Betrayed by My Fiancé, I Changed My Role from a Viscount’s Daughter to a Lady-in-Waiting to the Quee

Chapter 2, Episode 2

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

Raul looked momentarily frightened by my strong rejection.

I don’t want you to get any closer. I stared at him unintentionally because my physical anomaly that was discovered after the incident was a stronger rejection than my feeling of being hassled towards Raul. I don’t want Raul to know about the change, and furthermore, I can’t expose it to the public.

「…Is that really the only reason?」

Raul, who is getting a little closer to me with a suspicious look in his eyes, just don’t come! And an alarm rings in my head.

「Why else would be there? You say the strangest things.」

I cover up the chill running down my back and the cold sweat seeping out with a smile, while maintaining a safe distance with my feet and taking up an escape position.

My physical ability is much less than Raul the knight, but he would not do anything rash in the Royal Palace like this, so I want to get through this somehow. But Raul was definitely closing the distance, and just as the scent of his perfume was about to reach my nose, a sharp pang rang out.

「That’s as far as you go.」

I was overjoyed to hear the all-too-familiar voice that jumped into my ears. Only in my mind, of course.

「Ah… Commander, and even Captain Ryniel…」

Aside from Raul, who sounded stunned, I ran away like a hare, hiding behind Douglas-sama.

「Ma——…!」

I ignored Raul’s voice that was trying to stall me. It’s hard to resist the urge to scratch the goosebumps all over my body, but there’s no way I’m going to wait for the cause.

「That’s enough. Where do you think you are, Sir?」

Raul, who was frozen in his position, almost reaching for me, said to me in a cold tone of voice,

「No, a–about that…!」

「About that?」

Nhn? Raul is at a loss for words as he is no longer in the mood for self-indulgent theatrics. Raul is not at all at ease, but immediately glares at Ryniel-sama.

「This is a matter between me and Marsha, so please do not interrupt us!」

Haah!? First of all. That’s not an answer at all. And the problem with that is that Raul is the only one who is still dithering over something that has already been done!

I was so astonished that I was speechless. I shook my head in surprise at Ryniel-sama, who just looked at me and asked,

「She doesn’t seem to like it.」

「…urk, Marsha has misunderstood. Therefore, she does not dislike me!」

I hated you! I can’t stand you because I hate you! How favorably you look at me! I don’t like you whether there’s a misunderstanding or not! Your eyes are blind, you fool!!

What a dilemma: I want to yell at them, but I can’t.

「Misunderstanding or not, that’s not the way to treat a woman.」

「But!」

「But there is nothing to be said! Have some shame on you!」

「…!」

Kyah, thank you for speaking for me, Ryniel-sama! Say more, say more! It’s heartbreaking!

「This is probably not the place for you to be in the first place. I don’t think that’s possible, but you didn’t just toss your duties aside, did you?」

「That’s not possible! Rather, Her Royal Highness kindly allowed me to come to see Marsha!」

「Her Royal Highness allowed you?」

Yes, it’s none of my business!

「Y–Yes, that’s correct. She asked me to go and talk to Marsha.」

So, he said, he never abdicated his duties.

Ryniel-sama frowned in disapproval, and from overhead I heard Douglas-sama sigh in exasperation.

Yes, yes, I understand what you mean.

「Haah, that’s not a good reason for anything.」

「Totally.」

To the lines of Douglas-sama and Ryniel-sama, right? And I silently agreed.

「Huh…?」

So I really don’t understand why he look so strange. I thought he was reasonably competent as a knight of the Kingsguard, even if he had a flower garden blooming in his brain, but it seems I was mistaken. This is terrible.

「Is this『courtesy』something you would do without the consent of the “Head Lady-in-waiting”?」

「…agh.」

「Or is it not a『courtesy』but an『order』of Her Royal Highness?」

「……ah… no.」

Raul turns over and gives a small reply. He is slow to realize his mistake.

「You may have been her fiancée, but her position in the royal court is『First in line with the Queen.』Do you understand?」

Douglas-sama said admonishingly.

In other words, Douglas-sama is telling him that he needs to be respectful of each other’s position.

I can understand if we’re still engaged, or if we’re just standing around talking to each other when we meet by chance, based on the assumption that we are still friendly with each other.

But in the Royal Palace, in the position of a knight of the Kingsguard and the Head Lady-in-waiting? He cannot, or rather should not, go to the trouble of ambushing me and forcing me to『talk』to him without my consent. He had done this many times, but this is really a matter of course. Even if this were private and not in the Royal Palace, it would still be the most annoying act of coercion, such as ambushing someone who has broken off an engagement.

Even if this is an『order』from Her Royal Highness the Princess, the first person with the Queen (me) has the right to refuse『order』from royalty other than Her Majesty the Queen. I wouldn’t turn it down unless I had a very good reason, but the point is that I have a right to do so. If Raul forces「the order」on me, in the name of Her Royal Highness the Princess, it would be an act worthy of fighting with me, which is equivalent of fighting to Queen Myra.

Well, to be honest, I’ve been in the act of picking fights many times, but up until now I’ve just let them slide. You should be grateful.

「I apologize for the inconvenience…」

Finally understanding this, Raul turned his head down and said he was sorry.

「It is not to me that you should apologize!」

“Are you an idiot?” I thought I heard a line in my ears that wasn’t spun into sound. And he’s an idiot, I replied in my mind.

I can tell from every word that Ryniel-sama is irritated.

「How pathetic. If you want to talk, take the necessary steps.」

Ryniel-sama didn’t hide his annoyance, but continued in a small voice, but firmly so that Raul could hear,

「Whether she’ll accept it is another matter, though.」

He said this in a freezing cold tone of voice.