Anoseka Volume 2 Chapter 14

This is MTL. So, I cannot guarantee that the translation 100% contextually accurate or appropriate.

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Chapter 14 "As a Fiancée"

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Part 1

It was some time after the hearing.

As Stephanie's release approached, a student from the school showed up for the visit.

It's her ex-fiancée [Brad Fou Field].

Well-groomed, shiny purple hair.

The nobleman in his uniform with the scent of perfume shines brightly in the dungeon, a disproportionate place for a nobleman.

Margrave Field —— Heir to a great nobleman who protects the border, he brings his vassals to visit Stephanie.

When Stephanie sees Brad, she grabs the bars and brings her face closer to him.

"Brad-sama!?"

She didn't want to be seen dirty, but Brad was Stephanie's last hope.

Although he is her ex-fiancee, 'Brad might be able to help her out, right?' It gives her such hope.

For Stephanie, Brad was a man she could rely on.

"Brad-sama, I've been remorseful. So please help me! Please——"

Looking down at Stephanie pleading with tears in her eyes, Brad closed his eyes and looked in pain.

A knight who seems to be a vassal of the Field family speaks to Brad.

"Brad-sama, don’t forget the orders from the head of the family."

Brad nods at the vassal's words.

"I know."

Stephanie, who was listening to their conversation, had a bad feeling.

There is pity in the way Brad looks at her.

Shaking her head, Stephanie extends her hand to Brad.

"Please, Brad-sama! Please help me! If you help me, I will never make this mistake again. I will obey your commands for the rest of my life! I don't mind being your slave. Please——help me——"

Thinking about the future, Stephanie also realized that it would be easier to be a slave to the Field family.

If she goes out this way —— what awaits Stephanie is revenge from those who she has tormented until now.

Stephanie stretched out her hand desperately, but Brad did not take it.

"I can't help you."

"No way."

Brad calmly tells Stephanie, who is in despair.

"The reason I'm here is to say a final goodbye to you. Your engagement to me was annulled when the Offley family was demolished."

Stephanie's outstretched hand falls to the floor.

Before he knew it, Stephanie's face was covered in tears and snot.

Being engaged to Brad was a matter of pride for Stephanie, who wanted to be recognized as a nobleman.

Even though she understands that this was destroyed by the demolition of her family home, it still hurts to hear Brad say it to her face.

Brad expresses his feelings to Stephanie.

"Stephanie, tell me. Why did you do this? I know it's not your fault that your family was connected to the sky pirates. But the fact that you used sky pirates to make the students of the school suffer is something I can't forgive."

Looking at Brad with his hands clasped, Stephanie was crying and laughing.

"Being a born noble, Brad-sama can't possibly understand how I feel."

"You were born into a noble Offley family too."

"You are wrong. Unlike Brad-sama and the other pure-born nobles, I was treated as a merchant's daughter. Even though I was a member of the nobility, I was not treated as a noble."

When Brad listens, Stephanie tells him about her situation.

"I have been ridiculed since I was a kid. They said, "You are not a daughter of a noble family". Daughters of the same rank did not even take me seriously. Do you understand? Do you know how hard it is for me to not be treated as a noble, even though I am a member of the nobility?"

Brad doesn't answer anything, and Stephanie stands up.

"That's when it happened. After the daughter of the house that I had made to surrender by the power of my parents' family, she apologized to me. I realized that when I saw her flattering me miserably. ——If I rule by force, everyone will follow me. The people who used to think they were nobles and great people are now miserably sucking up to me, you know?"

When Stephanie bursts out laughing, Brad's vassals, perhaps sensing the danger, move to put their hands on their weapons.

However, Brad makes sure that his vassals put their hands down.

Stephanie was crying——.

"So what did I do wrong! All this time no one has ever recognized me! All I wanted was recognition——"

Brad was looking at Stephanie with a serious look as she vented her pent-up frustrations.

"Even so, what you did still is the worst, considering your circumstances. You should have relied on someone. That's exactly what I wish you had done. If you had, now you would be——"

Brad didn't say it until the end.

No matter how much Brad talked to Stephanie about it, it is not likely that she could have avoided this case.

In the end, Brad wouldn't have been able to save Stephanie.

Stephanie is annoyed and frustrated by Brad's kind words at this late point.

"Don't be nice to me——now. It's too late for anything."

(Even though you didn't want to see me when I was at the academy —— you were just chasing that commoner girl around.)

Stephanie tightens her grip on the iron bars.

Brad doesn't notice the change in Stephanie and just replies in a friendly tone.

"——Right."

Brad looks down and sad at Stephanie's hoarse voice.

Stephanie looks at Brad and asks a nasty question.

"Actually, it would have been better if I had disappeared, right? You thought it would be a disgrace to have the daughter of a merchant's family as a wife, didn't you?"

"That's not true. Your personal and your family home are separate."

"I doubt it."

Her tone becomes stern toward Brad because she realizes that no matter how much she tries to beg him to help her, he won't help her.

So nothing mattered anymore.

"With me gone, no one will blame you for getting along with that commoner woman. It's a good thing that you can play with her without any worries. Well, that commoner woman will probably be thrown away just like me anyway."

Stephanie meant it as a joke.

Brad, too, was the heir to a great noble family, and he believed that he would follow the common sense of the nobility when it came to marriage and love.

She said that his relationship with Olivia —— a commoner girl was also just for fun at the academy.

However, Brad gives a surprising response to Stephanie's words.

"I would never do something like playing for fun and dump her."

Brad's reaction was pure.

He speaks quickly, perhaps flustered, and his face is slightly red, showing that he is conscious of Olivia.

The vassals looked like they wanted to say something but held back and looked bitter, but Brad himself didn't notice.

"——You're kidding. Don't tell me you were serious?"

Stephanie finally realized that she had made a huge misunderstanding.

Brad is——Brad and the others don't think of their relationship with Olivia as a game.

Olivia is already on the verge of winning Brad's heart.

Even though she had spent years trying to get it.

Brad cleared his throat and turned his back to Stephanie, who was in despair.

"Anyway, this is goodbye to you. Stephanie, if only you had realized your mistake earlier, none of this would have happened."

As Stephanie watches Brad walk away, she realizes how foolish she is and despairs.

(Aah, I see. I was wrong from the beginning. I should never have dealt with Marie and Bartfalt in the first place. The one who should have been crushed —— was Olivia.)

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Part 2

Brad returns to the boys' dormitory, but a certain person has called him.

The person who called was Julius, who was using the most luxurious room in the boys' dormitory.

His foster brother, Zilk, is preparing tea, and Julius looks slightly annoyed before turning his attention to Brad and starting the conversation.

"I'm sorry to call you when you just got back."

"I don't mind. Still, I am surprised that Your Highness is interested in Stephanie."

The reason Julius invited Brad to his room was because he was investigating Stephanie's involvement in a series of incidents.

However, it wasn't that he was interested.

Julius explains the situation with a wry smile.

"It's like homework from my mother. She's asked me to report on this case from a student's perspective."

Brad puts his hand on his chin and nods slightly, as if sensing something.

"Perhaps she would like to know more about the inner workings of the academy? The queen is from another country and is not familiar with the inner workings of the academy."

"I don't think there's any need for me to report it, but it's too troublesome to refuse."

Brad was smiling at Julius who shrugged his shoulders.

"If it's okay with me, I'll spare no effort to help."

"Thanks for the help. So, I've got most of the information I need, but there's only one thing I can say about Stephanie that she's done a good job of keeping hidden so far. What kind of girl was Stephanie, in your opinion?"

Brad was asked this question, and this time he answered with a wry smile.

"It is out of the question that she had connections with sky pirates and used them. Our job as nobles is to protect the people from sky pirates. To abandon that is a sign that she doesn't understand the true nature of our position. At the very least, if she had informed me —— no, and even then it would have probably been a bad idea."

Hearing Brad's story, Julius was a bit concerned.

"You're quite calm."

"I mean, she was my ex-fiancée, but we didn't have a special relationship. But —— she had a point."

Brad looks a little sad as he talks about Stephanie's situation.

"Although she is a noble, she is treated as an outcast in social circles. There were reasons for her to be dissatisfied. Well, even so, more than 90% of it was her own fault. ——But I think that if I had been more friendly to her, it would have resulted in a different outcome."

Brad can't seem to hate Stephanie.

Seeing Brad's pity, Julius let out a small sigh.

"Isn't it a sacrifice of nobility? How long will we be bound by the old customs? The kingdom is wrong now."

Julius puts on a serious face, and Zilk comes up to him and offers him a cup of tea.

"Today's tea is something I am proud of."

Julius was startled by the subtle scent and looked at Brad.

Julius smiles and shakes his head at Brad, who is surprised by the disturbing statement.

"I'm not criticizing the system. I'm just —— questioning the old way of doing things. I don't like the old ways."

Brad pats his chest and agrees with Julius.

"I can understand His Highness's feelings. I'm tired of rigid customs."

As the atmosphere calmed down, Julius pondered in his mind.

(We are partly to blame for not recognizing the Offley family. Isn't this another one of those age-old customs? The kingdom needs to change more)

Due to this incident, Julius began to have doubts about the current system of the kingdom.

Customs that have been around for a long time —— he is starting to get fed up with them.

(In times like these, I like to listen to the innocent Olivia. Her words are honest and they surprise me. She's the type of person I've never had on my side before.)

He wanted to talk to Olivia and hear her opinion —— that's what he thought.

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Part 3

Angelica, the first-year organizer, and Deirdre, the third-year organizer, were visiting the underground prison.

Their purpose is to meet Stephanie.

Angelica, as a representative of the first-year students, went to confirm the outcome of this incident.

Deirdre —— was purely out of interest.

"It makes me feel good to think of that girl cowering in the underground prison."

Couldn't they brighten up the dimly lit underground prison? Angelica is taken aback by Deirdre's words, which give off such a luxurious atmosphere.

"You have bad taste too."

"Ara? Angelica, aren't you moved by what happened to those ruffians? They behaved in a manner unbecoming of a noble."

Considering what Stephanie has done so far, this is a natural result. Deirdre says she just wants to confirm that, but Angelica doesn't show much interest.

"I just want to confirm a few things as a representative of the grade. There's no need for you to come in the first place."

"I'm a very curious person."

Angelica let out a sigh as she looked at Deirdre, who was covering her mouth with a fan.

The stagnant air in the underground prison that she inhaled made her feel sick.

"If you get in my way, I'll kick you out."

"Ara, I'm scared. But I love that kind of Angelica."

Angelica was getting fed up with Deirdre following behind her with a smile on her face.

The two of them arrive in front of Stephanie's prison.

Stephanie was sitting on the bed against the wall, her head hanging weakly.

Deirdre, who saw this, provoked her.

"Exhausted from all the crying and wailing? It's fitting for you."

Angelica gives Deirdre a harsh look and silences her for ignoring her advice.

"Don't talk unnecessary."

"I can't help it."

When Deirdre shrugs and closes her mouth, Angelica speaks to Stephanie.

"Brad gave me the general gist. Stephanie, why did you use those sky pirates to mess with the students at the academy? Do you realize what you have done? What you did is unforgivable."

It didn't matter to Angelica whether Stephanie reformed or not, or whether she was unrepentant and cursed at her.

She just wanted to meet with Stephanie and hear her —— that fact.

In the first place, Angelica doesn't ask Stephanie to repent.

Since the punishment has already been decided, she knows that nothing she can say now will change the outcome.

(I came because I was told to meet and listen to her story by the queen, but will this experience be used in the future? I'd like to be excused if I can.)

She is meeting with Stephanie, partly on the word of Julius' mother —— the Queen, whom she adores.

A few dozen seconds passed after Ange asked her question, and Stephanie looked up.

The light was gone from her eyes, but the obsession seemed to have fallen from Stephanie.

The aggressive look seen at the school is gone.

"If I say I regret it, will Angelica-sama forgive me?"

"I don't think so."

Stephanie smiled bitterly at Angelica who declared her words confidently.

"I guess so. ——But I'm relieved. You're exactly the kind of noblewoman I've always wanted to be."

"What are you talking about?"

When Angelica looks at her suspiciously, Stephanie says.

"I, you know, admired you. You were the lady of the ladies, and everyone recognized you. I was so jealous of you —— and envious of you at the same time."

"What have you been talking about for a while now? Answer my question."

Stephanie laughed at Angelica's cold remark.

"It doesn't matter to you now whether I'm remorseful or not, does it? Rather, I'll give you one piece of advice."

Angelica frowned in discomfort, and Stephanie looked serious.

" You should be careful with that commoner woman —— Olivia. If you are too careless, she will really take His Highness Julius."

Hearing Stephanie's advice, Angelica gets angry and grabs the iron grate.

The magic overflowed, and the metal rod twisted with an unpleasant creaking sound.

In the dimly lit underground prison, Angelica's red eyes appear to be tinged with light.

"Say it again. Who will that woman take from me? ——Are you trying to make a fool of me, too? I'll burn you to ashes right here and now."

Deirdre, who was standing behind her, let out a small sigh.

"Of course you can't do that. Angelica, would you excuse me for a moment so I can talk to her?"

Angelica is furious, but Stephanie is grinning from behind bars.

Angelica turns away.

"I've finished my business. The rest is yours to do with as you please."

When Angelica left the underground prison, Deirdre with her arms folded under her chest, stunned.

"She really has always been so angry. If it weren't for that, she would be a perfect candidate to be the next queen. But Angelica without her anger is not satisfactory——It's a mixed blessing."

Deirdre looks at Stephanie, who is in jail.

Stephanie was grinning and didn't change her attitude even in front of Deirdre.

A face that thinks that because she has lost everything, she has nothing to fear.

"——Now then, let's have you answer my question?"

Stephanie didn't answer, just smiled with the corners of her mouth raised.

Deirdre asks, not caring about it.

"What did you do in your diplomatic negotiations with the Principality of Fanose? I still can't believe that these people who hate the Kingdom so much were able to hold their ground."

A neighbor of the Kingdom of Horfalt and a constant enemy of the kingdom until a few years ago was the Principality of Fanose.

Such successful diplomacy with the Principality of Fanose was carried out by the demolished Offley family.

Because of their accomplishments, the Offley family had the opportunity to form a relationship with the Field family.

It's just —— the Principality of Fanose is also a country that hates the Kingdom of Horfalt terribly.

Although they were praised at the time for their skill in successfully engaging in diplomacy with the enemy, many of the nobles were unaware of the kind of negotiations that took place.

While many seemed to think that the Offley family must have a good connection to the Principality of Fanose, but the Roseblades were suspicious of them.

"At the hearing, it was also suggested that if the Offley family was demolished, it would be detrimental to diplomacy with the Principality of Fanose. However, that talk was quickly cut off. Even the Marquis Frampton, who had been backing them up until now, had turned his back on them and was rushing to have them executed. ——To an unnatural degree"

Deirdre, who participated in the inquiry, wonders if there is something behind the scenes.

"Tell me what you know. If the information is useful, I can promise to protect you in my name."

From Deirdre's point of view, Stephanie is a girl she doesn't like.

She didn't like the fact that she was using her family's power to bully the weaker ones.

She also loathes her normal behavior, and there is not a single thing she likes about her.

Still, she was willing to protect Stephanie if she could get information from her.

But——.

"Unfortunately, I know nothing about it. I don't know anything about the Principality of Fanose, and I don't know anything about the Marquis Frampton."

Stephanie replied meaningfully with a creepy smile.

She didn't ask Deirdre for help, pretending to know even if it was a lie.

Deirdre had a gut feeling that she knew something, but she knew it would be useless to go any further, so she turned around and left the prison.

"That's so, I disturbed you. ——And now I have a little bit better opinion of you."

Deirdre, slightly impressed by Stephanie's decisiveness, thinks as she climbs the stairs of the underground prison.

(I'm rather concerned about this one incident. Besides, I have a feeling that Leon-kun is also hiding something. Good grief —— This is one of the darkest cases I've ever been involved in.)