Chapter 153 Fairy Tail's Princess
"Hmm. So... 'elopement,' huh? It's such a lovely romantic idea for a noble lady. Thinking about where it leads, this shabby little hut seems just perfect for it. I'm honored to have you here."
"Lovely? Oh, no... I'm getting shy now~. Right, Cassander?"
"Y-yes. That's right, Lisemone, absolutely! Hahaha..."
After a long pause, the witch's sharp words came out with a flourish.
The biting sarcasm that often tormented her was nothing if she didn't notice it.
Shouk was impressed, rolling his eyes at Lisemone's obliviousness as her cheeks turned bright red.
He was also quite tired.
"Well, if a noble lady from the Twelve Seats is in a love story with a mere hat maker, it's not surprising that elopement would happen."
"Exactly! My father doesn't understand my feelings at all. Instead, he's trying to pressure Cassander's hat shop to shut it down! He talks about the glorious Reskuvan family, but what a small-minded thing to do. I'm at my limit!"
"M-Mone. I get it, but can you keep your voice down a bit?"
Shouk felt like he didn't care anymore.
But this reaction was understandable.
The intruder, who was on high alert for any assassins, turned out to be a couple on the run.
Plus, it was a classic tale of love across social classes.
What made it even more troublesome was that she was the only daughter of the Reskuvan family, one of the Twelve Seats.
The Twelve Seats are the political center, right after the Garland Royal Family and the Chancellor.
Each seat holds various powers, like controlling the knight order if they sit in the knight order leader's seat, or managing public institutions like the Aegir Library and permissions for lands outside the Royal Capital.
The power varies by the family that holds the seat, but it is vast nonetheless.
(I don't want to get involved...)
That's what Shouk was really thinking.
He wasn't interested in a romance between people of different statuses, and he didn't want to play a part in their story, either.
He was a coward who loved to suck up to those in power, but the Twelve Seats were too risky.
So, he kept silent and stayed in the shadows to get through it.
Maybe Razuri felt the same way.
He glanced at her, and her face was beautiful and smiling, but her cheeks twitched from time to time.
"Even so, I'm so grateful. Thank you for hiding us."
"You don't need to thank me. But I don't think you can be so sure about this. The Twelve Seats have a lot of power. If they call the patrol, "
"No, they wouldn't do that."
"You're so sure. Why?"
"My father is a true noble who cares about his reputation. He's probably trying to keep things secret. I think the only ones looking for us are people from the Lescavant family who know the situation."
"I see..."
Lisemone's guess was optimistic, but Razuri nodded, thinking it wasn't just wishful thinking.
After all, it was the runaway of a daughter of a great noble.
It should have been a bigger deal.
Lisemone and Cassander's names should have been all over the place.
But Shouk only heard rumors about a noble's daughter disappearing.
This daughter was definitely Lisemone.
But there was no information about her family name.
He could see the nobles' struggles to keep things secret, even though they were desperate.
He thought it was related to the serial killer case, but it was just a family problem.
Razuri didn't know whether to be relieved or surprised by the turn of events.
"Even so, is it okay to tell us so much?"
"...Well. Maybe it's because you look so much like me. I can't help but feel like Ms. Razuri isn't a stranger. I just told you."
"...Yeah, you two really look alike, it's hard to say it's just a coincidence."
"Are you secretly a love child or something?"
"Don't ask for more drama."
If you look closely, there are definitely differences.
Still, it's pretty minor.
The easy differences to see are probably the hair length and color.
One has bright blue medium hair, and the other has long, beige hair.
If they wore the same outfit and had the same hair color, no one would be able to tell them apart.
That's how much Razuri and Lisemone Reskuvan looked alike.
Their face shapes, mouths, and even their ages were almost the same.
Even the color of their eyes was similar, with Razuri's being just a touch darker, a bright sunset hue.
Razuri says there is no blood relation, but with such a resemblance, it's hard not to think something is going on.
(And plus, "Lise"mone, huh? Is this fate's joke? So elaborate.)
Even though she denies any blood relation, Razuri couldn't help but feel a fateful connection with this similarity.
Razuri, who wants to avoid attention, hasn't chased off the troublesome Lisemone group.
The cheap tea she made for fun has long gone cold.
Without flinching, Razuri's eyes stared at the troubled man and woman across from her.
"So, what do you plan to do next?"
"Well, we can't hide here forever..."
"For now, we were planning to wait until midnight and sneak out of Asgardam."
"Planning to sneak out? Where from?"
"Where else? There's only the castle gate."
"Then you'll have people waiting for you. You'll just walk into trouble."
Shouk's guess made the couple looking to elope stare down at the ground.
The sheltered girl and the simple hatmaker wouldn't know about any hidden paths.
Of course, Shouk knows the secret way.
But he doesn't have the kindness (or foolishness) to help those who would give up their own value for a precious bit of information.
The practicality gained from the back alleys urged him to cut ties with the woman before him.
"──Hehe."
But the little villain was different.
Like he had found a rare gem, his eyes sparkled with delight and a smile.
'Ah, so to sum it up... if she's a wicked one like Rose, then she fits better as a villainous noble lady than a witch! That's the point!'
The memory of their playful teasing flickered in her mind.
"I can't believe that silly talk from that night would roll back around like this. Life is really unpredictable, isn't it?"
"Huh...? What are you saying?"
"Lisemone."
"Y-yes!"
"What if I said I have a plan to save you all from your troubles?"
"Huh?"
The wicked girl thought.
Tales of princesses being forced into contracts by evil ones are everywhere, ancient and modern.
Yet, the villains who ensnare seem to always wear a smile.
It's probably because they have faith in what they seek.
If their desperate wishes come true, the princess would gladly close her eyes to it.
"This is a contract. I will surely send you all off to your new journey. However, you must never look back on your past again. Do you have the courage for that──Lisemone Reskuvan?"
What she gains is a future filled with love.
What she loses is everything before she knew love.
Like a tale of a witch, the wicked girl sweetly whispered to the princess.
The heavy silence didn't fall just yet, as if the curtain wouldn't drop here.
As expected, the princess took the wicked girl's hand, and the story continued.
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