Chapter 2

When I entered my brother's study, he offered me a sofa. As I sat down, he also took a seat across from me, separated by a low table.

"Everyone, please leave. I want to talk to my sister alone."

At the king's words, the aides and the knights guarding the room bowed and left. However, there was one person who did not move. After a moment, I looked up at the person standing next to me, showing no sign of leaving. My brother also looked at him with a very displeased expression.

"Bernard, can you wait outside?"

It was phrased as a question, but it was an order. Bernard must have understood that too. However, he furrowed his brow.

"Who will protect Your Highness if I leave your side?"

"There's no one suspicious here, is there?"

"Your Highness's brother is here."

A vein throbbed in my brother's temple.

"He is my brother. I trust him more than anyone."

"I can't trust him."

I wish he wouldn't say it so bluntly. My brother's temple vein looked like it might burst. I clasped my hands on my lap and looked up at the tall knight with a determined gaze.

"There's enough distance for you to draw your sword, Bernard."

"…Yes."

"If anything happens, I'll run and call for you, just as you taught me."

"…Understood, Your Highness."

Bernard reluctantly left the room. After the door closed, my brother couldn't hold back and shouted.

"Something could happen! I'm your brother, Amelia!"

"Yes, I'm really sorry, brother."

"It's not your fault… But just looking at that man makes me feel like I might reach my limit someday… I might draw my sword in anger."

"Please don't do that."

"Yes… If I draw my sword, Bernard will cut off my head without hesitation."

"I have no intention of making you a usurper," my brother said, looking tired.

"That mad warrior… He doesn't care about anything except your safety. I thought giving him a title and making him the captain of the royal guard would make him grow up a bit… But, ha, I was still a naive young man…"

"Brother, you've done your best. Besides, Bernard is younger than you."

"That's his own claim! He said, 'I don't remember, so I'm the same age as Your Highness.' Don't believe him. He's a cursed magic sword in human form, who doesn't care about his age or background."

I cleared my throat.

"Brother, Bernard does indeed take an inappropriate attitude at the palace sometimes."

"It's not just sometimes; it's all the time."

"But he is our benefactor, isn't he?"

I looked straight into the king's light blue eyes. My brother sighed deeply but nodded reluctantly.

"Yes. I know. That's why I decided on this engagement."

Engagement.

I blinked lightly. So, my engagement had been decided. I couldn't help but look at my brother questioningly. He looked rather uncomfortable and said,

"Amelia, let me tell you first. My engagement is already set."

"Is the person…?"

"Yes, as you thought. That's why I need to announce your engagement first."

The reason I have to get married first is a complicated one that traces back to the previous king, our father.

I don't think our father was a bad person. But he wasn't fit to be a king. He was weak-willed and easily swayed by others' opinions. He preferred flattering words and never verified facts with his own eyes. Still, when my brother and I were young, during the time of the previous prime minister, the country managed to function. But after the prime minister died in an accident—whether it was really an accident is now unknown—the country fell into chaos.

Corruption spread, bribery was rampant, taxes increased, and rebellions broke out multiple times. We were even attacked by neighboring countries. Looking back, it's a wonder our country didn't disappear from the map.

My brother, as the crown prince, did his best. In the end, he had to confront his own father with a sword, forcing him to abdicate or die. I always supported my brother fully. No matter what people said, my brother had done everything to protect the country.

About two years ago, my brother finally ascended the throne and worked tirelessly to stabilize the country. Just two months after his coronation, marriage proposals from the two neighboring countries to the north and west came almost simultaneously.

This was the problem.

The two countries did not get along. Choosing one and rejecting the other would cause trouble, potentially leading to war with our country. Moreover, my brother was not ready to take a queen. Stabilizing his reign was his top priority, and he had no time for marriage.

We racked our brains to find a way to politely decline the proposals from both countries. After much deliberation with the senior ministers, we came up with this response:

"As the head of the family, I must first take care of my sister's marriage. I cannot consider my own engagement until she is married."

It was a desperate response. If the two countries had replied, "Then we'll take your sister as our bride," we would have been in trouble. However, we didn't expect such a response, and our prediction was correct.

About a month before the marriage proposals came, an incident occurred at a banquet with important figures from various countries. Since then, no country has wanted me as a wife. Taking me as a wife would be like inviting an entire army from another country unscathed.

But it's been almost two years.

My brother needs a queen and an heir. For the purpose of strengthening the alliance with the southern neighboring country, the proposal to marry their princess has been on the table for a while. It had been moving quietly, but it seems to have finally reached a firm agreement.

Once that happens, all I need to do is get married first to give a plausible excuse to the north and west.

"…But, brother, has a suitable person appeared who is willing to marry me? Or is it still the Duke of Ridge?"

The duke is 80 years old. If my engagement can't be decided, he has offered to take me as his wife.

"I've lived this long. Dying in my sleep or being beheaded by a mad dog, there's not much difference," he said, a good-natured old man.

I swore I wouldn't let Bernard do such a thing, but the duke just laughed. I don't think he believed me.

My brother said seriously,

"I can't let the duke die."

"Brother, you too…"

"Amelia, my dear sister. I trust you more than anyone. More than our foolish father, more than our mother who hides in the palace. You have supported me wholeheartedly since we were young. So, I ask you again. As a member of the royal family, can you accept any engagement?"

"Yes, brother. I'm already prepared. …As long as there is a partner."

"There is a partner. Bernard."

I looked back at my brother intently.