I Proposed to My Childhood Friend After Regressing - Chapter 63

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

After My Regression, I Proposed to My Childhood Friend
Chapter 63
The “Young Master’s Love Affair,” which had set hearts aflutter from the servants all the way up to Marquis Downer, had finally come to an end, and the day of Beatrice’s return to the Capital had arrived at last.
“You’ve been working hard since morning. Are all the preparations for departure complete?”
“Your Highness, Lord Dalton! Good morning to you! Yes, I’ve confirmed the escort routes and supplies.”
“The Knight Order has finished its personnel count as well. As for the servants, Lady Nao, our head attendant, is still verifying them. Ah, there she comes now!”
Through the bustle of people completing final checks, Beatrice and Lady Nao emerged, walking side by side.
Accompanying them were the Marquis, whose expression seemed rather sullen, and Count Sharon, who appeared somewhat embarrassed.
“Ah, no matter how I think about it, it’s such a waste. Young master, you don’t have any thoughts of divorce yet, do you?”
“Bernard!”
“No, I’m just asking in case, just asking! We should at least say we don’t mind such things, shouldn’t we, so we can put our minds at ease!”
“No matter how you look at it, asking such a question of newlyweds is improper! And there are many eyes watching here!”
“Now that I think about it, Count Sharon here shares similar traits with Gallotin. You both lack backbone. That’s why I deliberately spoke quietly! Besides, there’s nothing wrong with asking such things beforehand. Isn’t that right, young lady?”
As if to shut out the noise, he plugged one ear and turned his agreement toward Beatrice.
Beatrice let out a small laugh at his question and gave a light nod.
“Yes, of course. Should that person ever treat me poorly and we end up parting ways, I’ll be sure to visit the Marquis Territory first.”
“That’s right! Well thought out. We’re better than most of the nobility in the Capital, aren’t we!”
The Marquis seemed satisfied with Beatrice’s answer.
“Sigh, it’s lovely to see you two getting along so well. I suppose I should go meet my own daughter. Astrid! Lord Dalton!”
“Ha ha ha! It seems I cannot win, so I’m making my escape!”
Watching the reluctant Count Sharon and the seemingly satisfied Marquis, Beatrice recalled what had happened not long before.
When Beatrice had headed to the Greenhouse to reveal her true identity to Cassian.
Clyde and Crowell had sought out the Marquis together.
Since Beatrice had decided to trust Cassian and confess the truth to him, they judged that the Marquis, as the territory’s lord, should also know of this fact.
It was the right thing to do, and it would also keep Beatrice safe from any lingering remnants of the Empress’s faction.
As it turned out, his judgment proved sound in multiple respects.
By explaining the reason the Empress had sent a Secret Envoy and the fact that both he and the Marquis had learned the truth only later, the Marquis was able to avoid feeling betrayed or displeased—that was one thing. And the other was….
‘Hmm, but wouldn’t that look a bit odd?’
‘What do you mean, sir?’
‘Well… you see, while eating breakfast, my son said he was about to make a confession soon, so I arranged the Greenhouse in just the right atmosphere for him to confess.’
The other matter was that Cassian had apparently been aware that he would confess his feelings to her.
As Beatrice recalled that story, she also remembered the excuse Clyde had added.
‘Bia, when you hear such a story, what do you think a husband who loves his wife should do?’
‘Hmm….’
‘The answer is to dash into the Greenhouse and butt in without any sense of the moment.’
He did say that, certainly….
‘But his expression and actions seemed like more than just an excuse….’
….They seemed far too genuine.
Beatrice’s gaze drifted briefly toward Clyde, who was conferring with Count Sharon and his daughter about something.
‘I may have been mistaken.’
As she tried to find traces of that day in his always-perfect face and carefully composed demeanor.
“Ha ha ha!”
The Marquis, who had been bursting into hearty laughter beside her, suddenly grabbed her shoulder firmly.
“That’s right, young lady.”
“Yes?”
“Before I send you off, there’s something I need to say to you.”
Along with the warm body heat transmitted through his large hand, the Marquis’s piercing gaze fell upon her.
“You’ve worked hard. I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for our Marquis Territory.”
“Oh….”
Beatrice’s eyes widened in surprise at his unexpected words. The Marquis continued without waiting for her reply, shrugging his shoulders as he spoke.
“Of course, I’m also grateful to Your Highness and Lord Dalton over there. Judging by the scale of the Monsters that attacked, this place would have been reduced to rubble without those two.”
“….Yes, quite so.”
Beatrice lightly affirmed the Marquis’s words.
Had Clyde not prepared in advance, the many troops stationed in the territory would have found it difficult to contribute as effectively as they had.
Having many soldiers and deploying them in the right place were two entirely different matters.
“Hmph! Are you defending your husband now?”
“….”
“Well, never mind. In any case, my gratitude toward those two and my gratitude toward you are different things. Didn’t our people seem to be thanking you excessively?”
The Marquis laughed knowingly at the expression on Beatrice’s face, which suggested she understood what he meant.
“That would be it. Repelling a Monster attack is something we’ve been doing our entire lives. No matter how much damage, we would have beaten them back. But the problem you solved was different. It was an enemy you couldn’t see.”
We didn’t know where to start or how to solve it, and we couldn’t judge what information to trust.
“There are things you can only obtain by enduring hardship. Grain is like that, and so are the bones and flesh of beasts, and a safe place to sleep with one’s limbs stretched out in peace.”
The Marquis, whose eyes bore a striking resemblance to Cassian’s, opened his mouth with grave seriousness as he gazed at the two of them.
“I don’t know much about magic or such things. Cassian once said he would be of help to the Marquis Territory someday, but I thought that would happen after he inherited my position.”
“….”
“After the late Empress’s passing, His Majesty the Emperor held a state marriage with the current Empress despite the opposition of the Traditionalist Faction and others. At the time, I wondered why he was creating such a troublesome situation, but now I understand a bit.”
How could one guarantee that the empire would never face such danger?
The Marquis fell silent for a moment as he said this.
“Well, the point is that I and our house will repay this debt when the time comes. If those Traditionalist Faction dogs are involved in this incident, all the better.”
He grinned as if he would crush them the moment they were found, then patted Beatrice’s shoulder repeatedly—encouragement that was more than friendly and almost made her wince.
“Oof!”
“How will you make it to the Capital in such a weakened state! Next time I see you, you’d better be sturdier! And if you’re divorced by then, even better.”
“Miss Kruger! Astrid says it’s time to board the carriage soon!”
At Count Sharon’s call, the Marquis gestured for her to go, pushing her back.
Beatrice moved toward the carriage, then turned back to look at the House of Downer and the people standing there.
From the Marquis Downer, whose face she had not known until recently, to Count Sharon, who now wore a bright smile unlike the funeral before her regression, and even to the remaining healers who came running from the annex, waving their hands.
Though Cassian and Clara, Count Sharon’s daughter, had not come to see her off, Beatrice’s pocket held Letters they had given her, tucked safely away.
‘…This feeling really is strange.’
Feeling something heavy settle in her chest, much as she had when she first received farewells from Count Sharon and the others, Beatrice lifted her skirts slightly and offered a bow.
It felt like a final farewell to the stigma of the “Cursed Marquis Territory” that had lasted so long.
And as Beatrice said her goodbyes to everyone in the Marquis Territory.
“Valois, my beloved brother. I have one request. At the wedding, would you become my ‘Blue Thing’ along with Beatrice?”
“Ha! So you do have the nerve to show your face to me, and now you want me to become your ‘Blue Thing’? Sister, what exactly are you asking me to do?”
“Come on, don’t be angry. I came with good intentions. If you’ll just become my ‘Blue Thing’ this time, then….”
New movements were stirring in the Capital as well.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————