Rules of engagement

“I apologize, Lady Lumiere. However, I wish to annul our engagement.”

Whoa…I didn’t expect to witness drama on my first day in the capital.

When I received the invitation for all young nobles to attend some weird social gathering, I went along out of curiosity, surprised they would invite me – the son of a backwater baron – at all. But now I regretted answering the summons. Tightening my grip on the book I had just bought, I wished I had stayed in the bookstore instead.

The host, supposedly the person who delivered the invitation (obviously, his servants were the ones handing out the exquisitely crafted envelopes), was none other than his highness Prince Leonard Rifenhart himself, second in line to the throne.

His sapphire eyes sparkled in the brilliant light of the hall he had rented for this little farce, and his wavy blond hair stirred gently in the artificial breeze that kept the interior cool through esoteric means. Dressed in a fancy blue, white, and silver suit that complemented his golden locks, complete with a shining sword scabbarded at his hip, he appeared every inch the consummate royal.

I was more preoccupied with the drama unfolding before me. The “victim,” Prince Leonard’s now ex-fiancée, was simply watching him with piercing ruby eyes. Her long, silky black hair stretched beyond her waist, framing striking features that appeared sculpted from marble. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful person present.

And that was even when considering the intense competition in the form of dozens of other noble ladies, all dressed in fashionably luxurious gowns. Arrays of accessories and jewelry hung from their arms and necks, the deep-set gemstones glowing. Many of them clung to equally ostentatiously dressed noble guys, who were draped in military-style jackets and sporting swords – most of which, I suspected, hadn’t been drawn before.

In contrast, Lumiere Ombre wore a relatively simple red dress with black frills that matched her eyes, and was bereft of jewelry.

Rounding out the odd cast – and the primary cause of the annulment – was the bright girl next to Prince Leonard. Though plain when compared to the other noble ladies, her cheerful features, neat silver hair reminiscent of snow, and gentle violet eyes were indisputably cute. Her simple dress and lack of adornment, unlike the expensive fabric used for Lumiere’s dress, indicated that she was a commoner. She looked out of place and appeared extremely uncomfortable, her eyes darting away to avoid the gazes of the young nobles present. However, on the few occasions she raised her head, I could see steely resolve.

Especially now. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and bowed her head humbly.

“I deeply apologize, Lady Lumiere,” she said, her voice bright and clear, almost melodic. I was reminded of a windchime. If this was a webnovel, she would certainly be considered a Mary Sue character, with flowers and rainbows blooming in the background. I shielded my eyes instinctively, aghast by how dazzling she was. I had watched enough otome anime to guess that there must be something special about her. Otherwise, there was no reason for a commoner to be standing by the second prince’s side.

“You have no reason to apologize, Silvia,” Leonard said, his tone softening. He turned to Lumiere and lowered his head, much to the shock and gasps of the other nobles present. “If anything, I should be the one to offer my apologies.”

I suppressed my exasperation, exhaling through gritted teeth to minimize the noise. Could that idiot couple stop snatching guilt from each other and get to the point already?

Lumiere appeared to be similarly impatient. Crossing her arms, she cleared her throat. Leonard and Silvia stiffened and turned back to face her.

“Yes, as I said, I’m afraid I have to annul our engagement. I…I know it is shameful, but I have found someone else.”

Stifled laughter and sneers filled the vast hall, the other young nobles enjoying the spectacle of public humiliation.

“About time. Finally, his highness saw the light.”

“I know she’s a duke’s daughter, but I never understood why the royal family ever agreed to the engagement. They should have broken it off years ago, when they found out she couldn’t use magic.”

“Look at that black hair…so creepy. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s a witch in disguise.”

“Even so, why did his highness choose a commoner over a future duchess?”

“Should have picked one of us, instead of some random commoner lady.”

Despite the scorn surrounding her, Lumiere remained unmoved. She kept her gaze ahead, as if waiting for Leonard and Silvia to continue. The silver-haired commoner was flustered, looking around, as if she hadn’t anticipated the mockery.

“P…please! Don’t say such horrible things!”

“Why not?”

“It’s the truth, after all.”

“Even though you’re a mere commoner, you’re pretty bold for talking back to us.”

“Your highness, why are you keeping such a plain lady with no lineage by your side?”

“And what’s wrong with calling a failure who can’t use magic useless?”

“Not to mention, that black hair is a sign of corruption.”

“There’s no evidence that black hair is connected to black magic!” Silvia cried, perfectly fulfilling her role as the distraught heroine who only harbored pure thoughts. Unfortunately, the nobles dismissed her because of her status, and piled on the jeers. Unintimidated, she took a deep breath. “We’re only concerned for Lady Lumiere.”

“That is correct.” Leonard nodded, and his gaze hardened. “I beg your pardon, Lady Lumiere, but so long as you cannot use magic, you’ll not be able to fulfill your duties as a royal consort. It will be dangerous for you to navigate the intricacies of the capital and carry out ambassadorial tasks.” He gestured to Silvia. “In contrast, Silvia has been recognized by the Church as a Saintess candidate. Her holy powers were verified by the Archbishop himself.”

The silver-haired girl tilted her head slightly, her hands clasped over her bosom as if in prayer. Everyone gasped when they saw the golden mana that suffused her. The glowing wisps were weak at first, but they gradually rose and formed an image of the goddess. Several clapped.

“The Saintess! The Saintess has appeared among us!”

“With this, we have no need to fear the demons!”

“She truly is worthy of being the prince his highness’s bride!”

I rolled my eyes. Of course there would be a Saintess and demons in a fantasy world. What was next, a villainess? Also, didn’t his highness say she was merely a candidate? I supposed the details didn’t really matter. If she was the only candidate, the title was as good as hers.

Despite their original misgivings against a commoner, the weight of the Church and the manifestation of the rare holy magic were more than enough to cause a dramatic 180-degree turn in the young nobles’ attitudes. Typical.

“Please…I still have many shortcomings,” Silvia mumbled, embarrassed. She turned and tried to wave away the radiant image of the goddess, but for all of her feeble attempts, she might as well be swatting a fly with bare hands. “And I will need to rely on everyone, going forward. Please lend me your strength to better defend our beloved kingdom.”

“And so humble too…”

“As you can see,” Leonard said to his ex-fiancée. “I am not making this decision lightly. The person who will become my wife must also bear heavy responsibilities, especially the burden of protecting the kingdom. Without magic, you’ll only…”

“I am aware of my limitations, and have no objections to the annulment.”

I raised an eyebrow. Lumiere was unnaturally calm. I had expected a girl her age to be outraged at losing the second prince as a fiancé, or at least break down into tears, pleading for him to reconsider. However, she remained stoic, and whatever thoughts she harbored lay concealed beneath an indifferent facade. No…it wasn’t simply indifference. I thought I caught a hint of…anticipation?

“Thank you for your understanding.” Leonard looked immensely relieved. He cleared his throat and retrieved a scroll from his extravagant coat, which appeared woven from the fur of some great beast and threaded with gleaming gold. “We will naturally compensate you for this inconvenience, of course.”

A hushed murmur swept across the hall.

“She doesn’t deserve that.”

“His highness is so generous…I wouldn’t have bothered.”

Ignoring the peanut gallery, I focused on the contract scroll, which had piqued my curiosity. Squinting through my glasses, I caught sight of runes encircling the rolled-up parchment, rotating in an arcane arrangement.

Was that…?

“We’ll offer you ten thousand gold, as well as your own domain. The province of Atlytta…you’ll be granted lordship over its town.”

“Atlytta is located to the west, surrounded by mountains and valleys,” Silvia added to Leonard’s proclamation. “It’s far from any battlefronts, so you’ll be safe there. It’s also a very beautiful town with lush scenery, and many artists travel there to paint landscapes.”

She didn’t mention that it was also very remote, cut off from the rest of the kingdom, and distant from the capital. I frowned.

“If you’re concerned about Duke Ombre,” Leonard said. “We have also already reached out to your father, and he has agreed.”

“Of course. That man has no interest in my affairs whatsoever. To him, I’m nothing more than a burden.”

Lumiere’s voice, though almost a whisper, was filled with bitterness. I couldn’t help but be taken aback by the vehemence in her words.

“All you need to do is sign this contract, and the money and territory will be yours.”

The corners of Lumiere’s mouth twitched. Was she holding back her anger? It was admirable that she had refrained from any outburst, but it appeared she was reaching her limits. On the other hand, I was unable to contain my outrage any longer, and the jittering and tittering of the noble crowd only served to increase my ire. This was clearly public humiliation, no matter how you looked at it. Worse…

“Excuse my interruption, but you’re effectively exiling Lady Lumiere, aren’t you?”

Everyone turned to stare at me. I dropped my book on the floor and strode forward, pushing past the crowd who circled the stars of the show.

“Who the hell does he think he is?”

“Who is that?”

“I don’t recognize him…”

“He has the same black hair as Lady Lumiere…is he in league with her? A fellow warlock, perhaps?”

“From the look of his clothes and those nerdy glasses, he must be a backwater noble.”

“Hah! Look, he’s also carrying a book. Maybe ‘bookwater noble’ is more fitting.”

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing…?” Lumiere began, but I was already stepping past her and toward the stunned prince.

“If I may?” I asked, and without waiting for his reply, I seized the contract and made a show of studying it. Thankfully, Leonard had made this a private gathering for young nobles only, so there were no guards present. Otherwise, I would never have been able to get this close to the second prince.

The runes expanded and spun around the scroll in wider orbits, a visual display that caused the other nobles to gasp and gawk. Ignoring them, I continued. “This isn’t a simple contract, but a geas. If Lady Lumiere signs it, she’ll be prohibited from setting foot in the capital again.”

My eyes narrowed as I swept my gaze across the gathered spectators. So there was a reason why Leonard and Silvia invited all of us nobles, including a backwater baron’s son like me. They required us to serve as witnesses so that the geas would take effect. It was a requirement for the magic contract ritual, and not because the couple reveled in humiliating Lumiere in public. Even so, that did not alter the outcome.

“It’s…it’s for her own good!” Silvia spluttered. “You…you don’t understand! It’s for her protection!”

“No matter how you phrase it, you’re exiling her to a distant province and forbidding her from returning to the capital. She will not be able to petition the court, seek royal protection, attend court functions, or even step into the capital’s gates, because you’ve effectively bound her with this geas.”

As if to prove my point, I dismantled the enchantment with a gesture, shattering the runes and returning the parchment to normal.

“If it’s truly for Lady Lumiere’s protection, there is no need to go that far, right?”

“...exiling her after annulling her engagement in public?”

“I personally will be happy if Lady Lumiere never steps foot in the capital again, but even I think this is excessive…”

“Just keep her away and out of sight, no need to actually banish her to some remote territory in the mountains…”

In a single stroke, I had somehow reversed the opinions of the young nobles and garnered pity for Lumiere. Now, everyone would be on her side. I snuck a glance at her surreptitiously. She was clenching her fists and trembling…presumably from the effort of holding back tears. She must be so moved.

“Hang on…am I the only one wondering how the hell that backwater noble is able to instantly dismantle a geas?”

“What did he do? I’ve never seen magic like that before.”

There appeared to be curiosity directed at me. Well, I was a reincarnator. It was only natural I had a cheat too…surprisingly, my ability was related to my being a literature major in my previous life. I was even on the verge of getting my PhD…before I got hit by a truck.

Damn it…I couldn’t catch a break.

“Perhaps you have a point,” Leonard conceded. I was taken aback. I had expected him to respond indignantly, berating me for challenging his authority or outraged that I had exposed his schemes. But he simply looked thoughtful. Maybe it was because he realized public opinion had turned against him. Even so, he had to preserve some semblance of authority, and his tone turned sharp. “Your manner is crude, and you speak out of turn…”

I winced from the reprimand and lowered my head, but he continued, his tone softening.

“...but that does not diminish the truth of your words. This is indeed excessive. I shall reconsider the details of compensation.”

“We should probably remove the territory part,” Silvia said reluctantly. She lowered her voice. “But we’ll need to beef up security around the capital.”

Leonard nodded. “I’ll handle that.”

…what the hell did security have to do with anything? Did they consider Lumiere a threat to the capital? Or was it about keeping the Saintess safe?

“Thank you for bringing up this matter.” Leonard accepted the scroll back. “We have nearly committed an act of injustice unbefitting the royal family. Allow me to express my gratitude.”

“Not at all.” I pushed my glasses back up my nose and retrieved my book from the floor, dusting the cover. “If that’s all, then I’ll take my leave. I have other things to tend to.”

Ignoring the whispers and gossip that followed, and trying to shrug off the intense gazes – I wasn’t surprised that they were making remarks about my black hair being suspicious and therefore I was in league with Lumiere – I exited the hall. Letting out a sigh of relief, I turned down the road and made my way back to the bookstore. There were a couple of titles that had caught my eye before I was forced to urgently leave for the second prince’s invitation.

“Stop right there.”

I hadn’t gotten very far when a familiar but strong voice called out to me. Turning, I spotted Lumiere striding toward me, her long skirt slightly hitched up. I raised my hand.

“No need to thank…”

Before I could finish my sentence, I was suddenly jerked forward as Lumiere grabbed my collar. Glaring at me, her ruby eyes flaring with rage, she hissed through gritted teeth.

“Why couldn’t you have minded your own business?!”