Elf Koushaku wa Noroware Reijo wa Iyaiya Metoru

Hydrangea called Verbena to hear her report about Violette.

“Miss Violette is─”
“She is my wife now”
“So, you have been given permission”
“Of course. Because I even lowered my head”

Verbena clears her throat, straightens her back, and resumes her report.

“Eh～, and so, just before noon  madam returned to her human form. After that, she tried to go outside while strolling in the garden, but that was not possible because of Master’s barrier. She looked dejected and had eaten her entire lunch. She looked dejected and ate the entire lunch.

Despite her depression, she seemed to have a good appetite. He nodded his head and put it down as a good thing, while stifling a laugh. Violette seemed to be a strong girl to the end bitter end.

“In the afternoon, I guided her around the mansion. We walked around with five attendants, so you don’t have to worry about she coming in contact with men”
“Hmm”
“The two areas that interested Madam the most were the basement preparation room and the study room of the magic books. Of course, we did not enter those rooms”

It seems that she could not hide her interest in magic, and she was asking a lot of questions, such as whether it is still used and at what kind of times it is used.

“She seemed to be very curious about magic and couldn’t wait to learn more about it. Unfortunately, I am not very good at magic, so I couldn’t give her a satisfactory explanation”
“I see”

In the evening, she took her dress measurements, wrote letters to her brother and sister-in-law, and then took a break to have a cup of tea.

“What should we do with the madam’s letter?”
“Just send it as it is. It’s probably not a big deal anyway”
“Understood”

Finally, he gave order to Verbena.

“Ask her every morning if there is anything she wants. Make sure she have everything she need. If she wants, she can even invite companions around her own age to talk”

But he can’t give her freedom. He hope she can be patient with that point.

“Umm, what about teaching the madam magic?”
“That’s up to her. If she want me to teach her magic, I can teach her anytime”
“Then, I will let her know”
“I leave it to you”

Verbena bowed and left.
When he looked into the crystal again, Violette was chatting happily with the attendants. What on earth are they talking about? He was envious.
It is possible to pick up voices through the crystal. But Hydrangea did not do it.

He could get a good idea of what they were talking about by looking at their facial expressions. There was no need to probe to that extent.
As far as it goes, he gave minimum consideration to her personal life.

◇◇◇

At dinner time, Violette appeared in an evening dress that was open at the chest. The honey-orange dress looks great with the bright red ribbon tied around the neck.

Her beautiful golden hair was braided on both sides and tied at the back of her head. Her makeup was heavier than in the morning, but it was sophisticated enough to highlight her beauty.

Her anger at Hydrangea did not seem to have subsided, and she was staring at the person she glared at with a piercing gaze that seemed to pierce his brow.

“Today, I opened a bottle of hundred-year-old wine”
“Wow, so luxurious. Are you celebrating something?”
“We are celebrating our marriage”
“!?”

Violette blinked her blue eyes and muttered her disbelie in trembling voice.

“T-There is no way that marriage certificate with nothing but a paw print can be accepted─”
“There is. His Majesty accepted it”

The King’s decision cannot be overturned. This marriage is now firmly sealed.

“How can it be─”
“What are you dissatisfied with this marriage?”
“Eh?”
“I will support your family, Count Northpole house, and I will not let you have any problem with daily necessities. You can buy as much jewelry as you like, and it won’t ruin the Duke’s family, you can also have a new fashion dress made every month”

As a noblewoman, she could not have asked for a better marriage than this.

“That’s true…… but I……”
“Did you want to marry someone you like? Such marriage will never happen in a noble society”
“T-That’s not it!”

Her face turns red and she refutes.
When she shows her emotions just like this, she looked like a 19-years old girl.

“Then, what do you hate?”
“Because, you brought me here like you were kidnapping me, and when I think about it, there is no way I will marry someone who casted a terrible spell on onii-sama……”
“The reason I brought you forcibly was because I have bad premonition. I can’t explain it to you because it’s my intuition. And the reason I casted a spell on Count Northpole was because he didn’t answer my questions”
“Was it confession spell?”
“So you know it well”
“What exactly did you want to hear from onii-sama?”

He didn’t answer Violette’s question, but asked her instead. Why was Count Northpole house so impoverished that they could not afford to buy firewood?

“T-That’s because…… onii-sama was giving money to a vile merchant to protect father’s honor…… It’s something that I eavesdropped though”
“No, I don’t think that is all. I wanted to hear what happened afterwards. What do you think?”
“Eh?”
“Something that your brother and late father are trying to protect, isn’t it you?”
“Me?”

He couldn’t help but think that the incomprehensible behavior of her father, Silane’s assault on the vile merchant seems to have something to do with Violette’s curse.

But, how it was connected was unpredictable.
The dots and lines didn’t connect anywhere. It was a case of enigma called mystery.

“Let me change the question. I heard that your curse began ten years ago. Do you still remember about that time?”
“….. Nothing”
“Hm?”
“I don’t remember anything”

Ten years ago, she already in her form when she realized, and it seems that she didn’t return to her human form for six months.

“I was in despair, thinking that I would only be in the cat form for the rest of my life”

However, one day, Violette returned to her human form.

“And then, my father and brother spoiled me more than ever”

Violette spent her childhood pampered like a princess.

“But that was the price of freedom”

To hide her curse, Violette was not allowed to leave the house. She was even forbidden to invite her friends to her house.

“But, I always lived happily─”

But all of it crumbled after Silane’s death.
The vile merchant demands more money, and the wealth of Count Northpole house decreased quickly.

Five years later, now they were too poor to buy firewood.
The servants resigned rapidly because they could no longer afford to pay their salaries, and Violette couldn’t afford a new dress, so she had to modify her mother dress and wear them.

“I have a curse that turns me into a cat, and causes trouble for my brother and sister-in-law─”

Violette was bewildered and frustrated.

“The marriage with you also came so suddenly”

Violette was brought into a new environment without being able to sort her feelings, was truly pitiful.

“What should I do from now on?”
“Learn magic. Maybe, you can suppress the curse”
“Suppress the curse?”
“That’s right. It may be difficult to break the curse, but it may be possible to suppress its activation”

It was difficult to break a curse that has never been seen before just as difficult to catch a star in the night sky.
However, no matter what the curse, there are means to suppress its activation.
If she can control the curse, he can allow her to go out.

“Are you going to teach me magic?”
“That’s what I say. In exchange for teaching you magic, you will pretend to be my wife. Let’s make this as our marriage contract”

Violette turned her face down for a moment. In the meantime, he declared.

“I’ll tell you one thing. I am not your enemy”

He could not say that He was an ally, but what is certain now is that He was not an enemy.
Violette’s shoulders were shaking when she heard his declaration. He thought she was crying─but she was not.
She raised her head again and looked at Hydrangea with no hesitation In her eyes.

“so, what will you do?”
“I will learn magic and suppress this curse!”

Hydrangea was dazzled by Violette’s strength.
At the same time, he wondered whether he could do well in the future with such a strong-willed wife.
The decision was made by Hydrangea. There is no turning back.

With a wry smile, he raised his wine glass and said to Violette.

“Well then, let’s celebrate. For our marriage, cheers”

Violette looked at Hydrangea as if challenging hom, and raised her wineglass.

TLN : Only 1 chapter for this week because my monitor was broken and I can only see less than half of the screen which makes the translation hard to do. I will do my best to release at least 1 chapter/week until I fix this problem.