Chapter 5

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On that day, before leaving the palace, I sent a message to Father using magic.

When he received the message, Father used a teleportation spell to move from the palace to our mansion.

This teleportation spell is not only used by a few people, but it is also prohibited for use between the palace and the mansion except in emergencies.

It was clear that Father had left his work at the palace and returned home, as he arrived almost simultaneously with me, who had traveled by carriage.

There must have been a commotion at the palace as well.

Everyone in our family knows that Father can use teleportation, but even Mother, who had come to meet us, was unable to hide her surprise.

The first words Father said upon returning home were, "We're going back to the estate."

I immediately stopped Father, who was about to take Mother and me to the estate, and I think I did a great job.

I asked Mother, who was still trying to grasp the situation, to let me explain, and I managed to get her agreement.

I sighed in relief, thinking that this would give Father some time to calm down, and we immediately moved to the living room.

After taking a breath and drinking the tea the maid had brought, I told Mother that Prince Henry had proposed to break the engagement.

As a result, I now had to console two people.

I stated the message I had sent to Father succinctly, and Mother exclaimed, "Oh!" while lowering her eyebrows and covering her mouth with both hands.

Her expression seemed to show shock and sadness at the tragedy that had befallen her daughter.

However, Mother is not the type to break down into tears.

I waited for a few seconds, pressing my slightly aching stomach.

When Mother recovered from the shock, she said, as I had half-expected, "We're going back to the estate!" to Father.

I stopped Mother, who had stood up to speak to Father, and I think I did a great job.

I had shouted louder than I intended, but Mother reluctantly sat down again.

Father, who had been about to cast a teleportation spell next to Mother, also stopped.

"Mother, what do you intend to do about the temple? Father, don't you have work at the palace?"

When I asked about their jobs, both parents looked displeased.

I sighed inwardly, thinking, "Oh well."

Usually, they don't act so emotionally, but my parents hold positions that are among the highest in the country.

First, Father, who literally flew from the palace, works as an official at the palace.

Like the previous heads of the Ashley Marquess family, he serves as the commander of the Court Magic Corps.

Of course, the reason he became the commander is not just because of his family background.

Father is also one of the best users of offensive magic in the current generation.

Moreover, he holds the title of "Grand Mage," which enhances his offensive magic abilities.

If Father were to return to the estate without any handover, it would undoubtedly cause chaos in various departments.

Next, Mother.

Mother has been working at the temple in the capital since before her marriage, treating people who are injured or sick.

The reason why the wife of a noble family's head works is that, like Father, Mother also holds a title.

Mother's title is "High Priestess," which enhances her healing and support magic abilities.

In terms of healing magic, it is said that no one surpasses Mother.

Moreover, she is known for her beauty, and among the believers, she is called a "Holy Maiden" and revered.

Therefore, the people Mother treats are often of high status or wealthy.

Even if a large donation is required, being treated by the "Holy Maiden" is considered a status symbol, and there is no shortage of people asking Mother for treatment.

According to Mother, she had originally planned to take a leave from the temple after marriage.

However, due to her skills and reputation, she was asked by important people to continue working even after marriage.

If Mother were to quit, the donations would decrease, and the important people were desperate to keep her.

Because they were so persistent, Mother reluctantly agreed to continue.

As a result, the important people at the temple are now in a position where they cannot look down on Mother.

Given this, it's not hard to imagine that if Mother were to return to the estate without any handover, it would cause an even bigger commotion than if Father did.

The list of people waiting for Mother's treatment is rumored to be very long.

I explained at length, but both Father and Mother are intellectuals, with Father being a mage and Mother a priest.

They are not unintelligent.

Even though they were acting emotionally in this situation, I believe there was some calculation behind it.

They knew that if they both retreated to the estate, various complaints would flood in, causing trouble for the royal family.

I am very grateful that they are angry on my behalf and want to return to the estate with me.

However, considering the inconvenience it would cause others, I cannot be completely happy about it.

Therefore, I said that we needed to prepare before returning and managed to calm them down.

"Even if we return to the estate, we need some time, right?"

"Yes, we need to go through the procedures for the cancellation."

Father nodded with a bitter expression in response to my words.

Yes, at that time, Prince Henry had only said that he wanted to cancel the engagement; the engagement had not yet been canceled.

Whether we returned to the estate or not, we first needed to complete the procedures.

However, unfortunately, we could not proceed with the procedures immediately.

The crucial King and Queen were not in the capital.

They were currently away at a ceremony in a neighboring country.

Prince Henry had acted on that day because they were away.

If they had been there, they would have certainly advised against it.

It's like the saying, "When the cat's away, the mice will play."

"Sophia, it's okay to proceed with the procedures, right?"

"Yes."

In response to Mother's words, I nodded, and Mother smiled brightly, turning her gaze to Father.

Father, who met her gaze, also smiled.

"Right. Then, we must talk to His Majesty to ensure the cancellation."

"Indeed. They forced the engagement on us, and now they want to cancel it. Even if they are the royal family, they are being quite arbitrary."

"Yes, yes. It's probably because they want to form a new engagement with the baron's daughter. We will have a thorough discussion about that as well."

Although I had not told my parents about Prince Henry and the baron's daughter, they seemed to know.

As they discussed the plans for the procedures, they smiled, but their eyes were like those of predators stalking their prey.

They must have been planning to demand a substantial compensation or some other favorable conditions.

I felt a slight sympathy for His Majesty, who would be confronted by my parents.

After that, my parents stood up, saying they had things to do.

They might have intended to lay the groundwork before His Majesty returned.

As I watched their backs as they left the room, I thought this was probably the case, and it turned out to be correct.