"Miss Anastasia Sevensworth, I am breaking off my engagement to you."
I shouted at Ana as soon as I arrived late to the graduation party.
When Anna saw me escorting another woman into the hall, she turned very pale.
And now, here I am, wobbling on my feet, having been informed that my engagement is over.
"...Eh...ah..."
Anna let out a voice that could not be described as a word, and came towards me with a dizzy step.
"Ah...why?
Is there something I'm not doing right?
If there is something wrong with me, please tell me.
I'll make it right, no matter what the problem is."
As she walked toward me, she finally seemed to regain her composure.
Anna's voice finally came out.
Even so, she was shaking so badly that you could see it from a distance.
She must be barely able to stand.
"I'll answer your question.
Everyone, listen up.
I'll testify to everyone present.
Miss Anastasia Unsworth is not at fault in any way.
She is a pure, gentle, modest, attentive woman who is always looking out for others.
She is chaste, intelligent, and has a strong will of her own.
She is also a noble woman who is able to exercise strict self-discipline even when others are not looking.
The word "noble" can be said to be the word for her.
She is a daughter of filial piety, and will be able to raise a fine family wherever she marries.
Her manners and etiquette are perfect. You are all well aware of this.
Her handwriting is beautiful, her storytelling skillful, and I'm sure those who read her letters will be impressed.
The woman standing next to me, Kate, elbowed me.
"Too long a story.
That's enough praise for me."
Kate tells me.
"Anyway, it's no exaggeration to say that Miss Anastasia Sevensworth is the best woman in the world.
If you were to ask me who is the most deserving future queen, I would name her.
No, she is the only one I can think of! "
Anna's mouth dropped open.
She must have thought he was going to point out her shortcomings or problematic behavior.
The praise must have been an unimaginable development for her.
"Well, then, why would he break off the engagement? "
Anna says, staring at me with pleading eyes.
"That's easy. I'm having an affair.
My lower half wasn't tight enough, so I had an affair with another woman and had a child with her.
And she's my new fiancée, Kate."
I say and hold Kate around the waist.
"...Oh no..."
All expression disappears from her face, and Anna collapses to her knees.
Her eyes, now full of despair, are fixed on the floor and do not seem to be in focus.
"I'm sorry for the commotion, everyone.
We'll be leaving now.
I hope you all continue to enjoy the party."
With that, I escorted Kate and quickly left the venue.
The hallway of the party facility leading to the gate was empty and quiet.
I escorted Kate down the corridor.
We didn't open our mouths to each other, just walked side by side in silence.
"Hey. Are you sure you're okay? "
Kate asked me, breaking the silence.
"Of course I am."
I replied without looking at Kate.
"Then why are you crying? "
Oh.
I'm crying.
This is where you and Anna kissed for the first time.
At the time, I felt like I was on top of the world when she told me.
When was the last time you decided to care for Anna as much as you care for yourself?
Maybe it was the day I met her, when I saw myself and Anna in a previous life.
Memories of Anna come back vividly in my mind, and when they disappear, memories of Anna come back vividly again.
Because of this, I couldn't collect my thoughts and couldn't continue my conversation with Kate any further.
I was prepared for this, so this was the least I could do, but what about Anna?
She's probably crying because she was suddenly told in public that her engagement is over.
That's not good.
I can't help thinking about Anna as usual.
I found myself sitting on a bench in a deserted part of the school.
I was supposed to be escorting Kate, but before I knew it, Kate was pulling me by the hand and brought me to this place.
I sat down, half forced by Kate's shoulder.
"Here. You can cry all you want."
Kate said, standing in front of me on the bench and cradling my head against her chest.
I didn't intend to cry as hard as I could.
But with my vision blocked and someone's warmth in my arms, the conditions were perfect for crying, and before I knew it I was sobbing.
The sobs eventually turned into wails, and I clung to Kate and cried aloud.
Crying so loudly that my throat dried up calmed me down a lot.
I've heard that crying is a way for humans to achieve mental balance, and it must be true.
"Well... Couldn't we have just broken up amicably?
Then, wouldn't Gino-sama's wound have been a little less severe? "
Kate asks as I hurriedly walk away from her, realizing that I've made a huge mistake in the school by clinging to a woman and burying my face in her chest.
I met Kate in an application class at the school.
As an aspiring merchant, she knew that I was a business owner and approached me to make connections.
There were not many aristocrats who took the applied class, so I was surrounded by commoners whose names I did not know.
When there was a discussion in the class, we were divided into groups, but if you did not know anyone, you would be left with no one to work with.
In order to avoid the tragic situation of being the only one left, I became friends with her, knowing her ulterior motives.
"No . No. No.
That would be a disgrace to Anna."
I said.
"I've heard that before, why would it be a stain? "
Kate said.
"What?
You're being very demanding today.
Is there something you're interested in? "
"No, no, no.
I've been wanting to ask you for a long time.
But if I go into details and Gino-sama thinks it over again and stops us from breaking off the engagement, we'll lose a lot, right?
So I've been holding back.
But now that the contract is fulfilled, there's no harm in asking, right?
So I asked."
Great merchant.
I thought.
"You commoners may not understand this, but in aristocratic society, the woman is responsible for the dissolution of the engagement.
The general value system of the aristocracy is that a man should be the head of the family and make the family prosperous, and a woman should be the mistress of the family and keep the harmony of the family.
It is the responsibility of a noblewoman to maintain harmony between husband and wife, even with a man who has some difficulties in character.
Therefore, if the engagement is broken off, the woman who is responsible for maintaining harmony will be blamed first.
As it turned out, I had just made a big mistake of holding on to the woman and crying, and I was very uncomfortable.
It would be very helpful to change the subject here, to change the mood.
I answer Kate's question in detail.
"Of course, there are many cases where no matter how hard a woman tries, there is nothing she can do.
But in a normal dissolution of marriage, the dissolution of marriage takes place behind closed doors.
The third party does not know the details of the annulment, so even if Anna has nothing to blame, people around her will think badly of her.
They will see it as Ana's failure to fulfill her responsibility to keep the peace between the engaged couples."
"Hmm. So? "
"However, there have been rare instances where a woman's reputation has been raised rather than lowered by a broken engagement.
In that case, Mistress Frances of the House of Lillard was betrothed by the Dauphin."
"Ah. I know that case.
That's why you copied it."
"Yes.
In that case, the equivalent of an annulment conference was held at a graduation party where a third party could see.
So it was obvious to anyone who looked at the process that Miss Lillard had no great responsibility.
In addition, Miss Lillard was helped by the Dauphin's insanity in giving notice of the annulment while holding the waist of the woman he was having an affair with.
Even though it is a woman's responsibility to maintain harmony between engaged couples, it does not mean that she has to endure even the most insane men.
There is a limit to everything.
If a man is too insane, a woman cannot be held responsible.
On the contrary, she will be praised for having endured so much with that man."
"So that's why you needed an affair partner? "
"Yes.
Besides, it's not enough to just have an affair.
You had to be insane enough to break off the engagement while holding your lover's waist on the spot."
"But didn't the princess have to do that to marry the prince?
I don't know much about them, but aren't the Severnsworths great now? "
"Given the current power of the House of Seventhworth, yes, she could marry.
However, the Sevenworths have always been a powerful family, but recently they have been gaining power rapidly, and there are many who do not like it.
If Anna carries a stain from the dissolution of the engagement, the forces that want to suppress the power of the House of Sevensforth will find Anna a good target for their attack.
Anna will be able to become a prince and queen.
However, Anna would also be a weak point to suppress the House of Unsworth, and would be attacked at every turn.
It would be very difficult for the Queen and the Dauphin, who have many jobs to do as the mistress of the palace, to be questioned about her qualifications as a mistress at every turn.
It would put them in a difficult position in the palace."
"What... The royal court sounds troublesome.
You have to worry about such unimportant things."
"Well. I'm sure it's troublesome.
It's said that a queen who can control her subjects well is either a perfect person with no flaws or a greedy fool who is easy to manipulate.
It's hard to be either."
"But you didn't have anything to do with the graduation party, did you? "
"No, the timing was perfect.
If we do it before she graduates, there's a risk that Anna will be so shocked that she won't go to school and won't be eligible to graduate.
If you're going to be queen, you need to be a graduate of the school.
It had to be done after Anna got her diploma, that is, after the graduation ceremony.
I chose this timing before her debut in the world of society because I don't know much about it yet.
There are various noblemen in the adult world, but only a few of them are known to me as a person who has not been in society.
Some of them might try to stop my outburst, but I have no information about who they are.
However, at the academy, I have a general idea of the personalities of the participants.
I also knew that there was no one who could stop me, so the graduation party was the most likely to succeed."
"But wouldn't that be annoying to the people who normally attend the graduation party? "
You're such a purist.
Hearing Kate's question, I couldn't help but look at her warmly.
"Does it look like I'm bothering you? "
"No.
Everyone seemed to be having fun."
"Maybe it's hard for you to understand, since you have no intention of entering aristocratic society.
For nobles and commoners who want to enter noble society, parties are not for fun.
It's a place of work for gathering information and making connections.
The Seventhsworths are the most powerful family in the country.
Their sphere of influence is wide.
If there was a dissolution of engagement, everyone within its sphere of influence would try to find out more about it.
If you were to discuss the dissolution of the engagement right in front of us, everyone would be happy to gather information easily.
Even if you don't, this kind of ugly news is a favorite of the aristocracy.
Now everyone at the party will have something in common, so you won't have any trouble finding something to talk about.
I'm sure the commoners were especially happy about it.
Since there is something to talk about today, it will be easy to talk to any nobleman.
They're happy because it makes their job of socializing easier."
"Wow. I don't like the world of aristocrats."
"Yes, it does. It's a nasty world."
I agreed with Kate.
Even if you love someone, there are times when you have to break off your engagement to them in public.
Sometimes you have to ignore a person who is crying, stifling your desire to comfort her.
It's really a nasty world.
"But you're thinking about it.
I didn't know that.
Until now, I thought you were a crazy aristocrat with a screwed up head.
I'm sorry."
"So that's what you thought of me..."
"That's true.
Commoners don't know the rules of the aristocracy.
For the sake of someone I like, I'm going to shake him severely in front of everyone, so please help me,
Wouldn't anyone think you're crazy? "
"I see. So that's how it looks to ordinary people.
I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you.
It must have been very painful for you to deal with someone you thought was crazy."
"I'm fine.
The rewards were enticing."
"Besides, I've caused you a great deal of loss.
After all this, you as well as I will never be able to enter the aristocracy again.
You may not be interested in aristocratic society now, but even if you feel the need to get involved with it in the future as you continue your business, it will be too late."
"It doesn't matter.
I don't want the title even if they offer it to me for free, and I don't think that will change in the future.
That kind of loss, if I can get the Rurban Trading Company, will be worth the change."
"I see.
I'm glad you said that.
As promised, I'll give you all my deeds to the Chamber of Commerce."
"Yes! "
Kate said, delighted, then smiled.
"Also, you can expect retaliation from the House of Unsworth.
You'd better stay away from me from now on.
So, here goes.
Kate, I'm breaking off our engagement."
When I said this, Kate looked puzzled and then burst into a belly laugh.
"Hee hee hee. You're joking with a straight face.
Hee hee hee hee, that's a foul. Hee hee hee."
I didn't mean to joke, but for some reason, it was taken as a joke.
Because of the insult to Miss Francis, who had the family name of the Lillard family, the Lillard family defected from the Dauphin's faction and changed their religion to the First Prince's faction.
The Lillards, who had long been in the Dauphin's camp, must have worked long and hard to solidify their position within the faction.
Even if they wanted to change the mikoshi from the Crown Prince to another prince, it would be safer to stay in the center of the faction and change only the mikoshi.
However, the Lillards threw away everything they had built up within the faction and jumped into the rival faction, the First Princes.
Since they were new to the First Princes' faction, they were willing to start their efforts all over again.
I believe that he took honor rather than merit in taking an immediate stance against the enemy instead of choosing the time-consuming method.
The Duke of Severnsworth and your mother-in-law are both noblemen who value honor.
No matter how close they were to me, if it was a matter of family honor, they would not show mercy even to me.
In the worst case, I would lose my life, and even if they were kind to me, they would cut off at least one of my arms.
In order to maintain the authority of my family, I have to be ruthless at times.
That's why I handed over the Chamber of Commerce to someone else in case of reprisals and explicitly broke off my relationship with Kate, stating that I was breaking off our engagement.
"Baboon baboon. Two broken engagements in one day, huh. Yee hee hee. My stomach hurts."
She's still smiling.
I envy your optimism.
"Oh no.
Gino-sama, oh, that's right. I became Barbarie-sama's fiancee so I could talk to him on a casual basis.
But now you're breaking off the engagement and you're using honorifics again?"
Is that how you think you're using the honorific?
I mean, you've hardly changed your tone of voice from when we first met to now, have you?
"No, there's no need for honorifics.
I'm a commoner from now on."
I said to Kate, who was giving me an exaggeratedly bored look.
"What? ! ? "
Kate's eyes widened in surprise .
"Isn't it obvious?
I openly insulted the most powerful house in the kingdom, the House of Seventhworth.
Any noble family would disown and disown me for fear of reprisal from House Sevensforth.
That's how a nobleman protects his family."
Kate's eyes widen as she stares at me, but then they change to a very kind and somehow sad look.
Kate continued to stare at me.
"Gino-sama, do you really love that princess that much? "
Kate said in a whisper.
I didn't know how to answer, so I turned away and faked it.
I shouted at Ana as soon as I arrived late to the graduation party.
When Anna saw me escorting another woman into the hall, she turned very pale.
And now, here I am, wobbling on my feet, having been informed that my engagement is over.
"...Eh...ah..."
Anna let out a voice that could not be described as a word, and came towards me with a dizzy step.
"Ah...why?
Is there something I'm not doing right?
If there is something wrong with me, please tell me.
I'll make it right, no matter what the problem is."
As she walked toward me, she finally seemed to regain her composure.
Anna's voice finally came out.
Even so, she was shaking so badly that you could see it from a distance.
She must be barely able to stand.
"I'll answer your question.
Everyone, listen up.
I'll testify to everyone present.
Miss Anastasia Unsworth is not at fault in any way.
She is a pure, gentle, modest, attentive woman who is always looking out for others.
She is chaste, intelligent, and has a strong will of her own.
She is also a noble woman who is able to exercise strict self-discipline even when others are not looking.
The word "noble" can be said to be the word for her.
She is a daughter of filial piety, and will be able to raise a fine family wherever she marries.
Her manners and etiquette are perfect. You are all well aware of this.
Her handwriting is beautiful, her storytelling skillful, and I'm sure those who read her letters will be impressed.
The woman standing next to me, Kate, elbowed me.
"Too long a story.
That's enough praise for me."
Kate tells me.
"Anyway, it's no exaggeration to say that Miss Anastasia Sevensworth is the best woman in the world.
If you were to ask me who is the most deserving future queen, I would name her.
No, she is the only one I can think of! "
Anna's mouth dropped open.
She must have thought he was going to point out her shortcomings or problematic behavior.
The praise must have been an unimaginable development for her.
"Well, then, why would he break off the engagement? "
Anna says, staring at me with pleading eyes.
"That's easy. I'm having an affair.
My lower half wasn't tight enough, so I had an affair with another woman and had a child with her.
And she's my new fiancée, Kate."
I say and hold Kate around the waist.
"...Oh no..."
All expression disappears from her face, and Anna collapses to her knees.
Her eyes, now full of despair, are fixed on the floor and do not seem to be in focus.
"I'm sorry for the commotion, everyone.
We'll be leaving now.
I hope you all continue to enjoy the party."
With that, I escorted Kate and quickly left the venue.
The hallway of the party facility leading to the gate was empty and quiet.
I escorted Kate down the corridor.
We didn't open our mouths to each other, just walked side by side in silence.
"Hey. Are you sure you're okay? "
Kate asked me, breaking the silence.
"Of course I am."
I replied without looking at Kate.
"Then why are you crying? "
Oh.
I'm crying.
This is where you and Anna kissed for the first time.
At the time, I felt like I was on top of the world when she told me.
When was the last time you decided to care for Anna as much as you care for yourself?
Maybe it was the day I met her, when I saw myself and Anna in a previous life.
Memories of Anna come back vividly in my mind, and when they disappear, memories of Anna come back vividly again.
Because of this, I couldn't collect my thoughts and couldn't continue my conversation with Kate any further.
I was prepared for this, so this was the least I could do, but what about Anna?
She's probably crying because she was suddenly told in public that her engagement is over.
That's not good.
I can't help thinking about Anna as usual.
I found myself sitting on a bench in a deserted part of the school.
I was supposed to be escorting Kate, but before I knew it, Kate was pulling me by the hand and brought me to this place.
I sat down, half forced by Kate's shoulder.
"Here. You can cry all you want."
Kate said, standing in front of me on the bench and cradling my head against her chest.
I didn't intend to cry as hard as I could.
But with my vision blocked and someone's warmth in my arms, the conditions were perfect for crying, and before I knew it I was sobbing.
The sobs eventually turned into wails, and I clung to Kate and cried aloud.
Crying so loudly that my throat dried up calmed me down a lot.
I've heard that crying is a way for humans to achieve mental balance, and it must be true.
"Well... Couldn't we have just broken up amicably?
Then, wouldn't Gino-sama's wound have been a little less severe? "
Kate asks as I hurriedly walk away from her, realizing that I've made a huge mistake in the school by clinging to a woman and burying my face in her chest.
I met Kate in an application class at the school.
As an aspiring merchant, she knew that I was a business owner and approached me to make connections.
There were not many aristocrats who took the applied class, so I was surrounded by commoners whose names I did not know.
When there was a discussion in the class, we were divided into groups, but if you did not know anyone, you would be left with no one to work with.
In order to avoid the tragic situation of being the only one left, I became friends with her, knowing her ulterior motives.
"No . No. No.
That would be a disgrace to Anna."
I said.
"I've heard that before, why would it be a stain? "
Kate said.
"What?
You're being very demanding today.
Is there something you're interested in? "
"No, no, no.
I've been wanting to ask you for a long time.
But if I go into details and Gino-sama thinks it over again and stops us from breaking off the engagement, we'll lose a lot, right?
So I've been holding back.
But now that the contract is fulfilled, there's no harm in asking, right?
So I asked."
Great merchant.
I thought.
"You commoners may not understand this, but in aristocratic society, the woman is responsible for the dissolution of the engagement.
The general value system of the aristocracy is that a man should be the head of the family and make the family prosperous, and a woman should be the mistress of the family and keep the harmony of the family.
It is the responsibility of a noblewoman to maintain harmony between husband and wife, even with a man who has some difficulties in character.
Therefore, if the engagement is broken off, the woman who is responsible for maintaining harmony will be blamed first.
As it turned out, I had just made a big mistake of holding on to the woman and crying, and I was very uncomfortable.
It would be very helpful to change the subject here, to change the mood.
I answer Kate's question in detail.
"Of course, there are many cases where no matter how hard a woman tries, there is nothing she can do.
But in a normal dissolution of marriage, the dissolution of marriage takes place behind closed doors.
The third party does not know the details of the annulment, so even if Anna has nothing to blame, people around her will think badly of her.
They will see it as Ana's failure to fulfill her responsibility to keep the peace between the engaged couples."
"Hmm. So? "
"However, there have been rare instances where a woman's reputation has been raised rather than lowered by a broken engagement.
In that case, Mistress Frances of the House of Lillard was betrothed by the Dauphin."
"Ah. I know that case.
That's why you copied it."
"Yes.
In that case, the equivalent of an annulment conference was held at a graduation party where a third party could see.
So it was obvious to anyone who looked at the process that Miss Lillard had no great responsibility.
In addition, Miss Lillard was helped by the Dauphin's insanity in giving notice of the annulment while holding the waist of the woman he was having an affair with.
Even though it is a woman's responsibility to maintain harmony between engaged couples, it does not mean that she has to endure even the most insane men.
There is a limit to everything.
If a man is too insane, a woman cannot be held responsible.
On the contrary, she will be praised for having endured so much with that man."
"So that's why you needed an affair partner? "
"Yes.
Besides, it's not enough to just have an affair.
You had to be insane enough to break off the engagement while holding your lover's waist on the spot."
"But didn't the princess have to do that to marry the prince?
I don't know much about them, but aren't the Severnsworths great now? "
"Given the current power of the House of Seventhworth, yes, she could marry.
However, the Sevenworths have always been a powerful family, but recently they have been gaining power rapidly, and there are many who do not like it.
If Anna carries a stain from the dissolution of the engagement, the forces that want to suppress the power of the House of Sevensforth will find Anna a good target for their attack.
Anna will be able to become a prince and queen.
However, Anna would also be a weak point to suppress the House of Unsworth, and would be attacked at every turn.
It would be very difficult for the Queen and the Dauphin, who have many jobs to do as the mistress of the palace, to be questioned about her qualifications as a mistress at every turn.
It would put them in a difficult position in the palace."
"What... The royal court sounds troublesome.
You have to worry about such unimportant things."
"Well. I'm sure it's troublesome.
It's said that a queen who can control her subjects well is either a perfect person with no flaws or a greedy fool who is easy to manipulate.
It's hard to be either."
"But you didn't have anything to do with the graduation party, did you? "
"No, the timing was perfect.
If we do it before she graduates, there's a risk that Anna will be so shocked that she won't go to school and won't be eligible to graduate.
If you're going to be queen, you need to be a graduate of the school.
It had to be done after Anna got her diploma, that is, after the graduation ceremony.
I chose this timing before her debut in the world of society because I don't know much about it yet.
There are various noblemen in the adult world, but only a few of them are known to me as a person who has not been in society.
Some of them might try to stop my outburst, but I have no information about who they are.
However, at the academy, I have a general idea of the personalities of the participants.
I also knew that there was no one who could stop me, so the graduation party was the most likely to succeed."
"But wouldn't that be annoying to the people who normally attend the graduation party? "
You're such a purist.
Hearing Kate's question, I couldn't help but look at her warmly.
"Does it look like I'm bothering you? "
"No.
Everyone seemed to be having fun."
"Maybe it's hard for you to understand, since you have no intention of entering aristocratic society.
For nobles and commoners who want to enter noble society, parties are not for fun.
It's a place of work for gathering information and making connections.
The Seventhsworths are the most powerful family in the country.
Their sphere of influence is wide.
If there was a dissolution of engagement, everyone within its sphere of influence would try to find out more about it.
If you were to discuss the dissolution of the engagement right in front of us, everyone would be happy to gather information easily.
Even if you don't, this kind of ugly news is a favorite of the aristocracy.
Now everyone at the party will have something in common, so you won't have any trouble finding something to talk about.
I'm sure the commoners were especially happy about it.
Since there is something to talk about today, it will be easy to talk to any nobleman.
They're happy because it makes their job of socializing easier."
"Wow. I don't like the world of aristocrats."
"Yes, it does. It's a nasty world."
I agreed with Kate.
Even if you love someone, there are times when you have to break off your engagement to them in public.
Sometimes you have to ignore a person who is crying, stifling your desire to comfort her.
It's really a nasty world.
"But you're thinking about it.
I didn't know that.
Until now, I thought you were a crazy aristocrat with a screwed up head.
I'm sorry."
"So that's what you thought of me..."
"That's true.
Commoners don't know the rules of the aristocracy.
For the sake of someone I like, I'm going to shake him severely in front of everyone, so please help me,
Wouldn't anyone think you're crazy? "
"I see. So that's how it looks to ordinary people.
I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you.
It must have been very painful for you to deal with someone you thought was crazy."
"I'm fine.
The rewards were enticing."
"Besides, I've caused you a great deal of loss.
After all this, you as well as I will never be able to enter the aristocracy again.
You may not be interested in aristocratic society now, but even if you feel the need to get involved with it in the future as you continue your business, it will be too late."
"It doesn't matter.
I don't want the title even if they offer it to me for free, and I don't think that will change in the future.
That kind of loss, if I can get the Rurban Trading Company, will be worth the change."
"I see.
I'm glad you said that.
As promised, I'll give you all my deeds to the Chamber of Commerce."
"Yes! "
Kate said, delighted, then smiled.
"Also, you can expect retaliation from the House of Unsworth.
You'd better stay away from me from now on.
So, here goes.
Kate, I'm breaking off our engagement."
When I said this, Kate looked puzzled and then burst into a belly laugh.
"Hee hee hee. You're joking with a straight face.
Hee hee hee hee, that's a foul. Hee hee hee."
I didn't mean to joke, but for some reason, it was taken as a joke.
Because of the insult to Miss Francis, who had the family name of the Lillard family, the Lillard family defected from the Dauphin's faction and changed their religion to the First Prince's faction.
The Lillards, who had long been in the Dauphin's camp, must have worked long and hard to solidify their position within the faction.
Even if they wanted to change the mikoshi from the Crown Prince to another prince, it would be safer to stay in the center of the faction and change only the mikoshi.
However, the Lillards threw away everything they had built up within the faction and jumped into the rival faction, the First Princes.
Since they were new to the First Princes' faction, they were willing to start their efforts all over again.
I believe that he took honor rather than merit in taking an immediate stance against the enemy instead of choosing the time-consuming method.
The Duke of Severnsworth and your mother-in-law are both noblemen who value honor.
No matter how close they were to me, if it was a matter of family honor, they would not show mercy even to me.
In the worst case, I would lose my life, and even if they were kind to me, they would cut off at least one of my arms.
In order to maintain the authority of my family, I have to be ruthless at times.
That's why I handed over the Chamber of Commerce to someone else in case of reprisals and explicitly broke off my relationship with Kate, stating that I was breaking off our engagement.
"Baboon baboon. Two broken engagements in one day, huh. Yee hee hee. My stomach hurts."
She's still smiling.
I envy your optimism.
"Oh no.
Gino-sama, oh, that's right. I became Barbarie-sama's fiancee so I could talk to him on a casual basis.
But now you're breaking off the engagement and you're using honorifics again?"
Is that how you think you're using the honorific?
I mean, you've hardly changed your tone of voice from when we first met to now, have you?
"No, there's no need for honorifics.
I'm a commoner from now on."
I said to Kate, who was giving me an exaggeratedly bored look.
"What? ! ? "
Kate's eyes widened in surprise .
"Isn't it obvious?
I openly insulted the most powerful house in the kingdom, the House of Seventhworth.
Any noble family would disown and disown me for fear of reprisal from House Sevensforth.
That's how a nobleman protects his family."
Kate's eyes widen as she stares at me, but then they change to a very kind and somehow sad look.
Kate continued to stare at me.
"Gino-sama, do you really love that princess that much? "
Kate said in a whisper.
I didn't know how to answer, so I turned away and faked it.