I Favor the Villainess Chapter 88Rod’s courting

“Rei Taylor. Will you become my consort?”

That question was too sudden.

At first, I couldn’t understand its meaning.

Looking from the side, I surely must have made a foolish face.

It was Claire-sama who unstiffened first.

“Are you sane, Rod-sama!?”

She nearly shrieked that question.

“A, are you saying you want to make commoner royalty!?”

“That’s right?”

Rod-sama responded calmly to Lily-sama’s question.

That is to say, I was proposed to by Rod-sama.

If I were an ordinary commoner, I’d faint from happiness.

Either that, or I’d think I’m being made fun for losing touch with reality.

Speaking of me, it was neither of those.

There’s only one thing on my mind.

―― When did I set the flags?

I shouldn’t have had that much contact with Rod-sama.

I may have caught his eye during the test after the enrollment, but afterwards I lost at chess against him to decrease my favorability.

In the first place, since I’ve mostly been together with Claire-sama, events that raise favorability with Rod-sama shouldn’t have happened.

I don’t understand where I made mistakes in my choices.

“Just in case I will ask, are you making fun of me?”

“No, I’m serious”

“Haa… What the heck do you like about me?”

“Personality… and also the ability. From before I’ve thought you were a big deal”

Rod-sama said happily.

No, with that I absolutely do not understand.

“Have I done something?”

“Preventing the attack at the academy, curing Sein’s poisoning, saving Lambert’s family from execution, frustrating Manaria, solving Euclid’s ghost ship uproar”

Somehow I was greatly overvalued.

Or rather, the Euclid’s matter was exposed, huh.

“No, those were mostly Claire-sama’s achievements…”

“Is that so, Claire?”

Claire-sama’s answer to Rod-sama’s question was――.

“No. They were due to Rei’s efforts”

Like that.

Eeeh…

“Yuu’s matter was decisive. You splendidly solved the problem the Royal Palace struggled with for many years”

“That too was not my achievement alone…”

“Cut it out with humility. I know you were in the center of it”

No, I’m not being humble.

“My partner shouldn’t be a boring sheltered young lady, but a brave woman like you”

At any rate, Rod-sama seems to have a high opinion of me.

“So, how about it?”

“How, you ask, I naturally decline”

“Wait, Rei!?”

When I answered as if it was something obvious, Claire-sama raised her voice in a fluster.

“Do you understand what you are saying!?”

“What, you say, I’m declining a marriage proposal――”

“You might become the queen!?”

“Eeh, I don’t really want that”

From my point of view, I don’t understand why Claire-sama is making such an expression.

Claire-sama’s face is as if she saw something unbelievable.

“It is an honor that one normally would never receive!?”

“It’s not an honor for me”

“Why!”

“After all, I love Claire-sama”

Huh?

It still hasn’t reached her?

As expected, that’s shocking, I thought.

“Fuhahaha! That’s right! You’d definitely say that!”

While smacking the desk, he laughed amused from the bottom of his heart.

“Claire. For Rei, being together with you seems to have more worth than marrying royalty?”

“Forgive her rudeness. This person is confused by the suddenness of this. I believe she should respond to Rod-sama’s feelings once she regains presence of mind”

“No, I am calm――”

“Please, be silent for a moment”

Claire-sama’s voice that interrupted me had a tragic tinge to it.

“Rod-sama. Could these marriage talks please end at this for now”

“Of course. Whatever Rei thinks, my feelings won’t change”

“Thank you. Then, let us continue these talks another time”

“Yeah”

“We will be going. Rei, Cardinal Lily”

Saying so, Claire-sama left the room taking me and Lily-sama along.

“He, hey, Claire-sama”

“…”

I tried protesting to Claire-sama, but when she looked at me with frightening eyes, I held back my words.

Claire-sama spoke again when we returned to the carriage.

We’d separated from Lily-sama as we left the Royal Palace.

“Rei… Stop with your jokes already”

As Claire-sama stared at me fixedly, she spoke to me in a reproachful tone I’ve never heard before.

“How am I joking?”

“You know very well! You refused Rod-sama’s marriage proposal!”

Claire-sama seems to have somehow lost her temper.

“No, after all, I can’t marry somebody I don’t love”

“Marriage is not the matter of you alone!? If you married into the royal family, just how much would your parents be delighted…”

I was taken aback by Claire-sama pointing out something unexpected.

For me who came from 21st century Japan marriage is a private matter, but I forgot the common sense in this world is different.

As I explained before, in this world marriage is a promise between houses.

It’s a world where marriage of convenience is more common than love marriage.

“But, I believe my parents would probably support my choice”

My parents in this world are people who value my choices.

Even if I don’t get married for the whole life, I think they’ll be ok with it.

“That is right. Your parents are wonderful people. But, are you fine with behaving like a spoiled child? Do you not want to please your father or your mother?”

“That…”

At this point, I noticed the difference in our value systems.

For Claire-sama marriage is a contribution to the house that raised the person.

Marrying into a superior house is akin to a duty, therefore she sees me rejecting Rod-sama’s marriage proposal as acting in bad faith.

What… should I do with this.

“But, Claire-sama. I don’t want to marry anybody other than Claire-sama”

“Rei, listen carefully”

Hearing Claire-sama’s serious voice, my back reflexively straightened.

“I understand you adore me. I am honestly happy about it. But, marriage is a different story”

“It’s not different”

“No. It is fine to love freely to a certain extent. But, marriage is beyond the person’s will”

“Claire-sama…”

“Accept Rod-sama’s marriage proposal. Just because you get married does not mean you will have to sever the connection with me. Rather, as a royalty and high grade noble, we can become better acquainted than now――”

“Claire-sama!”

Possibly for the first time, I interrupted Claire-sama’s words in a loud voice.

Astonished, Claire-sama stopped talking.

“For me, marriage is similar to love… No, it’s more personal than love”

“Rei…”

“No matter what I’m told, I will not marry anybody other than Claire-sama”

We have different value system.

Claire-sama might not be able to understand.

But, I won’t yield on that alone.

“Rei, think carefully. You cannot marry a partner of the same sex?”

“Then, I will not get married for the whole life. It’s that simple”

“Even if I married someone?”

“… Yes”

I truly don’t want Claire-sama to be somebody’s else.

If it was the me before, I might have been able to stifle my feelings and bless them, but now that Manaria made me aware of my true feelings, I have no confidence I could do the same.

Nevertheless, I have no intention of marrying anybody other than Claire-sama.

Not to mention, marrying Rod-sama for the sake of my family would be absurd.

“… Recently, I have been convinced I became able to understand you a little”

“Thank you”

“But――”

Claire-sama continued.

“I cannot understand you again”

Those words gouged deep into my heart.