Chapter 2 Part 8
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The Kingdom of Reshfeld.
His Majesty the King, Douglas Leto Reshfeld.
He is the king who rules this country and Prince Yuri’s parent.
His stature was immense, and as he looked down upon us from his elevated throne, his visage truly reflected that of a ruler. The Princess and I had come to discuss with him about her engagement with Prince Yuri.
“And what brings you here today?”
Compared to Prince Yuri, King Douglas exuded an even greater aura of refinement.
How such a cunning prince could have emerged from this man was truly puzzling.
“Actually, I have come to discuss my engagement with Prince Yuri.”
“Oh…?”
Douglas moved his chin, prompting her to continue. She took a deep breath after making brief eye contact with me.
“I wish to annul my engagement with Prince Yuri.”
‘Annulment of Engagement’
Upon hearing those words, Douglas’s gaze sharpened like an arrow ready to strike down its enemy.
“Annulment of the engagement, you say…? Surely, I must have misheard?”
“No, Your Majesty, you heard every word correctly.”
A cold sweat trickled down my spine. The unpleasant silence and Douglas’s contemplative face heightened the tension in the throne room.
“You wish to annul your engagement with my son…?”
His sonorous voice echoed throughout the throne room.
Even Princess Valtrune seemed a bit tense. However, she was resolute.
She quickly regained her composure and explained with her hand on her chest.
“No, it was actually Prince Yuri the Second Prince who first raised the issue. He feels I am lacking as his fiancée.”
“That can’t be. You are the Imperial Princess of the Valugan Empire, known for your intelligence. Furthermore, I recognize your qualities as well.”
“Thank you very much for your kind words. However, I seem to be a person of shallow consideration, often displeasing Prince Yuri.”
Douglas furrowed his brows at her exaggerated humility.
After hearing her words, he turned his gaze to Prince Yuri, who was standing a short distance away.
“Yuri… is this true?”
If, at this moment, the Prince tried to act innocent and place the blame entirely on her, I would have to reveal the ‘magic tool’ hidden inside my pocket. If he were as cunning as he seemed, I would have no choice but to use our last resort. However, our tense moment turned out to be unfounded.
“Yes, Father! A princess from another country with such an attitude is not suitable for me. I’ve wanted to break off our engagement for quite some time!”
“I see…”
“Father, please annul my engagement with her immediately!”
To put it simply, the Prince was a complete fool. He wanted to break off the engagement, and she was proposing it to King Douglas.
An engagement that both parties agreed to annul. The relationship between the Kingdom and the Empire might be in jeopardy, but forcing them to continue a relationship that is on the verge of crumbling seems inevitable. Eventually, it will fall apart.
“I see… So, both of you agree on annulling the engagement?”
“Yes.”
“Of course!”
Considering it was the Prince who first wanted the annulment, there was no way Douglas could force them to stay engaged.
“I see…”
This outcome was inevitable because the Prince wished to break off the engagement. The moment his words reached Douglas, things were set in motion exactly as we had hoped.
“Your Majesty… will you allow the annulment of our engagement?”
“…Understood. I hereby declare the annulment of the engagement between Yuri Leto Reshfeld and Valtrune von Felsdorf!”
From this moment on, relations between the two countries were likely to deteriorate. This was an unavoidable circumstance. However, the vague ties between them had been firmly severed.
The Princess had a bright expression on her face.
“I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart for your precious time.”
The Prince watched her, looking pleased. Yet, from this moment on, his position would gradually crumble, eventually leading to his downfall.
The next king would likely be the first prince. Prince Yuri had lost the significant support of an engagement with the Empire’s Imperial Princess, which considerably diminished his chances of ascending the throne.
If he had just maintained the engagement, there would have been no war, and he could have led a stable life as a reigning king. But the one who first discarded that opportunity was Prince Yuri himself.
“Haha! At last, I can lead a new life with Reshia!”
――A foolish prince who, being swayed by the Saintess, threw away a promising life. However, he will not come to understand that for a while. For now, he should just savor this fleeting joy.
As the elated Prince celebrated, Princess Valtrune stood up gracefully. Seeing that, I also raised my knees off the ground.
“Then, I shall take my leave.”
Having completed her business, she prepared to leave.
“Hey, Valtrune.”
“…What is it?”
“It’s a pity, isn’t it? Being discarded by me. You can’t become the next queen of the Kingdom of Reshfeld anymore.”
“Indeed… Goodbye, Prince Yuri.”
The Princess probably knew that his words would eventually bounce back to him. But she felt no obligation to point that out.
She was not just another individual amongst the royals. The Princess was a noblewoman aiming for the pinnacle――the position of empress. The breaking of her engagement with the Prince did not waver her determination.
“Your Imperial Highness… congratulations on formally annulling your engagement with Prince Yuri.”
I offer her words with a hint of sarcasm towards the Prince. She looked back at me with a smile forming on her lips.
“Yes, thank you. Now I can finally move forward.”
The path ahead is long.
The future where she becomes the empress will be both a thorny path and the start of a history where she breaks a dark, bloodstained fate.
I will walk alongside her on this path to supremacy.
We will bear wounds and suffer together, but I will continue supporting her from the closest vantage point until she reaches her final destination.
