Even a Scoundrel Gets Tired

15 – The Princess and Jennison (Revised)

As I entered the dueling ground, a transparent barrier rose, demarcating my duel with the Princess.

Intended to protect the observing cadets from stray attacks, and to prevent duels from dragging on endlessly.

News that wasn’t welcome for me, who had barely won his duel with Leon after stalling for time.

The Princess watched me wrack my brains over how to spar, and with a displeased look, she finally spoke.

“What’s with all the pondering? You’re going to lose to me anyway.”

“Indeed.”

“Even with such denial, you’ll be defeated by me, I– huh?”

It seemed the Princess had expected me to at least offer a little resistance,

because she wore an expression of genuine surprise.

“I *will* lose to the Princess. I was merely considering *how* to lose.”

“…Does someone as arrogant as you even entertain such a thought?”

“I am quite aware of my own capabilities, you see.”

“Well, at least your self-awareness has improved. It would have been preferable if you possessed it when we first met.”

Ah.

She speaks of *that* time.

My first meeting with the Princess

was, for her, a meeting worthy of being remembered as the worst.

*

Kiana, Imperial Princess of the Empire, was in an exceptionally good mood.

She had begged and pleaded with her father until he finally granted her permission to attend the academy she had dreamed of!

Having grown up under strict supervision, Kiana was thrilled by the prospect of escaping those who constantly held her back.

She was also overjoyed to leave the royal palace, where there were no others her age, and make new friends.

At the academy, she was told that status held no significance and everyone would be treated equally. Making friends would surely be easy.

And so, the first day at the academy she had longed for turned out to be, quite simply, the worst.

‘What is this man? He keeps getting on my nerves.’

Kiana, having arrived early in the morning for her first day, was now wasting time because of a drunken lout.

“Hey there, just one drink with me…hic…”

“Please release me? Judging by your attire, are you not also an academy student?

Consumption of alcohol is against the rules.”

“Who are you~ to be lecturing me?

Do you even know who I am?!”

“…Who might you be?”

“I am the one and only second son of the famous Reinhardt Dukedom, that’s who!”

Irritation bloomed.

The academy’s first day, one I’d anticipated with such fervor,

now sullied by this drunken lout.

The Reinhardt ducal house was one of the most prestigious, surely.

And yet, its second son was indulging in midday debauchery?

It seemed he didn’t know my true identity.

Was he always like this, disregarding others’ opinions and resorting to force?

Kiana’s temper was rising steadily, a fact Jennison noticed, yet he continued to provoke her.

The truth was, Jennison wasn’t truly intoxicated,

nor was he ignorant of the person before him.

He was deliberately tarnishing his reputation further, hoping to use the princess’s connections to

exaggerate his infamy even more.

Of course, the princess, unaware of Jennison’s machinations,

found the situation merely infuriating.

“Do you… do you even know who you’re addressing like this?”

“Hic… wha’sh that? Who are you??”

“I didn’t think even the Reinhardt duke’s second son, who’s infamous for avoiding social gatherings,

would be so ignorant as to not recognize the imperial princess.”

At this, Jennison wore an expression of exaggerated shock.

“H… Her Highness…? Hic…”

“It’s too late for your belated greetings, so

let’s just agree to go our separate ways. And don’t bother acknowledging me again.”

With that, the princess turned her back and strode purposefully towards the academy, and

Jennison, ensuring she was gone, relaxed his face and sighed.

*

The princess’s opinion of Jennison steadily worsened.

At first, she could excuse his behaviour as a mistake borne out of ignorance,

but after hearing whispers of his scandalous reputation, that thought evaporated.

Stories of him tormenting girls smaller than himself,

of being a notorious womanizer who changed partners every night,

of treating his servants so poorly that

the ducal house’s staff couldn’t bear to stay, kept reaching the princess’s ears.

Having personally witnessed him bullying a young girl,

she had solidified her decision that he was a villain.

How could she rescue the child being tormented by him?

How could she ensure he received his just deserts? On a day filled with these thoughts,

a piece of news arrived.

Rumors were swirling that he had been expelled from his family.

Some said he’d left the family of his own accord, but considering how arrogantly he flaunted their name, it seemed unlikely.

And when the princess learned he was absent from the academy, reeling from some blow, she immediately approached the student he’d been tormenting.

To hear her side of the story, to offer whatever assistance she could, to sever the connection between them.

The girl was, as she suspected, a commoner. The princess concluded that his actions stemmed from her low birth.

There seemed to be no other reason.

Perhaps any commoner would have been a target.

Lost in the illusion of fully grasping the situation, the princess invited the girl to join her faction.

Even a lunatic like him would understand what it meant to trifle with a princess’s inner circle, she thought.

Rihanna, for her part, was already committed to a job she needed and the thought of joining a royal faction was daunting.

She tried to refuse, to deflect politely, but the princess, having witnessed his behaviour, would not be swayed.

She wanted to save the girl, to see Jennison punished for his treatment of her.

And so, she more or less forced her into her faction, pondering what form his punishment should take when news arrived:

Jennison had returned to the academy.

Upon his return, he’d immediately challenged Leon Benil to a duel of honour, attempting to kill him.

Even in a match where fatalities were permitted, she hadn’t expected such ruthless abandon.

The misunderstanding surrounding him deepened, and slowly,

Jennison’s image transformed into that of a monumental evil.

Then, for some reason, no one requested her as a partner,

and she was automatically paired with Jennison for the sparring match.

‘Perhaps this is for the best. I shall show you clearly in this match.’

That you are a villain, and villains deserve punishment.

With that resolve, the princess stepped confidently onto the sparring field.

*

“Truthfully, I don’t dislike Your Highness as much as you might think.”

“I dislike you. I doubt the blood of the four great houses even flows in your veins. Your conduct is so… improper.”

“…Then, what *is* proper conduct for a noble?”

“I believe I am one who serves the Empire, dedicating myself to it.”

*And* you are one who, far from serving, will bring harm to the Empire.

Hearing the princess’s last words, my blood pressure surged again.

Serve? Dedication?

Why in the world should *I* do that?

I know it’s pathetic, alright?

I know it’s not the kind of thing someone my age should be doing.

I also know it’s the result of my utterly simpleminded

choices.

It’s alright if no one acknowledges it.

In the first place, there’s no need for anyone to acknowledge it.

This is just venting.

Venting about not being able to protect the

family I gained for the first time in my life.

I’ve already been abandoned by that illustrious God—what’s left that I *can’t* do now?

“…What has the Empire ever done for me that it expects such dedication?”

“What did you say?”

“I asked, what has the Empire ever done for me that it

demands such dedication from me.”

At this, the princess let out a disbelieving

chuckle and continued,

“When you were a noble. The clothes you wore.

The food you ate. The mansion you lived in, and so on!!”

“…”

“Do you truly not realize that all of that was the Empire’s grace?”

I pressed my lips shut, then opened them to address the princess, who was still

looking at me as if I were filth.

“Did you know something, Your Highness?”

“..?”

“From the age of eleven, I received almost no support from my family.

Because they deemed me lacking in talent.”

“..What are you saying? Someone like that lived so extravagantly until now?”

“That was maintenance money, purely for appearances.

Even that was mostly scraped together using my mother’s share.”

The princess seemed at a loss for words and listened to my story in silence.

The story of how I sucked my mother’s blood dry,

ignored her suffering,

and lived with her sacrifice on my back.

“My mother gradually grew weaker like that, and soon…

“You became practically bedridden after that.”

“..The reason you’re telling me this—”

“Shut up and listen.”

I watched the Princess’s face, momentarily blank, and continued.

“You endured and endured, and then on the day your mother finally passed…

On that day, a small sum arrived from the Empire as a token of condolence, wouldn’t you say?”

“….”

“What exactly is this grace bestowed by the Empire?”

“….”

“At least, I don’t seem to have received any.”

“….”

“If that so-called Imperial grace could have kept my mother alive back then, that truly would have been something.”

“….”

“Could you perhaps enlighten me once more on what grace I supposedly benefited from?”

The Princess seemed to regain her composure, shaking her head, but

her expression was undeniably softer

than before as she slowly began to speak.

“..But that doesn’t justify your misdeeds.”

“It’s an action you wouldn’t understand regardless.

You, with your noble Imperial blood.”

At my sarcastic tone, the Princess, as if angered,

struck the ground with her staff and prepared for the duel.

“..I almost faltered, but you are indeed a villain.”

“Seeing you persist with your own opinions. Delightful.”

I responded to her words with the widest smile I could muster,

and she stared at my smile as if she’d seen a ghost, as we faced off.

And then,

the signal for the duel to begin rang out.

*Beeeep—*