Chapter 19

"Pray that your judgment was correct."

My father, the king, said this in a cold voice while watching the ceremony of the Holy Maiden taking place in the school's dance hall. The turn for Cynthia, the duke's daughter, to place her hand on the holy crystal was the very last.

A year ago, when it was revealed that Margaret was not the Holy Maiden, I couldn't suppress my overflowing smile.

Indeed, it was Cynthia. Cynthia was the Holy Maiden.

I immediately pressured my parents, the king and queen, to break my engagement with Margaret and to arrange an engagement with Cynthia.

My father and mother were reluctant to agree.

My mother even went so far as to say,

"Even if she's not the Holy Maiden, Margaret is suitable to be queen."

"Do you really have the confidence to say that you are making the right judgment? When you become king, your single decision could shake the nation."

"I can confidently say that with Cynthia, I can make this country even more prosperous."

"Louis! Why did you even get engaged to Margaret?"

I was truly surprised when I heard that Louis, my aide, and Margaret had become engaged just two weeks after our engagement was dissolved.

"Formally accepted. Is there any problem with that?"

Louis answered with his usual serious face.

"Margaret was bullying Cynthia, you know?"

"Your Highness, I have always been saying this.

It would be better to listen to Lady Margaret more, and to have a proper conversation with her."

"…I have been listening to Margaret's side too."

"I don't know what kind of conversations you usually have with Lady Cynthia, but when I listened to her during lunch, I didn't find it very believable."

"Cynthia is the Holy Maiden. That's a disrespectful way to speak."

"I am very sorry."

Louis bowed his head and said no more.

"Lord Keith, the instructors are all so cold to me."

The education for Cynthia to become queen, which started right after our engagement last year, had made no progress at all.

At first, I tried to persuade my mother to change the instructors, but eventually, I just ended up comforting Cynthia.

"The instructors don't even return my greetings."

"I was glared at by the instructors and was very scared... But, I must have done something wrong, right...?"

By the time half a year had passed since hearing Cynthia's complaints, I had finally realized something.

The words that followed "instructors" were the same as the content she had always been complaining about, referring to "sister."

However, I couldn't bring myself to admit it.

At a tea party when I was 13, I felt a pain and suffering I had never experienced before.

As screams rose around me and I felt the despair of dying, I was suddenly enveloped in a warm light, and all the pain disappeared.

When I realized that Cynthia was clinging to me and crying,

"Lord Keith, I'm so glad!"

Her face was wet with tears, and she seemed genuinely relieved that I was alive. To me, she looked like a Holy Maiden.

Margaret, my fiancée, didn't even run to me and just had a dazed look on her face.

From that moment on, I thought that for me, there was no other choice but Cynthia.

It was decided that the second princess, the younger sister of Canaan, who had hurt Cynthia so much, would be the fiancée of my younger brother, the second prince, and that she would also receive queen education, half a year after Cynthia and I got engaged.

"Father! What does this mean?"

"Keith, you believe in your judgment, don't you?

Then there's nothing to worry about."

The cold voice made me break out in a cold sweat.

"Of course, it's natural to give the second prince's fiancée queen education."

My mother said this calmly.

The day of Louis and Margaret's wedding was a clear, cloudless sky.

For the first time, I saw Margaret's genuine smile.

If she had ever shown me this face even once during our engagement, I would have been surprised by my own thoughts.

Then, when I suddenly turned to the side, I was shocked to see Cynthia making a face I had never seen before, a face twisted with regret.

"Sister, she looks so happy."

I was even more surprised when Cynthia, noticing my gaze, immediately said this with her usual smile.

After the ceremony, a huge rainbow appeared in the clear sky, and petals of Margaret's flowers rained down from the sky.

The guests were amazed by this miraculous sight and cheered.

When the petals fell, Margaret had that dazed look again, and Louis was looking at her with a very loving smile.

Then, suddenly, Louis's glasses slipped, and Margaret looked at him with a very loving smile.

It was as if it was a miraculously happy ceremony.

Hanks, who has been my guard since childhood, once muttered something at the Silver Duke's house.

"Poor thing."

At that time, I had already heard Margaret's story from Cynthia, so I naturally thought it was about the bullied Cynthia.

But... I asked Hanks for the first time.

"It's been three years, but do you remember saying 'poor thing' at the Silver Duke's house?"

"…I am very sorry."

"It's fine, but could you tell me what was 'poor'?"

"…But…"

"I beg you."

"Your Highness… I thought Lady Margaret was 'poor' out of respect."

"Why?"

"…Lady Cynthia always wore different dresses and had her hair beautifully styled. In contrast, Lady Margaret always wore the same dress and her hair was never styled except for formal tea parties.

And on that day…"

Hanks hesitated to speak.

"On that day?"

"Previously, Lady Margaret's necklace was being worn by Lady Cynthia."

"…Was it just that Margaret pushed her old accessories onto her?"

"…Lady Cynthia wearing Lady Margaret's accessories was not a one-time or two-time occurrence.

And, as far as I could see, Lady Margaret never received any new accessories.

On that day, I realized that Lady Margaret had no more accessories to wear, and I couldn't help but say it."

"…I see…"

"I thought you had already realized it, so I apologize."

Hanks bowed, and the scene overlapped with Louis.

Louis often said, and my mother often said,

"You should talk to Margaret more."

"I was the one who didn't face Margaret, saying 'I have student council duties' or 'Queen education is busy.'"

On that day, at the tea party when I was 13, I fell in love with Cynthia.

But I am the first prince and the next king.

It was natural to talk to my fiancée, Margaret.

I was the one who abandoned that.

Thinking about the face of Cynthia I saw for the first time at Margaret's wedding, I felt despair.

"It's impossible to make Cynthia the queen."

After a year of queen education, it was the conclusion made by the country.

Cynthia's queen education made no progress at all.

If it is revealed in the Holy Maiden ceremony that Cynthia is not the Holy Maiden, it will be confirmed.

Cynthia is not fit to be queen, but I cannot marry any other lady and become king.

Because I made a promise with Margaret at the engagement break.

"I won't break the engagement a second time, even if Cynthia is not the Holy Maiden."

I cannot break the promise with Margaret.

There are many people, especially in the core of the country, who believe she is the Holy Maiden.

Cynthia is not fit to be queen. I cannot marry anyone other than Cynthia. In other words, I cannot become king.

I mocked myself for making the promise without hesitation and insisting that "Cynthia is the Holy Maiden" at the engagement break a year ago.

"It's Cynthia's turn."

I raised my face.

Cynthia confidently placed her hand on the holy crystal, but the crystal did not light up, as expected.

Unlike when Margaret did it, the hall did not become noisy.

Cynthia kept placing her hand on the crystal over and over again.

"Why? Why? Why? I am the Holy Maiden!"

She screamed, and her face was twisted with regret, just like at Margaret's wedding.