Akuyaku Reijou wa Ringoku no Oitaishi ni Dekiai Sareru The Villainess Is Being Doted On By The Crown Prince Of The Neighboring Country Chapter 39

The Villainess Is Being Doted on by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Country 39

While the sky was peaceful, the sea had changed in color as the waves crashed loudly.

Ais.h.i.+ra recoiled at this sight that she had never seen before.

"What is happening to the sea…"

It was Ais.h.i.+ra who was most loved in all the country by the sea fairies. Any matter that was related to the sea would always be known to her.

However, looking at it now, the only thing that she could think of was the Fairy Queen Pearl and her fairies.

-I was not accepted by the queen of the sea fairies.

Not only that, but it would not be an exaggeration to say that she hates me.

Ais.h.i.+ra had once been granted permission to enter the palace, but no matter how many times she tried after that, she was never able to see it again.

"In any case, I must tell prince Aquasteed of this immediately!"

Just as Ais.h.i.+ra was about to turn on her heels, she noticed something strange. She wondered for a moment about what it could be, before realizing that it was the sea fairies.

These fairies that looked like small mermaids, were now showing their faces from the water's surface.

"Ais.h.i.+ra! The queen is furious."

"She has gone mad!"

"The fairy queen!? Oh, but why?"

While Pearl did not have any positive feelings towards Ais.h.i.+ra, the sea fairies loved her. They had loved her so much that they had wanted her to be united with Aquasteed.

The fairies had always made reports and given advice to Ais.h.i.+ra when it came to matters of the sea. This time was no different, but they seemed a little frantic, which suggested this situation was on a much greater scale.

"Hey, do not act without my order!"

"Oh, Queen!"

"! Queen of the sea fairies."

Ais.h.i.+ra was shocked at the sudden appearance of Pearl, but she quickly fell to her knees. She had not believed that she would ever lay eyes on her again.

"Hmph. I do not like this Tiararose woman. She has bewitched Grail!"

"Ais.h.i.+ra."

"Ye-yes!"

Pearl came out of the sea with a splash and looked at Ais.h.i.+ra with icy eyes. And then she expressed her rage at Tiararose for trying to steal Grail from her.

"You. You will remove this Aquasteed from Tiararose. That man is nothing but trouble."

"What? What, what do you mean…"

"Hmph. There is no need for you to know that. I will give you this. Just mix it in his tea."

Pearl had no intention of allowing Tiararose to get away for her crimes of trying to take Grail from her.

-Grail would be hers as long as this Tiararose was gone…

With a clenched fist, Pearl gave Ais.h.i.+ra a small vial that was filled with a pink liquid.

Ais.h.i.+ra could not reject something from the Fairy Queen. She accepted it with both hands and looked at the vial.

She had no idea what was inside of it.

"Fairy Queen Pearl. What is…"

"Oh, it is nothing. Just a little medicine. It will do no harm, and the effect is short-lived."
"…"

Ais.h.i.+ra was uncertain.

There was no way that she could do such a thing to Aquasteed, the crown prince of her own country. But this was the Fairy Queen who was commanding her. She could not easily reject her either.

What could she do—Ais.h.i.+ra was troubled, and her expression showed it. She could not give such a suspicious medicine to the prince. However, she also said it was harmless and the effect minimal.

But still.

"Forgive me, Queen Pearl. But I could never betray prince Aquasteed!"

Deep in her heart, there still a faint feeling that remained.

Even if it was harmless, she could not allow something to happen to him. Ais.h.i.+ra's eyes were pa.s.sionate as she rejected Pearl's order.

"…I see. Then I will just do it myself. Water."

"Huh!? Ahhhh—!!!"

Pearl raised her right hand, and the ocean water rose and took the shape of a blade—it came right for Ais.h.i.+ra. The water cut at Ais.h.i.+ra's hands and red blood began to flow.

Pearl s.n.a.t.c.hed the vial away and added a single drop of Ais.h.i.+ra's blood into it.

"! Whwhat have you done…!"

"Hmph. It was because you are loved by the fairies. And it would have been convenient as you were close by. That is all."

Pearl snickered. Ais.h.i.+ra felt anxious.

What was this Fairy Queen trying to do? She wanted to shout at her to stop, but Pearl emitted the coldest of auras that allowed no such outburst.

But at the same time—the long-awaited voice suddenly reach Pearl's ears.

"Pearl! What has happened!?"

"…Grail. Hmph. There is nothing that you can say to me!"

"Hey, wait right there!"

Grail shouted after descending from the sky, but Pearl ignored him and vanished into the sea.

She had gone off to the castle in order to make Aquasteed drink the vial that now contained a drop of Ais.h.i.+ra's blood.

Grail looked at the spot she had once stood and sighed.

"Oh, what does this all mean? Why has Pearl become so angry…"

Surely she could at least give him an explanation.

Such were Grail's thoughts, but here, he finally noticed Ais.h.i.+ra's presence. Grail acted as a source of information for Aquasteed, and so he knew everything concerning the country.

Ais.h.i.+ra was now on her knees and shaking.

"You can lift your head, Ais.h.i.+ra Pearland."

"Ye-yes…"

"Did something happen with Pearl? Tell me."

She nodded quietly and then began to explain what had just happened, without hiding anything from Grail. Ais.h.i.+ra knew nothing about this Fairy King, and so she could do nothing but tell the truth.

After listening to this story, Grail put a hand to his chin and said, 'bewitched?'

"Oh dear, but… Tiararose had Aquasteed. It is quite impossible that I… Oh, Pearl, she must have misunderstood something…?"

Grail could not understand why Pearl would have acted like this, as she apparently hated him so much. At this point, it was only Pearl and Grail who had not realized that they were both in love with each other.

"And so, Pearl mixed your blood into a little vial…yes. I do wonder what it was. To take the blood of Ais.h.i.+ra Pearland. I cannot think it is anything bad… Oh, I know."

"It is likely a secret medicine from the sea. A love potion."

"Oh…."

Ais.h.i.+ra gulped at these words.

In other words, if Aquasteed drank that liquid…he would fall in love with her?

She felt her face grow hot by the mere thought of it.

However, she immediately told herself that such a thing was wrong with a shake of her head. It was clearly wrong for an outsider to manipulate his feelings in such a way. Her face quickly turned white again and she asked Grail what she should do.

"But, why on earth would Pearl do such a thing? Is it because Ais.h.i.+ra likes Aquasteed? Or was it just convenience? In the first place, why must she depict Tiararose as such an evil threat?"

Grail muttered to himself with a hand on his chin. Then he suggested that they go to the castle.

Tiararose and Aquasteed would both be there. Ais.h.i.+ra felt uncomfortable about this but nodded in agreement.

"Philiane, does this cookie not have the most adorable shape!"
"Oh, it is very cute. It is the perfect image of His Highness, Prince Aquasteed."

Not knowing that the sea had become dangerous, Tiararose was in her private kitchen and in the middle of adding frosting to her cookies.

There were many stores in Marineforest that sold ingredients for sweets. Such stores had not existed in Lapis Lazuli, and so Tiararose had become more and more obsessed.

"I see that there is such variety in ingredients. This must be because you have officially become the princess."

"Yes. I think I may be visiting the merchants much more than I see any dress tailors."

Tiararose chuckled as she put the cookies in the oven.

Now she just needed to wait for them to be ready. She heard the light splas.h.i.+ng of water and-just like before, Pearl appeared before Tiararose.

Philiane immediately dropped to her knees, and Tiararose also kneeled with a bow.

The vial in Pearl's hand was already empty. Tiararose wondered what it could be, but she was not on such good terms with Pearl to allow her to talk casually with her.

"Making sweets in such a place-Do you mean to give these to Grail?"

"! Th-these are for…"

Pearl's eyes caught the cookies that were shaped like Grail, which Tiararose was planning on cooking next. Pearl bit into her lower lip hard and pointed her fan at Tiararose.

"How many times must you insult me! Bewitching Grail like this, you are the foulest of villains!"

"You have it wrong, Queen Pearl! I am currently cooking cookies of others as well. It is not as if I have only made cookies of King Grail."

-She was clearly misunderstanding the situation!

This needed to be fixed immediately, but Pearl was not listening. She snorted loudly and thrust the vial into Tiararose's faces.

"This is a secret medicine from the sea."

"Secret…medicine…?"

-She had never heard of such a thing before.

Not in any book, in history, by word of mouth. There was no information. But if Pearl said it existed, then that must be the truth.

-But, it was empty?

Pearl seemed to have guessed what Tiararose was thinking, and she continued.

"I had Aquasteed drink it. Now, he will have no eyes for you any longer."

"…! Prince Aqua…why?"

"Hmph. Because I wanted to see your face as you suffer. This love potion has the strongest effect, you know."

—Love potion!?

She had no idea that such a thing existed. She became frantic. She wondered at the same time, in what situation did it work, and to whom would it take effect.

She could only pray that he would be safe, but cruel words entered her ears.

"With this, Aquasteed will finally fall in love with Ais.h.i.+ra."

-The heroine of the game's sequel.

Tiararose realized that she could never truly be the heroine, and her body shuddered.