First Year Second Semester – Q of Diamonds (Part 1)

Note: Please don’t read it in the little pop-up for the reader. For some reason it doesn’t reflect my later edits (which I often make a lot of after publishing), so please click ‘view original’.

One Day I Became a Burikko Villainess Noble Girl, out now.
Honto tutorial here.

Think of it as throwing money at the author and Alphapolis, and getting a book with squiggles and pretty pictures as a pleasant extra.

You might be thinking, ‘Well, do I owe any thanks to Alphapolis the publisher?’, but in fact it is because the publishers are so willing to pick up web novels (Alphapolis in particular) that so many creative stories are being written by people wanting to make it as writers.

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King dude speaks to her in a kingly manner, whereas first prince speaks to her politely.

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“And so, I will be returning to Topageria temporarily.”

I announced to Baka-sama, who was sprawled slovenly in his room.

“Okay okaaay~ Have fun take caaare~”

Without even looking this way, Baka-sama flapped his hand.

I don’t know what for, but immediately after entering the second semester, I was summoned by the Topagerian king.

“I have to travel back and forth twice. To make me head back again…”

If he had something to say, it would have been fine for him to say so during the summer break.

While I’m away from the academy, I have to leave Baka-sama in the care of another guard, so I’m extremely anxious.

“Listen up. Do your very best to avoid troubling other people, and do not skip class either! It was that hard to get you permission to study abroad, so you don’t want that taken away either, right?”

“Geeeez, I get it~ You’re so fussy, Bea-chin~”

Leaving the disgruntled looking Tria behind, I decided to return to my homeland for a while.
That Baka-sama looks a little bit cheerful about this, is a source of insuppressable concern for me.
It’s during times like this that Baka-sama, honestly, doesn’t do anything decent.

※

Just returning to Topageria took almost a whole week.
There are transfer magic circle that lead to the Topagerian royal palace, but because there are few places that have them, I had no choice but to travel there normally by horse.

“But still, it’s so hot…”

To this body that had experienced the fine climate of Garnet, even if just a little, the Topagerian heat felt more intense than usual.

The splendid royal palace was built like the styles of Arabia in my old world, and was a domed shape with a slightly pointed roof. Naturally, the insides are just as splendorous.
This country is rich. Actually businesses in magic items make quite a lot of money. Topagerian soil is overflowing with the materials used for magic items, so you can make as many magic items as you want.
Naturally, our knowledge and techniques regarding magic items exceeds those of other nations as well. After all, when all is said and done, we can produce more.

The king’s room is, in a phrase, ‘gilded splendour’.
The floor, and the walls, and the ceilings are all golden. I can’t calm down at all.
Even in this world, gold, silver, gems and the like are precious.
In the depths of this room was the the king sitting on a throne. Standing quietly next to him was Baka-sama’s older brother, the first prince.
I heard this through Baka-sama, but the two brothers have a lot in common. I wasn’t that nervous.

The king of this nation, Álvaro-sama, opened his mouth.

“Beatrix… Your marriage with the crown prince of Garnet has been decided.”

“Wha-…”

Have my ears gone bad? Just now, I think I heard something strange.

“Beatrix, it’s been decided that you’ll be marrying Prince Royce of the Garnet Nation.”

The first prince, Basilio-sama, kindly repeated it for me, since I was shocked beyond reaction…
Aahh, I didn’t need to hear that again.

“What is with that!? This is the first I have heard of this!”

I accidentally yelled, but neither the king nor the first prince rebuked me… It looks like they had predicted my response to an extent.
Looking at the king, I was probably making a severe expression.
I mean, just now… what they said was something incredibly unreasonable to me.

“The other party strongly wished for it. There is no greater offer. You are aware that he is the crown prince of Garnet?”

“Something like that could just be given to another noble’s daughter.”

Even though if it’s a someone who’d happily cling to an offer like that, there are mountains of other girls…
Whether he knew how I felt or not, the king continued speaking.

“Considering the nation, at first I considered a marriage between Tria and that Rhodolite lady he wanted, Garnet rejected it and gave us an extraordinary offer in return. I believe I will accept this offer.”

“St-, Sto-…”

“In our nation, you as well are doomed to miss your chance at marriage, you know. A woman who swings a sword in this nation is kept at arm’s length.”

“However…”

To begin with, I had no intention of marrying anybody. In my family, the count’s family, I have a younger brother after all, and I have no need to think about the matters of my house.
That’s why with this sword of mine, I had intended to live by myself without relying on anybody.
I had intended to cut open a path to my own destiny.

“Daughter of the Count, Beatrix Tapax… For the sake of maintaining friendly relations between our two nations, I command you to wed the Garnet Crown Prince.”

“…-”

If I’m ordered by the king, somebody like me can’t refuse. Just like in the ending of that game.
Without heed to my will, I’m going to get married…
Just like that time when Miss Camille was afraid of a revolution, I too, am afraid of the fate that will befall me.

I’m feeling gloomy…
I was ordered to stay at home until my marriage with Prince Royce, and now I can’t go to the academy anymore.

“I’m worried about Baka-sama…”

It seems that in my place, a number of additional guards are constantly watching over him, but there’s nobody who can really let Baka-sama have it.
…I’ve become even gloomier.

I know that Prince Royce likes me.
But… just because of that, this way of doing things shouldn’t be acceptable.

“Like this, this way of doing things that ignores the person’s will…”

I can’t accept it.

 

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