Akatsuki Translations

Farsa was dreaming.

He dreamt of his late father and a mother he had never seen. They were calling him from a golden, glittering meadow. A moment of familial bliss that changed the moment he blinked. His father, engulfed in flames, was fighting something. His mother lay beside him.

After the battle, his father returned to him and his motionless mother, his face filled with grief. His father wept as he hugged them, while Farsa, oblivious to everything, laughed innocently.

Then came the darkness, and then the light.

“…a dream, huh.”

The comforting chirping of birds could be heard from outside the window. Farsa felt as though he had been dreaming, but he couldn’t remember what it was about. Half-asleep, he tried to rub his eyes with his left arm but found that he couldn’t move it. Realizing that he was restrained, he turned his gaze to the left, where a beautiful woman was breathing peacefully.

Her long golden hair was scattered on the bed, and her alluring body was emphasized by her slip dress. Farsa’s forearm was trapped between her ample hills, and his hand was nestled between her thighs. As he calmly and quickly took in his surroundings, he realized he was in his bedroom in his mansion.

“Hmm… ah…”

With a bewitching sound, the woman beside him stirred, shaking Farsa’s brain.

“Good morning, Zenobia. Could you quit playing possum and explain the situation?”

“…What, you’re already awake? I would have liked to stay like this a little longer.”

“Didn’t someone say something about woman and men not sharing a bed after they’re seven years old?”

“Ugh, quiet! It’s okay because unlike Julia, I’m your wife!”

Zenobia tightened her grip on Farsa’s left arm. Whether she was embarrassed by her own words or not, she rubbed her head against Farsa’s, her cheeks flushed. Well, it’s okay to stay like this for a bit longer, Farsa thought, giving up. He reached out with his right hand to stroke Zenobia’s hair.

Purring softly, Zenobia snuggled up to Farsa even more, reducing the space between them to virtually zero.

“So, my wife, Zenobia, why are we here?”

Farsa asked jokingly. Zenobia began to explain, her face buried in Farsa’s chest.

“Uh, umm. It was right after our duel last night. You suddenly pushed me to the ground. Ah, I thought we were going to start right there and then. My heart nearly stopped. No, it’s not that I didn’t want to do it with you, but I thought our first time should be on a bed, that is. If you prefer doing it outside, I don’t mind, but I thought we should get used to it first, or rather, let my body get used to you. What are you making me say? Don’t think that just because we’re married, I’ll just go along with anything you say!”

While she was a mess, Farsa gave up on getting a proper explanation. As he listened to her mix of fantasies and desires, it turned out that Farsa had fainted right after kissing Zenobia and had been carried all the way to the capital.

Since it was late at night, they couldn’t take him to the Marquis’ house, so they chose one of Farsa’s homes in the noble district. The reason was perfectly reasonable: if it was a noble’s house, there would be servants, and they could get in even without a key.

They were guided to a room by a maid, who, upon being told that Zenobia was his fiancée, thoughtfully suggested they rest together. Zenobia had changed Farsa into his pajamas, claiming she didn’t know if his body was the same as a human’s, but it was clearly a lie.

They had bathed together in swimsuits, and during the demon incident, he had received treatment from Palmina and Julia. If his body was strange, they would have noticed long ago.

Of course, there was a high chance that Zenobia wasn’t that calm at the time, and since he had fainted and caused trouble, Farsa had no right to complain. However, there was one thing that bothered him.

“I was carried princess-style… Just to confirm, no one other than our maid saw us, right?”

“No, actually, we were seen by the guards at the gate. We were supposed to sneak into the city, but it’s hard to do that while carrying someone. When we left the capital, we went through the gate. I did tell them it was a top-secret matter and not to tell anyone, and I said you fainted because you used too much magic.”

“Ah, yeah, that makes sense.”

Going out of the capital at night is generally not allowed, and the security has been tightened recently due to the demon incident. Farsa and Zenobia could come and go under the pretext of surveying and guarding the area, and if they said it was a top-secret matter, no one would pry any further.

However, the rumors about the two of them secretly meeting outside the royal capital at midnight were already spreading. It was especially suspicious that for some reason, Farsa, the man, was being cradled in the arms of Zenobia. Despite their efforts to keep it quiet, the news was bound to spread far and wide.

Farsa, who could feel a wave of melancholy washing over him, noticed an impending calamity. In a panic, he attached a lens to his left eye and disguised his iris.

Zenobia seemed to notice a bit too late, and because it was already too late to do anything about it, they both exchanged a bitter smile.

“Far-nii, what’s this I hear about you breaking off your engagement with Zenobia?! And for the record, I don’t remember approving any marriage!”

“Julia-chan, you shouldn’t enter the bedroom without knocking.”

Julia had burst into the bedroom with a scream, flinging the door open with a great deal of force. Behind her, with her usual smiling face, was Palmina, and a maid with an expression that said, ‘I can’t believe I had to climb all the way up here’.

“Hey, Julia, long time no see. Done with your church duties, are you?”

“Whaaaat! Far-nii and Zenobia are in a adult relationshippppppppppp!”

“No, no, that’s not true! We are, but it will be after this.”

“Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaa! You were planning on doing it after thisssssssss!!!!”

“Arara, hehe.”

Both Palmina and Julia had been frowned upon by the church’s top brass for letting a demon, considered an enemy of the Faith, go and even treating it. However, because they couldn’t openly punish the Saint and the Hero, they were made to engage in service activities to prompt reflection.

That being said, their lives hadn’t changed much since they were simply volunteering to do things like visiting orphanages, counseling believers, providing meals and doing promotional activities. It was, after all, a mere pretense of punishment.

And even though they had traveled together, they were, after all, believers of the Fortuna faith and not of the Aurelia sect, so they didn’t know any detailed information about Farsa and his group. Farsa concluded that probably Cecilia had explained the situation during the early morning training, and an excited Julia had rushed out.

If Zenobia was to retire from the knight’s order, she would automatically be removed from the role of guiding the hero, and someone else would take over.

“Ah, please don’t tired me out this early in the morning.”

Farsa, surprised at Julia’s keen intuition, despite not knowing where he was and coming all the way to the mansion, let out a deep sigh. He didn’t know how much time it would take to clear up the misunderstanding and explain it to Julia to her satisfaction.

“You’re so sneaky! Stupid Zenobia! Idiot! Pervert!”

“P-p-p-pervert?! I was just asserting my rightful claim!”

“Farsa-kun, you’re in for a tough time.”

“Indeed… Uh-huh, indeed. But it seems like you’re enjoying yourself more than usual. Is it just my imagination?”

While Julia and Zenobia were causing a commotion, Palmina quietly approached Farsa and whispered in his ear. Palmina had probably come along with Julia as a spectator. Even the church’s saint is a girl who is sensitive to love and romance.

However, Palmina, who showed a caring gesture towards Farsa, seemed brighter than usual.

“Farsa-kun, you seem to have become a little, just a little, better, and that makes me happy.”

“What does that mean?”

“Hehe, it’s a s-e-c-r-e-t.”

With one eye closed and her index finger on Farsa’s lips, Palmina had a mischievous expression that didn’t seem fitting for a saint.

“Ahh! Palmina is tempting Far-nii!”

“Wha-what?! Farsa-dono, what is the meaning of this sudden infidelity?!”

While feeling a slight regret about whether this was really the right decision, Farsa nonetheless found himself enjoying this noisy moment.

◆◆◆

A few hours after the uproarious visit from Julia and Palmina, Farsa and Zenobia were at the mansion of the Marquis of Ctesiphon.

“Hmm, you’re turning down a proposal from the Duke of Dampierre and want to re-engage with Farsa-kun? My daughter certainly comes up with absurd ideas.”

“I admit it sounds selfish. But I truly want to live with Farsa-dono. I understand if you are angry, Father. I’m prepared even for the possibility of being disowned.”

Across the table placed in the center of the reception room, a father and daughter locked gazes as if in a standoff. Observing the two of them, Farsa reflected on the busyness of the day.

After calming the excited Julia, explaining the circumstances to a certain degree while concealing the fact that they were demons, Sebas arrived as a messenger from the Marquis of Ctesiphon. His message was clear: “Please come to the mansion as soon as you’re ready. The master awaits you.” The look of pleasure on Sebas’s face was unmistakable.

Farsa had anticipated such a development, but everything was moving faster than he expected. However, when summoned by a superior, there was no option to refuse, so he dutifully accompanied Zenobia.

“So, what about you? You’re not planning to let my daughter do all the explaining while you keep silent, are you?”

The Marquis of Ctesiphon asked with a piercing gaze directed at Farsa. Given that his beloved daughter had snuck out of the mansion in the middle of the night and was found at the house of the man she had supposedly broken off her engagement with, his inner peace was understandably disturbed.

“I have proposed to Zenobia once again, and she has accepted. I humbly ask for your permission. Of course, I will take responsibility for any trouble we’ve caused.”

Holding Zenobia’s trembling hand on his left, Farsa deeply bowed his head. Despite her declaration of preparedness, Zenobia wasn’t eager to be disowned.

“Hmm, it seems the two of you are quite determined. By the way, Farsa-kun… when did you realize?”

“My suspicions began when you mentioned the proposal from the Duke of Dampierre. I became certain after I met the Duke in person.”

Zenobia was the only one looking puzzled at the meaningful conversation between Farsa and the Marquis of Ctesiphon.

“It seems only Zenobia wasn’t aware. Sebas, bring our other guest here.”

“Understood.”

A few minutes after Sebas had left the room, the person Farsa had anticipated appeared in the reception room.

“You two really are a nuisance. If it weren’t for me, this would’ve been a huge problem.”

“What?! Why is Sil-dono here?”

The elegantly entering nobleman with golden hair swept back was none other than the Duke of Dampierre. Zenobia, who stood up and shouted, quickly realized her rudeness and hastily sat down. The Duke sat down across from Zenobia, next to the Marquis of Ctesiphon, looking somewhat exasperated.

“Zenobia, we were being tested. The Marquis is such a schemer.”

“Hmph, I’m not so senile as to hand my beloved daughter over to a man of unknown origin.”

“When I first heard the story, I couldn’t believe my ears. I was asked to play the role of a rival in love because Zenobia was bringing her fiancé.”

As Zenobia became increasingly confused by their words, an explanation began that also served as a check on their answers. The Marquis of Ctesiphon had seen through the fact that Farsa’s proposal to Zenobia was a bridge to the Duke of Dampierre.

The information collected by Sebas, the turmoil caused by demons in the royal capital, Princess Aurelia’s unconventional character, and the usefulness of the Ctesiphon family – putting all these pieces together, it wasn’t difficult to guess that Farsa and the others were plotting something using the demon they had captured.

However, it was only natural for the Marquis of Ctesiphon to fear that his beloved daughter was being used.

So, he pretended to have received a proposal from the Duke of Dampierre and tried to discover Farsa’s true intentions. He wanted to know whether Farsa was merely using his daughter or truly loved her.

“S-so, you mean to say you didn’t trust Farsa-dono?”

“I knew from Sebas’s investigation that there were no problems with his character. However… he was a bit too much of a model citizen. A highly educated commoner who, despite being at court, is not swayed by money or power. Furthermore, his background remains a mystery. Even the king was concerned about how to handle Farsa-kun and had consulted me about it before.”

At the Marquis of Ctesiphon’s words, Farsa nodded in understanding.

In the five years since Farsa had met Aurelia and started serving the Kingdom of Valois, he had been the subject of various suspicions. Spying for other countries, assassination, usurping the throne; even now, there were not a few who regarded him with suspicious eyes.

The fact was, since Farsa began his service, Aurelia, who had had no chance of inheriting the throne, had climbed to the first place in the line of succession. The reform of the court mages, the crackdown on corrupt nobles, the subjugation of fierce monsters – Farsa’s personal achievements in just five years were extraordinary.

It was unthinkable that such a person would have been unknown in the world. It was hard to blame those who thought he was using Aurelia to plot a national overthrow.

“I understand why you had concerns about me.”

“Exactly, your mature outlook at such a young age only fuels others’ anxiety. Everyone wants a sharp sword, but if that sword is too sharp and turns on them, anyone would worry. Although everyone desires competent personnel, those who are too competent are just as dangerous.”

“Father, isn’t that a bit too rude to Farsa-dono!”

“I understand. I’m being overly suspicious. But as a leader, I must always anticipate the worst. That’s why… I decided to drive a wedge. If successful, my daughter could be with the man she loves and lessen the king’s worries. If it fails, I could avoid a man who doesn’t truly love my daughter, which would be a relief as a parent. Although, my daughter’s runaway behavior did catch me off guard.”

“I see, a wedge…”

In retrospect, the Marquis of Ctesiphon’s scheme was a great success. The wedge named Zenobia had been firmly driven into Farsa’s heart, putting him in a situation where he couldn’t easily run away from the Kingdom of Valois.

Even though Zenobia herself had declared that she would forsake everything to be with Farsa, his pride would not allow him to let her realize that sentiment.

Family, hometown, friends – can a life bereft of these things truly be happy?

Farsa, having lost his own father, did not want to inflict such pain on Zenobia, who still had both her parents.

Therefore, it was incumbent upon Farsa to do everything within his power to protect not only Zenobia, but also the Kingdom of Valois, where her family and friends resided.

“I won’t ask what happened last night. Actually, as a parent, I don’t want to know. But I could tell right away that you’re different from the other day. Your eyes have the resolve of a man who has made up his mind.”

“I personally think you have some issues with your relationships with women… But well, as long as Zenobia is happy, my dear friend Leonard would forgive you. At the very least, his wish has been fulfilled.”

“As for your relationships with women, Farsa-dono… I cannot defend you either. But Sil-dono, what was my brother’s wish?”

Despite the fact that no one, not even Zenobia, was defending his relationships with women, Farsa was secretly trying to hide his presence.

He didn’t intend to actively court women.

While he had been compelled to woo women out of necessity, it was always an extension of his work, and he had declined most of the invitations.

However, he had unintentionally deepened his relationships with some women because he couldn’t treat them poorly.

The others carried on the conversation, oblivious to the inward cries of Farsa.

“Ah, about that. You know we knights always write a will before we go on an expedition or into battle, right? Leonard left a will not only for his family, but also for me. He asked me to make his sister, Zenobia, happy if anything were to happen to him. He said he could trust me with her. However, I also lost my father and had to suddenly take over the house, so I wasn’t there for Zenobia when she was having a tough time. This time, I cooperated with the Marquis of Ctesiphon as a way of making up for that.”

“I see… So both my brother and Sil-dono were looking out for me.”

Duke Dampierre had taken over the ducal family at the young age of fifteen.

In a northern region plagued by constant conflict with the demon tribe, dealing with the corruption of aristocrats and merchants connected to the previous head, it would have been impossible to worry about Zenobia, who was in the royal capital.

And when things finally settled down, Farsa was standing beside Zenobia.

Whether Duke Dampierre was simply fulfilling his obligation to his friend, or whether he had deeper feelings, was something Farsa couldn’t know.

But he clearly cared deeply for Zenobia, his best friend’s sister, and that was probably why he had been furious with Farsa when he said he had chosen Cecilia as his fiancée.

“So, it turns out that both Zenobia and I were dancing in the palm of the Marquis of Ctesiphon.”

“I won’t just give my daughter away to any man. Well, anyway, as long as Zenobia is holding on to you, Farsa-kun, some of the king’s worries should be alleviated. I hope you continue to serve the kingdom with Zenobia.”

“Of course, that’s the plan. But I never thought I’d truly understand how you felt when you eloped with your wife.”

“Ha, ha, ha! It’s no surprise, since Zenobia is a beautiful and well-bred girl like her mother.”

“Dad, Farsa-dono, you’re embarrassing me, so stop it!”

“She was such a little girl back then, but she’s grown into a lady with both beauty and strength. I’m sure Leonard is pleased, too. He was a bit overprotective of his sister, after all.”

“Stop it, Sil-dono! Don’t say weird things!”

Zenobia blushed crimson with embarrassment, while the three men roared with laughter.

No, if you count the butler by the wall who was smiling softly, there were four of them.

Farsa didn’t say it out loud, but it was thanks to Sebas that he had noticed the plot of the Marquis of Ctesiphon.

Sebas was originally a knight serving the Germanian Empire who had been taken prisoner during a minor skirmish with the Kingdom of Valois. His home country had balked at paying the ransom, and he was left behind, only to be taken in by the father of the Marquis of Ctesiphon, the previous head of the family.

Since then, he had served the Ctesiphon family as a butler, married a woman from the Kingdom of Valois, and even had children.

However, when he got married, the other family opposed it because he was a Germanian, but the Marquis of Ctesiphon mediated.

And Sebas, who had been watching over Farsa and Zenobia during his stay at the mansion in the royal capital, took actions he wouldn’t normally take because he was worried about the two young people.

That was the series of actions he took when Farsa visited the mansion.

The remarks that overstepped the bounds of a butler, revealing his own status and subtly suggesting cooperation.

Perhaps he had panicked at the prospect of an arranged marriage that even Sebas himself hadn’t been informed of.

Yes, the fact that Sebas, the butler, didn’t know about the arranged marriage was strange.

Sebas was the chief butler in charge of the Marquis of Ctesiphon’s mansion in the royal capital, and he was in a position to deliver various information to the Marquis of Ctesiphon.

The only answer to how an arranged marriage that even the butler didn’t know about could have been proposed was one.

Of course, if he told Zenobia about it, she would certainly dismiss it as speculation, and Farsa himself, lacking absolute confidence, deliberately kept it to himself.

The only ones who knew whether Farsa’s speculation was correct were the old butler, looking at his master and his daughter with a gentle gaze, who had happy faces.

Thus, the arranged marriage between Farsa and Zenobia was settled, and Duke Dampierre promised to help restrain the northern nobles, but only this time.

The announcement of the engagement would be made after considering rumors and calming down, and Farsa’s life would remain unchanged on the surface.

Zenobia, who was in a wife-like mood, Julia, who still wasn’t satisfied, Palmina, who seemed to be enjoying the current situation, and Aurelia, who seemed to be plotting something, were causing a stir, but on the surface, nothing had changed.