Chapter 53: 13

Volume 1: Chapter 013: Tooru Listens to the Exchange between Makia and the Duke

Tooru here.

Makia had somehow found out from the maids that the Duke of Beigrates is coming to the Odelle mansion to try and snatch me away. [3] The Lord wants to solve the matter without involving Makia but that’s no longer possible.

“Why have you not told me about this, Honourable Father?

“B-because then, Makia might just get angry and jump at the Duke of Beigrates…”

“What kind of excuse is that? Argh!”

Makia looks really angry. In fact, it looks like the more she scolds the lord, the angrier she becomes. The sight of an 11-year-old girl scolding the Lord is quite surreal.

I had heard that Makia is supposed to have dancing lessons today. However, at this rate, she would probably refuse to leave the house. [3] She had been complaining non-stop about this in her room now, angry that [1] no one had taken the initiative to inform her about this.

“This is what happens when you’re too nice to a child. Smirda-chan has always been like this. Always wanting what belongs to others.”

“I don’t think I had been that nice to her, have I? [1] Maybe she’s just retaliating against you. You did laugh at her quite loudly the other day. She’s probably just throwing a little temper tantrum.”

“Shut up, you!!” [3] Makia hisses, her eyes like knives as she glares at me. Why is she mad at me? I haven’t done anything wrong, have I? So why is she being so unreasonable?

“You’re right, I don’t really care about Smirda. She’s just a child after all and children always want what others have. However, adults have the responsibility to teach them their limits. Don’t spoil them by trying to buy other people’s things for her! That’s why I’m so mad! Do they take me for a fool?!”

The fan in Makia’s hand snaps open and closes several times before she smacks the closed fan on the table to [1] emphasizes her points.

What’s this? Is this her way of relieving stress?

“It’s fine. I shall deal with the matter myself. I don’t care whether it’s the Duke or whoever, I’ll just refuse all of them!”

“Hoo~ are you so reluctant about letting me go, Makia? …my, my, life sure is tough as a popular man.”

“Humph, confident with yourself, aren’t you? Shall I just sell you off? Let you fall into Smirda’s hands?”

“… …”

Makia’s attitude is quite thorny right now.

I wonder why she is so pissed off. Has she forgotten that she’s in a catfight with a child? Still, I guess it made sense for her to be angry, no one likes it when other people covets their things after all.

 

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The Duke of Beigrates arrives as scheduled that afternoon.

He looks younger than the lord but carries himself with a certain dignity that belies his age. He is rather tall with a straight back and I can see his resemblance to Smirda-chan through those sloping eyes and thick eyebrows. Both certainly carry the same sort of detestable aura of smugness about them.

In his hand is a cane with a carved hawk’s head.

The way he greets the lord is certainly gentlemen-like. However, there is also a sense of superiority to it.

Or is the Lord just a lot humbler around this guy?

The Duke immediately notices me standing behind the Lord. He squints at my direction before sneering, “Oh my, Young Lady Makia is here as well?

The Duke appears to be surprised to see Makia. She issitting right in the middle of the sofa, inside the room set up for the discussion.

“That’s right. After all, the matter has to do with Tooru, doesn’t it? Therefore, it’s imperative for me to be here.”

“… I see,”

The Duke must be thinking that these words did not really fit an 11-year-old. After all, he also has a daughter of the same age. [3] In fact, Makia has gone all out this time, acting even more mature and haughty than usual.

“Do have a seat, Duke of Beigrates.”

She indicates with her eyes to the seat opposite her. Her gaze is like those of a hunter who had determined her prey.

[3] Perhaps the peacefulness of this era had gotten into me, I had almost forgotten the dreaded past. However, this scene reminds me that this little girl was once the great and terrible Crimson Witch.

 

Without his knowing it, the Duke is about to come face to face with the most terrible witch of Maydea.

Perhaps ignorance is a good thing.

Anyway, the Duke immediately brings up the matter after a single sip of the tea that was served to him.

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“…the young man behind you, Lady Makia. That is the young knight, Tooru, yes?”

Makia gives me a brief glance. I had been standing behind her sofa all this while. She said nothing to me but returns her expressionless gaze at the Duke. “Yes, he is.”

The Duke looks at me once again and sneers.

Ehh… What, what’s going on?

“I think you should know by now. My Smirda seems to have taken a liking to that young knight. I tried getting her a different knight but she insisted on having on Tooru… Well, my point is, my Smirda will be named as a candidate for the next queen. Once she enters the inner palace, our family could send a knight into the Royal Capital. Surely you understand? In some ways, a knight’s achievement is connected to the Princess Candidate Assessment.”

When I heard that Smirda is to become a Princess Candidate, I nearly burst out laughing. Still, I managed to hold myself back.

Makia is still staring straight at the Duke.

“…. and what does that have to do with taking Tooru? Don’t tell me you intend to send him to the Royal Palace?”

“Let’s say, if he wishes to serve the king directly as a knight of the Royal Palace, the Beigrates can pave the way for him… speaking of which, surely there’s no need for the young lady to be so on edge? The one who gets to decide is the young man, after all, right?”

“I wonder… He is my servant after all. The ones who get to decide his fate is either my father, or myself. … Isn’t that right, Tooru?”

Makia smacks the fan into her palm once and turns her blade-like gaze at me. I answer with an expressionless ‘Yes, Makia-sama.’

Up to this point, the Lord of the house took no part in the conversation. [3] Or rather, he had been pushed out by Makia’s intimidating presence.

Her voice [1] is very cutting as she snaps open her fan and says, “In the first place isn’t it rude to make such an offer? Just because Smirda-sama asked for it, you mean to take the person I treasure most in exchange for money? To casually talk up your own social standing and seduce him away with a bigger payoff? …well, let me enlighten you. The things the Duke has to offer are meaningless to my Tooru.”

“Hoo, the way you speak. It is as though you know all there is to know about him … Haha, what a clever young lady. Elric, she’s quite different from you,”

He may have passed it off as a joke, but it is still pretty rude.

Well, the person in question did not seem to realize he had been looked down on. Instead, he happily cried ‘That’s right, my daughter is brilliant!’

My lord, he’s not praising your daughter. [3] He is ridiculing you, please have some self-awareness!!

Smack!!

The sound of the fan smacking into Makia’s palm broke the strange atmosphere. [3] She brushes back her hair and laughs.

“… naturally, I am one of the people in this world who understands Tooru best. The opposite is true as well. One of the people who truly understand me is Tooru.”

I see, and the other person is Yuri, right?

Though, I am sure the Duke has no idea what truly connects us.

“For us, we do not need things like immense wealth or great fame… it’s not something you would understand. However, if we ever decide to get our hands on those things, it is for the sake of achieving some other objectives.”

Despite wearing the appearance and voice of an 11-year-old, Makia’s tone as she asserts her authority and challenges the Duke is undoubtedly that of a competent adult. [1] It is a rather distorted sight.

 

That’s right, we’re living in the now.

Our purest desire right now is to grow up, to do whatever we wish and see where life takes us.

For those of us who had once stood at the peak of everything, if we cannot forget the past tragedy that had once crushed us to pieces, life has no meaning.

Ah, I see it now.

The only one who could understand Makia’s words in this room right now is me, and me alone.

 

[Gumihou: It’s kind of chuuni, but then he was the Black Demon King…]

 

[1] Filling in the ‘Unspoken’. Often, when it comes to Japanese novels, the translation might be a bit lacking since the author deliberately chooses to use fewer words and let the reader fill in the blanks through a preset cultural understanding.

 

If the missing info looks too sparse, Gumi will fill in some of the blanks. This is not to imply that the writer’s craft is lacking, but we do have a cultural gap. Gumi will try to fill in these gaps unobtrusively.

[2] Adjust paragraphs, for aesthetic purpose

 

[3] Connect short paragraphs to make one reasonable paragraphs

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