The Prince Is Dead, So Let’s Start Over Everything Again! - Chapter 1.8

This was a question that had been on my mind since I first received the engagement proposal, no, since I first read “That Northern Grand Duke and the Baron’s Daughter Do Not Love Each Other.”

To my question, filled with strange expectation and tension, the 3rd Prince hesitated for a while before answering.

“…Be-because Miss Lu-Lulupel’s reputation has spread even to the capital…”

“Please don’t lie.”

He’s really bad at lying.

The 3rd Prince’s small hands trembled.

Anyone, not just a genius like me, could tell that he was saying something he didn’t mean.

The 3rd Prince was a very easy-to-read boy. Of course, considering his age of eight, it was understandable.

But considering his position as a prince, it was somewhat unnatural.

There were many peculiar aspects about him.

Is he supposed to be some kind of sub-male lead?

Maybe he has various minor settings that I don’t know about.

“Whatever the reason is, I won’t blame you, so please speak honestly.”

“Honestly…”

“Yes, honestly. How can we get engaged without trust between us?”

The 3rd Prince moved his lips for a while before answering slowly.

“…Because only Miss Lulupel won’t love me.”

Huh, isn’t this plagiarism?

I think the Baron’s daughter said something similar…

Are these recycling lines?

“Is that phrase perhaps a popular saying?”

“…Pardon?”

I had such an absurd thought that maybe such lines were trending in this country.

The inner thoughts the 3rd Prince revealed were so preposterous.

Of course, I already knew that the 3rd Prince didn’t have much to gain from a marriage alliance with Lulupel.

Although the Lulupel were a great noble family, their territory was located in the borderlands, so they didn’t wield much power within the empire.

Among the influential noble families, all Lulupel could boast about was their legitimacy.

Not a single Count of Lulupel in history had been born out of wedlock or as a second son. This was Lulupel’s greatest pride.

So the Count and Countess Lulupel thought that the 3rd Prince wanted to engage with Hariella to remove the label of being born to a lowly mother.

In short, it was a mutually beneficial deal where the 3rd Prince would give Lulupel the honor of being related to the imperial family, and Lulupel would give the 3rd Prince the honor of legitimacy.

Of course, knowing that this world was from a third-rate romance novel, I didn’t think the 3rd Prince’s intentions were that calculated.

But I hadn’t expected an answer like this either.

“Why do you think there’s no way I would love Your Highness?”

After all, we could end up liking each other, right?

They say you can never predict what will happen in life.

Especially when it comes to emotions. Emotions aren’t something you can control at will.

It wasn’t common to make such definitive judgments about someone else’s feelings you’ve never even met before.

Unless you knew the contents of the novel like I did, but the 3rd Prince was just a mere character, so that couldn’t be the case.

“Miss Lulupel, Cal…”

The 3rd Prince, who was about to mention that Cal-something name again, startled with a ‘hap!’

He slapped his lips with his small hands.

“Ah…”

It seems he still can’t let go of the theory about Hariella’s unrequited love for Young Duke Cal-give-me-money-to-buy-a-knife.

It looked like I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, wondering why the 3rd Prince had such a misunderstanding.

Perhaps it was just me who didn’t know, and rumors about Hariella being in love with the young duke something had spread widely throughout the empire.

Come to think of it, it was like that in the original work too.

Hariella couldn’t bear the fact that another woman had approached the Northern Grand Duke she had set her sights on.

Given the circumstances, it seemed clear that there was already some kind of history between Hariella and the future Northern Grand Duke.

Since the 3rd Prince doesn’t seem to have any intention of answering, I’ll have to ask Anna later.

“Well, that’s enough for the reason. …Then may I ask one last question?”

“Of course. Ask me anything.”

“Why does Your Highness want to get engaged to someone who won’t love you?”

“That’s…”

It was a question I asked without much thought while forming hypotheses about Hariella and the young duke’s relationship.

However, unexpectedly, the 3rd Prince’s expression became very lonely as his words trailed off.

A deep sadness spread across his face that had been just childishly pale until now.

“…Because I don’t want anyone else to become unhappy because of me.”

The 3rd Prince looked like he was about to cry. But he never let a tear fall.

He looked more pitiful now, trying not to cry than if he had been sobbing quietly.

It was to the point where I didn’t dare to offer words of comfort easily.

The 3rd Prince kept his head down and said nothing.

Although I knew the general content of the novel, I didn’t know the 3rd Prince’s detailed circumstances, so I awkwardly rolled my eyes, not knowing what to say.

Once again, silence fell too easily between him and me.

As the cool evening breeze started to get chilly, I could see flickering lights leaving the banquet hall one by one.

“Ah! It seems the banquet is coming to an end.”

I deliberately spoke in a bright voice to draw attention away.

I could imagine Sir Peter frantically searching for me, circling around the banquet hall.

Of course, he probably knows that I left the hall with the 3rd Prince.

But it wouldn’t be polite to return too late either.

“We should head back soon. Your Highness’s attendants must be looking for you too.”

The 3rd Prince’s entourage was very small. Was it ten knights and three attendants?

It might be an appropriate number for serving a noble’s heir, but it seemed insufficient for a royal.

The more I learned, the more questions I had.

“Shall we go back then?”

I stood up from the bench first and dusted off my dress. Then I extended my hand to the 3rd Prince.

This time too, he hesitated without taking my offered hand.

“Um, about the engagement…”

“Ah, the engagement? I’ll talk to my parents about that tomorrow.”

“…To Count Lulupel?”

“Yes. I’ll speak to them very positively about it.”

During my conversation with the 3rd Prince, I had also made up my mind to some extent.

He didn’t seem to have any intention of harming me, nor did he appear to harbor any resentment towards me, and he already seemed to know a lot about me.

He even seemed to be hiding some kind of secret.

I became convinced that my guess that the 3rd Prince might be the cause of this inexplicable regression was close to the truth.

It was time to be brave.

“…Is this enough?”

“Pardon?”

“Is there nothing else you want to ask?”

“Hmm, like what?”

However, the 3rd Prince seemed completely clueless about the basis of my decision.

He tilted his head with a puzzled expression.

“…I thought Miss Lulupel would ask something different. For example…”

The 3rd Prince fumbled as he put his hand inside his jacket.

Soon, he held out a crumpled piece of paper to me.

“Things like what benefits this engagement would bring to Miss Lulupel.”

I immediately took the paper he handed me. The first line read:

1. If Saphirus Aiden Detemir maintains the engagement with Hariella Liberati Lulupel until the day he comes of age, Saphirus Aiden Detemir will transfer ownership of Port Delique to Hariella Liberati Lulupel.

“No way, this is…!”

It’s a contract!