By the time Garrett and Rebecca reached their final year, a new Saint Candidate had joined the academy. People whispered that she acted strangely, and Rebecca seemed to take it upon herself to help her out whenever she could.
Still, Saint Candidates came in all types. Trying to force them into some perfect image was just arrogance. For Charlotte Silver – the daughter of a country baron trying to find her way in the capital – much of court life must have felt new and confusing. Everyone assumed she would learn and grow with time.
The real problem, though, was how Garrett behaved over the next few months.
To be fair, there were good reasons for him to keep an eye on the Saint Candidate, especially given his position as royalty and student council president. But Garrett was a young man, and he couldn’t do everything by himself. He should have asked his fiancée Rebecca for help. Instead, within six months, he had apparently pushed her out of the mentoring role entirely.
No one can handle everything alone. Knowing when to ask for help and when to share responsibilities is something every leader needs to learn.
Being born a prince meant people would always serve him. The only question was whether they truly respected him or secretly hated him the moment they bowed their heads. Because he was born royal, Garrett had to work hard to win people over and earn their respect – otherwise, they would despise him. I had taught him all of this through his Crown Prince education. I loved my younger brother. And since training for the succession was part of that same process, I won’t pretend it didn’t serve my own purposes too.
I called Garrett to the palace and reminded him of all this. He listened carefully as I told him to act like a proper prince in everything he did, not just in his studies. I trusted that he meant well. I believed he would grow. I would keep watching over him.
But then, on graduation day, a huge scandal broke out. When I heard about what happened at the graduation party and the mess with the broken engagement, I was furious.
Garrett had already been scolded by Father and Mother. When he finally came to see me, he looked completely worn out. For our parents – who had worked so hard to get the Howard family to agree to this marriage – the worst part wasn’t that their second son had embarrassed himself in public. It was that he had given Rebecca the perfect excuse to end things. That, they found much harder to forgive.
I hadn’t told them about the secret deal Garrett and I had made – the fake engagement with Rebecca. Garrett had wanted it to stay “a secret between brothers.” He said that sharing secrets would bring us closer and help him keep up the act without anyone finding out. He liked the idea of a “guy code.” So our parents, who knew nothing about the truth, had apparently yelled at him for not appreciating Rebecca enough.
For me, it was the opposite. What made me angry wasn’t that his engagement to Rebecca had fallen apart.
”Garrett.”
My brother flinched when I said his name. His face – so much like Mother’s, almost too pretty for a man – showed how nervous he was. The Crown Prince of Rendel was gone. All I saw was a younger brother afraid of getting scolded.
”Explain yourself.”
Garrett looked at me like he’d rather be hit than have this conversation. Then he turned his eyes away.
”You were supposed to show everyone what a worthy prince you are at the academy. I told you that, didn’t I?”
”…Brother, about my engagement to Rebecca-“
”I’m not talking about the engagement. I’m asking why you messed things up so badly.”
My brother caught his breath. I could see it in his eyes – I had guessed right.
”…I pulled away from Rebecca on purpose, to make it easier to break things off later. As for Saint Candidate Charlotte – there were some unexpected problems, yes. But the real reason I didn’t fix things… I think you already know, Brother.”
It had been over three years since Garrett first asked for my help. In that time, my cute little brother had grown into someone more mature – both in body and mind. But over the last six months, he had been making one small mistake after another. His dealings with the Saint Candidate had caught people’s attention. The girl everyone called “the oddball” had turned out to be quite difficult to handle, but Garrett had used her for his own plans.
”Don’t avoid the question. What exactly do you think I’m thinking? I told you to act with the dignity of a prince.”
A king rules not just a country, but its people. The education I had given Garrett was meant to teach him that. And knowing all of that, he had still let himself fall so low…
”Just as you’ve already figured out, Brother. Besides the unexpected problems, I left the issues I should have dealt with unsolved – on purpose. I wanted people to think that ‘the Crown Prince doesn’t have what it takes to be king.’”
Faced with my anger, Garrett shrank back. We were only three years apart, but he was still just a seventeen-year-old boy. Unable to stand the pressure of my silence – the demand that he see this through – he finally told me everything.
”If I fall, you’ll have no choice but to take the throne. I want you to be king, Brother. That’s why I’ve been acting as a chain to keep Rebecca tied to you. And from now on, I’ll do whatever it takes to drag out the end of our engagement as long as possible. So please, Brother…!”
Looking at Garrett – looking up at me with begging eyes – I thought: Of course. This brother of mine, probably because I had spoiled him since childhood, had grown deeply devoted to me. He seemed to believe I was the perfect Crown Prince. If he only knew that everything I had achieved – the discipline, the charisma, the education – was all for the sake of winning her… what would he say?
I let out a long, tired sigh. Then I grabbed Garrett by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
Thud. A loud crack echoed through the room. He must have hit his head pretty hard.
”You absolute idiot. What’s going on inside that head of yours? Did you really think the Crown Prince’s faction would just accept things quietly? They only care about what helps them. If they decide you’re a fool, they’ll just smile to themselves – thinking you’ll make an easy puppet.”
When I pointed out that his well-meaning plan would only encourage the very group working to put me in power – the ones scheming in the shadows – Garrett whispered “No way…” and hung his head.
”Listen to me. Forget about Rebecca for now. Your first priority is to fix your reputation. Put all your energy into that. And while you’re at it, become strong enough and smart enough to turn things around on anyone who tries to use you. I won’t just stand by while my little brother gets played for a fool by his own people. Understood?”
”…! I’m so sorry, Brother! This time, I swear I won’t let you down!”
My brother – who had always tried so hard but in the wrong direction – finally seemed to understand. He looked me straight in the eye and made his promise.
The truth was, the end of Garrett and Rebecca’s engagement was probably unavoidable, sooner or later. My own fake engagement contract still had less than a year left. Something would have to be done.
Garrett, having been told his plan was a mistake, apparently apologized to Rebecca and begged her to keep up their contract – even if it was just for show. Her answer was cold at best. The Howard family, as always, was moving forward with the end of the engagement. I had expected that much.
But Rebecca herself surprised me. She had apparently said she wanted to return to her family’s land and live quietly – meaning she didn’t want to marry anyone at all.
She had always known this was a political marriage. So why had she suddenly started thinking that way? I couldn’t answer that question, but it gave me a small hope – that maybe she had remembered her past life. And with that hope came a creeping fear.
If Rebecca had remembered her past life, what would she do? If I let her slip away, she would become someone I could never reach again. That worry kept eating at me. I found myself wondering if I should break my promises and go to her – no matter what it cost.
Meanwhile, Marquis Howard kept pushing forward, slowly but surely moving to end Garrett and Rebecca’s engagement. And Princess Aliya’s situation was dragging on, with almost no progress.
In foreign lands, I couldn’t move freely. Information was hard to come by. Time just kept passing.
It was Marquis Howard again who finally broke the deadlock. One day, he asked for a private meeting with Father and me – something highly secret.
”The Viscount Zangou is planning treason.”
The Viscount Zangou had lands near the border of the Shium Kingdom – a minor lord, barely known in the capital. No great estates, no powerful army. Just a country noble. And yet, treason?
According to the Marquis, he had discovered the plot to kidnap Rebecca before it happened, and while chasing the criminals, had traced them back to Zangou. The viscount had apparently been using forbidden curses – banned by international law – in secret. This time, he had planned to blame the Saint Candidate for attacking Rebecca, throw her into darkness, and use her as a sacrifice.
Curses. Human sacrifice. There were only so many people someone would go that far to curse.
”The target-“
The name that came out of Marquis Howard’s mouth made both Father and me groan in disbelief.
Summary:
Ethan confronts Garrett over his calculated failures at the academy, discovering that Garrett deliberately sabotaged himself to clear Ethan’s path to the throne. After a violent reprimand, Garrett vows to restore his reputation, but Ethan’s mind shifts to Rebecca – whose desire to leave her political engagement stirs both hope and dread in him. Meanwhile, Marquis Howard reveals a dark conspiracy involving forbidden curses and a plot against Rebecca, with a target that shocks both the king and the crown prince.
Trivia:
- Ethan’s internal narration reveals that he achieved his ideal Crown Prince status through efforts to win Rebecca, not purely for the throne.
- Garrett’s “guy code” insistence on keeping the faux engagement secret backfired, as his parents tore into him for neglecting Rebecca.
- The Viscount Zangou’s plot involved framing Charlotte Silver and using her as a sacrificial vessel – a conspiracy the Marquis Howard uncovered.
- Ethan’s faux engagement contract with Rebecca has less than a year remaining, adding urgency to his anxiety.
- Garrett’s self-sabotage was meant to make the Crown Prince faction support Ethan, but Ethan warns that it will instead embolden them to use Garrett as a puppet.
- Rebecca’s sudden desire to live quietly in her territory suggests she may be rejecting political marriage entirely, potentially linked to her past-life memories.
- Princess Aliya’s situation is stalled, with Ethan unable to gather information in foreign territory.
- The target of Viscount Zangou’s curse drew a “low groan” from both the king and Ethan, indicating a deeply personal or politically explosive revelation.