Chapter 2

When I returned home as the prince's fiancée, my two older sisters and three older brothers erupted into a commotion like a beehive had been disturbed.

"What are you thinking, Father! To make such a dazed girl the prince's fiancée!"

"There's no way a girl as laid-back as her can be a queen! Just the other day, she was curled up and sleeping in a corner of the library! Do you remember how Quinn's scream echoed throughout the mansion when she found her!"

"That's right, Father. While Sylvie is a wonderful girl who eats well, moves well, sleeps well, and even reads a lot, she is not suited to be a queen."

"Haha, with only four patterns of behavior—swinging a sword, reading a book, eating, and sleeping—making this sister the future queen is just a joke, isn't it, Father!?"

"No, no, even that old Aldo praised Sylvie's sword skills! I support Father! When Sylvie becomes queen, I want to be appointed as the Grand General! Emilia, stop throwing your fan at me! Alicia, don't stab me with your heel, it hurts, it really hurts, sister!"

Father was desperately trying to explain that he hadn't intended to bring me as a fiancée.

Indeed, it was a meeting with the prince, but the prince had always politely declined any beautiful young ladies. So, when the proposal came to our family, Father thought it was impossible for this laid-back youngest daughter to be chosen. By the way, the reason it was me and not my sisters is that they already had fiancés.

I gently patted Father's back and said,

"It's okay, Father. I'm sure the prince will come to his senses eventually."

"Sylvie...! You are a princess of our family! The prince will surely fall head over heels for you!"

That's impossible. What he has is a desire for revenge against me.

After all, the "Heat Cycle Red-Haired Dog" was a bit too much. Now that I am a duchess's daughter, I understand. I should have just stuck with "Red-Haired Dog."

***

Fortunately, Adonis, the prince who made me his fiancée for revenge, gradually realized the difficulty of his plan.

It was six months after the engagement. As usual, we met in the garden terrace after clearing out the area, and he sighed with a tired look.

"I've always liked proactive women. I love girls who take the initiative and those with a lot of experience. The game of love with a seasoned partner is also enjoyable..."

"Ah... You were quite the ladies' man in the past, weren't you?"

"But, on the contrary, forcing myself on a woman who isn't interested is really a turn-off."

"Of course it is."

"However, as the prince, I need to have children. So, the thought of having to force myself on you after marriage... makes me feel sick already..."

"Why don't you just stop?"

"I can't give up so easily! This is a revenge that has been centuries in the making!"

"Your Highness... Sometimes it's important to forgive others."

"I don't want to hear that from someone who never forgave my slacking off."

I thought slacking off wouldn't be forgiven, but I wisely kept silent.

Silence is golden in difficult situations. This is a lesson from my third older brother.

"I want to take revenge on you. But forcing myself on you for the sake of an heir goes against my aesthetic. So, I've come up with a compromise."

Adonis said, with a determined look.

"Find someone you can call your true love. If you do, I will call you a 'heat cycle chestnut-haired dog' and laugh my heart out, forgetting the past. I will break the engagement and pray for your happiness. You should be truly grateful to me, Sylvie."

I blinked and looked back at Adonis.

My hair is chestnut, so if I were to retort, it would indeed be a chestnut-haired dog.

That's fine, but...

"True love...? Like the saint's?"

"Yes. The saint's love."

The saint's love is a founding legend.

***

A thousand years ago, this world was on the brink of destruction by the beasts that overflowed from the darkness. Brave souls rose to save the world, but the calamity was fierce and powerful.

Just as the last knight was about to be beheaded, his lover rushed to his side. She embraced him and prayed to the gods with all her heart.

"I offer my life, so please, hear his plea –"

The saint's prayer was true love. The goddess of love recognized her love and granted the knight's wish. With the power bestowed from heaven, the knight saved the world.

Eventually, the knight died from his battle wounds, but he continued to tell people:

"Please thank her. The goddess heard her prayer. She was the saint loved by the gods."

After the two passed away, the saint's sister carried on their legacy and founded a new country.

She, the first queen, was also called the Holy King because she bore the same mark as the saint. The petal-shaped mark was passed down to her descendants.

The direct descendants of the royal family are born with this mark somewhere on their body. It is an undeniable proof of the saint's blood.

***

I have always been a bit skeptical, even three hundred years ago, and I didn't believe in this legend.

There might have been a war that nearly destroyed the world, and there might have been heroes. But the idea that the gods granted miraculous powers is just a fairy tale for children.

...I always thought that, but after meeting Adonis, who was once my reborn adjutant and is now the prince, I changed one of my views.

I can't help but stare intently at Adonis's right hand.

There, on the back of his hand, is the petal-shaped mark.

Noticing my gaze, Adonis waved his hand and said,

"I'm not asking you to recreate the legend. I'm just saying find someone you truly love. I will mock you from the bottom of my heart when I see you fall in love."

"What a hassle."

"Given how much I'm compromising! Hmph, I could just use my power to make you my wife by force, you know?"

"If that happens, I'll deal with it when it happens."

"It's bound to fail. What are you saying? You, even in this peaceful era, are too laid-back. A man who forces himself on you should have his head cut off."

"I think it would be best if Your Highness just breaks the engagement normally."

"That would give me no benefit. I want to see you suffer. I want you to taste the feeling of being mocked by the adjutant you once tormented."