En Travesti – I Became a Fake Prince

The place where Leticia experienced drought in her childhood was not the Grand Duchy.
It was in a remote border region of the Empire, far from the capital.
She remembered that after several years of drought, the noble who was the lord of the castle was driven out, and the area was changed to direct imperial territory.
That noble was a Count, if she recalled correctly.
After all, the orphanage director would always say at mealtime, “Let us offer a prayer of thanks for the Count.”
He must have been quite a powerful Margrave. She hadn’t heard anything about him since then.
¹
If the Emperor could truly cause drought in specific lands, was the drought Leticia experienced also the Emperor’s scheme to remove the Margrave?
But how could that be possible for an Emperor who wasn’t even a magician?
Aina answered Leticia’s question.
“His Majesty simply knew the conditions under which the first Herta’s curse activated, and used it for governance. Now that the curse itself has disappeared, he won’t be able to do that anymore.”
“So he can no longer use Basilinte?”
With the curse gone, Basilinte’s land would gradually recover, and the Empire’s land would transform from unrealistic prosperity to ordinary land.
Leticia became curious about how the Emperor would deal with that future.
Whether that arrogant Emperor, who had thrown her as a hostage to Basilinte, could maintain his power through those changes.

***

Colin Lefri was a merchant.
Not just any merchant, but the heir to one of the top five trading companies on the continent.
That’s why he could freely enter and exit noble houses that wouldn’t even glance at commoners, and why his aunt, Isana Lefri, caught Basilinte’s eye and was able to get married.
Of course, she was divorced now.
Colin was afraid of Gaien, who still stayed by his aunt’s side despite the divorce.
And he was also afraid of his aunt’s boldness in thoroughly ignoring Gaien.
“You’re clever, Colin.”
Whenever Isana stroked Colin’s head approvingly, Gaien would stare intently at her slender fingers.
And he would look at Colin’s hair entangled in those fingers as if it were something dirty that needed to be eradicated.
When Colin received that gaze, he suffered from the fear of becoming bald.
He always wanted to shout at Gaien, “Don’t be jealous just because she’s praising her obedient nephew!” but so far, he had kept that statement only in his dreams.
Nevertheless, Colin had managed to become Isana’s favorite nephew, surpassing his siblings to become the heir to the Lefri Trading Company and being appointed as the branch manager in the Imperial capital, which was the core branch.
So now he could dismiss Gaien’s jealousy as a childhood trial.
Surely, just because he received some pats from Isana when he was young, Gaien wouldn’t suddenly come running years later to pluck out all his hair.
…Right?
As someone who had witnessed Basilinte’s madly pure love for their partners with his own eyes, Colin couldn’t completely convince himself that such a thing wouldn’t happen.
After all, Basilinte’s way of thinking was quite different from normal people.
They couldn’t stand the very fact that there was a breathing creature next to their partner.
Only that “Prince” was an exception.
Though he didn’t know why, Gaien seemed rather satisfied with the “Prince” being close to his aunt.
“It’s nice to see similar things gathered together.”
Colin still didn’t understand what Gaien meant when he said that after seeing his aunt and the “Prince” together.
The two didn’t look alike at all, and naturally, it was Colin, being blood-related, who resembled Isana the most.
Colin’s guess was that Gaien concluded they were similar because they looked equally pretty in his eyes…
But he didn’t really want to understand that crazy way of thinking in detail.
Colin wanted to cling to Basilinte’s power, but he didn’t want to suffer trying to guess their unusual thinking to survive.
So, how attractive was this position as the Imperial capital branch manager!
Colin was happy every day with Basilinte distant and his title as the Lefri Trading Company’s master growing closer.
The smell of money and power was very fragrant.
Today, too, he had reviewed the ledgers until late at night and returned home with satisfaction.
And to reward himself for working hard, he poured a glass of expensive wine that had come as a gift.
“Young man, work hard. Hmm~ Work hard~ Labor! Gather gold~”
Colin’s strange humming, as he sat on the comfortable sofa in the living room to celebrate today’s achievements, suddenly stopped.
“……”
There was someone who shouldn’t be there sitting on his sofa.
A beautiful boy with an unrealistic appearance raised his head and waved at Colin.
“Hello?”
Silky soft golden hair gently covered his forehead, and beneath it, jewel-like purple eyes blinked, framed by lush eyelashes.
“It’s been a while, Colin.”
“Why, here……”
Colin rubbed his eyes. Yet the “Prince” before his eyes did not disappear.
He turned around, denying reality.
“I must be drunk. I’m seeing things.”
The wine, of which he hadn’t taken a single sip, rippled in Colin’s trembling hand, but Colin insisted he was intoxicated by the wine’s aroma and deliberately ignored what he had just seen.
Of course, it wasn’t much use.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not an illusion. Would you come over here?”
“Auditory hallucinations too!”
“You’re talking nonsense. Stop denying reality and come over here, Colin. Let’s talk.”
The clear voice of the “Prince” was too beautiful for anyone to imitate, but Colin was in agony.
Why, just why!
“Why are you in the capital?! Why on earth! How!”
Why has this walking Basilinte summoning circle descended upon the capital!
Colin cried out with a feeling like he was vomiting blood.
He looked around the house with anxious eyes. The “Prince” couldn’t have come alone. Basilinte wouldn’t have let him wander around alone.
“What are you looking for?”
“The people who followed you. Where are they?”
Not being able to see them made him even more anxious.
But to Colin’s question, the “Prince” sighed and replied.
“I’m alone. Well, strictly speaking, I’m not alone. I do have a maid as a companion. She’s sleeping at a nearby inn right now.”
“What about Master Chamuka, or Master Tan, or other Basilinte people…?”
“They’re in the Grand Duchy, of course. Why would they be here in the Imperial capital?”
Though he spoke as if it were obvious, it wasn’t obvious at all.
Colin inadvertently asked the “Prince,” who still looked beautiful but somewhat haggard.
“Did you perhaps… run away from Basilinte…?”
“What?”
Colin carefully placed the expensive wine on the table and sat across from Leticia.
Colin’s mind had already gone back to 15 years ago, when his aunt had declared divorce to Gaien and left Basilinte Castle.
If this “Prince” had really run away, he knew it would be good to take his side and clear his conscience…
‘But his situation is different from Aunt’s. Aunt married Gaien and even had a child before leaving, but he didn’t. If he really leaves for a place beyond Basilinte’s reach, and if they find out I helped him…’
He certainly wouldn’t die peacefully.
Colin, with trembling hands, spoke again.
“Really, did you, r-run away…?”
“What are you talking about? That’s impossible.”
“Then why are you alone?!”
How could this living Basilinte magnet be alone in this distant place?
Colin suffered as he thought of the crazy First Young Master who would become violent when this beautiful boy disappeared from his sight.
Chamuka would probably look at him as if he wanted to erase him from the world just for knowing they were talking alone right now.
“There’s a long story behind that.”
“What is it? What’s the story? Summarize it briefly. Quickly. Before I die of anxiety.”
“Basilinte’s curse has been broken.”
“…I’m sorry. Can you explain from the beginning, step by step?”

T/N: It’s official now – my moral compass is completely broken. I just experienced pure, unbridled joy at the painful memories that keep this poor boy awake at 3 AM.