I Just Wanted to Call Off the Arranged Marriage With the Princess—Someone I Could Never Possibly Be a Match For—But for Some Reason, She Took a Liking to Me and Is Now Closing in on Me
“Acting on impulse wasn’t a good idea. If I’m going to do something, I need to think it through properly.”
It’s fine to agree with something, but acting on a sudden burst of passion is no good.
It was okay this time because it was my father, but if it had been His Majesty, I would have died on a whim. And I don’t mean that figuratively—my head would have been chopped off. It really isn’t good.
“Ah… I should’ve stayed calmer.”
It’s embarrassing—I acted like a child throwing a tantrum.
I pound the bed with a thud. It’s just impulsive venting, but please forgive me just this once.
“It’s not like Father did anything wrong…”
I stop dead in my tracks.
“No, he’s totally in the wrong.”
I think he deserves to be punched.
I mean, if you think about it normally, I could understand if my two older brothers couldn’t become the heir. Like, if they died in an accident, or if their lower halves had a split personality and messed up.
If that were the case, I’d nod along, thinking, “Well, I guess it can’t be helped—that’s just how things go,” and then calmly consider who to pass the title on to.
But without any of that process, just because I’ve become a potential fiancé for the princess? Even if they told me I might become the heir, my immediate reaction would be, “What the hell is this guy talking about? It’s obviously going to be him.”
“Did you skip school?”
“……I don’t want to hear that from you, Mom.”
“It’s Mama”
“Yay” Iris barged into the room with a deadpan, monotone voice.
“I always tell you to knock, don’t I?”
“Well you are a boy, after all.”
“Where are you looking?”
Could you please not talk to my lower body?
Before worrying about being a princess or a lady, I wish she’d show some modesty as a girl. Even as a joke, that’s just too low.
But… right now, this kind of banter is a relief.
Even if it doesn’t mean anything, it makes me feel better. It’s important not to dwell on things forever and to just move on. Even though I was the one who held onto it.
“I never thought Lucian would actually hit him.”
“Ugh…”
A sharp dagger pierced deep into my heart.
“…Do you get a kick out of picking at the wounds of someone who hasn’t fully healed yet?”
“Sorry, Lucian—but it’s a ton of fun.”
What a great smile. Is he a demon?
Iris sat down on the bed where I was sleeping and looked down at me with a face where every corner of her eyes was smiling. She didn’t say a word, just stared intently.
The atmosphere of “So?” was unbearable.
“If someone told you they were just keeping you around, but then suddenly started rubbing up against you saying you’re the one they really want, wouldn’t that piss you off?”
“Yeah.”
It was an understanding “yeah.”
Not even a whole sentence—just a single word.
For some reason, it made me happy, and my face flushed. So I turned my face down and hid it under the bed.
“Alright.”
With Iris’s call, the bed creaked.
When I slowly lifted my face, Iris was standing. On her face, which usually wore a sour expression, there was a smile that felt almost refreshing.
As I stared at that unfamiliar smile,
“…Let’s go buy a ring.”
She blurted that out out of the blue.
◆ ◆ ◆
There are jewelry stores for the nobility in the capital.
“Which one do you like?”
“Well, if you ask me which one…”
Even though I knew the store existed, I’d never actually been there. When shown the samples lined up in the window and asked with a faint smile, “So, which one?” I could only say I had no idea.
I just don’t know the difference between good and bad jewelry.
I’m not really that interested, so I just gaze at the rings on display. Some have gemstones, others are just plain bands. His Majesty’s didn’t have any gemstones—I wonder why. I’d think gemstones would be a must for nobles, though.
“…Actually, why am I here to buy a ring?”
“You promised you’d buy one.”
“I did, but…”
It’s too sudden. Why all of a sudden?
I mean, I’m really not into engagement rings. We’re not even engaged, and honestly, I don’t even want to get engaged in the first place.
Engagement… I really don’t want that.
My heart feels heavy.
But a promise is a promise. It’s my fault for letting her talk me into it, so if Iris wants to buy one, I guess I have no choice. Though I do think she should’ve picked a better time.
“Can we just buy this one as is?”
“You can. But this is just a sample; usually, you’d have to place an order.”
“Huh.”
I didn’t know that.
I’d noticed it was right next to the workshop, but so that’s how it was. In our territory, there aren’t any shops for nobles, so when I want something, I just ask a merchant I know.
I’m impressed that places like this exist in the capital.
“Anyway, did we really need to come buy this today? We’re on break from school, you know.”
“Mushrooms were starting to grow in the room.”
“……Sorry for being such a gloomy, damp-moldy guy.”
“Tonight’s a mushroom party.”
I don’t want to eat those mushrooms—they look depressing enough as it is.
But, wait, is that it?
Is Iris trying to cheer me up in her own way?
“……Well, thanks.”
“Huh? I’m not paying, so money.”
She gave me a cold look that said, “What are you talking about?” But “What are you talking about?” is actually directed at me. There’s no room for sentimentality here. I want her to return my gratitude—with interest.
It all started to feel ridiculous, so I decided to make a quick decision and looked at the rings lined up on the shelf.
Which one should I get?
I picked one up. A simple silver band.
“That one?”
“Nope.”
Since it didn’t stir any particular feelings in me, I put it back where it belonged.
“I just don’t know what I’m looking for.”
“I figured as much.”
Iris chuckled softly.
Sorry I’m a guy who’s out of touch with trends.
“Why don’t you just pick one yourself, Iris?”
“A guy’s supposed to pick something like this, right?”
“I hate that whole ‘because you’re a guy’ or ‘because you’re a girl’ stuff.”
“I hate it too.”
Iris’s lips curve into a smile.
“Girls are sneaky.”
A small sigh escapes me at that claim.
A smile appropriate for her age on a profile that looks like a work of art. It really is sneaky. It’s like magic that leaves me speechless.
“We’re not really engaged, right?”
Even so, when I stubbornly put up a fight, Iris simply nodded and said, “Right.”
“At first, I just thought it would be convenient. We seemed to get along, and Lucian was fair, so I figured, ‘Why not?’”
“Don’t decide my future based on a ‘why not’.”
Because of that, I’ve been through quite a bit.
Iris looked at me and opened a tiny gap between her thumb and index finger, as if pinching something.
“I do feel a little bad about it.”
“Could a sheet of parchment fit in that gap?”
“I don’t know.”
I don’t know my ass. You should feel bad enough that it’d fit in there with room to spare.
She really is a spoiled princess.
Just as I was sighing in exasperation, Iris added, “But…”
“It’s not like I didn’t have a reason.”
A reason?
Even when I asked her that, she didn’t answer. Instead, Iris called over a shop clerk and bought the ring.
So, you’re just going to decide for yourself after all? I really don’t understand women.