20.
It was a sight to behold.
There was no other way for Lancel to describe the situation at the moment.
It was truly quite a sight.
"Miss Mary, I've adored you for ages! Please accept my proposal!"
"Uh... have we known each other for a long time?"
The first type: the halfwit.
These were the type of men who, despite having just met, would immediately launch into a cliché confession. Surprisingly, they were the most common type.
"Mary, when I gaze upon you, my heart soars like a bird over the fields of Ronaronia. You are like the moon rising after the sun has set, a woman of ethereal beauty! Without you, this Empire is like an empty night sky. How can I possibly describe the emptiness in my heart without you...!"
"I'm sorry!"
The second type: the poet.
They were the kind of people who got nothing in return for all the effort that they put in.
‘Isn’t that a bit too grand?
Where even is Ronaronia?’ Lancel had never heard of such a place name.
Marigold always cut them off midway and fled, finding their speeches needlessly long.
"Look here. I'm destined to become the strongest man on this continent. I'll undoubtedly achieve great feats in this war and join the Empire's most prestigious knightly order. Isn't that more than enough for a woman of your humble origins to meet?"
“…….”
The third type: the egotist.
At this point, it was hard to tell if such a man was flirting or hurling insults.
"Alright, Miss Mary, let's make a deal. I'll give you one hundred gold coins out of the three hundred. It's simple. Just pretend to be in love with me for a little while. You can earn a hundred gold coins without even getting up. Doesn't that sound good? Isn't it a brilliant idea?"
The fourth type: the negotiator.
This type began to emerge when emotional appeals proved futile.
Another interesting point was that no one was willing to give up more than half, even when facing imminent death.
“Woman. Will you marry me? Or will you die by my hand?”
The fifth type: out of the question.
* * *
“Pahahaha! Look at those fools, working themselves into a frenzy.”
The Sixth Prince stood at a distance, roaring with laughter at the farce he had orchestrated.
"They can't even win over a single woman. They must all be married already. Those idiots."
The Sixth Prince hadn't approached Marigold for days. He simply sat back and watched, confident he could claim her whenever he pleased.
Lancel found Mary hiding in a corner, avoiding the men.
"What are you doing?"
"Eek! Oh, Master."
She looked on the verge of tears.
"...What do you think His Highness is planning?"
"He probably hasn't given it a second thought."
Lancel watched the dejected figure, pinching the bridge of his nose.
‘Sixth Prince, you cause trouble wherever you go.’
He seemed to regard this entire expedition as nothing more than a game, completely oblivious to the fact that they were the Imperial support force, sent to rescue the Fifth Prince's beleaguered forces.
What if they lost the war?
Everyone here would bear the full consequences—except for the Sixth Prince, the very cause of this mess. The disgrace of failing to rescue a prince would not be easily overlooked.
Lancel was certain that every knight and commander would have to relinquish their titles and flee to distant provinces. Some might even face harsher punishments.
Lancel couldn't confidently assure himself that he wouldn't be among them.
* * *
"What were you thinking when you made this bet?"
"Hmm?" The Sixth Prince responded with a hearty laugh. “Do you need a reason to bet? Isn’t it just for fun?”
“For fun…….”
Two days had already gone by.
The standoff between the swarm of ravenous fiends scrambling for three hundred gold coins and Marigold's wary eyes had stretched into its second day.
Lancel couldn't shake the image of that poor woman, half-dead and nodding off, her eyes glazed over with exhaustion.
“Master, please hide me. People are chasing me everywhere I go. Everywhere…”
============
—Marigold saw the greed lurking in the eyes of those who approached her, proclaiming love. Humans are truly terrifying. Terrifying.
※Marigold's Stamina and Condition have plummeted. Fatigue continues to accumulate.
============
“Why? Do you want me to stop? Then just admit one thing.”
The Sixth Prince lowered his voice eerily.
“If you can just admit that the relationship between you and Miss Mary is much more than just a superior-subordinate relationship, I’ll make it seem like nothing ever happened right now.”
“…….”
“A man who got married just three days ago already has a lover… That kind of ominous rumor will probably spread throughout the system.”
‘Of course it would.’
The nobles of the Imperial Capital were notorious for their obsession with marital fidelity. The moment news of Lancel's infidelity broke, those idle gossips would tear him to shreds for months on end.
The Sixth Prince was using this to ensure Lancel wouldn't dare interfere with their wager.
He seemed utterly convinced, too, that Lancel and Marigold were indeed involved in such a relationship.
"The news will reach Lady Iceford in no time. I wonder what the Count of the Palace will say when he finds out. You know, that old man might seem friendly, but he's actually quite formidable."
The Sixth Prince's hand crept up Lancel’s shoulder.
"So, I'll take Miss Mary instead, Lancel. Consider it compensation for daring to snatch away Lady Iceford, whom I had my eye on."
Suddenly, Lancel met Marigold's gaze in the distance.
‘Hmm…The goal was to marry her off to a prince, but she seems to have walked right into it herself.
Perhaps this is the easy way after all.’
Given the circumstances, pairing Marigold with the Sixth Prince might be the quickest way for her to become the imperial consort.
Even if the Sixth Prince was a mess, he was still a prince—one of the eight characters who determined the game's "main endings."
What had driven Lancel's decades-long search for Marigold? Wasn't it to unite her with a prince?
And now, all the pieces were in place before him.
All that remained was to make a choice.
However…
“…….”
Lancel let out a snicker.
“Why are you laughing?”
The Sixth Prince's expression stiffened slightly. "Do you find my words amusing?"
"Not at all."
Ignoring the Sixth Prince's piercing gaze, Lancel continued, "Aren't you overlooking something crucial, Your Highness?"
"...What are you talking about?"
Even if he is a prince…
‘He’s not good enough.’
Lancel's eyes shifted to meet the Sixth Prince's. "Why are you so certain Mary will fall for you so easily?"
"...?"
The Sixth Prince wore an expression of genuine incomprehension.
Perhaps he hadn't considered this possibility. It was a common delusion among men of his status, who were accustomed to obtaining anything they desired.
But Lancel knew better.
Marigold, the protagonist of this world, wasn't some easy target that any prince could just claim.
And with Lancel standing in his way, the Sixth Prince's chances were practically nonexistent.
"You'll understand in time," Lancel said.
The next day, Marigold received an invitation from the Sixth Prince for a private dinner.
She declined.
This wasn't just an invitation from an ordinary person, it was an invitation from a prince.
.
.
.
“That insolent wench!”
The Sixth Prince erupted in fury, sweeping the dining table aside. Dishes and food crashed to the floor as the table overturned.
The decorations he had carefully arranged to create a romantic atmosphere for Marigold's invitation now lay shattered and scattered across the room.
"...Did she really say that?"
"Y-yes, Your Highness. I distinctly heard her say, 'I see no reason why we should dine together'."
“Heh, heh heh.”
The Sixth Prince's face twisted in disbelief. No one had ever rejected an invitation from him before. He felt heat rising to the crown of his head.
"Lead the way to her. I'll go myself."
Thump, thump. He strode briskly down the train corridor.
He flung open the door to the dining car where Lancel and Marigold were supposed to be.
"Lancel Dante!"
"...? What is it, Your Highness?"
Lancel Dante and Marigold.
With shameless expressions, they were sharing a meager meal in a corner of the dining car—just a single loaf of bread and a few slices of ham.
It was almost embarrassing to compare it to the lavish feast the Sixth Prince had prepared.
"I wondered where the woman who refused my banquet was and what she was doing, and this is what I find..."
For a moment, Lancel stared blankly at the Sixth Prince, offering no reaction.
"I see."
Lancel wiped the grease from his hands and continued, "Still, Your Highness, don't be too disheartened."
"What?"
"You are currently courting Mary, Your Highness. Rejection is simply part of the process."
"C-c-courting? Courting?"
It was as though the Sixth Prince had just taken a tremendous blow to the head.
"Your Highness?"
After standing frozen for a long moment, the Sixth Prince abruptly turned on his heel with a sharp whoosh and stormed away.
‘Was he so shocked that he couldn't speak?’ Lancel thought it was for the best.
"Perhaps things will finally quiet down now."
"...I certainly hope so," Marigold sighed deeply.
The bet was a staggering three hundred gold coins. Even now, men continued to approach, throwing flirtatious glances her way.
But they weren't complete fools.
Seeing even the Sixth Prince return empty-handed, they began to realize there was no way to win Marigold's favor.
As a sense of helplessness spread, defeat darkened the men's faces.
"It's hard enough to even strike up a conversation. How are we supposed to seduce her?"
"Three hundred gold coins? I wouldn't succeed even with a thousand. She avoids eye contact..."
This expedition wasn't just a leisurely outing.
‘These men are supposed to be preparing for war. How long can they waste time on such a ridiculous bet?’
Only a few days remained until their destination.
The soldiers of the first Imperial support army were slowly waking from their dream and returning to reality.
What awaited them wasn't three hundred gold coins, but a battlefield drenched in blood.
============
TIP: Marigold's Condition is too low. How about taking her on a picnic soon to lift her spirits?
============
A shadow fell beneath Marigold's eyes as she nodded off.
"When we get back, how about we go somewhere quiet and relax?" Lancel suggested.
"Huh?"
Marigold was silent for a moment, then nodded faintly. She felt the weariness that had been clinging to her face vanish in an instant.
"...I'll go. I want to go."
21.
============
—October 13, 818 of the Imperial Calendar. Dawn.
—Marigold instinctively swung her sword when the man who had been hiding in her bedroom lunged at her. She immediately defeated the intruder, proving her diligent training worthwhile.
※ Marigold has achieved the “First Murder” achievement. (Emotion, Faith, and Nobility has gone DOWN! Charm and Allure has gone UP!)
============
Bang!
Lancel kicked open the door to Marigold's room.
Though he had just woken from a deep sleep, all traces of fatigue had long since vanished.
Before him stood Marigold, trembling violently.
The blood-soaked hilt slipped from her grasp, crimson spreading in a pool across the floor.
"Ma–Master..."
Lancel silently examined the man who had collapsed before Marigold.
No pulse. Killed with a single strike. The man had died with his eyes wide open, as if unable to believe his fate.
Naturally, it wasn't the Sixth Prince himself. But it was clear that he had sent this man. In the dead man's hand was a small pouch.
‘Could this be...?’
Inside was finely ground purple powder with a sweet, cloying scent.
Lancel already knew what it was.
"Blindness."
It was a highly prized poisonous herb that initially robbed people of their sanity, and later, their sight.
Something seemed to ignite within Lancel, a feeling he had momentarily forgotten since meeting Marigold.
"Sixth Prince Karin... you really messed up this time."
The clatter of train wheels slicing through the iron tracks was the only sound that broke the silence.
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