THVS 03

Chapter 03

“Y-You’re saying you want to break off the engagement… right now?!”
I had hoped she would live with some backbone instead of just being passive, but I never wanted things to go this way.
My head was throbbing from the unexpected news.

Leila’s fiancé was the second prince, Cier Fercent, born to a maid, so not of legitimate royal blood—but still a strong candidate for the next crown prince.
In the original story, he never actually becomes the crown prince, but he does everything he can to protect his fiancée, Leila.
Readers were outraged, wondering why he wasn’t the main male lead, because the narrative describes him as someone whose beloved has died, leaving his heart for no one else.
It made sense. In a story where almost all significant characters are crazy, he was the only ‘normal’ one.

“So, I never touched the engagement to the second prince!”
Right now, Leila was basically kicking away the only ally who could help her in the future.

“Who gave you the right to break off our engagement…!”

“Um, Tien…?”
Luente looked at me anxiously.

“Brother, I’m going out for a bit.”
I had spent a full twenty years twisting the original story.
I thought at last I could see a bright future for Leila and me.
But that bright future? Gone in an instant, dashed like a useless dream.

“I absolutely can’t let this engagement be broken!”
I quickly summoned my magic.
The magic within me rippled outward, and soon the environment before me changed.
From the house of Duke Elopez to the Arvid Mansion.
Specifically, to Leila’s room, which was entirely pink.

Even if I were close, normally I would have moved to the door, knocked, and only then entered. But this time was an exception.
As soon as I entered Leila’s room, the barrier flared.
I had set it to detect only magic other than mine, but in my urgency, I hadn’t paid proper attention.

“Leila Arvid!”
The poor heroine, always tearful, constantly hurt at the slightest thing.
I knew she hated being called by her full name because it felt distant, but right now, I couldn’t bring myself to call her kindly.

“…Tien? How did you… get here?”
“Is it true—you’re breaking off the engagement?”
“…I’m sorry. I had my reasons.”
Seeing her slump with a guilty expression, I had to close my mouth before continuing.
Whenever she looked like that, I always felt like I was the villain.
That’s why I had been soft with her all this time.

I bit the inside of my cheek, calming my excitement, trying to regain my composure.
This was a matter of survival for both Leila and me—I could not give in this time.

“Leila, bringing up the engagement break even now is a mistake—”

“I have someone I like, Tien.”
…?
All my thought circuits froze, and my mouth just moved slightly.
I was too stunned to say anything.

‘What… what is she saying? Someone she likes…?’

Two years remained before the original story began, and the debutante ball where she meets the male leads is a month away.
The privilege of having beauty is reserved for main or notable side characters.
In other words, at this point, before she has met any of the characters, no one could have captured her heart.
Unless her standards were drastically low—which they weren’t—I could bet my wrist on it.
Her excuse was clearly just a way to avoid trouble.

I stared into her eyes, and for the first time, her calm blue eyes trembled just slightly.

‘Look at that…’
Leila tended to avert her eyes slightly when lying.
If it was a lie, fine. If it was true, that didn’t matter.
It would be ideal if she married someone she truly liked, but that meant first changing the fate of the original story.

“Leila. You said before that you like handsome men.”
“…Yes.”
“You also said you’d like them to have a good family background and talents.”

I used magic to display a portrait of the second prince, Cier Fercent.

“Look closely, Leila. Golden hair—a symbol of royalty—blue eyes like sapphires. A nose like a statue. Lips red as raspberries! Handsome, right?”
“….”
When I pressed her to answer, she reluctantly nodded.

“And how about the family? He’s royalty—ROYALTY! Is there any family in this empire higher than the Fercent royal family? No, there isn’t.”
Though I noticed the gleam in her eyes, as if she had much to say, I ignored it and continued.

“His abilities? He’s an excellent magician, though slightly below me. Where else would you find a man with all three qualities? So you should reconsider—”

“There is.”
“…Huh? Who—no, there isn’t. There can’t be.”

“Brother Calian.”
By this point, I was certain my ears were failing me.
Calian?
Kaaliian…??
Could it be a namesake? I tried to dismiss the possibility.

“You’re thinking of the right one. Your brother, Calian Elopez.”
No way…

“I like Brother Calian. His looks, family, and talents are all perfect.”
Well, that’s true…
Still, no way, right?

“So I asked the second prince to break off the engagement.”
I was speechless.
My eyes, fixed on Leila, kept trembling.
What was that expression? Why were her cheeks red…?

Seeing her flushed face, as if thinking only of joy, I stammered,
“Y-You’re serious…?”
Though it was my question, I didn’t really want the answer.
I urgently covered her mouth with my hand.
Luckily, she hadn’t answered yet.

“Why Brother Calian of all people?”
I couldn’t understand it.
Our family’s delinquent Calian shared our father’s striking looks, was born into the powerful Elopez family, and had been called a prodigy in swordsmanship since childhood, but…
Still, this was not right.
I might have understood if it were the kind-hearted Luente, but Calian? Absolutely not.

“Leila?”
“Yes, Tien.”
Leila pulled my hand away and answered.

I grabbed her shoulders and spoke seriously:
“Think again, just for a day. Maybe you’re misunderstanding something.”
I softened my words, worried that being blunt might hurt her.

Whether she understood me or just wanted to avoid the situation, Leila silently nodded.
‘This has to be a dream. It has to be.’
I held my throbbing head and denied reality.

“Now, come out.”
“Hmm…”
“You did well hiding without Tien noticing.”
Until I escorted Tien, she had a smile on her face, but it immediately vanished.
Cier laughed quietly at the blatant change.

“It’s thanks to you saying just the right words to completely steal the lady’s heart. Otherwise, she’d have noticed right away.”
“Of course. Tien is such an exceptional magician.”
“Exceptional, yes. The lady is a candidate for the next Tower Master, after all.”
“Is it just skill? She has lovely silver hair, amethyst-like violet eyes, a beautiful face, and a straightforward personality—ugh…!”

Leila, unable to stop praising Tien, quickly coughed to regain composure.

“Anyway… you’ve heard all the reasons, right? Though it may not matter to you.”
“Then what reason should we give for the engagement break?”
“Just say I have someone else. The Elopez family—”
“Of course that’s unrelated. I don’t want the Elopez family involved either. But will that really be okay?”

If the reason was traced back to Leila, she would take the full blame.
She knew exactly what he meant.

“It’s fine. I’d rather take responsibility myself.”
“…Thank you, Lady Arvid.”
“No need to thank me. If it’s seen as His Highness’s doing, Tien will take the damage instead.”
“Exactly. That’s why I thank you.”

Leila silently stared at Cier’s sincere expression.
She had wanted to pair Tien with the best possible person.
It seemed like a decent choice—until she noticed Cier blushing over something.

“What are you thinking about to make your face red?”
“You heard, didn’t you? Earlier, when the lady saw me—”
“That wasn’t because I have feelings for you. I just didn’t want anything bad to happen to me if I broke off the engagement!”
“Let her think that way. I like to misunderstand freely, you see.”

…Cancel.
Cancel the engagement!
To think I’d been trying to pair him with Tien… my head must have gone mad.

Before I could say anything, Cier disappeared with the engagement termination document signed by Leila.