Chapter 42

Inside the royal palace of the Kingdom of Desnim, another incident was unfolding today.

“Y-You bastard! How dare you lay a hand on Lilianne!”

Shouting in the hallway was Torre Tolbert, a son of a noble family. A member of the knight order, he was a muscular, sturdy young man who was currently preparing for his upcoming marriage.

The man Torre had grabbed by the collar was Robin—the palace’s resident troublemaker and the Princess’s fiancé.

He had sun-kissed skin, deep-set features, and a sweet face. His droopy eyes were exactly the type that appealed to women.

Robin knew his own weapons well, and he used them to hit on noblewomen indiscriminately. Moreover, he targeted only the beautiful, young girls. There were even rumors that he was pursuing married women.

“Gimme a break, gimme a break already. I didn’t lay a hand on her. Lilianne was the one who came on to me.”

“Don’t screw with me! Lilianne is a quiet, honest girl…”

“Pffft! Seriously? You really believe that? You’ve got zero eye for people, huh?”

How could he use such commoner-like speech toward a noble who was technically his social superior?

To think this man was the Princess’s fiancé… had this country gone mad?

“Lilianne was suffering, you know? She’s a cheerful girl at heart, so it was a huge burden for her to keep wearing the ‘mask’ of a quiet lady. And yet, her fiancé is a total blockhead who only values her for that fake, quiet persona. Soooo pitiful.”

Robin shivered with theatrical exaggeration. Irritated, Torre instinctively raised his fist. However…

“What are you doing?! Stop this at once!”

Hurrying down the hallway toward them was his fiancée, Lilianne.

Her loosely braided chestnut hair swayed like waves with every step she took.

“Lilianne!”

“Lord Torre, to use violence against Robin… how cruel!”

“N-No, this is a misunderstanding!”

“Listen to this, Lilianne. This guy is dangerous, you know? He just suddenly jumped me.”

Despite being the illegitimate son of a Baron who was a commoner until recently, he dared to address the daughter of an Earl like Lilianne without an honorific! It was outrageous.

Once again, blood rushed to Torre’s head.

“That’s because you laid hands on someone else’s fiancée!”

Though Torre was a noble, he was a third son who had been raised in a combat-focused environment as a knight.

He was scheduled to marry Lilianne and be adopted into her house.

Torre, who lacked foresight and tended to move before thinking, was the worst possible match for the silver-tongued Robin.

Seeing Torre grab Robin by the shoulders and shake him violently, Lilianne screamed.

“A violent man is the absolute worst! Lord Torre, I hate you!”

Grabbing the hem of her dress, Lilianne spun around.

“Wait! Wait, Lilianne! Lilianne!!”

However, she ran down the hallway without sparing Torre a single backward glance.

“That makes three this month! Three noble breakups! They’re all linked to Robin—what on earth is going on?!”

Julian Florescrus sat in the annex of the Ducal estate, clutching his head in his hands.

His friend Torre had just come charging into the manor in tears, wailing that his fiancée had dumped him.

“Ugh, it’s going to end just like it did for your brother, Julian…”

“Pull yourself together, Torre. You haven’t actually had the engagement annulled yet, have you?”

“It’s only a matter of time. Lilianne is completely infatuated with that womanizing bastard.”

“I hear more and more ladies are ending up the same way. Apparently, his magic isn’t a charm spell, though.”

“I heard that too—it’s supposed to be holy magic. And supposedly, even though people usually only have one affinity, he can use two different types. I don’t know the details, but his mana capacity is apparently through the roof.”

Is the Princess really okay with letting Robin run wild like this?

Considering she went as far as to annul her engagement with Julian’s perfect older brother, she must be considerably obsessed with Robin.

…He was likely just smooth-talking his way out of trouble with her.

“The Tolbert family is using this as an excuse to wash our hands of the Princess and the Queen.”

“Are you sure you should be telling me this? The House of Florescrus is allied with the Queen.”

“But you’re different. The Second Prince’s faction is expanding rapidly right now. We intend to join them—why don’t you join us?”

Julian silently took Torre’s hand.

“I thought you’d say that. There’s someone I absolutely want you to meet. I happened to encounter them by chance; could you come to the royal palace next time?”

“Understood.”

Torre’s proposal was exactly what Julian had been hoping for.

However, he frowned at his friend’s next words.

“Still, it’s a shame Lord Nazelbert had to marry that Potato Lady. There are plenty of ladies in the Second Prince’s faction aiming for the spot of his consort, so if things go well, maybe he can get a divorce?”

“…My brother will not divorce her. He isn’t the type to choose divorce so easily, and the couple gets along quite well.”

“You’re kidding, right?! She’s the Potato Lady!”

“Have you ever seen what’s under that makeup?”

“Under that monster-tier, bizarrely thick makeup? Of course not.”

“The Potat—my sister-in-law is an incredible beauty. The Princess can’t even hold a candle to her. Plus, she has a wonderful personality.”

“Huh?!”

“I’m certain my brother is actually happy the engagement was annulled.”

A few days later, reports from the attendees of the Second Prince’s party began to flood in, all claiming that “The Potato Lady was actually a beauty,” causing a massive stir throughout high society.