“Alex-sama”
“–Patricia.”
The two embracing would surely look like a pair of close lovers to anyone watching.
If only the one seeing them weren’t the man’s potential fiancée.
There stood Alex, looking flustered, and Mia, her eyes red as if she’d just been crying.
“Why is she here?”
“That is…”
“Does His Majesty the Emperor know about this?”
“…No, Father doesn’t know.”
Patricia stared at him silently, wondering if this meant he had something to feel guilty about.
To bring her, of all people, to the Emperor’s birthday celebration…
“I only planned to let her participate for a short while before sending her back. She’s waiting outside the hall now—”
“Do you truly think that’s all there is to this, Alex-sama?
Is it really forgivable just because it was only for a little while?
If Alex truly believes that, perhaps their ways of thinking are fundamentally incompatible.
Maybe Patricia and Alex will never see eye to eye again.
And yet, if there is even the slightest chance—a tiny hope—Patricia wanted to cling to it.
Patricia opened her mouth to speak, “Alex-sama, please think it through once more. If such a thing reaches His Majesty the Emperor’s ears…”
“I know, I know, but…”
“If you know, then why—”
“Please stop!”
Suddenly, Patricia was pushed from behind, and Mia stepped in between Alex and me.
Tears still welled up at the corners of her eyes as she glared at Patricia.
“It was I who asked Alex-sama to let me attend the party! If you must be angry, be angry at me!”
“That is not possible. Alex-sama was the one who brought you here, so the responsibility lies with him.”
No matter how much she might have begged, if Alex hadn’t agreed, she couldn’t possibly have attended the party.
Their positions are just too different—an ordinary servant and the Crown Prince, their responsibilities worlds apart.
That’s why Patricia holds Alex accountable, but it seems Mia doesn’t understand.
“Why is Patricia-sama always so cold to Alex-sama? Don’t you feel sorry for him? Because… because of that… I couldn’t leave Alex-sama alone…”
“Mia… that’s enough. I need to speak with Patricia alone for a while. Please, go back ahead.”
“But… I’m afraid Alex-sama might be hurt again…”
“Thank you. But I’ll be fine. Please, wait for me at the hall.”
“…Yes!”
What is Patricia being shown here?
Patricia found herself staring in disbelief at the way his hand, gentle as if handling something fragile, wiped away Mia’s tears.
Whenever she was with these two, she always ended up feeling this way.
She pressed her hand to her forehead in exasperation, but Alex took her by the arm and led her toward the edge of the garden.
“Patricia. I understand what you’re trying to say, but could you be a bit kinder to Mia? Just your kindness toward her would change how others see her.”
“Why should I? And what would be the point of changing how others see her? It’s not as if you intend to make her your concubine, is it?”
“…That is—”
Watching him hesitate and avert his gaze, Patricia realized he’d become aware of Mia’s feelings.
There’s no way Mia wouldn’t hope for more.
Especially now, with the undeniable fact that she is loved by the Crown Prince.
“Then, are you planning to?”
“No… I…”
“So you brought her to the party? To present her to everyone?”
“—”
Seeing his reaction, Patricia knew it, ‘What I just said must be true.’
Even if Mia is a slave now, if the Crown Prince declared her his concubine, that wouldn’t be easily overturned.
Words from royalty carry that much weight and responsibility.
And knowing that, he planned to use that very fact to his advantage.
He thought, ‘If I just make it a fact, it’s fine.’
“I had no choice. She was frightened by the threats from you and Clive. She was afraid I’d abandon her.”
“So you promised to make her a concubine? Even though you said you wouldn’t do that for me?”
“If you two hadn’t said anything unnecessary, she wouldn’t have voiced such things!”
“That’s not true… Even if we hadn’t said a word, she would have wished for it. Why can’t you understand that?”
Behind Patricia’s back, the two of them tried to move forward on their own.
If he’d declared he was taking a concubine at the Party Hall, what face would Patricia have worn to hear it?
Patricia wasn’t even the Crown Princess yet.
She’d waited years and years, and still, she hadn’t become one—there was a reason for that.
Alex should know this, so why…?
“I know! But I’m saying it’s your and Clive’s fault she started wishing for that!”
“Fault? Are you the one to speak of responsibility? Do you not see why things have come to this?”
“…You— talking to you makes me lose my mind. What’s wrong with being kind to people, what’s wrong with loving someone? You just don’t understand because you’ve never loved anyone!”
“—”
It was like a snap.
Like a stretched thread breaking.
Like piercing a taut sheet of paper.
With a sharp snap, something inside Patricia broke.
It was a strange sensation.
Patricia’s eyes were open, but for a moment her vision went completely dark, and after blinking a few times, things gradually came back into view.
Only a few seconds passed.
Yet, in that brief time, Patricia made a great decision.
“I understand. Then, Your Highness the Crown Prince, let us go.”
“What are you—hey!”
Patricia grabbed his hand and broke into a run.
‘I’ll never forget how I felt at this moment.’
How clear and bright it was.
Patricia’s heart was calm, and yet filled with joy.
There was no more fear, no more anxiety.
Patricia looked only ahead.
Running and running, she reached the Party Hall and released his hand, confirming from the corner of her eye that Mia was there.
People around looked at them with suspicion.
The Emperor, Empress, and her father—all wore faces of surprise as Patricia raised her voice and declared: “I, Patricia van Frentier, renounce my position as the Crown Prince’s fiancée. I will not become the Crown Princess—!”
End of Prologue.
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