"The Idea of a Woman Stealing Someone Else's Partner is Ridiculous," I laughed. But After Being Reborn, I Became a Victim of Such a Woman. However, My New Fiancée was Absolutely Amazing. - Episode 31

Riding in a carriage, we were supposed to safely arrive at the Kujou-no-Go family’s estate… but that didn’t happen.

A flashy, dazzling carriage was parked right in front of the gate, so our carriage had no choice but to stop a little farther away.

I instinctively exchanged glances with Kouga-san.

Peeking out from the small window, I saw the family crest on that extravagant carriage, and I nearly let out a “Geh.”

That’s the Arisugawa family crest…!
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“Please! I beg you, let me meet the head of the household!”

“The head of the house is currently attending to guests. We cannot allow anyone without an appointment to enter. Please leave and return once you have arranged a meeting.”

“Please, I implore you! I won’t take much of his time! We have already compensated for the disgrace my son caused before! I humbly ask for the daughter of the Yuukisaka family to be my eldest son’s wife!”
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So this is what it means to be completely dumbfounded.
Once again, I found myself looking at Kouga-san.

That man—I’ve met him once before.

The father of that useless brat… the head of the Arisugawa family.

The daughter of the Yuukizaka family… That’s probably me, right? H-Huh?
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『Your spiritual power must have leaked somewhere. Before you get engaged to someone else, they probably came to personally negotiate for you to become their heir’s wife. Do you know that family?』

“More like… it’s the Arisugawa family…”

『Arisugawa family? …Isn’t that the house of your former fiancé?』

“Yeah, that’s right.”
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Wait, did he just say he wants me to marry their eldest son now?

Didn’t that guy’s older brother already have a fiancée?

What’s going on there?
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『The Kujou-no-Go family must be receiving an increasing number of marriage proposals for you. If you’d prefer a man who comes home every day and works a safe job, instead of someone like me who is often away, you can always choose—』
“That’s not it. I… No, I mean, I was born male in my past life.”
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His eyes widened.
At this point, I didn’t care if he believed me or not.
Even if he found it weird and decided to break off the engagement, I felt like we could still be friends.
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“Honestly, I’ve always thought of marriage as an obligation. If I didn’t have to, I wouldn’t even want to marry a man.”

『Then, with me—』

“Well… But, Kouga-sama… no, Kouga-san, I feel like I can treat you like a friend, you know? Besides, the Yuukizaka family was drowning in debt, and as a woman born into the Ōzoku, I figured I had to fulfill my duty. That’s why I never really minded marrying someone like you, who is pretty much the ideal choice!”

“…I see.”
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He looked at me with a different kind of wide-eyed stare.

Maybe he was shocked by my sudden honesty.

But somehow, with him, I felt like I could be completely open.

That simple “I see” response was honestly a bit intimidating, though.
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“Anyway, marrying a guy with worse conditions than you is just impossible for me. So, what do we do about that?”

“It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Huh?”
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With a clatter, the carriage door opened, and Kouga-san stepped outside.

Then, he reached out his hand toward me.

…Yeah, he’s right.

Because this man is the eldest son of the Ichijou-no-Go family—the second most powerful house in the country—and the one who risks his life fighting the calamity demons.
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“Yeah.”
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So, without hesitation, I placed my hand in his.

As I lightly stepped down from the carriage, the head of the Arisugawa family, who was standing at the gate, widened his eyes upon seeing me.

When he saw the tall man in a military uniform standing beside me, his mouth dropped open, and he froze.
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“It’s been a while, Uncle Arisugawa.”

“A… Ah… Ahh…”
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I simply bowed my head and passed through the gate.

The Kujou-no-Go family’s servants greeted me with cheerful smiles, so I smiled back and headed toward the mansion’s entrance.

That whole time, the Arisugawa family head didn’t try to stop me.

Well, of course not.

After all, the man holding my hand is probably the best in the entire country.

I felt so happy I could skip.

Wow, I really am petty!
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『Me too.』

“Huh?”

『I feel the same. Being born into the Ichijou-no-Go family, I always thought I had to live for my house. That it was just the way things were.』

“Yeah. I get that. It can’t be helped, right?”
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Still, we looked at each other.

This engagement was for our families.

But still, we nodded to each other.

If we could get married to someone we could truly be ourselves around—someone we could connect with—it would be the best outcome.

For me, that person is already him.

If I could be that person for him too, then that would be even better… I wonder?

I want to try my best to make that happen.

But even just finding someone like this, and holding hands like this, feels like a miracle.

So, Uncle Arisugawa, please give up on me.

Because I’ve already met the person I want to marry.
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“Welcome home. Oh my, you two seem much closer now.”

“Ah… Well… Haha…”
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As I took off my sandals at the entrance, the servant smiled at me warmly.

Yeah… I guess we really did get a little closer.