Chapter 9

After that, Papa fell ill.

Why?

Are you not happy that your daughter is marrying a prince?

In place of the bedridden Papa, the official wife came.

Papa's formal wife.

Unlike the alluring Mama, she was a beautiful but intimidating woman. Even though she was smiling, it didn’t seem like she was really smiling. Just like that woman. That’s why I don’t like this official wife.

"You've really gone and done something terrible."

"I don't think it's a bad thing."

"Is that so? Well, there's no point in lamenting what's already done. As I believe you've heard from your father, there are two options for you. You can serve the former Crown Prince, or you can become the wife of a noble."

Former? Crown Prince? What's she talking about?

Isn't the Prince the Crown Prince?

"I told Father, I love the Prince. I will go to the Prince."

"Understood. For you, it will be your first marriage, but the person you will marry is a noble of higher rank and it will be a remarriage. Because of the request for a simple wedding, we have prepared a modest bridal gown."

"Huh!?"

What is this official wife talking about?

I said I'm going to the Prince! If I go to the Prince, it means I will become his bride, right? How did it turn into becoming the wife of a noble? And a remarriage... Is she telling me to become a second wife?

"The other party has requested that you bring no luggage. They want you to come with nothing but the clothes on your back."

The official wife is pushing things forward on her own.

"Wh-What are you saying! Did you hear me? I said I'm going to the Prince!"

"What nonsense are you spouting? Such things are mere formalities. You only have one choice from the beginning."

"…What… are you saying…"

"What will you do by going to the former Crown Prince?"

"What… what do you mean…"

What!?

I was planning to marry the Prince and build a family!

But… somehow, it feels like I shouldn’t say that… The pressure from the official wife is so intense that I can’t bring myself to say it.

"In any case, it's impossible for you to marry the former Crown Prince. At best, you will be a 'maid' by his side. There is no benefit to our baronial family. In fact, it will only bring harm."

"Benefit…"

I can't marry the Prince?

Why?

Marriage is something that lovers who love each other do.

Considering benefits is the lowest thing ever!

"On the other hand, the marquis family that desires you as a second wife will make you their official wife. It's not easy for a baronial family to marry into a marquis family. You should be grateful for this good fortune. Moreover, the connection between the marquis family and our family will become stronger, and great benefits will be returned. It will be a good match for you as well."

"H-H-How can you joke about this! Who would go to a marquis family! I have the Prince!!!"

A political marriage is a joke!

Even if I have to be a 'maid,' I will be by the Prince's side. If I'm by his side, I'm sure the permission for marriage will come eventually.

"You are the one who is joking. Love the Prince? A woman who would spread her legs for any high-ranking man, what are you saying?"

"Wh-What!? I didn't do such a thing!"

"Didn't you? Ho ho ho ho ho. What a strange thing to hear."

"What's so strange! I am a maiden!!!"

"Oh, really? I thought you had lost it long ago."

Hey, what are you saying!?

I've decided to dedicate my chastity to the Prince!

"Well, that doesn't matter."

It does matter!

"The problem is that others think so. No matter how much you protest your virginity, no one will believe you. 'The noble daughter of the fiancé seduced the Crown Prince and, not content with that, fabricated a crime to break the engagement and try to steal him.' This is how the world sees you."

A poisonous woman!? Me?

I was speechless at the official wife's words.

Steal…?

"I, I didn't mean to…"

"Then what did you mean? What did you plan to do after breaking the engagement by framing her? You couldn't just leave it at that, could you?"

"I, I… didn't think about it…"

I never thought about it.

That woman is from a duke's family, so even if the engagement with the Prince was broken, it would be fine. She could marry someone else right away. The Prince… No, that’s not it…

"The person you tried to break the engagement with is the fiancée of the Crown Prince of this country and the daughter of the head of the Hessen Duke family. It's different from a simple engagement break between nobles. It's about the royal family, which rules the country, and the Hessen Duke family, which stands at the top of the nobility.

Even if the engagement is annulled, the next match for the duke's daughter is limited. How many people of higher rank than the Crown Prince do you think there are?

Only the King. Or did you plan to make the Hessen Duke's daughter the Queen?"

The King's wife?

Why!?

No way!

That would make me the Prince's stepmother!!!

The future mother-in-law being that woman? Absolutely not!

"Such a thing…"

"Of course, the King cannot marry his own niece."

"Wh-What!?"

"Of course not. Marriage between an uncle and a niece is prohibited by law."

No, no, no. That's not it!

That woman is the King's niece?

A duke's daughter?

Colin never mentioned this. Why? Colin was infatuated with me, so she would definitely have told me something so important, right?

Was it because she had a complex about her older sister?

Because of that?

Wait, that means Colin is the King's nephew?

"In that case, the only match for the duke's daughter would be a royal from another country. However, the empire would never allow such a thing…"

The official wife is rambling, but in short, she's saying that the duke's daughter should marry into another country, right?

Then there's no problem.

That woman should have married into another country. If she had, I wouldn't have had to do this to the Prince.

"Anyway, the only saving grace is that your foolish scheme failed. Normally, you would be punished along with the Prince, but thanks to the Duke of Hessen's mercy, you are here now."

"Wait! I and the Prince… 'Are you prepared to die?'…"

I couldn't finish my sentence.

The official wife cut me off with an outrageous statement.

"Huh…?"

"If you are not prepared to die, stop it."

What does she mean by 'prepared to die'?

"Why…"

"The First Prince will soon lose not only his position as Crown Prince but also his status as a royal and be confined. The Second Prince will be elevated to Crown Prince. At that time, the existence of the former Crown Prince will only be a hindrance."

"Th-Then…"

"If you choose the First Prince, you and he will likely be in heaven together within a year."

"A… so…"

The official wife, who calmly speaks of such terrifying things, is even more frightening. She says our end so calmly without changing her expression.

"In that case, perhaps the scenario will be that you brought poison to commit a forced double suicide? Or that the First Prince, enraged by your deception to escape the confinement, killed you in a duel and died as well? Neither reason is good, I suppose."

"Why…"

"Would you want to die like that? Not just you, but the baronial family will also fall and lose its title, and your father will lose his job. To avoid the worst-case scenario, you must marry."

"…"

"The groom is a key figure in the Second Prince's faction. From now on, you and the baronial family will be safe."

It's like she's talking about someone else.

To the official wife, my death, the Prince's death, and the baronial family's fate are all irrelevant.