Chapter 2

When I was called to the palace by Lord Henry, a familiar butler greeted me.

With a somewhat apologetic expression, he led me to a guest room for visitors.

In the well-known palace, I was shown to one of the smaller guest rooms. Looking around the room, the furnishings were nice, but not particularly expensive. For someone who is the child of a high-ranking noble and the prince’s fiancée, it was a room far below my status. Just being shown to this room made it clear that Lord Henry did not consider me important.

As I had suspected, the reason for being called today was probably that. I had long anticipated that this day would come.

I sat on the sofa and was thinking about the reason for being called when Lord Henry entered the room with his attendants. As a sign of respect to the royal family, I stood up from the sofa and curtsied. A curtsy involves standing straight, pulling one foot diagonally back, and slightly bending the knee of the other foot to lower the body. It is a form of greeting.

Lord Henry glanced at me, then, without much of a greeting, sat down on the sofa.

"Please sit."

"Yes."

When I remained standing, Lord Henry, noticing this, invited me to sit on the sofa. I followed his words and sat down, and silence filled the room.

He had called me here, so unless Lord Henry spoke first, the conversation wouldn’t start. After all, his status was higher than mine. In this country, it is a breach of etiquette for someone of lower status to speak to someone of higher status. Therefore, unless he spoke first, I couldn’t take any action. I quietly observed Lord Henry and the others until that moment came.

Lord Henry entered the room with five people, excluding the guards and maids.

The first was Eleanor Gordon, the daughter of the Baron Gordon. She is rumored to be in a romantic relationship with Lord Henry. Just as I had seen before, she sat next to Lord Henry as if the room belonged to her.

Her hair was fluffy and strawberry blonde, and her eyes were pink. Even when she was just sitting there, her large, slightly drooping eyes and youthful face, combined with her hairstyle, exuded a sweet aura. In contrast, my face, with its slightly upturned eyes, gave a cold impression, unlike hers.

I had seen her from a distance before, but this was the first time I was face-to-face with her. As rumored, she looked like someone you’d want to protect. Many men, not just Lord Henry, were captivated by her appearance, and several noble heirs were part of her entourage.

However, what captivated the heirs wasn’t just her looks. Having been raised as a commoner until a year ago, Baroness Gordon interacted with everyone in a casual manner. Some might find her approachable, while others might find her too familiar. As a noble lady, her manners were far from perfect, especially in her attitude towards the children of high-ranking nobles.

Still, this seemed fresh to the heirs. Needless to say, her reputation among other noble ladies was terrible.

The remaining four were Lord Henry’s close aides, standing behind the sofa where two of them were seated. From left to right, they were the son of the commander of the First Knight Regiment, the son of the Minister of the Interior, the son of a baron, and the son of a court mage. Each was a different type of handsome man, and they were popular among noble ladies due to their promising futures.

However, their popularity had waned recently as they were known as part of Baroness Gordon’s entourage.

As I observed them, it seemed Lord Henry had also prepared himself. He slowly opened his mouth.

"Sophie, I want to break our engagement."

The room fell silent, and I could hear someone gasp. It was either one of the guards or one of the maids. It certainly wasn’t me.

After all, I had expected this. From Lord Henry’s recent actions, it was easy to predict that he would eventually ask to break the engagement. I had thought that being called today meant he was finally going to tell me, so I wasn’t surprised.

A normal noble lady might have been flustered by such a proposal from her fiancé. However, I am the child of a high-ranking noble and the prince’s fiancée. I have learned the art of maintaining a composed expression in noble society.

"I understand."

The room seemed even quieter than before, perhaps because I had nodded immediately. It seemed I had done the right thing. After all, Lord Henry himself looked surprised and frozen in place.

Why are you surprised? For the past few months, the tea parties meant to deepen our relationship had been canceled one after another, and eventually stopped altogether. The formal letter exchanges had also ceased when I stopped sending letters after not receiving any replies. Moreover, every time we met, he made a displeased face, and we couldn’t have a proper conversation.

Looking back on my actions, it should have been obvious that I would agree to the engagement being broken. Or is there something else? Did you think I was so attached to you that I would still like you even after all this? No, that can’t be true, right?

Even though I was being quite harsh in my thoughts, I couldn’t help it. After all, this man was discussing the end of our engagement while still holding his mistress’s hand. Just having her there was unbelievable.

Furthermore, his mistress seemed unhappy and was glaring at me. Despite all this, I managed to keep a smile on my face without showing any of my thoughts. I can say that the results of my lady’s education were fully demonstrated. Still, even though I had expected this, it was becoming troublesome. I just wanted to go home.

"Regarding the engagement, I will inform my father, so could you please inform His Majesty the King?"

"Huh? Ah, yes..."

A noble engagement is not just a verbal agreement; it involves various contracts, and these are between families. Therefore, even if Lord Henry told me to break the engagement, the process wouldn’t be complete. The heads of the families, the King and my father, would need to discuss it.

Despite the rumors that he was blinded by love, Lord Henry seemed to understand this much. He agreed to inform the King, though he still seemed to be in shock. I didn’t care. My business was done. I wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Then, I must inform my father, so I will take my leave now."

I stood up and curtsied, then left the room without looking back.