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Chapter 3
The next day.
I woke up early in the morning and wrote a letter about what happened yesterday.
The recipient is, of course, Oswald’s family, the former king.
“Hehe
 sister
”
Sophina was sleeping peacefully in her bed.
It seems that she’s dreaming about me.
I smiled at her direction then looked down at the letter again.
It’s a long story, but here’s a brief summary of the content.
『Oswald asked me to break off our engagement, and I decided to accept it.』
I don’t want to act roundabout, and I also don’t want to come unannounced and sneak back to His former Majesty.
However, breaking off the engagement without contacting them would be a lack of courtesy.
So, as a compromise, I decided to send a letter first.
I’ll have to go out and talk to them later anyway, but this should be enough for a heads up.
――’I’ve had enough of unfriendly women like you!’
“
”
Oswald’s words really stabbed me in the chest.
It was true that I have done a lot of stupid and unscrupulous things, but
 I was thinking of him in my own way.
I was also seriously planning my life after marriage.
After thinking about it, I wanted him to get better, so I dared to be strict with him.
Was it really bad to the extent that he took my affection and consideration as “superfluous”?
If I had treated him with an amiable smile and affection
 would he still have been my fiancé?
It was my fault that he said all that.
If I had done something different at that time― these regrets came like waves rushing in.
Nevertheless, the spilled water would not recover anymore.
Even if I were to get back together with Oswald, I can’t imagine getting married to him anymore.
Classroom lectures, etiquette, music, dance, self-defense, magic.
At that instant, everything I had worked for, everything I had done for Oswald, went down the drain.
This kind of loss still leaves a gaping hole in my heart.
“
maybe I should have been a little more gentle.”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Oh, Sophina. You’re awake.”
Before I knew it, Sophina, who was sleeping, had woken up.
She did a light stretch, then got up from the bed, and gently hugged me from behind as I sat on a chair.
“There’s nothing wrong with my big sister. It’s just that ba
 Oswald-sama didn’t have the guts to accepts sister’s love.”
“
is that so.”
“Yes. In the first place, there is no way that the fifth prince is worthy of my big sister.”
“You know that I’m just a Duke’s daughter, right?”
Royalty and Dukes. It’s clear who’s in a better position.
In spite of this, Sophina sneers at Oswald, viewing him as a lowly man.
“A family background is just an appendage of a person. I believe that even if big sister is a commoner, she is still too good for that ba
 Oswald-sama.”
I wonder how I’m being viewed in Sophina’s mind.
Sometimes I can’t help but get curious about it.
“I am confident that you will be found by someone even better!”
“
”
Sophina insisted, but it would be difficult for me to find another partner.
Since I have long been seen in social circles as “Oswald’s fiancee”.
He may be rotten, but he is still the fifth prince. So I think the next person will not come forward easily.
If I’ m not careful, I might not be able to keep going

As I was struggling to find a response, there was a well-timed knock on the door of my room.
The maid changed her expression, and told them in a panic.
“Miss Leila, Miss Sophina! Here, His Majesty the King has informed me that you must come to the palace as soon as possible
!”
“
all right.”
The bad feeling I had yesterday may have been right on target.






The two of us went to the royal palace.
As we approached the audience hall, we heard a familiar voice bellowing.
“― and then she suddenly got violent! Look at my chin, brother, doesn’t it look like it hurts?!”
It’s Oswald.
He slipped closer to his brother – Alex – who was sitting on the throne, showing him his swollen chin.
Sophina punched him in the face yesterday in a fit of rage.
It seemed that the heat magic that struck him was well controlled, but the uppercut left a distinct mark on his face.
No matter how much the other side is at fault, violence is not good.
I have to find a cover for her somehow

“Thank you for coming, both of you. But let’s skip the formalities since you both came here often. So let’s get down to business.”
Alex was still in his mid-twenties when he ascended the throne.
The fact that His Majesty the former King chose to retire early also shows how outstanding he is.
In a way, he is our childhood friend, but
 he is too distant now.
“First of all, I’ll ask you a question out of formality, as a confirmation of what happened.”
I tilted my head at his unusually long introduction.
Alex looked down at the paper in his hand, while pressing his forehead with a bitter look on his face.
“Leila. You called Oswald yesterday evening and told him you were breaking off your engagement with him. The reason is that
 uh, you concluded that since my brother can’t inherit the throne, he is worthless.”

hm?
I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
“Then Sophina violently attacked Oswald, who blamed you for your unreasonable one-sided reason. Is there any mistake in this?”
Me and Sophina had heads full of “???” Only Oswald nodded his head and constantly agreed, “Yes, yes!”
Everything he read out loud― seemed like Oswald’s complaints, I am guessing― and it was far from the truth.
The only thing that matches is that Sophina got violent.
“
that.”
It’s wrong.
However, before I could say so, Alex stopped me from speaking with his hand.