Chapter 7
Kirif, the second prince of the Adanani Kingdom, paced around his room without even trying to hide his irritation.
Several years ago, he had always resented the engagement that his father had decided on his own.
However, now that it had been decided that his half-brother would become the crown prince, he had to consider his own position.
The daughter of the powerful Marquess Mertigal was certainly an ideal fiancĂŠe.
Moreover, the Marquess Mertigal was also the captain of the knight order.
Having a man who controlled the kingdomâs military as family would be advantageous for someone like him, who would eventually have to serve under the crown prince.
Even knowing that, he had disliked his plain and timid fiancĂŠe from the very beginning.
Hair as pale as an old womanâs and faint light blue eyes.
Because of her washed-out coloring, her face left almost no impression.
If she werenât the daughter of the Marquess Mertigal, she would be a woman with no value at all.
And yet, for some reason, she clung to him.
She probably didnât want to lose her position as a royal fiancĂŠe no matter what.
At the royal soirĂŠe, when Kirif attended with his loverâthe baronâs daughterâthat woman, always looking frightened, desperately clung to him.
“Lord Kirif is my fiancĂŠ. Please donât take him away!”
Being told that in front of a crowd irritated him, and he violently shook off her hand.
“I do not belong to someone like you. Do not get carried away.”
When he said that coldly, Chloe collapsed to the ground.
Seeing her crumpled form stirred a cruel sense of satisfaction within him.
This woman desired him to such an extent.
She might soon cling to his feet, crying and begging not to be abandoned.
If that happened, what should he say to her?
“I never thought you were that kind of woman. If you do not correct your attitude, then I will have no choice but to break off the engagement.”
Breaking off the engagement.
Those words should have been the most painful for her.
And yet, for some reason, she suddenly had a calm expression and was looking around.
She seemed like a completely different person from the woman who had been crying just moments ago.
(What is this?)
As he leaned in suspiciously, Chloe nodded with a bright smile.
“Yes, I understand.”
Not only her expression, but even her words were unbelievable.
And with that, Chloe turned and tried to leave without hesitation.
“Are you trying to defy me?!”
In a burst of anger, he shouted without thinking.
She was a quiet woman, whose only virtue was obedience.
If told the engagement would be broken, she should have cried and begged for him to take it back.
And yet, she accepted it so easily and tried to leave.
Hearing his shout, Chloe stopped.
She tilted her head, as if she truly could not understand his words.
“I am merely following Your Highnessâs words. If Your Highness wishes to dissolve the engagement, then I accept it.”
After saying only that, she turned on her heel and walked away.
“Wait! What do you mean by this?!”
He tried to shout for someone to stop her, but for some reason, his voice wouldnât come out.
(What? Whatâs happening?)
He tried desperately to speak, but only a hoarse breath escaped.
Not understanding what was happening, he felt like he was panicking and thrashing about.
When he came to, he was lying in his room in the royal palace.
He jumped up and sighed in relief when he confirmed that his voice had returned.
Thinking calmly, he realized that the sensation had been familiar.
(âŚCassandra?)
Cassandra, his half-sister and a princess of this kingdom, was a witch.
Unlike magicians who used spells, she was a terrifying existence who could make anything happen just by wishing for it.
Since long ago, whenever he angered her, he would lose his voice or be unable to move his legs.
This time as well, though he didnât know why, he might have angered her again.
Cassandra, who had never encountered a wish she couldnât fulfill, had a very selfish personality.
It was impossible to know what might trigger her anger.
(For a woman, sheâs truly infuriatingâŚ)
He thought that, but her power was overwhelming, and she only listened to their father, the king.
Still, he hadnât expected to lose his voice the moment he declared the engagement broken.
He sighed at the terrible timing.
Had Chloe run away after that?
Thinking about it, perhaps the reality of the broken engagement had been too much for her.
Maybe she panicked and fled because she didnât know what to do.
(It canât be helped. This time, if she apologizes, Iâll forgive her.)
That was what he had thought, and yet, after that, misfortune continued to pile up.
First, he was summoned by his father, the king, and scolded for trying to break an engagement that had been decided by royal command.
If he hated the engagement that much, he was told to marry his lover, the baronâs daughter, instead.
He hurriedly denied it.
Certainly, the baronâs daughter was beautiful, but her family held no power.
If he married such a woman, it was obvious he would suffer once his brother became king.
As a marriage partner, no matter how plain she was, Chloeâthe daughter of the Marquess Mertigalâwas far more suitable.
However, that same Marquess Mertigal was apparently dissatisfied with the public declaration of the broken engagement.
He seemed to have taken it not as an insult to Chloe personally, but as an insult to the Mertigal family.
As if in retaliation, he had been spreading rumors that it didnât matter which member of the royal family it was, as long as it wasnât the second prince.
That only irritated Kirif further.
When he tried to stop Chloe over what he thought was a minor misunderstanding, he lost his voice.
When he told his father that it must have been Cassandraâs doing, his sister became furious, denying it.
To make matters worse, her favorite royal guard knight had escaped, leaving her in an extremely foul mood.
So, saying she would grant his wish as stated, she sealed his voice again.
Even now, three days later, his voice had still not returned.
He must have angered her greatly.
But in this case, it was clearly not a baseless accusation from Kirif.
Only Cassandra could do something like this.
After all, she was the only witch in this kingdom.
Moreover, perhaps due to stress, it felt like he had been losing more hair than usual.
(Damn it. If only Chloe hadnât run away back thenâŚ)
Completely forgetting that he himself had initiated the breaking of the engagement, Kirif continued pacing around his room.
It didnât seem like his voice would return anytime soon.