Chapter 10

"Who are you...?"

On the other side of the shattered wall of light, Sumia slumped down, sitting weakly.

Her pride in her light magic shattered, she lost confidence.

But it seemed that was not all.

With a soft rustle,

Sumia's chestnut hair, cut just below her jaw, shimmered in the moonlight as it fell.

It seemed that a blade of water had narrowly grazed her neck.

...This is bad. I made a mistake. It was close.

With a pale face, Sumia trembled violently. I smiled at her, trying to cover up the mistake.

The water cutter I used just now was supposed to be adjusted to avoid hitting Sumia.

But it seemed that, due to it being the first time I used it in a real situation, my aim was off.

It missed and flew just past Sumia's neck, almost causing a bloody disaster.

It was a terrifying situation where I almost decapitated her.

This world has worse security than Japan, so if it comes to it, I won't hesitate to defend myself properly...

But as a former salaryman who lived a peaceful life, I want to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.

I really don't want to see an R-18G scenario unfold right in front of me.

...Because, I would definitely see it in my dreams. There's no doubt I would be haunted by it.

Attack magic is really dangerous. I need to be more careful when using it.

While drawing this lesson, I looked around, and fortunately, the water cutter didn't hit the ruins.

That was close.

Those ruins are a thousand years old.

On Earth, they would undoubtedly be recognized as a World Heritage site, a truly invaluable treasure.

I'm really glad I didn't accidentally destroy them with a mistake.

"It's just your hair, so it's okay..."

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

"It's just your hair, so it's okay..."

At Letitia's words, Sumia shuddered.

Those words were a clear threat to her.

Letitia was saying that if she wanted, she could easily take Sumia's head.

That's why she held back and only messed up her hair, demonstrating the overwhelming difference in power.

Sumia, who was known as the reincarnation of a saint and had absolute confidence in her light magic, saw Letitia easily break her light magic and smile at her with ease.

The ultimate humiliation.

Anger and frustration.

And an undeniable sense of fear that disturbed Sumia's heart.

"Why...?"

Her lips moved on their own.

"Why are you so...!! So confident?!"

Like a dam breaking, she couldn't stop pouring out her feelings to Letitia in front of her.

"That's strange, right? Not just now, but why are you so composed?!! I stole your fiancé!! I was humiliated and mocked in front of everyone!! Yet why...!!"

Sumia clenched her teeth.

She had stolen the fiancé of Letitia, the Crown Prince.

She had obtained the title of Crown Princess, the pinnacle for women in this country.

A clear victory.

She had defeated the beautiful duchess's daughter, Letitia, as a woman.

The winner was herself. The loser was Letitia.

That's what she believed.

"Why... Why is it like this...?"

It felt as if she herself was the loser.

As if she had taken the wrong path.

She couldn't help but feel a deep sense of misery and regret.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

"...Why? After your fiancé was stolen, didn't you feel any sense of misery...?"

Sumia said, almost moaning.

I thought about her words for a moment and decided to answer.

"I felt regret and self-blame, but I didn't feel miserable."

"...What do you mean? You were publicly humiliated and your fiancé was stolen?"

At Sumia's disbelieving expression,

"Because it was Prince Fritz."

I stated firmly.

"Despite having me as his fiancée, he was easily deceived by you, thoughtlessly breaking our engagement without considering the consequences. I can't respect him as a man or a person, and I can't feel miserable about being dumped by such a prince..."

Of course, I was shocked when the engagement was broken...

But when I calmed down and thought about it, Fritz was not suitable as a prince, let alone as a person. He was terrible in every aspect.

Even though it was a political marriage, considering Fritz's character and mistakes, I felt a sense of rejection.

"I don't forgive what you and Fritz did to me... But in a way, I'm grateful to you. Thanks to you, I'm free from Prince Fritz."

I feel really sorry for the trouble I caused my father and others due to the engagement break.

But personally, I feel relieved to no longer be Fritz's fiancée.

Until now, I had always respected Fritz as a prince and had some affection for him...

But the treatment I received on the day I regained my memory and the revelation of his true nature shattered any feelings I had.

"...You must be lying. How can you thank me after your fiancé was stolen...?"

While denying my words, Sumia's voice lacked conviction.

She might have a vague understanding of my feelings.

She probably doesn't truly love Fritz.

Her embraces and sweet words to win his heart were all for the sake of becoming the Crown Princess.

She must understand Fritz's carelessness and recklessness.

...Thinking about it, Sumia might have a difficult future ahead.

Even though Fritz loves her, he only loves her false persona.

She will have to continue acting, and she will never be truly loved.

Moreover, the title of Crown Princess, while glamorous, comes with many restrictions.

If she tries to act as she pleases, the sinister glasses and her family, the Duke's house, won't allow it.

Her only path is to sit beside Fritz, whom she doesn't love, as a puppet Crown Princess.

Sumia might subconsciously sense this future.

Seeing her with a face on the verge of tears, I couldn't help but think so.

"Miss, it seems someone is approaching us."

Lucian whispered in my ear.

Looking around, I saw a figure with glasses gleaming in the moonlight.

It was Ilius, the sinister glasses.

"Oh, good evening at such a late hour. What brings you here?"

"...I'm here to take that woman, Sumia, back."

Ilius pushed up his glasses, hiding his expression, and turned his face away.

"The incident today is due to our lack of supervision over Sumia, but it's also your fault for being lured by a suspicious letter."

"Well, well, you say that? I think you should have kept a closer eye on Sumia. Otherwise, my efforts to break the engagement would have been in vain, wouldn't they?"

I responded with a snide remark to Ilius, who refused to admit his own fault.

He must have figured out what happened between Sumia and me, but he wouldn't apologize to me.

I silently cursed his glasses to break in my mind.

His behavior, while correct for a noble and for self-preservation, is still infuriating.

It would be nice if his glasses shattered, wouldn't it?

"Ilius, since you're here, I have a gift for you."

"...Do I have the right to refuse? It's probably not something good, right?"

"Correct. You're smart. As a reward, I'll give you this report."

I pushed a piece of paper I received from Lucian into Ilius's reluctant hands.

It was a copy of the report on Sumia's background.

Ilius quickly read through the document and made a face as if he had bitten into a bitter pill.

"...What do you want? To tighten the leash on Sumia so she doesn't act recklessly and to prevent her from causing more trouble for you and the Gramwell Duke's house?"

"I'm glad you understand. Additionally, I want you to monitor Sumia and Prince Fritz closely to ensure they don't harm the country's interests."

"...I can't make any promises, but I'll pass it on to my father."

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

I smiled at him, threateningly.

This should put a pin in Ilius's family, the Ilerga Duke's house.

I've also done a favor for the royal family by advocating for Sumia's exile.

Even if Sumia becomes the Crown Princess in my place, my Duke's house should not suffer any losses.

"...By the way, Ilius, there's something I've been curious about. Do you mind?"

"What is it?"

"Why did you agree to help Sumia disguise herself as a baron's daughter and approach Prince Fritz? This plan, which succeeded only because Prince Fritz was unexpectedly careless, had a low success rate and high risk. I'm surprised you agreed to such a risky plan."

It was a mystery to me.

Ilius, despite his bad personality, is intelligent and skilled in intrigue.

His active involvement in bringing Sumia and Fritz together was unexpected.

It seemed to be under the orders of his family, the Ilerga Duke's house, but Ilius could have refused to cooperate if he wanted to.

"...It's not that strange. I was asked by my father, the head of the Duke's house. There was no reason to refuse."

His answer was somewhat evasive, but he didn't seem willing to discuss it further.

He must have his own reasons, but it's natural that he wouldn't reveal them to me, who is almost his political enemy. I decided to drop the matter.

"Alright, I understand. I apologize for asking such a strange question."

As I said this, I was about to say goodbye to the awkward Ilius—

"Hoofbeats?"

Faintly, from a distance,

The sound of hooves was approaching.

It grew louder and louder, and finally, the source of the sound appeared.

"Devil!!"

Ilius shouted.

Riding a majestic black horse, with a sharp gaze that looked down at us like a demon—

"Letitia, are you alright?!"

—It wasn't a devil, but it was my father.