Kays Translations

Chapter 8: Redemption

The day after I made up my mind to stop being my sister's support ────, I changed into a dress with the help of a maidservant prepared by the school and waited for someone in front of the second hall. I watch as a guy and a girl with their arms around each other walked into the second hall as I leaned against the wall. My purple dress, a little darker than my hair color, swayed softly.

The first-year students did not have classes today because of the freshman welcome party. This was because the school thought it would take time to prepare. Also, unlike a normal party, there were no strict rules or bothersome manners, so there was no set order for entering. If there had been a fixed order, I, as a viscount’s daughter, would have already entered the venue.

Except for the compulsory participation, the freshman welcome party is very nice. But I wonder if he's still on the way…? The party starts in less than five minutes… I glanced at the clock above the door, anxiously awaiting the arrival of a certain person. As I scurried around, impatient with the bustling voices in the hall that I could hear through the door, ────the person I was waiting for finally showed up.

He was dressed in formal black attire and wore a cloak with gold fittings. His black hair, which is darker than the darkness, is pulled all the way back and he wears black leather gloves. ──── This is the person I have been waiting for, His Highness Grayson. Oh, he doesn't have a partner. No matter how low class the party is, one should at least bring a partner… Well, I can't judge others when I don’t have a partner either. I don't think I've ever talked to a guy other than His Highness, let alone asked him to be my partner.

I thought of my classmates, of the boys who wouldn't even make eye contact with me and smiled inwardly. While I was in a complicated state of mind, the beautiful young man with black hair walked on without looking at me. He seems to have lost interest in me after yesterday's incident. I slowly raised my body from the wall, pained by the indifference of His Highness Grayson.

"────Your Highness Grayson, I'm sorry, but could you give me a moment of your time?"

It would be unthinkable for a viscountess to approach royalty, but there was something that I really wanted to tell His Highness. As I stared at his profile with a strong will, the beautiful young man with black hair turned his gaze to me. The lapis lazuli eyes, which gave the impression of being as cold as ice, were still as if joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure had been drained from them.

"What?"

It's a little scary to hear a flat voice that doesn't show any emotional ups and downs, like a machine. But more than that, the 'indifference' held by His Highness Grayson was terrifying. I've never known… it's scarier to be disinterested than to be disliked. I take a step forward, clenching my fist and forcing my quivering body into order. It’d be impossible to rewrite the rumors if I was scared by only this. I managed to muster up the courage to not run away and stared straight back into the lapis lazuli eyes. I'm not going to let yesterday's determination go to waste.

"Thank you for your time. First of all, let me apologize for my rudeness yesterday. I'm very sorry for my insolence towards the Sword of the Kingdom of Soleil."

I put my hands on my chest and bowed deeply. His Highness Grayson didn’t even move an eyebrow when I apologized.

"I accept your apology. Is that all you have to say? I'll be on my way then…"

He uttered a quick, businesslike reply and returned his gaze forward.  I hurriedly called out to His Highness, who seemed to be leaving right away.

"Oh, wait! I haven't finished speaking  yet!"

I stopped him, saying I was in the middle of a conversation, but His Highness Grayson let out a sigh, saying, "Is there something more?"

Even though it was clear that he was becoming irritated, I tried my hardest to maintain my composure.

"Well, I was actually thinking… of answering that question that His Highness Grayson asked me…"

The beautiful young man with black hair reacted with a jerk. Then, he slowly turned his body towards me.

"… are you referring to the question I asked in dance class yesterday?"

His Highness asks me back as if he's interested in the reason why I'm hiding my abilities. I nodded my head, relieved at the surprisingly straightforward response. Maybe His Highness is just not interested in what's going on around him and is surprisingly simple-minded. I didn't expect him to be so interested in me. His Highness Grayson, whose lapis lazuli eyes have a slight glow in them, smiles at me and I recompose myself. While quieting my buzzing heart, I opened my mouth with determination.

"The reason I've been hiding my abilities until now is because ──── my sister, Scarlett Oneesama instructed me to do so."

As expected, His Royal Highness Grayson nodded his head as he had already come to that conclusion.

"How did that happen?"  He asked and I proceeded to explain step by step to him.

"It all started when I was just five years old. I had just turned five years old, and as an aristocrat, I had begun my education for the gifted, and I was doing quite well. The instructors praised me as a "genius" and said that "I might be better than my sister. " When Scarlett Oneesama heard about it, she was furious and told me, "Be my support…"

I still remember the scene well. I still remember the sight of my sister's face twisted in anger and my feelings of being annoyed, all vividly… without fading.

"At that time I was too lazy to fight with my sister and accepted her proposal. As a result, I became just a mediocre Viscount daughter, and Scarlett Oneesama became a rare talent in recent years."

When I finished my general explanation, omitting some parts, the beautiful young man with black hair frowned questioningly. I guess he can't understand why I would keep my childhood promise and do as my sister says. He crossed his arms thoughtfully, tapped his second arm with his index finger, and let out a deep sigh.

"... that’s ridiculously stupid."

After much thought, he spat out his true feelings, which were unusually full of emotion. ...... It pierced my chest painfully. I smiled bitterly in front of His Royal Highness Grayson, who didn't say a single word of comfort. In my mind's eye, I saw myself… a fool who had wasted eight years of her life on petty worries. I looked at the past, which seemed more suited to the word "comedy" than "tragedy," and squinted.

"Yes, it is. It's really ridiculously stupid so I ────"

Then, after dramatically cutting off my words, I declared out loud,

"──── I've decided to stop playing the role of my sister's support. From now on, I'll live for myself."

I say without any hesitation as if I was saying goodbye to my past self. Completely free of hesitation, I just stared straight into His Highness Grayson's eyes.

"... Why are you telling me this?"

"It's more of a way to… redeem myself, but it's also a way to block my escape route. If I do say so myself, I'm a bit of a lazy person, so there's a chance I'll give up halfway. So by declaring it in front of your Highness Grayson, I'm motivating myself."

When I answered with a big smile, His Highness Grayson's cheeks twitched for a moment. "You're quite poetic," he muttered, and I let out a giggle in agreement.

I feel a lot better now that His Highness has listened to me. It's not that he did anything special, but I feel much better.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for listening to my boring story. It's almost time for the party to begin, so if you'll excuse me…"

"──── Wait"

Even though it was a low-level party, I didn't dare to enter after His Highness, but when I tried to enter first… I was stopped by him. As I stared at him in confusion, not knowing why I was being held back, the beautiful young man with black hair stepped forward. ──── Then he knelt down on the spot.

"Lady Charlotte Luna Meyers, would you give me the honor of being your escort?"

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