The hated fiancé begins

 

“–Knight Mitina. I give you a secret order.”

“yes”

　In the solemn throne room, she knelt down before the young king, despite his pompous tone, and bowed her head. One of the king’s aides and her superior, the knight, were also silently watching her.

　For the Black Iron Knights, receiving a secret mission from the King was an honor. At the same time, it was also a serious matter that required a certain level of resolve. After all, sometimes they were ordered to carry out dangerous missions such as assassinations. The knight Mitina knew this, and she braced herself with tension, expectation, and a slight sense of unease.

　And then Wise King Regula spoke again.

“Please get engaged to Kyelse Beuzen.”

“…………”

　It felt as if the pressure that had been weighing on his whole body had suddenly disappeared. Incidentally, the silence that fell in the throne room also elicited an indescribable, cold laughter, as if a joke had fallen flat.

　But I can’t laugh. When I think that this is an order being given to me, my mood just becomes depressed.

“No.”

　Mitina replied without thinking. Even though she was still calculating the amount of the reward in her head, her mouth moved on its own, as if in a rejection reaction.

　His boss turned his face away as if trying to hold back his laughter, while the king’s aide raised his eyebrows.

“How rude of you! Refusing the king’s orders is shameful…!”

“Ah, sorry. Well, I know I was wrong, but, you know what?”

　Mitina, who had been preparing herself for a much more serious mission, was left completely exhausted.

　Of course, just when I had expected my lord to be in serious trouble and to be given an incredibly heavy responsibility, he received an order that was outrageous in a different sense.

“Um, may I ask the reason? If my ears are normal, I think she asked me to get engaged to that narcissistic, sarcastic knight, Kyelse Beuzen.”

“You really never stop talking…”

　Rennet, the king’s aide, sighed in exasperation. However, King Regula burst out in hearty laughter at the way Mitina spoke.

“Well well, I was right in choosing the knight Mitina. You can take it easy. Rennet, please explain the situation to the two of them.”

“Thank you.”

　Mitina finally stood up and stood next to her superior, the knight Zeffen. Seeing this, Rennet coughed and began to speak eloquently.

“As you know, Kyelse, the captain of the Silver Knights, is an excellent knight. She is said to be an outstanding individual who is unmatched in both her sword skills and magical talent.”

“I agree”

“And above all, the life activation magic that Kyelse-dono possesses is a healing magic of a level never before seen in our country. In addition, he is handsome, and skilled in both the arts and martial arts. He can truly be called a knight who embodies the ideal.”

　As Rennet explained this, Mitina nodded like a broken toy with dead eyes.

　The knight Kyelse. A beautiful young man, a genius who can do anything. I could even describe him as the embodiment of the strongest knight I had imagined, but he had a fatal problem.

“My king would like his talent to be passed down to future generations… However, that prospect seems extremely difficult in the current circumstances.”

“Well, Kyelse-dono has such a terrible personality that there’s no point in talking to her.”

“…I won’t deny it.”

　Yes, the problem with Knight Kyelse was in his personality.

　Narcissist. Arrogant. Overbearing. Overbearing. Et cetera. In any case, the man named Kyelse, despite being a knight, always looked down on others and praised her own beautiful self, making her incredibly difficult to communicate with.

“I absolutely don’t want to be engaged to that Kyelse-dono. I’ll have to listen to her nasty words every day. Commander, please take my place.”

“I’d like to take your place, but there’s the issue of gender…”

“No, you don’t have to answer seriously.”

　Zeffen smiled at Mitina with a gentle smile. He probably wasn’t lying when he said he would be happy to take her place, but unfortunately, in this world, men can’t get engaged to each other.

　His boss, Zeffen, was a bit of an oddball in the way he responded to such questions so seriously.

“Besides, Commander, Kyelse hates you more than I do, so it’s impossible.”

“Well, I suppose so.”

“Exactly. And I don’t think we’re on good enough terms to be engaged to each other. In fact, I think we’re on bad terms. Even in terms of family background, Kyelse-san is a noble and I come from a slum, so there’s a world of difference between us.”

　In such a situation, there is no way they could get engaged. That’s what Mitina wants to say.

　However, in response to her complaint, Rennet raised his hand as if to tell her not to rush things.

“Of course, I understand that. I’m not telling you to marry Kyelse and have children.”

“That’s true. Being ordered to have a child is plain sexual harassment.”

“You really have too much to say…!”

　While being calmed down by Zeffen, Mitina kept quiet.

“I want you to be the villain, Mitina-dono.”

“The villain?”

　As Mitina tilted her head at the unexpected suggestion, King Regula, who had been silent, spoke up.

“There is someone else who seems like he could get along with Kyelse just fine. There is a girl called Lady Istaria, and her family background and talent are impeccable. Marrying her would be the best outcome.”

“Haa.”

“But even so, Kyelse’s standards for a marriage partner are extremely high. I want the knight Mitina to lower them and live with her.”

“Huh?”

　The sigh of amazement turned to irritation. While I could accept that they were only engaged, I never expected they would have to live together.

“By the way, who is your ideal marriage partner, Kyelse?”

“Ummm… she is a beauty who could turn any country around, and is as intelligent and cultured as me, blessed with rare magical talent, a lady of noble birth, and a woman who is devotedly in love with me.”

“There’s no such person in this world.”

　Rennet answers Zeffen’s question while looking at his notes.

　Mitina was stunned by the request, which was nothing more than a pipe dream. If the ideals were this high, it would be difficult to lower the bar.

“In other words, you’re sharing your private life with Kyelse-dono, repeatedly doing things that will make her dislike you, and giving her the illusion that ‘compared to a woman like that, Miss Istaria is a real gem’? That’s fraud, isn’t it?”

“Living together while doing things that will destroy Kyelse’s lofty ideals, huh? Sounds interesting.”

　In response to Zeffen’s concise summary, Mitina muttered that it wasn’t funny and sighed heavily.

　Of course that would be tiring. In other words, he would have to continue playing the role of the one who is hated even while Kyelse constantly complains about him. Just living together was undoubtedly stressful, but by the time they were done living together, he might have several holes in his stomach.

“Such a torture, more horrible than death, I refuse even if it is an order from the king. I’m beginning to feel sorry for you, Kyelse, who is being so concerned about your future husband and meddling in your affairs.”

“Mitina-sama, you really are first class when it comes to finding fault… No matter what job you take on, you will complete it perfectly, but you often get into arguments with the Silver Knights as well…”

“Being honest with everyone is one of my virtues.”

　Even in response to Rennet’s sarcasm, Mitina responded with a cheerful smile. Her strength was probably the main reason she was chosen to carry out this secret mission.

“Kyelse’s parents died in an accident quite some time ago. I think you are simply worried about Kyelse.”

“oh yeah”

　King Regula nodded proudly in response to Zeffen’s mysterious follow-up. The atmosphere was clearly not all goodwill, and it gave Mitina a headache.

“I think it’s fine. I’m sure Mitina can accomplish it. And of course, my lord, you’re not going to work for free, are you?”

“As expected of the Steel Knight Zeffen, you know very well. Knight Mitina, I promise you that you will be well rewarded once your mission is completed.”

“What is it about?”

　In response to Mitina’s immediate question, the king looked at Rennet with satisfaction.

“I will provide you with a special salary for five years and financial support for your hometown, Mitina-dono.”

“I’ll take it on! Yes, leave it to me!”

　Mitina quickly turned her back on him and nodded enthusiastically. For her, the reward she would receive was far more important than what she thought.

　King Regula, who had apparently predicted this reaction, laughed heartily at that.

“Ha ha ha, what a great miser!”

“A knight motivated by money… you’re quite the man.”

　In contrast to King Regula, Rennet sighed in exasperation. He seemed to have a strong belief that knights should be noble and not show their greed.

“Unlike you well-behaved and beautiful Silver Knights, we are Black Iron Knights. Our greatest characteristic is to perform in a way that is commensurate with the treatment we receive, isn’t that right, Commander?”

“Fair work deserves fair reward. I don’t see anything wrong with that, Clerk Rennet.”

“I don’t want to deal with these two anymore…”

　Rennet looked gaunt as he watched Mitina and Zeffen’s values, which were unbecoming of knights. The clerk, who usually had many opportunities to interact with the well-behaved Silver Knights, seemed unaccustomed to the worldly ways of the Black Iron Knights.

“So, Kyelse-dono, have you agreed to all the engagement matters?”

“I’m going to explain now. Please don’t say anything about Miss Istaria.”

“Please don’t worry. I understand that my only role is to criticize and provoke Kyelse-dono.”

　However, Mitina also didn’t think that Kyelse would accept this engagement. He was a man filled with too much self-love, and even if it was a royal order, he wouldn’t be able to bear being forced to choose his fiancée.

　At that perfect moment, a familiar voice rang out into the throne room, and a beautiful, platinum-haired man gave a graceful bow before greeting his beloved king.

　Then he turned his gaze to Mitina and the others.

“Oh dear, you odd knights, have you come to flatter my lord? As always, you have the mentality of a lowly dog, how disgusting!”

　This was the Kirische Beusen in question.

　Beautiful flowers have thorns. Or should I say, poison. As soon as this gorgeous, beautiful man spots the two Black Iron Knights, whom he hates, he immediately starts spewing poison at them.

“I know you have a rotten temperament that will kill you if you don’t swear at people, but can you hurry up and get your business done? Unlike the Silver Knights who get paid just for keeping their faces beautiful, I’m busy.”

“You’re still as rambling as ever…! It seems you haven’t been disciplining your subordinates properly, Zeffen!”

　Zeffen had a cheerful smile on his face, but even when Kyelse glared at him with a stern expression, he still gave her a gentle smile. Incidentally, this unwavering calmness was Zeffen’s true attitude.

“Hey, Kyelse. How are you? Are you eating properly?”

“Why do you always ask me about my health every time we meet? It’s disgusting!”

“Well well, let’s stop this pointless chatter and listen to our king’s orders.”

　Mitina somehow managed to fend off Kyelse who was about to start a one-person sumo match, and then she gave a wink to King Regula. She wondered if the king had some secret plan to get Kyelse to listen to him.

“It’s Kyelse.”

“Yes, my lord.”

　The sight of Kyelse bowing before the king was very picturesque. However, it was extremely puzzling why this man who seemed to be living the life of self-importance wanted to become a knight.

　It was easy to imagine how they would react, but Mitina and Zeffen watched the moment the royal command was given.

“As of today, you are engaged to the knight Mitina and will be living together.”

“Huh?! Wh, what is that…?!”

　As expected, Kyelse stood up, her beautiful face distorted in shock. Then she turned to Mitina and pointed her finger mercilessly.

“Me! I’m the perfect human being, stronger, more beautiful, more talented, and more willing to work hard than anyone else! Why should I have to get engaged to such a plain, ugly woman?!”

(Plainly ugly…)

　She shrugged her shoulders at the abusive remark that had come out so casually. I was actually impressed at how naturally she could insult someone.

“Even if I were to give you the benefit of the doubt and say that she has a pretty face, there’s no way I could be engaged to a woman with such a poor body, absolutely impossible. What’s with that flatness? Are you really a woman or are you actually a man in drag!”

“I think it’s rare to find someone with such a big gap between their outer beauty and their inner ugliness. Kyelse-san’s personality isn’t just ugly, it’s a filthy personality.”

“Filth?!”

　Kyelse, who seemed to have been completely annoyed by Mitina’s provocation, glared at her with a fierce expression. This man had a fairly low tolerance for provocation.

“You have no right to veto this, it’s a royal command.”

“My lord!”

　Kyelse pleaded with him, but King Regula shook his hand and pushed him away. Just as I was thinking that this was a rather rough response, King Regula spoke loudly.

“If you want to break off your engagement, don’t keep throwing a tantrum. Find another partner and get married. I won’t allow you to break off your engagement for any other reason.”

“Th-That’s not possible…”

　Kyelse glared at the king she respected and admired. For someone with such pride, even being bound by royal orders was a humiliation.

　That’s what I thought.

“If it is the king’s order, then there is no other way… I will obey.”

“Yes. Please keep up the good work.”

　The deal came together more smoothly than she expected, and Mitina was taken aback. She had thought she would be more resistant to it and throw a tantrum, but it seemed that the king’s orders were quite important to the knight Kyelse.

(This is what a knight is like…)

“Hey, you plain ugly girl.”

“What is it with your filthy personality, Kyelse?”

　They called each other spitefully and exchanged aggressive glances. It was not the atmosphere of a man and woman who were about to become engaged and live in the same mansion.

“I’ll find a perfect marriage partner who’s prettier, more graceful, and more cultured than you and break off our engagement, so don’t cry because I don’t pay you any attention, okay?”

“If you can find a partner in record time, I will be so happy that I will burst into tears. To be honest, I don’t want to call myself your fiancée, as it would be such a disgrace, so please find a partner as soon as possible.”

　They glared at each other and remained silent. If they hadn’t been in front of the king, they would have sworn at him more, but as they were knights protecting the king, they didn’t engage in any more ugly arguments.

“Well then, you two, good luck.”

　Zeffen said this in a calm voice that didn’t match the dangerous atmosphere between the two of them.

　That day, the knight Mitina sadly gained the dishonorable title of being Kyelse’s fiance.