[Elina’s Wish]
(Elina Cildy Borg Alecidus Side)
During the new year, a constant stream of nobles entered and exited the royal castle. In light of this, I chose to shut myself in my room–situated in an exclusive section of the castle accessible only to the royal family and their attendants. My intention was to wait patiently until the flurry of activity subsided.
I wished I could have joined my second brother to go to Lyncean’s mansion.
My eldest brother was preoccupied with various responsibilities and matters that demanded his attention. Similarly, my other siblings seemed to be busy with their own things.
Amidst my relaxation in my quarters, an unexpected summons from my father disrupted my solitude. Reluctantly, I had to venture out of my seclusion.
Walking through the corridors, I glanced out of the windows. The streets below were alive with the vibrant celebrations of the New Year, as evident from the bustling crowds.
Letting out a sigh that materialized into a visible plume of white breath, I finally reached the door.
“It is me, Elina.”
“Enter.”
My father, having just concluded a series of audiences with the nobles, greeted me with a visibly fatigued expression on his face. “Welcome, Elina.”
“I have come to answer your summon.”
“Yes. My daughter… I’m sorry.”
My father, worn out and weary, lowered his head in a deep bow before me, his daughter.
My father, the king, he… wasn’t someone exceptional, nor held any remarkable qualities.
He was often referred to as Mediocre King.
Even in the face of unruly nobles, he found himself powerless to take action. Even as the honor and prestige of the royal family were trampled upon, he remained passive.
My mother had shouldered the burden of governing the realm on his behalf… a responsibility that eventually led to her demise due to overexertion…
While there was a glimmer of hope that my eldest brother assuming the throne might bring about positive change, time was running out for him to establish his authority firmly.
If only the marriage proposal between Lady Iris of the Ducal House of Deskustos and my eldest brother had been accepted, the situation might have been somewhat improved.
Regrettably, Duke Deskustos had officially declined the proposal.
“Your Majesty, there is no need to apologize. I am merely fulfilling my duty as a member of the royal family.”
“I’m sorry.”
The King’s continual apologies only served to emphasize our impending downfall.
Since we were born, the Noble Faction had firmly grasped the reins of power within the kingdom.
The royal family, in contrast, seemed to exist merely as an ornamental facade.
My eldest brother, who possessed inherent excellence, had endeavored to forge friendships with Testa of the Ducal House of Deskustos and Guts of the Ducal House of Marshall.
On the other hand, while my second brother might not have been academically inclined, his passion for martial arts was undeniable. Using the Sword Emperor’s Cup as an opportunity, he had cultivated a connection with Dan, the knight apprentice of the Marshall House. Their bond had grown so strong that he even spent the New Year at the Marshall House.
The royal family sought various ways to survive, all for the sake of preserving our royal blood…
Given that my brothers had successfully established relationships with influential figures from each faction, the question remained: what other way existed to preserve the blood of Alecidus?
“This way please.”
I was currently paying a visit to someone who was emerging as a potential third force.
This endeavor was in accordance with the wish of my father the king and my own chosen path.
“Welcome to my residence.”
Greeting me was Luc Hugaro Deskustos, my classmate and the most beautiful man in the kingdom.
Despite being a member of the Deskustos House, he didn’t align with their intentions.
His family shunned him, refusing to acknowledge his existence.
Yet, his existence couldn’t be overlooked by anyone.
As a potential third force, he drew the attention of both allies and adversaries.
Such was Luc Hugaro Deskustos.
The royal family, the nobles, and partly the common citizens closely monitored his every move.
During the Sword Emperor’s Cup, motives, both transparent and concealed, intertwined.
Among the participants, there were those who relied solely on their skills, others who maneuvered behind the scenes (mostly nobles), and some who skillfully employed a combination of both approaches.
Luc Hugaro Deskustos had forced his way to the semi-finals by leveraging his noble status to maneuver behind the scenes.
Then, with his personal power, he overwhelmed a member of the AcGee House, only to concede.
Many interpreted this as his way of demonstrating to both the nobility and his own Deskustos House the consequences of underestimating him and the fact that he had the capability to fight covert and overt battles.
“I appreciate your willingness to meet with me.”
Facing him, I found myself much more nervous than I had thought I would be.
At school, I hardly interacted with Luc Hugaro Deskustos.
My behavior during the orientation—which had bordered hostility—likely left him a bad impression of me.
I could still recall the way he scowled when I called out to him after his match with Lyncean’s personal knight.
In hindsight, that might have been our only interaction to date.
“No problem. It must have taken you a great deal of courage to come here under the current circumstances.”
I felt like a sword had been pointed at my throat.
His charisma captivated various nobles… His appearance was so stunning, it was almost difficult to believe he was a man… The sheer amount of mana he had showcased, a mere glimpse of it during his use of attribute magic…
“That is precisely why I’m here today.”
“Hmm. Would you mind elaborating?”
“Yes, certainly. To be direct, I would like you to marry me,” I proposed with a determined resolve.
It seemed to have taken him by surprise.
Hehe, even I found myself surprised. I could never have anticipated the day would arrive when I, a princess, would be the one proposing to a man… But this was for the sake of the kingdom—no, for the sake of keeping the blood of Alecidus alive…
“I refuse.”
Huh?
“I mean, I’m already engaged to another, the young lady of the Caribbean House.”
Until now, numerous nobles had expressed their desire to court me. They’d proposed to me presenting various qualities such as lineage, status, appearance, and power. Among them were even royal families from other countries.
Yet, he rejected me? Me, a princess, widely acknowledged as the kingdom’s most exquisite flower, the only woman whose beauty rivaled that of Iris Hugaro Deskustos?! How utterly prosperous.
“You seemed so confident, too… sorry.”
Luc Hugaro Deskustos rose from his seat and tried to leave as if our conversation was over.
“Wait!”
“What is it? Aren’t we done yet?”
“What am I lacking? …I believe I possess an attractive appearance that appeals to men. I wouldn’t pale in comparison if I stood beside you! Furthermore, I bear the royal bloodline and possess a substantial amount of mana!”
The more I spoke… the more Luc Hugaro Deskustos seemed to lose interest.
Emotions faded away from his face, replaced by an impassive expression.
“You’re boring. Sure, your beauty, your lineage, and your amount of mana are all impressive. But is that all you are worth? I’ve lost interest in conversing further. You’ve got to excuse me. Syrup, see our guest out.”
“Yes, Master!”
And with that, he left the room without sparing me another glance.
What was it? What did I lack? As a member of the royal family, I diligently applied myself to my studies, magic, and political matters.
My worth? What else was there besides my appearance, my blood, and my magical abilities? Weren’t men only interested in women’s capabilities and appearance? Aside from those… I had no clue.
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Zky Translates 
Damn, it looks like the royal faction is in a much more precarious position than I originally thought. I kind of expected the king to be weak, but I didn’t think it’d be so bad that his wife died from exhaustion trying to run his kingdom for him.
Because they where the heroes, or at least the side that the original protagonist, Dan, was on, I assumed that they would have been equal to, if not stronger than the Deskutos faction. I imagined that the original eroge’s plot might have been a mystery where the player would start hunting down hidden enemies, discovering the mastermind and eventually exposing deskutos’ hidden plots and plans, resulting in his arrest and execution. However, judging from what was stated here, there’s no way the king could have taken Deskutos down so easily! Maybe in the original eroge, the Royals would have lost their hold on power no matter what actions the player might have taken? Dan might have had to stand up alone in revolt against the new ‘evil empire’ that Deskutos would have established. After saving the day, he might have been crowned king and restored the kingdom along with his harem of beutifull girls.
Anyway, setting aside the plot of the original eroge, the royals definitely have the right idea in wanting to bring Luc over to their side. They just haven’t offered him anything worth his attention yet. I mean, the princess is probably the least effective bait they could have thrown his way. Luc is literally the most attractive man in the kingdom! He’s got all the woman he could ever want! Not just any women, but beautiful, strong, and hard working girls that actively want to spoil him! In comparison, he got offered a high maintenance woman(a literal princess), that doesn’t love him, and only got with him just to use him for the good of her faction. Yes, the princess is certainly attractive, but aside from that, it doesn’t look like she has anything more to offer that the other girls don’t already do, and she has quite a bit of baggage holding her back as is (the royals). I mean, I don’t want to be crass, but it doesn’t look like a good deal to me.
Admittedly, I can’t really think of anything they could offer Luc that would genuinely interest him, but at least I can recognize that the princess is a poor choice.
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If that’s all her worth, then she nothing to him~
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Well she couldn’t be more blatant that she wanted him as a tool to forward the royalty faction’s agenda and she saw him as nothing but a set of attributes, talents and benefits basically and not as a person to like. Besides what she had Luc has and more so she can’t even give him any benefits, not surprising that it ended up like this. I bet Luc would’ve just agreed if she just wanted to befriend him for connections and stuff.
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Based MC
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