’I Will Never Love You’... Well, I Saw That Coming, Didn't I?

“Ederine. I am grateful to you. However, I will never love you.”

It was the night before our wedding. I had been summoned to the office of my fiancé, His Majesty King Yuri Makius.

He was a handsome new king who had only recently ascended the throne. His well-defined, dignified features were complemented by the black hair characteristic of the royal family and a pair of brilliant blue eyes, a rarity among royalty.

And yet, his expression was gloomy.

…Well, I had a pretty good idea why. In fact, I couldn’t imagine it being anything else.

“Is that because the Saintess will be arriving?”

When I asked him, just to be sure, he slowly nodded.

“That’s right. I must love the Saintess.”

…I didn’t think love was something you were supposed to talk about with such a grim expression, but I decided not to bring that up. After all, I understood how he felt.

“I understand. I certainly don’t expect you to love me at the expense of neglecting the Saintess. This marriage itself is rather absurd to begin with.”

I sighed as I spoke.

For generations, this kingdom had summoned Saintesses from other worlds.

Apparently, the special magic that only the “Daughter of the Goddess Beze” mentioned in the kingdom’s founding history—commonly known as the Saintess—could wield was what protected this country. However, for some reason, Saintesses were only born in other worlds.

Therefore, whenever the monarch changed, it was customary to summon a Saintess from another world, have her adopted into a powerful noble family, and marry her off as the queen. That was how things had always been done, and this time was supposed to be no different.

And yet…

My father, the Marquis of the Holy family, had suddenly declared, “I will make Ederine the queen!”

His Majesty Yuri had originally been the seventh prince. Although he had barely managed to participate in the struggle for succession, his position was weak because his birth mother was of low status. That was when my father approached him with an offer: in exchange for providing the backing necessary to elevate him to the throne, he would have to take me as his official queen.

When I first heard about it, I thought, That’s completely unreasonable! But against all expectations, the plan succeeded spectacularly.

Come to think of it, I’d forgotten that Father was a genius when it came to both politics and commerce…

But that was unfortunate for me, His Majesty, and even the Saintess who would eventually arrive.

After all, there was one absolute condition that had to be fulfilled for a girl summoned from another world to exercise her powers.

And that was—the Saintess absolutely had to be loved.

A Saintess chosen as the daughter of the goddess drew upon love as the source of her power.

Fortunately, every Saintess ever summoned had been young and pretty without exception. They also happened to have black hair, which was considered a special mark in this country, and wonderful personalities, so it seemed the kings throughout history had quickly fallen head over heels for them.

As the king and queen (the Saintess, of course) fell more deeply in love with each other, the kingdom’s protection grew stronger and stronger, and everyone lived happily ever after—that was how things were supposed to go. But think about it.

If I were stuck between them as the queen, I’d be nothing more than a third wheel.

When I confronted Father about it, the entire conversation ended with him saying, “It can’t be helped. That’s what the old fortune-teller said.” For the first time in my life, I seriously considered clicking my tongue in annoyance.

Just as I was growing irritated remembering what had happened back then, His Majesty spoke in a heavy voice.

“I am truly sorry for forcing you into such a painful position. You may resent me all you like. However, I want to protect this kingdom, no matter what it takes.”

His expression was utterly serious, leaving me unable to say anything.

After all, if His Majesty Yuri lost Father’s backing, he would immediately be pushed aside. Meanwhile, Father stubbornly insisted that making me queen was absolutely nonnegotiable.

Besides, regardless of the circumstances, his desire to protect the kingdom was genuine.

The more the king and Saintess loved each other, the stronger the kingdom’s protection became. Conversely, if cracks appeared in their relationship, cracks would also appear in that protection.

The previous king, in other words, His Majesty Yuri’s father, had gotten along well with the Saintess for the first few years. However, as time passed, it seemed he could no longer suppress his naturally womanizing tendencies.

He had affairs with one noblewoman and maid after another, fathering numerous princes and princesses. His Majesty Yuri was one of those children.

Naturally, the former queen, who was the Saintess, had been absolutely furious and subsequently lost her powers. As a result, our kingdom had been constantly threatened by monsters for roughly the past ten years.

That was why it was only natural for His Majesty Yuri, who was kinder and more earnest than any of his siblings, to take the matter so seriously. After all, he had also lost his mother to monsters.

“Please don’t concern yourself with me. As I said earlier, I fully understand the situation. In exchange, I shall be free to do as I please.”

“Of course. I promise that you will want for nothing in your daily life.”

And with that, we reached an agreement.

Well, as a high-ranking noblewoman, I had never expected a marriage based on love in the first place. If anything, I felt relieved that I probably wouldn’t have to deal with troublesome duties like official affairs and the like. The Saintess could handle all of that.

I had neither magical power nor any special abilities. As a useless, ornamental queen, I would devote myself to my hobbies in solitude—no, I mean, I would cheer them on from the shadows.

…Or so I’d thought. So how in the world had things ended up like this?

Inside the room prepared for the summoning of the Saintess.

Surrounded by His Majesty Yuri, whose face was filled with distress, and ministers and priests who looked equally troubled, I stared down at the crying little girl before me, who couldn’t possibly have been more than five years old.