Chapter 3

The Next Day.

I woke up early in the morning and was writing a letter about yesterday's events.

Of course, the recipient was the former king, Oswald's family.

"Hehe... Onee-sama..."

Sophina was sleeping soundly in the bed, and it seemed I even appeared in her dreams.

I smiled at her and returned my gaze to the letter.

I was writing at length, but to summarize the content briefly:

"I have decided to accept Oswald's proposal to break off our engagement."

It's roundabout, but I don't want to suddenly visit and cause a commotion around the former king.

On the other hand, breaking off the engagement without any communication would be impolite.

So, as a compromise, I decided to send a letter first.

In any case, I will have to go and talk things through later, but this should be sufficient as a preliminary notice.

--- I've had enough of a woman with no charm like you!

"..."

Oswald's words pierced my heart.

Indeed, I had many weaknesses and was often not serious... but I did care for him in my own way.

I had seriously considered our life after marriage.

I had thought about it and decided to take a strict attitude to help him improve.

Was it wrong to treat charm and amiability as unnecessary?

If I had smiled charmingly and shown more amiability... would he still be my fiancé?

I also bear some responsibility for making him say such things.

Several waves of regret crashed over me, thinking about what I could have done differently.

However, spilled water cannot be retrieved.

Even if I were to return to my relationship with Oswald, I can no longer consider marriage.

Scholarship, etiquette, music, dance, self-defense, magic.

All the efforts I made for Oswald were reduced to nothing in that instant.

The sense of loss still leaves a gaping hole in my chest.

"Perhaps I should have been a bit kinder."

"No, that's not the case."

"Ah, Sophina, you were awake."

Sophina, who had been sleeping, had woken up at some point.

She stretched once, got out of bed, and gently hugged me from behind as I sat in the chair.

"Onee-sama is not at fault. That... Oswald-sama simply lacked the capacity to accept Onee-sama's love."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. A mere second prince could never match Onee-sama."

"But I'm just a duchess's daughter, you know?"

Royal family and duchy. The hierarchy is clear.

Despite this, Sophina sneered at Oswald as if he were beneath her.

"Family background is just an accessory. Even if Onee-sama were a commoner, I would say that Oswald-sama is unworthy."

I wonder how I am treated in Sophina's mind.

Sometimes it bothers me.

"I am certain that Onee-sama will be noticed by someone much better."

"..."

Sophina says this, but finding the next person will be difficult.

I have long been seen in society as "Oswald's fiancée."

He is, after all, the second prince. It's unlikely that the next person will come forward easily.

If things go badly, I might end up a spinster...

As I struggled to respond, the door to the room was knocked on at just the right moment.

A maid, with a changed expression, announced in a flustered manner:

"Reila-sama, Sophina-sama! The king has urgently summoned you to the palace!"

"Understood."

The bad feeling I had yesterday might have been right.

▼

We headed to the palace together.

As we approached the audience chamber, a familiar voice was shouting.

"--- Then he suddenly became violent! Look at my jaw, brother, it's really painful, right!?"

It was Oswald.

He was leaning towards his brother, Alex, who was seated on the throne, showing his swollen jaw.

Sophina had punched him in the heat of the moment yesterday.

The magical reprimand had been well-adjusted, but the uppercut left a clear mark.

No matter how much the other party is at fault, violence is not good.

I have to somehow protect them...

"Thank you for coming, both of you. Let's skip the formalities and get to the point."

Alex, who ascended the throne at a young age, not yet in his mid-twenties, is a remarkable person, as evidenced by the early retirement of the former king.

We were childhood friends, but now he seems like a distant figure.

"First, as a formality, I need to confirm the facts."

I tilted my head at his unusually long preamble.

Alex, looking as if he had bitten into a bitter bug, pressed his forehead and glanced at the paper in front of him.

"Reila, you called Oswald out yesterday evening and told him you were breaking off the engagement. The reason was... that you judged that a brother who cannot inherit the throne has no value."

...Huh?

I couldn't help but frown.

"And in response to Oswald's criticism of your one-sided reason, Sophina became violent. Is this correct?"

Sophina and I both had question marks floating over our heads, while only Oswald was nodding vigorously.

The content he read—what Oswald must have reported—was far from the truth. The only part that was correct was that Sophina had become violent.

"..."

That's not right.

Before I could say it, Alex raised his hand to stop me.

"Your reactions are enough for me to understand. I'm sorry for making you go through this charade."

He bowed his head in embarrassment and then glared at his brother, Oswald.

"Those who can guess what words come after 'This...'" please bookmark ★★★★★.

Comics Chapter 2 (15th final panel to final page)