I walked down the corridor very wearily, my mind completely in shambles.
From the beginning my goal was indeed to marry Rosa-chan, but what about in this condition?
Why is it that every time I deal with members of the royal family, it always ends up difficult...
Hime...she also ended up following me and abandoning her status as a princess.
Could it be...I have to reveal the truth to Rosa-chan?
I'm fed up...I want to finish this game quickly...I want to meet my comrades.
——
After I felt certain, I went to Rosa-chan's room. Hoping, that she was still there.
Usually, Rosa-chan often left her room at night. Well, usually she reappeared in the kitchen.
No idea what she was doing...
Click, I opened her room door, then closed it again.
But I didn't find anyone in this room, somehow this felt somewhat familiar.
I went to the bed and saw the roll of paper I had given earlier, already opened.
"This..."
I sat at the edge of the bed, and began to read the contents of that paper—
*As we've discussed before, next week I want to make our engagement official in public.
In this kingdom a woman is already allowed to marry at the age of 13, isn't she? This is the perfect time.
I can't wait for the day to come, I am so happy thinking about us both soon being joyful together.
I hope you come wearing your best clothes, and if you want...I will marry you right then and there.
I have been in love with you for so long, and I am sure you will accept me.
I am sure, we will become a happy family. I will create a beautiful world for our children and grandchildren to come.
I will make you happy, I will praise you, I will be proud of you.
Greetings from Luis Van Milhert, to Rosalia Van Rolnette.*
——
I placed the roll of paper back onto the bed. I stared blankly toward the window. The moon shone brightly tonight.
Rosa-chan would surely soon be engaged next week...and could even possibly be married.
This engagement must have been prepared for a long time, there was nothing I could do.
I was just Rosa-chan's personal maid, all I could do was escort her toward the end she desired.
"From the start I also never intended to marry her..."
That's right...I was just forced to play this game. I had no obligation whatsoever.
There was nothing I needed to do, I only had to sit and watch as a supporting character.
My task was only one, to make sure the Heroine lived happily with the main character.
This world was nothing but fiction. An endless fantasy that trapped me inside it.
——
I moved my feet toward the changing room. I wanted to remove this female "disguise," and return to my true form.
It was time to end this lie, I would be honest, I would say everything...
There was no running anymore now, this was the last task I had to do.
——
I entered the changing room, and saw Vern-san standing in front of the wardrobe.
"You already know about Rosalia-sama's engagement, don't you?" asked Vern-san as he looked sharply at me.
I had no business with him, talking to him right now would not help anything.
I ignored Vern-san, and focused on taking my clothes.
Vern-san looked annoyed with my attitude, he approached me and stood behind me.
"Do you accept this? Don't pretend not to hear, deep down you don't want Rosalia-sama to be engaged, right?" said Vern-san.
Again and again, I ignored him. I removed this wig of mine, and my face returned to normal.
"ANSWER, DAMN IT!"
Vern-san forced himself in front of me and grabbed my collar harshly.
"Do you want to keep going like this? I know, you have feelings for Rosalia-sama...so answer my question," said Vern-san.
I had no other choice, maybe I would entertain him one last time.
"What?" I asked.
"Who exactly are you? Where are you from? And...what do you want from Rosalia-sama?"
"This is the first time I've seen a guy like you here in the palace, and you haven't stated your name since the beginning...so who exactly are you?" continued Vern-san.
My hands repeatedly tried to release Vern-san's grip from my collar.
But unfortunately, his grip was stronger than I expected.
"Sahiko Yukito...an 18-year-old male...and has a dream to marry Rosa-chan," I said.
Vern-san released my collar and slammed me to the floor.
"Is your dream just for wealth? Status? Do you only want to be seen as high?" he might have wanted to confirm something with me.
"I need to marry her for one important reason...but, I am very serious about this," I answered.
That's right, I had to meet Yuu-chan and Hime soon. They were my comrades, comrades who had always been with me.
Why did I forget about them? Why did I become so hopeless like this?
If this game ended, I could hear Yuu-chan's noisy voice, I could see the two of them always quarreling.
I must not give up here.
"Tch...I've always hated the Milhert family even though they act kind..."
"But at least, I hate them more than I hate you," said Vern-san.
"Rosalia-sama is in the garden...settle this with her...I hope you succeed," said Vern-san with a smile and a thumbs up at me.
I was moved by his help, that meant I was supported by Vern-san.
Yosh!!
I immediately ran toward the room door, and glanced briefly at Vern-san.
"Vern-san, see you later," I said before rushing toward the garden.
——
I only needed to tell Rosa-chan the truth, no matter what she would say later.
I would make her want to marry me within this week, this was very risky.
But this was the best choice for now. This was not the end, this was the beginning for me.
——
Flowers had been planted and arranged to form certain patterns, the night wind felt a little cold.
The bright light of the full moon, a girl sitting on a chair, gazing toward the moon.
My breath was very ragged after running, I needed a little time to steady it again.
"Rosalia-sama!" I shouted.
She turned to me, her cute face shining brightly. She immediately stood and looked at me in confusion.
"W-who are you!?" she said in fear.
Of course, she had never seen this form of mine.
"Rosalia-sama...no...Rosa-chan, it's me Lotte," I said.
"What do you mean, intruder!? Lotte is a girl!?" said Rosa-chan.
"That guy is right, Rosalia-sama. All this time he was Lotte," I heard that voice from behind, and it was Vern-san.
Since when had he followed me!? Wasn't he still in the changing room earlier!?
"Vern-san, can you explain what you mean by that?" said Rosa-chan.
"Understood," he answered.
——
After that Vern-san explained everything that had happened to Rosa-chan. Rosa-chan looked very shocked, upon hearing who I really was all this time.
"S-so, the one who changed my clothes was...this guy!?" Rosa-chan looked extremely shocked.
Her body immediately fell to the ground, maybe she fainted because she couldn't comprehend what was happening.
And Vern-san immediately carried Rosa-chan's body. Damn...he was really strong.
"Vern-san—"
"What? This is a little help from me...and, you still have a chance to win Rosa-chan's heart," he said before leaving me.
This time, almost everything was handled by Vern-san. And I only helped in small parts.
At least, he no longer considered me a girl...