It Seems Like I Fell into a Reverse Harem Game V2 C10.6

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Volume 2 Chapter 10.6

Emerging out of the wall felt strange no matter how many times I did it. I furrowed my brows and hunched my shoulders out of habit, but was shocked to see someone out of the corner of my eye. 

Fortunately, the person leaning against the wall of the tower was Sieger.

Seeing as how he wasn’t surprised, he must’ve thought my popping out of the wall was some kind of magic. 

“You were waiting for me?”

I asked playfully, but it seemed like he wasn’t in the mood for games today. He extended a hand toward me with a serious expression. 

“Grab it, even if you think it’s annoying. There are more people around today.”

I obediently grabbed his hand. He clasped his fingers around mine. 

“I heard it from the tower too. The sound of fireworks exploding. Seems the festival’s in full swing now.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s funny. I never expected that there would be fireworks here.”

Right on time, a dazzling firework drew a long arc above our heads and burst in a flash of light. 

“Here? They’re not common except in our country.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, because it’s done with magic.”

“Ho.”

I followed him out into the main street only to find that I couldn’t see the street anymore. People were milling around on top of it, and it was noisy. I heard shouts, laughing, the sound of merchants selling their wares, the sizzling of oil at food stands, clapping, the whining of a child…

At that moment, something like a sparkle of fireflies flew above our heads. I stared at them, entranced, as they suddenly flashed and blinked out without a sound. In their place, a huge dragon appeared and began swimming through the sky – though that too, disappeared a moment later.

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

While I was in a daze because of the sparkling, noisy things, Sieger led me from place to place without a word. There were people dancing to an impromptu performance although I could see their breath, and others eating food on the stairs.

A long line of stands caught my attention. They were displaying rows of glittering masks. I had noticed all of the people wearing masks once we reached the bustling center of the festival. This explained it. 

Besides masks, some people also wore headbands with horns or wings and had red-painted cheeks. I had jumped in surprise every time I spotted one, but Sieger hadn’t reacted, seemingly used to it.

According to Sieger, people regarded the red dragon as a divine creature because it had chosen this land as well as the imperial bloodline in the country’s founding myth. For the same reason, they held the color red as sacred.

“Give me some money.”

“I’ll buy it for you. Just tell me what you want.”

“Money!”

Sieger clicked his tongue and rustled up a few silver coins from his pocket.

“What are you going to buy?”

“I’m going to get a mask. Do you want me to get one for you too?”

“You realize that’s my money.”

“Isn’t it from the salary that I pay you?”

“…Does that make it yours?”

I pretended not to hear him and ran to one of the stands. Sieger came up beside me in an instant. 

I picked up a bright red mask with a large black horn sticking out of its forehead. The surface of the mask glittered distractingly.

“What did I expect from your taste? You just had to go and choose one that’s exactly like you.”

“What? I chose this for you, you know.”

“I refuse.”

“Hey. What’s wrong with my taste?”

“…”

When he was silent, I glared at him. He pretended not to see me, utterly shameless.

“You wear this one.”

Then he suddenly put a mask on me. It was black and sported a small horn on each temple. I tried to take it off so I could inspect it more closely, but he stopped me by gripping my face as he paid for it.

“I’d like this one.”

“Excuse me! This one, this one too! Hurry.”

I managed to grab the mask I had just put down even as I was being dragged away. He could glare at me all he wanted, but it wouldn’t stop me from saying my next words.

“Hurry up and lean down.”

“You want me to go around with that on my face?”

“Quickly.”

Eventually, Sieger lowered his head, a surly look on his face. I proudly put the mask over his face.

“Now no one will be able to tell who we are. Right?”

I asked, grabbing his hand as I strode forward. I was glad that I didn’t have to wear the veil which made me stick out like a sore thumb. Right now, there was no difference between me and the people passing by.

Normally, Sieger would have asked sarcastically if I was having fun playing peasant, but today he was quiet.

He even bought me a strangely shaped, fried kabob. I pushed my mask halfway up my face and started eating while Sieger paid. I ate animatedly because the sauce which generously covered the kabob was also hot. Sieger shook his head.

“Looks like you’re a young couple?”

I couldn’t reply right away because my mouth was full of hot kabob, when Sieger said,

“Yes.”

He grabbed my hand.

I stared intently at Sieger’s back as he walked a few steps ahead of me. 

“…What?”

“You’ve been a bit weird lately, you know that?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Why are you so… hm.”

“Enough of that. Come here.”

He reached out a hand and rubbed his thumb around my mouth.

“You got sauce on you.”

“Where–”

“Stay still. It’s going to spread.”

I had no choice but to obediently keep my mouth shut until he was done. The moment he pulled his hand away, I asked,

“Was there really sauce on me?”

“I’m telling you there was.”

“Really?”

“Really,”

He replied and turned his head, but not before I glimpsed the corners of his mouth curling up.

“Really, you…”

You’re being weird today.

Before I could finish my sentence, my hand slipped out of his. There was a sudden rush of people who were probably coming from a nearby performance that had just ended. It only took an instant before Sieger became obscured by the crowd. And then I was pushed back, back for what seemed like an infinity.

In the beginning, I saw glimpses of Sieger heading my way from in between the crowd, but after a while, I lost sight of him.

When I came to, I was standing in front of a building out in the middle of nowhere, like I had been discarded there. I was still preciously holding onto my half-eaten kabob.

It wasn’t that the kabob was more important than Sieger. It had just happened that way.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t come out to have fun.

It had been a while since I was able to walk around without a care in the world like this. Without any worries.

“Huh?”

My face suddenly felt naked, and I clapped a hand to my forehead. My mask had disappeared.

“Ah, I’m going to get twice the scolding now…”

I considered going to find Sieger, but worried that I would lose my way, I squatted on the ground and finished my kabob. Besides, I didn’t have anything to cover my face with.

I waited a while, until the shadow of a person loomed over me. I looked up happily, and saw a complete stranger beaming at me.

The one-of-a-kind beauty extended his hand out toward me. Only his clothes were shabby while his face shone. 

“Why are you sitting in a place like this?”

“I’m waiting for someone.”

He would have been justified in feeling sheepish, but he easily withdrew his hand. And he smiled brightly at me, unintimidated. 

“Ah, I see. Do you live here?”

“You could say that.”

“Then could I ask you a favor?”

“It depends on what it is.”

I was surrounded by so many beautiful men that when I saw a beautiful stranger, my heart no longer melted like the spring snow, even if my eyes were blinded. 

“I seem to have lost my way… Do you know which way to the square where the fountain is?”

The square was basically a stone’s throw away. When I merely stared at him, he added,

“To be honest… I also wanted to speak to you because you were so beautiful.”

“Ah, I see.”

“But I’m not lying about being lost! Please believe me. I’m sure that I could find it if I wandered a little… But if you’re not busy, could you spare a moment to be my guide?”

“I’m sorry but–”

“I will compensate you, of course.”

“All right.”

I stood up and brushed the dust off my bottom. He looked down at me without speaking, then laughed. 

“This is quite the coincidence.”

“Pardon? What is?”

“We both have red hair, don’t we?”

“Ah.”

His comment made me realize that my face was exposed. When I began looking around with an expression of discomfort, he whispered “wait here” and ran to the stands. He returned with something in his hand.

“It’s a gift.”

It was a thin, silver mask made to cover the top half of the wearer’s face. There was no denying that it was pretty, with little glass beads embedded in it – though it wasn’t my style.

But I needed something to cover my face, so I accepted it.

“Thank you.”

“Is it to your liking?”

“Ah, yes.”

“…I suppose not.”

For a moment, he looked crestfallen.

“But it suits you very well, Miss.”

However, he regained his spirits in an instant.

“…Is that right?”

He caught a few strands of my hair which were blowing in the wind, and kissed them. That meant he had to lower his face until it was inches from mine. Our eyes met, and he smiled wickedly with his eyes.

It was the kind of expression that said he was all too aware of how good-looking and attractive he was. I saw the confidence of someone who couldn’t imagine anyone hating him. I clicked my tongue and laughed.

“Oh? Why are you laughing?”

“It’s nothing. You just seem like a very bright person.”

“Did I make you laugh? That makes me happy.”

“Don’t say that.”

He laughed proudly again, and eventually, I followed.

“You’re even more beautiful when you laugh. And you’re so kind as well.”

“But… who told you that you could touch my hair without permission?”

“Pardon?”

“I have to say, you’re a bit rude.”

“Ah… I apologize. It was so beautiful that I just…”

“Only apologize. And stop with the compliments,”

I said with a small smile. This time, he smiled and nodded his head without speaking.

“Anyway, I made a promise, so I’ll take responsibility and show you the way…”

I began prattling in a carefree voice, then froze.

“What is the matter?”

Did I… mistake the road?

“Are you unwell? Should we take a break?”

He put a hand on my shoulder with the purpose of supporting my weight, but I brushed it off and thought back.

I must have mistaken the road because a lot of things had changed on account of the festival. But I couldn’t think of what to do even after realizing that.

“I think…”

“Yes?”

“…I think we’re lost.”

“Pardon?”

For the first time since we’d met, he made a bewildered face.

I was just as bewildered. Where were we?

***

“What were you thinking, losing sight of him?!”

“Th-The crowd suddenly rushed in…”

“What’s your plan now? Do you want me to freeze to death here? Is that why?”

The maid in commoners’ clothes went pale as Yuriel tossed her heels away in frustration. It was already late at night, and well past the time to return to the palace, but Yuriel didn’t look like she was planning on going back any time soon. 

To tell the truth, the maid hadn’t thought things would become this messy when the chain of events began earlier that evening.

Yuriel had become unusually obsessed with the crown prince of Rothschild after their first meeting. She hung around his room, even getting caught by the foreign dignitaries on multiple occasions. But she didn’t stop.

And when she got word that the crown prince had snuck out of the palace, having declined to attend the palace’s banquet, Yuriel promptly chased after him. The maid thought her heart would jump out of her chest when Yuriel set out of the palace without the emperor’s permission.

When the maid finally located the crown prince, who was in commoners’ clothes, and his two bodyguards, he was already with some women in a boarding house. He was having a jolly time, suddenly hugging one from behind or caressing the cheek of another.

However, the prince seemed to take a special liking to one red-faced woman. The pair spent some time whispering into each other’s ear, and left together.

The maid watched them enter what appeared to be the woman’s house before she hurried back to report to Yuriel.

Yuriel ordered the maid to take her there immediately, and the maid secretly gave Yuriel a strange look as her mistress gasped for breath.

The crown prince finally came out after several hours, and Yuriel followed him, waiting for her opportunity. She wanted to create a natural, but ‘fateful encounter’ that would leave an impression on him. 

As the sun started to set, the entire path burst into light. Round lamps turned on and endless fireworks exploded in the sky. People began to gather in the bustling street. 

Then, to their misfortune, they were swept along with the crowd and lost sight of the crown prince.

“Hurry up and find him again! Do you realize what kind of opportunity this is?!”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“And what is this?”

There was a string caught on the accessory Yuriel was wearing on her shoulder. It had likely gotten stuck while they were being jostled by the crowd. 

Yuriel yanked on it irritably, and discovered a cheap, crude mask at the end. The black color disgusted her.

“Get rid of it!”

Yuriel threw the mask at the maid, and it hit the girl right in the chest as she caught it.

“I’ll lose my chance to capture him if I keep trying to be coy and pretend we ran into each other by fate. I have to find him first. After that…”

At that moment, someone put their arm on Yuriel’s shoulder.

“What the hell?”

“Are you the daughter of a wealthy house?”

“What the hell are you?”

“I’ve been watching you shriek your head off. You have quite the temper, don’t you?”

Yuriel irritably jiggled her shoulder.

“If you’ve realized that, get lost. Or do you have a death wish?”

The man laughed and took his arm off of Yuriel’s shoulder. He backed a few steps away, and his accomplices appeared behind and to the side of Yuriel.

“Did you know that crowded, noisy places like this are the best?”

“…”

“Because no one can hear you even if you scream.”

“What are you standing there for instead of going to get the sentries…”

The maid was gone. Yuriel was taken aback for a second. She bit her lip and glared daggers at the men who were slowly surrounding her.

She was tired of this. She was the protagonist of this world, a member of the imperial family and the next emperor, but people only saw her as a woman. They always treated her like her gender was all she was. 

Did she have to keep on proving why they shouldn’t underestimate her?

This is why status was so important. It was the one thing that could overcome gender – status that came from who you were born to, and whose belly you were born from.

If she could only grasp that, she would return the favor. No, she would do even more. She would confidently look down on them, torment and mock them. 

That was the way the world worked. If you didn’t devour, you would get devoured. No matter how much you struggled, those who were inferior lived inferior lives while those who were superior lived superior lives.

Discrimination always led to greater discrimination.

“Touch one hair on my head, if you dare.”

“Just what I expected from you. It wouldn’t be fun for us if you didn’t react like that.”

Yuriel smirked. 

“Like you people said, I’m worth quite a bit.”

The bastards whistled, failing to understand the situation they were in.

“So if any one of you lays a hand on my body, I’ll consider slicing open your belly while you’re still alive and removing your intestines. And I’ll feed it to you. Once I’ve shoved the shit in your guts back down your throat, I’ll remove your fingernails and toenails one by one, then your fingers and toes…”

It happened while she was triumphantly reciting terrifying curses. The men who were about to be fed up with her confident attitude were suddenly thrown backward into the wall. Then, they passed out.

In their place was an unfamiliar man and Yuriel’s maid. 

“My Lady! Are you okay?”

The maid scurried over to Yuriel.

Realizing that things had gone wrong, one man tried to run. But the stranger grabbed him by the back of his neck and slammed the man face-first into the ground. At the same time, he tripped another man. After kicking the second man in the stomach several times, he proceeded to smash the first man’s face back into the ground. 

While this was happening, one of the bastards escaped. 

Yuriel watched everything unfold without blinking an eye. Her sweaty palms had long since cooled.

“Who are you?”

The stranger glanced at Yuriel. Then, he began stalking over to her.

“He’s a knight of the palace. While I was running to find the sentries, I saw him…”

When the man passed the maid and came to stand in front of Yuriel, she instinctively clenched the fabric of her dress.

His forehead was beaded with sweat, and even his neck was drenched. He was exactly the type of man she hated. There was no doubt about it.

“Where did you get the mask from?”

The question was inappropriate to the situation, and wholly unexpected. Yuriel had expected the man to ask her if she was okay, so she had been preparing to reply that yes, she was. She almost bit her tongue in surprise.

A mask?

The man stared at Yuriel with cat-like, yellow eyes, and pressed her to respond,

“This woman has the mask, but are you the owner?”

Yuriel quickly retrieved the mask from the maid.

“Th-That’s right. It’s mine.”

“…”

The man almost seemed to glare at Yuriel for a brief moment before he whipped around without saying another word. 

“You! Halt! Do you not hear me telling you to halt?!”

The man disappeared. 

“What’s his problem?”

Yuriel tightly gripped the mask that was so not her style.

“Who is he? Who did you say he was?”

“A knight.”

“And his name?”

“Pardon?”

“What’s his name?!”

“U-Um, I’m not sure… I’ve only seen him in passing.”

“…”

That was when it happened.

Ding!

You have discovered a new capture target!

Ding!

[The Defiant Commoner Knight – 1]

He distrusts the empire. And he detests the imperial family. However, if he is able to protect the things he holds dear, he doesn’t really care what happens. Because of that, he used to hope to climb his way up ½ C but for@#! some rE3ason |{% isn’t ~`!-9# Y6]\? motiv4ated. 0000000-00000000013110000000.system.

[Curr@ Progress ^6f]

|2f9 L ’:29;;0%

Un*@#]fj known bug #? occurred!

The system window flickered, then returned.

An unknown bug has occurred!

The quest will be granted again.

[The Defiant Commoner Knight – 1]

Sieger distrusts the empire. He detests the imperial family. However, if he is able to protect the things he holds dear, he doesn’t really care what happens. Because of that, he used to hope to climb his way up but for some reason, he doesn’t seem very motivated now. Become the person who is dearest to him. If you do, it will be harder for you to die than to live. First, give him new motivation to move up in the ranks. Give him courage and help him realize he’s wrong about his prejudices.

[Current Progress]

Loss of prejudice 0/1

Motivation to climb the ranks: 8%

Despite the strange bug, Yuriel wasn’t shaken as she carefully read the system window. 

And then she said his name in her head.

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Translator’s note: wah so many things have happened i feel like. and yuriel is just UGH

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