KFBRV Ch 69
- Feb 9
- 6 min read
[Johan] "All military personnel attending the ball today, report for assembly immediately."
[Marco] "Hmm? Haha. What's gotten into His Highness? I'm not in the Navy, so I'm sure it'll be fine."
As if hearing his idle chatter, a stern voice barked from the magical microphone.
[Johan] "This applies to everyone, regardless of which branch you belong to. Anyone ranking lower than me—everyone, regardless of affiliation—assemble immediately."
[Marco] "Haaah... What annoying timing..."
The potato-faced man grumbled, then spoke as if he had no choice.
[Odette] "Since His Highness is calling us so suddenly, a Calamity must have appeared somewhere. Go on ahead. I'll be waiting on the terrace."
Thanks to her memories of her past life, Odette knew that no Calamity had actually occurred. However, she let Marco go. Since things had turned out this way, she needed a moment to think and calculate her next move.
After sending him away, she headed straight for the terrace, which happened to be empty. It was positioned at a height of about one and a half stories, directly overlooking a beautiful fountain made of flowing wine. It was perfect.
The location is ideal for a private conversation. And if I need to counterattack, this terrace is the best spot.
She checked the width of the railing.
That potato bastard. His attitude was quite cocky, wasn't it?
Most citizens of the Empire found Odette difficult to approach. Her reputation as a villainess, her status as the only daughter the Count cherished, and her position as the Empire's sole Purifier all contributed to this. People were far more afraid of her than they were of the Count, who was famous for his hospitality.
Yet, that guy Marco acted as if he were certain her father held power over her. He had subtly revealed that he knew she was under her father's control.
Since he served as the prison warden, the rumor about him being Father's right-hand man must be true. If he's a C-class Transcendent, it makes sense that Father would keep him close and value him.
If that were the case, it also explained why he was only a corporal despite being a C-class. The Empire's military promotion system was based on the number of Calamities eliminated. That bastard likely hadn't spent his time killing monsters but rather doing the Count's dirty work.
But Marco doesn't actually know much.
He acted as if he knew everything, as if he held a handful of blackmail cards, but in reality, he probably knew next to nothing.
If he knew my situation at home, he never would have asked me for a dance at the ball.
He would have known long ago that she couldn't dance with any man except Ferdinand.
Given her father's meticulous nature, if he found out Marco had danced with her, he would have tried to kill him immediately—yet Marco seemed oblivious to that danger, too.
Besides, someone who knows my situation is trying to blackmail me? That's laughable.
Who in the world threatens a doll to get something? It would make more sense to threaten the doll's puppeteer, Father or Ferdinand.
So, that guy was just acting out, puffed up with half-baked information. At most, he probably thought, the Count grounded his daughter, but she secretly sneaked out to play at the containment zone.
If he had served as her father's right hand, he would have guessed that the Count wasn't a nice person, nor was he the type to be a doting father. Yet Marco imagined her merely as a daughter receiving a strict education under a strict father.
Swish.
As she surveyed the view outside the terrace, she heard the sound of the curtain opening behind her.
[Odette] "Corporal Mar—"
When she turned around, the person she found was completely unexpected.
[Odette] "Your Highness...?"
It was Johan.
[Odette] "Why are you here, Your Highness?"
[Johan] "Were you eagerly waiting for someone else?"
He answered with a stiff voice.
She had run away and put distance between them specifically to avoid becoming a target for his pointless anger... but it seemed her efforts were melting away in vain.
She tried to curtsy first, but he grabbed her arm.
[Johan] "Why are you curtsying when your body is so weak? Forget the greetings. That's not why I came."
[Odette] "...Thank you for your understanding."
Since he was the one who had summoned the soldiers, the other military personnel must have returned to the banquet hall by now. Marco included.
She stood on her tiptoes to check if Marco had returned to the hall, but Johan, blocking the terrace entrance, was unnecessarily tall and broad-shouldered. To exaggerate slightly, he was built like a door. It really hit home that he was the male lead of an R-rated game.
Sigh. I can't see the banquet hall at all.
Giving up on her search, she faced him.
[Odette] "Your Highness. You came to find me, right? Do you have something to say to me?"
Since he must have had a reason for coming, she hoped he would just state his business and disappear quickly.
With a hardened expression, he spoke.
[Johan] "I thought you hated dancing?"
...Huh? That couldn't be his real reason. Was he just throwing out small talk like a royal to start the conversation?
[Odette] "I'm fine now. Dance requests don't scare me anymore. After all, I can write now, can't I?"
She smiled brightly to lighten the mood and waved the dance card hanging from her wrist. She intended to naturally pass the credit to him next, saying it was thanks to him, but—
[Johan] "Ha."
His expression grew even more troubled.
[Johan] "Isn't that thanks to me? Then you should dance with me first. Why would you dance with a guy who has such messy rumors?"
[Odette] "But... Your Highness doesn't dance."
[Johan] "And whose fault is it that I stopped dancing—"
Johan, whose voice had risen uncharacteristically, suddenly stopped speaking.
Phew.
Letting out a sigh, he rubbed his face with dry hands and unbuttoned the top of his uniform as if stifled.
Odette was baffled.
Whose fault? What does that mean?
It had already been three years since he had danced at such events. Official ceremonies always included a scheduled dance for the Crown Prince. Johan, who used to follow every rule without complaint, had been ignoring protocol and avoiding dancing for three years now. It had become an open secret among the citizens that he despised dancing and balls.
Now, people were sensitive enough to remove the Crown Prince's dance from the schedule entirely.
In the first place, wasn't that why Charlotte's debut in <The Only Savior> became such a hot topic?
Despite wearing a country-style gown that defied formality, Charlotte wasn't criticized but instantly became the object of envy. It was because she was the partner Johan danced with for the first time in three years.
But "whose fault" could it be—
Wait, three years ago?
She tilted her head. Wasn't the date she rejected his dance request around that time, too?
No... surely not. There's no way they set up the character like that.
If Odette's existence was that significant to Johan, the users of <The Only Savior> wouldn't have stayed quiet.
The polka music echoing through the hall ended, and applause followed. As even the background music cut off, his aura felt even colder.
[Johan] "It's unfortunate news for you, but your partner can't make it. That idiot currently has to run about 2,000 laps around the Royal Guard's drill grounds."
[Odette] "What? Why on earth?"
[Johan] "He said he was dying to run."
This randomly...? Besides, that potato bastard looked far from athletic.
At this point, even she couldn't miss it. He was personally screwing Marco over.
...But why is he screwing over Marco?
Johan was a strict commander who was respected by his subordinates. He wasn't the type of person to commit textbook military abuse like this.
Struck dumb by her questions, she couldn't say anything. In that moment, he spoke again.
[Johan] "Do you have eyes on your feet?"
[Odette] "Pardon?"
[Johan] "Please, develop an eye for men. Dancing with a low-quality bastard will ruin your reputation."
Only then did she realize.
He was worried I'd get entangled with a weird guy. That's why he had no composure.
...Wait a minute. For a male lead to worry like that, his Affection had to hit at least 5, didn't it?
[Johan] "And Odette, didn't you say you were afraid of Transcendents? If you're going to dance, at least do it with a decent human being! Why choose trash like him—!"
No. It had to be higher than 5. His voice wouldn't be that agitated with just level 5 Affection. Above all, his voice contained more than just worry. It was the same tone she had heard in the <Reverse Harem Route>.
Her expectations swelled. The last time she checked, his Loathing was at 70. If her prediction was right, his Loathing must have dropped by at least 20 points in the meantime.
Status Window, check.
To support the original author and publisher, please consider rating the official release on Kakaopage.
Comments