Episode 1: The Beginning, From the Broken Engagement
“The first prince of the Kingdom of Leuville, Leor-Berg-Leuville, declares to Charlotte Mersenne—’As of this moment, I break off our engagement!'”
A situation where my brother confronted his fiancée about breaking off their engagement.
…Huh? What’s this? What’s happening?
It should be the beginning of a new semester at the Magic Academy’s social party. But for some reason, it has turned into a [Meeting to Break Off Engagements with the Duchess’s Daughter] right from the start. I don’t get it. It’s so confusing.
Everyone’s attention, including mine, gathered towards Charlotte—the Duchess’s daughter who was being confronted about the broken engagement.
She has long golden hair that shines like the sun and beautiful blue eyes that resemble the sparkling sea. Wrapped in the school uniform of the Magic Academy, she is a girl who exudes an elegant and strong-willed charm. Charlotte Mersenne, the daughter of the Duke Mersenne.
But now, even her beauty is showing signs of distress on her face.
“Do you understand the reason, Charlotte?”
“…No, I have no idea.”
“Hmph. How ridiculous… Did you think I wouldn’t know about all the cruel things you’ve done to Lucille?”
Beside my brother Leo, there was a girl who had a face that said, “Huh? I haven’t done anything wrong.” She was supposedly a commoner whom Leo was infatuated with. I can see why her adorable small animal-like charm would appeal to him.
“Cruelty…? What are you talking about?”
“Are you pretending not to know? Slandering, threatening, and even pushing her down the stairs!”
“What…?! N-No, you’re mistaken! I have never…”
There’s no way she would do such things. I have known Charlotte since we were children and we have interacted. After all, she is… the first prince’s fiancée.
I know enough about her, and even if she were the villain my brother claims she is… I can’t imagine that she would make a mistake that would provide evidence against her.
“Do you plan to play dumb? There are witnesses, you know?”
“Witnesses…!?”
Next to a woman named Lucille, there were two male students. Both of them were Leo’s classmates and also the sons of the Knight Commander and the Director of the Magic Technology Research Institute. Along with the first prince, their reputation is well-known. Charlotte’s situation doesn’t look good.
“Wait, Leo-sama, let me speak—”
“Silence! I didn’t ask for your opinion!”
Come on… Don’t you have any intention of having a proper conversation?
“Charlotte, this is my mercy as your former fiancé. Let’s give you the opportunity to apologize to Lucille here.”
“……Huh…!?”
Charlotte’s eyes trembled at the sudden request for an apology. I didn’t miss the fact that her blue eyes were slightly moist.
“An apology…? Is that what you want?”
“Yes. Apologize for your past wrongdoings towards Lucille and for your own actions.”
Due to the extremely one-sided way he spoke, Charlotte also remained silent. No, it’s more accurate to say she was desperately holding back. Maybe if she were to speak now, she would burst into tears.
“Could it be… Is it true?”
With Leo’s words as a trigger, the murmurs around us gradually grew louder.
“So, it’s true that Lady Charlotte was really oppressing commoners?”
“I thought it was just a rumor…”
“But if the first prince is openly pursuing this matter…”
“I believed that Charlotte-sama was a splendid fiancée.”
“You never know what kind of hidden side people have, huh?”
Before we knew it, no one was around Charlotte, and she was left all alone. The surrounding students only watched her from a distance. No one tried to help her. In fact, they had completely believed my brother’s words.
“I… I…”
Charlotte looked around and it seemed that she had realized that she had no allies. In their long association, her eyes were filled with a color of despair that she had never seen before.
“I…!” she clenched her fist, gritted her teeth, and even managed to hold back her tears.
“I cannot apologize for something I haven’t done,” she declared firmly. She looked straight ahead and expressed what she believed to be right.
“Are you sane? To reject the mercy we have given you…”
“It is up to Leo-sama to regain his sanity.”
“Wha…?”
“Right now, you are clearly unable to make rational judgments. If Leo-sama’s heart has strayed… it is my fault for not being able to grasp it. That itself doesn’t matter. If the First Prince wishes it, I will gladly step aside. However, there are formal procedures and protocols that need to be followed. Our engagement is not just a verbal agreement but a formal union between the royal and duke houses. It cannot be discarded without the permission of both families, let alone based on one person’s emotions.”
“I and Lucille are bound by true love! They will shatter such moldy and meaningless traditions for me!”
Oh… this is bad. It’s impossible to stop Leo-nii with words. And now, Charlotte has no allies in this situation. It’s not just about breaking off the engagement, it could be the worst for her.
“Now, here comes the problem.”
If there are no heroes who will come to save the girl who has been falsely accused, what will she do?
Charlotte-Mersenne was at a loss.
She had lived to become a good queen to support the king. She believed that with the appropriate effort and righteousness, she could earn trust. That’s why she had always looked ahead and focused on the future, believing that everyone would follow her.
And this is the result.
No one is willing to stand up for Charlotte. In fact, she is considered someone who could be subjected to slander, threats, and even more. (I… what I have done…)
It was all in vain. None of her actions were rewarded.
No one… had seen the girl named Charlotte-Mersenne.
This situation is proof of that. No one believes her, and she is being looked at as if she were a criminal.
There are no allies. No salvation. Only despair. An abyss that knows no bottom.
No heroes will appear here.
“Hahaha… ahahaha!”
Laughter, or rather, mocking laughter, pierced the air.
“Huh…?”
She turned around, and a boy approached, as if cutting through the crowd of people.
Jet-black hair. Eyes the color of the night. A boy who had a color that should not exist in the royal family.
The third prince of the Leuville Kingdom, Alfred Berg Leuville
“Alfred…!? Why are you laughing?”
“Well… you know? My brother has been moving according to my convenience, so I couldn’t help it.”
“What…!? What do you mean?”
“That’s why it’s about that girl, Lucille, over there.”
Alfred pointed his finger at the girl who was hiding behind Leo, trembling like a small animal.
“To be honest… I’ve always found her annoying.”
“Wha…!? You… you did something to Lucille!?”
“Well? What are you talking about? Humans are interesting, you know? If you just poke them a little, they’ll easily dance to my tune.”
Like a villain, or rather, from Charlotte’s perspective, someone she has been friends with since childhood, it seemed like he was exaggerating his villainous behavior. However, from Leo’s point of view, he seemed to appear as a notorious criminal who was being hunted down. He clenched his fist and displayed hostility.
“Alfred! Even though you are the third prince, I cannot let your recent statement go unheard!”
“What! Could it be that Alfred-sama…committed such atrocities against that girl named Lucille!?”
“No, it is possible. Alfred-sama is the only one in the royal family with black hair and black eyes…”
“If it’s that detestable child, then certainly…”
“Not only that, but did he also try to trap Charlotte-sama?”
“It is possible. Rather, it seems more realistic than Charlotte-sama trapping a commoner.”
“The atmosphere in the room clearly changed.”
Just a moment ago, Charlotte was the perpetrator who bullied the commoners.
But now, mysteriously, she has become the victim who has been trapped by the wicked third prince.
As if by magic, the air in the room completely transformed.
All because of the appearance of a single villain.
(Alfred…did he trap Lucille?)
That cannot be true. I immediately dismiss the question that arose in my mind.
I know him. He is the younger brother of my fiancée. We have had many opportunities to meet and exchange words.
My guess is that he is deliberately playing the role of a villain.
Why? It’s obvious. To save Charlotte.
If there is no hero to save the trapped girl, he decided to act as the villain himself—to save Charlotte.
“Kuh…Alfred! Even though you are my younger brother, I cannot forgive you! Doing such terrible things to Lucille!”
“Oh, come on, dear brother. Do you have any evidence that it was me? You don’t, do you?”
“How dare you! With your skills, you could easily cover up such things!”
Certainly, he could do it, but there should not have been any evidence to cover up in the first place.
After all, neither Charlotte nor Alfred did such things.
There should not have been anything to erase in the first place.
“So, what will you do? Will you tie me up as a criminal?”
“If that’s what you want, I’ll do it.”
“Hah. How amusing…give it a try.”
“The detestable child…it seems like I need to teach you a lesson—guards! Capture him!”
From that point on, it was no longer a social gathering.
The guards, who were bewildered but still attempted to capture the third prince, and the third prince who elegantly evaded their pursuit, turned the party into a chase. Everything in that place became chaotic and unresolved.
However, one thing is certain—Charlotte, an innocent girl, was saved by the hands of a single villain.
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Thx for taking this novel!
ty for the chap
Although I’m still confused of the name.. Is it Leo, Leor, or Leol???
Some minor edits here: “Ore and Lucille -> I/Me* and Lucille (Doesn’t make sense to add the Ore there since you’re translating it in English.
Thanks for the comment, turns out I posted the first draft of the translation, It’s fixed now. 1st prince name can be Leor or Leol since there’s no official romanization, because of that I cheated and use Leo when the story doesn’t use his full name
Thanks for translating this series.
A minor typo
>/“/Like a villain, or rather, from Charlotte’s perspective, someone she has been friends with since childhood, it seemed like he was exaggerating his villainous behavior. However, from Leo’s point of view, he seemed to appear as a notorious criminal who was being hunted down. He clenched his fist and displayed hostility./”/
Unnecessary, since it’s part of the narrative, and not spoken.
fixed, thanks