Chapter 33. Aurantiaca, the Masked Saint
In the center of the capital of Lycant, in the royal palace. The gardens, buildings and interiors were new and beautifully decorated with gold, silver and jewels for the third princess to be married. It wasn’t just the outside. A month after the grand announcement of the third princess’ marriage, the preparations did not stop.
The wedding of Inuella, the third princess of the Beastmen, and Colonel Aconite, an elven soldier. It was an event of great celebration, even from a global perspective. It was not only a celebration, but also a marriage of great political importance that would strengthen the bonds between the two countries and serve as a check on other nations. As such, the elven and beastmen royal families staked their respective prestige on the wedding, planning to make it the most extravagant of the postwar period. They lavishly spent their ample resources on the festivities, spreading the word around the world and inviting dignitaries from every corner of the globe.
Of course, there were those who were not amused.
They were the human nobles who did not want the elves and beastmen to gain power, the dwarven merchants who were shut out of the opportunity to make money, and the elven nobles who were hostile to the faction to which Aconite belonged.
◆
“…So with this trick they wanted to have a person whose alibi did not exist at the time of the alleged poisoning. I see.”
A room in the Lycant Palace was boiling. Dignitaries from various countries who had gathered for the ceremony had crowded in to hear the words of a woman. Judging by her long blonde hair and long pointed ears, she must have been an elf. However, her true face was hidden behind a mask, and her identity was unknown. Everyone present knew who she was, but… they pretended not to. There was an unspoken agreement.
“Bougainvillea.”
“…!”
And the masked woman cornered another woman. Short blonde hair, long ears. A large earring was in one of her ears, but only one of them. The other was in the masked woman’s hand.
“Hey, why did you try to do that? Aconite is your childhood friend, right?”
Bougainvillea. The woman she called “Bougainvillea” was dejected and trembling for a while. But then she looked up and exclaimed:
“What… what would you know! You’ve been a virgin for hundreds of years!”
“Hey, stop it.”
“I’ve loved Sir Aconite for a long, long time! Our encounters between the fierce battles were the bulwark that held my heart firm! I dreamed that I would be with him when the battles were over. But to think that he would marry a hairy brute in such an unseemly palace! I could not allow it!”
“What has that got to do with being a virgin?”
“I would have endured any hardship for Sir Aconite’s sake! I would have killed elders or children if he’d ordered me to! And after we were married, I was to serve him! I love him! I would not be out of place in his family! And yet I was told that it wouldn’t look good for the captain of an assassination squad to marry a member of royalty, and that I had a dirty body because I had been captured and r̲a̲pe̲d̲ by orcs during the war! You can’t understand how I feel after being forced to resign by everyone around me!”
“No, I understand, you know? Even I…”
“Don’t you dare say you understand! You’re a virgin who doesn’t know what love is!”
“No, but I mean that you also understand my feelings, that when I was defeated by an orc and not r̲a̲pe̲d̲, they said it was because I stank…”
“But at least you redeemed yourself when that orc proposed to you!”
“Ugh… Mmm… oh yeah. Mm. Then I guess I don’t understand your feelings… sorry…” The masked woman coughed as she apologized, breaking into a cold sweat. “Whatever! So you let your feelings be used by the anti-Aconite faction to do this as a mere lackey.” The masked woman said, touching the earring with her fingertips. A drop of liquid spilled from the tip of the earring. The liquid was an eerie purple color. It was poisonous no matter which way you looked at it.
“…”
“You know, don’t you think it’s possible that maybe he doesn’t know how you feel?”
Bougainvillea cast a worried glance at the masked woman speaking to her. But she had reached a point where she could no longer go back. Here was no Aconite, but she had been caught trying to murder a Beastman noble and force them to call off the wedding. Her future had already been decided.
“Since we’ve come to this…” Bougainvillea pulled a dagger out of her pocket. A dagger with a sinister curve. A dagger of honor, given to those who had distinguished themselves in the assassination squads of the elven army. Bougainvillea, the most skilled member of the assassin squad, was brimming with murderous intent.
“He-Hey, stop! Don’t do anything crazy!”
“I’ll kill them all! Inuella and Sir Aconite! Y-You too! I-I won’t accept this marriage! I’ll ruin it!”
The place was in an uproar. Some drew their swords, others put magic power into their hands. Although she was the leader of an assassination squad, Bougainvillea was alone. All those present were fierce warriors who had survived the war. There were a number of people in this room who were as good or better than Bougainvillea.
“Hey, Bougainvillea, I’m sure I don’t know how you feel. But I’ve known you and Aconite since you were little kids. I didn’t know you liked him, but I know you’re not a bad person. You’ve always been strong, and you protected that weakling Aconite from the bullies…”
Bougainvillea’s eyes flickered at the masked woman’s words.
“I think it’s a pity that your love was never fulfilled. I’m going to give those people who called you impure a hard time just because they want to do what’s best for the elves. If you wish, I can personally and publicly congratulate you on your accomplishments. Yes, I should have done that in the first place! I’ve been busy with a lot of things… no, actually, that’s just an excuse. I’ve been so busy with myself lately that I haven’t paid much attention to you. Forgive me.”
The sound of the masked woman’s voice was nostalgic for Bougainvillea. In the past, when she fought with boys her own age and made them cry, the Masked Woman would come to admonish them in this way. For elves who lost their parents in the war, this person was a mother, a teacher, and an object of protection.
“So how about we find you a new loved one, okay? Yes. For example, how about Cymbidium? He’s in the same assassination squad. He’s still single, right? He may be unreliable from your point of view, but he’s not a bad guy, so why don’t you look at him that way? If you want, I can help you. What do you say?” The masked woman said that and slowly approached her. She tried not to provoke her, but to take the blade out of her hand if she had the chance. But her words were sincere. She was truly worried about Bougainvillea.
“…!” But Bougainvillea realized. She realized that she was now pointing her blade at someone she should never have.
“So, hey, please. Can you give me that dagger?” Then the masked woman gently touched Bougainvillea’s cheek. At the gentle touch, Bougainvillea relaxed. With a clatter, the dagger fell.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” With a lot of tears and snot, she uttered those words. That was the end of an incident and a love story.
Chapter 33. Aurantiaca, the Masked Saint
In the center of the capital of Lycant, in the royal palace. The gardens, buildings and interiors were new and beautifully decorated with gold, silver and jewels for the third princess to be married. It wasn’t just the outside. A month after the grand announcement of the third princess’ marriage, the preparations did not stop.
The wedding of Inuella, the third princess of the Beastmen, and Colonel Aconite, an elven soldier. It was an event of great celebration, even from a global perspective. It was not only a celebration, but also a marriage of great political importance that would strengthen the bonds between the two countries and serve as a check on other nations. As such, the elven and beastmen royal families staked their respective prestige on the wedding, planning to make it the most extravagant of the postwar period. They lavishly spent their ample resources on the festivities, spreading the word around the world and inviting dignitaries from every corner of the globe.
Of course, there were those who were not amused.
They were the human nobles who did not want the elves and beastmen to gain power, the dwarven merchants who were shut out of the opportunity to make money, and the elven nobles who were hostile to the faction to which Aconite belonged.
◆
“…So with this trick they wanted to have a person whose alibi did not exist at the time of the alleged poisoning. I see.”
A room in the Lycant Palace was boiling. Dignitaries from various countries who had gathered for the ceremony had crowded in to hear the words of a woman. Judging by her long blonde hair and long pointed ears, she must have been an elf. However, her true face was hidden behind a mask, and her identity was unknown. Everyone present knew who she was, but… they pretended not to. There was an unspoken agreement.
“Bougainvillea.”
“…!”
And the masked woman cornered another woman. Short blonde hair, long ears. A large earring was in one of her ears, but only one of them. The other was in the masked woman’s hand.
“Hey, why did you try to do that? Aconite is your childhood friend, right?”
Bougainvillea. The woman she called “Bougainvillea” was dejected and trembling for a while. But then she looked up and exclaimed:
“What… what would you know! You’ve been a virgin for hundreds of years!”
“Hey, stop it.”
“I’ve loved Sir Aconite for a long, long time! Our encounters between the fierce battles were the bulwark that held my heart firm! I dreamed that I would be with him when the battles were over. But to think that he would marry a hairy brute in such an unseemly palace! I could not allow it!”
“What has that got to do with being a virgin?”
“I would have endured any hardship for Sir Aconite’s sake! I would have killed elders or children if he’d ordered me to! And after we were married, I was to serve him! I love him! I would not be out of place in his family! And yet I was told that it wouldn’t look good for the captain of an assassination squad to marry a member of royalty, and that I had a dirty body because I had been captured and r̲a̲pe̲d̲ by orcs during the war! You can’t understand how I feel after being forced to resign by everyone around me!”
“No, I understand, you know? Even I…”
“Don’t you dare say you understand! You’re a virgin who doesn’t know what love is!”
“No, but I mean that you also understand my feelings, that when I was defeated by an orc and not r̲a̲pe̲d̲, they said it was because I stank…”
“But at least you redeemed yourself when that orc proposed to you!”
“Ugh… Mmm… oh yeah. Mm. Then I guess I don’t understand your feelings… sorry…” The masked woman coughed as she apologized, breaking into a cold sweat. “Whatever! So you let your feelings be used by the anti-Aconite faction to do this as a mere lackey.” The masked woman said, touching the earring with her fingertips. A drop of liquid spilled from the tip of the earring. The liquid was an eerie purple color. It was poisonous no matter which way you looked at it.
“…”
“You know, don’t you think it’s possible that maybe he doesn’t know how you feel?”
Bougainvillea cast a worried glance at the masked woman speaking to her. But she had reached a point where she could no longer go back. Here was no Aconite, but she had been caught trying to murder a Beastman noble and force them to call off the wedding. Her future had already been decided.
“Since we’ve come to this…” Bougainvillea pulled a dagger out of her pocket. A dagger with a sinister curve. A dagger of honor, given to those who had distinguished themselves in the assassination squads of the elven army. Bougainvillea, the most skilled member of the assassin squad, was brimming with murderous intent.
“He-Hey, stop! Don’t do anything crazy!”
“I’ll kill them all! Inuella and Sir Aconite! Y-You too! I-I won’t accept this marriage! I’ll ruin it!”
The place was in an uproar. Some drew their swords, others put magic power into their hands. Although she was the leader of an assassination squad, Bougainvillea was alone. All those present were fierce warriors who had survived the war. There were a number of people in this room who were as good or better than Bougainvillea.
“Hey, Bougainvillea, I’m sure I don’t know how you feel. But I’ve known you and Aconite since you were little kids. I didn’t know you liked him, but I know you’re not a bad person. You’ve always been strong, and you protected that weakling Aconite from the bullies…”
Bougainvillea’s eyes flickered at the masked woman’s words.
“I think it’s a pity that your love was never fulfilled. I’m going to give those people who called you impure a hard time just because they want to do what’s best for the elves. If you wish, I can personally and publicly congratulate you on your accomplishments. Yes, I should have done that in the first place! I’ve been busy with a lot of things… no, actually, that’s just an excuse. I’ve been so busy with myself lately that I haven’t paid much attention to you. Forgive me.”
The sound of the masked woman’s voice was nostalgic for Bougainvillea. In the past, when she fought with boys her own age and made them cry, the Masked Woman would come to admonish them in this way. For elves who lost their parents in the war, this person was a mother, a teacher, and an object of protection.
“So how about we find you a new loved one, okay? Yes. For example, how about Cymbidium? He’s in the same assassination squad. He’s still single, right? He may be unreliable from your point of view, but he’s not a bad guy, so why don’t you look at him that way? If you want, I can help you. What do you say?” The masked woman said that and slowly approached her. She tried not to provoke her, but to take the blade out of her hand if she had the chance. But her words were sincere. She was truly worried about Bougainvillea.
“…!” But Bougainvillea realized. She realized that she was now pointing her blade at someone she should never have.
“So, hey, please. Can you give me that dagger?” Then the masked woman gently touched Bougainvillea’s cheek. At the gentle touch, Bougainvillea relaxed. With a clatter, the dagger fell.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” With a lot of tears and snot, she uttered those words. That was the end of an incident and a love story.
