The Stubbornness of a Foolish Prince
“Ugh, my ears are tingling. Who’s talking about me?”
Idel scratched her ear irritably under her hood and once again swept the surroundings with her gaze.
She felt a quiet thrill. The temple entrance, usually so quiet, was now bustling with activity.
“Everything is ready.”
The conversations had already been held with Vivian and Ivan, the Bright Count’s family, and the temple priests as well.
All that remained was for Farel to act exactly as he had planned…
“Hmm, I’m not worried about this at all.”
From all her past experiences, Farel Underwood was the kind of villain who played the role perfectly— a scheming antagonist who would never reach the final boss, but always made a dramatic exit in the middle.
He wasn’t nearly as ruthless as Melissa, but today of all days, he was the one who had no choice but to be there.
“I’ve set the stage exactly as he planned.”
That was why the wedding had been announced as a public ceremony where “anyone” could show up.
“He was supposed to bring a warlock with him.”
According to Vivian, Farel’s pride had been deeply wounded, so he would never stand by Vivian’s side now.
If one had to guess his next move, it was most likely he would use the warlock to attack the two of them.
“More precisely, he’d probably draw everyone’s attention by talking about the pregnancy, then have the warlock cast his spell.”
In that case, defeating Farel as planned would solve everything.
“...Still, the real target today isn’t Farel at all.”
Idel thought this through and stole a glance beneath her hood. She saw Sigmund, disguised as a hooded figure just like her, and Viled, who had altered his appearance.
Beside them stood Jayana, her face flushed red as she kept exclaiming in admiration.
“I got lucky.”
She hadn’t even needed to worry about how to sneak out. Jayana had been the one to first suggest she wanted to play with Sigmund once more.
“Lately, she keeps digging for every little detail about Sigmund.”
Did she actually like him?
Idel knew his personality was terrible—he was the original villain after all—but Jayana didn’t know that part.
“Well, even if she does, I’m not bringing her along anymore.”
In truth, Jayana had been dragged along because she got tangled up in the field trip by accident.
If not for that, Idel would never have brought her, regardless of how much she actually liked the girl.
It was better not to get entangled like this, not for her sake or Jayana’s.
While Idel was trying to find a way to cool Jayana down, the temple’s distinctive clear bell rang out.
It was the signal that the wedding had begun.
“Wow! Idel, it’s about to start!”
“Shh, quiet down! We’re not in Del’s anymore, we’re in Del!”
“Oh right! It is Del! Del!”
Jayana, who looked strangely pleased despite being scolded, made Idel’s eyes narrow.
Before arriving here, she had told herself to be careful not to let her identity slip.
“I did say not to let the duke and duchess find out, but it was just a precaution…”
Perhaps the thrill of doing things “secretly” had been too much for a girl who had been raised properly by the dukes. Her excitement only grew more obvious.
Unaware that Idel was looking at her with suspicion, Jayana continued to enjoy her new nickname “Del” and suddenly widened her eyes.
A familiar face appeared on the stage prepared at the temple.
“Del, Del.”
“What?”
“The count and Ivan!”
“Ah.”
Idel turned her head toward the stage at Jayana’s words and let out a small snort.
The two of them, dressed in crisp white suits that perfectly suited them, looked like they had been drawn by an artist.
Watching the groom and bride who seemed completely unconcerned about the situation, the priest’s voice announced the start of the ceremony.
“We begin the wedding of Vivian Bright and Ivan Earnest.”
“Dang, dang, dang!”
The bells rang out again, and the real ceremony began.
Unlike the scandalous moves that had shaken the social world, the wedding of the two unfolded in a calm and smooth manner.
“Do you, Vivian Bright, swear to take Ivan Earnest as your spouse?”
“I do.”
“Do you, Ivan Earnest, swear to take Vivian Bright as your companion?”
“Yes, I swear.”
“Very well. The vow between the two of you has been accepted under the blessing of the gods. Now, is there anyone who opposes this marriage?”
And then came the moment everyone had been waiting for…
“I do.”
Idel felt the atmosphere around her shift from quiet to intensely heated in an instant.
People were whispering among themselves that they hadn’t expected this real incident to actually happen.
Farel strode out onto the stage like a true protagonist.
“I oppose this marriage.”
Perhaps because of his gaunt appearance, those around them drew in their breaths. A noblewoman fanned her fan rapidly and loudly denounced the rumor of a “love triangle.”
“Quiet! Be quiet!”
The priest slammed his holy book on the table and asked Farel sternly.
“Prince. Who are you, and what is your reason for opposing this sacred union?”
“My name is Farel Underwood. I am Vivian Bright’s fiancé. And the reason I oppose this marriage is…”
“...Prince?”
“Because there is a child in my belly, the child of the count and me! Look!”
“Eek!”
Farel deliberately lifted his shirt, and the crowd’s eyes widened. His belly was visibly swollen.
“Th-that rumor that a man can get pregnant…”
“It’s true.”
Farel glared at the couple on the stage while a spectator’s voice rang out involuntarily.
“The Bright Count’s family was the only one in the empire that participated in the male pregnancy experiments back then. Because I had been the count’s fiancé for a long time, I knew about this.”
“...”
“After the count received the title and became a knight, the family demanded that I use the ‘forbidden magic’ based on that experiment to have a child. I accepted it thinking it was for her sake. But then…”
Farel clenched his fist in frustration and continued in a sharp voice.
“I was abandoned in an instant! Because of that man, Ivan Earnest!”
“Haa…”
“I must intervene in this sacred marriage for the sake of this child! If you don’t believe me, have the priest confirm it himself!”
Farel lifted his chin defiantly, as if he had nothing to lose.
As the atmosphere grew tense—how could someone so self-assured claim something that wasn’t entirely true?—Vivian sighed and looked at the priest.
“...Priest.”
“Oh dear…”
The priest swallowed his words with a sigh and eventually looked at Farel with eyes full of pity.
“Prince Farel. I have heard your claims.”
“Then…?”
“As expected, the count had already warned me. Pregnancy… That is truly severe mind control.”
“...What?”
The crowd’s mood shifted again at the priest’s single word.
“M-mind control? My mind is perfectly fine! I really did get pregnant!”
“...”
“Hah, Farel…”
Vivian called out to him in a voice full of sorrow.
“I told you many times. You are not pregnant. You refused treatment so thoroughly…”
“Treatment? Hah, Vivian, what nonsense is this?”
“As I expected, you did well to follow Ivan’s words.”
Vivian squeezed the lovers’ hands tightly and stepped forward again, raising her voice.
“Farel, the Bright family has been worried about your condition for a long time. You have been obsessively clinging to me. You would intrude into my room without warning, or chase me while I was on official business. I was afraid you would cross a line, but one day you suddenly appeared saying you were pregnant and came to the count’s family.”
“What are you saying now…”
“In truth, it’s because you were manipulated by forbidden magic and are under a false belief. It’s pitiful. You think you really got pregnant, yet you refuse treatment and run away. What should I do about it? Ivan handled it.”
“...”
“If we hadn’t gone through a formal breakup and instead held an urgent wedding, you would have shown up. So I suggested we use that moment as an opportunity.”
“It really worked just as you said.”
“Finally, I can help you.”