Lady Rose Wants to be a Commoner Chapter 23

Let’s talk a bit about Nolan’s route in the game『Nation’s Savior, Lady Rose』that I had played in my past life .

First of all, although Nolan was the prince of the neighboring country, he was friendlier than any of this country’s n.o.bles . Even so, he always drew a line between himself and the people around him . That was why, in order for the protagonist… or rather, the player, to get close to him, they had to frequent places that he often visited .

With this strategy, the main character became friends with Nolan by the middle of the game . At the end of the middle part, Nolan finally revealed the meaning behind the sharp gazes he sometimes showed, as well as his devotion to his swordsmans.h.i.+p .

In that route, he casually invited the main character as if he was talking about the weather tomorrow, then suddenly announced, “I’m going to start a war soon, so come with me . ”

However, that last scenario just played out now, and the strange thing was, I hadn’t even become Nolan’s acquaintance yet, much less a confidant in such matters .

“ …I have no idea why you have touched on such a topic, but I will pretend that I had never heard-”

“It will be troubling if you do, you know? But from your reaction, it doesn’t seem like you wish to go with us . ”

“Indeed, I had predicted for Felicisama to use Liliansama, but I guess the purpose was for something else . ”

What were the two of them talking about?

Nolan and Zero were waiting… for what? Ah, perhaps the two of them had also thought I was going to rebel against the country?

But since they thought I was using Lily-chan, I was relieved that at least they weren’t sent by her to a.s.sa.s.sinate me… No, it was still too early to relax .
If they thought that I purposefully caused Lily-chan to send Nolan and Zero here so I could meet them, I still couldn’t dismiss my a.s.sumption about Lily-chan trying to a.s.sa.s.sinate me .

“Then let me put it another way . I will grant you anything you want if you work with us, so how about it?”

Tempting me with this outrageous proposal, Nolan smiled in a manner befitting a genuine prince as if provoking me . In other words, even if giving me half the world was impossible, the vast scope of anything less than that was possible .
(ED note: Dragon Quest reference)

Wait, wasn’t the main character told this line in the game too… How did she reply again? …Um, I think she looked into Nolan’s eyes and stated, “There is something I wish for… but that wish cannot be achieved by you, you, Nolan, as you are now, as you are now . ”

…That was way too embarra.s.sing . If it was through a screen, I would’ve been fangirling by now, but in reality, there was no way I could say those lines . I’d literally die of shame before I finished .

There were countless things even a prince couldn’t grant . LadyRose’s protagonist’s wish, or should we say love, became true in the game, but it wasn’t fulfilled by Nolan .

However… if I turned him down, I felt like I would be killed . LadyRose’s main character had at this point already established some semblance of trust with Nolan, but as for me, this was my first meeting with him . There was not a trace of trust between us . If they found out what I was thinking, I would be put to death instantly… What should I do?

The only way I could escape from the two of them was to explain everything away, right?
…but Nolan wasn’t someone whose will could be bent with just words and Zero wasn’t someone who would go against the will of Nolan . As for me, I was just some commoner with memories of her previous life .

Wait, aren’t I stuck? Is my life ending here today…?

“You’re not going to say anything? That’s rather unfortunate… You know that if you choose to follow Nolan-sama, you would be able to get revenge against Seth Cabott and the country that abandoned you, on top of obtaining fame and fortune, right?”

Wow, no thanks . I had already let go of everything that he had listed .

Should I just nod cheerily, wait for the two of them to leave, then flee…?
…No, I couldn’t . Even if it will be a loss for Nolan and Zero in that case, Niksama would become suspicious of me . Then he’d investigate only to find that I’d had contact with the neighboring prince and believe I was working to rebel against the country; once my whereabouts were known, it was game over for me .

…… .

I started eating bread .

“…Eh, um…? Why did you start eating… Eehhh?”

“I’m hungry too . ”

“Nolan-sama, your att.i.tude changed way too fast… Didn’t you just eat breakfast before coming here…?”

“It’s only natural that I would become hungry after a walk . Hey Lady Rose, give me some too . ”

“Alright . By the way, I am not Lady Rose, nor am I Felisha Swallows . Right now, I am Fii Crow . ”

“Oh, got it . ”

I don’t know if it was because this wasn’t a formal setting, but Nolan simply bit into the bread without any regard for his manners . He was now the third group of n.o.bles and Royals who have eaten this bread .

Zero stiffened at Nolan’s unseemly behavior .

“This is good . ”

“I know right! You know, I’m responsible for selling the bread where I work!”

“Fu~n, are you not the one making them?”

“I’m currently learning . I can’t make anything really pretty or tasty . It is difficult enough to just create a taste and texture so that one won’t grow tired of it . ”

“I see, you’re working hard, huh . ”

Nolan smiled as if the conversation from earlier never happened .

As expected, Nolan was easy to talk to . Now, if only he didn’t have a yandere side to him, we would’ve been able to get along well . Well, I did love the one picture where Nolan was wielding a sword with bloodshot eyes… I liked characters who had an erratic aspect to their personalities in games . Yeah, only in games though .

“Um, I still want your answer…”

A certain unrelenting individual did not take kindly to our chatter and put an abrupt end to it . I glanced at the exasperated Zero and calmly took another bite out of my bread . I savored the bite, then opened my mouth .

“I will put it on hold . ”

“On hold, you say…?”

“I had many things as a n.o.ble, but as you can see, I quite enjoy the life I lead right now . As such, I can’t think of a way where you can make me happier than my current self . ”

Rather, I did not believe there was a way for them to do anything of the sort for the rest of my life . Furthermore, I didn’t want to be involved in a war .

“Hey, Zero?”

“What is it? Please don’t say anything that will complicate this further . ”

“I don’t think we can persuade her . ”

Zero looked at me with uncertainty . I, in turn, looked at Nolan . While what he said was certainly true, I wonder what caused him to suddenly come to that conclusion .

Suddenly, Nolan stood up for some reason and came over to me . Was he going to kill me now because his persuasion failed?! Bewildered, I glanced at the sword by Nolan’s waist… I wanted to at least dodge the first blow .

Nolan’s hand moved .

I put myself on guard .

“Honestly Fii, you look like you’re enjoying yourself quite a lot right now . ”

Unexpectedly, Nolan placed his hand on top of my head and ruffled my hair, disregarding the utter mess he was making of it .

Messy hair aside, I stared blankly at Nolan as he laughed .

“…Ah,” I sighed out of relief . Nonetheless, my heart was still pounding from my recent fear . After all, the head was the most vital part of the human body .

“I thought the only good aspect of Lady Rose was her status, but Fii is genuinely interesting and I like her quite a bit . Let’s put aside the war for now! Since it seems fun, shall we drop by Fii’s place?”

“…If that is what Nolan-sama wishes for, then I shall abide . ”

Eh, what kind of development is this? Is this good or bad for me?

If he was going to drop by, that meant Nolan would start visiting me frequently in the future… that meant, from Niksama’s side’s perspective, they would think I was starting a rebellion . It was obviously suspicious for me to be meeting up with the prince of a neighboring country .

Moreover, I felt like some Nolan flag had been raised… Let this just be a figment of my imagination . Please .

“Well then, we’re friends starting today! Don’t use any t.i.tles or formal language ok?”

“Um, that’s a bit… no, that really is quite a big issue…”

“Alright, let’s see… you can call me Nola! It’s a special privilege!”

He was not listening to me .

I attempted to straighten out my hair while looking at Zero with a troubled face . Zero simply smiled and shrugged at me . Yup, there was no way that Zero was going to oppose
Nolan .

Though calling him Nola was certainly popular amongst the LadyRose fans, currently with me being a commoner, there was no way that was-

“What, not satisfied? Then something a bit more bold…”

“Y, yay! Thanks, Nola! Take care of me from now on!”

“Yeah, you too!”

I quickly accepted calling him Nola before the situation got any worse . As I forced a smile, my face couldn’t seem to maintain its usual flawless facade and my expression twitched as I exchanged handshakes .

Nola was someone who carried out his words no matter what . If I left it alone, it wouldn’t be surprising even if he had me call him Nolcchi . Giving in quickly was no doubt the best solution .

“…Since Nolan-sama is like this already, it can’t be helped . Let’s pretend the talk from earlier never happened . But, you know what will happen if you leak the information from earlier right…?”

“Yes, I’ll keep my mouth shut for my convenience too . ”

I smiled and nodded at Zero who had casually threatened me .

But well, it was fortunate for me to be able to resolve this problem peacefully . I think . As expected, bread was the strongest . Next time I’m in trouble, I will be counting on bread to save me .

(ED note: Bread deus ex machina!)