Assassins Pride - Volume 4 - Chapter 1

Volume 4 Chapter 1
LESSON I: Sighs of the Go-between

(Unedited)

The handsome put his elbow on the table and said in a voice from the bottom of his heart:

「Of course I noticed that. Whether it was her heart, or the true face of the heat that was gnawing at me. The girl who grew into a beauty, her eyes whisper to me every day. 」

The young man gulped down the wine handed over by his colleague and put the glass back on the table rudely.

「Even so, what am I supposed to do? She’s so different from me. I am just a humble knight of humble birth, and she is the daughter of the king who rules this country. Even if Your Majesty were willing to turn a blind eye, God would not allow us to tie the knot… 」

The young man lay unconscious on the table, while his colleagues, who could not bear to look at it, rubbed his back. The two men didn’t realize it at last..

The door to their duty room was slightly open.

Outside the door stood a young girl in a cloak of disguise.

And the princess of this country, for the same reason as the youth, was in a state of grief……────

Melida slammed the book shut and held the romance novel to her chest.

This is the Cardinals Academy District. Melida was lying on the bed in her mansion, looking up at the canopy. Though the dress was a bit messy, there was no need to remonstrate about it at the moment, nor was there the figure of the governess who nagged and preached at her reading posture.

Even a visit to his private room on the second and a half floor of the mansion would be awaited only by an inexplicable silence. He hasn’t been in Melida`s mansion for days.

It was the first week of April in Flanders. Spring break ends next week, and the New Year begins at Melida’s academy in St. Frideswide. Melida, who can’t wait to move on to second grade, certainly plans to take advantage of this vacation and work hard at self directed training with her governess.

But… as soon as spring break came, Kufa made the request, after the Bibliagoth exam was over and the respected Shenfa and Christa had graduated from the academy.

A few more weeks before next year’s classes begin, I hope I’ll get a vacation──She thought.

Melida was Kufa’s master, but not his immediate employer. The contents of his contract of employment were known only to those who had discovered it and sent him.

So Melida couldn’t stop him.「I want to be with sensei every day during spring break.」 As much as she would like to, she couldn’t say it. Because she was suddenly forced to realize something.

Isn’t the relationship between Kufa and herself, a relationship between the tutor and the student?

If Melida had been forced out of school for some reason, would he have simply left the house and never seen her again? Probably not even allowed to call him「sensei」.

The days of not being able to see him passed and passed, as if a frozen unease floated down from Melida`s heart, thicker and thicker.

「Haa……sensei. 」

Melida rolled over and pressed her lips to the sheet.

As if to hide in the warmth of the general, whispered a sentence.

「Kufa……sama……」

“Lita?”

「──Wa hya!?」

Suddenly being accosted made Melida jump out of bed.

She quickly turned her head and saw the lovely silver-haired leprechaun climbing onto the bed. The girl in plain clothes crawled forward, unconcerned that her coat was wrinkled, and then hugged Melida behind her.

「Whose name did you just call? 」

「I, I didn`t call anyone! I was reading! 」

Melida put the romance novel on her pillow and patted the cover to attract the girl`s attention. Elise snuggled up with her cousins, lay down on the sheets, and looked casually at the books.

「What’s the story? 」

「I don’t know yet. But where I’m reading, it’s a sad story──. The heroine and the hero of this story have several differences, so they cannot easily tie the knot… 」

Melida fondled the cover of the novel as if to comfort her. She was like a storyteller, with emotion in her voice.

「Such as differences in status. The heroine is one of the noblest people in her country, but the hero comes from a slum and is not even sure of his birth. Although the hero became famous for his excellent martial arts and intelligence, people with a rigid mind would not agree with him. 」

A vivid image came to life in Melida’s mind.

What happened at the academy. Although cleared of suspicion, but it was accompanied by a great exclamation in her memory. The Clown masked man who had burst into the girls’ garden, looking out at the young men in dark uniforms and at Melida, clutching the young man, put it bluntly:

『Be careful. If it had been an unblessed affair, you would have been as unfortunate as Melinoa. ──』

Melida’s mother, the now deceased Melinoa Angel, was a commoner, albeit a wealthy one. That she would marry Felgus Angel, the most powerful man in the country, was said to have been stymied in some absurd way.

But how did she feel about her life on her deathbed, even as she overcame those obstacles and successfully married Felgus? The insults Melida had heard in the false courtroom of the grimoire burned unpleasantly into her heart.

Melida’s goal was to be chosen by the top class guild, the Holy Imperial Guard (Crest Legion), and be accepted as the daughter of the Angel family by everyone in the country. It was Kufa who offered to be Melida`s road sign. But if Melida had established her position as a Dukedom , would her other, irreplaceable dream — a future of bliss with her beloved — have been even more impossible?

Melida shook her head as her thoughts spiraled in.

「There’s… there’s another problem. It’s the age difference. The heroine is much younger than the hero. Although the heroine does not care, but the hero he seems often agonized over whether he sees the heroine as 《a girl》.」

As if Melida were laying open her novel on her pillow. Imaginary clouds curl up from her blonde hair and swell into concrete shapes.

Neither Melida nor Elise, for example, now looks ladylike lying in bed in a plain clothes dress. Kufa, of course, would never have looked so laid back at home. Melida would dress better, wash and style her hair, and be demure, because Kufa had to be the one to judge her for who she was at her best.

But what if he could see her like this?

What if the skirt caught his eye? What if her chest was exposed to him in a state of dishevelment? After all, they live under the same roof, and although it was a force majeure, the experience of a 13 year old with flawless skin being stained by him was endless. But at that point, what didhedo? Ever blush with shame? Was still captivated by Melida’s Puerile charm as if it were not.

That situation was rare. He often assume a──「I can’t do anything to you attitude.」

Then, like a brother of a far different age, he began to preach in a dim-eyed voice.

「Ojou-sama, I have reminded you again and again that youare old enough to go to a higher school. You can’t always think that you are still a schoolgirl. To be a well bred lady, one must begin to feel nervous as one always does──」

「I-I KNOW! Sensei is always like this, instantly treat me as a child!

Melida certainly did not behave in a vulgar manner. But somehow, Melida was often seen as embarrassed by Kufa. But at that point, Kufa wouldn’t normally watch Melida obsess. All he does is state the Lady’s law with a straight face. 」

Melida couldn’t help but be annoyed that Kufa was so uninterested in her.

「Please… please don’t treat me like a child! I’ll be 14 next year. I’ll only be three years away from sensei. I’ll soon catch up with sensei and stop sensei from making that Poker Face face! 」

「Well, I’m going to be 18 next year. 」

「Hauu!?」

Melida was like a bear who was poked at a acute point, her body thrown back in shock, her whole body rigid.

There was an expression on her face that she had never thought of it coming. Kufa’s arms were crossed.

「I’m going to grow up slowly, so please hurry up and be my age. I wonder when my lady will catch up with me? Next year? The year after? 」

「Fuguuuuu～～～～～～～～……!!」

The young lady’s mouth was full of irrefutable words, and her red cheeks swelled up in her breath.

Melida, recalling a fretful moment with Kufa, slowly raised her face from the pillow. So the dear cousin pressed her cheek against Melida’s and nestled it together.

「No problem. Lita has been much cuter since started at St. Frideswide. That’s what I said. It can’t go wrong. I’m sure the wooden sensei will notice soon enough. 」

「Eliー……sniff」

「So work harder than now! There’s plenty of room for us to grow up and become more attractive ladies. You and me against the pushy Kufa. 」

Elise clenched her fist reliably, with her usual firmness.

Only then thought like this, only then sees her to look at the distance, as if is gazing at the fantasy to mutter to oneself.

「In this way, Lita and I can become a family… with clear family plans… and happiness for all… through Kufa. 」

「Eh? What, what do you mean? 」

「It’s still in the planning stage. Never mind. 」

Elise exuded a tactician like air and raised her eyebrows with awe.

She lay there beside Melida, rubbing her forehead against Melida’s, maybeMelida felt lonely, too. Two girls seem to be playing like kittens, hands around each other behind.

During spring break, the cousin who came from branch family stayed at Melida’s house because her tutor had also left the house. Like Kufa for Melida, Rosetti, Elise’s tutor, is said to have taken time off during spring break. It is said that after simply asking why, she was going back to her hometownwhere she hasn’t been for a long time.

Ostensibly to improve the efficiency of self training, but in fact to fill their hearts away from spiritual home, Melida and Elise spent a vacation like this in the same house, suddenly felt lonely, can each other act like a spoiled child.

There was a knock at the door as they lay on the bed like this, in what seemed to others to be the height of idleness. The door had already been opened, and there stood the lady, dressed as a maid, with a surprised look on her face.

「A-ra, you two are so lazy. Is this really a good idea, even for a vacation? Have you both finished your tutor`s work?」

It’s Amy, the head maid of the mansion. Melida was still in bed, her head held up.

「I finished early. So did the academy’s Homework. So, to be frank──We are all idle now. 」

「Very, very idle. 」

「A-ra, are you two diligent ladies I bring something wonderful for you. 」

「What wonderful? 」

「A letter from Mr. Kufa. 」

Melida and Elise jumped out of bed like clockwork toys. Melida adjusted her clothes and hair consciously, and at the same time put on airs and held out her hand to the older maid.

「Let me see. What does it say? Is it something? It feels strange. There was no letter paper or message card inside, in a thick envelope」

「Don’t keep me in suspense. What did he send on earth? 」

As Melida can`t help calling out, the three maid`s headdresses popped up beside the door. It’s Amy’s subordinates, the maid trio.

「What? Mr. Kufa wrote a love letter?」

「Can’t miss that. 」

「Let me see it, too! 」

「Really, you love to join in the fun! 」

Amy sighed disapprovingly and picked up the envelope on a silver tray.

She turned the envelope upside down and saw a huge pile of papers falling.

The girl` s eyes peeked from six directions at the papers scattered on the tray.

「What is this? It says <Special viewing seat> … <Coupon> … 」

」There’s just enough for six people. It`s so cool, and it`s gilding. 」

」There are different kinds of paper here. 」

Melida picked up a piece of paper from the tray and held it up subconsciously to look through the light in the room.

The date and the hour, the class and the words 《TRAIN》 , made her frown quizzically.

「Train tickets…?」

　　　　†　†　†

For the New Year in Holy King District, there are two historic events scheduled for this year. One was, needless to say, the coronation of the youngest Rotating King in history, Serge Shicksal; the other was said to coincide with the public announcement of his coronation, it was the culmination of the Shicksal’s greatest invention, the flight of a flying ship known as a 《Airship》.

It is said that the magical airship, named Primavira , is as big as a theatre and can fly freely in the sky side by side with birds. Whether true or not, the national attention is so intense that this year’s Rotating King is expected to be even more crowded and chaotic than usual. Holy King District has imposed emergency restrictions on access to the market, while the Popular Palace Square is divided into zones to avoid accidents caused by overcrowding. First-class seats for the most elegant viewing of the ceremony were sold out a year ago, it was said.

Only the Knight Duke family, the most powerful family in the city, could afford to observe the ceremony with a higher standard of treatment. They are said to witness the facial expressions and even the gestures of the Rotating King from the same height in a dedicated space called the <Special viewing seat >

If such special VIP seats were put up for sale at auction, there would be a lot of people dropping large sums of gold coins and precious stones to snap them up.

It`s a seat for six — this, no doubt, especially for the young ladies who live in the mansion, Melida and her maids.

「Mr. Kufa is really kind! 」

On the streetcar to the station, maids, in their traveling dress and carrying a large purse, blushed and thrilled. Despite their responsibilities as chaperones, maids were able to relax during this trip. Their face were that of young girl, chattering to each other about her tickets.

「I thought I wasn`t going anywhere this year, but at the end of spring break something like this was waiting for me! 」

「This is no ordinary trip, it’s a super-deluxe trip, and the hotel is five-star! And not only Melida-sama, but Elise-sama, too! 」

A maid reached out to hug the silver haired girl, and Elise`s cheeks flushed slightly as she hugged her.

「Hauu」

She broke free of the maid`s embrace and hid behind Amy. In the rickety carriage, the older maid looked down at the young silver-haired girl clinging to her back and tapped her hand like suddenly dawned on her.

「So, Elise-sama hasn`t seen many of the others. 」

「…..Hmm. 」

「Line up, everybody, one by one, and Hail Elise-sama. 」

Amy called, and the trio squared up gracefully. They exuded an amiable maid’s air, and began to smile at Elise, one by one, from the wings.

「To re-introduce myself to you, Elise-sama. My name is Myra. If there`s anything bothering you, please don`t hesitate to ask. 」

「My name is Niche. Please take care of me. 」

「My name is Grace! Please be on good terms with me from now on, Elise-sama! 」

At the sight of the last maid saluting herself, Elise stepped forward with trepidation.

Though she had one hand on Amy’s skirt, she bowed politely.

「……Please take care of me. 」

「「「So cute! ～～～～～～～～!!」」」

The maids with the biggest smile on their face squeezed Elise in three directions. The silver-haired girl was as helpless as a doll, touched all over by them, and still quivering without expression.

「Auau……」

「To take care of such a sweet child! This really seems like the best trip ever! 」

「Does bear some resemblance to Melida-sama. I wish they were standing next to each other in the same clothes. 」

「Let`s take a photo. Take a photo! Opportunity is rare, should leave a few souvenir more! 」

「You guys are so excited, even for a trip. 」

Said the thirteen-year-old girl with a wry smile on her face as she clutched the railing. Melida, the housemaid`s master, raised her hair in a deliberate way and looked askance at them.

「You can’t make a scene in the tram. As a lady, you have to tighten your nerves from ordinary times! Even if you`re not wearing a maid`s costume or a academy uniform… 」

The maid trio looked at each other in surprise and brought their faces together.

「As soon as she got the tickets,『I can see sensei! 』the young lady who had begun to stay up all night to prepare her luggage said this unconvincingly..? 」

「I saw the packed trunk full of props for dressing up. 」

「Ojou-sama even wrote a script for practice. I heard it all. My lady, every day that I don`t see you is like a mountain of star attraction floating down inside of me. sensei, so am I. Without a sensei`s embrace, the night is too cold to sleep. 」

「Wa～～～～! You guys, stop it! 」

Melida waved helter-skelter her arms, and maids stuck her tongue out and looked away. In the Calmer Streetcar, Elise, silver-haired, came closer to her cousin, who breathed in her cheeks and said 「That’s enough. 」

「… Lita, are you worried about something? You`ve been looking out the window with a straight face. 」

「Worried, I should say? I`m just like Amy. I think it`s a little weird. Although the sender is indeed sensei, but not leave a message, it is a little strange. Moreover, how did sensei prepare such expensive tickets, and with what intention to invite us to go… 」

「Even so, shall we go? 」

「That`s why we have to go. 」

As Melida said this, the Streetcar Rattled the Bell and slowed down.

The ladies stepped onto the platform, where a crowd of people were waiting for them. It was so large that it gave the illusion that the inhabitants of the Cardinals Academy District had all flocked to the area. Thinking that these people would not be the passengers of the train, they just saw most of people did not even take the ticket, only from the ticket in front of the leaned out.

「What the hell is going on? 」

There is a long-distance sleeper train painted crimson on the platform. Above the headlights, a sign emblazoned with the car`s body number was the same as the coupons held by Melida and rest. In the center of the front is a first to second class coach, and in the rear is a packed VIP carriage──As if to summon something with a wave of the hand.

The heat from the glass dome made Melida and Elise hug each other and wait. Amy, who had just left the ring, went back to the crowd after asking the newspaper vendor why.

「It is said that Rotating King, who is on tour, appears to be on that train. 」

「Is it Duke Serge Shicksal, the elder brother of Salasha-san? 」

Melida and Elise looked at each other closely, then back at the older housemaid. Amy looked a little wistful, on the other hand a little nerve racking, pressing her palms against her cheeks.

The townspeople flocked to there when they heard that Duke was passing through. It seemed to be the same train we were taking… so it would be better to get on later for a while before the crowd thinned out.

A hooting hoot hovered over the Amy`s words. Onlookers tried to gather as if to crush the car, and several knights in military uniform tried desperately to stop them.

That would be the Rotating King, the guard of the DukeSerge Shicksal. The bearded, Middle Aged Knight, who looked like a captain, shouted as he tried to contain the enthusiastic crowd:

「Hey, guys! Calm down! Duke-sama is here! He`ll show up soon! Let`s not get too excited. We don`t want to shock Duke-sama! All Right, back it up! 」

At the height of the excitement of the audience, the windows of the V.I.P. carriage were finally pulled up. Several figures could be seen on the other side of the large glass window. Melida and Elise raced to the clock tower and looked out from the back.

「That figure is Rotating King… Duke Serge Shicksal… ? 」

Melida frowned in disbelief.

Gorgeous and gorgeous costumes really suit the supreme authority of the family of the Knight Duke. He wore a stylish hat with a wide brim, thickly colored with petals and large bird feathers. But as a result, his face was barely visible, except to the extent that the corners of his crisp mouth were taut.

He raised his arm slowly, as if in obligation, and waved to the assembled audience. Mostly from the young women, and even shaking the dome in solidarity.

His figure gave Melida an indescribable sense that she had seen him somewhere before. She`s not talking to his sister, Salasha, until recently.

Melida turned to ask Elise`s opinion, and the silver haired cousin, with the same incredulous tilt of her head, suddenly raised her arm and pointed to the train.

「Look, Lita. Opposite Duke-samais Mule…san. 」

「Eh!? 」

Melida quickly fixed her eyes and saw that on the other side of the elegant sofa in the VIP carriage, one could not help but be fascinated

Black crystal brilliance.And next to her was Salasha, with her cherry blossom hair blowing in the wind. Neither of them wore the uniform of St. d’Autriche-Academy, but the plain-clothes which could set off the aristocratic status.

Seeing the same scene, Angel sisters looked at each other.

「Have they come to accompany the Duke on his journey? 」

「Are we going to get that kind of job one day? 」

「I can`t imagine that ──Ah!」

Instantaneously. As if guided by gravity, Melida’s gaze intersected Mule’s, and even that distance was clear. Her lips framed a ripe smile and she waved unquestionably at Melida. At the same time that the heart can not help a little elated, the front of the audience excited to noise up.

「That is The present Queen`s beloved daughter, <Diablos> Mule La Moore -sama! 」

「She just looked at me and smiled! She’s waving at me! 」

「Bullshit. She`s looking at me! Ah, she`s incredibly beautiful and younger than me! 」

Melida pursed her lips discontentedly, then stepped down from the clock tower and onto the floor, where she could only retort.

「Mule is smiling at me. 」

Regardless crowd sigh Ah!,the windows of the V.I.P. carriage were ruthlessly closed, and the dark red blinds blocked the view. In terms of time, it couldn’t have been more than a minute. Reluctant to part with the audience murmured whether Duke lacked the spirit of service this time, and the armed forces in military uniform loudly tried to drive them away.

「All Right, time’s up! Duke-sama is very busy! He must leave and continue his tour! 」

「Please be considerate, guests! This will cause trouble for other passengers! 」

There are plenty of station attendants out to help, desperately trying to clean up the unprecedented super-chaotic crowd. They managed to push aside the people who had refused to move before the train started and clear a path to the ticket-gate.

「There are passengers too! Priority for ticket holders! There`s no more live ticketing! All right, off the platform, please! Please be careful not to get hurt! 」

「Ladies, let`s go. 」

Hearing Amy’s voice, Melida regained consciousness, and a group of people with luggage from the empty front of the car hurriedly boarded the train. Melida and Elise pocketed the ticket after it was punched with a thud.

「Is this a surprise prepared by Kufa-sama? 」

「Who knows? 」

As the sisters chuckled at each other, the long-distance sleeper train whistled shrilly.

Like a fog of steam filling the platform, the train dragged hundreds of people`s line of sight, slowly moving. The sound of the engine`s drive caused body to quiver slightly from feet.

The accelerated metal box then sprinted out of the glass dome, across the streets of Bell Tower, and followed the elevated track from the Cardinals Academy District.

The glow of the lantern burning in the horizon blesses the future of Melida and others.