, but it's not because I'm bored spending my time with your Highness Grayson...! I'm just tired of being at the party, and my corset is so tight and painful…"

Miss Charlotte, who was speaking in a hurry, said her true reason for wanting to leave "my corset is so tight and painful…"

"It's not that I don't want to spend time with you your Highness!" She repeated, sounding desperate and a little scared. 

So this is the reason she found hard to say. It’s true that if you honestly say, "I want to go home as soon as possible," most people will misunderstand and think, "Was my time with you that boring?" No wonder Miss Charlotte was hesitant. I wasn’t considerate enough.

"I see. What a coincidence. Actually, I wanted to leave early too. I'm not really good with this kind of place… I prefer practicing with my sword rather than chatting at parties."

After revealing what was on my mind so as not to make Miss Charlotte feel uncomfortable, I slowly stood up. Then I reached out my hand to the purple-haired beauty who looked up at me as she sat down.

 “I'll walk you to the front of your dormitory. I don't want you to wander towards the boys' dorm again."

"Oh, that was just a coincidence! I usually have a great sense of direction!"

Miss Charlotte, who barks like a puppy, has a pouting expression on her face. Her face was rather mature, but her reaction was so childish that I couldn't help but smile. Her jaw fell and she opened her eyes as wide as they could go.

" …I've never seen His Highness smile before."

The purple-haired beauty muttered as she stared at my face. She stared at me with such intensity that my smile faded. She lowered her shoulders disappointedly and said, "His highness' precious smile..."

"Don't worry about my smile. Let's just get going."

"Oh, alright!"

I bring my outstretched hand up to Miss Charlotte's eyes, and she hurriedly took it. I helped the purple-haired beauty stand up, gazing at her hands, which were much smaller and softer than mine. 

I shake my head as she said "thanks you" and slowly began to walk.

────The scent of lavender from Miss Charlotte left a strong impression on me that night.

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