#86: A Future Spent With Someone Precious — I Found a Wife Whose Engagement was Broken Off in the Neighboring Country, But She’s Too Cute, What Should I Do? (Wn)

The next night.

“It has somehow taken shape!”

When the song ended and I bowed together with Shitoen, Raul said that in a voice that sounded close to tears.

“Barely, right? Barely.”

“A passing mark… I suppose.”

Roze and Mone were harsh, but apparently I had reached a level where I could be shown in public.

It seemed I had finally evolved from a bear sprinting downhill on two legs, to a bear balancing on a ball, and then into a human.

After last night’s hellish lesson, I had been terrified that today’s demon-level instruction would continue from now on, but it seemed I could somehow be released with this.

Starting tomorrow, I had to seriously start moving on the security arrangements for when the Luminous people came, or things would get bad. I could not keep dancing forever.

“Then shall we take a break here? …Eaton, are you all right?”

Shitoen excused herself to me and ran over to the piano. Eaton was trembling in both fingers and groaning, “I… thought they would break…”

Sorry. She had been playing the whole time, after all…

“I am sorry. I will go help Eaton prepare tea.”

Shitoen lowered her willow-leaf brows apologetically while supporting Eaton. Roze sharply raised her hand.

“I’ll go too!”

Saying that, she supported Eaton from the other side, and the three of them left the room.

With the sound of the door closing softly as the last thing, a silence that was hard to believe after these past two days arrived in the hall.

“Prince Saryu.”

I was suddenly called, and when I turned my face, it was Mone. Even though she was wearing heels, she approached without a sound. Raul reflexively placed his hand on his sword, so I gave a wry smile.

“What is it?”

“What is important in dancing is how well you lead the woman. The trick is to do it confidently. Elegantly.”

Oh. She unexpectedly gave me advice. When my eyes widened, she clicked her tongue.

“It is not for Prince Saryu’s sake. I just feel sorry for Princess Shitoen if she is embarrassed.”

“I see. Thank you.”

Even though I laughed and thanked her, she clicked her tongue again. What now?

“Starting tomorrow, you will be discussing security?”

Mone folded her arms. Her needlessly large chest was emphasized, but well, there were no eyes around, so fine.

“Yes. I want you two to continue guarding Shitoen, but… your faces are known, right? Just in case, can you dress as men?”

As I spoke, I turned my eyes toward Raul, and he nodded greatly as well.

“We have circulated the buckles and necklace that belonged to you and spread rumors that you were ‘tortured to death.’ For now, the organization probably thinks you are dead, but still, just in case.”

“Roze and I do not mind. We are used to blending in.”

Mone said that calmly, and I began.

“If you do not want to say it, that is fine, but… why is the organization you belonged to targeting Shitoen this persistently?”

Was it because of the dragon mark after all? That was what I had predicted.

Surprisingly, Mone firmly shook her head.

“I do not know the reason. We only carry out what we are ordered to do from above.”

“Even when your comrades keep dying?”

We had defeated the ones who continued to target Shitoen.

Each time, naturally, the organization’s personnel decreased. Normally, would they not want to cut their losses by now?

“…It seems the chief did consult once.”

“With the client?”

Mone left a blank pause there for a while, then opened her mouth again.

“But it resumed. The chief’s orders are absolute. As long as we are in the organization, we have no right to refuse.”

“You really do not know the reason they are targeting her that persistently?”

“I do not.”

There did not seem to be a lie in Mone’s resolute attitude.

“Your buckles and necklace are moving through the city while changing owners. If this continues, will they return to your old organization?”

Raul asked. Mone lightly tilted her head to the right and slowly blinked.

“I suppose they will. Those buckles and that jade are special to the chief.”

“Special. In what way?”

“I do not know. But normally, he even hated showing them to other people. He was the only one who looked at or touched them. I was surprised when the chief told Roze and me to ‘keep wearing them at all times’ for the assassination of Princess Shitoen.”

What did that mean?

I silently exchanged looks with Raul.

“Originally, they were… our mother’s mementos.”

“Hm!?”

I thought my thoughts were going to fly away.

Mone and Roze’s mother’s mementos were those buckles and necklace.

And the chief of the organization treasured them.

What kind of human relationship was that…!?

“After the mission, Roze and I were supposed to be freed. Because of that, I thought the chief had given them to us as mementos, but…”

From the way Mone said it, that was not the case?

“The chief is obsessed with those buckles and necklace. That much is certain. So if you follow them, you can reach him.”

Mone looked between Raul and me, then nodded deeply.

“I see. Thank you for telling us.”

“I do not need thanks.”

She spat that out as if it made her uncomfortable.

…This woman’s gaze somehow stimulated my dark history…

The parade of verbal abuse thrown at me when I returned from the winter frontier that year: “smelly,” “scary,” and “unkempt.”

“Um… Prince Saryu.”

Come to think of it, even my first love looked at me like she was looking at filth. I was vaguely remembering this when Mone opened her mouth as if it was difficult to say.

“What is it?”

“It is about Roze.”

“Roze?”

What is it? What happened? I repeated. Mone firmly pressed her lips together, then continued as if breathing out the words.

“That child has been in the organization since she was young. Um… because of that, she has prejudice against men, or rather… she has a somewhat contemptuous attitude, thinking, ‘men are probably like this.’”

“She does! Rather than contempt, she fundamentally looks down on me, doesn’t she!”

I nodded, cutting in. Mone let out an even larger sigh.

“So, um… I think Prince Saryu is, in a sense, a rare case.”

“Hm? I am?”

“For that child, Prince Saryu and Princess Shitoen are… um, perhaps the very ideal itself. Something she imagined, or rather. Something she thought could never exist, but it truly did exist.”

“…Is that… so?”

I turned my eyes toward Raul, thinking that some conversation I did not really understand had begun, but he had a bitter expression as well.

“If you understand that much, I would like you to guide her properly around that part.”

“I think she admires it. Um… because there has never been a good model case around that child until now. She may want to become like that.”

Mone spoke quickly and bit her lip in frustration.

“Like what?”

“She may want to be loved like Princess Shitoen.”

Because Mone said it with difficulty, I frowned.

“How precocious. She is still a child, isn’t she? Romance is too early, too early. First she should polish herself, then eat a lot and grow bigger. That comes first. She does not have enough height or meat on her yet.”

At once, Raul let out a huge sigh, and Mone made a rare surprised face.

After that…

I was the one who was surprised.

Mone let out a small laugh.

“That is true. I think that child is still a child. That is why I want to raise her carefully and help her grow.”

Mone told me that while smiling softly.

“I want her to become an adult and make her the lover of someone wonderful. I want to make her happy.”

“Of course. That is the role of adults.”

When I responded, Mone slowly blinked as if agreeing, with the lingering trace of a smile still at her lips.

“That does not only apply to Roze. It applies to you too.”

“Me?”

Because Mone said that suspiciously, I peered into her face.

“You finally escaped the organization. Shitoen gave you a different future, so live a happy life with someone precious. Not only Roze. You should also love someone, be loved by someone, and become happy.”

I wondered if I sounded too preachy.

I even thought she might spit, “Shut up, bear man.”

But contrary to my expectations…

Mone blushed a little and silently turned her face away.

That state looked like she was embarrassed, but…

“Are you sure you should say that, Prince Saryu?”

She immediately smiled with her usual sarcastic face.

“The only person I love is Princess Shitoen. If I become serious…”

“Waaaait! That and this are different matters!”

“My apologies. To think you would go out of your way to yield her to me.”

“Who would yield her, you snow leopard! Raul, exile this woman from the country forever right now!”

“I do not mind, but if that happens, would Princess Shitoen not be saddened?”