Series: The Princess’s Guard is the Assassin Aiming for Her Life
Celosia Garnet was certainly a princely man. Well, the truth was that he was the heir to a dukedom, and I was the actual royalty. Still, he was a beautiful young man with blond hair, blue eyes, and a gentle demeanor. To top it off, he was smart and was a decent swordsman.
If I had somehow reincarnated in a manga I didn’t know or something, he was so high-spec that I would assume he was the protagonist. If this was an otome game, he would be the poster boy.
He was seventeen, just a little older than me. Because this country considered you an adult at eighteen, he had just a half year until he became one. It seemed like he needed to decide on a fiancé by then.
Because the Garnet Dukedom was a part of the royal family, Lord Celosia was my distant relative. I didn’t remember the exact connection, but I knew it was somewhat complicated. At the very least, he felt far more distant than a cousin to me.
Anyways, with his bloodline came his good looks and his personality, so I could understand why Cattleya was so crazy about him. If my life wasn’t on the line because of him, I might have felt the same. The few times we met before, I thought that he was kind and gentle.
Of course, if that type of person was in a manga or light novel, they would secretly be black-hearted, but there was no way that could happen in reality, right? I’m sure if I asked him for his assistance, he would help me.
“So, what are you planning on saying to Lord Celosia?”
“I’m going to tell him the truth about Cattleya.”
Al let out a large sigh inside of the shaking carriage. This has been the second time we’ve had this exchange already.
After I spoke with Traine, I sent Lord Celosia a letter. He replied that he had a bit of free time, so we set out for his residence the next day.
Of course, when Cattleya heard I was going, she insisted on going too, saying my assistance had been a ruse, but after I told her I was going to tell him I didn’t want to be his fiancé candidate, she reluctantly agreed. Thanks to that, I was already exhausted before we even left.
It was just Al and I inside of the carriage. Maia should have come with, but because she was tired from the trip to the spring, she decided to stay behind. They didn’t want it getting out that I didn’t have many guards, but I guess it was fine since Al was here. It was a little late to be worrying about that, though.
There were knights outside of the carriage too. I couldn’t bring them inside of the residence though, so they would have to wait outside.
Anyways, because it was just the two of us in the carriage, we were able to talk about Cattleya casually, but Al just didn’t seem happy. Because he was so against going to Duke Garnet’s residence, I told him he could stay behind to recover from his injuries, but he insisted on coming along. If his injuries weren’t the problem, then just why did he not want to go? I was guessing it was because he would hate it if Lord Celosia could solve the assassination problem.
“…Princess Iberis, do you think I’m against the idea of going because I think it would be a valid solution to stopping your assassination?”
“Eh?”
It wasn’t that?
Al gave me the look of a disappointed teacher. “Do you really think you could solve this by saying something like, ‘Please stop Cattleya from trying to kill me’? You’re just going to rile her up more.”
“That’s why I’m going to ask him to get engaged with her. That way when he tells her to stop trying to assassinate people, she’ll listen, even if reluctantly.”
“You drive a hard bargain, asking someone to marry a woman who plots to kill people.”
“But Cattleya only acts that way towards me. I really think she’ll become obedient when she goes to get married. Of course she would behave after becoming the bride of the man she loves.”
She would become an adorable wolf in sheep’s clothing. Although she didn’t seem to have any sheep’s clothing around me.
Al let out another deep sigh at my reply. “I think it would be better if you didn’t see him.”
“Why?”
“……”
Aaaaand then he fell silent again.
I really couldn’t think of any other reason other than dissatisfaction from the idea of having the assassination request taken down. Did he really want to kill me that badly? That thought weighed down my mood.
In the end, Al and I were just an assassin and his target.
If I started to feel more, my life would be in danger. There was an impossibly large chasm between us that couldn’t be bridged.
“That’s an amusing joke.” The supposedly kind-hearted Lord Celosia said that with a smile after I made my request.
“Eh…”
Because the weather was nice, he arranged tea for us in the garden gazebo of his estate.
Lord Celosia was smiling, and I was speechless. The only thing that could be heard in the silence was the chirping of birds.
Wait, how did this happen? Why did he have that reaction to my story?
“U-um, I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m telling the truth.”
“Yes, it’s not that I doubt what you’re saying.” He corrected my confusion.
So at least he didn’t seem to think I was lying.
Lord Celosia lowered his eyebrows in a troubled manner, seeing me speechless yet again. “Your Highness Princess Iberis. I am also human. I don’t particularly want to take a woman who schemes assassinations as my wife. Additionally, I don’t think that would be very good for the dukedom either.”
“……”
He was entirely correct, of course. I couldn’t think of any way to argue with that.
I guess Lord Celosia’s kindness could only take me so far. It was kind of like running to the police in modern times before a crime even occurred. I realized a little too late how naïve my thinking was.
“I’m very sorry, Lord Celosia. The story I told just now was all a joke. Cattleya is a very good girl and we have a very close sisterly bond.”
“I already know about the two incidents that happened in the past. And of course, I know how Her Highness Princess Cattleya feels about you.” He smiled widely.
…Oh, because I only really knew him at a surface level, I never realized until now that he’s not just a nice person. Whether he was black-hearted or not, he wasn’t some saint that would reach out to help anyone in need without expecting something in return.
Well, that was normal. People who make it a habit to help everyone only exist in manga and other forms of fiction.
No wonder why Al was exasperated with me.
“Please don’t give me that despairing look. I never said I wouldn’t help you.”
I lifted my head at Lord Celosia’s words.
“From what I understand, you said there was one last assassin who announced that they would come to kill you within ten days. That’s what you’re concerned about, right?”
“Right.”
“So then I’ll do something about that person.”
“Eh?”
Lord Celosia gave a dazzling smile, his blond hair rustling in the wind. “I’m asking you to please come live in my estate. I promise that I will be able to protect you.”
“That’s…”
My eyes widened. By living in his estate, did he mean…?
“Yes. If you become my fiancé, I will protect you with all my power.”
I forgot how to breathe after hearing his unexpected proposal.
Me, becoming Lord Celosia’s fiancé?
Because I didn’t want to anger Cattleya, I never imagined him marrying anyone but her, so I was beyond shocked.
The beautiful man in front of me was smiling. Could I really become the fiancé of the one that so many ladies of high society were clamoring after?
“…You mean, to become your temporary fiancé?”
“I’m almost an adult. I don’t have the time to look for another fiancé after breaking off with a temporary one.”
“So you mean, you want us to be a fake couple?”
“I wouldn’t dare disrespect Your Highness like that. My hope is that you’ll become the lady of this house, and I plan on treasuring you well. If possible, I would like to build up a romantic relationship with you.”
I could only blink. Lord Celosia let out a troubled sigh.
“Since it seems like you don’t understand, let me say it clearly. I’ve been attracted to you for a very long time.”
I… didn’t expect that.
“H-how so?”
“It’s your face.”
“Ahh, the face, huh?”
Wasn’t he being a bit too honest? I accidentally let out my unfiltered thoughts.
Lord Celosia chuckled.
“Well, that was a joke just now. Of course, I think you’re beautiful, but I don’t know you well enough to say in what way.”
“…I… see.”
Even though we’ve seen each other plenty of times before, neither of us knew the other past surface level. My first impression of him was that he was an attractive boy, and he probably just thought I was a cute girl. He said that liking my face was a joke, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the truth.
“But ever since I was young, I was taught that I would marry one of the princesses. For the dukedom to keep our connection with the royal family, our family needed to marry royalty to preserve the bloodline every few generations. I happen to be in that generation. I knew that from the first time I met you two. You’re the one I thought would be the best between you two.”
It was a more serious conversation than I thought. I guess royal blood was important for the Garnet Dukedom.
“I was worried that you were too shy at first, but looking at you now, I see that my fears were unfounded.”
“……”
Well, I did regain my past life’s personality and all.
“So what do you say? I don’t think it’s a bad deal.”
“This isn’t the place to make this sort of decision,” Al interjected.
I turned around to look at the boy who should have been silently standing behind me. He stared at me with an expressionless face.
…For some reason, his eyes were turning slightly blue.
Lord Celosia was sitting a bit further away so I didn’t think he noticed, but hasn’t Al been a bit too bloodthirsty lately?
“And he is?”
“My temporary guard.”
“Ah, I see. He was hired because of this incident, huh? I did hear that your personal squadron was dismissed and all…” Lord Celosia trailed off, tilting his head. “…Is this boy enough for you?”
“…Actually, I was thinking about reinstating my personal guard.”
It was something I hadn’t spoken to Al about. I thought it was a little awkward to talk about. But even if I hid it, he would find out sooner or later.
Wait, actually, maybe he would try to kill me tonight before I could reinstate them? Did I mess up?
In contrast to my souring mood, Lord Celosia smiled in delight.
“I’m glad to hear that. I was a bit worried that you still couldn’t be around men, after all.”
“……”
So he also knew about that incident? I couldn’t help pinching my lips together.
“Does my touch bother you?” He asked, which left me at an even bigger loss for words.
Lord Celosia extended his beautiful, unblemished hand towards my cheek. To be honest, I had almost no experience when it came to men. What was I supposed to do in this situation…!?
“Um…”
“Princess Iberis, isn’t it about time for us to head back?”
As if he could see my internal struggle, Al offered me a helping hand.
“T-that’s right! Lord Celosia, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk with me!”
Even as I thanked him, Lord Celosia wasn’t looking at me. His blue eyes were a shade brighter than Al’s true color, and looked like the color of a morning sky. But he directed a cold gaze behind me. I’ve never seen that expression before.
Why did he look like that? It was kind of scary.
His face broke into a smile, as if he noticed me looking at him, but my heart remained cautious.
“Then I’ll escort you to the entrance.”
“T-thank you very much.”
The moment I grabbed his outstretched hand, I felt a tugging sensation.
“Hyah!?”
“…My apologies.”
He was masculine, but thin, and yet, Lord Celosia held me easily when I lost balance.
Then he whispered in my ear, “You should keep that boy away from you.”
…He knew. I think he knew that Al was the remaining assassin.
But of course I couldn’t say anything in response, only offering a strained smile.
I felt tense on the carriage ride back. Al was sitting across from me, and from here I could see that his eyes turned completely blue. But he wasn’t looking at me. He was staring out the window, as if he was sulking.
“…Um…”
“What?”
“Uh, thanks for helping me back there?”
I thought I could help fix his mood by thanking him, but his eyes stayed blue. Then, he faced me with a sharp glare.
“Even though I got in the way?”
“D-don’t say it like that.”
“Will you accept his proposal?”
“I don’t know. Weren’t you the one who said it wasn’t the place to decide that?”
Why did it feel like he was interrogating me?
Al let out a large sigh at my overwhelmed responses.
Why was he angry?
It wasn’t as if… I couldn’t guess why. A few theories came to mind.
He could be upset that I didn’t listen to him and went to see Lord Celosia anyways, only to get turned down like he thought I would.
Or he could be upset about me reinstating my royal guard.
…Both of those could be taken as attempts to drive Al away.
Perhaps it was like he said before, and that Al has taken a liking to me in his own way. If he wanted to kill me, as either an assassin or because of personal interest… This was very inconvenient for him. Of course he wouldn’t appreciate my efforts.
“…Right. That’s not the kind of thing you can just nod along to.”
“I know…”
But then after that small exchange, Al went silent again.
Even after we returned to my room, his mood didn’t improve. I guess it was better than being killed in the carriage?
His eyes had returned to being green, but his words and actions remained blatantly cold.
“What happened at Duke Garnet’s residence?” Maia asked me in a suspicious tone.
She also checked me quite thoroughly for injuries. Probably because the last time Al was like this, it was because I had hurt myself.
Unsure how to answer that, I turned to look at the boy standing by the wall.
“…Al?”
“What?”
His jade green eyes wouldn’t look in my direction. It was pretty childish of him. I mean, he was an adult on the inside, so why wasn’t he acting more mature? Since he was an assassin, I wished he wasn’t so blatant about his emotions.
So I…
“Maia, could you give us some time alone?”
…Said something foolish.
Maia left the room, and as soon as she closed the door, I turned around.
He was an assassin who could kill me at any time. He didn’t kill me in the carriage, but it wouldn’t be strange for him to pull out a knife now, thinking it was his last opportunity.
But still…
“What? Are you trying to win me over now?”
I was sad and frustrated to see him not even look me in the eye. That’s why I did this.
“That’s not it…” I said, feeling close to tears.
“…W-why are you crying?”
Was it because he could hear how much my voice was shaking?
The boy, who finally turned to me, looked flustered, his eyes flickering back to blue.
“I’m not crying yet.”
“‘Yet’… Then why do you want to cry?”
“Because you’re in such a bad mood, Al!”
I didn’t even try for diplomacy, I just straight-out told him why I was upset. His blue eyes widened.
“I’m in a bad mood?”
“What else would you call it!?” I shot back coldly, desperately.
“…You’re right. I think I feel very unpleasant right now.”
After looking shocked by what I pointed out, Al frowned, as if the thought just sunk in.
…If I asked him what made him feel unpleasant, would he be able to give me a straight response?
Our relationship involved an exchange of lives. That’s why we couldn’t be entirely frank with each other.
That’s why I thought to distance myself from him. I would put a lid on these growing feelings. There was no way I, who was so inexperienced in love, could handle this man’s heavy feelings.
So why was it that the man who should have so much more life experience than me, could look so shaken by my words? Was he that shocked about his own feelings?
Maybe I was mistaken that we were close.
Maybe I was mistaken that we could understand each other.
“Al.”
So I spoke up. To try bridging the gap between us.
“Do you still want to kill me now?”
But that question seemed to set him off.
Before I could react, my vision was flipped upwards and I was pushed onto the floor. A dull pain shot through my waist and the back of my head.
I tried to rub my head, but gasped when I felt the cool metal of a knife on my neck. The slight twitches of the knife indicated that the owner’s hand was shaking.
“……”
Silence fell for a few seconds.
I didn’t think of screaming. I didn’t think it was the smart thing to do when I caught sight of the boy straddling my waist, holding a knife with shaking hands.
Was this really the same man who had made a name for himself as an assassin after all these years? He looked more like a person about to kill for the first time.
His deep blue eyes, slightly covered by his black hair, were narrowed, as if he was enduring something.
“…Al.”
Will he kill me now?
I felt more worried about him than I was scared.
I always thought that when he eventually brought a knife to my throat that he would surely do so gleefully.
But the boy in front of me looked like he was in so much pain.
The hand he said would never hesitate was shaking horribly. To the point that I wanted to soothe this assassin more than I wanted to protect myself.
But Al spoke before I could move. He spoke in a low, dark voice that didn’t suit such a young body.
“Do I want to kill you? That’s a terrible thing to ask.”
How was it terrible?
I thought it was just terrible for me, but if it was terrible to him too…
Did that mean he thought killing someone he took a liking to was a terrible thing?
“I’ll give you your answer. Yes, I want to kill you.”
I felt my chest squeeze at his confirmation. But whether that was due to sadness or fear, or some other emotion… I was no longer able to tell.
His blue eyes, staring down at me, shook like he was holding back tears.
“Of course I want to kill you! I would rather kill you than watch you go to that man!”
…That man?
“You mean…”
Lord Celosia?
I tried to ask, but…
“Mn!?”
Something covered my lips. It took me a few seconds to realize this rough pressure was a kiss. Blue filled my entire vision.
Why…?
My lips were not free enough to voice my question, and I found myself closing my eyes instead. It wasn’t as if he was pushing me down that hard. Both of my hands were free. But I couldn’t shake him off.
His soft palm caressed my cheek, his thin fingers brushed through my hair. Despite one hand still holding a knife to my throat, his other touched me so gently.
But he didn’t hold me close. Instead, he slowly stood up, distancing himself from me.
It probably lasted less than a minute. But it was still more than enough for me to be out of breath and for my thoughts to get jumbled up.
“…But you’ll still go, won’t you?”
“……”
“It’s the best option to escape from me. You don’t even need to think about it.”
“Al…”
The boy, who was smaller than me, stepped away without responding. I couldn’t find anything to say as he left the room silently.
What words could I say to make him come back? Did I want him to come back?
…I didn’t know.
“…Ow…”
I touched my neck, noticing a small amount of blood.
That was all too much for my first kiss. I wanted to complain, but Al was no longer there.
After that, Al disappeared completely.
According to Traine, he said he “made the princess mad” and left the castle. Because I couldn’t tell him what actually happened, I couldn’t deny it.
Maia noticed the cut on my neck right away. Even though I insisted that it was nothing, she let out a large sigh and started sorting through my dresses to find ones that hid my neck.
I don’t know how many times I heard her say, “Please stop trying to kill yourself.”
And then, that evening…
“…Al…”
That name was swallowed up by the empty silence of my bedroom.
Even though there were no soldiers or knights, and security was light, no assassins came to my room.
Merry Bad End Translations 
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