Chapter 147

Prince Marlow and his party arrested that great nobleman and returned to the castle with peace.

</aside>

All the people in the capital city felt sincerely happy for their safety. Of course, so did I, Britney.

Marlow hadn’t been murdered and Ryuze and Ricardo didn’t suffer serious injuries. It relieved me from anxiety.

I hadn’t seen them face to face, but it was great to hear the good news first.

After a while, Ryuze came to my room. After seeing him full of energy, I felt relieved.

“Ryuze onii-sama, welcome back! I’m so happy that you are safe!”

“So do you. Fortunately, you’re fine. I heard it from her highness Emirya. You have been attacked, again.”

“All the assassins have been arrested and I am also unharmed. Don’t worry.”

“Even so… I still feel upset very much. Really, it’s great to see you fine.”

Holding me tightly in his arms, Ryuze gently stared at me with his blue eyes like the sea.

Nevertheless, he urged me to sit down, with an extraordinarily solemn expression.

“Britney, I have something important to tell you.”

Feeling the serious atmosphere, I sat in a nearby chair and kept silent.

After a moment of hesitation, Ryuze sat beside me and spoke.

“Well, Britney, Half a year went by after that.”

Hearing my cousin’s words, I remembered the content he put forward when Nora was on a blind date.

The content—if Ricardo failed to gain any achievement in the next year, I had to be engaged with Ryuze. 

It was difficult to meet the condition because there were just a few rare opportunities to obtain such great achievement.

Moreover, there happened so many issues one after another, which caused Ricardo not to concentrate on his work.

I had been seeking help for Ricardo, but I hadn’t obtained a big success.

Though Ricardo active performance, I don’t think Ryuze will accept that alone.

“Onii-sama….”

I felt all jittery and peeped at his expression, but I found nothing strange as usual.

He just stared at me with his blue eyes like the calm sea.

There was no sound in the room, but the ticking sound rang out from the clock hand.

“His highness Marlow asked something about your engagement again. Have you heard that? You’d better give him a good reason to refuse that.”

“I will.”

Even though it confused me, I didn’t dislike Marlow.

But I had never thought about getting engaged to him. That’s incompatible with the future I expected.

In order to decline his inquiry, I had to engage with someone else first.

“Again, I’d like to confirm with you. Do you still not take my proposal into consideration?”

Looking at Ryuze with a serious expression, I nodded silently.

I also liked but for me, Ryuze was an important family, my elder brother.

If nothing hadn’t taken place in the past, we might have got along well with each other as a couple, but now I fell in love with Ricardo.

I didn’t want to give up halfway and get engaged to Ryuze. For both Ricardo and Ryuze, that would be dishonest.

Ryuze remained silent for a while and then spoke slowly.

“Well, you always regard me as a family.”

“Sorry, Ryuze onii-sama, I…”

Ryuze stopped me and said in a calm voice.

“Is my first step wrong? I haven’t realized my feelings for you earlier, and I didn’t make you aware of that. Otherwise, the story may be different.”

He calmly organized his language.

“Well, though I don’t want to…”

I was afraid that my cousin would put forward some suggestions I didn’t like. 

“I want to recognize your engagement with Ricardo.”

I couldn’t help but doubt what I heard.

“……………..Eh?”

As I called out in surprise, a loud crashing sound rang out from outside the room.

</aside>

(What’s that sound? Who is there?)

Ryuze stood up gradually and opened the door, Ricardo with an upset expression was rubbing his arms.

(Did Ricardo strike his elbow against the door?)

It seemed to be he who walked into things and made the sound.

“Ricardo, you’ve come at the right time. I have something to tell you, too.”

After leading Ricardo into the room, Ryuze sat down gracefully and looked at the two of us.

“Considering your unwavering feelings and Ricardo’s active performance, I can recognize your engagement. But there’s one catch.”

Ricardo and I startled and froze. It was hard to believe. 

After a while, Ricardo jumped up from his chair.

“Ryuze, what’s the matter? I have not met your requirement.”

“You are too clumsy, but honest. Let the available opportunity to obtain a great achievement slip away under your nose.”

Ricardo seemed to remember something and fell into silence.

“However, thanks to you, I was saved and returned safely. Thank you very much.”

“It’s another matter, but the engagement…”

“It’s a Temporary Engagement. It’s conditional and if you couldn’t meet it, my words will be invalid.”

Ryuze negated Ricardo’s words and smiled.

(Even though I don’t fully understand Ricardo’s active performance he mentioned. does he recognize my engagement?)

Ryuze ignored us in ecstasy and continued to say with a smile.

“Ricardo, I hope that you could work in Earl Hakusu as my right-hand man. In fact, the Earl Hakusu territory is severely understaffed. We have some cultivate talents, but it doesn’t meet our current demands. So I want to invite you to help me manage the territory.”

“But I want to stay beside his highness Marlow now, then go on the road of the nobility at court.”

“It is extremely difficult for you to do that. Even if you always stay beside Marlow as one of his important interlocutors, your position isn’t stable. In other words, if you want to get that position, your background will hold you back, after all your family betrayed the Royal family.”

“Well, you’re right.”

“Ricardo, all the people in Earl Hakusu territory knew you and many of them appreciated your assistance in the past. So they would like to accept you.”

Ricardo frowned and listened carefully to Ryuze.

Ricardo felt distressed and after a while, he quietly nodded toward Ryuze.

“Is this your requirement? It seems that only I benefit.”

“Ricardo, you have got the achievement—‘saved my life’. Now, you should get back the achievement you should have. “

“But…”

“Since you have met the condition, I just keep my promise. Then? What will you want to do?”

Ricardo thought about it seriously and showed a face full of distress. After that, he gazed at Ryuze and said.

“I want to accept your term and get engaged to Britney.”

After hearing Ricardo’s answer, Ryuze nodded with satisfaction and got up gently from his seat.

“Well, I’ll tell his highness Marlow your engagement. Maybe it’s unfair for him, but it is the best choice for our country. Britney hasn’t received the education about how to be a princess, so she is incompent to be his partner. I don’t think he could accept it immediately, but he will respect Britney’s will.”

I didn’t know what to say but fixed my eyes on Ryuze. So did Ricardo.

Before leaving the room, Ryuze squinted and turned back when he was going to leave the room.

“Although I think you know that, I have to warn you again. Before everything settles, you’re on a temporary engagement. Ricardo, if you did something to Britney before your marriage, there will no place for you in this country. In my opinion, your engagement can be annulled at any time? “

“HUH?!”

Ricardo’s face turned pale as Ryuze squinted his eyes. I also shivered.

Ryuze was a man of his words.

“Ryuze, wait. You…”

“That’s all, Ricardo. Sorry, I have to deal with something else. Please take care of Britney.”

This time, I watched my cousin out of the room and then turned towards Ricardo.

“Ricardo, we…”

He looked at me blankly and tried his best to respond to me.

“Britney, please take care of me from now on.”

“Oh, I should say that.”

</aside>

“It still sounds like a dream.”　　

Both of us stayed motionless like the empty balloon.

In this way, our temporary engagement achieved.

Ricardo recovered from that state and politely drew me closer.

He looked at me with a look of confusion and enthusiasm. My heart beat violently.

(This is what I have been expecting, but I haven’t expected that it would come soon.)

Then it seemed to be closer to Ricardo.

I felt guilty for my cousin and at the same time, I accepted Ricardo’s temporary engagement.

♥　♥　♥　♥　♥　♥　♥　♥

After that, Ryuze refused Marlow’s inquiry and told him about my engagement with Ricardo.

Even though I had said something that might worry them before they left the castle, it’s great to see him return safely.

All in all, the issue of Marlow’s death was solved successfully.

Angela became a kind princess and Nora had her own betrothal. Merrill also improved gradually and didn’t cause more troubles anymore.

If nothing happened like this, their relationship between Marlow and these two princesses would not deteriorate.

(There remains only one dangerous factor—my sentence!)

In the manga, Britney was sentenced to death at the age of seventeen.

Finally, it was high time to make serious efforts to study the survival strategy. Although I had adopted all measures to settle the potential threats, there may be something unexpected, such as this matter of the great nobleman.

(Why will the manga not describe the stories about mob? If so, it will be totally different.)

It took much effort to predict the potential crises, and on the other side, it was easy to miss out something.

As I worked out all kinds of strategies, a strange thing suddenly worried me.

(There’s something wrong in this series of events. As if someone was deliberate to murder the royal family. Or is it just accidental?)

According to Ricardo’s report, there were some enemy soldiers who tried to attack Marlow.

Then Merrill was in danger twice together with me. The first one was to kill Merrill, the second one was to capture her as a hostage. If she had been kidnapped, her evaluation would be worse.

Angela, or her future husband, would be the only one left who was eligible to accede to the throne. 

Just like the story in the manga, Angela tried to kill her brother and sister.

(Now she won’t do that. In that case, it is Emirya who benefit most. But she saved Merrill and I.)

As I thought about it, Lucas appeared from the other direction of the passage.

There was no definite evidence, but at this time, I caught something strange in his eyes.

In his dark eyes was not kindness, but terrifying darkness. I couldn’t read his feelings.

(In short, it’s not a kind expression. What made he annoyed?)

After staring for a while, Lucas looked away and put on a smile. He wore the smile as usual.

(I was too scared to move. Lucas is so scary.)

What had I done something wrong?

Then, what should I do if I’m sentenced to death?

(No, it’s impossible. I haven’t done anything bad!)

In a word, it was necessary to further study the incidents that happened in the manga.

Although the current situation was different from the story in the manga, there would be some similar incidents, according to the past pattern.

What’s more, the death sentence at the age of seventeen was the most important thing for Britney.

(While working in Earl Hakusu territory, I have to pay attention to all matters related to the capital city. Currently, that’s the only thing I can do.)

With Emirya as a reliable partner, it was easier to get information about the castle.

I also want his brother Serunya to help me out.

Ricardo and Ryuze also knew the future sentence about me, so they would try their best to help me.

As long as I could survive at the age of seventeen, then the only thing I needed to do was to wait for the happy future. I think so.

Then there would be no fear of the manga.

The spring was coming soon that would determine my fate.\n \n