Chapter 95

Previously, someone commented on Rolf殿's actions using the metaphor of a relative being tricked by a religious group into exchanging a jar. I was in the middle of writing this story at that time, and I was really impressed by how accurately they understood Rolf殿 (even if they might not like it). The story of being tricked into buying a jar of happiness is common, but I wonder if anyone really buys it. Everyone, please be careful.

Even if it's called a counterattack, the other party is the Emperor. He usually pretends to be approachable, but he is the king who rules the great kingdom of Marita. I, a commoner in both my previous and current life, am no match for him. He carries the lives and livelihoods of the people of this country on his back. I, an ordinary person, must have a completely different perspective and way of thinking.

But I feel frustrated. My life's important matters were about to be changed without my consent. This might be a normal feeling for the powerful in this world, but for me, who has memories from my previous life, it just doesn't fit. In modern Japan, it's normal to choose one's marriage partner by one's own will. Well, even if I sound arrogant, in my previous life, I didn't choose my own marriage partner. Ugh. Thinking about sad things, I'm already damaged before even fighting the Emperor. No, no, don't lose, Shina!

"Your Majesty!"

The Emperor's terrifying aura was scary, but I was also angry. I encouraged myself with my anger and raised my hand.

The Emperor, who was facing Prince Kanan, turned his gaze sharply towards me. Ah, it's so scary, even a gangster would turn pale. I'm scared! I'm impressed that Prince Kanan could face him without crying. I won't lose either.

"Please let me speak."

I was cut off abruptly, but if I give up here, I won't be able to play with Prince Kanan! I have to try harder!

"Indeed, what Prince Rolf did was despicable, and as an individual, I cannot forgive it. He could have simply said, 'No, I can't marry,' but instead, he pretended to consider the proposal and used me as bait to trap the Colts family. ... Honestly, I have nothing but questions about what the Emperor saw in Prince Rolf to consider him as a candidate for my engagement..."

Even though I knew it was disrespectful, I ignored the Emperor's words and expressed my own thoughts. The Emperor, who was extremely angry, wavered just a little, maybe a millimeter. Did I manage to chip away at his 5000 HP like a giant dragon?

"Narcissist, illegal intruder, cold and scheming, yet incompetent due to lack of proper investigation. I can't understand why women scream for him... What, really, what's so good about him?"

I stared at Prince Rolf and tilted my head. He has a good face, but his stupidity and pushiness are too much. I also don't like his excessive charm, which makes me feel queasy. When I observed him, Prince Rolf looked pitiful, but I wasn't swayed at all. He got what he deserved.

"N, Narcissist?"

The Emperor frowned, caught on the word "narcissist."

"Yes. Narcissist comes from the name of a person in a distant country who fell in love with his own reflection in the water. It now refers to someone who loves themselves and is full of confidence."

"Bu, bu, buh!"

This unique laugh came from Barry. He couldn't hold back his laughter.

"S, so that's it."

The Emperor's cheeks twitched. He must be trying to maintain his dignity and suppress his laughter. He looks uncomfortable.

"Anyway, I think what Prince Rolf did this time is a serious matter that could shake the trust between countries. But if I were in Prince Rolf's position, I probably would have acted similarly. I wouldn't have tried to bring Lana to Marita to crush the troublemakers, but I would have been strict with Marita to protect Naris."

I don't like thinking about what I would do if I were Prince Rolf, but I endure and imagine it.

"For example, what would you do if one day the Empress, a close friend, said, 'If you buy this golden jar for 100 platinum coins, you will be happy,' and asked for advice on buying the jar?"

"Huh?"

The Emperor opened his mouth in surprise. The Empress, with a beautiful smile, swayed slightly. It's just a metaphor, please don't be upset.

"S, that would be a fraud, and I would stop her."

The Emperor slowly turned his gaze to the Empress. The Empress hurriedly shook her head in denial. It's just a metaphor, remember.

"That's right. But the Empress trusts her friend absolutely and won't listen to what you say. It's a problem, isn't it? Naturally, anger would be directed at the friend for bringing such a ridiculous story and trying to deceive the Empress."

"M, maybe so."

I smiled at the Emperor's agreement. Good, I've got him.

"I think Prince Rolf felt the same way."

"What?"

"Marita, a friendly country, suddenly said, 'A holy maiden has appeared. She can regenerate lost limbs, create a fragrance to repel monsters, and solve food shortages. Please support us to protect her.' The King of Naris, trusting Marita, sent the important Crown Prince Kanan, thinking he might be able to cure his leg. I heard that many fraudsters claiming to cure Kanan's leg have gathered for honors and rewards. So, even if it's a friendly country, Prince Rolf couldn't easily believe it."

I sighed and shrugged.

"My achievements sound fake, don't they? When listed, they sound like the accomplishments of a fake religious leader. I think so myself."

"No, I don't think that..."

I ignored Prince Rolf's weak protest. He probably thought something similar. I evaluated my own "achievements." I did them all because I needed to, so I don't really feel proud of them. I created the regeneration magic and the monster-repelling fragrance to help Kiri and the soldiers. Zalos (rice) was 1000% for my own appetite. I didn't even know Marita was facing a food shortage. I just happened to solve their problems by chance.

"I think the Emperor and the Empress trusted me from the start because of what happened in Kylart. If the effectiveness of the monster-repelling fragrance hadn't been proven in Kylart, and if I hadn't healed Prince Alan and the soldiers, wouldn't Jin have suspected me of being a fake holy maiden from a neighboring country and bringing me to the country?"

I think Prince Rolf also investigated Marita. But if strict secrecy was imposed on the regeneration magic and the monster-repelling fragrance, he probably didn't get much information. The information about Zalos (rice) was public, but Barry apparently spread misinformation, making it even harder.

"Prince Rolf is a member of the royal family of Naris. It's natural for him to protect Naris. He was probably worried about his brother, who trusted Marita without any doubt. Even if it meant being hated by Marita, he moved to protect Naris as a royal and a family member. I think that's only natural."

I think he should have been more cautious, but I don't think my five years of being deceived give me much credibility.

And, I glanced at the Emperor.

"If you believe Prince Rolf's side of the story, the King of Naris trusted the Emperor and sent Prince Kanan to visit Marita. If the misunderstanding that he wasn't trusted by his best friend is cleared up, there's no need to be so shocked. If the relationship with the King of Naris deteriorates over this, it will be difficult to reconcile."

The Emperor gasped. His face turned red, and he tried to maintain his scary expression, but his eyebrows drooped. His pitiful face looked like Jin's. They have the same eyebrow shape.

My father in my previous life said that he had a silly argument with his best friend at a bar and didn't apologize, leading to a years-long estrangement. As he got older, he became stubborn and found it hard to apologize. When they met by chance, they reconciled and went to the bar together again, but his best friend died of illness soon after. He hung his head in his mourning clothes, regretting the wasted time due to his stubbornness.

I don't want my father in this world to have the same regret. The actual damage was just that I was shaken and couldn't sleep for a night, and I don't want to have a conflict with Naris. I don't understand diplomacy and national prestige, but I might get an apology, which I don't really want.

"Is that okay, Shina? You were the one most affected."

"The damage was that I couldn't trust Marita anymore and that I was drugged and almost assaulted by Lana. But Kiri solved everything, so there's no problem."

Kiri, who overshadowed Jin and Prince Rolf with his heroic presence. I'm head over heels for you. You were a big help this time. Perfectly cool and beautiful Kiri. I already knew you were cool, but I've re-realized it.

"W, why can't you trust my country? Why?"

The Emperor was shocked. Why, that's my line.

"Because, Your Majesty, I thought you approved of my marriage to Jin, but you secretly proposed marriage to Prince Rolf without telling me."

"That, that's not true, Shina. I, I was looking for a suitable marriage partner for you."

I looked at the flustered Emperor with distrust.

"Did you try to send me to another country because you thought I wasn't suitable to be Jin's wife?"

If that's the case, it's sad. If you thought I wasn't suitable, you should have told me to my face, not secretly prepare a new fiancé.

"No, no, it's the opposite! My foolish son is not worthy of you! I was worried that your world was too narrow. Your previous fiancé was so bad that Jinklett seemed good, didn't he? To be honest, Shina, don't you have bad taste? I read the report of your journey. What did you see in my foolish son?"

Wow, that's a harsh evaluation, Your Majesty. I glanced at Jin, worried he might be hurt, but he had an unnecessarily stern face. It looked like he was thinking that no matter how harshly he was criticized, I wouldn't dislike him, so he was fine. It made me a bit angry.

"I read the report too. Kiri saved you from the silver wolf and performed well in Kylart. Normally, a man's heroic actions would win a woman's heart. In the report, Kiri was the most heroic. I really have doubts about Jinklett, and I asked Barry multiple times if he was brainwashing Shina with suspicious magical devices."

The Empress said this in a rapid-fire manner, and my love for Jin wavered a little. No, no, calm down, me. I'm supposed to like Jin.

"First of all, I didn't like Jin because he could protect me."

In the end, they are similar, these two. They try to protect me, but they overdo it.

I thought carefully and chose my words. It was so embarrassing that my face felt like it was on fire, but I had to say it. In a world where parents choose marriage partners, I had to explain that I wanted to choose my own best partner.

"Jin listens to me, understands my feelings, and thinks with me. That's what I like about him. Thanks to Jin, I, who thought I had no allies other than Kiri, wanted to trust someone again."

I had been betrayed, hurt, and even though I knew it rationally, my heart refused to trust. I thought it was impossible, but Jin told me it was okay not to trust. He accepted it as a matter of course. He's usually jealous and weak, but in this aspect, he has a broad mind. He tries to understand me more than anyone else. That makes me incredibly happy and attracted to him.

"I like Jin for that."

When I said this, looking straight at the Emperor and the Empress, they nodded. The Emperor said, "I'm sorry for my rash actions."

The atmosphere was silent, but not in a bad way. I was relieved to see Prince Kanan exhale and have teary eyes. You did a good job, young hero. You protected the diplomatic relations between Naris and Marita. Because you were there, I wanted to protect them too.

"I, I like Shina too!"

The warm atmosphere was shattered by a muscular man covered in tears and snot shouting.

He clung to my waist and cried. Wait, this guy likes me, right?

Muscular man, 100 years of love can be cooled, so you should show some restraint. I'm not the only one who thinks that.

I'm sorry for the delay.