“Freesia Indushi!”
Everyone stopped talking and looked up at the stage as Prince Namakafukura’s clear voice rang out.
He was the second prince, not a graduate, but still a current student.
He had the royal family’s distinctive beautiful silver eyes and silky ash-blond hair, with an impeccably handsome face. However, his frivolous aura ruined all of that.
The name he called out was that of his fiancée.
Yet, standing beside him wasn’t his fiancée, but a glamorous young lady with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a voluptuous figure.
“Yes, I’m here.”
A student with ruby-red hair that shone with depth and light stepped forward, her violet eyes sparkling. Rather than appearing dainty, she seemed striking due to her perfect posture.
Not a hint of hesitation.
“Though you are my fiancée, your countless despicable actions, unbecoming of your title, and your shameless conduct as soon as my favor turned to another are unbearable! Therefore, I hereby declare the annulment of my engagement to Freesia Indushi and announce my new fi—”
“Yes, gladly!”
Freesia’s cheerful voice interrupted the prince just as he was about to announce his new fiancée.
Her uncontainable joy caused a ripple of confusion throughout the hall, and Freesia quickly realized it. In a fluster, she opened her lavender fan to hide her mouth, lowered her gaze to the left, and slightly dropped her shoulders.
“Yes, gladly…”
Her second attempt, now in a sorrowful tone, echoed through the silent hall.
It was a drastic change from her previous exuberance, making her look unexpectedly stricken.
“She’s an actress…”
“Women are scary…”
The murmured comments from the men in the crowd were met with small nods from those around them.
“By the way, why is Ixcia there?”
Freesia asked, her question innocent.
Standing next to the prince was Ixcia, her half-sister.
Ixcia had already graduated.
Freesia was the daughter of the Marquis of Indushi, but her family situation was complicated.
There was her one-year-older half-sister Ixcia, the daughter of the second wife, whom their father had fallen in love with.
Freesia, the daughter of the first wife, born from a political marriage.
And Happiana, the same age but technically younger, the daughter of the second wife.
Three sisters, but the differences in their ages made it clear just how lecherous their father was. This made their home a very hostile and uncomfortable place.
“How dare you! You believed that your sister had stolen my favor and bullied her relentlessly! Witnesses and evidence have come forward! Apologize!”
Freesia looked around the room, found her target, and turned toward her.
“Happiana, please step forward.”
The one she addressed was Happiana, the same-aged half-sister with golden hair and blue eyes, whose features somewhat resembled Ixcia’s. A graceful, innocent beauty.
Feeling all eyes on her and realizing she couldn’t escape, Happiana walked forward with a troubled expression.
Freesia grabbed her skirt, bent her knees, and bowed deeply.
Overwhelmed by the elegance of her movements, Happiana barely managed to keep her expression from twisting into a grimace.
“Happiana, I sincerely apologize for all the harassment I’ve caused you.”
“W-wait, why are you apologizing to your younger sister and not your older one?”
“Well, I’m apologizing for my despicable actions, the harassment I subjected her to.”
Raising herself, Freesia tilted her head at the prince, looking genuinely puzzled.
“Wasn’t it Prince Namakafukura who told me to apologize?”
With that, she turned back to Happiana.
“If I may offer an excuse, I hold no feelings whatsoever for the prince. Now that the engagement has been annulled, I plan to live a peaceful, idle, and orderly life at a convent. From now on, I won’t bother you at all!”
Happiana thought to herself, “Why does she look so smug?”
The audience wondered what exactly a “peaceful, idle, and orderly life” entailed.
Meanwhile, the prince and Ixcia stood on the stage, thoroughly confused.
“This makes no sense!”
“Oh, come now. In stories, isn’t it popular for a girl of the same age, whether a commoner or of lower rank, or a younger sister, to rise up and steal a high-ranking man with a fiancée? It’s a rags-to-riches romance, isn’t it?”
The romantic story was stripped of all its charm and replaced with such blunt words that Happiana almost found herself nodding in agreement, realizing there was, indeed, a certain logic to that perspective.
“Freesia, why did you think it was me, and not my sister, who was romantically involved with the prince?”
Surely, there had been a version of the story where it was the elder sister.
Freesia, looking displeased, answered:
“Because the prince called me an ‘old lady’ to my face. Just because I was born three months earlier, he had the nerve to call me old! Naturally, I figured my older sister was out of the question. And besides, you were the only one younger than the prince in our class.”
Happiana’s eyes widened, and she immediately turned a cold gaze toward the prince. Even Ixcia, standing beside him, was looking at him in astonishment.
The prince’s eyes darted about, realizing that everywhere he looked, he was met with either disapproval or icy stares, causing cold sweat to break out.
“Did you bully me because you thought I was romantically involved with the prince?”
Freesia nodded firmly.
“That’s right. I thought I’d help deepen the bond between the two of you by becoming the perfect villainess. To that end, I made sure to bully you in front of others to leave a lasting impression.”
Happiana felt a slight headache coming on at Freesia’s bold declaration.
“Are you stupid? How can you be the top student and still be this stupid?”
Freesia had always been at the top of the class.
Happiana, who had secretly harbored a sense of rivalry, could feel her worldview crumbling as she realized how foolish Freesia’s reasoning was. Her entire life, having been compared to her sister of the same age who was engaged to the prince, now felt dull in comparison.
“I’m not that smart. The only reason I was able to take the top spot was thanks to my sister and the prince.”
Freesia giggled softly, looking a little embarrassed.
“I made sure to do all my homework, create practice questions from past exams, and give them to my sister. I was perfectly prepared. Then, I’d review the material in class and create mock test questions, which I gave to the prince. That’s the only reason I managed to come out on top.”
Freesia nodded smugly, but her words left everyone dumbfounded.
It was now becoming clear that the prince and Ixcia, who always hovered around tenth place, might have only done so well because of Freesia’s mock questions.
“By comparison, you, Happiana, were always second or third in the class. You have no problem with your abilities. Your manners and dancing are impeccable, and you’re sociable with many friends. I thought you’d make an excellent princess.”
Happiana was flustered by this sudden, overwhelming praise. The unexpected compliments stirred a mixture of pride and guilt within her.
“Th-that doesn’t mean you should have annulled the engagement…”
“When I thought about spending my entire life on a man I don’t love, I felt like my heart would break.”
Freesia sighed deeply, and Happiana found herself asking in surprise:
“Break?”
“Exactly. There were no affectionate letters, no dates, no escorts, not even a birthday gift. How could I possibly develop feelings for someone who offers nothing at all?”
Hearing this, it was hard to disagree.
“What about the monthly tea parties just for the two of you?”
“He would show up five minutes before it ended, chug down the cold tea, and say goodbye.”
“And your conversations…?”
“If we did talk, it was just sarcasm and insults. The prince was struggling with his education because he kept comparing himself to his older brother. He gave up on studying because of that complex and, when compared to his younger brother, abandoned martial arts training. The only reliable people around him were sycophants.”
Freesia sighed deeply once again.
“I was clearly just a support figure. And with no affection, it’s obvious he’d cheat. He’s lazy, unfaithful, and short-tempered…”
Suddenly, Freesia blinked as if realizing something.
“Oh, I wasn’t just support—I was the clean-up crew. I’d manage the prince’s affairs, raise the children he’d father elsewhere, and have no time for myself. Before I knew it, I’d be spending my old age alone and die a lonely death.”
Freesia’s future vision left everyone in the room utterly speechless.
“Well, I can see why your heart would break… Wait, were you planning on leaving that future to me?”
“I thought you’d manage well since you’re so resourceful. I could only imagine a future where I’d die exhausted and alone, but I figured you could skillfully manipulate the prince and enjoy a comfortable retirement.”
Happiana’s cheeks twitched at Freesia’s devilish statement.
“Didn’t His Majesty choose you because he thought you’d handle it well?”
“I’m not cut out for statesmanship like His Majesty or the Prime Minister. It takes creativity and imagination to assess the situation and pave the way to the future with the available information. And His Majesty may not have parenting skills, but as a king, he’s a genius with natural talent!”
As everyone watched the incompetent prince fumble on stage, they couldn’t help but think:
“That wasn’t really a compliment, was it?”
“I’m more suited for a bureaucratic role,” Freesia said.
“…I believe you’re more than capable of taking a leadership role,” Happiana replied.
Happiana thought Freesia had the qualities of a good ruler, especially in how she handled things and the aftermath. Normally, one would inform their parents and annul the engagement quietly, but since the other party was royalty, it was impossible for the Marquis family to ask for the annulment without appearing disloyal. Freesia, understanding this, likely decided on a reckless plan, even if it meant tarnishing her own reputation, aiming for an engagement annulment by taking the blame.
For an ordinary noble lady, used to a life of luxury, such an idea might occur, but few would have the resolve to carry it out. The decisiveness and determination Freesia displayed in seeing it through were commendable, even if her thinking had been somewhat unconventional.
“Enough of this!”
Ixcia, who had believed she was the main character, suddenly found herself pushed to the sidelines and tried to regain control by raising her voice. Her pained expression and sorrowful tone were meant to elicit sympathy from the men, but the audience, having heard the previous conversation, was unmoved.
“I was injured when you pushed me!”
Freesia turned cold eyes toward Ixcia.
“During school hours, I had to do my homework, and at home, I did yours. After school, I attended lessons on how to be a princess, and on weekends, I sorted through the prince’s backlog of student council and state documents. In my free time, I was running around trying to ‘bully’ Happiana. I didn’t have any spare time to push anyone else.”
Was she seriously boasting about this? Happiana, who had intended to interrupt, gave up and decided to watch the exchange with an indifferent gaze after Freesia’s bombshell about handling the prince’s work.
“What…”
“It wasn’t me, so I think a proper investigation should be conducted. Oh, I’ll arrange for the headmaster and security chief to prepare a report. Please summarize when, where, who, how, and what happened.”
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