Chapter 42

Dragon Girl Meets Girly Boy

Let’s calm down.

First I must keep my composure.

Maybe I heard wrongly.

There's no doubt that I heard wrongly.

“O, once more, please.”

“I said, I'm a man.”

What the heck, I did not hear wrongly.

“My real name is not Maribelle Defoe, it's Marius Defoe. But because I've been brought up as a girl since I was born, I have almost no awareness as a man. I've only known about this matter myself for some years, really.”

What the heck, even the name was different.

“You are not Maribelle but Marius?”

“I'm Marius when I'm dressed like this.”

I'm confused. My head has become a mess.

“Marius is, Maribelle, Maribelle is… Marius, Maribelle is Maribelle Maribellemariusmarimari”

“C, calm down!! Don't call my name for nothing!”

So Maribelle, whom I've come in contact with as a girl is actually a boy? Can you believe that? ‘Cause she's so cute and she's girlier than me, even her gestures, her clothes, and her facial features, all of it, she's like a girl that came straight out from a fairytale world, —- she's actually a boy?

“…Is this a joke?”

“Of course it's not a joke. Well, that reaction should be normal.”

Maribelle is making such a serious expression and she's not a person that would make fun of others. I was by her side only for a little while, but that's something even I can tell. But I really want to say that it's impossible for me not to be in doubt.

“Look at this.”

That chin was firmly turned towards the ceiling. As I didn't know what she was doing, she pointed to her neck. I tried focusing my eyes there, and although it can't be seen very well, there was a small lump in her neck. It's unmistakable an Adam’s apple, which girls don't have.

“My voice broke for a time but it didn't change that much, so I could pa.s.s it off as a simple cold. But I can certainly tell that my body has been becoming manlier. I say so but, I am confident that I'm cuter than the girls around here so I believe that I can continue to deceive people as I am now.”

This self-confident style is Maribelle's no doubt!

“Come to think of it, how old are you?”

When talking about the voice breaking, that happens about the time of men's growth period, doesn't it; but if it happened a long while ago then perhaps she is older that I thought.

Maribelle hesitated for a bit but still told me.

“18.”

“That's a lie.”

“What do I gain from lying?”

“It's just that no matter how I look at you, you are 14 or 15.”

“…Are you making light of me?”

“I’m sorry.”

Never having thought that she would be that much older I was astonished to the core.

“…You are looking down on me, aren't you.”

Maribelle is looking up at me sheepishly. I see, apparently I've ended up becoming the taller one because I'm wearing heels. When looking at them like this, these facial expressions and gestures, and the general atmosphere, it's all the Maribelle I know, and I realize that whether she's a girl or a boy doesn't change that fact.

I’m sure some courage is needed to confess such a thing. And it was a sudden thing, to boot.

So I laughed as usual so as to rea.s.sure her.

“I am not. But I was a little surprised.”

“Just, just that?”

Her deep blue irises go round as if she didn't expect such anticlimactic response.

“You know Maribelle, …no, Marius. I really think it's too late to be worrying over what's your gender or what's your race, you know.”1

To begin with I'm a strange existence myself. Although I'm an animal, without labeling me as either male or female, I'm still a human-ish Dragon. 2 Well, I think the reason is that I'm carrying those human memories though.

“But, it's disgusting, isn't it! I'm a man you know? No matter how much cute clothes suit me, even if I'm girlier than girls, I, …I, am, a man.” 3

Big tears are spilled and fall along the white skin. In a panic, I take out the lacey handkerchief that Madeleine made me carry as part of a lady's preparedness, gently wiping the tears.

No matter how she struggles she's a man, that was decided the moment she was born in this world. Suddenly coming to know that her gender is different, all I can say is that I don't know how much of a shock it should have been for the person herself.

“I won't hate you just because you're a man. I won't look down on you.  As Marius or as Maribelle, in any form you take, you are my precious friend. That will never change. Besides, you accepted me as a Dragon, didn't you? I wonder if you know how happy that made me.”

That's why I'm confident that I'll be able to accept her no matter what secrets she has.

When I said this, she muttered a small 'thank you' with eyes wet with tears.

“Certainly we have slept in the same bed and helped each other change and hugged but— eh?”

In retrospect it seems like there was a lot of skins.h.i.+p between us. Although at that time there was no feeling of shame because I was convinced that she was a girl, she was, a boy. I become a little embarra.s.sed at this and my face ends up turning red. It's because for the time being I'm also a maiden that blushes at flowers, you see. Though the truth is that I'm more of the 'dumplings rather than flowers' type.4

“Just why are you turning red.”

“Be, because.”

Let alone sleeping under the same roof as a boy, not to speak of sleeping together in the same bed for one night, but realizing we slept in the same bed every night, this, I kind of feel very, very p.r.i.c.kly all over; it's a hard to explain feeling.

Oh, I feel like if a certain someone were to learn of this it may turn into an outrageous situation. Let's take this with me to the grave.

Perhaps Maribelle realized what I was thinking of, because she blushed a little.

 “I, I'm sorry about everything until now, I'll be more careful from now. But when I'm with you and the other girls, without minding whether I'm a boy or a girl, I have fun… because I didn't have friends so…  I was really happy! Is that bad!?”

I see, when she's in high spirits her instances of skins.h.i.+p become more frequent, let's keep it in mind. Now that I noticed she's also keeping a hold of my arms right now. I wonder if it's the same principle of yearning for another person's body warmth when one is feeling anxious.

“You are fine as you are currently. I also had fun when I was staying with you so… by the way, how did it come to this?”

“It was Mother's mischief going too far. It's because of my house, it's a little complicated.”

The Vice-Captain’s wife, right? If Maribelle doesn't resemble the Vice-Captain’s, it should mean that her appearance was inherited from his wife. In other words, she's a beauty. That's the main point.

“My father said as a joke, 'if it's a boy, he will have to take after my footsteps.' It seems that Mother didn't want that, and when I was born she insisted on saying I was a girl. Moreover Father was thoroughly deceived.”

“Eh, the Vice-Captain doesn't know about this?”

“No, he does?”

“Hm? But he treats you as Maribelle.”

In some talk I heard from him, he referred to Maribelle as a girl. While I was tilting my head, I hear a sigh.

“This is also complicated, you know! Mother thinks that Father doesn't know that I'm a boy, so he is just pretending in front of everyone that he doesn't know.”

It seems she was discovered by Vice-Captain around the same time Maribelle herself came to know she's a man. It’s complex. Too complex. By the way it seems they b.u.mped into each other when bathing at some hot spring. That's how he found out.

“What did he say?”

“He was very surprised! His daughter was actually a son. But he was convinced immediately. 'It's really something your Mother would do,' he said.”

Vice-Captain, you are too adaptable! Normally, if one has a child but was told that it's not a daughter but actually is a son! One should be absolutely confused, right? I think that if it was me, let alone a few days I would be bedridden for several weeks.

“… Originally, Mother is not a citizen of this country. She was born in Tiruzoto Kingdom. In addition she was a n.o.ble from the upper cla.s.s. I was told that when the conflict was still scarce, Father visited Tiruzoto Kingdom, and even though she had a fiancé Mother was smitten at first sight with him, so they eloped. They even fled the country. “

Eloping!? That's too romantic. To cast away her birthplace and to elope together with that stoic-faced Vice-Captain, his wife is incredible, but it's really unexpected for him to have s.n.a.t.c.hed her away from her fiancé. 5

“But such a thing, isn't that risky?”

A Knight from a neighboring kingdom s.n.a.t.c.hing away an upper cla.s.s n.o.ble woman is likely to spark a conflict between the countries. And what's more, there is that Majesty. He seems like he would come charging over whatever tiny conflict he may find.

“Of course, Mother's fiancé was obviously angry. And besides Father wouldn't normally go to the extent of doing such a reckless thing. But then because of some incident the relations.h.i.+p between both countries began to deteriorate and some infighting began in between people of the same country.”

“So they decided to escape before they were forced to separate?”

'That's how it went,' Maribelle says with a small sigh.

“… So that's how it was.”

Regardless of his appearance, him and his wife became united after surmounting such a fierce love story. What a moving, tears-inducing tale. Hey, won't someone make this into a novel? I'll pay as much as you like.

“Then, why are you showing your male appearance at this time?”

“…That is”

Maribelle hesitates at the sudden question. I wonder if there's something that's difficult to say, her line of sigh was restlessly swimming about.

“Oh, well, you don't have to say it if you don't want to.”

“Sorry.”

We both fell silent.

Since the atmosphere became heavy somehow, I tried saying whatever came to mind in an attempt to s.h.i.+ft the conversation.

“And, and Sir Lance?”

I may have dug my own grave. It has been an amazed expression. I just question it.

“Brother knows that I'm a man. He gives me plenty of advice and the like. And also I only look up to him as someone of the same s.e.x! I don't have romantic feelings for him at all! Just like he was my real Brother, he's cool and… I'm fond of him. It's just that! You got it!? “

“…That means, you like girls.”

” Vito, you, you're too extreme.”

“Then you like men.”

 “Why are you saying that! …Surely, when I believed I was a girl there could have been a time when I liked them?! But the me right now, liking men?! There's no way!” 6

I don't understand, I can't understand what this has become. Let's try to organize this a little. The Maribelle I know is a boy, and the n.o.ble youth, Marius, who is in front of me is also a boy. He is a boy though he dressed as a girl. Ok, he's a boy. No matter how cute or lovely, a boy is a boy. …There is no way a boy this cute could be a girl! — Ah, what am I even-?

“I feel like someone once said that love has nothing to do with genders.”

“Who was that.”

Let's not say it was Lady Minette. It doesn's seem like they know each other.

“And besides, if I had to say then I like girls more! They are soft and cute, ephemeral but they also have their strong points; they are beautiful, dainty, and frail so they make me want to protect them.”

He begins talking as a maiden in love, entranced while blus.h.i.+ng. I wanted to retort, 'just which n.o.ble daughter are you talking about?' but perhaps is it Chiffon? No, no, but chiffon is a little different even if she is soft and cute and makes you want to protect her. She has some rough corners and it cannot be said that she is dainty. If I also try to match it to Ariade and Madeleine there are still places that are not right. So who is it Iwonder. …Oh yeah, it's Maribelle. Does this mean that Marius built Maribelle while he was becoming aware of the type he likes?

“Why did you fall silent.”

“It's just I don't really know how to respond to that.”

Narcissist, I didn't say it because I believe it would be the end if I did.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Translator's Yell~☆

…VITO HAS SHARED A BED WITH A MAN WHO IS NOT LUTORIAAAAA

(sorry, I needed to get that out of my system.)

Yell #2

I s.h.i.+p it. LancexMaribelle. OF COURSE I s.h.i.+P IT AAAAAHhhhhcoughcough. Although she/he’s a bit weird…

Also, where did this come from? Marius is more girly than me T^T Anyway, I leave you the full fanart of Marius and Maribelle. When i first saw this pic, i thought that maybe Maribelle had a twin brother… i also saw another fanart so i thought maybe her brother liked dressing as a girl… thus i was also surprised at them being the same person!

Maribelle//Marius

Aaaaand… on to the notes!