My Fiancee Was the Villainess of This World

25 – Pandemic

Martin brought up the story of the exchange meeting that had been postponed because he was lost in the witch’s forest.

But the words that came out of Martin’s mouth were the kind of direction I wasn’t expecting.

“… Are you saying we have to postpone the exchange meeting because of Kyle’s absence?”

“Yes, Your Highness…. The reason was that if I did a little more, enlightenment would be within reach.”

In my previous life, I was able to grasp the context more quickly than I thought, whether or not I could have omitted the beginning part to grasp the flow of development.

That’s why I know it simply, but when the heroine and Kyle have a conversation, the story about Ludwig, the son of the chancellor, comes out as one of the topical options.

There, Kyle says, ‘I retreated to the mountain for half a year to train—’ and makes a statement that feels sorry for not being able to share the pain Ludwig went through.

Yes, this is the right part.

‘… Sooner or later.’

While Kyle is wielding his sword in a mountain, the chancellor’s wife contracts a contagious disease and wanders between her death and eventually loses her life.

In this process, the chancellor turns his back on the empire, and Ludwig wonders whether he should stop his father or leave him alone.

And Kyle, who did not know anything, hears this rumor after her descent, and since it has already been over, her relationship with Ludwig is described as turning sour.

‘Don’t be impatient. Suffice. I’m sure it will.’

It took about a month to regain lost credibility as the crown prince, solve the immediate problem, and prepare a way out.

I did my best to reach this point.

So you have to believe.

“Your Highness?”

“Didn’t the exchange meeting also suggest a better achievement in the end? If there is a better way, you don’t have to be in bondage. Just-“

I will never forget the expression on Martin’s face as he smiled slyly while explaining the exchange meeting.

“Why did you put on such a strange expression when you proposed the exchange meeting?”

Is it because of the word strange expression?

Martin got a really complicated expression and started to busily play with his hands.

Then he sighed deeply and covered my eyes with his hand.

“… Was it that strange expression?”

“This was the look of the maids who like trivial stories in Biryong Hall.”

“Coke!”

Martin trembled at the lips he couldn’t cover with his hand.

Then, with a sigh, he gently shook his head.

“… I heard that Your Highness is working to improve relations with Miss Priscilla.”

“Hmm, so?”

“An exchange meeting is like a social gathering after all. So I tried to invite Miss Priscilla under one pretext or another.”

It seems that Martin intended to invite Priscilla to an exchange meeting to further strengthen the relationship between me and Priscilla.

I knew of Kyle and Ludwig’s existence beforehand, but if Priscilla had come to the exchange meeting, she would have been surprised.

“… It has become meaningless.”

“… Yes.”

But now, it wouldn’t surprise me if she appeared at the exchange meeting.

That’s because Priscilla is staying in the Biryong Hall, and in the room next to me.

“As expected, the world seems to be a law that goes back to the way things are.”

Is it the order of the world for me and a witch to get involved?

… I don’t know how to react, Martin.

“Kuhm. So, a little more in the future-“

Although it was time for a light break, Martin started explaining how to proceed with the next class.

Martin looked really happy.

A tutor is a job after all.

How can you be so happy?

I couldn’t help but ask because it was so strange.

“Did you enjoy teaching?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Martin shared his belief that knowledge is valuable only when it is passed on to future generations.

It was such a great speech that you could feel his passion for education.

“Then you should have knocked on Soleil’s door.”

Soleil, which can teach hundreds or thousands of students, would be more desirable than teaching one or two students.

“Like the army, Your Highness.”

Like the military?

“… Is it a story about setting the slowest student as a reference point?”

Martin nodded his head proudly.

“Yes, Your Highness. Not all students are the same as Your Highness.”

“… It should be. Wouldn’t that make the future of the empire bright?”

“No, Your Highness. It didn’t mean anything like that. Just-“

Martin stuck his tongue out at the absurd pace of the class I was digesting.

“Honestly, I never thought I would digest it this far. I was dubious when the Prime Minister said that if Your Highness puts in his best, there will definitely be good results….”

The prime minister was giving me such a high opinion?

If you were going to pay that high, wouldn’t it be okay if I gave you a generous amount of consolation money to hand over to the sanitation department!

His acknowledgment that he would calculate and pay for the hours he worked on the weekend as overtime pay. Recalling his headless figure, I unknowingly clicked his tongue.

His teeth gnashed even more because it seemed that money would be drained out of his pocket.

But Martin lowered his head with a sense of urgency, as if he had misunderstood my expression.

“Sorry. It was just pure curiosity. I heard rumors that the reason Your Highness regained his former intelligence was Miss Priscilla, so I wanted to meet and talk with her at least once.”

I guess he wanted to see how Priscilla and I lived.

“… Martin. Do you usually read a lot of books about love between a man and a woman?”

“Yes, there are many very good books.”

Martin said that calmly and then turned the subject away.

… Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he is not married despite his age.

That’s why I decided to match his unnatural change of topic.

“It’s called a book—”

That was the car I was having a light chat with Martin.

It’s about time for the afternoon tea time….

‘I’ll have to call Priscilla.’

Priscilla seems to have had quite a bit of fun living as her lady-in-waiting, but it seemed like it would be a bit complicated to show that to someone other than me.

So today, I asked another lady-in-waiting to serve tea during tea time, and I think it would be okay to formally introduce Priscilla to Martin at this point.

Having made that decision, I immediately conveyed my intention to the lady-in-waiting outside her study.

Shortly thereafter, Priscilla came to the study with her tea set.

“Excuse me, Maximilian.”

In fact, when Martin met Priscilla for the first time, he looked a little surprised.

In particular, the most surprising thing was the maid dress Priscilla was wearing. I repeated the act of looking at me and then at Priscilla three times.

Then he nodded heavily with an expression of understanding.

It was a very strange expression calling for a fist despite his age close to immortality.

“Let me formally introduce myself. This is my fiancee, Priscilla. Priscilla, this is Martin, who gives me a taste of hell every day.”

Cook-Cook.

Priscilla covered her mouth slightly and let out her laugh, and then she came back to her senses and greeted Martin gracefully.

“My name is Priscilla Lou Arvest van Istria.”

“My name is Martin Louberta Pan Nostria. Thank you, Miss Priscilla.”

After greeting each other, we decided to start our tea time.

The back and forth story wasn’t great.

However, the fact that the center of the topic was me was a little uncomfortable.

“Yes, as Miss Priscilla said, I was really surprised. I never thought I’d be able to make it this far with self-study….”

“It was a rainy day. Maximilian-sama—”

It was a sight that reminded me of the parents of the previous life bragging about their son to the people around them.

It was a very difficult feeling to express, but—

‘Not bad.’

hahahahaha!

When I thought I was getting a fair evaluation after a long time, I felt a satisfied smile on my face.

It was the moment when tea time began to ripen in such a friendly atmosphere.

Smart.

There are many customers in the study today.

Thinking of that, I asked for a guest, and a member of the sanitation department appeared with the data in his arms.

“Your Highness, these are the materials you requested.”

After lightly scanning the data he gave me, I decided to ask the name of the man whose name I did not yet know.

“What is your name?”

“My name is Jackson, Your Highness.”

“Jackson, you worked hard. Don’t forget the hard work of the Sanitation Department.”

“I will not forget the warmth of the sun, Your Highness!”

The personnel of the sanitation department left the study behind, showing genuine joy.

After keeping my eyes on him, I quietly put away the materials he had been researching.

“Is this material related to an epidemic?”

“After experiencing the epidemic in the Countess of Genoa with my own body, I don’t think I can easily pass it over.”

… For a moment.

Now, here is Martin, who is trusted by the chancellor, and Priscilla, who is evaluated as a skill comparable to Dior.

There are talented people like this, so why try to take on everything by yourself?

I am different from my father who is called the wise king.

You should get some advice here.

I immediately ordered the lady-in-waiting outside to bring me the book I had set aside.

“I would like to ask for your advice. No, let’s play a simple game.”

“A game, you mean?”

“A game?”

“Yes, it is a simple game. It’s a game that assumes what would happen if an epidemic broke out in the empire.”

As if aiming with a pinpointer, a book about three infectious diseases and detailed information on their treatment.

Since the material was too vivid to be dismissed as a game, there was considerable tension in the faces of the two.

“Think of it as a game. However, it is a game that assumes the worst case you can think of.”

A catastrophe is so great that the chancellor’s wife loses her life.

We have no choice but to assume the worst case.

“… I guess I have to teach a special class today.”

Martin unbuttoned his sleeve with a serious expression.

The will to do everything in his power stood out.

Seeing that, Priscilla also took her headband off her head and put on a serious expression.

It was an expression of her will to do her best as a lady of a noble family, not as a lady-in-waiting.

There is less than half a year left.

In such a short amount of time, even if the empire’s capabilities were fully mobilized, it was impossible to prepare for all three epidemics.

The best is one, the second best is two.

A decision is being made here today that could cost at least tens of thousands of lives.

“Let’s start the game.”

A game in which defeat is not acceptable has begun.