Side Story 10

Meia makes mistakes but does not commit wrongdoings. Even if someone dislikes her, she does not reveal hostility directly or indirectly. She tends to let things slide. She is a compassionate person.  

However, if someone shows hostility toward her, she does everything in her power to bring them down. Of course, even this side of Meia appeared charming to Theodore.

“Don’t get too angry.”  

“I’m so furious; I’m contemplating how to kill.”  

“There’s no need to go so far as to kill the Grand Duchess!”  

“Lady Benstein, why do you think I would kill the Grand Duchess?”  

Theodore looked at Bangara with a bewildered expression. If she thought her schemes had worked on him, how high must Bangara’s confidence have been?  

“What? Aren’t you angry at the Grand Duchess because of what I said?”  

“No matter what my Grand Duchess does, it’s fine. Even if she bullies you right in front of me, breaks your leg and cripples you, or t*rtures you to death, I would still tell her she did well.”  

“W-what did you just say?”  

“Do you not understand what I mean, Lady Benstein?”  

“Are you saying you would condone the Grand Duchess bullying me alongside Lady Annibella for no reason?”  

“I’m not condoning it.”  

Theodore raised one corner of his mouth as he looked at Bangara.  

“I simply believe that everything my Grand Duchess does is justified. Even if she were to stab a knife into my heart, my feelings wouldn’t change.”  

Bangara was at a loss for words after hearing Theodore’s declaration.  

“And one more thing: if, by any chance, my Grand Duchess were to return to her former fiancé, Emperor Patzraelli, as you claim, I would do my utmost to kill every single person in the Carpen Empire.”  

Theodore slowly approached Bangara with a cold expression, nodding slightly. Although he knew everything Bangara said was a lie, just imagining Meia going back to her former fiancé filled him with suffocating jealousy and rage.  

“Let me make something clear since you seem unaware. Thanks to her becoming the Grand Duchess of Florence, many people in the Carpen Empire are alive today. Their lives are owed to her, Lady Bangara Benstein.”  

Bangara felt fear at Theodore’s words. She had thought of him as merely a cold man, but his fanatical obsession with Meia sent chills down her spine.  

Thinking she could seduce him as easily as Nibert had been sheer arrogance. Theodore was far more genuinely and madly devoted to Meia than she had anticipated.  

“Allow me to give you some advice.”  

Bangara looked up at Theodore. Her heart sank with a loud thud at his icy, expressionless face.  

“If you spread the words you just shared with me to others and, as a result, displeases my Grand Duchess, Lady Bangara…”  

Theodore’s cold face slowly regained a smile as he raised the corners of his lips.  

“I will eliminate anything that upsets my Grand Duchess, no matter what. Do you understand what I mean?”  

Bangara nodded, trembling.  

Theodore dropped his cold expression, turned the handle of the drawing room door, and stepped outside. The sound of the door closing echoed, and Bangara collapsed into her seat.  

“I can’t seduce him. I’ll have to settle for being the Empress of the Gradi Kingdom.”  

***

Klaritas politely asked Nibert to escort Annibella to her graduation ball. If Nibert didn’t escort Annibella that day, she would be deeply hurt, and people would point fingers, saying her fiancé had abandoned her. Anxiety overwhelmed Klaritas, and he sighed in frustration.  

But in the end, Nibert refused. Klaritas was devastated. The Emperor laughed it off, saying, ‘Surely he wouldn’t actually do that.’  

Lately, Klaritas’s thoughts had grown increasingly complicated. This was because Avennos had begun sending numerous dresses and jewels to Marquis Zenovil’s estate under Annibella’s name.  

<Prince Avennos has requested to escort me. I’ve accepted.>  

Klaritas couldn’t remain idle. He arranged a quiet meeting with Avennos.  

“Prince Avennos.”  

“Yes, Marquis Zenovil.”  

Klaritas dismissed everyone from the room.  

“I heard you’ve requested to escort my daughter.”  

“Yes.”  

“What is your purpose?”  

“My purpose?”  

“Yes. If you escort my daughter to the graduation ball… rumors will spread.”  

Klaritas glared coldly at Avennos as he spoke.  

“What sort of rumors?”  

“That the second prince, born of a concubine, is aiming for the Crown Prince’s position.”  

The Gradi Kingdom had four princes. Among them, Nibert was the legitimate heir, born of the Emperor and Empress. However, the other three princes were born of concubines.  

“I have no desire for the throne.”  

“Then why would you request to escort my daughter, knowing such rumors would arise?”  

Avennos remained silent, deep in thought, and let out a long sigh.  

“I’ve loved her. Since we were young… If my brother had taken proper care of Annibella and not sought out other women to escort, I wouldn’t have had to make this request. If she were happy, I could suppress my feelings. But my brother plans to escort another woman, leaving his fiancée behind.”  

“Did you request to escort her out of pity?”  

“No.”  

Klaritas wasn’t oblivious to Avennos’s feelings.  

“If the Crown Prince wishes to break off the engagement with my daughter, I’ll arrange for her to be betrothed to you. And if you desire the throne, I can make that happen.”  

Klaritas spoke to Avennos, who had long harbored feelings for Annibella.  

“I don’t want the throne. If the engagement is broken, being betrothed to her will suffice.”  

“But my daughter has worked hard and studied diligently to become an Empress.”  

“I’m aware of her efforts to become an Empress. But don’t you think those efforts could be redirected to benefit your family rather than the imperial palace, Marquis Zenovil?”  

“I want my daughter to sit in the highest, most honorable position in the Gradi Kingdom.”  

“If it were me, I’d prioritize her happiness over prestige, ensuring she lives a life filled with smiles.”  

“If you truly love my daughter, you should aim for the Crown Prince’s position!”  

Klaritas raised his voice, veins bulging in his neck. After a brief silence, Avennos finally spoke.  

“Even if I were to be engaged to Lady Annibella… I will not seek the position of Crown Prince.”  

“My daughter is…”

“If I were to get engaged… I am considering entering the your family as a son-in-law, Marquis Zenovil.”

Klaritas froze, mouth agape, at Avennos’s shocking, high-level statement. He then fully grasped the meaning behind Avennos’s words: ‘Instead of dedicating all of Annibella’s cultivated talents to the imperial palace, they should be used for the Zenovil family.’

“On the day of the graduation banquet… my elder brother will announce the annulment of his engagement to Lady Annibella.”

“Don’t joke about such things! In the presence of state guests… no matter how thoughtless one might be… declaring an annulment is…”

“If Lady Annibella and Crown Prince Nibert annul their engagement, will you accept me as a son-in-law?”

Klaritas pressed his lips together tightly at Avennos’s earnest gaze.

***

The evening of the graduation banquet had arrived.

Despite others’ protests, Nibert stubbornly escorted Bangara to the banquet. Meanwhile, Avennos escorted Annibella. The crowd began murmuring loudly.

“Avennos, why are you escorting her?”

“Brother, what are you doing, leaving your fiancée to escort someone else?”

Avennos, overwhelmed by a surge of emotions he had never felt before, nearly shouted at Nibert.

“That’s right. I’m going to break off my engagement with Lady Annibella anyway.” 

Nibert said, staring at Annibella, who stood beside Avennos.

“Brother, that’s too much of a joke.”

“It’s no joke.”

“Brother!”

Unable to hold back, Avennos finally shouted. The crowd’s attention turned to them.

“Are you raising your voice at me, the Crown Prince?”

“Escorting another woman while having a fiancée—is that acceptable? Why do you act without thinking about the consequences of your actions?”

Even in front of the crowd, Avennos couldn’t suppress his thoughts any longer and spoke his mind.

“Bangara.”

“Yes… Your Highness?”

“You once asked me how much I love you, didn’t you?”

“Yes…”

“Today, I’ll show you how much I love you. So, trust me and follow me.”

Nibert grabbed Bangara’s wrist and led her away. The crowd watched them with interest.

“Everyone, may I have your attention!”

At Nibert’s words, the music in the banquet hall stopped, and all eyes turned to him.

“I, Nibert Rivella Gradi, hereby declare the annulment of my engagement to Lady Annibella of the Marquis Zenovil family!”

Meia and Theodore witnessed the shocking scene unfold before their eyes. They had speculated, but they never thought they would see someone so foolish as to publicly declare an annulment in the presence of state guests.

“Mei, he actually… declared the annulment in front of everyone.”

Before attending the graduation banquet, Klaritas had confided in Meia and Theodore about his conversation with Avennos.

<If such a thing were to happen… I want to apologize in advance.>

<Why would that be something to apologize for? An annulment… it’s a cause for celebration. Honestly, hearing that Prince Avennos is escorting Lady Annibella was a relief.>

“Indeed. I’ve heard he’s a fool, but there are limits to stupidity…”

Meia and Theodore looked at Nibert, who had just declared the annulment of engagement, with utter disdain. Publicly, and unilaterally, announcing the end of his engagement to his fiancée…It was just too foolish.