Chapter 99

“His Highness the Crown Prince humiliated me in front of everyone. I don’t want this royal marriage! Father, you promised to break off the engagement!”

Meryl, overwhelmed, poured out her plea to Luman, begging him to annul the engagement.

“His Highness the Crown Prince said he feels deeply sorry for you and wishes to apologize. He also promised to treat you well moving forward.”

Meryl, with tears streaming down her face, pleaded with Luman.

“This is absurd! Father, please, I beg you, annul the engagement. Sob, sob.”

Meryl knelt on the floor, crying, but Luman remained firm.

“Meryl, you are to become the Crown Princess. From now on, you must diligently learn the royal palace etiquette.”

“Father, do you want me to marry and live unhappily?”

Luman gently comforted Meryl as he spoke.

“His Highness the Crown Prince promised to treat you well. He even expressed his desire to apologize for his actions. When he approached me with his head bowed, how could I grab the Crown Prince by the collar and demand an annulment?”

Meryl recalled what Thomas had said to her.

Her happy dream began to crack and shatter.

‘This is just a nightmare.’

To think she couldn’t be with Thomas! It was unthinkable.

“No.”

All she wanted was to stay by Thomas’s side!

“I will not accept His Highness the Crown Prince’s apology!”

Meryl shouted at Luman and stormed out.

Back in her room, Meryl wept uncontrollably. The maids, unsure of what to do, watched nervously.

“This is all because I coveted Meia’s position. What’s become of me? Sob, sob.”

“Young Lady, please calm down.”

“How can I calm down? I’m about to enter a royal marriage.”

Crash!

“Young Lady, why not return the position of fiancée?”

After throwing and breaking things in a fit of frustration, Meryl stopped crying at the words of her maid, Lara.

“Lara, say that again.”

“Young Lady, if you don’t want to proceed with the royal marriage, why not return the position of fiancée to Miss Meia? His Highness the Crown Prince doesn’t need love, only the power of the family. If Miss Meia becomes his fiancée again, wouldn’t that mean you wouldn’t have to marry him?”

Meryl opened her jewelry box from the dresser, took out a gem, and handed it to Lara.

“Take this. It’s a reward for your great idea.”

Lara’s face lit up with joy as she gazed at the large ruby.

“Thank you, Young Lady.”

Lara’s words had snapped Meryl out of her despair.

Why hadn’t I thought of this before?

Patzraelli didn’t love her. He only needed the power of her family.

This meant that if Meia were reinstated as his fiancée, Meryl wouldn’t need to marry him!

Of course, she would have to bow her head and plead with Meia, who would become the Crown Princess, but if it meant marrying Thomas, she was willing to do anything.

Though the Free Marriage Contract written by Meia and Luman lingered in her mind, Meryl dismissed it, thinking that breaking off the engagement would solve everything.

Meryl spoke to Lara.

“I’m going to the royal palace! Prepare everything.”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

Meryl rushed to the royal palace to meet Patzraelli. Normally, he wouldn’t have seen her without a prior appointment, but this time, he canceled all his plans to meet her and apologize.

“Lady Meryl, I deeply regret what happened last time.”

“I didn’t come here for an apology. I don’t want a loveless marriage.”

“If you won’t accept my apology, then why did you come to see me?”

Seeing Patzraelli’s irritated expression, Meryl became even more resolute.

‘I will never marry him!’

“I came to make a proposal.”

At Meryl’s unexpected words, Patzraelli showed interest.

“A proposal?”

“Yes.”

“Speak.”

“From what I understand, Your Highness, you are refusing to annul the engagement because you need the power of the Hatzbellua family.”

Patzraelli’s brow furrowed deeply, and a smirk played on one corner of his lips.

“You’re well-informed. That’s correct. I need the power of the Hatzbellua family.”

“In that case, marry Meia instead of me.”

At Meryl’s suggestion, Patzraelli fell silent before letting out a deep sigh he had been holding back.

“But Meia isn’t in the Carpen Empire. There’s no guarantee she would agree to be my fiancée again.”

“Meia will have to return to the Duke’s estate for her coming-of-age ceremony anyway. At that time, reinstate her as your fiancée. Even if she initially refuses, she’ll eventually relent and accept.”

“And what makes you so confident, Lady Meryl?”

“Because Meia has staked her entire life on becoming the Empress. As her cousin, I know her well. To her, becoming the Empress is everything.”

“But there’s still a chance she might reject me.”

Patzraelli, knowing Meryl was unaware of his visit to the Mage Tower to meet Meia, subtly expressed doubt.

“No, she won’t. If you apologize, plead, and beg, soft-hearted Meia will forgive you.”

“And if, by any chance, Meia doesn’t return to me, Lady Meryl, you’ll have to marry me.”

Meryl’s proposal wasn’t bad for Patzraelli. If he could reconcile with Meia, he would be delighted. If she rejected him, he could simply marry Meryl.

No matter how he looked at it, it was a win-win situation.

“Even if she refuses a few times, she’ll eventually have to accept her ‘destiny.’”

“Destiny, you say.”

It was a word he found quite appealing. Meia and he had been bound by destiny since childhood.

Although a crisis had once separated them, wasn’t it said that the ground becomes firmer after the rain?

Patzraelli pressed his lips tightly together and glanced at Meryl before bursting into loud laughter.

“This is the first time I’ve had such a meaningful conversation with you, Lady Meryl, haha.”

“Will you accept my proposal?”

Patzraelli, with a deeply satisfied smile, responded to Meryl.

“Very well.”

“Then let’s postpone the royal marriage until after Meia’s coming-of-age ceremony and only pretend to prepare for it.”

“But, Lady Meryl.”

“Yes?”

A sudden curiosity struck Patzraelli.

He couldn’t understand why Meryl, who had once followed him around so fervently, had turned away after a single mistake.

“Even if I sincerely apologize, do you truly not want to marry me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I want to marry a man who loves me madly.”

“Love doesn’t exist in noble marriages, does it?”

“That’s true. But one can still dream, can’t they?”

Patzraelli suppressed a laugh.

Love? While he had come to realize his love for Meia belatedly and was now trying to hold on to her, who would love Meryl?

The thought alone made him scoff, though he decided not to show it.

“Very well, Lady Meryl. I hope that dream of yours comes true.”

“Then we have a deal.”

“When Meia arrives at the Duke’s residence, I’ll send a letter right away. I’ll make sure you two can be alone.”

“You’re reliable, Lady Meryl.”

Meryl and Patzraelli exchanged smiles. They were satisfied, like beasts that had achieved their goals.

It was decided that Patzraelli and Meryl would proceed with the royal marriage. The exact date was to be announced after the coming-of-age ceremony.

As soon as the royal marriage was mentioned, the rumors about the scandalous love triangle involving Cesar, Patzraelli, and Meryl quickly quieted down.

The Emperor was also pleased with the subdued situation. Robert was relieved to see even the marriage date set. However—

“In the end, the marriage with the Kurundal family didn’t happen.”

Robert was quite upset. However, from the Kurundal family’s perspective, it was understandable.

Though an investment in the business of the Kurundal family had been planned, the Earl refused and severed ties with the Shantry family instead.

‘Well, perhaps this is for the best.’

Rumors had spread that Cesar was the Crown Prince’s mistress. The vicious gossip of high society had become a sharp dagger, deeply wounding Cesar’s heart.

Perhaps, for Cesar, it would be better to send her to a peaceful place for recovery rather than forcing her into a marriage.

In any case, the investments planned for the Kurundal family had fallen through, leaving time and money to spare.

This seemed like a good opportunity to take a long-overdue family trip.

***

Thomas cursed inwardly upon hearing the news of Meryl’s royal marriage.

Bang!

He gulped down liquor and threw the bottle, venting his frustration.

Thomas’s friend, Ferrell, who was nearby, sneered as he watched.

“The Hatzbellua Ducal family! Unless the Crown Prince has gone mad, he won’t break off the engagement, haha.”

“Ferrell, shut up.”

For a brief moment, Thomas indulged in the fantasy of becoming a Duke of Hatzbellua. Though that dream had now been shattered, it didn’t matter.

He had secured a financial lifeline as the lover of the future Crown Princess.

“So, what’s your plan now, Thomas?”

“I’ll get as much as I can out of this.”

He intended to claim full compensation for his “services” so far. Fortunately, the opportunity to do so was approaching quickly.

Meryl consulted him about Meia’s request to donate items for a charity auction, and naturally, he agreed to help.

After all, the naive Meryl wouldn’t know any better.

Even if the profit from sales reached a million gold, she was the type to believe him if he said it was only a hundred thousand gold.

<Thomas…>

Meryl hugged him, tears streaming down her face. Thomas felt disgusted.

The thought of not becoming a Duke of Hatzbellua filled him with resentment. Still, he couldn’t let it show.

<I’ll tell you later. For now, just hold me.>

Despite Meryl’s seductive words, Thomas felt no desire.

<I’d love to hold you tight, but my father has asked me to come home early today.>

<What?>

<I’m handling all the affairs of the Kurundal family. Last time, I came home late and was severely scolded. He asked what I’d been doing instead of taking care of the family business.>

Thomas sighed deeply, feigning a troubled expression, and Meryl looked at him with pity.