46. Marriage with Love and Marriage Without Love
46. Marriage with Love and Marriage Without Love
[Episode 46] - Love-filled Marriage and Loveless Marriage.
The 'Prince's Visit,' which was a sub-event during the summer in the game.
In the game 'Snow White,' these sub-events were 'branching points' where the princess's ending would change depending on how they concluded. 'Snow White' was a game where the princess's ending was determined by the overlapping of such branching points.
In this 'Prince's Visit,' if the princess became engaged to the 'Third Prince' of a neighboring country, the Third Prince, who had no claim to the throne in his own land, would come over to our country as a 'matrilocal son-in-law' and become an NPC who played the role of supporting the princess.
If the matchmaking meeting with the prince ended in failure, the neighboring country's delegation would simply leave our country without any incidents, and that would be the end of it. The next opportunity for an engagement would arise when the princess entered the 'Academy.'
It was just a simple 'sub-event,' but...
In the game, I didn't pay much attention to things like diplomacy or politics, just glossing over them. But now that it was reality, it was such a complex and difficult story that I felt like I was going to lose my mind.
'I don't even know how many meetings I've had over this issue...'
It had been two months since I received the first report from the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Lately, I hadn't even been able to sleep properly. My eyes were bloodshot from preparing to welcome the delegation, and dark circles had descended all the way to my cheeks. I was somehow managing to keep up with the preparations, but it wasn't exactly easy.
And the thing that was making this difficult situation even more difficult was...
"...Titania. Let's talk for a moment. Okay?"
"......Hmph!"
The princess was furious.
As soon as I told the princess that there would be a matchmaking meeting soon, she shrieked that I was a liar and refused to come see me or even try to talk to me.
As if she didn't want to exchange even a single word with me, the princess let out a huff of air—Hmph!—at my call, turned her head sharply, and went straight into her room.
Seeing her clearly avoiding me, I could only sigh as I watched the princess. If there was a silver lining, it was that she wasn't locking her door and shutting herself away like she used to in the past, but...
My heart ached because the princess had been avoiding me for two whole months. Even when I tried to call Ainsel to ask how the princess was doing lately, Ainsel didn't respond to my call, perhaps because she was following the princess and avoiding me as well.
"So now you like Titania better than me, huh... Ha... Seriously, you ungrateful mirror. Who was it that tried so hard to fix you, huh..."
It was useless to tap on Ainsel's main body and grumble. The mirror only reflected 'my face' looking annoyed; Ainsel, who was by the princess's side, didn't seem to have any intention of returning to her main body anymore.
If I could, I would have gone into the princess's room right then and there to at least have a conversation with her, but I didn't have the time for that right now. I looked at the pile of documents on my bed and sighed.
Today was the day I was to discuss the 'Third Prince' with the Queen Dowager.
I dragged myself out of bed, picked up the documents, and headed out of the room. I just hoped these documents, which I had written with Vin Chaud and the other ministers, would be to the Queen Dowager's liking...
*
Knock, knock-
"Come in."
"Excuse me, Your Highness."
I bowed politely and entered the Queen Dowager's office. The Queen Dowager must have been taking a break, as she was sipping the tea a maid had served her, then she glanced at me with a sidelong look.
"I heard you fought with Titania."
"That's not so much a fight as it is..."
The Queen Dowager flicked her hand at me, telling me not to make excuses since she already knew everything and to just hand over the documents. I gave a sheepish smile at the gesture and handed the document envelope to the Queen Dowager.
The Queen Dowager glanced at the documents and tossed them onto the desk as if she had no interest in them. I couldn't help but pout, feeling like she was reading the documents that the ministers and I had worked so hard to prepare with too little sincerity.
The Queen Dowager looked at my pouting lips and burst into a chuckle.
"You're paying too much attention to the 'Third Prince' sent over from the other side without much meaning."
At the Queen Dowager's words that it 'doesn't have much meaning,' I nodded slightly. The Third Prince with no claim to the throne. The reason the other country sent the Third Prince in the delegation probably really didn't have much meaning.
They didn't send the first prince or the second prince, who had claims to the throne. Sending the third prince meant they didn't really care whether the Third Prince succeeded in getting engaged to the princess or not.
If it works out, great; if it doesn't, it doesn't matter—that was why they sent the Third Prince. During the meeting, the ministers all chimed in to curse the neighboring country. How dare they have such thoughts while coming to a matchmaking meeting with the Princess.
"If it were the me of the past, I would have established the engagement first. No matter how unimpressive the Third Prince from the other side might be, it's an engagement between nations. Such an ambiguous engagement is easy to break off, so it would have been comfortable to at least have a foot in the door, but..."
The Queen Dowager, who had been staring blankly at her teacup, raised her head to look at me. She lowered the corners of her eyes, looked at me with a weary expression, and smiled.
"Now I don't know what the right answer is."
"......"
"Queen, do you think 'love' is necessary for a royal marriage?"
The Queen Dowager looked up at me and asked. Whether 'love' is necessary for a royal marriage. Hearing this question, I could tell what kind of heart the Queen Dowager had when she asked me this.
"I remained in this position having married without 'love,' and my child, who married for 'love,' is no longer in this position. So, if we are to judge only by the results, I think perhaps 'love' is not necessary for a royal marriage."
"...So, do you think the Princess should also marry without love?"
"...If I were to speak of my own thoughts, having remained in this position by marrying without love..."
The Queen Dowager looked at me with a bitter smile.
"I cannot say that my life was happy."
As if reflecting on her own life, the Queen Dowager looked up and let out a sigh. Then, she blinked a few times and let out a sigh as long as the life she had lived.
"I, just like you, always want Titania to be happy. I don't want to see my lovely granddaughter sad anymore. Seeing her cry like that was enough when she was young..."
Did the princess's matchmaking meeting remind the Queen Dowager of her past?
The Queen Dowager was a person who had married the late King through what is commonly called an 'engagement' between parents. I don't know about the late King, but she herself had no love for the marriage, nor any affection.
She simply married him because she was engaged to him.
She said that no matter how much time passed, she couldn't find anything like 'love' in that process. So, she allowed her own child to 'love,' telling her to marry someone she liked, but the result was miserable, if not tragic.
So that must be why the Queen Dowager said that.
That she doesn't know what the right answer is.
Even though she and her child made different choices in their lives, the results were all bad. The Queen Dowager seemed to be at a loss as to what choice to make for her beloved granddaughter.
I was the same as the Queen Dowager.
If this choice were a game...
I would have certainly established the engagement between the Third Prince and the princess without any doubt, thinking, 'This is for the princess. This choice will allow the princess to see a better ending.'
'But... this isn't a game.'
I shouldn't establish the princess's engagement just because I want to. And, for some reason, I felt bad thinking about the princess getting engaged. Thinking about the daughter I raised with love getting engaged to some guy who doesn't know anything...
I also smiled bitterly and looked at the Queen Dowager.
"Then, shall we leave this matter to Titania? In any case, this matchmaking meeting is one that wouldn't be a problem even if it were canceled, right? Even if the meeting is canceled, they won't be able to say anything on the other side."
"...Why don't you just say you have no intention of engaging her?"
The Queen Dowager frowned as she looked at me, but there was laughter in her voice. I also chuckled and replied to the Queen Dowager.
"That is for Titania to choose. I intend to respect Titania's choice, whatever it may be. Even if she truly says she wants to get engaged."
"...Yes, in my opinion, it doesn't seem like that will happen. Isn't the reason you fought with Titania right now because of the 'matchmaking meeting'?"
"To say we fought..."
"Yes, rather than fought, you're the one being hated alone. Do you know this? The fact that Titania came to find me a few days ago and played with me. You didn't know, did you?"
"Yes?"
When I asked in surprise at the news I was hearing for the first time, the Queen Dowager looked at me with a mischievous, smug smile. So, Titania came to find the Queen Dowager behind my back and they played together here? Behind my back?
"At that time, she told me. That she never wants to see you again. She was so angry, pouting her cheeks and complaining to me, saying she didn't even want to see your face."
"......Is that true?"
"Why would I lie to you? The princess climbed onto my lap and grumbled all day long. Saying that even though you cut her snacks, now you're trying to throw her away to another country."
"Throw her away..."
As I was struck by shock and unable to say anything, the Queen Dowager clicked her tongue as if I were pathetic and glared at me. Then, she waved her hand, urging me to leave the room quickly.
"What are you doing not leaving? It's almost time for the princess to sleep."
"...Then, I will take my leave."
Leaving the Queen Dowager behind, I quickly slipped out of the room and headed toward the princess's room. I had only told the princess that there would be a matchmaking meeting, but I never dreamed she would think that meant I was 'going to throw her away.'
"Who on earth said anyone was throwing you away...!"
For some reason, due to the irritation boiling up inside me, I headed toward the princess's room with quick steps, almost running. I wanted to see her face right away and shout at her never to think such things again, but...
"Titania. Please, let's talk for a moment. Okay? Please, I'm begging you..."
"......"
No matter how long I waited in front of the room, no matter how much I tried to see the princess, the princess wouldn't see me. Seeing the princess constantly avoiding me and disappearing from my sight as if running away, I even felt a lump in my throat.
I wondered who on earth she took after to have such stubbornness; she was so stubborn in avoiding me and running away that I wondered if she really did have the blood of a human who wouldn't listen to a word anyone else said.
Like that... perhaps I had become slightly exhausted by the princess who wouldn't listen to me at all. I thought, the princess must need time, too.
The princess must need time to sort out her thoughts.
I'm busy with the preparations for the delegation, too.
If a little time passes, the princess will listen to me.
Attaching such reasons, I thought I should stay away from the princess for a while. No, it wasn't a reason; it was an excuse and a pretext.
An excuse that I couldn't help it since the princess wouldn't see me.
A pretext that I couldn't help it since I was busy with the preparations for the delegation.
Using such pretexts and excuses, I distanced myself from the princess for a while. Even though I knew better than anyone that the absence of communication is the most dangerous thing.
So, it was only natural that I would regret it.
From this point on, I regret it like this. I should have talked to the princess somehow at that time. I say.
Like that, time passed helplessly, and the morning of the day the delegation was scheduled to arrive dawned.