I Just Wanted to Call Off the Arranged Marriage With the PrincessโSomeone I Could Never Possibly Be a Match ForโBut for Some Reason, She Took a Liking to Me and Is Now Closing in on Me
โSo, what were you talking about with the queen?โ
Sheโs really intense.
Iris has been like this ever since she got back to the mansion. I tried to escape to my room for a while, but she barged in and made herself at home, glaring at me the whole time from right next to me while I was reading, so I couldnโt take it anymore and went out to the dining room.
Of course, she followed me out and is giving me the evil eye, demanding, โTalk to me, you jerk.โ Why is this kid such a brat? Iโm sure sheโs received a proper education as a lady, but why is there absolutely no sign of it showing?
I couldnโt take it anymore and let out a sigh.
When I looked up, Irisโs sullen face came into view.
โIโm not telling you.โ
โThen why did the Queen oppose the engagement?โ
Thatโs what she really wants to know, isnโt it?
โTell me,โ she says, reaching out to scratch my knee. Itโs like a pet cat begging for attention. The impression and the reality arenโt all that far off. Thinking sheโs a troublesome little cat, I move my knee to brush her hand away because it tickles.
โIโm allowed to have at least one ally, right?โ
โI just canโt accept that itโs the Queen.โ
โWhy?โ
โโฆโฆWell, you were in favor of it at first.โ
She mutters it in a stiff voice.
Come to think of it, it wasnโt just His Majesty who was pushing for the marriageโthe Queen was too, wasnโt she? Since her mother did a complete about-face and switched sides, Iris must be surprised and unable to accept it.
I think sheโs just taking it out on me, suspecting I did something.
โTalk. Talk to me.โ
โNope.โ
โโฆWhat are you reading there?โ
โItโs a romance novel thatโs all the rage at the palace.โ
I wave the book I had just started reading up and down.
โThe Queen lent it to me.โ
โWhy are you getting along so well with someone elseโs mother?โ
โIโm not.โ
The plot is straightforward: a palace romance depicting the love between a fallen nobleโs daughter and a prince. The Queen laughed as she told me it was a pure love story, but a rival fiancรฉ has already appeared, and things are looking dicey.
Itโs going to get messy.
โShe asked me to tell her what I think of it later.โ
โDonโt get any closer to her.โ
โItโs not like that.โ
Thereโs no doubt sheโs taken a strange liking to me, though.
โAnyway, isnโt this convenient for Iris? Getting engagedโitโs not a bad thing to get along with her mother, right?โ
โI guess so.โ
Irisโs eyes narrowed.
She seems perpetually grumpy, but you can read the shifts in her emotions through those subtle changes. Itโs not exactly obvious, but sheโs probably the type who canโt hide her feelings very well.
โโฆWe donโt do that kind of thing.โ
โThat kind of thing?โ
โI meanโฆ like reading a book and sharing our thoughts on it, that sort of thing.โ
It seems keeping her conversations with the Queen a secret wasnโt the only source of her frustration. Sheโs clenching her hands so tightly theyโre trembling. Her flushed face isnโt from embarrassmentโitโs probably a sign of anger.
Oh, so sheโs just sulking.
I guess you could say she feels like her friend has been stolen from her. Her childish emotions were showing through, and I couldnโt help but laugh. When I did, Iris got even angrier and growled a silent threat.
โOkay, okay, my bad.โ
โShow some remorse.โ
โIโm sorry?โ
โโฆFine, Iโll forgive you.โ
Sheโs still acting all high and mighty, but for the sake of that cute face, Iโll spare her the sarcasm.
โWant to read it together?โ
โโฆโฆI donโt really get that. Wait, can we even read side by side?โ
โIf we try hard, we can manage it, right?โ
โThen, Iโll read.โ
So sheโs going to read it.
Iโm the one who suggested it, but I think reading a novel together is actually pretty difficult. I was expecting something more like me finishing first, then Iris reading it, and us sharing our thoughts afterward. Looks like I misread the flow.
Seeing Iris sit down with our chairs pushed together, I figure, โOh well.โ
โMove it closer to me.โ
โOkay.โ
I move the book to match Irisโs line of sight.
I figure it wouldnโt make sense to start in the middle, so I flip back to the first page. Maybe itโs hard to read after allโshe pushes her shoulder against mine, as if to nudge me closer. She tilts her head toward me, and her hair brushes against my cheek, tickling me.
โArenโt we too close?โ
โI canโt read if weโre farther apart.โ
Iโm not so sure about that.
But the text in the book is small, so maybe she really canโt read unless weโre practically pressed together. In that case, I guess thereโs no helping it. Thinking that, I lean my head toward Iris too.
Because thereโs no helping it.
ใใโใโใโ
โYou better not cause any trouble, you hear me?โ
Itโs been a busy day since morning, and on top of that, Father summoned me to his office and was already flying off the handle from the start. Iโm exhausted myself from all the preparations and whatnot. If I got yelled at for no reason, Iโd be angry too.
โUgh, you baldie.โ
โI told you, itโs my natural silver hair!โ
Oh, really? Thatโs interesting.
I casually shifted my gaze to the side, and Fatherโs face turned bright red. I braced myself, thinking he was about to explode, but suddenly, as if doused with cold water, he sank back deeply into his chair.
With an exhausted expression, he rested his head on his folded hands.
โโฆโฆyou are going to the academy with Her Royal Highness Princess Iris. Many noble sons and daughters attend there as well. Please, donโt cause any more trouble.โ
โIt wasnโt my fault, though.โ
โYouโre the one who broke off the engagement.โ
Thatโs true, but itโs because Father forced me into that arranged meeting in the first placeโand so on.
Weโve been having this same exchange ever since that day, just shifting the blame back and forthโitโs completely pointless. I had to leave the mansion soon, and I didnโt have time to waste on this.
โDo you have any idea what I went through staying at the castle? Every day, His Majesty made me drink with him, and I had to greet every noble in the castle. โAre they really engaged?โ I was asked over and overโdo you have any idea how hard it was for me to answer?โ
โWouldnโt it have been better to just say you turned him down?โ
โWith His Majesty smiling away like that?โ
He was there too?
I wish youโd told me that important information beforehand.
โJust when I thought I could finally come home, Lucian isnโt at the mansion. I asked my wife, and she said he went to the capital with Her Royal Highness to buy a mansion. โฆWait, whatโs going on? Seriously. Does he want to get engaged or not? Which is it?โ
โI donโt want to.โ
โThen thereโs no need for you to live together, is there?โ
โHis Majesty said that if Iโm not there, Her Royal Highness will have to live in the dorms.โ
โThatโs fine, the dorms.โ
โBut Her Royal Highness hates that.โ
โโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆGive me some stomach medicine.โ
It seemed he couldnโt bear just hearing the details.
I told the maid in the room to bring medicine to my father, who was clutching his stomach and slumped face-down on his desk. I couldnโt take any more of this conversation. Just as I was about to leave the room, he called out, โLucian.โ
When I turned around, he was pale, but smiling gently.
โCongratulations on starting school. The uniform suits you.โ
โโฆโฆThanks.โ
Just at the very end, he did something fatherly.
โSeriously, youโre so stubborn,โ I muttered, slamming the door shut behind me.