Chapter 5

Five days after the royal banquet.

In a conference room located in a strictly restricted area of the royal castle,

"---It seems everyone is here. Time is precious, so let's get started."

Under the watchful eye of Prince Edgar, who sat calmly at the far end of the room, the deliberation began.

Percival, the proposer of the main deliberation, had presented two issues to the royal family.

One was about the significant deception regarding the marriage between the heir of the Stroud Marquessate and the second daughter of the Wordsworth Earl's family.

The other was about the Wordsworth Earl's family's violation of their duty to report their unique magic.

Margaret and Percival faced each other across the long table in the center of the conference room, of course, along with the three members of the Wordsworth Earl's family.

However, there were a few other attendees.

Feeling the intense gaze of one of them, Margaret involuntarily lowered her eyes to her lap.

...Yes, among the attendees were the young man who had attacked Margaret at the banquet and his parents.

"I think we should start with the issue that also involves the Viscount Moore's family. Is that all right?"

As everyone nodded in response to the Prince's words, the first to speak was the young man—Thomas, the heir of the Viscount Moore's family.

"Your Highness, why is Miss Margaret sitting next to the heir of the Stroud Marquessate!? She is my fiancée! I would like to request that she be moved immediately!"

"Let's hear Percival's explanation on this point first."

"As you wish, Your Highness."

Percival, maintaining a calm demeanor despite Thomas's glare, began to explain the sequence of events, primarily to the Viscount Moore's family.

The Wordsworth Earl's sisters had been swapped for a long time using their unique magic.

Julia had been impersonating Margaret and engaging in inappropriate relationships with multiple men even before she married into the Marquessate.

The one who married into the Stroud Marquessate was, on paper, the younger sister Julia, but in reality, it was the elder sister Margaret.

Currently, Percival and the real Margaret were in a mutual love relationship.

"For these reasons, I request the annulment of my marriage to Miss Julia Wordsworth."

"Annulment of marriage!?", "What nonsense!!", "No way!!"

Cries of despair came from the Earl's side. On the other hand, the Viscount Moore and his wife were taken aback. It was understandable; the idea that the woman who was supposed to become their son's wife was actually someone else seemed like a bad joke.

Especially, the shock of the party involved, Thomas, was immeasurable.

His lips trembled, and he looked at Margaret with a half-smiling expression. This time, Margaret suppressed her fear and did not avert her gaze.

"Is this some kind of mistake...? Margaret, how could you deceive us to this extent, involving even the Prince...?"

"...Young Master of the Viscount Moore. I will say it again, I am not the person you were intimate with."

"Such nonsense!!"

"Then, close your eyes and listen only to the voice. The voice of your Margaret is probably not mine."

It was unlikely that Julia had maintained Margaret's voice for the past five months. Margaret speculated that she had not used a voice-changing spell during their trysts. As if to confirm this, Thomas's face quickly turned pale.

"---Miss Julia, it would be good if you could say something. It would be a good comparison."

The Prince, with a remarkably cheerful expression, encouraged Julia to speak.

Julia hesitated for a moment, then, for some reason, closed her eyes and placed her hand on her chest—suddenly,

"Your Highness, I have detected the use of unique magic from Miss Julia Wordsworth."

"Ah!? It hurts!!"

The knight standing beside the Prince immediately raised his voice and twisted Julia's arm high.

This not only made Julia but the entire Earl's family turn pale.

"Didn't I explain this beforehand? If you forgot, the use of unique magic in this room is detected. I warned that any suspicious movements would result in immediate restraint."

"Please forgive me!! I beg you, Your Highness!!"

The Earl of Wordsworth almost fell off his chair as he stood up and bowed deeply. The real Julia, still restrained, was crying and apologizing, looking at her father pleadingly.

"---Well, that's fine. It would be troublesome if the discussion were to stall."

The Prince waved his hand dismissively, as if the Earl's apology meant nothing. The knight then released Julia. Her stepmother, who was sitting next to her, immediately hugged her to comfort her.

As a result of this series of events,

"---So, the Margaret who truly loved me... is that Miss Julia over there..."

Thomas muttered. He hesitantly turned to Julia to confirm the truth.

Noticing his gaze, Julia's face turned red, and she shook her head violently in her mother's arms.

"No, no, no!!! It's not me!!! Your partner is that Margaret over there!!!"

"But, your voice is definitely—"

"It's not me!!! I don't know you!!! To begin with, this is all because you messed up at the banquet!!! You useless person!!! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!!!"

It was like a child's tantrum—no, even worse.

There was no trace of the Julia Wordsworth who was once praised as a model of ladylike behavior.

"---What do you mean by 'messed up at the banquet'?"

In the midst of this, Percival picked up on part of Julia's statement and looked coldly at Thomas. Thomas, shrinking like a frog caught by a snake, said,

"I, I don't understand... At the banquet, I was told that I could take Margaret back to the mansion because our engagement was finalized... So, when she appeared at the meeting place—"

"Was the meeting arranged by a letter or something beforehand?"

"Yes... I definitely received a letter from Margaret."

Thomas, with a pale face, added that the letter was still at home. Julia screamed, "It's a lie! All lies!!" Her hysterical state was the best evidence, and everyone except Julia had already realized this.

"---Please submit the letter later. It may not be necessary, but we might have it analyzed for handwriting."

"I understand..."

Thomas, completely dejected, nodded with his head hanging low.

Immediately after this,

"---Your Highness, may I speak?"

The Viscount Moore, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. The Prince immediately nodded in agreement.

"I would like to request, in the name of the royal family, the annulment—no, the invalidation of the engagement between my son and Miss Margaret."

"Hmm... Is that all right with Thomas?"

"......Yes."

Thomas slowly nodded in response to the Prince's confirmation. The Viscountess gently patted his back.

The Earl of Wordsworth briefly showed anger towards the Viscount but ultimately said nothing. He must have realized that, in the current situation, they were at the bottom in terms of influence.

"---Since I am currently in charge of Miss Margaret, I will ask her directly. Miss Margaret, do you have any objections to the annulment of the engagement?"

"No, I have no objections."

She immediately nodded, and the Prince smiled slightly, though his gaze was directed at Percival rather than Margaret. However, Percival only maintained his usual calm smile.

"---Then, with the mutual agreement of both parties, the engagement between Thomas, the heir of the Viscount Moore, and Miss Margaret is hereby annulled."

The Prince's declaration was met with a slight bow from the Stroud and Moore sides. The Earl's family, however, was still busy trying to calm the sobbing Julia.

With the decision that they would not participate in the subsequent deliberations, the three members of the Viscount Moore's family left the room first. As they left, the Viscount Moore said to the Earl of Wordsworth with a look of disdain,

"We will have a further discussion about this matter at a later date. Of course, we will also terminate our business cooperation."

"What!?"

"Of course. We also intend to request appropriate compensation."

Finally, the Viscount patted his son's back to encourage him, and the three of them left the room together.