Chapter 4

“Th-That’s Lord Robin.”

“You’re right. Why on earth is she holding the hand of a man who isn’t her fiancé!?”

Nearby, some gossip-loving nobles were chattering away, acting like self-appointed commentators.

Thanks to them, even I could grasp what was happening.

I couldn’t help but wonder what Her Highness the Princess was thinking, especially when she had such a wonderful fiancé already.

“Where is Lord Nazelbert?”

“Over there. He’s heading toward the two of them.”

Princess Mia and Lord Robin of the baronial house stood side-by-side in the center of the hall, looking quite intimate.

Upon closer inspection, Robin was a fairly handsome young man, much like Nazelbert.

However, unlike Nazelbert’s inhumanly perfect, delicate beauty that resembled a fine work of art, Robin possessed a more approachable, sugary sweetness to his features.

As they watched Nazelbert approach the center of the room, the Princess and Robin both wore defiant smirks.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s a love-triangle meltdown!”

The surrounding nobles watched the scene unfold with bated breath.

I, too, moved a little closer to the center.

With a stern expression, Nazelbert questioned the Princess directly.

“Princess Mia, what is the meaning of this?”

Publicly showing intimacy with another man while engaged was a massive social scandal.

To make matters worse, this was happening in the middle of her own engagement party.

Nazelbert’s reprimand was entirely justified.

Faced with his question, the Princess opened her fan with an arrogant air.

“Oh? It’s exactly what it looks like, isn’t it?”

Then, taking Robin’s arm, she uttered words that sent shockwaves through the room.

“Nazelbert! I am annulling my engagement to you!! Instead, I shall be engaged to Robin here!”

The Princess’s shrill voice echoed throughout the entire party venue.

The hall fell into a dead silence as the nobles stood frozen, unable to process what had just happened. I was among them.

“His Majesty would never permit such a thing. Do you intend to abandon your duties as a member of the Royal Family?”

Faced with a public annulment, Nazelbert questioned the Princess in a state of bewilderment.

However, the Princess ignored his question and proceeded to denounce him.

“I know all about it. Robin told me everything.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“You’ve been bullying Robin this whole time, haven’t you?”

“…Excuse me?”

Nazelbert looked genuinely baffled, as if he had no memory of such a thing.

“Robin is a precious user of holy magic. His total mana capacity is higher than yours, and his potential is far superior. Since you treated him so cruelly—and since we have the talented Robin right here—I have no need for you as my fiancé anymore.”

“Do His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen agree with your opinion on this?”

“Who knows? They should understand Robin’s usefulness, so I’m sure they’ll permit it.”

Unbelievably, it seemed the King was unaware of this situation, and the Princess was acting entirely on her own.

Even so, now that things had escalated this far, it would be difficult for even His Majesty to clean up the mess.

…Wouldn’t Nazelbert’s family be furious as well?

As those thoughts crossed my mind, the Princess continued.

“Once Father and Mother learn your true nature, they are bound to approve of my actions!”

“My true nature, you say?”

“That’s right! Trying to push Robin down the stairs, hiring men to attack him, and even tearing his clothes to shreds!”

“I have absolutely no memory of any of these incidents.”

“But Robin said you did it. I even met the ruffians who were caught after attacking Robin. They all testified together that you were the one who hired them!”

“Impossible!”

As Nazelbert remained in a state of bewilderment, it occurred to me that he might be getting framed.

His expression was gradually becoming grimmer.

If he was being subjected to such baseless accusations, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Surely, he had to be hurting at least a little.

Despite that, Nazelbert addressed the Princess with a firm attitude.

“Until now, I have undergone various forms of education to live as your Prince Consort. Do you truly believe Lord Robin, who has received no such training, can fulfill that role?”

“It won’t be a problem. He can just study from now on. Besides, I already have his child in my womb. My engagement to Robin is a settled matter.”

(Eeeh!? What did she just say…!?)

The Princess had an affair with another man before the engagement was even announced!?

A shockwave ran through the party venue.

Every single person present was left speechless. That included Nazelbert.

“In other words, you tried to harm the father of my child. Guards! Escort this criminal out of the venue at once!”

“Wait! I am innocent!”

Nazelbert tried desperately to reason with the Princess.

However, the guards were forcibly summoned, and when Nazelbert tried to resist, he was pushed back with great force.

“…Ugh!”

As fate would have it, the spot where he tumbled to the floor was right next to me. He looked to be in pain after hitting the hard floor so heavily.

Yet, nobody tried to help him.

Perhaps they were swallowed up by the atmosphere of the room, or they feared that by drawing the Princess’s ire, they would ruin their own reputations.

Even though the Princess and Lord Robin were clearly the ones in the wrong…

Unable to just stand by and watch, I impulsively approached him and spoke up.

I was already the “Potato Lady,” anyway. It wasn’t as if my reputation could get any worse.