Chapter 2

The grand hall, resplendent and magnificent, was filled with the murmur of chaos.

The graduation party for the first graduating class of the prestigious Royal Academy, a momentous occasion, was about to become a historic event in a different sense.

"I have awakened to true love! Therefore, I declare that I will break my engagement with the Duke of Roseblade's daughter, Adeline, and enter into a new engagement with the Baron of Rural's daughter, Helena!"

Prince Logan declared this loudly in the center of the grand hall.

Beside him, a petite girl with strawberry-blonde hair adorned with a large red ribbon clung to him.

Helena, from a rural baron's family, was free-spirited, and her carefree demeanor seemed to charm some of the upper nobles in the capital, who were bound by etiquette.

One of those captivated by her charm was Prince Logan.

Both Logan and Helena's faces were filled with a sense of accomplishment, as if they had achieved something.

Adeline, the duke's daughter and Logan's fiancée, who had just been publicly dumped, watched the two with a look of exasperation.

The party was supposed to be attended by the king and queen, but they were delayed due to a landslide on their way back from an inspection trip.

The only other person of higher status was the dowager queen, but she was elderly and frail, and had been absent from the party from the beginning.

Adeline secretly sighed, thinking that Logan was getting carried away because there was no one to advise him.

"Your Highness, this is too much of a joke, even for entertainment. It is impossible to break and re-establish an engagement based on personal whims."

"What are you talking about! I am serious! Besides, our country is in the midst of change! We must change old customs! As a first step, I will take Helena as my queen and nurture our love!"

Adeline, who had made a very reasonable statement, was met with a red-faced rebuttal from Logan.

If Logan wanted to change old customs, Adeline wished that he would abolish the primogeniture system and let the more sensible second prince inherit the throne instead of Logan.

"I am not so petty as to refuse a concubine. You can take Helena as a concubine and nurture your love with her."

Despite this, Adeline offered a generous proposal.

It was not uncommon for kings and princes to have concubines. While the country practiced monogamy, it was common for nobles to have concubines of lower status.

Logan and Adeline's engagement was a political one, and Adeline did not have romantic feelings for him.

She was willing to fulfill her duty as a royal bride, and she did not feel jealous of Helena.

"Can you really place Helena in such a shadowy position as a concubine! You just need to step aside! It's understandable to be jealous, but my heart is not with you, so give up!"

"Adeline-sama, I am truly sorry. However, Logan-sama has chosen me. Under love, there is no distinction of status, and everyone is equal. Adeline-sama, who was not chosen, should not resort to such shallow actions based on status. Please give up gracefully."

Adeline felt a headache coming on as the two of them failed to see eye to eye.

Personally, Adeline had no desire to marry such a foolish man, but how could she explain her position to these two?

"This is quite a scene. Shouldn't you show a little more consideration for Adeline's position?"

A voice interrupted them.

It was Prince Kevin from the neighboring country, who had come for an inspection.

The neighboring country was a great power, and as its prince, Logan could not afford to be too arrogant, showing a somewhat intimidated look.

"If the engagement has been broken, then Adeline is a free woman. In that case, I will propose to Adeline."

However, the words that followed, from the one who had just offered to protect her, plunged Adeline into further confusion.

It was as if she had been stabbed from behind when she had let her guard down.

"W-What do you mean! Are you saying that you have been in league with the prince of the neighboring country!?"

Before Adeline could recover from the shock, Logan's shout echoed through the hall.

While his own actions were questionable, Logan's face was twisted with anger as he glared at Adeline.

"That is not true! I have never had a proper conversation with Prince Kevin!"

Adeline hurriedly tried to explain.

She had met Kevin a few times, but only exchanged greetings.

Moreover, she had never been alone with him; there was always someone else present.

"Don't lie! It's impossible to propose out of the blue after just a few greetings! Have some shame! This could be considered treason!"

"Your Highness! Please listen to me..."

"Someone, take this shameless traitor to the Tower of Repentance! We will hear her story later!"

Without a second thought, Logan ordered the soldiers to take Adeline away.

The sudden and intense turn of events left Kevin standing there in shock.

Amidst the uneasy murmur, Adeline was led away from the party venue without any resistance.

Imprisoned in the Tower of Repentance, Adeline was left alone.

The Tower of Repentance housed noble prisoners, and while the furnishings were simpler compared to the Duke of Roseblade's mansion, they were still quite luxurious.

"Just a few more days of endurance..."

Adeline sat on the sofa, muttering to herself.

She had no connection with Prince Kevin, and it would be clear after an investigation.

Her father, the Duke of Roseblade, would not remain silent about this.

While Prince Logan was currently acting rashly, the king and queen were expected to return within a few days, and the situation would surely change.

Adeline tried to calm herself, believing that the suspicion would be cleared and she would be released from the Tower of Repentance soon.

"What a mess this graduation party has become..."

Adeline sighed, thinking about the chaos that had ruined what should have been a celebratory occasion.

The sudden announcement of the engagement break was shocking, but even more shocking was Kevin's proposal.

The proposal was so sudden that it overshadowed the engagement break.

If it weren't for that, she wouldn't have been sent to the Tower of Repentance, and Adeline felt a growing frustration towards Kevin.

Moreover, she couldn't understand why he would propose so suddenly when they had barely spoken.

"I remember, the neighboring country allows multiple wives... Perhaps their sense of things is different."

In her country, even the royal family practiced monogamy, and concubines had no rights as wives.

However, in the neighboring country, a king could have one main wife and several secondary wives, who were recognized as wives.

It might be more like adding a new item to a collection rather than finding a lifelong partner.

That in itself was unsettling.

"Prince Logan is just as bad. After betraying me, he accuses me of being a traitor..."

But it all started with Logan's declaration of breaking the engagement.

If he hadn't done that, Kevin's proposal wouldn't have happened.

Ultimately, Logan was the root of all the problems, and Adeline's anger grew.

However, Logan didn't just suspect her of infidelity; he was probably considering the possibility that she had conspired with the neighboring country to betray her own.

The country was said to be blessed by a goddess, and this was not just a legend but a secret technique passed down to the royal family.

Adeline, as a future queen, had learned more about this than the average person.

She was suspected of leaking this secret technique to the neighboring country.

However, the knowledge Adeline possessed was limited to what she had learned from books.

The secret technique was only passed down to adult male members of the royal family.

Additionally, only the official wives of male members of the royal family received part of the secret technique, and usually only after a formal marriage and the birth of a child.

As Logan's fiancée, Adeline had not received it.

However, the Roseblade family, from which Adeline came, was an old noble family that had been part of the country since its founding and had royal blood.

Adeline herself was favored by the current queen and had been treated kindly.

Perhaps this led to the suspicion that the secret technique might have been passed to her, ignoring the usual protocol.

"I have so many problems to deal with. I was planning to read books with Elvis when I got back..."

Thinking of her daily life, Adeline looked up at the sky.

She thought of her stepbrother, Elvis, who was eight years old this year, and felt a pang of guilt, knowing he would be lonely without her.

Elvis was the son of her father's younger brother, who had lost his parents and was taken in by the family.

Initially, he was wary, but now he had grown very close to her as his older sister.

"I mustn't lose heart. It's just a matter of enduring for a little while. I'll rest for now."

Even if she was released from the Tower of Repentance, the real battle would begin.

The fact that Logan had suddenly broken the engagement would not change.

She would be busy dealing with the aftermath.

To prepare for that, Adeline decided to rest and conserve her energy.

As the tension that had been building up suddenly released, a wave of drowsiness overcame her.

Adeline leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes.

She soon lost consciousness and fell asleep.

"......Hmm......?"

After some time, Adeline began to wake up, sensing someone's presence.

However, her eyelids were heavy, and she couldn't open them.

Her body felt weak, and she couldn't move her limbs.

Feeling something was wrong, Adeline realized she was being lifted by someone.

"......Wha......"

A faint, confused voice escaped her lips, but she couldn't do anything more.

When her eyes finally opened, she was being thrown out of the tower's window, and the last thing she saw was the window receding into the distance.

This was Adeline's last memory.