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Chapter : 07
This time, I will change the male lead
“Yes. I apologize for breaking off the engagement… huh?”
The calm I had barely been maintaining shattered all at once. What was that sound? What’s happening to my ears right now?
“Why am I… engaged… to Your Highness?”
“Do you want to date, or something? I thought neither of us would be interested in that.”
“No.”
I tried to continue speaking clearly and deliberately.
“I’m asking why I should date—or even be engaged—to Your Highness.”
“From today, your relationship with Marquis Karl is completely over.”
“Was that intentional?”
Every word reaching my ears felt muffled and distant.
“Then why would I go all the way there just to please a bunch of old people?”
“……”
“I’m not entirely without things to do.”
Well, if it’s Leon as I know him…
He would never bother with a meal with nobles. Since it was such a rare occasion, Duke Lutas must have rushed over with a necktie in hand, panting.
“Anyway, it was fun because of that.”
Leon let out a shallow laugh.
There it was—the joy of having a favorite from afar.
Being engaged to, or dating, someone like that? My blood would dry up and I’d die of boredom.
“He even refused to be engaged to the Saint of Phoebe, turning his back on the temple.”
Suddenly, I remembered the conversation from the dinner earlier.
So, he must need a justification for that.
“If you’re looking for an engagement for appearances, there are plenty of well-mannered young ladies more suitable than me to become the Crown Princess.”
“Well, you are a bit lacking to be Crown Princess.”
What? —My favorite, but— I really wanted to slap him. But it wasn’t entirely wrong, so I forced myself to hide my expression.
Everyone desired the position of Crown Princess, but not everyone could attain it.
To be precise, beside Hyperion Sol Lucius.
From birth, one could say you competed for that spot.
Family, connections, rivalry, factions—even superstitions like charms and spells. Many young ladies received imperial etiquette lessons before they could even read properly.
“Yes. Even if a proposal were issued immediately, there would be plenty of perfectly prepared young ladies.”
“That’s natural, of course.”
He ran a hand through his hair as if tired of repeating the same thing.
Even leaning back in the chair with his legs crossed… he looked perfect, and it annoyed me.
“As you said, there are plenty of women who would move according to my will. No need to waste unnecessary time like this.”
Then why did he call me here, while “wasting time” so politely?
“Since Your Highness already seems to know, I will take my leave.”
“Even though I know…”
The voice behind me made me stop reflexively.
He rested his chin and stared at me for a long while… then said:
“Kaela Veritas.”
Why did my name feel so familiar coming from his lips?
“You’re the only one I enjoy being with.”
“……”
“Besides, it’s a waste to put someone like that idiot next to me.”
I knew exactly what Hyperion’s sweet smile was hiding.
“So… you’re proposing a fake engagement to me?”
“Maybe. Consider it a confession.”
That cruelly beautiful man…
“Of course, I’m not serious.”
Because he is Hyperion Lucius, the Wolf of the Gods.
“Excuse me? A marriage proposal?”
“Yes. The royal family sent you a marriage proposal.”
The document my father handed me had the royal seal stamped in red.
—What if I refuse?
—It’s useless.
—Why?
—Because it will happen anyway.
I refused on the spot, but I knew they wouldn’t hear me.
Yet, sending the proposal the very next day, without warning?
This opponent is much stronger than I thought.
“I hid it carefully… ugh.”
Raphael sighed deeply and shook his hair out.
“Not just anyone… the Crown Prince? Hyperion Sol Lucius?”
“You know how hard Duke Lutas tried to make my only daughter the Crown Princess, right? That Lutas family produced four ministers, for crying out loud.”
Meanwhile, Countess Rachel, sister of the Veritas Duke and my aunt, couldn’t hide her excitement.
“Not only did you refuse the Lutas family, but even the temple’s proposal… the social circles went crazy wondering who would take the Crown Princess position!”
She snapped her ornate fan with delight, as flashy as her appearance.
“I never expected His Highness to send a proposal to our family so publicly! Oh-ho-ho! What is happening?”
Her expression towards me quickly changed.
“So this is how you repay… I just don’t understand why my brother chose her—”
“Rachel.”
“Aunt.”
At the same time, my father and Raphael’s faces stiffened.
“Why are you still doing this when you’re married? Doesn’t Count Otis say anything?”
“Yes. That’s enough; let’s go home.”
Repaying like this…?
Because they blocked Rachel, I couldn’t hear the rest.
It bothered me a bit, but she often made meaningful remarks, so I wasn’t surprised.
A marriage proposal… what should I do about this?
Above all, the red seal flashing in front of me left no room to think.
“I’m sorry for causing a commotion, Father. To get straight to the point, I will refuse this proposal.”
“What are you saying? This is a chance to put the Bate family in their place!”
Rachel snapped back angrily.
“Even if we ended the engagement by mutual agreement, the stigma falls on the woman. That ungrateful marquis family made our house a laughingstock in social circles. Do you know how humiliating that was for me?”
She wasn’t wrong. People didn’t care about Karl being responsible.
They only gossiped about how Lady Veritas was abandoned.
“That shameless man did wrong—why blame her?”
“Wrong? Raphael, sometimes you’re really naive.”
Raphael and Rachel’s eyes met over me.
“No one cares who is at fault. Even the commoners flip coins over why Lady Veritas was abandoned.”
Listening to their conversation, I pressed my temple hard.
I had hoped things would stay quiet until my father’s birthday banquet.
“Kaela, listen carefully. Gossip should be covered with better gossip.”
Rachel straightened her back.
She had retired from the social scene after marriage, but once, she had controlled it completely.
“So…”
Her gaze was more serious than ever.
“Switch to someone better.”
Switch to someone better.
In the empire, a man better than Karl Bate would probably only be the Crown Prince…
Absolutely not.
No matter how much Hyperion was my favorite, this is reality. Knowing the future, I can’t get swept into a storm.
“Rachel, don’t interfere. Let Kaela do as she wishes.”
“But Brother!”
“Aunt, aren’t you going home?”
“Ugh, I can’t say anything.”
She clicked her tongue, frustrated, folding her arms.
“Do as you wish, Kaela. Whatever path you choose, this father will support it.”
“……”
Thankfully, my father and the Veritas household didn’t ask me anything and didn’t reproach me.
Why I broke with Karl, how I ended up involved with the Crown Prince…
For the past three years, their attitude had always been the same.
—I never stole the answer sheet. While you were partying, I studied until I bled and earned…!
—Do you think Father will believe that?
Seeing them, memories from my previous life surfaced.
—Think, Essence. Do you think Father will believe that your grades were higher than mine, even though I had prestigious tutoring worth hundreds each session while you were stuck in a filthy attic?
—Why are you doing this to me?
—I want you to know. No matter how hard you try, you cannot gain Father’s recognition.
Growing up with that belief made Kaela awkwardly envied them.
“Yes. I will go meet His Highness, the Crown Prince, in person.”
So I had to get up and leave as if fleeing.
