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Chapter 12
“Since you’re here, I might as well make it official. I plan to marry Prince Friedrich of the Kingdom of Kiel soon.”
Joachim froze for a moment, then calmly nodded and murmured,
“…Well, I’ve heard that in some countries, kings take mistresses before a queen.”
“You keep missing the point. I mean I’ll make the prince my husband.”
Now Joachim’s face was completely expressionless. Narrowing my eyes, I asked him,
“You didn’t hear that I asked His Majesty the Emperor to give me the prince in marriage as a war trophy? Well, I suppose you might not have, since Kiel is rather far from here.”
“…I thought you were joking.”
Joachim’s throat moved as he swallowed hard.
“It didn’t seem politically wise to demand a marriage before claiming the throne, even after such a glorious victory. I assumed you said it to prove your loyalty to His Majesty. I was actually relieved by your prudence.”
“Take it literally, Duke. I meant exactly what I said. He was too handsome to kill, and I wanted to keep him.”
“Then take him, Your Highness. As you always have — if you want something, you should have it.”
Joachim’s eyes reddened as he asked,
“So… you meant to take me, too, didn’t you?”
“I might have. If only you’d answered faster.”
Color drained from his face, and his reaction surprised me a little.
He should know me well enough by now — how could he not have expected this?
René had been deeply irritated that Joachim hadn’t immediately accepted her proposal.
He might have needed time to think, since he’d always stayed neutral in power struggles, but —
René isn’t the kind of person who’d understand that.
He might even think I’m marrying someone else now out of spite for his hesitation.
Honestly, I might’ve married him if not for one thing.
Being the Empire’s only duke, marrying him would practically be declaring my claim to the throne. I couldn’t do that.
Joachim bit his lip with a wounded expression, his voice soft and sorrowful.
“Yes, I admit it. I was at fault too. But now… have you truly lost interest in me?”
“You’re not some toy, Duke…”
“I’ve been waiting for this day. To tell you that I’ve decided to live by your sword forever — to let you command me as you please.”
He went on with a pained look.
“But now, Your Highness tells me I’m no longer needed. And the one you’ve chosen instead… is a prince from a fallen kingdom.”
He seemed genuinely confused.
“What does he have that I don’t?”
I couldn’t exactly say ‘your power’, so I was about to answer ‘his face’ instead.
But then I caught sight of Joachim’s sorrowful face and hesitated.
…He really is handsome.
Even I had to admit it — the Empress wasn’t exaggerating when she’d called him one of the Empire’s most beautiful men.
But beauty is subjective, after all!
“The prince’s face is more my type.”
Joachim’s face stiffened in disbelief.
“You didn’t propose to me just for my looks, did you?”
“Yes, I did. I thought you were the most handsome man in Stade.”
“…”
“But Friedrich happens to be the most handsome man in the world.”
I said it as casually as possible, proudly flaunting my infatuation. When I glanced at Joachim, he looked even more shocked than before.
“…You’re serious? It’s really just because of his looks?”
“That’s what I said.”
“To marry him for that reason… That’s not like you, Your Highness.”
Joachim shook his head in disbelief, then spoke firmly.
“The prince will not help your succession to the throne.”
That’s why I’m marrying him…
“If you simply want him nearby, make him your lover. I wouldn’t object.”
“I want him as my husband.”
“Because it’s more convenient to wed a man you can treat like a slave, perhaps?”
He recited my own past words — the ones I’d used when I demanded Friedrich as a war prize — word for word.
What, so he’d heard everything and pretended otherwise until now?
“Your Highness,”
Joachim said in a low, serious tone as he suddenly rose from his seat.
Then, kneeling on one knee before me, he looked up with desperate eyes.
“Who could ever stand above you, Your Highness? Who would dare not obey you like a slave?”
There was a sincerity — or perhaps longing — in his gaze.
“As the Empire’s only duke, I would never dream of defying your authority.”
When I’d said I was marrying for his looks, everyone else believed me right away.
Maybe Joachim just couldn’t because he hadn’t seen Friedrich’s face yet.
As Elza had said, even if I told him I’d given up the throne, he’d probably just think I’d lost my mind.
“Well. I wonder if your allies would think the same.”
I ended up giving a political excuse instead.
“I changed my mind on the battlefield. I realized someone with nothing to lose is safer.”
“And yet you’d marry the prince of a nation you destroyed? How can you trust him not to stab you in the back someday?”
“You think I couldn’t stop him if he tried?”
“…Of course not. But still—”
“Duke, I think I’ve made myself clear enough. You may go now; I have a dinner appointment soon—”
Ah, it was already six o’clock! I quickly pushed him toward the door.
“Go on, find another dance partner. See you at dinner tomorrow.”
“Your Highness, wait—!”
Just then, the door opened.
Oh — I hadn’t opened it. Did my magic return?
“Fri…tz.”
Friedrich stood there, frozen in the doorway.
He looked between Joachim — whom I was still pushing out — and me, his lips parting slightly.
“Should I… come back later?”
“Oh, no need.”
I shook my head lightly and gave Joachim one last push.
“He was just leaving. Goodbye, Duke.”
Joachim looked like he wanted to say something, but I quickly shut the door.
“Welcome, Fritz.”
I smiled brightly at Friedrich, but he just stood there, staring blankly at me.
After a few awkward seconds, I noticed something odd and asked,
“Wait, weren’t we supposed to meet in the dining hall? This is the parlor.”
“…”
“Oh, right — you don’t know your way around yet, do you?”
But surely the maids had guided him? Something felt off.
“Who was that?”
“Hm?”
“The man just now.”
“Oh… Duke Rommel.”
After a moment’s thought, I added,
“He’s the one I almost married before.”
He had ears; there wasn’t much point in hiding it.
But at my answer, Friedrich’s face filled with confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
“So… you had a fiancé?”
“Oh, no. Not officially. He just proposed before I went to war.”
The more I thought about it, the less of a difference that seemed, so I quickly changed the subject.
“But then I met you and changed my mind. I mean, who wouldn’t, after seeing the most handsome man in the world? I was just a frog in the well before you came along.”
“…I see.”
That didn’t seem to cheer him up. Maybe he was still brooding about last night.
“Haha. Come on, Fritz, let’s go eat. Aren’t you hungry?”
I tried to brush it off with a laugh and rested my hand on his shoulder — well, more like above it, given our height difference.
When we reached the dining hall, I sat in my usual seat.
I expected Friedrich to take the one beside me again, but instead, he sat diagonally across the table.
“Why are you sitting there?”
“…”
“Friedrich?”
He seemed lost in thought, as if something weighed heavily on him. Why was he suddenly so distracted?
“Friedrich, are you feeling ill?”
“…Perhaps…”
After a long silence, he finally spoke — completely out of nowhere.
“Maybe I’m not the most handsome man in the world after all.”
