Chapter 4

■ First Princess Adèle

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"――What!?"

First Princess Adèle distorted her face at the words spoken by the civil servant standing before her.

Since that night's ball, she has been forbidden from leaving her room for over a week.

For Adèle, who had never been restricted before, this alone was a significant source of stress. Her once-prideful golden hair had lost its luster, and her skin seemed to have become rougher.

And to make matters worse, that night's ball had been a disaster, with an unexpected guest causing a scene and completely ruining her reputation as a princess.

"…Hah! Then I will state it again."

The civil servant straightened his posture, glanced down at the letter in his hand, and began to speak clearly once more.

"Due to the false accusation and subsequent condemnation at the recent ball, as well as the insults to the Marquis Maltz and the Margrave Schönheit, and the issuance of false royal orders… In light of the serious nature of this incident, the First Princess Adèle is hereby stripped of her title as crown princess. You are ordered to move to the Western Temberg palace. This is a royal decree."

The civil servant, having spoken loudly and clearly, closed the letter. Western Temberg was known to be a rather desolate area. The so-called palace was nothing more than a shabby building.

"…Soyo?"

"Yes?"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! There's no way Father would say such a thing! Mother wouldn't either! How could you say such nonsense?!"

"Ah!"

Adèle, with a face like a demon, lunged at the civil servant. A knight standing behind her restrained her.

"Release my hand, you insolent one!"

"…"

The knight said nothing. He was fully armored, even wearing a helmet, which made him look rather eerie. Adèle, clenching her lips, shouted with her hair in disarray.

"Wait, this is ridiculous! Why should I…! That's it, call Jilvester, I'll have him explain it in detail!"

Usually, dealing with such complicated matters was the role of that effeminate man.

Even though he often scolded her, he always completed his official duties properly. He would surely explain this situation clearly.

As Adèle raised her voice, the civil servant frowned in confusion.

"Um…? Lord Jilvester hasn't been to the castle since then. I heard he has already left for Schönheit."

"Ha!? Why!?"

The civil servant, confused by her outburst, seemed genuinely perplexed. However, the princess appeared to be asking in all seriousness.

"If the problem is the cancellation of the engagement with Jilvester, then we can just call it off. That would solve the issue! If that's the case, Daniel will surely understand."

While holding onto the knight's arm, Adèle made this suggestion to the civil servant. It was clearly incoherent, but she didn't seem to realize it.

The root of the problem was the princess's behavior at that night's ball, yet she seemed completely unable to understand the situation, causing the civil servant to feel overwhelmed.

Despite being intimidated by her abnormal behavior, the civil servant managed to speak.

"That… is not possible. The engagement between Lord Jilvester and the princess has been officially canceled, and the engagement to the young lady of the Schönheit family has been formally accepted. This was done because the princess said it was a royal decree…"

Stammering, the civil servant gave a firm response. Of course, that royal decree was a lie.

The story about the prime minister being involved in the embezzlement at the finance bureau was also completely false and would have been easily discovered upon investigation.

The one who had embezzled was the finance minister, who had been present at the ball with a hideous smile. The gathering that night had been of the nobles from that faction.

"Let me see Father!"

"…His Majesty has said he will not see you. He has ordered you to depart immediately."

"What!?"

The king, who had doted on his daughter until now, had abruptly given up on her. It was strange. She had always been loved, yet no one was helping her.

The only person who came to mind for the cornered Adèle was the beloved merchant with the brown skin. They had made a promise to be together.

"That's right, how is Daniel?"

On the night of the ball, Daniel, who had chased after her, had smiled gently and said, "Let's meet again."

"That, I cannot say."

The civil servant touched the stem of his glasses and gave that as his only answer. This was the end of his duty for the day.

"Why… Why? Father… Mother, Daniel…"

"Excuse me."

The civil servant watched as the princess, who had been excited just moments ago, stumbled backward. Then, he and the others left the room.

After walking down the corridor with a clattering sound, they stopped at a fork in the road. To the left was the civil servant's office.

"Sir Knight, thank you very much. I still have work to do, so I'll leave here—"

"…"

The armored knight, making a clanking sound, bowed his head slightly. The civil servant, feeling a weight lifted from his shoulders, watched as the knight disappeared.

"…Just as the leader predicted, a perfect case of cutting off the tail to save the lizard. A fake royal decree, huh."

In the empty corridor, the knight, who had been silent until now, muttered.

"To go as far as to abuse Bianca and then so easily give up on the daughter he doted on… That old raccoon is seriously messed up. I won't forgive him, I'll definitely drag him down soon."

Through the gap in the helmet, sharp red eyes glared. The eyes, filled with thoughts of his beloved fiancée (provisional), burned with intense anger.

By the way, the (provisional) status was due to the vague conclusion of their conversation the other day.

(´・(エ)・｀)