Staring at the Crown Prince in Utter Disbelief
I stared at the crown prince in utter disbelief.
A proposal? To me?
The female lead was alive and well inside the base, her eyes wide open. What on earth was he talking about?
Then, I suddenly remembered what Pel had said.
[Why are you so worried? The crown prince seems to like you, Master. He'll forgive that much, no problem.]
“……”
No way.
In the original story, Abigail gets dumped by the crown prince—who falls for Yurina—right around the end. He was probably just saying this because the main romantic line with the heroine hadn't fully formed yet.
I forced myself to calm down. I couldn't get angry over something that wouldn't happen.
More importantly, as the crown prince suggested, I needed to quash the incident from last night first.
“What do you plan to do?”
At my question, the crown prince gave a faint smile.
“I'll clear up the misunderstanding myself.”
“Misunderstanding?”
“Yes.”
“…Will that even work?”
Could he really calm a situation that could lead to execution for insulting royalty with just one word: misunderstanding?
The knights who witnessed it firsthand last night would never buy it.
At my question, the crown prince's smile deepened.
“Yes. After all, it's just an intense display of affection between two fiancés who got carried away with drink.”
“Ha?”
Grabbing him by the collar, cursing him out, and beating him senseless—that was an “intense display of affection”?
Even as I gaped at him in disbelief, the crown prince just grinned like an idiot.
As if he truly believed his nonsense would convince everyone.
Well, he was the crown prince.
If he insisted a roadside pebble was a diamond, everyone would have to nod along and agree.
The problem was that our relationship wasn't close enough for him to get away with that kind of spin.
In reality, I'd formally requested an annulment from the imperial family, dragging us into a massive noble trial that was still ongoing.
Because the other party was the imperial family, it had dragged on for years with no resolution, but if not for the monster crisis, my father would have pushed it through somehow.
Everyone knew that. If the crown prince stepped in now and tried to smooth it over like this, it'd be like covering one's eyes and crying “I can't see.”
I had no intention of becoming the laughingstock of high society.
“Have we ever shown that much affection in public before, Your Highness?”
“……”
My sarcasm made the crown prince's expression stiffen slightly.
Objectively speaking, Michael Lux Rampas wasn't a terrible fiancé.
Most noble engagements were political, so a lack of love was the norm.
He treated Abigail with just enough courtesy and warmth to avoid looking bad in public eyes.
Society praised him as straightforward and mannerly for it, but that also proved he had little real interest in his fiancée.
Even if, after my possession, I'd thrown myself into the front lines to avert the monster crisis and barely seen him since, that didn't erase his past behavior.
If he thought one word—“misunderstanding”—would settle it, he should have backed it up with trustworthy actions long ago.
“Not that I recall.”
“Little Duchess…”
As I tilted my head, the crown prince sighed as if he pitied me.
It was unlikely, but he looked almost regretful of his past actions.
“I know my immature behavior in the past hurt you. That's why you're demanding an annulment. But from now on, things will be different…”
“That's not the only reason, Your Highness.”
I shook my head at his words.
“It's not just about affection.”
“……”
“As you know, I'll inherit the dukedom. I'll hold the title in name only and won't become part of the imperial family.”
This choice was to survive differently from the original story.
In the original, once Abigail was abandoned by the crown prince and lost her support base, she couldn't inherit the dukedom either. In a final desperate act, she tried to assassinate Saintess Yurina to become crown princess, blaming everything on the innocent heroine.
But it failed, and Abigail was executed.
Her status as the crown prince's fiancée meant nothing after the annulment.
That's why I needed a solid position to protect myself: the Duchess of Carpoem.
“You'll be my empress.”
“Me?”
I met his gaze with a scoff full of mockery.
Something strange flickered in the depths of his eyes—an obsessive glint that seemed about to drip out.
I didn't know what had triggered it, but he clearly had an obsession with me now.
Probably because I'd preemptively brought up the annulment, it had backfired into fixation.
Before, I'd pushed for it out of urgency, but maybe that had been hasty.
Now the crown prince was the desperate one.
“I'm not the woman for that role.”
“I disagree.”
He shook his head, staring at me with sharp eyes.
“Your combat prowess against monsters, your command over the base—doesn't it all surpass even me, the crown prince?”
“I'm flattered, but that sounds more like an evaluation for a monarch than an empress.”
“No. It's not.”
The praises he lavished on me seemed more suited to a ruler than a crown princess.
But again, he shook his head at my words.
“The empire must continue building strength against the monster threat. That makes you the most suitable woman to be my empress.”
“……”
“Above all, I like you.”
After that cool assessment came a sudden confession out of nowhere.
I widened my eyes in shock.
I hadn't expected Michael Lux Rampas to confess to me like this.
“You don't have to answer right now. My formal proposal will come after the monster battle ends.”
To my silence, he continued softly.
“And once I show enough affection for you publicly, this mess will blow over soon enough.”
“……”
I was gradually being persuaded—or rather, worn down—by him.
The only way I could escape punishment was through his forgiveness.
And for him to forgive me, he needed a plausible excuse.
For me, I'd prefer diminished capacity over alcohol rather than affection.
But broadcasting my weakness to liquor empire-wide? The heir of the north who couldn't handle a single drink?
I'd be ridiculed forever.
In the end, I had no choice but to nod reluctantly to the crown prince.
I couldn't even remember what state of mind I was in when I greeted him and left.
I felt like I'd been caught off guard and one-upped by him unexpectedly.
It pissed me off.
“Hoo.”
I sighed as I opened the door, only to freeze in shock at the unexpected figure standing there.
“…Ren?”
“……”
Ren, standing like a statue in front of the door, shot me a stiff gaze at my call.
I worried the crown prince might see him.
Michael already subtly kept tabs on Ren.
If he got caught lurking like he was eavesdropping, it wouldn't end well.
“Why are you here…? Come on, in you go.”
“…Yes.”
I grabbed Ren's arm and dragged him along.
He followed meekly, without resistance, as if in a daze.
His shocked demeanor worried me.
Once inside my office, I peered seriously into his face.
“Ren, what's wrong?”
“…Lady Abigail.”
His refined features turned toward me.
His vibrant green eyes, like fresh leaves, glistened with moisture.
I stared at him in flustered confusion.
* * *
“Above all, I like you.”
“……!”
Ren's steps halted abruptly at the small voice from beyond the door.
He'd been searching for Abigail, worried after she'd passed out drunk at the banquet the night before.
He'd first checked her office, but she wasn't there yet, so he'd gone to her room.
Inside, only her wolf summon, the dire wolf, lounged indifferently.
In the end, Ren had tracked her mana signature.
He hadn't realized it led to the crown prince's quarters.
With the banquet's aftermath leaving the prince's guards off-duty, no one stood watch at the door.
“You don't have to answer right now. My formal proposal will come after the monster battle ends.”
“……”
Ren stood there blankly, hearing the crown prince's confession.
Words he could never utter himself flowed effortlessly from Michael Lux Rampas, crown prince of the empire.
Right in front of her.
As if it were the most natural thing.
It was beyond Ren's imagination.
He pressed his forehead, feeling a dizzying vertigo.
At least there was no response from her—that was a small mercy.
Rubbing his throbbing head, Ren let out a bitter scoff.
Then, the door opened silently.
“…Ren?”
“……”
Abigail's red eyes widened as she looked at him.
Ren stared back, speechless.
Flustered, she glanced at the door as if checking for the crown prince, then grabbed his silent arm.
“Why are you here…? Come on, in you go.”
“…Yes.”
Managing only a sigh-like reply, Ren let her drag him to her office.
Once there, Abigail eyed his unusual state with concern.
“Ren, what's wrong?”
“…Lady Abigail.”
“Did something happen?”
Her clear eyes showed no inkling of why he might be so shocked.
At that, Ren let out an incongruous chuckle.
He harbored feelings for a woman who saw him not as a man, but something less.
For a long time now.
Despite the insurmountable gap in status, their hearts didn't even connect.
He envied the crown prince unbearably, yet doubted if he even deserved to.
Still, Ren couldn't bear not to ask her.
Even if it tore his heart out, even if it left him with mortal regret.
With moist eyes but a faint smile, Ren asked.
“Are you going to marry His Highness the crown prince?”