I Reincarnated, but I Think the Prince (Fiancé) Has given Up Chapter 9

I’m gonna try finis.h.i.+ng this story before the year ends! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و

Translator : KuRuuRuu
UNEDITED

──He suddenly came to Noin Kingdom.

.

“Nee, Chris onee-sama. Onii-sama is somehow strange”

Besides the corridor connecting the Central Tower and Phoenix Palace, a setting for tea party was prepared; Anna placed both elbows on top of the table, holding her cheeks with both hands while saying so.

Although it was a bad manner to be in that posture, but Anna herself  was also aware about it, and the only person in front of her eyes was only Christina after all. There was no need to put up appearance, thus Christina turned a blind eye to her bad manner, and tilted her head.

“What do you mean by strange?”

Today, Christina was invited by Anna and visited the Royal Palace.

Ever since the other day’s tea party, Alberto had seemed to be even more busy and said that he would not be able to continue the talk about the wedding for a while. We need to talk about how to deal with Sechs’ Prince though, was what she thought, but as Alberto didn’t seem to have any spare time for it, for now she decided to come and chat with Anna.

With sparkling eyes, Anna slightly stared at Christina whose silver hair was decorated with a neat pearl hair ornaments before replying to her question.

“He told me to broaden my view. Since there is still two years before my society debut, go study abroad or something”

“Is that so……”

With face full of smile, Christina muttered in her mind.

──Probably, he want to keep her away from Marx……

He who had been pretending not to notice his own sister’s feeling towards Marx, perhaps remember how he had finally reached his limit of feigning ignorance in the previous tea party.

Christina did not say anything, but it seemed Alberto was trying to make Anna came to her sense by putting a physical distance on them.

“Even though he didn’t go studying abroad himself. Besides, to study abroad in a just a mere two years, I don’t think I’ll acquire anything from it”

Though where in the world was he trying to send her to was also a great problem, but from Alberto’s absurd proposal that didn’t seem like him at all, his franticness was shown.

As expected, just like the impression that Christina held about him, Marx was an experienced gentleman that was too much for Anna to handle .

As it came into her mind, Christina asked.

“Anna-sama, have you kept in touch with Marx-sama all this time?”

“Eeっ“

Since Marx’s name came up so suddenly, Anna openly panicked. Her cheeks started to be dyed in red, her eyes avoided Christina’s gaze, and then in a small voice she answered.

“Errr……Yes. Umm, with letters, sometimes……”

“……”

The princess of a country, had been exchanging letters with a specific man all of this time. To overlook such a thing, the reaction was really late, was what went through Christina’s mind.

Perhaps it was because unlike Christina, Anna was not engaged with anyone, and thinking that was something a young princess did, it was not viewed as a problem very much.

Christina felt an uncomfortable feeling after hearing about the things she hadn’t been aware of before, and to avoid exaggerating it, she gently asked again.

“Did His Highness know about this?”

Anna easily nodded to the question.

“Yes. Since onii-sama also exchanged letters with him sometimes, so Anna’s letter would be put and send together with his”

Christina tilted her head.

“Always?”

“Always”

“……I didn’t know it”

Her real feelings leaked out. Though it may seem childish, she felt lonely to be left out by herself.

Anna, whose face showed her thought of being unable to guess the intention behind the questions, blinked repeatedly and covered her mouth. She fl.u.s.teredly waved both her hands to the side.

“It wasn’t like that, onee-sama. It wasn’t like Anna was trying to keep it a secret from onee-sama. It’s just, onii-sama said, don’t talk about Marx…… っ. Aa……uuh, it’s a lie, it wasn’t like that too. Errr, it was a lapse of memory…… っ“

It was so inconsistent. Christina absentmindedly stared at Anna, and within the feeling of melancholy, there was also one that resembled the feeling of wanting to give up.

For the one who knew about the correspondence, it was because they thought that it was unimaginable for Christina to exchange letters with Marx.

After being engaged with Alberto, Christina was not able to be intimate with other men thoughtlessly. Even when the invitation to Klüger House’s tea party came, her father also told her. That it was impossible for Christina to exchange letters with him.

Christina smiled gently and tried to calm Anna down, but at that moment, a boisterous noise was heard from the Central Tower. Anna who seemed to try making an excuse kept repeating her explanation, and wasn’t aware of the noise. Nevertheless, Christina s.h.i.+fted her attention towards the Central Tower.

Will Alberto who has been so busy happened to pa.s.s by, I wonder? she thought.

However what reached her, was some kind of clattering noise.

“……Please wait! No permit has been granted yet…… っ“

“──the permit will come out anyway. Just hurry up and give it a break. Good grief, it’s so hot I can’t take it”

Although Christina had a hunch from the content of the conversation, it’s impossible,right?, as she denied her own thoughts within her mind. Replying to the unfamiliar man voice who was apparently an attendant, was an arrogant voice seemingly belonged to someone who thought that everyone would obey his will as a matter of course.

“I beg you, please wait……! Over there, the princess and her friend are…… っ“

The servant of the Royal Palace, raised his voice it almost sounded like a shriek.

Christina looked at the group coming out from the Central Tower dumbfoundedly.

The one walking ahead of the group, was a young man whose long vivid red hair was neatly tied up at the back of his neck. He was wearing a deep green outfit with golden embroidery.

Beside him, a young man with short brown hair who appeared to be an attendant was walking with a fl.u.s.tered face. And then on the opposite side of them, wearing red uniform with golden embroidery, was the servant of Noin Kingdom’s Royal Palace.

With an unpleasant face, the red haired young man loosened up the binding at the back of his neck, and exposed the front part of his outer garment.

Anna blankly turned around to the source of that noise.

That action, drew the young man’s attention.

The read haired young man turned his emerald eyes to them, and stopped the moment it met Christina’s line of sight.

“──Now, now, what’s this?”

Anna frowned and stood up.

The young man s.h.i.+fted his gaze towards Anna, and looking at her like he was appraising her. He ran his eyes over Anna, from her face to the tip of her toe, making Anna showed her complete bad mood on her face.

“What’s with you──”

“──How do you do?”

Before Anna flared up with her usual manner, Christina stood up and called out to the young man.

The corridor connecting the Central Tower and Phoenix Palace was also a corridor where guests would walk through. The corridor was divided into several parts before it reached the Phoenix Palace, and at one of its division point, a lodging facility for visitors was built.

He was a young man with well-featured appearance. Though he was slim with fair skin, the presence emitted from him was none other than the presence of a royalty himself.

Noin Kingdom and its neighbor, Sechs Kingdom, had a diplomatic relations.h.i.+p, nevertheless it didn’t mean the royalties of both kingdoms had a close relations.h.i.+p as well. Even during ceremonies, though the envoys of both kingdoms were present, the royalties wouldn’t go out of themselves to partic.i.p.ate in it. Therefore, Anna ── and naturally Christina too ── didn’t know the face of the neighboring kingdom’s royalties.

However, now, the one standing before them was most probably, the neighboring kingdom’s prince, Tobias.

The servant of the Royal Palace looked at Anna, and paled up.

The schedule of his visit should have been three days later.

Christina who forcibly made the young man’s line of sight to be turned to her, smiled gently and did a curtsy.

Properly speaking, both Anna and Christina should not be able to meet the prince without being introduced. For Christina it was either being introduced by her father or Alberto, and similarly for Anna it was either through the King, Queen, or Alberto, that was the norm.

──However in this case, it can’t be helped.

Today, let’s try to let it slide as meeting the guest by coincidence, and consequently greets each other.

Being in a bad mood, Anna didn’t even try to follow Christina. She kept on glaring at the young man with a sour look.

The young man also gave Christina a look of appraisal, then raised the corner of his mouth.

“──You,  your name?”

Her heart skipped. It was not from excitement, but from astonishment. Being brought up as a lady of a Duke house, Christina had had an intimate relations.h.i.+p  with royalties since young, and for such her, there had never been any experience of being asked in such an arrogant way.

Hiding her beating heart and her nervousness, Christine raised her face and laughed softly.

“I am called Christina Zariel”

As she was so nervous, she couldn’t do anything aside from giving her name. The young man stared at Christina’s face closely, then s.h.i.+fted his attention to Anna who was glaring at him from the opposite seat.

Anna’s expression already entered the attack mode.

For this to be such an outrageous situation right after calling out to him ── the moment Christina struck with terror, her ear picked up a familiar voice.

“── I apologize for not being able to greet you earlier”

Christina immediately lost all strength in her body.

The one who was walking near from the direction of the Phoenix Palace, was none other than Alberto.

He must have come here in a hurry ── Alberto fastened the last latch on his coat with his own hands, then flashed a refres.h.i.+ng smile on his face.

The young attendant whispered something to the red haired young man, and immediately after, his sarcastic smile had a complete change and turned into a friendly smile.

“My, Your Highness Alberto. I apologize for coming earlier than the scheduled date. It’s an honor to meet you”

“I feel the same, it’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness Tobias. If only you had told us beforehand, we could have prepared welcome drinks for you though”

In Noin Kingdom, should a guest of honor came, they would be treated to alcohol and fruits first. Having his impoliteness of not dispatching an envoy horse first being pointed out in a roundabout way, Tobias’ smile deepened.

“My apologies. The royal capital looks so wonderful that I forgot about it. Nevertheless, this kingdom sure is greatly loved by the Sun G.o.d. For someone like me who live in the Kingdom of Water, I even thought I would dry up”

For Sechs Kingdom that had river flowed all around the kingdom, it might be easier for its people to spend the summer. Being said this is a hot kingdom in a roundabout way, Alberto looked at the sky. Today was slightly cloudy, and the heat was not that harsh. Moreover around the shade of tree that Christina and Anna were sitting in was quite cool.

“Is that so? Then, let me arrange some cold drinks and hot bath for you”

“I really appreciate that”

Alberto responded in a safe way, then s.h.i.+fted his gaze towards Christina and Anna.

Following Alberto’s gaze and looking back towards them, Tobias exaggeratedly asked.

“Aah, could you please introduce these ladies? They are so beautiful that I unconsciously stared and it might have frightened them”

Alberto raised one eyebrow, then smiled all over again.

“I’m very thankful to hear your compliment. The one at the back is my little sister, Anna”

“Aah, the Princess. Just like the rumor, she is a lovely lady”

Tobias brazenly walked up to Anna, and kneeled in front of her. He kissed her hand, then while standing up, he muttered.

“That strong look, is a unique look belonging to a princess, is it?”

“……っ“

That mutter was told in a voice that could be barely heard by Christina. He amusedly looked at Anna whose cheeks flushed, then s.h.i.+fted his attention to Christina.

“Then is this lady here Her Highness Princess Anna’s friend?”

“I am……”

Being pointed at by his gaze, Christina’s words stuck in her throat.

Tobias slowly glanced over Christina’s hair swaying in the wind, then her face, and her shoulders.

Despite he only had a year difference with Alberto, despite them both being young men of Royal Family, Christina was certainly pressured by his gaze and voice.

“──She is my fiancée. Her name is Christina. I hope you’re pleased to make her your acquaintance”

Alberto walked up to her side and said so as he circled his arm around her waist, then Tobias laughed.

“I see. As one would expect from the Crown Prince. The loveliness of his fiancée seems to be at the top of the Kingdom, is that not so?”

Alberto smiled as he replied and urged Tobias.

“Since you’re surely tired, let us guide you to your room first”

Without replying to Tobias’s words at all, Alberto separated himself from Christina and went towards the other corridor. Following after Alberto, Tobias walked in front of Christina, and as he pa.s.sed by her, he said in a whisper.

“……for it to be a ‘foul’[1], such a pity”

“──“

Christina’s eyes were opened wide. When she looked up towards Tobias, he was suggestively ogling Christina’s chest, and while smiling thinly he went after Alberto.

Inside her mind, for the first time in her life, Christina greatly spoke ill of someone.

──what , such a vulgar man he is……!

T/N : It’s been a long time since the last time someone so irritating appears… How dare you look at Christina with those lecherous and dirty eyes!! Aaah I hope he’d get married with Clara…… <(｀^´)>

[1]He actually said お手つきotetsuki, which means ‘picking the wrong card’ in Karuta (a j.a.panese card game). In Karuta you must pick the correct card according to what the game’s administrator said, and if you pick the wrong one..well…that’s a foul. The closest translation I can make is ‘foul’ but it may not convey the meaning much. Any advice?↵