Did You Bully the Future Queen out of Jealousy? I’ll Return Those Words Exactly as They Are to His Highness, Telling Him To Think About His Future Actions.

Did You Bully the Future Queen out of Jealousy? I’ll Return Those Words Exactly as They Are to His Highness, Telling Him To Think About His Future Actions.

Raw: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n6880kx/

Raffine is, for me, a somewhat troublesome childhood friend.

The first time I met Raffine, her appearance was a girl so beautiful it opened the eyes: fluffy reddish-brown hair and emerald green eyes dazzling like fresh green leaves.

Taking into account her family situation and Raffine’s own circumstances, Raffine has been living at our Bellright ducal household since she was a child. She lives in another villa on the same grounds. That said, Raffine and I are the same age. We were originally distant relatives, and it didn’t take long for us to become close; we received instruction from the same tutor and often took meals together. We were raised like sisters. So before long I began to call her by the affectionate name “Raffy.”

Our relationship began to warp little by little and our opinions came to clash after we entered the Noble Academy at thirteen.

And now, at sixteen.
Raffine, a viscount’s daughter who is perfect in everything — studies, social graces, manners, and beauty — was loved and adored by the students throughout the academy, and she only just recently graduated, drawing the curtain on a glamorous academy life.

To be frank, for me it had been three rather troublesome years filled with inferiority complex, jealousy, and fear.

A glittering chandelier brightly illuminated every corner of the hall. That light reached even the tiniest jewels sewn into the dresses, making them give off little gleams. The frescoes on the ceiling looked down with calm expressions upon the chatter of aristocratic young ladies dressed in light garments and the graceful steps weaving through the crowd.

Having graduated from the Noble Academy, the young nobles were finally holding their debutant ball. On that special night, in the resplendent palace hall, a shout rang out like a roar.

“Claris Bellright!!”

The voice belonged to the Third Prince, Prince Alphonse. His expression was filled with anger. His green eyes were sharp and his well-formed face was distorted by emotion. At his naming, people around me retreated as if a wave had receded.

Before I could open my mouth to greet him, Prince Alphonse — who, as if the stage were set, showed a faintly satisfied look — raised his voice louder than the rest.

“Where have you hidden Raffine!? You know something, don’t you!”

“……Raffy, you say? I hid her?”

“Raffine is nowhere to be found in this venue. She would never fail to appear at her debut! You must have done something.”

A sudden murmur rippled through the crowd. If Alphonse was the most noted male student at the academy because he is of the royal family, then Raffine was unquestionably the most conspicuous among the female students. It wasn’t only Alphonse who found it strange that Raffine was not present.

However……

“I have no recollection of such a thing. Why would I think to spoil Raffy’s debut?”

“Don’t play dumb! I know you were jealous of my relationship with Raffine!”

“……………!”

I found myself at a loss for words. I never imagined Alphonse would notice.

Raffine and I acted together often at the academy. Raffine had many friends, regardless of gender, but she always took lunch with me. Also present at those lunches was Alphonse.

Soon after enrollment, Raffine’s angelic, adorable appearance became the talk of the school, and the news reached the ears of Prince Alphonse. Alphonse approached Raffine and soon began having lunch with her.

It was common knowledge that Alphonse had feelings for Raffine. And at every lunch, Raffine would deliberately offer the food served to her to Alphonse.

“Here, Prince Alphonse. Say ‘aahn’ for me?”

With a bewitching smile she scooped food from her plate with a spoon and fed it to Alphonse. Alphonse would relax his cheeks, chew, and swallow, and after watching him do so with satisfaction, Raffine would finally begin eating. That happened every day, until graduation.

I watched such scenes unfold before my eyes with complicated feelings, of course without showing them on my face.

If that feeling is to be called jealousy, then it fits. I felt so embarrassed that he's seen through me that I might have burst into flames.

As if to drive me further into agitation, Alphonse continued loudly:

“I investigated Raffine. What I found was that at Raffine’s natal viscount family, there is no fact that a daughter was born sixteen years ago!”

A great commotion spread through the hall at the unveiled secret.

“Even ten years ago, no matter how far-removed a relative she is, it is extremely unnatural that a viscount’s daughter would be entrusted to a duke’s household. The truth we can infer from this is one: Raffine is really the Duke Bellright’s secret child!? And having come to the duke’s household as an illegitimate child, Claris, you have been mistreating her all these years!?”

Someone murmured, “Could it be…the Raffine we know…?”

Raffine had certainly been a delicate-looking girl at enrollment, but as she aged she grew tall and slender. She achieved top ranks repeatedly during her studies, and her bright, sociable nature and confident bearing gave off a certain dignity. When I stood beside her, people said they couldn’t tell which of us was the duke’s daughter. The air was filled with disbelief that such a composed beauty, exuding a maturity beyond her years, had been bullied by small, modest me.

On the other hand, Raffine was undeniably beloved throughout the academy. The accusing eyes saying she could never have been bullied by me stabbed into me repeatedly. I thought I had been making efforts befitting the status of a duke’s daughter, but compared to Raffine I paled and dwindled. Being confronted with such a fact made me feel pathetic and bitter.

Still, I straightened my back and formed words.

“That is not true. Moreover, to say I mistreated her is something I have no remembrance of.”

“Then why is Raffine not here? You, jealous of my relationship with Raffine, have shut her up in the mansion, haven’t you? To stop my first dance with Raffine tonight!”

“The first dance… Your Highness, are you serious?”

To dance the first dance at a debutant ball implies engagement.

In this country, only after graduating the academy and having the debutant at sixteen does one’s engagement formality become acceptable and an engagement be officially recognized. In the past there was no age limit, but when the academy that all noble children of the country attend was established, this rule was created.

Before that, young noble children with limited social circles faced betrothals chosen by their parents. Suddenly they were thrown among many contemporaries of both sexes — and as a result:

Some realized they were ill-suited to their betrothed.
Some found their betrothed inferior to others and neglected them.
Some had affairs with others besides their betrothed.

Troubles occurred in droves, and engagement cancellations happened one after another.

Therefore, currently, after graduating from the Noble Academy and at sixteen during the debutant ball, one may finally form an engagement. However, many have matches already arranged informally between families. For high-ranking nobles, that is true in most cases.

The first dance of the debutant is also a venue to show one’s engagement partner to the public.

However……

“Raffy has no intention of becoming engaged to Your Highness.”

“That can’t be! Don’t try to fool me. Raffine has been closer to me than anyone! Whenever you foolishly tried to speak to her, Raffine would immediately step between us and interfere, showing adorable jealousy!”

“That is...”

Indeed, that was how it had been. But that was not only towards Alphonse.

Raffine would not allow it when any man took an interest in me. If a male student spoke to me, Raffine would promptly insert herself. With a deliberately cute expression and a coquettish tone she would draw attention to herself, and quickly captivate them. Seconds later, everyone would be infatuated with Raffine and lose interest in me — that was the norm.

Also… Alphonse seems to believe he alone was in a special close relationship with Raffine, but that is not so. Recently Raffine had grown quite close with three scions of high-ranking noble families who were candidates for Alphonse’s retinue. The three seemed much friendlier with Raffine than with Alphonse and had been very intimate with her. That situation had become a rumor at the academy. Only Alphonse failed to notice because distance had been kept from him.

But telling Alphonse that now would not get through to him. He would not believe what I said.

Therefore, what I must convey is:

“Raffy and Your Highness cannot be engaged, absolutely.”

“Why can you say that? Even if she is an illegitimate child, Raffine is the duke’s daughter. Statuswise there is no problem. I will soon be proclaimed Crown Prince. If Raffine becomes Crown Princess, the Duke Bellright will surely decide to announce that Raffine is his daughter.”

“That is impossible. First, Raffy is truly not my father’s child. Also, the Bellright ducal family is, as Your Highness knows, the principal faction supporting the Second Prince.”

“You still say that? It’s inconceivable that my elder brother would be proclaimed Crown Prince. If the Bellright family is willing to lose everything and fall rather than lose the power struggle, the duke would gladly become my backer.”

I grew more and more anxious as he spouted his presumptuous claims. No matter how calmly I denied it, Alphonse would not listen. It would be troublesome to have our family’s policy decided so openly here.

“Please listen, Your Highness…!”

“I declare here! I will make the perfect lady Raffine my wife and strive together for the country!!”

…he had said it.

He had said something irretrievable aloud in a loud voice in front of so many noble young ladies.

A portion of the debutantes, flushed by the excitement of the ball, cried out and cheered. Applause rose as if to support Alphonse. Pleased, Alphonse nodded triumphantly.

“Raffine will be the future Queen. Since you mistreated such a woman, Claris, you should consider carefully how you will conduct yourself from now on.”

Alphonse spat that and turned to leave. I, who could only be exasperated, retorted sharply at last.

“Isn't that His Highness?”

“What?”

Shifting my gaze to the rear of the stopped and puzzled Alphonse, from the large open doors of the hall a man entering late had everyone transfixed. In the white formal dress signifying this debutant, his short, groomed red hair glowed. The face beneath was breathtakingly beautiful────.

Unmindful of the many debutantes who gasped and were captivated as he passed, he came straight to where I stood and smiled brightly and charmingly.

“Sorry I’m late, Claris. Will you dance with me?”

When I reached to take the hand he offered with such natural manner, Alphonse — who, like others, had been staring blankly — came to his senses and cried out.

“W-who are you? There shouldn’t be a man like you at the academy.”

At that question, he opened his eyes slightly in surprise for an instant, then narrowed them and laughed amusedly.

“…Fufu. Have you forgotten your brother’s face, Alphonse?”

“Brother!? No way… elder brother!? Why are you here!?”

“Do I have to explain that too? You and I’s birthdays are only a month apart. That means today we both become debutantes; of course I’m here.”

“Still…!”

Alphonse’s face turned pale. The arrival of his elder brother, the Second Prince Rafael, left him greatly flustered. He must have taken it for granted that Rafael would never appear on the public stage again.

The Third Prince Alphonse is the child of a concubine, while the First and Second Princes are children of the principal consort. Normally, the First Prince — who showed precocious wisdom even as a child — would properly have become Crown Prince.

But the situation changed. The principal consort fell ill and passed away, and the concubine quickly gained power within the palace. Around the same time, the First Prince was poisoned. It was certainly the doing of someone under the concubine’s influence, but the maid who had been accused of poisoning never confessed and was executed; the truth remained unrevealed.

Having lost his mother and then having his brilliant elder brother killed in the palace, the Second Prince fell into illness of the heart and could not eat for fear. He left the palace for distant frontier convalescence. Since then, for ten years the Second Prince had never appeared.

During that time, supporters for the Third Prince increased, and it had been thought Alphonse’s position was secure.

The debutant’s first dance also serves as a public presentation of the engagement partner. If I danced with the Second Prince Rafael, it would be tantamount to the premier ducal House of Bellright declaring itself a backer. Alphonse’s supposedly rock-solid claim to the succession might become precarious.

────He must have realized that. Alphonse began to speak in haste.

“Claris, you…! Are you trying to spite me because I chose Raffine? Your elder brother is only using you! He just wants the Bellright ducal backing. And yet you take the hand of some suddenly appearing stranger you don’t even know!?”

“……Using me, you say.”

How many times had I wished that? I thought perhaps it would be better if he used my position. But────.

I did not hesitate to take Rafael’s hand, who smiled at me with a troubled look. The moment I did, a roar of applause filled the hall. The sound was far greater than the applause directed at Alphonse earlier.

“W-what…! Why is everyone supporting my elder brother!? Even though, as the Second Prince, he should have only just shown himself today!”

“Prince Alphonse. Haven’t you noticed yet? This man is not someone you don’t know. Right, Raffy?”

“……Raffine?”

Alphonse stared at Rafael in puzzlement. It was ironic — Alphonse had boasted of being closest to Raffine, yet many of the debutants had already long noticed the truth.

“Could it be? My elder brother is Raffine!?”

“Makeup can really change your face, huh. It’s been so long since I went out barefaced in public that I was embarrassed to come in here; I lacked the courage.”

“Well… is that the reason you were late?”

“Oh no. I said too much. I wanted Claris to think I looked wonderful, so I fussed over my hair and outfit.”

“Raffy looks wonderful however he appears.”

That was my honest feeling. Raffy lowered his head shyly as if to hide his embarrassment.

“You always see only my shabby side, so today I wanted to look stylish.”

“I’ve always thought you were stylish, you know.”

“Even now I’m a pathetic man who can’t eat anywhere but the Bellright ducal household unless I have someone taste the food for poison?”

“……Raffy……”

I had never imagined Rafael, or rather Raffy, thought like that. I had always wanted to be of help to Raffy.

I remembered the first day I met Raffy.

Introduced by my father as a daughter from a distant relative placed in our care, Raffy, whose bright appearance seemed cheerful, had eyes full of extreme fear. Even my mother and my brother, three years older than me, treated Raffy as if touching a swelling; they were cautious and measured their distance. Now that I think back, unlike my childish self at the time, they must have been responding with awareness of Raffy’s true position, but I could only feel sorry for Raffy then. When I learned he would not eat at all, I secretly brought my own lunch to the annex.

At that time I truly believed Raffy was being mistreated by my mother and brother and not being given proper meals. In reality he could not eat because of fear of poison, but because I ate the same food before him, he gradually began to eat the ducal household’s meals.

To me, Raffy was a cute, little-sister-like person I wanted to protect.

I shared with him my favorite jewelry and had matching dresses made. He fussed and said he did not want to be alone, and together with the tutor we learned lady-like manners and the basics of being nobles.

When we had become thoroughly close, he revealed his true identity as a prince and I was bewildered, but…

Still, it was true that I always intended to protect Raffy.

When he entered the academy and my father suggested that Raffy, as a likely next Crown Prince candidate, should return to his true position, I was the one who persuaded him otherwise. Because I was terrified — terrified of Raffy getting involved in conflict and being harmed like his elder brother.

When Raffy decided he wanted to become Crown Prince and made that determination, I had decided I would become her fiancée to back him. So I wanted him to remain a viscount’s daughter for a little longer.

At our first lunchtime after enrollment, seeing Raffy stop his hand over the served food with a pale face, I thought my decision had not been wrong. But when I offered to taste the food for poison, Raffy shook his head and…

“If by any chance you, Claris, were to fall instead of me, that would be far more terrifying to me. I will never let that happen. I don’t want to always be protected by Claris anymore.”

At that moment there was a definite light of determination in Raffy’s eyes.

Not only as the eldest daughter of the premier ducal house, but I worked on myself to become a person of worth. After enrollment I worked even harder. I believed that would allow me to support Raffy. But Raffy always surpassed me. He took top marks, perfected his manners, built his network. He skillfully toyed with Alphonse and had him act as a taster, solving the luncheon problem. As graduation approached, he revealed his true identity to the capable scions thought to be Alphonse’s retinue and drew them to him side.

He grew strong on his own without needing my power. I kept watching him from the sidelines. Frustration and loneliness and a little envy swirled within me. Sometimes we argued when I clung to doing everything by myself. I suppose I was afraid of Raffy drifting away from me.

Raffy still harbored an unshakeable fear of poison. Even over many years I could not fully dispel it. If nothing else, I wanted to use my position as a duke’s daughter to back him toward becoming Crown Prince. Even if he no longer needed me, even if Raffy’s foundation was already secure, I wanted, even if just a little, to be of help.

“Raffy. I promise the Bellright ducal household will be your backing. I know more than anyone that you are fit to become Crown Prince.”

I raised my voice so those around could hear.

At that moment the hall was wrapped in the evening’s loudest cheers and applause. Amidst that, the leading figure, Raffy, slightly frowned and leaned close to my ear.

“Claris. Don’t get me wrong, the reason I need you isn’t because you are a duke’s daughter.”

When I looked up at Raffy to ask the true meaning of those words, his emerald eyes looked straight at me.

“Claris, you protected me and even wanted to give me everything you have. That’s why I have been training to become strong enough to be able to give anything to Claris and to protect Claris myself. I worked hard so I could become Crown Prince without needing your power. Now that it has finally borne fruit and I have been recognized by His Majesty. That’s why I invited you to dance today. Do you understand?”

I widened my eyes in astonishment. If what Raffy said was true, the announcement of the succession was imminent. He had lined everything up and stood here for that purpose. All of it for me.

Whether or not Alphonse had heard this confession, he, showing signs of agitation, stepped in front of me.

“…Claris! Wake up! You liked me, didn’t you!? There’s still time! I will be your dance partner…!”

It was clear Alphonse was the one trying to exploit my position now. I stopped Raffy, who was trying to step forward as if to protect me, with my eyes and stood before Alphonse. Then I said firmly:

“I never once liked Prince Alphonse. Even if you obtained the backing of the Bellright ducal household, I think it would be difficult for someone who publicly disparages a duke’s daughter based on mere suspicion to become Crown Prince. We will have the ducal household file a formal protest regarding tonight’s matter at a later date.”

When I smiled gently, Alphonse, still looking dreadful, was left speechless. Turning my back on the frozen Alphonse, Raffy leaned over and peered at my face with a pout.

“Tonight, at least, couldn’t you have let me look cool until the end?”

“I told you. Raffy is always cool.”

I said that and smiled to soothe him.

Because of Raffy, I had spent three years battling troublesome emotions. I was jealous when Alphonse took over the taster role, felt threatened by Raffy’s attention-seeking behavior, and worried constantly about his life. The thought that everything was going just as Raffy wanted naturally annoyed me. I too wanted to be stubborn just a little.

Contrary to my feelings, Raffy, as if to show off to those around, offered his hand in an exaggerated manner.

“Claris, I love you. Once again, dance with me, please.”

His clear voice rang out, and Raffy smiled in the most dashing way. I, dazzled, accepted and gripped his hand.