This Delusional Voice Keeps Telling Me I’m a Villain

It had been years since we last had a proper conversation. But, there was one thing I was certain of: our relationship remained unchanged from the years prior—I didn’t like him one bit.

“I’m taking my leave! I’m leaving!”

“We haven’t had our talk. Don’t you dare leave before listening.”

“If you have something to say, please write to me later. I’m returning to resume my sweets time!”

“It’s something that can’t be said in letters. So, stay.”

When I was about to head to the door, Prince Carlos used dark-attribute magic to bind my shadow to my seat. This was a spell to immobilize people…

Geh, I was trapped, but this was within my expectations.

Prince Carlos sighed again, “…Listen to what I have to say. I don’t choose to be alone with you on my own accord.”

“…Huh? Do you really mean that? Then, why have you summoned me here…? With just the two of us—without any guards inside the guest room—you know that would mean we’re having a love affair here, right…?”

It was something like a secret code in high society. Guest rooms were anterooms for guests to use at their convenience. The rooms were used by various people and their reasons varied. Therefore, it was good manners to let the nobles outside the room know what was currently going on inside the room through specific conditions.

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If the person inside was changing clothes or retouching makeup, one would tie a handkerchief on the doorknob; leaving shoes outside would mean the person inside was feeling under the weather; leaving nothing outside the door would mean there was a meeting going on.

Lastly, when lovers were having a rendezvous… or basically an affair, guards and chamberlains would lie in wait outside the door.

There were only Prince Carlos and me inside the room. Guards and chamberlains waited outside. This completely gave us away!! I wanted to leave!! Why of all people, would I be in a love affair with Prince Carlos?!?! Definitely, someone must have seen me and Prince Carlos entering the room; there were a lot of people passing by the guest rooms, after all. By the following day, there would certainly be rumours flying around about me and Prince Carlos having that kind of relationship.

NO!! I couldn’t accept that!!!!

“How can you say that to my face?” Prince Carlos retained his business smile while a blue vein appeared on his forehead. That was some fine skill he had.

“Then? What’s with this humiliation and lifelong disgrace you’re causing me, Your Highness?”

“Only you could say something like that directly to royalty. You’re as irritating as ever.”

Prince Carlos looked at me and heaved an exhausted sigh; he then crossed his arms at the table. Afterwards, he put forth a proposal, “…I want you to be my prospective fiancé.”

“Huh? HAAAAAA!?”

I couldn’t help but look twice at His Highness in front of me. Then, I shook my head repeatedly. His Highness clucked his tongue a little as if he had expected my reaction.

‘Sorry, I have a policy of outright protesting against things that I don’t agree with.’

“Aren’t there any other suitable candidates? In addition, I’m the only son and heir to the House of Minusle; if I don’t get someone to marry into the family, the survival of the ducal house will be at stake”.

“I know. I’m well aware of the special nature of the House of Minusle and its necessity. I know without your house, the country would not be able to function. I perfectly know that, so listen to me.”

His Highness Carlos, perhaps tired of putting on a business smile, suddenly returned to his usual face—a face twisted with an inferiority complex, appearing both sinister but also somewhat exhausted. A face I had seen long ago. When he was smiling his business smile, he had a neat, princely, fresh face; but, when he went back to his true self, he looked nothing more than a gloomy fellow—his face like a skinny horse, probably from all the hardships he’d been through in his life.

“Brother- I mean, you know that Prince Leodore does not have a fiancée, right?”

“Huh? What about it?”

His Highness Leodore was a prince who was extremely popular with both men and women. But, surprisingly, he was not engaged to anyone. It was said in the nobles’ circles that he might be betrothed to a member of the royal family of a neighbouring country or one of the nobles of the first prince’s faction. But, in the end, several years had passed with no decision made.

“This is only a rumour, but…” His Highness Carlos spoke as if he were dismissing the idea, “Urschel, I hear he’s still holding out for you to be his fiancé.”

HAAAA?????

I was gobsmacked; my mouth gaped open.

“I didn’t expect to hear this. Your Highness Carlos, you are well aware of the lack of connection between me and His Highness Leodore, aren’t you?”

When I asked in return, Prince Carlos nodded.

“I know. During those nine months when you were his study mate, you spoke with him minimally, neglecting him, and always engrossed in the sweets that were served after the lessons… While everyone around you was praising Brother enthusiastically, you were hitting on the royal palace patissier who made the sweets instead. You didn’t have tea parties with Brother, and you didn’t actively talk to him to flatter him. I really don’t know what you were doing as a study mate, you weirdo.”

Yes, that was the extent of my relationship with His Highness Leodore. As I told Theodore, he sent me fancy sweets every year on my birthday, but, from the beginning, we never had a tea party together nor did we talk much in the first place. We were more than acquaintances and less than friends. So, how did the rumours come up that he wanted me to be his fiancé?