Chapter 14

As night fell, Shurigan led the way, swinging the lamp.

"We're taking Serea and Miss Bell to the duke's villa."

"Shurigan... thank you for today."

"Well, it's my cute little brother's wedding, so I couldn't just skip it."

Is that setting still going on?

"By the way, keep tonight's events to yourself."

"No way."

"You'll tell! You'll definitely tell Father!"

"Of course I will. If I don't, my head will roll."

"Aaaaaa."

"But you, Lord Shurigan, also signed as a witness. You'll be seen as supporting the prince."

Miss Bell is also heartless.

"Even if the king gets mad and fires me, this will make their marriage official. It can't be undone, after all. We even swore to the goddess."

Would you really be okay with losing your head, Shurigan? Losing your head might mean the guillotine in this case.

"Miss Bell... I'm sorry."

"It's a joyous occasion, my lady. There's nothing to apologize for."

"Will you tell Father?"

"Even if I don't, once the sun rises, the royal family will contact the estate, and everyone will know. Besides, your husband is staying at the villa."

"Uuuu..."

Serea also clutched her head. The duke was in the capital from his territory.

"Is there a reason to keep it a secret?"

"It's our trump card."

"What a strange thing to say. Well, the prince is much smarter than me, so I'm sure he has his reasons."

Shurigan, don't you feel ashamed saying that to a ten-year-old?

Before long, we arrived at Duke Colette's villa.

"Serea."

"Lord Shin..."

"Um... see you tomorrow."

"Yes. Good night."

Serea bowed and disappeared into the villa through the gate Miss Bell opened.

"Let's go back."

"Hey, Shurigan, about tonight..."

"I told you, I'll tell the king."

"Promise to keep it a secret from everyone else!"

"Can I really keep such a joyous event to myself?"

"Please!"

"You're enjoying this! Or are you jealous?"

No matter how scary you look, laughing like that isn't scary at all!

...Sorry, that's a lie. It's really scary.

But it's strange.

I had completely forgotten.

The clear memory of the child I met at seven, all of it vanished from my mind by the time we reached the palace.

I got into bed with sleepy eyes, thinking, "Oh, that happened, didn't it?"

The heart-wrenching, bittersweet feelings of my first love were completely gone.

The goddess's blessing is amazing.

Maybe I should have added a couple more gold coins.

The next morning, I was called to Father's office.

Of course, he was very angry. I decided to be straightforward.

"Last night, you married Serea, I hear."

"Yes."

"...You acted rashly. You've only been engaged for a month. Isn't that too hasty?"

"The king said we could decide the timing of the marriage ourselves."

"You're both only ten years old. If the people knew you were married before adulthood, the royal family would be criticized for being dictatorial. You could have waited until adulthood and had a grand ceremony in the cathedral. Why did you rush?"

You look troubled.

Indeed, if the royal family had arranged this, there would be criticism from the people. They might think we forced such a situation on young children. They might even speculate about the family's motives for rushing the marriage.

I should be honest...

"To prevent the engagement from being broken off."

"Broken off?!"

Father was taken aback by the unexpected words.

"My sister was engaged to the son of Duke Alst."

"She wasn't engaged. Perhaps it was a quasi-engagement."

"No, she was engaged. However, when the marriage proposal from Halva came, the royal family broke off the engagement, and my sister ended up marrying Halva."

"Don't speak ill of it. It wasn't an engagement, and it wasn't broken off."

"Publicly, that's how it was, but the truth is different. Everyone knows this."

"Are you saying I would break off your engagement and betray my ally, Duke Haust, by forcing Serea to break it off?"

"No, but if it were for the good of the country, Duke Haust would step aside. He is a man of honor and would prioritize the country over personal feelings. He would ask Serea to break off the engagement."

"Are you saying I would give you away in marriage?"

"Perhaps a proposal from another country might come."

"Would I let my first prince, whom I have recognized as my heir, marry a foreign princess? Do you not trust me?"

It's a bit tough, but from here on, I'll have to stick to my argument.

"I trust you as the king."

"...?"

"You would prioritize the happiness of the people over my happiness. I believe you would make the decision that benefits the country."

"...With the fact that you are already married, there can be no question of breaking off the engagement. Are you saying you love Serea so much?"

"Yes."

"Even if you are disinherited?"

"Of course."

The king shook his head in exasperation.

"...I understand. Hold to your resolve."

"Thank you."

"Upon reflection, there is nothing wrong with it. I truly wish for you to marry Serea and succeed to the throne. Both I and Duke Haust believe you are worthy. I wanted to give you a grand wedding as a parent. There was no need to marry secretly in a small church at night... I don't understand what made you rush."

"I'm sorry."

I bowed without a word.

I genuinely feel sorry.

"This must be kept secret. It could set a bad precedent. I will also tell Duke Haust. We will reconsider the public wedding ceremony when you come of age."

"Thank you for your consideration."

"You may leave."

"Yes. Excuse me."

"Wait a moment."

I was stopped as I was about to leave.

"Congratulations on your marriage, Shin."

"...Thank you."

I bowed deeply, almost to the point of tears.

I'm sorry, Father. But to protect Serea, this was the only way I could think of. I'll study hard, so please forgive me.

At noon, I had lunch with Serea again.

Ah, it's a meal inside the castle, so we don't need to check for poison. That's a custom for meals outside the castle.

"Ah... hello."

"Hello, Your Highness."

We both felt extremely embarrassed and awkward, and our greetings were stiff.

"Um... has anything changed since then?"

"In the morning, my father said, 'Well done!'"

Amazing, Duke! For a ten-year-old daughter to marry without permission and for her father to say that!

"It went well on your side. I got scolded by the king and received a lot of sarcasm."

"That's understandable."

"Marriage at ten would make people think there must be some political reason."

"Oh, right! I didn't even think about that!"

Politics is complicated.

"That's why we need to keep this marriage a secret until the right time."

"Yes, I agree with the king."

"...I also think we should keep it a secret. After all, our goal has been achieved."

"Goal?"

"When I saw that child, my heart raced. It felt like meeting someone I really liked, like my first love. All my memories came flooding back. I fell in love with her at first sight."

"Wh-what..."

"But after the wedding in the church, I didn't feel anything anymore. It was like, 'Oh, that happened, didn't it?' The game's forced effect is amazing... It's more like a power to correct destiny. It felt like I was forced to follow a predetermined fate. But now, it's all gone."

Serea nodded in agreement.

"...Me too. I was supposed to hate that child so much that I wanted to cry and couldn't forgive her. But now, I can't even remember what I was upset about. It's strange, but I don't feel anything now."

"Amazing! The goddess's blessing is incredible!"

We both laughed.

"There's no way the engagement can be broken off now. We're already married, so no one has the right to separate us. There's no law or rule in the Bible that can force a divorce. It worked out as I thought it would."

"Even the goddess might have been surprised."

Hehe, Serea laughed.

Ah, it's a good thing. Marrying was the right decision!

"I'll work hard from now on. I need to be a good king. I'll study a lot and think of ways to improve the country."

"Lord Shin can definitely do it."

"I can. I don't have to worry about love, heartbreak, or searching for a partner anymore. Serea will always be there for me, no matter what. It will work out."

"Yes, I'll help a lot."

At ten, I got married.

At ten, I got a wife.

I have to protect this child no matter what.

No matter what fate comes, I won't lose.

I looked at Serea's smile and thought that.

Next: "15. The Prince is Busy"