“Fania Arginia. I name you as the fiancé to the Second Prince, Alfred Gaicias Frialist.” Those were the words bestowed to me by His Majesty the King who came for a visit.
After countless days of struggling between being awake and losing consciousness, I finally managed to raise my upper body. It had been nearly half a year since I consumed that chocolate.
It was an edict by His Majesty the King. I could only nod in response. Even if I tried to resist, just what can a 12-year-old do?
Al was a prince with succession right to the throne, while I was an heir to a ducal house. In spite of that, just how could the two of us be engaged to each other?
After consuming the chocolate, I managed to escape death, but it caused a disability on my body. I became someone who cannot have any offspring. In other words, I became sterile. It was no longer possible for me to meet my own children.
I, who cannot reproduce, lost my eligibility as the heir to the ducal house.
Nevertheless, it was impossible for me to enter someone else’s house as their son-in-law1 with this defected body. Once I lost my right as heir, I would lose my nobility and degrade to a commoner.
For the royal family, although it was a coincidence, it would give them a bad reputation when a ducal heir ended up that way after putting their life on the line to save the prince. They could not simply disregard an act of loyalty shown by a child as young as 12.
In this country, same-sex marriages were allowed. However, it was extremely rare for royalty or nobles that put descendants as a matter of importance to have same-sex marriages. But thanks to this existing system, this time, Al and I were engaged. A position where it is okay for a ducal heir to not actually inherit the house. That was, as Al’s fiancé.
This world was moving on with the same story as the BL game. In the BL game, Alfred loathed this engagement. At first, he felt pity towards ‘Fania’ and tried to accept it; but as ‘Fania’ became more and more dependent on Alfred, the hatred he felt manifested over time.
‘Fania’ purely loved Alfred, and he clung onto his position as his fiancé. He wanted to live his life together with Alfred. That was why he became jealous of the main character, Louie, and fell from grace to become a villainous noble son.
‘Fania’ thought that Alfred accepted this engagement due to feeling guilty. Yet, I am different to that ‘Fania’ who never had doubts about anyone. I could see through the real intentions of the royal family.
On the surface, this engagement seemed like a salvation towards me, but in reality, I was only used as a mere pawn. This engagement was for the sake of protecting Al’s life after all.
Al said that he received the chocolates from His Majesty. Yet, something bestowed by His Majesty actually contained poison. Someone who tried to murder Al had the ability to insert poison into something that was passed by hand by His Majesty, so they must have already made their way deep into the core.
It would be a good thing for them if Al died from the chocolate. Even if he managed to live through it, it would then declare their stance that they may kill him off anytime they wish.
So the King firstly had to think of a way to avoid Al from dying. A way where he can live on. The one who wished to murder Al was his second consort, Lady Algarina. It was obvious even without investigation. She was at the position where no one could accuse her even though everyone held her as the suspect.
By hook or by crook, she would make her son be the next king. Lady Algarina’s backer, the grand ducal’s house authority in this country was enormous. Moreover, the King doted on Lady Algarina who was also his childhood friend.
For the above reason, Al was engaged to me so that he shall have no descendants. Following that, albeit unofficial, Al was considered to have abandoned his right of succession. So, it would be a sure thing for Lady Algarina’s son, the First Prince, Prince Andrew to succeed the throne, and rendering it useless to kill Al anymore.
….However, in the BL game, Alfred convicted ‘Fania’. He annulled the engagement and chased him away to the labour camp. With this, was his life targeted by Lady Algarina again?
Or, was it because Alfred had cultivated love with the male Louie; while the person only changed from Fania to Louie, he still had the same-sex marriage, so he managed to live on safely?
I shook my head sideways. There was no use for me to rack my brain on this matter. While still bed-ridden, I had no choice but to accept my engagement to Al.