Seijo no Hazu ga, Douyara Nottoraremashita – Chapter 95

W h a t ? !

Hime’s there?! Really!?

“Meow.” 『I’ll relay the audio.』

Then, I heard the two of them talk.

――― Lolo-chan, what happened all of a sudden? Why’re you making so much noise…?

――― Oh, don’t worry about it. Cats are fickle. It happens sometimes. More importantly, I thought you had returned to Origlow.

Oh, I missed Lector’s voice which I haven’t heard in a long time despite the situation I’m in.

His voice was always polite and somewhat gentle no matter who he was talking to. In other words, he spoke in a formal tone.

It was easy for me to picture the friendly General smiling beautifully while exuding his glittery royal aura.

And… he was surely making full use of his ‘Appraisal’ skill to find out what the person he was talking to really meant based on how the skill manifested and emotional changes. He was really scary like that…

I’m glad we’re not enemies…

――― Ah, right. Of course, I went back to Origlow. But I… really wanted to save you. The other day when I was in Origlow, I saw you collapse because of a poisonous arrow with my premonition powers. The poisonous arrow hit you… and you were lying in bed because you were poisoned… That’s why I desperately sneaked out of Origlow to come here to save you.

――― Oh, that’s surprising. I wonder why you saw such a scene. But don’t worry. I’m full of life and not bedridden. I’m quite healthy.

――― Huh! You really do look healthy. I was also surprised. But you’re kind, so aren’t you just pretending to be healthy so that my subordinates and I don’t worry about you? There might still be poison in your body even if you think you are fine. You get more tired than usual, don’t you? After all, I’m the ‘Saint of Prophecy’, so what I saw can’t be wrong….!

Hmm? Poisonous arrow…?

Does that mean that assassination at the fighting competition was part of the scenario?

And was he bedridden because of the poison in the scenario?

Yeah, but I quickly healed him though…?

――― Someone did shoot a poisonous arrow at me, but there was nothing to worry about since Anise rushed to the scene immediately. So, I’m not bedridden. Maybe you saw a scene of me normally falling asleep at night and misunderstood?

――― Oh my! How can I be mistaken….!? You were poisoned by a fast-acting poison. There’s no way your subordinates would let your lover, who is from an enemy nation, even though she’s a Saint, approach you so easily when you’ve been poisoned. Hah! Isn’t it possible for that woman to use some dubious technique behind the scenes? I’m sure there was no one who could have predicted that and saved you except for me!

――― I don’t know what you’re misunderstanding, but Anise isn’t an enemy woman or just my lover. She’s my wife. Everyone in this fortress knows that, so there isn’t a single person here who would prevent a worried wife from rushing to where her husband is.

Lector’s voice quietly warned her.

But is that so?

Could the ‘Saint’ not be the ‘wife’ of the General in the otome game, but his ‘lover’?

Come to think of it, we got married because the Priest, who wasn’t in the scenario, suggested it. Also, in the game, the ending would be the wedding scene, no matter who the capture target is.

So, in the game scenario, the main character, the Saint, wasn’t married to the General.

And she would have arrived late when Lector collapsed because of her position as his ‘lover’.

It could have been set up so that there were people who were repulsed by the heroine, who was desperately rushing to the General’s aid, as she was a mere ‘lover’ who was favoured by him, and was from an enemy nation.

Even though I was his official ‘wife’, I also experienced that.  There were rumours that I was a lover brought back from the enemy nation, that I was his lover or that I was an enemy spy who deceived their General. Some people might have believed those rumours.

The scenario could have been set so that someone who believed in those rumours would interfere with the heroine as she was about to rush to the scene.

But I think he would have been in great danger if I had arrived even a little later.

I suspect that the General would have been on the verge of dying and I would have had to do all I could to stop him from dying.

Was it possible that with the slight difference in timing, the poison might not have been cured completely and some of the effects may have remained?

Hime probably knew about this scenario.

So, in the game, Lector was currently bedridden because of the effects of the poison.

Wow, that was a close one.

There are a lot of situations that are paper thin…

――― Oh! Of course, I know that you’re not the only one being fooled by that fake Saint, everyone is being fooled by her. She’s not here right now, so I’ll boldly confess this… She’s actually a horrible woman. She’s a genius at deceiving people under the guise of kindness, and she’s mocking you in the shadows for being deceived. I was hoping that you would have left her by now, and that her magic would have been broken and you would realise this…

――― Oh my, you’re mistaken if you think I don’t know anything about my wife. And I’m the one who identified her as the ‘Saint’. If you’re saying she’s fake, then you’re saying that my judgement is wrong. Am I stupid?

――― My, that’s… Lector-sama, you’re so kind that she took the time to cleverly deceive you. The more gentle you are, the more you’ll be fooled by a bad woman. Oh, poor Lector-sama. I can’t forgive that woman for deceiving you like this. It’s all that liar’s fault. For example, do you know her real name? Anise isn’t her real name. Her real name is…

――― I don’t care what her name is. She is who she is. I know what kind of person she is. Isn’t that enough? And I know her previous name, but she can call herself whatever she wants. There are many people in this kingdom that change their names when needed, so it’s fine.

Oh… Lector, you’re so cool…

He had already found out my name. His ‘Appraisal’ skill was outstanding after all.

I used my name from my previous world for a while after coming to this world. His skills could see my former name from the beginning because of my accomplishments at that time.

That was why he shrewdly insisted that I write that name in the marriage oath when we got married.

I was really surprised when he asked me to write down that name as well with a straight face…

I now fondly remember the time when I was forced to sign my name on the marriage documents.

I felt like I saw his obsession of not allowing it to be invalid in any way…

Oh my, I was deep in thought.

――― So, you would rather believe that woman than me? Me, who abandoned her kingdom for you…!

――― I believe in my wife.

Oh, I’m sure he’s staring at Hime with that perfect smile on his face.

His sparkles must have inadvertently leaked out as well.

People with a goal get more or less upset and emotional when they are confronted with someone who reacts differently than they expected.

Judging from his satisfied tone, Hime must be losing her composure a bit with Lector, who wasn’t persuaded, no matter what she said.

It seems easy to see her true intentions in that state.

Scary~. He’s really scary.

Now that I’ve figured out what’s underneath his perfect smile, I’m a little scared…

――― Why!? How can you trust that woman…?! How horrible! I’m sincerely telling you the truth, so why won’t you believe me?! I love you so very much! Much more than that lying woman, Lector-sama!

Hime sounded a little flustered. She was upset.

Hmm, I’m sure Lector is overjoyed inside.

But you’re constantly saying bad things about me…

――― …

――― I’ve been keeping this quiet for your sake, but if you stubbornly believe in that woman, then I’ll say it…! This may sound cruel to you but… I actually heard it on my way here. She’s still Lector-sama’s wife, but she eloped with a man named Galleon…!

――― Huh?