Chapter 10

The maid who had guided Cecilia to the room looked at her with an incredulous gaze, hardly believing that Cecilia had really advised Logan.

However, Cecilia, without paying attention, tried to return to her own room.

"Oh, Cecilia. Good afternoon."

There, the second princess, Marietta, passed by with a gentle smile. In her previous life, Marietta was still the fiancée of the second prince and had affectionately called Adeline "onee-sama." However, in Cecilia's memory, they had no real interaction, only exchanging greetings when they happened to meet.

"Good afternoon, Aunt Marietta."

Thinking it was just a chance encounter, Cecilia returned the greeting and tried to leave. However, Marietta seemed to be looking at her with great interest.

"I had heard that you've changed a bit recently, but it seems to be true. I'm glad to see your growth."

"…Thank you."

Surprised by the unexpected words, Cecilia was a bit taken aback but calmly expressed her gratitude. It was just a brief conversation, but as Marietta left, Cecilia felt a cold shiver down her spine. In her previous life, she had thought of Marietta as a beloved younger sister, but perhaps from Cecilia's perspective, there was a sense of unease. However, it was more than that now. A fear-like sensation rose up, making her almost tremble.

There should be no reason to be afraid. Perhaps the two sets of memories were mixing and causing confusion because she had met someone who knew Adeline. The conversation itself was a compliment from Marietta, so it shouldn't be a bad thing. Trying to convince herself not to worry, Cecilia returned to her room.

"…I'm so tired."

In her room, Cecilia lay back, feeling utterly drained. Seeing Logan's selfishness and foolishness, she felt a deep sense of emptiness, realizing that this was her current father. He had criticized Cecilia and Helena, putting the blame on them while ignoring his own shortcomings. Moreover, it seemed he wanted to bury the memory of Helena, who was once bound to him by true love. The king had decided that Logan and Helena were not allowed to divorce or remarry, perhaps to protect Helena from the current situation.

"The fact that there was no engagement was a surprise."

Before her memories from her previous life returned, Cecilia had been told repeatedly that she would marry Gilbert. The fact that there was no formal engagement was a complete mess. However, it might be better for the country if Gilbert became king instead of Logan. For Cecilia, she had no personal feelings for Gilbert, so whether there was an engagement or not didn't matter to her.

However, to expose Logan and Helena's sins, it would be better to have a connection with the second prince's family. But revealing Adeline's truth could be detrimental to the second prince's family, which might make it impossible to act. In the end, there was nothing Cecilia could do now, so she had to accept it. After all, she was just a tool for a political marriage. Changing her fiancé was like changing the table where a flower was placed; her treatment would remain the same.

"…What will happen next?"

With no formal engagement to Gilbert and no possibility of one in the future, what would Logan do? Aware of his weak backing, Logan would likely try to arrange a marriage for Cecilia that would benefit him. Her happiness would not be considered at all. Whether the man was old or had a despicable personality, if it benefited Logan, he would become Cecilia's husband. However, there were no friendly nobles who could support Logan and be of use to him.

Most importantly, Cecilia could do nothing now. But she had about three years to prepare. She would attend the academy for three years, and during that time, even if an engagement was made, marriage would not happen unless it was urgent.

"I can only do what I can now. I mustn't rush."

Cecilia reminded herself. Rushing would only lead to failure. She had to take it one step at a time, steadily moving forward.

"Oh, Lady Cecilia. I heard that Prince Gilbert is engaged to the daughter of the Marquis of Morales. I thought Prince Gilbert was engaged to you, so I was quite surprised."

"Could it be that the engagement was broken off? Is this karma? But it's so unfair for Lady Cecilia, who did nothing wrong. What do you plan to do now, Lady Cecilia?"

The next day, as soon as she arrived at the academy, Cynthia and Isabella approached her. Cecilia sighed softly, impressed by how quickly the news had spread.

"The idea that Gilbert and I were engaged is a complete fabrication. Unfortunately, there was never any formal engagement. What a rude rumor."

Cecilia answered with a gentle smile, and the twisted smiles on Cynthia and Isabella's faces froze. They had clearly imagined Cecilia being heartbroken and crushed.

"Prince Gilbert's engagement to the daughter of the Marquis of Morales is a happy event. We should celebrate. There will likely be a debut party… Will you be invited? If you are, I recommend you study etiquette before then."

Without breaking her elegant smile, Cecilia said this and turned away from Cynthia and Isabella. They trembled with humiliation but, as the class began, they returned to their seats without saying anything more. Their attitude was too obvious. Some of her other classmates also seemed to look down on her, having heard the rumors about her being a failure. However, no one else was as direct as Cynthia and Isabella. Cecilia was almost worried that they should learn to be more discreet.

After school, Cecilia chatted a bit and then returned home. Upon arriving, she was told that Logan was waiting for her. A bad feeling crept over her, and her legs felt weak. However, she couldn't avoid him, so she went to the room where Logan was waiting. Logan, looking serious, opened his mouth as soon as he saw her.

"Cecilia, you will become a concubine to King Kevin of the neighboring country of Lovary. He already has twelve concubines, but he says he will treat you well. If the arrangement is finalized, you will leave the academy and go to the neighboring country."

The shock was so great that Cecilia couldn't process it immediately. She could only stand there in silence.