It must have been the aftereffects of living basically like a slave under Bianca for the years before the regression.
‘…sh!t.’
I had heard that trainers ring a bell every time they feed their dogs, then the poor things salivate reflexively at the sound of the bell. The thought flashed through my head, and my situation seemed no different from those dogs. What was the difference between me and a dog that had no pride and stood still as soon as that woman told me to stand still?
After a round of self-reflection, I barely turned my stiff neck from the tension and looked at Bianca. I was expecting that she’d gaze at me with an expression like a bloodthirsty butcher. But, fortunately, my expectations were wrong.
“…hahh, good. Cain. I’ll tell you everything. You deserve it.”
“…deserve?”
What does that mean?
“But before that, there is one thing I want to confirm. Rumor has it that you won a duel with the Heir to Tournigen, who had risen to the level of a master, at the banquet hall of the capital. Is that really true?”
“I was…lucky.”
My answer was nothing more than a simple fact, neither humility nor exaggeration. If I fought him again, I would never be able to win.
“Huh, that’s true.”
I didn’t know how she accepted my answer, but Bianca nodded with a very satisfied expression.
“Your questions are all valid. Certainly, the relationship between the Marquis of Castana and the Duke of Estel is not close. At least it’s not a relationship that would involve us talking like this.” Bianca continued with a grim expression, making me wonder what she was finding so displeasing this time.
“But things have changed. More precisely, you have changed the whole situation. The reason why we made such an absurd proposal to the Duke of Estel and why we are making such a ridiculous offer to you now is all because of you, Cain.”
“What?”
‘Why is it because of me?’
“What is it, are you still refusing to be honest with me? Do you really want me to tell you in detail what you’ve been doing, Cain?”
“…..”
No, I really don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t remember anything I had done lately besides playing around with Aria, being bullied by the Princess, or being courted by Ariel. What on earth was this woman talking about?
“So that’s how you’re going to be. Well, it’s certainly not something worth talking about with ones own mouth. Such a cautious attitude, I don’t hate it either.”
Saying that, Bianca looked at me with a mysterious gaze.
“That spectacular scandal you caused a few months ago. Shortly after that, you broke off your engagement to Sarah Cernard. And if it wasn’t enough to go to capital and meet the emperor, but you also dueled and won the Heir to Tournigen.”
Bianca counted her fingers on each of the splendid achievements I had caused over the past few months and soon came to an absurd conclusion.
“This is all what you intended, right?”
“…what?”
Bianca continued talking, not caring at all about my confused expression.
“When I first heard of that dirty rumor surrounding you, I almost fell for it. But after thinking about it, the chances of that happening are pretty slim. The man I know is nothing more than an as*hole. He is nothing more than an idiot who can’t even touch a woman he’s known his whole life, a true coward. Am I wrong?”
“…..”
I was grateful that she believed in my innocence, but I felt that there was no need for the later parts of her speech.
“In addition, the speed at which rumors about you spread was too fast. As if someone artificially spread them. To be honest, do you think it makes sense for a story like that to spread so rapidly?”
That’s right. Why did that damn rumor spread so quickly?
“I made an inference from there. What would you gain from expanding and reproducing the scandal about yourself? What do you have to gain by dropping your own honor to the ground?”
After saying that, Bianca spoke in a much lighter voice. Her tone was similar to someone who thought they had solved a difficult riddle.
“I could only think of one answer. It must have been the emperor’s order, right? Just as the engagement was unwanted by the emperor’s order, the emperor’s hand must have touched the other side of this break-up, too, right?”
“What?”
It was a interpretation so far-fetched that it left my mouth agape. It was so new and novel that even I, the person in question, heard it for the first time today. What kind of thought process did you have to go through to come to that conclusion?
“You don’t have to make that face. I have no intention of spreading rumors anywhere. I just hope that you will cooperate with me a little in exchange for our silence.”
“Cooperation? How would I do that?”
“Well, it’s not that difficult. In a way, it’s a proposal that can be called luck for you. No man in the world has ever had an offer like this.”
As she said that, Bianca’s ear lobes reddened slightly. Why would she show such an expression while saying such grandiose words?
“What are your thoughts about getting engaged to me?”
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This and Iris make sense at least. Bianca clearly loved Cain in a very tsundere-way, and I can imagine he and Iris found some time to look at the stars together while traveling.
But I wonder what was the thing with the Saintess? Did she imagine up a whole different world where they loved each other? Delusion? Or has she regressed multiple times, or from some other timeline? She did say they had a small hut after all.
Anyways, Thanks for the chapter!
Thank you for reading!