Chapter 3

A few days after the night of the broken engagement—today was finally the day for the first meeting with the second prince, Lazulis, who would be her new fiancé.

Garnet and the maids were putting extra effort into dressing up.

"I feel... a bit uneasy."

Garnet, feeling somewhat restless, peered into the mirror.

Her appearance, with her rich cherry blonde hair lightly half-up and a light cream-colored dress that was the latest fashion, seemed unfamiliar.

Garnet usually wore dresses that strictly adhered to tradition—dresses that were, in a sense, rather stiff.

Unaccustomed to this style, her garnet-red eyes, like melted garnet, held a hint of unease.

However, in contrast to Garnet's worries, the maids praised her current style one after another.

"You look wonderful, Miss!"

"Prince Lazulis is young, so this kind of attire will likely make a good impression."

"There are no more restrictions, so let's be more adventurous from now on!"

Until now, Garnet, as the fiancée of the first prince and a candidate for the future queen, had always aimed for an old-fashioned style to make a good impression on the elderly nobles.

But the new fiancé, Prince Lazulis, was four years younger than the 16-year-old Garnet.

She wanted to avoid anything that might seem outdated.

—First, I need to get closer to Prince Lazulis. I have to make him feel some affection...

"...Thank you, I'll go now."

"Please do your best, Miss!"

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Garnet finally headed to meet her new fiancé.

◇◇◇

"Nice to meet you, Prince Lazulis. I am Garnet, the eldest daughter of the Frejus Marquis family."

Elegantly greeting, Garnet subtly observed the second prince before her.

The second prince, Lazulis, the son of the late queen.

With ash-blue hair like the night sky and clear, lapis lazuli-colored eyes, he looked like a clever boy.

He was supposed to be 12 years old...

—He's quite small for his age. He looks like he's only 10...

The rumors about his frail health might not be entirely false.

Prince Lazulis was rather short for his age, and his hands and feet, visible from the hem of his clothes, were quite thin.

It was worrying whether he was eating properly.

Well, there's still room for growth, so it shouldn't be a problem, Garnet convinced herself.

—Besides, this palace is strange...

The small palace where Lazulis resided was located far from the main palace.

When Garnet first stepped into this palace, she was surprised.

The building itself, hidden away, gave no sense of being inhabited.

It felt as if she had wandered into a creepy place, making her feel heavy-hearted.

Hiding her unease, Garnet smiled calmly.

"As you may already know, I am to be Prince Lazulis's fiancée—"

"Ah, I heard you were broken off with the first prince, right?"

It was then that Lazulis spoke for the first time.

But the words that came out were as if he was belittling Garnet.

"You must be unfortunate. Being stuck with someone like me."

"No, I—"

"Engagements are just formalities anyway. You don't need to bother with me, and you don't have to come here anymore. If you find a lover, that's fine too. I'll dissolve the engagement to ensure you're not blamed."

Saying this in one breath, Lazulis averted his eyes from the stunned Garnet.

"...I'm tired. I'm going to rest. You should go home too."

With that, Lazulis retreated to the back without giving her a chance to stop him.

—What...?

Garnet, who had been dazed for a while, gradually felt a sense of frustration rising.

—How could I be rejected like this on our first meeting...? No, I can't back down now.

It seemed she had underestimated the second prince.

She needed to retreat for now and rethink her strategy.

Maintaining a calm demeanor, Garnet gracefully left the palace.

After walking for a while, she stopped abruptly.

"Miss...?"

When her attendant, Sara, called out to her, Garnet turned around.

"Sara, I'm sorry for the sudden request, but I want to go to the city."

"The city?"

"Yes, I want to see the largest bookstore I can find. I need reference materials."

"Reference materials...?"

Tilting her head, Sara listened as Garnet whispered to her.

"I'm going to find a book on how to approach someone like Prince Lazulis."

Sara was momentarily stunned by her serious owner.

"A book on how to approach the prince...!?"

"Yes, I checked the library at the manor yesterday, but I couldn't find the kind of book I'm looking for. So, I want to go to the city to look for it."

The strategy—could the genre Garnet was looking for be... love-related books?

Realizing this, Sara, who had never shown interest in love before, was unusually excited.

"Leave it to me, Miss! I will definitely find the book you're looking for!"

Garnet, who had never shown interest in love, was now displaying a reaction typical of a young girl.

Sara, feeling unusually elated, decided to introduce her precious owner to the best love novels and love guides.