Became the Patron of Villains Chapter 408: Proclamation Ceremony (3)

“An arrangement like this wouldn’t be so bad for you either, Marquis.”

“...Hm.”

When Torimavia made her offer, a thought of the princess suddenly crossed Alon’s mind.

‘If my memory serves… wasn’t her name Serena Raksasia?’

Serena Raksasia, the daughter of Queen Torimavia Raksasia of the Raksas Kingdom.

He had a not insignificant amount of knowledge about her.

In fact, it would be strange if he didn’t.

During his time playing Psychedelia, Serena was a prominent NPC who provided various quests to players visiting the Raksas region.

Furthermore, her character illustration and in-game model were both exceptionally well-done, consistently placing her among the player-voted “Top 20 Most Beautiful Characters in Psychedelia.”

...Although, she didn’t quite break into the top fifteen.

Regardless, because of this, Alon was quite familiar with Serena.

This included her particularly wild personality for a princess.

Of course, it wasn’t an unattractive trait. It was more of a slightly charming peculiarity that stemmed from her somewhat spirited nature.

“...Thank you for your offer, but I will require some time to consider it.”

With these thoughts in mind, Alon responded to Torimavia.

On the surface, it appeared he was politely requesting a period of deliberation.

However, everyone present understood the true meaning.

Alon had simply delivered a courteous rejection.

‘It’s just that I’m not interested at this moment.’

It wasn’t that Alon failed to grasp the implications.

Ascending to the throne would indeed make taking a consort a strategic move for maintaining kingdom stability.

Nevertheless, he had no genuine desire to marry Princess Serena.

Moreover, the kingdom Alon intended to establish would not necessitate a marriage for the sake of immediate peace.

This was because a nation tended to become turbulent only when nobles began vying for the position of queen.

However, in Alon’s future kingdom, there would be no nobles possessing landed estates.

To be precise, such a thing would be impossible.

The only territories he owned were his marquisate and the distant Divine Land.

How, then, could there be any nobles?

And above all else, Alon simply had little inclination for a political marriage.

Some might deem this surprisingly pure, considering he had inhabited this world for over a decade.

But Alon’s philosophy had always remained consistent.

If he were to encounter a partner, he wished for it to happen as naturally as possible.

“I see.”

Torimavia calmly nodded in response to Alon’s polite refusal.

She then presented an additional request.

“In that case, if it would be acceptable, would you at least be willing to meet my daughter once?”

“...Princess Serena?”

“Yes. She accompanied me on this journey.”

Alon hesitated at Torimavia’s smile.

To be perfectly honest, he preferred to decline.

Yet, refusing the request of a monarch who had personally journeyed for the proclamation ceremony felt somewhat impolite.

...Naturally, this was not a situation where Alon genuinely needed to concern himself with such niceties.

Thus, his hesitation was brief before—

“Very well.”

Alon consented.

“Thank you for your consideration, Marquis.”

A faint smile graced Torimavia’s lips.

Following this exchange, the two monarchs retired to the accommodations Alon had arranged for them beforehand.

“You’ve had quite the ordeal, Marquis.”

Once the distinguished guests were out of sight, Evan finally broke the silence.

“...I truly never anticipated the kings would attend in person...”

“I was surprised as well. I never imagined the monarchs themselves would make an appearance at a time like this...”

Alon rubbed his eyes, weary, and Penia chimed in.

Generally, kings would not grace ceremonies of proclamation with their presence.

Even stretching the possibilities extensively.

Even if they were close acquaintances, the idea of a king personally attending was unusual.

At this particular juncture, the personal involvement of these two monarchs was fraught with various dangers.

The reason being that Divine blood could manifest anywhere at any moment, posing a threat to the stability of any nation.

“Well—aren’t they all simply trying to curry favor with you in advance, Marquis?”

“Going to such lengths merely to gain favor?”

“The story of Caliban’s salvation from Divine blood due to your statue has already circulated widely. Considering that, their actions are not entirely inexplicable.”

“...Is that so?”

“You haven’t heard?”

“Hm?”

“I heard from Sili that apparently, various important figures from every kingdom are practically residing in Divine Land right now, desperately petitioning to receive one of your statues.”

“...Desperately petitioning for my statue?”

“Yes.”

“That…?”

“Right…?”

As Evan delivered his concluding remark, Alon covered his face with one hand.

He felt a pang of embarrassment.

‘…Why that particular pose?’

Honestly, if the pose had been more conventional, it likely wouldn’t have caused this level of awkwardness.

However, no matter how many times he beheld it, Alon still couldn't grow accustomed to the pose of the statue Deus had bestowed upon him.

‘…Perhaps when I have the opportunity, I should at least consider changing the pose.’

He harbored this fleeting thought when—

“Ah, Marquis.”

“What is it?”

“I didn’t get the chance to mention it earlier, but gifts arrived from Asteria today as well, along with House Zenonia and House Altia.”

“Really? Then I should go meet them right away.”

“And there was also a letter addressed to you personally, Marquis.”

“A letter?”

“Yes.”

Evan nodded and handed the letter to Alon.

Alon accepted it with a puzzled look.

“This is...”

“It came from His Majesty.”

Realizing it was a letter from Siyan, the king of Asteria, Alon opened it without hesitation and read it.

“......”

It did not take long to read the letter.

No, in fact, it hadn’t even taken three seconds.

There was only a single sentence written on the unfolded paper.

‘Come see me after the proclamation ceremony ends. You’ll be curious too.’

Alon fell silent for a moment.

Sure enough, just as Siyan had expected, there were many things Alon wanted to ask.

‘I should go see her the moment it’s over.’

After that, Alon stood up to meet Count Zenonia and Duke Altia, who had come looking for him.

And right after Alon left the room—

“Must be nice, huh?”

Evan said that to Penia, who had been silent the whole time.

“...Hm? Out of nowhere?”

Penia looked at him like he was talking nonsense.

But Evan was already wearing a knowing look, as if he had seen straight through what she was thinking.

“You know—Princess Serena is your friend, isn’t she?”

“Well, yes, that’s true.”

“Then you’d be jealous, wouldn’t you? It’s basically the same thing as her being set up on a date with the Marquis.”

At Evan’s words, Penia let out a long sigh.

“You’re not seriously saying that because you think I’d actually be jealous of that, right?”

“I’m not?”

“You’re not.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Why?”

At the quick question, Penia answered as if it were obvious.

“Because the Marquis has absolutely no thoughts about that, so there’s no way anything’s going to happen anyway.”

“Hm...”

At Penia’s perfectly reasonable point, Evan let out a small cough, but even so, he didn’t stop teasing her.

“Isn’t that a bit dismissive just because she’s your friend? She’s still a princess, you know.”

“So because she’s a princess, the Marquis is suddenly going to be interested?”

“...Isn’t he?”

But Penia just let out a dry little laugh, as if the very idea were ridiculous.

“I don’t think Serena is even going to go meet the Marquis.”

“Hm? Why?”

“I don’t know, I just have a feeling.”

Soon after thinking briefly of someone who was currently in this marquisate, she left those words behind and followed after Alon.

“...Why?”

Only Evan remained behind, staring after her with a bewildered expression.

####

Serena Raksasia, the First Princess of Raksas.

Having come to the marquisate because of her mother, Torimavia Raksasia, she was going through something strange late that night.

Though really, it wasn’t exactly strange.

She—

“Hello, Princess.”

“...Ah, um... yes.”

—had simply been invited somewhere and was having a conversation.

“……”

Serena Raksasia looked to one side.

There sat Yutia Bloodia, a cardinal of Rosario and someone Serena knew all too well, smiling pleasantly.

And on the other side sat Rine Gropf, a senior committee member of Lartania.

...To be honest, Serena did not particularly want to be here with the two of them.

Because she had heard plenty.

She knew that in Lartania, committee members who had turned against Rine Gropf had disappeared one by one over the course of several months.

And Yutia Bloodia needed no explanation at all.

At this point, it would hardly be an exaggeration to say Rosario was effectively ruled by her.

Which meant anyone who had defied her had all ended up dead.

So why was Serena Raksasia sitting here?

Normally, she would never have known.

Serena had no connection whatsoever to either Yutia Bloodia or Rine Gropf.

But unfortunately.

Right now, Serena found it very easy to guess why she had been dragged here and made to face the two of them alone.

‘Marquis Palatio.’

It was because of that man.

The two women in front of her were both very close to Marquis Palatio.

And this time, marriage talks had come up involving Serena Raksasia and Marquis Palatio.

So, while looking at the two of them—both of whom were clearly smiling, yet somehow gave off the feeling they might bury someone alive at any moment—she rapidly worked through her thoughts, and then—

‘...Huh?’

Serena suddenly realized something.

‘...Wait, couldn’t this maybe be my chance to get through this without getting married?’

The truth was, Serena Raksasia did not particularly want to marry Marquis Palatio.

Because she did not find Marquis Palatio all that attractive.

No, it went beyond not attractive. He was closer to her idea of a turnoff.

Even so, the reason she had still followed the queen here was simple.

From the beginning, she had known perfectly well that she would never get to choose her own marriage.

Could these two advantages be leveraged to change her mother's mind or perhaps nullify the marriage talks entirely?

The prospect presented an immense opportunity for Serena.

While recognizing the gravity of the marriage discussions for the kingdom, she felt little guilt.

Unlike her situation, the Raksas Kingdom had a Second Princess who harbored genuine affection for the Marquis, yet was overlooked as she wasn't the strongest contender.

Therefore, wouldn't it be more fitting for her younger sister, who held a greater regard for the Marquis than she did, to be the one in her place?

—Having completed this peculiar justification, she promptly spoke.

“...You summoned me here because of the marriage talks with Marquis Palatio, correct?”

Yutia offered a smile in response to the hesitant question.

“Oh dear, not at all. We merely wished to speak with you, Princess.”

“...Speak?”

“Indeed. As you are aware, Teacher... no, the Marquis, and we have a long-standing relationship, we are quite close. Consequently, I became concerned, wondering if perhaps someone with ulterior motives was approaching the Marquis... or something to that effect.”

...Enough to abduct me in the dead of night? Serena mused, but kept silent.

“Ah, naturally, if your affection for the Marquis is true, we offer no objection. Ultimately, the choice rests with the Marquis.”

“...Is that so?”

“However, there might be intentions beyond love when meeting the Marquis—”

...So that ultimately means no, doesn't it.

This thought crossed Serena's mind, but just as before, she held her tongue.

“To begin with, I must state clearly: I have no intention of proceeding with the marriage talks with the Marquis.”

“Hm...?”

“Were the marriage talks not supposed to go ahead?”

“That is true, however... as you know, that was my mother's arrangement. I have no personal interest in it.”

“If you have no interest...?”

“I mean precisely what I said. I have no desire to marry the Marquis.”

A moment of silence ensued.

Yutia regarded the princess with an impassive expression.

Unbeknownst to herself, Serena's body tensed.

Despite Yutia's gaze appearing perfectly normal, it was inexplicably unsettling.

Yet, this feeling was fleeting.

“Mm—so you genuinely mean that?”

Yutia's subsequent words prompted an inward sigh of relief from Serena.

“That is correct.”

“Then the marriage talks—”

“As I stated, my mother initiated them independently. Even if I were to meet the Marquis, I doubt the relationship would progress in that direction.”

“Ideally, I’d prefer it to conclude without even meeting him, so I won't have to endure my mother's constant pressure,” Serena murmured softly, and then—

“Mm-hm—then I suppose there was no alternative.”

“We shall assist you with that aspect.”

The atmosphere, which had moments ago felt heavy, suddenly shifted to a deceptive lightness.

“Mm—Princess, you truly seem very considerate.”

“Indeed, you are.”

Receiving such mild praise now, unlike before, left Serena slightly bewildered, but—

“I appreciate you saying so.”

She replied with an awkward smile.

“On a related note, you mentioned having no intention of marrying the Marquis, but may I inquire as to the reason?”

Serena paused briefly at the casually posed question.

After a moment of thought—

“...To be candid, he simply isn't my preferred type.”

Noticing the lingering suspicion in Yutia Bloodia’s eyes, and seizing the opportunity to utterly dispel it, she began to express her genuine thoughts honestly.

“Oh my, is that so?”

Both Yutia and Rine regarded her with evident curiosity.

Serena continued speaking.

“Yes. Frankly, while others find the Marquis handsome, he appears somewhat morose to me. My preference is for genuinely handsome individuals...

“Mmm—”

“Furthermore, his perpetually expressionless demeanor leaves me unable to discern his thoughts, and I find that rather unappealing.”

“Mm.”

The two nodded in agreement with Serena's statement.

Sensing their suspicion waning, Serena proceeded.

“And honestly, the statue the Marquis gifted… no matter how I examine it, it only reinforces my belief that the Marquis's aesthetic sensibilities and mine are fundamentally incompatible.”

“...Hm.”

“From my perspective, it simply… doesn't exude coolness.”

Observing that the pair were passively listening, Serena found herself becoming more animated.

The truth was, Serena had long found the Marquis peculiar and held a dislike for him, but with universal praise surrounding him, she had never found an appropriate outlet for her feelings.

However, in her excitement, she overlooked one crucial detail—

“And the grandiose titles associated with the Marquis too… honestly, I find them rather embarrassing. He is human, after all, so all this talk of being a 'god' and such is quite absurd, isn't it?”

“......”

“Moreover, I don't foresee any possibility of a romantic connection developing.”

“......”

At some juncture.

The eyes of Yutia and Rine, which had previously shown interest, turned cold.

“To be totally candid, I believe he’s somewhat… actu—”

““...Pardon?””

“...Ah… well, that is to say—”

It was only when she had fully completed her scathing remarks about the Marquis that she understood her slip-up.

“......”

“......”

Her eyes, which had been dancing with exhilaration mere moments before, started to tremble.