Chapter 1 - Q of Hearts (Part 1)
Royce-sama’s kidnapping incident was dealt with for now, and I got used to life at the academy.
The culprits of the incident are right now in the middle of being investigated in the castle jail.
The captured count is the same as always, but it seems that Miss Claire is being obedient to a strange degree.
After that, Raiga sent to my address a wonderful magic book named “Forbidden Magics – the Complete Collection”.
It seems that it was originally a magic book that belonged to the Royal Prince Faction, and was a rare book that can’t even be found in the forbidden archives of the palace.
“It’s something that only the people in the Royal Prince Faction know about, but even if they had it they would only do bad things with it, so I’ll give it to you.”
or so he said.
It can’t be helped. Shall I forget about all the abusive words that he said during the kidnapping incident?
It seems that after that, Raiga earnestly tried to persuade the Royal Prince regarding his marriage with Mei.
Since after that incident, our relationship with Raiga has become less dangerous than before. Mei’s idea of Achille and Royce-sama being hard to deal with has also disappeared. This is a good sign.
Only, unfortunately, Kai skirted the pursuers and is even now in the middle of escape.
We’re about to enter the academy’s summer holiday. This world has four seasons as well.
Many students will be returning to their homes this break.
Achille, Royce-sama and I are no exceptions. Having a long break sure is a little exciting, huh.
There’s one more reason that I’m excited.
During this break, Achille’s older stepsister, Déborah, will be holding her wedding ceremony.
While I was living life at school, she splendidly landed a speed-engagement, and then a speed-marriage.
Her parner is shockingly, a commoner who’s her junior, and is apparently one of the guards that works at the castle.
Even though Déborah always talked about marrying into riches and power, to think there would be this sudden development…!
I definitely want to meet the groom!
And so, I happily decide to attend her wedding ceremony.
“I’m looking forward to it. I wonder what kind of dress Déborah will wear.”
“Yeah… Let’s pray that she wears a normal dress.”
Though they’re only half-siblings, it is his sister’s wedding, but Achille has little excitement. I wonder if he’s being shy.
Even though Déborah is so ridiculously fond of Achille…
“Oh yeah! Let’s go meet Déborah to congratulate her in advance!”
I decided that right after I arrive home from school, I’ll immediately charge into Achille’s home for a visit.
※
“Welcome home, Camille-sama!”
The next day, the moment I opened the door to my home after arrived, Aimée came charging. As always, it’s an incredible tackle.
“I-, I’m back… Aimée”
Even though I only just got home, because of Aimée, my stamina gauge has drastically diminished.
“Goodness, Camille-sama, you’ve become even more beautiful again… It’s definitely because of Achille-sama’s power, isn’t it!”
I’m shocked…
Whether knowingly or unknowingly, Aimée has let out some extreme words.
As expected of the Chief Maid… She has sharp perception. I’ll escape before Aimee says anything more!
“O-, Oh yeah! I have to go congratulate Déborah!”
“Ahh, she is your sister-in-law, isn’t she! What shall we give her as a celebratory gift!? Listen up, Camille-sama, as a reference for your own wedding, make sure to have a proper talk with Déborah!”
…I just stirred up trouble for myself, huh.
The unusually fired up Aimée immediately began preparing what I needed for the visit to Déborah.
※
“Déborah! Congratulations on your wedding!”
While carrying a huge amount of celebratory gifts, I visited Déborah.
In the short while that I haven’t seen her, Déborah’s become more slim than before, and was now covering her mouth with her fan, face red.
In the guest room that I was brought into, we began having a girls talk.
“Thank you, Camille… I’m also happy to have a little sister-in-law as cute as you.”
Déborah’s personality has become a lot more mild. Is this the power of love…?
Even though when I first met her, she had a more haughty and funny personality.
“Hey, what kind of person is your groom?”
From what I hear, her marriage is a love marriage; something rare for a noble! Of course, the information source was Achille.
“Goodness, Camille! He’s a normal person.”
“I can’t tell with just that much.”
“…He’s kind. He’s a commoner, but he treats me more dearly than any noble boy. Okaasama and Oniisama were against it, but Otousama and Désirée were happy about it.”
It’s mainstream for the commoners of this world to marry for love, isn’t it?
Conversely, nobles almost never marry for love and go for The Political Marriage. A marriage like Achille’s and I where the political marriage matches our feelings is a very rare example.
There are also cases like the Rhodolite marquis family where the relationships between husband and wife improved after marriage, as well as cases like the Jade viscount family where the relations never improved and the family head has a mistress. For example, Soleil also had a number of mistresses after Achille’s mother, and is currently in the middle of a massive argument with this wife, and may one day end up living alone in the marquis estate.
That Déborah is marrying as she wishes in the midst of all this, is something I think is great.
“Saying this Camille, are things going well with Achille?”
“Uu-”
Please don’t just suddenly turn the brunt of the conversation on me, please.
“Achille is fundamentally a capable boy, but it seems that he can’t make any good calculations with you. He’s a good kid at heart, so please get along with him, okay?”
“O-, Of course.”
I’m currently in a situation where we’re reciprocating feelings. It’s expectedly embarassing, so I don’t want to talk to Déborah about it now though…
Speaking to Déborah even flustered, the door behind me made a sound as it opened.
“Camille!”
“A-, Achille? …Thanks for having me over.”
Speaking of the devil, the person himself appeared.
Leaning before the door to the guestroom was Achille, dressed in clothing for relaxed; a change from his noble clothes.
As usual, he’s pointlessly dripping with amour…
“Leaving me behind and visiting Oneesama first, aren’t you quite the cruel fiancée?”
Achille smiled sweetly.
The very first words I heard were a reprimand!
Achille’s eyes are fixed on me like a cat that was teasing its prey.
“Achille… Sorry about tha-, hyan-!?”
Sitting down right beside me, even though we’re in front of Déborah, Achille licked my ear.
What the heck is he doing all of a sudden!?
“Gyaaah-! M-, My-my-my-my-my-my-my-!”
Falling into terrible confusion, I tried to put some distance between Achille and I, but…
Without me noticing, Achille had already gotten my waist in a firm hold, and I couldn’t escape.
“…Whaat, Camille? Pretending to be a cicada?” [the earlier line, Camille goes mimimimimimimimi where mimi = ear, and cicadas are said to go miii miii miii miii in Japan.]
Damn you, Achille! Even though you know!
Who the heck would pretend to be a cicada in somebody else’s house!?
Even since I returned his feelings, Achille’s done more embarassing things than before. Somebody please stop this guy who’s unilaterally escalating things!
Moreover, for some reason he knows that my ears are weak.
Even though I didn’t say it!
“My, you two get along well, don’t you?”
“Déborah-?”
Don’t laugh, and please stop your brother!
“Seeing things go well between you, I’m feeling relieved as well.”
“Worry not, Oneesama.”
Both smirking, Déborah and Achille continue their conversation.
Wha-… Why are these two just concluding the conversation themselves!?
These two siblings really resemble each other!!
“Oh, Camille! It’s been a while!”
Probably because she knew we were gathered here, Désirée showed up in the guest room as well.
Today she’s wearing a light blue dress for homewear.
Rather than that intense hyper crinoline-type dress that she wore to the dance party, this type of dress suits her better.
“Camille, are you enjoying school? I wonder if there are any good men there.”
Because of her older sister’s marriage, Désirée is filled with interest in romance.
“Hmmmm… Good men, huh…?”
Désirée, you’re asking the wrong person.
I mean, to begin with, almost everybody in the Hearts class has labelled me as a tattoo weirdo…
And though it isn’t as much as before, the people in the Spades class are still wary of me, so…
And the ‘Anti-noble!’ aura in the Clovers class is no joke, so…
I fundamentally have nothing to do with men outside of Achille and Royce-sama you know.
“I think that a love marriage like Oneesama and Camille would be good too! Dominique-niisama still has not a single good woman《person》 you know. He’s a mothercon after all. I don’t want to fall behind him!”
No, I mean, I’m still not married you know?
Speaking of Dominique who Désirée mentioned, he’s Achille’s older brother and the next head of the viscount family.
But he has the reputation of being nothing like Achille at all.
Occasionally I catch sight of him at the Jade house but…
He’s always happily holding hands with Soleil’s wife, Adélaïde!
By the way, Dominique is eighteen.
It seems that Dominique isn’t really fond of Achille who’s an illegitimate child, and hasn’t really spoken to I who’ve been close to Achille since childhood.
But on occasion, while thinking about who knows what, with clouded, dark eyes he’ll look at me at though licking me with them… It’s a mystery.
I guess Dominique isn’t too fond of me either.
Déborah and Désirée, and Adélaïde and Dominique don’t really get along.
It might be that since they were children, Adélaïde has only been affectionate with Dominique, the successor.
From the perspective of an outsider like me, the difference in treatment is obvious, so to the people involved, could it be even more than that…?
Perhaps because Dominique is indifferent towards his two sisters as well, the bonds between the siblings is weak.
To Dominique and his mother, Déborah and Désirée may have no more worth than chesspieces.
“At first, Okaasama planned to wed Déborah-Oneesama to some upstart baron you know? It’s unbelievable!”
“Upstart baron? Who’s that?”
“He’s the father of the man that came to talk to you at the dance party, Camille.”
I wasn’t really understanding the conversation, so Achille who was next to me cut in with a supplementary explanation.
“Dance party…? Ahh, it was that, huh!”
Speaking of which, I do recall getting into an argument with a strange, flashy guy at the castle dance party.
He was the second son of a baron…
And Achille declaring that bombshell announcement about being my fiancée… is still fresh in my mind.
I didn’t imagine it’d actually happen though.
“Huh? Désirée, hang on a moment. The 『father』 of that second son, means that…”
“Exactly! He’s a greasy, over fifty, lustful, sexual deviant of a middle-aged man!”
Désirée confirmed it!
It seems that she’s incredibly angry with Adélaïde’s actions.
…Certainly, a lustful, sexually deviant middle aged man might be a little unpleasant.
“But the talks of marriage to that upstart baron have stopped, right? That’s great!”
Right now, Déborah has a kind, commoner fiancé.
“Q-, Quite. But since then, Okaasama and Dominique-Oniisama haven’t said a word to Oneesama, you know?”
“…That’s rough huh? Even though you’re all family.”
“It’s okay, Camille. Right now Okaasama is wrapped up in an uproar about Otousama’s mistress, so it’s not that bad.”
Déborah smiled quietly.
That’s not the point on which you’re supposed to smile, you know!
The family relations of the Jade marquis family, are muddy.
