The Incompetent Bratty Prince is out (1/4 chapters)
Realizing King’s Intention
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“Then, what if the Chevalier Household simply declared independence from the kingdom?” (Harold)
“!?” (Chevaliers)
My casual remark sent a chill through everyone in the room, except for Cass.
“Ah, no, of course, I didn’t mean that seriously!?” (Harold)
“Th-that’s right. No matter what, that’s taking the conversation too far.” (Alexandra)
Realizing that the atmosphere had turned strange, I hurried to cover it up, and Xandra went along with me.
No, this is bad. What am I saying something so foolish for? If that were to happen, we would end up with the same result as ‘Enhaz’.
“Indeed… From an objective standpoint, with the Chevalier Household’s territory and military strength, that might be possible.” (Duke)
“Well, the Chevalier Household, which has supported the kingdom since its founding, would never do such a thing.” (Cedric)
Duke Chevalier let out a deep sigh, and Cedric slightly raised his voice as he agreed.
In other words… everyone here has had that possibility cross their minds. But, having played ‘Enhaz’ in my previous life, I know this. Even if a rebellion were to happen, it would end in failure, and what would remain would be the word ‘ruin’.
“Well, well, enough of that kind of talk. Let’s move on to dinner soon. Tonight, our chef has outdone himself for His Highness Harold.” (Lady Norma)
With those words from Lady Norma, the atmosphere instantly became more relaxed.
Truly, the Chevalier Household is supported by this woman.
And so, we all shook off the tension and headed to the dining room. However…
“Xandra?” (Harold)
“…Regarding what Otou-sama said earlier, something is still strange.” (Alexandra)
Xandra tugged at my sleeve and said with a serious expression. That was something that had been smoldering in my chest as well.
If the goal was to strengthen ties, the Chevalier Household should have just arranged for me, Harold, to be engaged as they wished. However, in reality, they showed reluctance toward my engagement with Xandra, setting conditions and creating a situation where the engagement could be broken at any time. And that was in order to engage her with another prince. From that, it’s clear that King Eibar has a specific prince in mind for Xandra’s engagement.
So, who could that be? I had thought about it earlier as well, but since Cardis already has a fiancée, that leaves only Raphael and Wilfred. The one most suitable as Xandra’s fiancé would be Raphael, but…
“…No way.” (Harold)
“Have you realized something?” (Alexandra)
“Ah, no, it’s just speculation, but…” (Harold)
I shared with Xandra the possibility that had occurred to me.
Yes, the possibility that King Eibar desires for Xandra to be engaged to Wilfred.
“Haru-sama, please stop making such jokes, even in jest.” (Alexandra)
“No… This isn’t a joke. It’s the most plausible possibility.” (Harold)
At the dinner prepared by Cardis to celebrate the engagement between me and Xandra, I overheard a conversation between Cardis and Raphael.
“Hmph… I heard about it. Through His Majesty and Queen Rosemary, you proposed an engagement to Duke Chevalier, but were politely refused, weren’t you?” (Cardis)
“Ahaha, yeah, that’s right. I should have acted more aggressively back then.” (Raphael)
In other words, Raphael had proposed an engagement with Xandra, but it was rejected, and the engagement didn’t happen. If King Eibar had truly wanted to arrange an engagement between Raphael and Xandra, he would have pushed harder, and it wouldn’t align with the conditions set by Duke Chevalier.
That being the case, there is only one prince whom King Eibar wants to engage Xandra to.
“Ridiculous! Why would His Majesty try to have me engage with such a scumbag? And to go through such roundabout methods!” (Alexandra)
“Please, calm down!” (Harold)
I desperately tried to soothe Xandra, who had raised her voice in anger.
Indeed, as she said, it doesn’t make sense for King Eibar to go through such convoluted measures just to arrange an engagement between Wilfred and Xandra. If that was his plan from the start, he should have arranged for her to be engaged to Wilfred instead of me… Ah.
“Well of course. Xandra, you wouldn’t want to be engaged to someone like Wilfred, right?” (Harold)
“Of course not! There is no one but Haru-sama!” (Alexandra)
Xandra, who was quite heated, pressed closer to me.
I already knew that she had chosen me alone, but I wanted to confirm it just in case. The main point is…
“That’s exactly it… His Majesty, while pretending to consider the Chevalier Household, the kingdom’s largest noble house, blocked all escape routes. If we break off our engagement, there will be no obstacles to an engagement with Wilfred.” (Harold)
“Ah…” (Alexandra)
Thinking about it this way, the roundabout methods start to make sense. He was likely confident that Xandra and I would break off the engagement soon. If Harold had remained the ‘incompetent bratty prince’ he was before I regained my past life’s memories, that outcome would have been possible. In fact, in ‘Engage Hazard’, it was because of King Eibar’s declaration that Harold easily broke off his engagement with Xandra.
“In reality, though, Xandra and I get along so well that breaking off our engagement is unthinkable. For His Majesty, that must have been a huge miscalculation.” (Harold)
To lift the heavy atmosphere, I tried to lighten the mood a bit. It was also to dispel the anxiety that Xandra was likely feeling at the moment.
“Yes! Even if the world were to end, I would never be separated from Haru-sama!” (Alexandra)
“Exactly. I will never, under any circumstances, let our engagement be broken… or rather, I won’t let it be broken!” (Harold)
Xandra leapt into my chest with her sapphire eyes filled with strong resolve. I, too, embraced her with the same determination and passion, holding tightly to my most favorite fiancée.
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