/
I was so surprised by Sophina’s unexpected suggestion that I unconsciously covered my mouth with my hand.
“What are you saying?”
“Exactly as you said, sister.”
Sophina raised her two fingers.
“I don’t know what will happen if we let Oswald-sama out, he is a shame incarnate walking around with clothes on. This is common knowledge among all of us.”
“You! You dare to insult―”
“Oz. Shut up for a second.”
“Fugu~” [pouting sfx]
Alex holds down Oswald, who looks pale.
He took a glance in our direction, and Sophina continued.
“Someone needs to support Oswald-sama, right?”
“There’s no need for you to do that.”
They could just pretend that the broken engagement never happened and I’ll continue to watch Oswald.

I’ve lost all feelings for him, but it’s my duty as a Duke’s daughter.
“No, as I’ve said before, I must be punished in some way.”
Otherwise it will be indicated that I don’t agree to it, so Sophina could only continue.
“What do you think, Your Majesty Alex? I think it’s a good way to solve your problem.”
Alex is well aware of Oswald’s incompetence.
He also knows that since I abandoned him, he will have no choice but to dismiss my own value completely.
“Sophina. Are you okay with that?”
“Yes.”
“It seems to me that the punishment is too severe for the crime committed
”
“There, you see, you can think of it as a set of rewards to be able to have a relationship with royalty!”
Sophina reluctantly assures Alex.
And then, with a swoosh, she approached Oswald and wrapped her arm around his.
“What do you think, Oswald-sama? I think it’s not a bad idea.”
“
mm-hmm. This doesn’t feel so bad.”
Even though he was so angry with Sophina, the moment that girl hugged him, “Gyuu!” Oswald began to look pleased with himself.
To begin with, he said he preferred Sophina’s looks, so it was only natural for his nose to stretch this long.
However, I don’t know what Sophina’s true intentions are.
It’s not uncommon for her to act out of character, but this time it was even stranger.
She gave me a quick wink as I puzzled over the situation.
‘It’s all right, sister.’
Her eyes spoke eloquently to me.
“―so, I look forward to getting along with you in the future, Oswald-sama.”
“Hmm! You have to support me.”
In the end, it was as if Sophina had taken control of the situation.
“Alright, if it’s fine for the two of you, what about you, Leila?”
If Sophine gets engaged to him, becoming Oswald’s new chaperone (?), I will inevitably be left behind.
After being his fiancée for so many years, the possibility of me finding another partner is not
 impossible, but I guess I need to give it some time.
“Rest assured. I’ve already found her a suitable partner.”
“Ho. Who?”
“It’s you, Your Majesty Alex.”
“Me?!”
Alex’s eyes widened at the unexpected nomination.
“Yes. The person you have unrequited love for so long is now available in front of you, you haven’t given up hope, have you? So you need to get yourself beside her without a moment’s delay.”
“―eh?”
Alex has a one-sided love?
With who?

me?
“Sophina! No, what are you talking about?! I never said I liked Leila. W-w-well, that’s
”
“You’ve been suppressing your feelings for a long time because he’s your brother’s fiancĂ©, haven’t you?”
“Who is it!? Who told you that!”
“The expressions, gestures, and attitude of His Majesty right now. All of them eloquently express your feelings for my sister.”
When Sophina said this, Alex choked on his words.
Red cheeks. Shoulders rising and falling. The sound of his voice trembling.
Before I knew it, he was no longer the rare wise king, but a red-faced, flustered young man.
“Your Majesty Alex
 what you just said.”
“Aaahhh! It’s true! I like Leila!”
Alex shouted, almost in desperation.






Sophina left the room with Oswald, leaving the words, “The rest is up to you two young people.”
They said that they would have dinner and deepen their friendship over there.
“
”
“
”
After a moment of silence, Alex smiled to hide his embarrassment.
“Your sister is such a mystery. She’s so confident, and she always knows how to get to the heart of the matter.”
“Is that so
”
Occasionally, Sophina will make a remark so sharp that you will wonder whether she can see through your mind.
At some time before, my father had been unfaithful to his wife once.
Sophina was one of the first to notice it.
She said it confidently, not in a vague way, as if she had seen the scene.
―’Father. Why did you sleep with another woman?’
Even at that time, Sophina didn’t give any opportunity to mend the situation.
Alex stood up from his throne and kneeled in front of me, taking my hand.
“What do you think, Leila? Would you consider getting engaged
 with me?”
“
why me?”
“Because you were the one I longed for.”
“Longed for?”
Alex narrowed his eyes as if he was feeling nostalgic about the past.
“You worked so hard at everything you did. Seeing you like that motivates me.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. I saw you as my rival. I didn’t want to be outdone.”
Apparently he had been watching me learn in a single minded way.
I hadn’t noticed
 not at all.
I mean, Alex is older than me.
I didn’t even try to get to know him, because I thought he was out of my reach from the very beginning.
“Then, I realized that you have become a very big part of my life. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be sitting here on this throne yet, and I wouldn’t have been called the “Wise King” in such a grand manner.”
“
”
―’I’m sure that you will be discovered by someone even better.’
These were the words she had said to me this morning.
Perhaps Sophina could predict this future as well.
“So, what do you think? Of course, I’m not forcing you to
”
I grabbed Alex’s hand, which was sweating and shaking slightly with nervousness, and smiled as best I could.
“With pleasure.”