Chapter 148, A Natural Smile

Translator: Nonon

Proofreader: Silavin

 

In the game ‘When the Ring of Fire is lit, World is painted Red’, you could make a certain choice on the Prince Vermillion route.

The scene would be set in a room bathed in the red light of the setting sun, and His Highness would tell this to the heroine.

 

‘Do you also love me because I am royalty? Are you the same as those people who forced their ideals of the way a royalty should be on me, said I was useless without my status as the royalty, sacrificed me, saying that it was my royal duty, and didn’t even try to see the real me?’

 

Although this is a common dilemma for people of high status like royalty, it’s an important scene where His Highness reveals the inner conflict and feelings he had been hiding until now.

There are four possible answers to this question.

 

・That’s not true. I love you!

・Why would you say that?! I…!”

・Yes, that’s right. You have no value if you’re not royalty.

・Nobody said anything like that!

 

There are options to agree with him or to deny his words.

At a first glance, the correct choice is ‘That’s not true-‘, and in fact, if you choose this option, after a little conversation, you will get a CG and you two will become closer, and if you do not make any wrong choices from then on in the Vermillion route, you will end up with a happy ending.

This will complete the requirement for the true route, which is to ‘see everyone’s routes to the end without a bad ending’, so until they finish the true route, many players will keep playing, thinking that this is the good ending of the Vermillion route.

…However, the correct answer to reach the Vermillion good ending is “Yes, that’s right. You have no value if you’re not royalty.”

If the player chooses ‘That’s not true…’ The ending will be the normal ending.

Hearing those words from the protagonist he’s in love with, His Highness would be shocked and disappointed at the same time, thinking ‘You’re just like that woman.’

But the heroine doesn’t stop there. She grabs His Highness by the collar (height difference between them is about 35cm) and headbutts him. Then she continues:

 

“What is attractive about you, who only wants to escape from responsibility and make things easier for himself? I have no interest in weak man, and I will never fall in love with you… If you want to be treated like a pet, why don’t you go to a brothel? With your status and money, you can be pampered as much as you want.”

 

And so the heroine says this amazing line, recommending a brothel to the love interest. The heroine isn’t voiced in the game, but she pushes His Highness away with such force that you can tell she delivered her words very coldly.

The scene ends there, and the player mistakenly thinks that His Highness’ route has run off course… However, this sequence of events is an important trigger that leads to His Highness’ awakening.

His Highness has many talents. However, they are repressed due to reasons, and it takes the heroine’s words to lift the restrictions.

The reason is… well, let’s leave that aside for now. Why am I remembering something like that now? The reason is simple.

 

“Heartfield, where is Mary?”

 

Such a troublesome person was questioning me at the moment.

I set up Lady Violet and Ms. Mary to talk somewhere with nobody else around, had Gray wait near the venue with Ms. Kriemhild and Mrs. Vert, and left Mr. Burnt and Ms. Amber waiting in a place where they could not hear the conversation and would not be seen by anybody.

Thinking that someone could be following me, I wandered around a little and circled the area to stop them from getting to where Lady Violet and Ms. Mary were. And I don’t know if he managed to bypass Ms. Mary’s [Perception Obstruction] or if it was just a hunch, but the only person who was convinced that the masked woman was Ms. Mary and followed me was His Highness, dressed in red, befitting both his nickname and his dignity as the member of the royal family

…It was flashy, but as expected, he managed to wear it well.

Also, the needlework is amazing. I would love to be introduced to the person who did it.

 

“Good evening, Your Highness. Congratulations on winning the special tournament where both the first years and the outsiders could participate.”

“That’s not important. I asked you where Mary is.”

 

Ignoring my compliments, His Highness repeated his question.

He’s probably annoyed with the way I’m acting, but unfortunately for him, I have no intentions of revealing where Ms. Mary is.

I don’t want her to lose the chance to talk to lady Violet, and considering the incident with Ecul earlier, I have every right to act dumb.

 

“I don’t know where Ms. Mary is. She stands out quite a lot, so if I had seen her even once, I might have been able to provide some information… I’m sorry.”

“… Who was the masked woman that you brought along earlier, Heartfield?”

“Who indeed? She was wearing a mask, so I had no way of knowing her identity.”

“So you were treating her that way despite not knowing her identity?”

“I was treating her that way because I did not know who she was.”

 

… It’s weird to say this myself, but I won’t get arrested for lese majeste, would I?

Not that it makes sense to ask this after I beat up his Older Brother though.

 

“… Clo Heartfield.”

“Yes?”

 

After pausing for a moment, His Highness called my name.

I thought he would for sure be angry about my attitude and go looking for Ms. Mary himself.

 

“Why do you go to such lengths to side with that woman?”

“By that woman, you mean…”

“… Violet.”

 

His Highness answered my question calmly, but with a pause, as if he did not want to say that name.

It was the same when we first spoke, but it seems like His Highness still dislikes Lady Violet. In fact, he just keeps asking questions like this.

 

“It was the same with Ecul. Even though we are of higher status, you didn’t back down and instead showed your intention to confront us… you said that Violet is an important woman to you.”

“Yes, I stand by what I said.”

“Is it because she’s a former Duke’s Daughter? Or are you attracted to her looks?”

“I am attracted to her, but her Parental Family is irrelevant. The reason why I’m siding with her is simple. It’s because she’s my Family and I respect her.”

“She might act docile in front of you, but she’s—“

“She’s haughty, hot-headed, doesn’t care about her surroundings, makes a fuss about differences in social status and is very intimidating. She lectured Your Highness on the ways how royalty should live and forced her ideal image on you. She never tried to understand you, and you have never loved her. Is that not right?”

“… That’s right. What is there to respect about such a woman?”

 

What I talked about just now came from the Ring of Fire, and it looks like it was not incorrect.

To be honest, I want to answer his question with a ‘shut up, is it wrong that I care about her?’… But if I did say it, things would become annoying later, and this might sound like I’m lecturing him, but I’ll just say whatever I wanted to say until now.

 

“Indeed.  She was jealous that Your Highness was getting along with Ms. Mary and was always nagging you. She was unsociable and boring, didn’t like it when you were playing Sir Ash and Chartreuse during your childhood. In addition, Your Highness’ favorite food… was it pot-au-feu? She did not seem to like that either.”

“… Did you hear that from Violet?”

“No, it is just what I imagined. Well then, Your Highness, do you know what Lady Violet’s favorite food is then?”

“So this is what you are saying. I did not try to understand Violet either, yet I wanted to be the one being understood, and I hated her one-sidedly. And that’s why I don’t understand why you are siding with Violet.”

 

That’s one way to understand my words.

Maybe the reason I remembered about His Highness in Ring of Fire is because I saw him trying to be understood.

 

“Well then, let me answer you. She has ‘no’ favorite food… she told me boringly in the past. That she had neither likes nor dislikes… that’s the kind of a woman she is. Or are you trying to say that I should have reached out and tried to understand her? Perhaps you’re implying that it’s different now?”

 

She has ‘no’ favorite food, huh?

If she said this to him in the past, it means that His Highness once tried to get closer to her. But the result was — I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.

 

“No, you are right. Lady Violet still throws up if she eats more than a certain amount, and she can’t talk much about her likes and dislikes.”

“… She throws up?”

“Yes, she does. That being said, she was originally able to eat about the same amount as an average human female, and she’s started to eat more now.”

“Wait, I’ve never heard about anything like that. You’re just making it up.”

“I am not making things up. She told me apologetically one time… it seems she was not able to tell Your Highness. However, maybe it cannot be helped. Lady Violet also thinks that she was not able to understand Your Highness and forced her ideals on you, so it’s not surprising that neither of you know each other well.”

 

… Huh, it’s a bit late to think about it, but I wonder why.

Why am I speaking to His Highness so aggressively?

 

“What are you trying to say, Heartfield? Are you trying to say that Violet’s inability to eat properly is a side effect of the strict education she received to marry me, so I should sympathize with her?”

“Would you sympathize with her if I told you that?”

 

It’s true that I was angry at His Highness’ words the day before yesterday, but Chartreuse, Ash and Ecul said similarly insulting things too.

So why am I so aggressive towards His Highness right now?

 

“… I know about her efforts. I can sympathize with her a little, since she refined herself to be noble and her obsession almost led her to refuse food. But that doesn’t mean all of her actions can be forgiven.”

“Yes, I suppose so. What she did to you all and Ms. Mary cannot be easily forgiven, and I am not in a position to force that forgiveness.”

 

Whether it was wrong or whether to forgive or not is up to the people involved.

The best I can do is validate Ms. Violet’s feelings and smooth the way.

…But hearing His Highness’ words just now made me feel a little more relieved. The fact that he isn’t completely unaware of Lady Violet’s efforts means that he was looking at her to some extent.

 

“But Lady Violet works with me, tries to learn cooking for us, and tries to get used to unfamiliar places. When I see her smiling while having fun, it makes me happy.”

“She… smiles?”

“… I’m sorry, I got sidetracked. The reason why I’m on Lady Violet’s side is-“

 

The reason why I’m siding with her.

It might be simple, but it’s true.

 

“Because she’s my beloved Wife. I have fun being with her, so I just want to protect that.”

 

I answered His Highness’ question with an expression that naturally appeared on my face.

What’s important to me is Violet Heartfield close to me, so I just want to protect her.

 

---

---