Chapter 22: And Finally, the Sincerity
"ā¦ā¦Huh?"
This time, the members of Bronze Star had completely shut down.
Yous, who had arrived late, was clad in platinum armor.
There wasnāt a single person in Bronze Star who didnāt recognize it.
Hell, among adventurers, no one who heard the word "platinum" wouldnāt think of that.
The symbol of Alfrihit Platinumāleader of the party Platinum.
And then, Rinaria had called him Yousrid Platina.
If that name was correct, then Yous was the son of that Alfrihit.
Even Sonariya and Parareya, who had vaguely sensed the two were hiding something, were stunned.
Rinaria was one thing, but they never expected Yousā background to hold such a massive secret.
"Hehe, looks like we made it just in time~"
"L-Leader?!"
Standing beside the utterly bewildered party members was their grinning leader, Golem Randolph.
"Sorry~ I was acting as Yous-chanās bodyguard to get him here quickly, so I ended up late~"
"W-What do you mean, Leader?!"
Anna, flustered, turned to him with the desperate hope that he at least knew what was going on.
And of course, she was right.
"Just what I said. Rin-chanās a dukeās daughter, and Yous-chanās the heroās son."
"W-We had no ideaā¦"
"They both worked really hard to keep it a secret. This is the result of their efforts~"
As the leader giggled happily, Anna could only stare at the two in disbelief.
āAre those really the same Yous and Rinaria who goof off with me all the time?
Right now, they looked nothing like thatāthis was a noble lady and a prince.
Even their usual selves were a perfect match, but now, in a completely different way, they still fit together flawlessly.
"You can kinda guess why they went through all the trouble to hide it, right?"
"For Rinaria, itās obvious⦠but for Yous, was it so people wouldnāt think heās riding on his fatherās coattails?"
"More preciselyāso he could use those coattails at the most dramatic moment possible."
Ah. Yeah, that made sense. Anna nodded.
Rinaria wanted her insufferable father to acknowledge her relationship with Yous.
And to do that, the most effective way to leverage his fatherās prestige was to reveal it after reaching S-rank without relying on it. The nobles hereāand even they themselvesāwere proof of that.
"B-But now that itās out, Rinariaās father will have to accept it, right?"
"Well, the others will, at least."
Rinaria had declared Yous her fiancƩ.
And from the looks of it, there wasnāt much opposition.
Some of it was just her overwhelming presence, but Yous did have the achievements to back it up.
As a noble girl whoād once been a fan of Yous, Anna mightāve normally protestedābut when the highest-tier noble lady, a dukeās daughter, was the one declaring her love, there wasnāt much room to interfere.
Either wayā
Yous had more than enough accomplishments to silence the crowd.
So then, what was left?
"Butāin the end, the one who really needs convincing is Dorest-chan, yāknow?"
"ā¦ā¦D-Drest-chan?"
"Oh? Did I not mention it?"
With a loud, exaggerated winkā
"āMe and Drest-chan used to be adventuring buddies. We were in the same party~"
"Y-You mean�"
A terrible premonition crept in as Anna askedā
"Hehe. āPlatina.ā"
āAnd this time, without a doubt, Anna and the others were left utterly speechless, mouths agape.
āāThe Fundamentals of Dealing with People: Forcing a Choice.
The basic strategy is to present the opponent with two optionsāone they dislike, and one they despise even moreāforcing them to choose the lesser evil.
This applies to both combat and negotiation.
For Father, the worst possible choice would be to ruin this moment.
He doesnāt want to disrupt the occasionāhe just wants me back.
He wants to tear me away from Yous.
The White Blessed constitution dictates that if fateās chosen pair are separated, their bond weakens rapidly.
That might seem contradictory at first glance, but Iām already past twenty years old.
Realistically, the time I have left⦠is no more than a decade.
Even if Yous were to disappear now, it wouldnāt change much.
Of course, I refuse to accept that.
I donāt want to be separated from Yousāand I have no intention of dying.
So, Iāll strip Father of his choices.
He has only two options left:
āAccept our relationship here and now, preserving the dignity of this moment.
āRuin everything and deal a devastating blow to the ducal house itself.
The method to corner him? Simpleāturn the audience to my side.
Anna once said that in theater, success hinges on the protagonist shining.
The audienceās eyes are drawn to the lead.
Then all I need to do is make everyone here my audience.
Iām not the best at speeches, butā¦
Thereās no reason not to do it.
āāRight now, Iām recounting the story of how Yous and I met.
With some embellishments, but no outright lies.
We met as children, grew close, and vowed to stand together despite the gap in our status.
Yous promised me heād become worthy of meāwithout relying on his fatherās name.
And the result? Well, you can see it for yourselves.
(Iāve omitted the messy details, like us becoming adventurers together. Unnecessary. No one would believe it anyway.)
But the core of the story is true.
The details sell itālike how we first met in the Austroheim flower garden.
Every noble whoās visited this estate knows about the meticulously curated gardens.
And the other key detail?
My feelings.
How desperately Iāve wanted to stay by Yousā side.
"Iā"
Now that I think about it⦠Iāve never laid my emotions bare like this before.
"I admired you⦠for never changing."
ā¦I was afraid of changing.
Afraid of losing the āmeā from my past life to the āmeā of now.
Honestly, the reason I call myself āatashiā isnāt because I changedāitās because I didnāt.
Men say ore. Women say atashi. Thatās just how it is.
If Iād truly wanted to change⦠I wouldāve kept calling myself ore.
But everyoneāFather, the servants, noble societyāpushed the idea of āatashiā onto me.
They treated me as a girl, even though Iām neither man nor woman at heart.
āāExcept for one person.
Yous was the only one who saw me as me.
He ignored all the assumptions.
He never said things like, "Girls shouldnāt train with swords," or "A lady shouldnāt speak so crudely."
Butā
"To you⦠Iāve always been me. From the very beginning."
āāYous still doesnāt know about my past life as a man.
Even if I told him, it wouldnāt matter. He fell in love with me as I am now.
In the end, Yous loves me.
I realized it when he bowed his head for my sake.
And I accepted itāthe night I became his woman.
That wasā¦
"I want to answer your feelings. I want to be the best me for you."
āāMy resolve.
I made him wait so long.
Ten years, maybe.
After all that time, that night⦠we crossed the line.
I still canāt remember it clearly.
But I think⦠that was the moment I truly decided to move forward.
I really kept you waiting, didnāt I?
"And so, Father⦠Iāve chosen to stand with him."
Itās been so long.
This is the end.
Everything will be settled now.
Go on, you shitty old man.
You lost. To me and Yousāto everything weāve built together!
"ā¦ā¦Rinaria."
Father calls my name.
I turn to him, confident in my victory, and meet his eyesā
āāAnd still, they burn with defiance.
ā¦No.
This canāt be happening.
Father was supposed to be cornered.
There are no other options left!
Then why? What could possibly give him this much confidence?!
Itās impossible. Thereās no way he can turn this aroundā
"āāThen prove it."
His voice cuts through the silence.
"Show us your vowāhere and now."
āāA flawless move. The best possible play.
The crowd erupts in a collective "Ooooh!"
What the hell?! Donāt cheer for him! Wait, noāIām the one who set this up!
Father has no options left.
But stillāforcing us to kiss in front of everyone?! Is this some kind of public execution?!
āāYet, I canāt refuse.
If I back down now, everything I just said becomes meaninglessā!
"ā¦ā¦Tch!"
I immediately throw myself at Yous.
The audience stirs, but I ignore themāignore them!
I switch to wind magic, ensuring only he can hear me.
"K-K-K-Kiss⦠Did we⦠back when I was drunk�"
"If my memoryās correct⦠no, we havenāt."
"ā¦ā¦Thatās not the right order, dumbass."
Itās not hard to guess why we avoided it.
Even now, itās this embarrassing! Or is it more embarrassing now?!
ā¦Wait, back during the play, I almost kissed him because of the mood, right?
If I could do it thenāNo, I canāt remember a damn thing.
Why was it okay then but impossible now?
Orā¦
āāDid I never have the courage to go through with it, even back then?
"ā¦Hey, Rin."
"What, Yous?"
"Maybe itās just me, but⦠I donāt think your father demanded this just to turn the tables."
Yous glances at Father.
"I donāt hate him. I just want his approval. So maybeā¦"
"ā¦Is that so?"
I⦠canāt say the same.
Iāve hated him for too long.
But then againāFather, doesnāt that go both ways?
Just as I resent you, you must resent me too.
And if thatās the caseā
"ā¦The final step in negotiation is sincerity, huh?"
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing."
āāJust like the leader said.
In the end, what pushes a decision isnāt logicāitās emotion.
Unless you feel itās right, you wonāt act.
And if thatās what Fatherās words meant⦠I think I understand.
He needed this.
Who needed it?
āāBoth of us.
For Father, itās obvious. To accept the relationship of the daughter heās spent years rejecting, he needed a ritual.
And for me?
I never cared about his approval in the first place.
Being acknowledged by someone I hate brings no joy.
But even soā
We needed a resolution.
And if this kiss is what it takesā
ā¦Yeah. It settles something inside me.
Soā
"ā¦Mm."
"Haha. Understood, Princess."
I close my eyes and wait.
I never thought Iād be doing something like kissing.
But here we are.
I met this idiot. I chose to live my life with him.
So if this is what it takesā
āāThen Iāll do it.
As my thoughts race, heat brushes my lipsā
And the two of us become one.
āāAh.
Now I realize.
Iāve⦠really fallen for him.
"āBehold! Let us celebrate the future of my daughter and the hero!!"
Fatherās voice booms through the hall.
No amplification magicājust sheer presence, carrying a mix of detachment and⦠satisfied defeat.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The applause that follows drowns out all else.
Did⦠the leader orchestrate this?
My speech. Our kiss.
And Fatherās acknowledgment.
āāAn indisputable victory.
And so, Iā
Finally shake off the last of my fears.
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