The Beautiful Prince

The next day, when I went to school, I spotted Prince Felix on the stone-paved path leading to the clock tower.

Accompanied by Roy-kun and an adult in black, he came over when he noticed me and said, “I’ll make you regret turning down my invitation.”

“Let us have a fair and honorable match,” I said.

He snorted and said, “Naturally,” then walked off at a brisk pace.

Roy-kun followed a little behind him.

As I watched their backs and thought, How exactly am I supposed to counter them?, the one who spoke to me was the man in black who had been walking with the prince.

“I need to speak with you. Later, come to this place.”

He quickly handed me a small slip of paper.

Apparently, it was a secret from the prince.

From the speed of his movement, I sensed that he did not want to be noticed.

(I wonder what it could be.)

I had an idea.

Officially, he and I were supposed to be dating.

From the royal family’s perspective, it would be only natural to think that such a thing at eleven years old was far too early and unhealthy.

(This is the development where they ask me to break up with him.)

If I were the heroine of a romance novel, I would refuse, but unfortunately I was not that kind of girl, and I had absolutely no romantic feelings for the prince either.

I was only dating him because I had no choice, since I could not earn villainess points unless he dumped me.

On that point, if I were forced into it by a royal retainer, there was a chance I could earn villainess points in a pretty satisfying way.

Fully intending to agree, I headed to the meeting place.

It was a corner of the garden lined with tall hedges.

In that spot hidden from view by the surrounding hedges, the man in black said,

“Thank you for coming.”

“I know what it is you want.”

The man in black looked at me with surprise and then said,

“That certainly makes this easy.”

“I am inclined to accept your proposal. But I cannot simply accept it for free. I, too, have conditions that must be met.”

“Conditions?”

“Make it so that he was the one who dumped me. And have him say, ‘She was a beautiful and far too splendid villainess, and I lost my nerve and could not bear to remain with her.’”

The prince, having been drawn in too deeply by my evil charm, was going to distance himself from me.

(What a sinful woman…! This is what a villainess should be…!)

As I reveled inwardly, the man in black said in an even tone,

“It seems you are misunderstanding something. My request is not to separate you from Prince Felix.”

“Huh? It isn’t?”

“You are the daughter of House Lumiore, and you also possess exceptional magical talent. The royal family has judged that there is no need to resort to forceful measures over a student-age companion.”

I thought they were unexpectedly tolerant, though that was only because they did not know I lacked magical aptitude.

Thinking that if they did know, they would immediately resort to forceful measures, I said,

“Then what is it you want to ask of me?”

“In the finals, please yield victory to Prince Felix. We ask that you show the appropriate consideration.”

“You’re telling me to lose on purpose.”

“His Highness is the future of this country. Every possible measure must be taken to increase this nation’s value. If one places an exam and the nation on opposite sides of a scale, do you not think the answer as to which is more important is obvious?”

A prince who continued taking first place at a meritocratic academy.

To create that fame and those results, this must have been the sort of thing they had kept doing for him all along.

Of course, it could not possibly be his personal wish.

Above him stood the royal family, and above that, the elders and great figures of this country.

“Does Prince Felix know about this?”

“He does not. It is not something he needs to know.”

I felt a little sorry for that nasty prince.

The pressure that he had to win.

Parents and a country that pressured his rivals behind his back.

Regardless of his own will, he was being forced into the version of himself that they wanted, twisted into shape for them.

There had to have been people hurt by that.

Thinking, The country would really do something like that?

And in the shadows of it all, he too was probably being hurt.

He had to remain the version of himself that his parents and those around him desired.

‘You’re a good child, so of course you can do as I say. Right?’

I knew that kind of pain and suffering.

“I refuse.”

At my words, the man in black quietly shook his head.

“This is far more important than you seem to think. Certainly, it may appear to be something that goes against reason. However, in the end it will bring reassurance to the people of this country, and lead to hope for the future and happiness. Do you believe the result of an exam is more important than the happiness of the people?”

“What a foolish question. Of course it is more important. It’s the exam result of me, the cutest and coolest girl in the world. If it gets distorted for the sake of people’s happiness, then I’m the one who’ll be pitiful. More than anything, the claim that the prince’s exam results will lead to the people’s happiness is pure ornament with broken logic, don’t you think?”

I said,

“Certainly, while they are being deceived, people might be able to feel a tiny bit happier. But as a result, one day they will be disappointed. Because eventually they will realize that the prince they placed such hopes in is not actually that kind of person. The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. In the end, no one will be happy.”

“No one can know the future. It is also possible that Prince Felix will continue to remain the people’s hope.”

“Do you understand the sinfulness of forcing that level of expectation onto a small child? In the end, what you people want to protect is your own position and your own honor.”

“…………”

The black-clad adult said nothing.

He pressed his lips together and quietly listened to my words.

“I will not accept your proposal. I will crush your beautiful prince with everything I have, without choosing my means, so be prepared for that.”

I declared it clearly and turned on my heel.

As I walked straight through the garden, I recalled the exchange and felt my cheeks soften inwardly.

(Just now, I was definitely cool, right?)

Lost in self-satisfaction, I did not notice.

The presence of a third person hidden in the shadows of the garden.

He leaned his back against the hedge and listened to the conversation between the two of them.

He kept his body, not yet at the age of a growth spurt, drawn in tightly as he hid himself.

“Make it so that he was the one who dumped me. And have him say, ‘She was a beautiful and far too splendid villainess, and I lost my nerve and could not bear to remain with her.’”

His clenched fist trembled.

There was anger there, the feeling of, What self-serving nonsense is that girl saying?

“It seems you are misunderstanding something. My request is not to separate you from Prince Felix.”

“Huh? It isn’t?”

“You are the daughter of House Lumiore, and you also possess exceptional magical talent. The royal family has judged that there is no need to resort to forceful measures over a student-age companion.”

He lowered his face.

He felt dejected that the act of defiance he had worked up the courage to carry out had not really changed anything.

“Then what is it you want to ask of me?”

“In the finals, please yield victory to Prince Felix. We ask that you show the appropriate consideration.”

At those words, he was hurt.

He was surprised at the fact that he was hurt.

He thought he should have known already.

Even so, he realized that actually witnessing it being done carried a completely different kind of pain.

“Does Prince Felix know about this?”

“He does not. It is not something he needs to know.”

He believed they were wrong.

He knew what they were doing.

However, he could not tell her that.

Too many adults were involved in it.

He believed it was not something that a child like him should change on his own authority.

She would surely nod and accept the proposal.

He lowered his head.

There was a loneliness there that he could share with no one.

“I refuse.”

At those words, he forgot how to breathe.

He opened his eyes wide and listened intently.

“Do you understand the sinfulness of forcing that level of expectation onto a small child? In the end, what you people want to protect is your own position and your own honor.”

At those words, he caught his breath.

He felt that she had said what he himself had always wanted to say but could never say.

It had been so long since he last felt something like that that he could not even remember when the previous time had been, and it startled him.

As she turned on her heel, her long hair swaying, she was small—small like a little animal.

And yet, there was a will there that was unmistakably real.

He found himself staring for just a moment at her dignified back.

Then he closed his eyes, erased his presence, and waited until no one remained there.

‘I will not accept your proposal. I will crush your beautiful prince with everything I have, without choosing my means, so be prepared for that.’

He repeated her words in his mind.

With a dazed expression, he stared at the corner of the garden where she had walked away.