“Then, as of today, I shall step down from my position as your aide.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Were you unaware, Prince Fred? My appointment as your aide was based on the premise that marrying Lady Carol would allow me to inherit her marquisate, providing me with the appropriate status. Without my marriage to Lady Carol, a mere third son of an earldom like myself is completely unqualified for the role.”
“No, surely we can work something out about that, right?”
Prince Fred tilted his head with a look that practically said, What on earth is he on about?
No, status isn’t something you can just ‘work out,’ every single person present thought in collective disbelief.
I had never so much as exchanged greetings with Prince Fred, but I had no idea he was this foolish.
Though he was the second prince, Prince Fred was the Queen’s firstborn child.
While there was a first prince two years his senior born to a royal concubine, Prince Fred was currently the one expected to become the crown prince.
The Handwill earldom was famous for its line of knights, but Lord Julius was only the third son. His standing alone fell short of what was required to serve as an aide.
Because of that, his appointment had been granted under the arrangement that he would marry Lady Carol, the only daughter of the marquisate, and inherit her house.
Naturally, the position was also chosen to double as Prince Fred’s guard at the academy. Since the other candidate aides belonged to different year groups, Lord Julius was the only one constantly by his side.
He must have fulfilled his duties as a guard without a single hitch. That was likely why the prince managed to graduate without incident—to think he would end up having his fiancée stolen in return.
Prince Fred probably only met Lady Carol in the first place because she was Lord Julius’s fiancée, so how on earth could he have forgotten she was engaged?
And as for Lord Julius—sitting so close to the situation, how could he not have noticed Prince Fred and Lady Carol falling for each other?
As if addressing those very doubts, Lord Julius continued to lay out his reasons for stepping down.
“Resigning as your aide is not merely a matter of status. I also bear the responsibility for failing to prevent your foolish behavior, Your Highness.”
“Foolish behavior, you say?!”
“Did you truly believe you could break an engagement with the daughter of the premier dukedom without facing any repercussions? Did you genuinely think stealing your aide’s fiancée would pass without consequence?”
“…Well, no, that’s…”
I knew next to nothing about Prince Fred, but I had a sneaking suspicion that both he and Lady Carol had genuinely assumed there wouldn’t be any punishment.
I wondered if it was really alright for them not to bother hiding their Oh crap expressions. Was Prince Fred truly a member of the royal family?
On the other hand, Lord Julius, who continued to speak calmly without a single flicker of emotion, was so composed it was almost terrifying. Going by his expression alone, he didn’t seem angry at all but there was no way that was true, right?
“If I remain by your side, people will be constantly reminded of your folly rather than letting it fade. It is undoubtedly for the best that I leave. With that, thank you for everything. Farewell, Your Highness!”
“Ah—Julius! Wait!”
Throwing those final words down, Lord Julius completely ignored Prince Fred’s calls and turned to leave.
As he spun around toward us, I caught a glimpse of a faint smile on his face…
Wait, Lord Julius was smiling, wasn’t he?
Could it be… he was actually happy about the engagement being broken off?
Normally, such a thought would be unthinkable, yet Lady Marie had appeared pleased as well. It only went to show just how deeply Prince Fred and Lady Carol were disliked.
In the aftermath, everyone dispersed in the blink of an eye, cutting the graduation party down to half its intended duration.
The official outcome announced later was that the second prince was placed under house arrest, and his engagement to Lady Carol was put on hold.
However, the public declaration could not be undone. The engagements between the second prince and Lady Marie, as well as between Lady Carol and Lord Julius, were officially dissolved.
Having been dragged into witnessing a broken engagement at the absolute eleventh hour, I ended up bedridden for two whole days.
Thank goodness I had kept my appearance plain. I was truly, immensely relieved to have avoided getting involved with those royals in any capacity.
I had originally planned to stop disguising myself after graduation, but I decided I would continue dressing down at the mage academy after all.
Until every last royal got married and settled down, I was going to wait it out quietly.