"By your father's command, I accept you as my spouse. But that is the extent of my tolerance. I will not allow you to touch me. I will not allow you to touch me, even if it's just a finger.


　The third princess, who met for the first time in the magnificent imperial palace of the Ad Astera Empire, told the crown prince at the opening.

　Then she smiled coolly and continued on.


''Eventually, I will adopt my father's or brother's son as my son. Let that child be your heir and I will be your guardian and run the country. Keep in mind that you will be the queen's husband, not the king.


　The princess, with her dazzling beauty, talks about her future plans in a pleasant voice. However, it was only the sound of her voice that was pleasant, and her content could only be described as harsh.

　It was not a consultation that the princess was talking about. Nor was it a request. It wasn't even a bargain to keep her husband-to-be in check from now on.

　There was only a clerical glide to announce that a decision had already been made.


''If you are dissatisfied with your bedchamber, bring another woman with you. There is no need to worry. I have no objection to whoever or however many women you choose to marry. I heard that some of you broke off your engagement to be married to me. It would be good to welcome that person.'


　With that, the Third Princess stood up. Her hesitant demeanor told her unspoken that all that needed to be said had been said.

　The Dauphin couldn't say a single word as he stood up, turned away, and watched his marriage partner disappear through the door. In fact, the Dauphin hadn't spoken a word since he had taken his seat.

　This was the first meeting between Azar, the Crown Prince of the Canary Kingdom, and Sakuya, the third princess of the Ad Astera Empire.




　After that, Azar was soon on his way back to the Canary Kingdom, and naturally, he exploded with frustration in his carriage.

　To Azar, who was spouting off that he hadn't heard of this kind of thing and that it was not what he was talking about, his attendant, the Marquis of Colchia, responded with a serious face.

　--The princess is just anxious about leaving the country, and that only affects her words and actions. It would also mean testing the man who would be her husband. If she is tolerant and open-minded, she will eventually soften her attitude. If she argued with him emotionally, she would lose the heart of the prince in that amount of time. If the princess complained to the emperor that she was being mistreated, the relationship between the two countries would deteriorate and, in the worst case, it could even lead to her being sent off to war. In order to avoid such a situation, it is important not to blink an eye at the words and actions of the princess.

　It's a very good idea to have a good time with your friends.

　I'm not going to be able to get the same thing done. The only person above him is his father, King Canary. For such an Azar, the fact that he had to take the princess who looked down on him as his wife and still have to curry favor with her was too heavy. And that was not just for a short time. It was not just for a short time, but for many years to come.

　Her depression continued even after she returned to her home country, and she even appealed to her father to reconsider the marriage ceremony, but this time around she could not take that kind of selfishness, and she was only rebuked by her father.

　Azar is even more frustrated.

　It was at that time that Claudia Dragnaut came to the royal palace.

　Claudia, who hadn't seen him in a long time - a year in fact - had become so beautiful that Azar couldn't help but gasp.

　It's a beautiful girl who was originally healthy and full of vigor, but now she has added a feminine ladylike charm to it, making her attractive as a girl. There is no sign of a curse or illness anywhere.

　When Azar saw this, the image of the third princess came back to her mind.

　Compared to that haughty princess, Claudia was much more desirable. When she had been his fiancée, Azar had resented Claudia's superiority over him in the literary and military arts, but Claudia had always stood up for him a step or two ahead of her.

　Even that was a source of displeasure to Azar at the time, but not now.

　Claudia would be able to set herself up as a husband even after she became a wife. She would not disrespect herself by following the imperial princess of the empire. On the contrary, she might even rebuke the prideful attitude of the princess for her own sake.

　Azar broke off the engagement because Claudia was under a curse. Now that the curse has been lifted, there should be no obstacle to re-engaging in the engagement. Besides, being cursed in aristocratic society is an ugly story. A second engagement would surely dispel this scandal in an instant. The title of dauphine is such an honor.

　The idea of making Claudia his second wife was a favor in Azar's own way.

　Azar had no doubt that this favor would be accepted. In the past, Claudia had been devoted to Azar with a mean-spirited devotion. That was the depth of her love for him, and it should not fade even now. When Claudia heard Azar's offer, she was sure to shed tears of excitement that her feelings had finally been understood - that's how she thought about it.



　When Azar told him this, father-king Thorvald raised his eyebrows slightly.

　As expected, the father-king is not as carefree as his son. He understood the anger of the dukes at the breakup of the engagement, and he also sensed the distrust of Lord Dragnaut and Astrid for deciding to marry the empire that had cursed Claudia. Naturally, it would be the same for Claudia herself.

　The displeasure of the dukes would not be assuaged by a royal offer of marriage now. It's even more so if the marriage is downgraded from the first wife to the second wife, which could lead to further disagreements with the dukes.

　However, if the problem is left unchecked, the result will not be much different. The gulf between the monarchs will become bigger and deeper as time goes on. I have to take a step forward somewhere - Azar's words were a welcome relief to the king.

　So the king thought about ordering Azar and Claudia to be the Pope's maid of honor. It would be good if they could get along with each other while they were both serving as maids of honor. If not, the King can show people that he has the same faith in the Dukes of Dragnaut as he did before.

　From the beginning, he didn't make a big deal out of it, calling it a marriage ceremony or resurrection of the marriage, but rather, he showed his consideration for the dukes and restored the rapport between Claudia and Azar. That was the king's aim.

　However, if the Duke himself or Astrid were to be involved, Claudia might decline to act as maid of honor because she was ill. So I ordered the two of them to escort the Pope away from the royal capital.

　Claudia alone would find it difficult to refuse the king's invitation. Even more so when he is trying to give the honor of being the Pope's maid of honor. Even if he didn't want to, he would still go to the royal court.

　The king's aim was good.

　However, he only hit the mark until he invited them to the palace, otherwise he would have missed the mark.

　When Claudia, with a big smile on her face, appeared in the palace, taking the hand of a young man in a friendly manner, the king and the dauphin could not help but look away and remain silent.



◆◆◆



　When we entered the royal palace, what Claudia and I were led to was not the audience room, but a small, cozy room.

　Of course, when I say small, I'm talking about compared to the other rooms in the royal palace. The furnishings in the room were luxurious and well-kept. According to Claudia, it is a room used by the king when he has conversations with those with whom he has an affinity.

　I guess it's something like a common room for the royal family to enjoy a pleasant chat. It seems that the king doesn't want to bring this matter to the attention of his courtiers yet.

　Therefore, the maid of honor and the second wife may still be in the conception stage. The fact that Claudia's father, Lord Dragnaut, was not involved in either of these matters made it more likely.

　The king might intend to persuade Claudia, the person in question, directly first, and then use his daughter's mouth to persuade Lord Dragnaut. If this speculation is correct, then the relationship between the king and Lord Dragnaut is very complicated.

　It's better to have a face-to-face conversation with the Duke, rather than trying to trick him into thinking he's a nuisance, but it may be difficult for the king to beg for a face-to-face conversation with Drugnoth, even if he is begging for it.

　I have a debt of gratitude and obligation to the Dukes of Drugnoth. If possible, I hope they don't become important.

　Thinking about this, I looked next to him and saw Claudia smiling and holding my left hand. Ever since I entered the royal palace - and ever since I left the duke's residence - it's been like this.

　This was at Claudia's suggestion. The reason being that the relationship between me and Claudia is a sham. Claudia's entry into my house only leads people to believe that the two of them must be engaged, but it doesn't mean that they are officially engaged. In other words, "We're engaged!" to the king and the crown prince. So it would be a lie to say that. Then we'll have to show our intimacy with our attitude, not our words!　--As a result of the duchess's passionate speech, we have been holding hands for a long time now.

　It's a good thing that you're sweating from holding onto your hands, but Claudia doesn't seem to mind at all. It's a good idea to have a good time with them.

　Incidentally, Claudia's hands have not been untied since the King and Dauphin came into the room. Seeing Claudia holding my hand and huddled tightly together on the sofa, the two royals are making some strange faces.

　........Isn't it rude or disrespectful to be so goofy in front of royalty?　Well, well, that's what Claudia, the duchess, does. She must be on the edge of the line - she's got to be on the edge of it, right?

　Everyone except Claudia was puzzled, but it was King Thorvald who first spoke up.


'I'm sorry to call you here, Claudia,'

I'm sorry, Your Majesty.

And you, Sola. It's been a long time since I've seen you.

'Ha!　It's good to see you, Your Majesty.


　Claudia bows her head and I follow her. Even after the king urges me to sit down on the sofa, the composition remains the same: a smiling Claudia and a puzzled Other.

　Once again, the king breaks the silence.


'To be honest, I didn't expect Sora to be here. What kind of relationship do you two have?'


　The king's gaze is fixed on me and Claudia's hands, which are still chained together.

　I don't think there's anything "any" about this state of affairs, but as the king, I wouldn't have to ask that.

　Claudia answered in a bouncy voice.


The next day I will be moving into his home in Ishqa, Your Majesty.

...Oh, is that so?

Yes!


　Claudia, who nodded, lost her smile here and revealed a serious expression.


It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what to expect," he said. I had hoped that I would eventually be able to inform His Majesty of this, but when I was summoned today, I thought it would be a good opportunity to come with him.

It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what to expect when you go to the beach. You and Pascal are quite bold.


　The king's eyes flickered to me.

　As I've mentioned before, it is ostensibly Lord Dragunot who avenged Jirinbo's death in the recent rebellion in the royal capital. This was decided after consultation between me and Lord Dragunot. Naturally, the king doesn't even know that I saved Claudia with soul granting (soul donor).

　From the king's point of view, it's strange that Claudia is so fond of me, and that Lord Draugnoth would give a bead in his hand to a mere adventurer.

　You will find that you will be able to get a lot more out of it.


''Your Majesty, is there any house that would hesitate to bond with a dragonslayer?


　The one who reacted to these words was not the king, but the crown prince.

　The thirteen-year-old Dauphin took one look at me as if glaring at me, then leaned forward and spoke to Claudia.


''Claudia!　What you don't seem to know is that his dragon-slaying exploits have yet to be publicly acknowledged. There are suspicions that it was a false achievement. Some even dismiss it as a false dragonslayer!

I'm sorry, Your Highness, I am aware of that.

"So long!


　The crown prince leans forward even more, saying, "My will is done. As it is, he looks as if he is about to climb over the table and hug Claudia.

　I'm not going to be able to get my hands on any of these things," he said, smiling at his former fiancée.


''Those are wise words.''

...what?

'A mythical, poisonous dragon. In the forest of Titis, where it appeared, he - Sora-san stepped into the forest. In order to challenge the dragon. I think that alone qualifies you to call yourself a dragon slayer. I'm not sure how many of those who slandered Sola set foot in the forest of Titis at that time.


　At Claudia's rebuttal, the Dauphin kept his mouth shut as if his nose was white.

　Claudia stared at such a crown prince.


The words of one who challenged the dragon cannot be denied by one who did not challenge the dragon. False dragon slayer (dragon lyre) is a wispy word created by those who were not in that forest that day, that time. I consider it a trivial slander.


　The room fell silent at the unwavering tone of voice.

　The Dauphin's face turned bright red and his mouth tightened. The people whom Claudia deems unworthy are those who would slander me as a false dragonslayer.

　But the crown prince, who had tried to take advantage of the slander, must have felt as if he were being accused.

　The king spoke out, probably in defence of his son.


'You trust in Sola, Claudia, don't you?

'Yes, Your Majesty. Sincerely.


　The king heard Claudia's voice, looked at his face, and closed his eyes quickly. Then he let out a big breath as if to vent something.


''I would have called you my daughter if it were possible.

I appreciate your kind words. I'm sorry I didn't live up to your expectations.

Would you be willing to take on the role of His Holiness's maid of honor?

It's a great honor for my family to be honored and I am happy to oblige.


　Claudia politely bows her head. As expected, he probably thought that he couldn't kick both of the king's wishes away. Even though it's an unofficial occasion, it's still going to crush the king's face.

　--The actuality of this is that this may be exactly what the king's plan is, but well, there's no need to read that much into it.

　After that, the king, having completed his business, quietly left the room. The Dauphin followed his father, but he remained in the room after his father left, standing at the door with his back to me.

　As Claudia and I were craning our necks, wondering what he was doing, the Dauphin looked back at us with an indignant look on his face. Then he looks at us - no, he looks at Claudia - as he glares at us. Apparently, he was waiting for Claudia to call out to him.


'Claudia!　After all that you've done for me... are you sure you want to do this?　If the man, or the duke, is forcing you to do what he says--

"Your Highness.

'What?　I knew you were--

I'm happy now. I wish Your Highness a happy life with Sakuya.


　After quietly announcing it, Claudia hangs her head deeply. That action of showing respect seemed to be an action of saying goodbye - perhaps it wasn't my imagination.