Return of the Calamity-Class Death Knight-Chapter 379: SS 27

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]

Side Story Chapter 27: Dorothea

Recently, there was a question that Imperial Princess Dorothea Adelard was being asked with particular frequency.

“Your Highness, why have you been meeting with Theodore Haksen so often?”

Today was no different.

As she was sitting leisurely on a garden bench, a group of female students swarmed her and posed the question.

Although it was a sudden situation, Dorothea was not flustered.

t was thanks to the imperial etiquette that had been ingrained in her since birth.

“Please, answer us without holding anything back!”

“Lady Dorothea, could it be, as the rumors say, that you and Theodore Haksen are… e-engaged?”

The female students’ attitudes were very earnest.

As if they truly hoped the rumors were false.

It was not an incomprehensible attitude.

It was awkward to say it herself, but Dorothea Adelard was the idol of the Academy.

Her looks stood out even within the Adelard Imperial Family, which was famous for its many beauties.

Her academic achievements were outstanding enough that she never missed the top spot in her grade each year.

On top of this, there was her lofty attitude of having rejected the advances of countless men.

For such a Dorothea to be meeting so frequently with Theodore Haksen in particular, it was only natural that the female students who idolized her would become anxious.

“It seems that lately, many people have been misinterpreting my relationship with Theo.”

Dorothea rested her cheek on her palm and let out a sigh.

“As I have said repeatedly, Theo and I are not in that kind of relationship. He is simply a cute younger brother, and I am only trying to take good care of him. The Adelard Imperial Family and the Haksen Ducal House have a special relationship, you know.”

“R-Right? That’s what it is, right?”

Upon hearing the answer, the female students were greatly relieved.

They each left a word of apology and departed.

Dorothea saw the female students off with a smile on her face.

The moment they were all gone, she wiped the smile from her face.

“They’re so annoying it’s actually pissing me off.”

If even a single Academy student had been present, they would have been overcome with shock and horror.

For Dorothea, who was so lofty as to be saintly, was speaking like a thug from a back alley.

“What’s the big deal about me being a little friendly with that little brat that they have to pry into it like this.”

Dorothea truly hated bothersome things.

That was the reason she did not get close to male students and had rejected many proposals.

“Dad, no, His Majesty, why did you have to make such a request and put me in this difficult position.”

Dorothea leaned her back against the bench and crossed her legs.

She rested her arm on the bench and recalled the events before the start of the school term.

***

With the new school term approaching, Dorothea Adelard was spending a leisurely time in her room.

She was lying on her stomach on the bed, reading the pulp novel ‘Madame de Pompadour’s Secret Shadow’ and munching on cookies.

“Damien’s nephew will be enrolling in the Academy this time.”

Her father, who had suddenly visited her room, said so.

Dorothea answered without taking her eyes off the book.

“Ah, is that so?”

“His name is Theodore Haksen. He’s younger than you.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“His friend is enrolling with him, too. Her name is Hazel Ryan Bloom.”

“Ah, is that so?”

A vein popped on Howard’s forehead at Dorothea’s replies.

But Dorothea’s gaze still would not leave ‘Madame de Pompadour’s Secret Shadow.’

This was the most important part, after all.

The part where Madame de Pompadour finally gives in to the passionate courtship of Gorbal, a knight twelve years her junior…

“You will have to help Theo adjust to the Academy.”

“…Yes?”

But at the words that followed, Dorothea finally had to tear her eyes away from the book.

“Why do I have to do such a bothersome thing.”

“Theo is Damien’s nephew. You are well aware of how important a position Damien holds on the continent, are you not?”

Dorothea was at a loss for words.

There was no one in this world who did not know how great a being Damien Haksen was.

As a princess, Dorothea knew this even better.

That is why the moment she heard her father’s words, she had found herself convinced.

“If we use this well, our relationship with the Haksen Ducal House will become even stronger. Then we can get even closer to Damien.”

It was a natural decision for the Emperor of the Empire.

But Dorothea knew well.

The fact that her father was not making this decision purely as an emperor.

“Then I can increase the number of times I visit Damien. Perhaps I might even be invited on special occasions. Who knows? Damien might even call me for a private matter!”

In the first place, her father was a very famous follower of Damien Haksen.

Dorothea made a disgusted expression.

It was not a pleasant sight to see her middle-aged father’s eyes sparkle while talking about another man.

“If you like him that much, why don’t you just make him your son-in-law?”

“What kind of out-of-the-blue nonsense is that.”

At her father’s question, Dorothea twirled the end of her hair with her finger and said.

“I’m just saying this pretty daughter of yours is willing to put in some effort.”

Dorothea did not have any particular feelings for Damien Haksen.

But if it was her father’s request, it was not impossible for them to become lovers.

His face was quite handsome, and he was strong enough to be called a Transcendent, after all.

“You?”

It was not a question filled with surprise, asking, ‘You would really do that for me?’

It was a question filled with the mocking meaning of, ‘The likes of you?’

For a father to say to his daughter, it was an overly cynical remark.

Even Dorothea could not help but get worked up.

“Have you forgotten, Dad? Just how popular I am.”

The number of men who had courted Dorothea and been rejected, both inside and outside the Academy, easily exceeded a hundred.

This included many big names like the handsome stage actor Galric Forward, who was hailed as the future of the Imperial theater, and the playboy Kylis Older, who was said to have lovers in the double digits.

But Howard’s thoughts were completely different.

“Dorothea, I admit your looks are decent, but compared to the four women known as Damien Haksen’s women, you’re a bit lacking…”

“Excuse me, what did you say?”

At her father’s cold assessment, Dorothea got worked up again.

In truth, Dorothea was somewhat conscious of those four women.

Even excluding the fact that they were Damien Haksen’s women, all four of them were formidable.

The Sword Empress of the Empire, ‘Rachel Lichteawer.’

The Five Great Elders of the Church, ‘Agnes.’

The second Mercenary King of the Fafnir Mercenary Group, ‘Athena Hopper.’

The insane ‘Veronica Sanchez.’

Not only were all four of them powerhouses who had reached the level of Grandmaster, but they were also famous for their outstanding looks.

They were always mentioned when counting the most beautiful women on the continent.

And Dorothea? In truth, she had never even been a candidate.

‘It’s because I lack fame. Fame.’

Just as no one would know of a nation-toppling beauty if she were cooped up in the countryside.

Dorothea protected her pride in this way. In reality, it was not entirely wrong either.

“My looks don’t fall short anywhere I go, you know?”

“Uuuuhhmm.”

Despite Dorothea’s protest, Howard’s expression did not change.

“No matter how I think about it, comparing you to those four is a bit…”

“Are you really my dad?”

Dorothea was dumbfounded.

When it came to matters related to Damien Haksen, Howard would become this cold, even to his own family.

“But what if things go wrong and our relationship with Damien gets twisted.”

“The Empire would suffer a huge loss. So I understand your caution, but…”

“My relationship with Damien would become awkward. This father of yours cannot tolerate such a thing.”

“…”

Dorothea looked at her father with a dumbfounded expression.

“Just trust me on this!”

“Hmm, hmmmmmm.”

Howard looked at his daughter’s face with a serious expression, then said.

“No.”

“Ah, seriously!”

“I’ll be honest with you. At your level, you won’t even be able to beat Rachel.”

Sword Empress Rachel Lichteawer.

She was a famous figure, the third in line after the Imperial Supreme Sword and the Sword Saint.

“The reason I can’t beat her is…”

And she was also the only one of Damien Haksen’s women that Dorothea had met.

Dorothea recalled the image of Rachel she had met recently at a social gathering.

All the men at the gathering had stared at Rachel with a captivated gaze.

Even the men who had lovers.

“…It does seem a bit tough.”

“Don’t have any pointless empty dreams and just treat Theodore well.”

“It’s bothersome…”

Dorothea grumbled but ultimately decided to accept her father’s request.

She was aware that just as she enjoyed the rights of a princess, she also had many responsibilities to bear.

And so, on the day of the entrance ceremony, Dorothea headed to where Theodore was.

To be honest, she did not have high expectations before meeting him.

The great one was Damien Haksen, not his nephew, after all.

Even a great father can have a worthless son, so a nephew was even less of a guarantee.

But when she actually met Theodore Haksen, Dorothea could not help but change her mind.

‘He’s really handsome, isn’t he?’

For a young kid, he had looks that made her eyes pop.

If he looked like this now, she could only look forward to how he would change when he became an adult.

“Uh, hello.”

His shy greeting was so cute she wanted to bite him.

What she liked even more was the girl who had come to the Academy with Theodore.

“Who are you to be hitting on Theo-oppa!”

Though she had questioned her relationship with Theo out of the blue, Dorothea was not the least bit angry.

‘She’s cute too, isn’t she?’

This was because of Hazel’s adorable appearance, which was like a moving doll.

“T-To not recognize Your Highness the Princess… I have committed a crime worthy of death!”

When she was at a loss for what to do as soon as the misunderstanding was cleared up, Dorothea could not help but clutch her chest.

“Theo-oppa! I’ve never seen a princess before! What do I do!”

“That’s for you to figure out… Hey, hey, don’t cling to me.”

The way the two of them bickered was like watching a kitten and a puppy playing together.

At this moment, Dorothea had a premonition.

That taking care of Theodore would be more fun than she had thought.

After that, Dorothea continued to meet with the two, guiding them around the Academy, helping them with their studies, and providing various other forms of assistance.

“Oppa, you can’t interpret it like that here.”

Today, too, Dorothea was watching over the two as they studied.

In truth, there was not much for Dorothea to do.

Thanks to Hazel being so smart, she was taking care of all of Theodore’s studies.

‘Should I pop out and get some snacks?’

Dorothea slipped out without the two of them noticing.

She went to her room and returned with the snacks she had hidden.

But when she came back, only Theodore was in the study room.

“Theo? Where did Hazel go?”

“Ah, Dora-noona.”

At the word ‘noona,’ Dorothea’s expression loosened into a silly grin.

How could she dislike it when a cute kid called her noona.

“I was just looking at this.”

Theodore pointed to a painting hanging on one of the walls of the study room.

In the painting, Damien Haksen was holding his sword high.

And at his feet, the corpses of demons were piled up like a mountain.

“Ah, you were looking at this.”

Paintings depicting Damien Haksen’s achievements were not hard to find.

It was because they were the best-selling subject matter.

“Every time I see something like this, it really hits me. Just how amazing my uncle is.”

Theodore looked at the painting with shining eyes.

Dorothea watched him with a pleased expression.

It was then.

Something black seemed to overlap with Theodore.

Its shape was blurry and not clear, but it definitely had a form similar to a person.

The black figure blinked its red eyes and looked at the painting.

Then it slightly turned its head to look at Dorothea. And it grinned.

In that instant, Dorothea felt a shiver run down her entire body.

She hastily rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. When she looked at Theodore again, the black figure was gone.

“Noona?”

Theodore asked with a bewildered expression.

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

Dorothea said, forcing a smile.

She convinced herself that she had seen something wrong because she had stayed up too late last night reading Madame de Pompadour’s Secret Shadow.

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]