TPCM 02

Chapter 2

These dresses are so hard to move in.
At least when I get home, I want to change into something comfortable right away.
Do they have sweatpants here? …Yeah, probably not. Sigh.

“Hey, you!”

What’s he thinking, making a kid drag around something this heavy?
If I stop growing because of this, who’ll take responsibility?
What if I get all muscular instead—wait, muscular… muscle… hmm…

“I said hey, you idiot!!”

“Hm?”

While my parents and brother were busy greeting people, I slipped away to rest alone on the balcony.
Then some brat suddenly started talking to me from behind.
I ignored him, thinking no way he’s talking to me, but then he grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him.
I almost threw him on reflex—but I held back. Barely.

His vivid red hair swayed slightly, and from his catlike, upturned eyes shone sharp, blazing red pupils.
Overall, his face was well-proportioned—handsome, I guess.
Not my type, though.
This must be today’s birthday boy. Oh, so he can talk after all.

“I’ve been calling out to you this whole time! Why didn’t you turn around? I was talking to you, you know!”

He was talking to me… as if doing me a favor?
What’s with this kid, acting like a king just because it’s his birthday?
Acting royal for one day—wait, royal…
Oh yeah. Now I remember who he reminds me of.
One of the capture targets—the arrogant one.

Even his own sister used to complain: “Ugh, you’re so pushy!” with this weird giggling—“hehe… huhuhu… fufufu…”—as if she secretly liked it.
He was a total ‘my way or the highway’ type, with a full harem at school.
He treated beautiful girls like servants, giving them nicknames like chair, drink, and… wait.

Wait.
Wait.
Wait—no way.

The fragments of my past-life memories flickered vividly.
The girl he called “Chair,” the one he literally sat on—her appearance…
Her bangs used to fall softly over her face, with straight-cut sidelocks like some odd princess hairstyle.
Not exactly the same as the still image I remember, but close enough.
The long, straight silver hair—
That’s… me.
The silvery lashes, the big drooping golden eyes—
That’s also me.
The soft pink lips curved in a blissful smile as she was used as a chair—
That is not me. Absolutely not.

Still… my current face and that girl’s appearance completely overlap.
She was never even called by name—just “Chair” or “Slave.”
In other words, a background extra.
And a pervert’s victim.

“Are you even listening!?”

God, he’s irritating.
This brat… what the hell is he going to do to me—or was going to do?
No, this time I can definitely avoid it.
Thank you, rock, for hitting my head and restoring my memory.

“My apologies. What is it that you wanted… um…”

What was this guy’s name again? I don’t remember.

“It’s Ruid Seek!”

So, Ruid Seek, huh.
He’s turning red with anger—looks like he’s about to stomp the floor.
He’s basically one big red blob at this point.
Well, fair enough, it is rude not to know the host’s name at his own party.
I’ll just have to bluff my way through this.

“I sincerely apologize. I was unsure if it would be proper to address you by name upon first meeting. Please forgive my rudeness, Lord Seek.”

“Hmph. Fine, whatever. So? Why are you hanging out here all alone? Everyone else is fawning over me—are you too shy or something?”

No, idiot. You’re just annoying. I don’t even want to talk to you anymore.

“I’m not being shy. I simply see no reason to flatter you or join that crowd.”

He froze, mouth open.
What a funny face.

“Why don’t you rejoin your crowd, Lord Seek? Don’t mind me.”

“Wha—!!”

Now he’s even redder. Like, full-on scarlet.
Why’s he so worked up?
If I recall correctly, he was the type who loved being surrounded by girls, but eventually fell for the heroine’s resistance and occasional kindness.
Yeah, I remember hearing that story over and over.
Still makes no sense to me.

“Would you please let go of my arm? This is sexual harassment.”

“Don’t mess with me! I’m Seek! Don’t you want me to like you?!”

“No.”

“Wha—!”

Again with the “wha”!
And he’s still not letting go. His grip’s getting tighter too…

“My arm.”

“Huh?”

“Let go. Now.”

When I glared at him, unable to hide my irritation, his eyes widened and he finally realized how hard he was squeezing me.
When he let go, my arm was slightly red.

“Ah…”

He suddenly looked flustered, glancing between my face and my reddened arm.
Guess he panicked a bit.

“It’s fine. I won’t tell anyone. You should go back now—wouldn’t want the party to be lonely without its guest of honor.”

I smiled politely—completely fake, of course—and turned him around, giving him a light push.
But for some reason, he wouldn’t move.
Even when I pushed harder, he stood firm, like a mountain.
Come on, move already, you idiot.

“I don’t want to go back…”

“Huh? Why not?”

What is this, mood swings?
His slumped shoulders suddenly looked kind of gloomy.
Come to think of it, he’d been in a bad mood since the start—maybe there’s a reason.
Okay, fine. Maybe I shouldn’t judge him just yet. He does eventually become the jerk who treats people like furniture, but right now he’s still just a kid.

“All those people who only care about my looks or my status… They make me sick. It’s disgusting.”

“I see.”

He suddenly turned to face me, staring in surprise.
The anger from earlier was gone—he just looked confused now.
So he can look kind of cute, huh.
I only ever saw his “king surrounded by girls” phase, but I guess there was a time he was still like this.

“That’s all you have to say?”

“What else can I say? If you’ve got looks and status, of course people will gather around you.
If you don’t like it, just keep a little distance.
Still, it’s a waste—you might overlook someone genuine.”

“A waste?”

“If you reject everyone from the start, you’ll miss the people who aren’t just after you for shallow reasons.”

“…Do those people even exist?”

“I dunno. Why don’t you find out yourself?
If you look closely, maybe you’ll find a gem hidden among the stones.”

“‘Gem’… and what’s with that ‘I dunno’? You don’t sound like a noble lady at all.”

Ah! I messed up!
Right, I’m supposed to be a Marquis’s daughter.
A proper lady wouldn’t say “I dunno.”

“My apologies. Please forget that.”

“It’s fine. I like you better that way. No one’s ever talked to me like this before…”

“But if people find out a Marquis’s daughter talks like this…”

“I won’t tell anyone! Don’t underestimate me!”

“Heh… good boy.
What’s wrong? You lashing out because you’re lonely and tired of people who just want to get close to you?
Or maybe you’re just pretending to be the perfect version of yourself so people won’t leave you?”

“…Huh?”

“Eh?”

Crap. I said that out loud.
And he looks mad.
Like, shaking-like-an-angry-kitten mad.
I really shouldn’t have said that!

“Sorry! I went too far, didn’t I? I’m sorry!”

I rubbed his back to calm him, and he suddenly lifted his head, staring straight at me.
His eyes sparkled a little.

“You don’t have to apologize. You really are the first person who’s ever talked to me like this… Are you the same? Do you get close to people, only to have them talk behind your back?”

“No, not really. I don’t go out much, so I wouldn’t know.
But if someone talks behind your back, isn’t it good to find out before you get close to them?
People like that can only live in someone else’s shadow—they’ll lose everyone’s trust eventually.
Anyway, there are plenty of people in the world. Just pick the ones without bad intentions.
Think of it as more options—lucky you! Lighten up, okay? Ha-ha-ha!”

Ruid blinked, then suddenly laughed softly—gracefully, even.
Totally opposite from my loud “ha-ha-ha!” laugh.

“You’re weird.
Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve seen you.
You said you don’t go out much—are you sick or something?
Your arms looked really thin too… Sorry about earlier.”

Ah yes—the classic bashful beautiful boy look.
Like a little kitten. Kinda cute, honestly.
Kids really are innocent.
And I feel a bit bad for calling him an idiot so many times.
It’s just… you know, I thought he was going to make me his chair.