Thank You for Abandoning Our Engagement! Chapter 1.3

Two years have passed since the engagement was decided.
Every day was full of Queen education in various academic fields.

It was bad luck.
It was just bad luck.

I was so tired but I couldn't say anything bad.

I studied properly.
While I was at the academy, I still have to go to the palace to study.

…Sometimes, in the guise of resting, I will be in a daze, wanting to forget going.
It was found out by Onii-sama so I was sent to the palace.

Until today.
It is suddenly over.

“Vera, let go.”

While shaking the Prince’s hand, Onii-sama’s voice came up from behind so the prince lets go of my hands.

“The engagement is going to be canceled and you are agreeing to it. Do you really understand that if this engagement is canceled, you can’t expect a decent marriage in the future?”

“Yes, I understand Onii-sama.”

I look straight at my elder brother who glared at me and declared:
“I will go to the rainforest!” *

“Rainforest?”

Deep wrinkles began to form around my elder brother’s brows.

I became afraid of his anger so I carefully step away from him.

The rainforest is a remote place far away from the kingdom.

Onii-sama was angry because I said that I wanted to go there.

The prince calls out to me when I attempt to escape from Onii-sama.

“Vera has always said that. It rains a lot in the southern forest.”

“Yes. There is a lot of mysterious creatures in the rainforest.”

“…You want to go see it?”

The prince looks at me with his head tilted slightly to the side.

To answer his question, I nodded my head quickly.

“An institution that studies the mysterious creatures is by the rainforest. My dream is to work there. I gave up that dream when I became your fiancée. But now…”

“Ahh…you have to go.”

Thinking of the rainforest, the prince snickered at my naïve heart.

I’m returning the prince’s fiancée position back to him.

I suddenly thought of his position.

“Ah…what’s going to happen to your highness? If your fiancée is gone, will your position be in danger?”

“It’s all right. I decided to make Reina from the Old Baron House my new fiancée.”

“…is that so?”

“I’m the only person who is trying to get rid of you.”

The eyes of the prince are shining brightly.
It seems to be really fun to him.

“She seems to be a willing sacrifice to become my princess. I think she qualifies for it.”

“…. You have a bad hobby, your highness.”
Onii-sama sighed while saying that and the prince chuckled at his words.

“Fortunately, my royal parent has two older sons so I don’t have to worry about having children.”

…Is that a white marriage? **

“It’s okay to confront dangerous germs but I decided to keep away from the dirty task.”

Reinsan from the Old Baron House.

The Queen education was crushing me.

It will be harder for her because she started later than me.
And, the life as a caged bird…

No matter how you look at it the situation isn’t great.

Divorce among the royal family is rare.

Even if I look at a different situation and not do the royal duties, I would still be trapped in the palace.

It would kill me inside.

“That’s…uh…terrible isn’t it.”

Everyone knows the Old Earl House did not want Vera to become the Third Prince’s Princess.
It seems like Reinsan from the Old Baron House wants to look down on me.
Some people are so strange…

“Obviously, I will change my mind and my finance. My popularity will decrease but it will recover. You will be away from the kingdom, in the rainforest. You ought to do research to its full extent. Others will think that you went into the countryside because of me.”

I nodded to agree with the prince’s explanation.
The prince is enjoying the power game...***

“…Is that okay?”

Onii-sama, who was listening to the conversation between the prince and I ask that from behind me.

I wasn’t sure if he was asking me or the prince but I nodded yes to his question.

“I’m going to leave.”

“…Okay.”

When they saw that I was nodding firmly, the prince chuckled while Onii-sama sighed.

“If you are determined to go to the rainforest, go ahead because tomorrow onwards I will be busy with my own duties. Go home and prepare for it. Don’t forget to tell mother.”

“Yes Onii-sama.”

After Onii-sama finish talking to me, I thank the prince and left the room.
When the door closed, for some reason I felt a tight feeling in my chest.

I met the prince when I was thirteen years old.
When I became his fiancée, he was always kind to me.
It lasted for only two years.
It was only until I was fifteen years old…but still…

Thinking that far, I turn around and open the door again.
The prince had a surprised look on his face while Onii-sama scowls his eyebrows at me.

While looking at my brother, I approach the prince and grab his hands.

“Your Highness, Charles-sama. I…there seems to be a mistake.”
“Mistake?”

Charles-sama blinks his eyes.
I look into his blue eyes and kept a firm eye contact.

“Thank you for canceling our engagement…but it’s was not… well, it has been two years and I didn’t dislike being with Charles-sama.”

“So? You hated coming to the palace.”
“I just hated studying.”

Right. I hated the Queen’s education, it wasn’t like I hated Charles-sama.

“Having tea together, walking in the garden…Charles-sama has always laughed and listened to me. I’m not the perfect fiancée but you have always laugh and forgiven me. I’m sure it would’ve been harder if you weren’t there with me.”

“…I’m happy I could spend it with you. I’m sorry for keeping you here.”

“No... that was by lottery.”

Charles-sama is smiling.

Charles-sama’s hands held onto mine tightly.

His warm and gentle hands.
It protected me for two years.

“I will work hard in the rainforest. I will make a lot of new discovery for this country.”

I let go of Charles-sama’s hands.

“Charles-sama. Thank you for being my fiancée.”

Yes. Thank you so much.
After saying this much, I start to laugh and thank him again.

And this time, I ran out of the room without turning back.

I’m free.
I’m going to the rainforest.

I didn’t care who was watching because while running, I jump and yelled:
“I did it!”

________________

Translator’s Note:
* 雨の森 literally translates to rainforest. 雨 = rain 森 = forest. 
**A white marriage is a marriage without consummation. 

*** It didn't really make sense to me but it was パワーゲーム which directly translate to power game.

This part of the chapter was bittersweet to translate. 

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Chapter end