Chapter 4

"Letitia, you've always been like this. You put on a show with seemingly appropriate words and a composed face... but behind the scenes, you were always laughing at me, weren't you?"

A twisted smile was plastered on Fritz's face.

"Your Highness, that's not true. As your fiancée, I admire you—"

"You only agreed to this engagement because you wanted the position of Crown Princess, didn't you?"

... What kind of ridiculous things are you saying? Given that this is a political marriage, there was never any love to begin with.

Even if there was no love now, we could have nurtured it together. Perhaps my efforts and belief in this were never conveyed to Fritz at all.

"You greedily desired the position of Crown Princess and studied with all your might. You must have looked down on me, who lagged behind, as a fool, didn't you?"

"I am mistaken. I have never looked down on you, Your Highness."

While refuting him, a dry sense of resignation flashed through my mind. Fritz was, to be honest, never an excellent Crown Prince. He lacked any special talent from birth and was not particularly diligent. His only outstanding quality was his appearance; his academic studies, magic, and swordsmanship were all mediocre.

I was worried about his future as the next king, but I never treated him with contempt. If Fritz lacked something, it was my duty as a future princess to make up for it, and I was so busy with my princess training that I had no time to look down on him.

However, even though I didn't look down on him, the gap between us in our studies grew wider, and he might have felt inferior and harbored a sense of inadequacy.

"Letitia, your words are just surface-level. Like many courtiers, they sound good but are hollow. ... You are nothing like Smia, who genuinely cares for me. Despite my initial prejudice against her as a commoner, Smia accepted me with her warm heart."

"Your Highness..."

Smia leaned closer to Fritz, looking both embarrassed and delighted.

A young man burdened by the responsibilities of being the Crown Prince finds solace and love in a commoner's daughter. ... This is a classic trope I've seen countless times in stories from my previous life. The problem is that I've been cast as the villain, the one who stands in the way of their love.

"I intend to make the kind-hearted Smia my Crown Princess. You are an obstacle to our happy future. You, who have bullied Smia, have no right to set foot in this country."

Fritz's declaration echoed in the silent room.

"Letitia, I will have you, a vicious young lady, leave this country."

... Exile? Are you serious?

I couldn't help but want to point out the absurdity. I had sensed that the engagement would be broken, but this was a step further and quite surprising. I am, after all, the daughter of a duke, a key figure in the nation's political core. To unilaterally condemn and exile me... isn't this Crown Prince a bit too foolish?

Even if I concede that breaking the engagement is inevitable, where does he plan to exile me? It's not the same as exiling a commoner. As the daughter of a duke, proper procedures and a suitable place of exile are necessary.

... Given that this is a foolish Crown Prince, he probably has no plan at all. Irius, the scheming glasses-wearing man, was fidgeting with his glasses, looking flustered, which confirmed my suspicions. From his actions, I could piece together the sequence of events.

Irius, despite his scheming nature, is not unintelligent and is actually quite quick-witted. I had forgotten amidst the shock of the engagement being broken, but he and I were once rivals in our academic studies. While our rivalry didn't turn into friendship, we did have a certain level of interaction.

We would sometimes exchange insults in a warm manner, like "Brainy girl, teach me the translation of this old book" and "Scheming glasses-wearing man, can you lend me the reference book?" and then pull off each other's masks.

Unlike the foolish Crown Prince, Irius is not the type to side with someone who lacks common sense like Smia. His support for Smia must be part of a plan.

Smia's baron family is a distant relative of Irius's ducal family, which has a loose antagonistic relationship with my ducal family. Irius intended to bring Smia closer to the Crown Prince and take the position of Crown Princess from me.

... I had suspected this much before, and while Irius probably didn't expect things to escalate to this level, his plan was likely to break my engagement more gradually.

The Crown Prince's declaration is the worst possible move. I knew that his heart was no longer with me, but I didn't expect him to act so foolishly.

Publicly breaking the engagement and declaring my exile is a declaration of war against me and, by extension, my ducal family. My ducal family controls the western sea routes of the kingdom and boasts vast territories and wealth. If they see my exile as a royal decision and fall out with the king, it could lead to a civil war.

Irius must have realized this possibility and was looking at me for help.

... Scheming glasses-wearing man, don't look at me with such pitiful eyes. Where is your usual confidence?

No matter how unexpected the Crown Prince's foolishness was, the root cause is your plan. I want to tell you to take responsibility, but... unfortunately, it seems that I am the only one who can handle this situation.

There's no choice. Despite my reluctance, for the sake of the country, I have to take the hit.

"... I have heard your decision, Your Highness... But is the king aware of my exile?"

"I intend to obtain their approval later."

It seems that the declaration of exile was a solo act by the foolish Crown Prince.

However, the problem is that he is the only son of the king and queen, and despite his foolishness, he cannot be deposed. If Fritz were deposed, the next in line would be the wise younger prince, whom the king does not favor. Therefore, deposing Fritz is not an option for the king.

If Fritz strongly insists on my exile, the king will be caught in a dilemma, and the government will fall into chaos. The king should understand that my exile is a foolish act, but canceling the Crown Prince's declaration and changing his stance repeatedly would undermine the royal family's dignity.

"... I understand, Your Highness. Please convey this to the king. I, Letitia, seem to have fallen out of favor with Prince Fritz. Out of consideration for his feelings, I will leave the country for a while."

The key is in the phrase "fallen out of favor with Fritz." I cannot be condemned for bullying Smia, which I did not do. By saying this, I can make it clear that Fritz is the one who is acting out of personal dislike, not the ducal family.

I need to ensure that my intentions are conveyed to the king, so I will monitor the Crown Prince. Irius, I will put pressure on you.

His glasses glinted, and I confirmed his nod before leaving this absurd scene. As I turned and headed for the exit of the academy, I heard voices of pity and ridicule.

"The woman abandoned by the Crown Prince"

"The poor young lady exiled from her glorious homeland"

These voices scratched my eardrums and lingered. ... In our country, with its long history, many nobles look down on people from other countries. Therefore, exile is seen as equivalent to a death sentence among the nobility.

However, thanks to my memories from my previous life, I wasn't as pessimistic about this.

... In any case, on that day, I received the backlash of the broken engagement and was exiled from the country.