I stared at the document in front of me.

No matter how many times I reread it, the contents remained the same.

It was a marriage certificate.

“Um… this is…?”

Even though I knew it bordered on disrespect, I couldn’t stop myself from asking His Majesty.

“Your marriage certificate.”

The King answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Right.

Of course it is.

Otherwise, nobody would be asking me to sign it.

Even more shocking was the fact that Prince Laurel’s signature was already written on it.

Does this mean I’m supposed to marry Prince Laurel?

That’s impossible.

I looked at the name over and over again.

The handwriting was beautiful.

Very beautiful.

No, that’s not the issue here.

Why was Prince Laurel’s name on this document?

No matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn’t find an answer.

I glanced toward Prince Laurel.

His face was closer than I expected.

Apparently, he had been leaning over the document with me.

Well, I suppose he’d be curious.

It concerned his own marriage, after all.

“Hm?”

Noticing my gaze, Prince Laurel looked at me as if asking, “Is something wrong?”

If I didn’t ask now, I’d regret it.

Gathering my courage, I lowered my voice as much as possible.

“Your Highness, your signature is on this document.”

There were countless things I wanted to ask.

But this was the highest priority.

“Huh? Is there a problem?”

Still looking at the document, Prince Laurel tilted his head.

Too close.

His face is way too close.

My brain was barely functioning as it was.

At this distance, it was in danger of shutting down entirely.

I discreetly leaned back a little.

“There is a problem, isn’t there?”

“If I sign this, it means we’re getting married!”

I pointed it out desperately in a whisper.

“There’s no problem at all.”

Prince Laurel sounded genuinely puzzled.

…Where had the brilliant Prince Laurel I knew gone?

No matter how anyone looked at it, this was a massive problem.

A national-level problem.

Or was I the one who was too confused?

…No.

The one who was clearly confused was Prince Laurel.

I wished he would come back to his senses.

“Your Majesty, this is far too sudden.”

Father finally spoke from my left.

His presence was still practically nonexistent, though.

But thank you, Father!

That’s my father!

“And besides, I’m only the daughter of a lower-ranking noble family with no particular talents.”

“I am hardly suitable to be—”

I was trying to support Father’s argument when suddenly Prince Laurel took my right hand.

“Eh?”

The unexpected action made me gasp.

“There is no lady in this kingdom who surpasses Lady Melissa.”

He spoke directly to me from point-blank range.

I was speechless.

No.

That’s simply not true.

There are countless noble ladies more talented than I am.

Your Highness, please look around you!

“Lower-ranking noble…?”

“Pedanius, have you never told her about Lady Soleil?”

The King asked curiously.

Soleil was my mother’s name.

“It’s not as though we’ve hidden it.”

“Though now that I think about it, the topic never really comes up in our household.”

Father answered before glancing at me.

Huh?

What?

What about Mother?

“Lady Melissa, Lady Soleil was once a princess of the eastern Kingdom of Saffron.”

“What?”

A foolish sound escaped my mouth.

This was the first I’d heard of it.

My mother’s face appeared in my mind.

‘Oh my, my.’

Well, she certainly was beautiful.

A little detached from reality, perhaps.

But she was just Mother, wasn’t she?

Why would she be a princess from another kingdom?

“Many years ago, I took Pedanius with me on a diplomatic visit.”

“Princess Soleil fell in love with him at first sight.”

“Then she followed him here.”

The King explained with a wry smile.

That made even less sense.

This plain, worn-out middle-aged man?

Well, Father had probably been younger back then.

Still, I couldn’t imagine what part of him had inspired love at first sight.

A former princess?

Love at first sight?

Really?

…No.

Let’s not go there.

My parents had always been deeply in love.

A perfectly ordinary-looking father and an incredibly beautiful mother.

The pairing had always seemed strange.

I had vaguely assumed it was a political marriage.

But they looked so happy together that I had never bothered investigating further.

…That’s not what I should be focusing on right now.

The Queen gave an instruction.

A bouquet of blue roses was brought in.

“Lady Soleil sent these to me for my birthday last month.”

“Aren’t they lovely?”

I instinctively looked away.

Mother was friends with the Queen…?

“The jam and edible roses were created through magical cultivation by you as well, weren’t they, Lady Melissa?”

“Lady Soleil always writes such delighted letters about them.”

The Queen laughed like the tinkling of a bell.

…Information was leaking everywhere.

But was that really such a remarkable thing?

“You should decide for yourself.”

Father spoke quietly.

“…Shouldn’t my older sister come first?”

My sister was three years older than me and still unmarried.

Though she was engaged.

Isn’t there supposed to be an order to these things?

“Some matters are simply a matter of timing.”

Father replied with a sigh.

Fair enough.

I looked down at the marriage certificate once more.

None of this felt real.

Then suddenly, both of my hands were gently enclosed within another’s.

“Lady Melissa.”

Prince Laurel spoke quietly.

“I signed it of my own free will.”

His gaze was serious.

“I will make you happy.”

“I will never betray you.”

I couldn’t help holding my breath.

I could feel the determination behind his words.

The gazes of everyone around us weighed heavily upon me.

There was nowhere to run.

I took a deep breath.

“…Understood.”

That was all I could manage to say.

I slipped my hands free and picked up the pen.

With trembling fingers, I wrote my name.

…It’s done.

“Thank goodness.”

Prince Laurel murmured with visible relief.

When I looked up, I found him wearing a gentle smile.

“Now I won’t have to create a fait accompli by force.”

“I don’t want Lady Melissa to hate me.”

…The room froze.

It took me a moment to understand what he meant.

“Eh… um?”

The words slipped from my mouth.

“Your Highness… do you understand what you’re saying?”

I was genuinely starting to worry.

Maybe Prince Laurel really wasn’t in his right mind after all.

“…Prince Laurel, please do not force my daughter.”

Father spoke quietly.

“Of course.”

“I will prioritize Lady Melissa’s feelings above all else.”

Prince Laurel smiled gently as he looked at me.

The same calm expression he always wore.

‘…It really was a joke… right?’

The sense of unease I had felt earlier faded slightly.