Chapter 1

The Kingdom of Stern was now facing a situation that threatened its very existence. However, none of the upper echelons of the kingdom had yet realized the severity of the situation, and only a few individuals were wringing their hands in despair.

If asked where this was happening, it would be at the Royal Academy. In this country, great emphasis is placed on education, and citizens are allowed to attend school for free. Noble children typically attend the Royal Academy in the capital from the ages of 12 to 15. The purpose is to enhance the knowledge of those who will be entrusted with the kingdom's territories and to spread new technologies through the children. However, since living expenses and other costs must be covered by themselves, it is mostly the eldest sons who inherit the titles that are sent. There are scholarship systems for outstanding students, but let's set that aside for now.

In any case, the incident was unfolding in this place of learning. The cause was the arrival of a young girl, Catherine Meteora, the daughter of a baron, who had transferred this year. From the beginning of their engagement, Crown Prince Roderich Sternbilt and Diana, the daughter of the Duke of Mount, had been on bad terms, with the prince generally ignoring Diana, leading to a stalemate. However, upon meeting Catherine in his final year, the prince began to have her, a lower noble, attend him, seemingly to show Diana. In fact, it even appeared that the prince was serving Catherine. His aides, who should have advised against this foolish behavior, were also being swayed by the same woman, losing their ability to counsel him. They fawned over her and were at her mercy, their moods fluctuating with hers.

The Crown Prince, who was close to the top of the kingdom, bowing to a baron's daughter—this situation seemed to foreshadow the collapse of the class system. It was Diana who voiced her concerns. She had turned a blind eye to the prince's playful relationship with the baron's daughter, seeing it as merely a student's pastime, but she could no longer tolerate his neglect of his fiancée.

"I don't receive any replies to my letters. You decline my escorts to evening parties, citing your busy schedule. And to top it all off, you give dresses and jewelry to Lady Catherine. I have never received anything from you!"

By merely pointing out what should be the proper behavior of a fiancé, the Crown Prince looked at Diana as if she were a piece of trash and said,

"A duke's daughter speaking like a beggar."

"Wha—!?"

"Buy as many jewels as you like. Just send the bill to me."

Diana did not say this because she wanted things. As a princess of a ducal family, she had everything she needed and desired. She had no need to beg the Crown Prince. Her criticism was simply a plea for him to reconsider the benefits of their marriage.

Gifts, after all, are a form of 'goodwill.' People's feelings are invisible, so they are made visible through gifts. If the Crown Prince had given dresses and jewelry to Diana, their parents would have been reassured, and it would have helped to eliminate any opportunities for those opposing the engagement to exploit. Unfortunately, the Crown Prince seemed unable to grasp this.

The Stern royal family had, over several generations, seen the bloodline of the first king thin. All the male heirs were born to low-ranking concubines. High-ranking noble queens and concubines only bore daughters. The current king's mother was from a viscount's family, and the Crown Prince's mother was the daughter of a baron. Diana had heard from her father that this had led to diplomatic setbacks with other countries.

Fearing that this would affect the royal family's prestige domestically, the king chose Diana, a princess from a ducal family whose aunt had married a previous king, as the Crown Prince's fiancée. The fact that Diana was a much-anticipated daughter in a male-line family was also a reason for her selection.

This engagement was the king's lifelong wish, and the duke, who understood the king's struggles, also hoped to maintain and consummate the engagement. It was not something that could be dissolved, and breaking it off was out of the question. If the Crown Prince were to break the engagement for his love of Catherine, the cost would be too great.

Indeed, Diana's words might have been indirect, but for a noble, such subtle speech was considered a virtue. Moreover, even if the Crown Prince's bloodline and high ideals were discussed, it ultimately came down to "making children," a topic that a young woman would be hesitant to bring up.

Despite Diana's concern for the Crown Prince's future, her words fell on deaf ears. In fact, his indifference had already surpassed any hope of reform, and no affection had been born.