Chapter 14: I don’t remember being proposed to?

“Um, about the engagement; whose story is it?”

It wasn’t Leefe who asked that shyly. It was Easton, the crown prince, albeit with a somewhat vacant expression at the unexpectedly surprising words.

However, coincidentally, Leefe felt the same way.

“Well, with Oliver-sama?”

To Leefe’s question, Oliver smiled sweetly.

“It’s your engagement, Leefe, isn’t it?”

“M-Me!?”

“I see. The formal proposal hasn’t happened yet. Sorry, I got carried away.”

!?

Wait a minute. I have no memory of making such a promise.

(Oh, but didn’t Rene say something like, “You might as well become the bride”? Huh, was that not a joke?)

Confused, Leefe was making a dumbfounded expression, and at the edge of her vision, Leefe’s father appeared. At that moment, numerous, overly intense marriage proposals came to mind.

(That’s right. Father is looking for marriage proposals that are too meddlesome for me. I hate playboys with illegitimate children, caregivers, and those with terrible personalities!)

Just as Leefe thought that, her father, the culprit, interjected Oliver with a perplexed look.

“I am looking for marriage proposals for my daughter Leefe. Tonight at the banquet, I approached Count Cornelius and his family. Therefore, it must be some misunderstanding that Leefe is engaged to you.”

Wait, Father, did you just say the Cornelius Count’s family?

“Oh, the former countess’s mother is reputed to be influential, but the Cornelius Count’s family is also known for the strength of the former countess and her sisters.”

Hearing a familiar name, Leefe was shocked. Even with her father’s expression, she could imagine a family with enough problems.

(In a female-dominated family, they dote on their long-awaited eldest son, subjecting potential fiancées to harsh treatment and creating various legends. In other words, the marriage partner in question is that eldest son!)

“Bullying the bride…”

“Huh?”

“No, it’s nothing, Father.”

Why can’t I find any decent marriage proposals?

If she marries into such a family, Leefe, who wants to be kind to humans, feels like the day will come when she burns down the Count Cornellius mansion. She definitely wants to prevent that.

(But I don’t want a lonely life…)

In her past life, Leefe only had memories of being lonely. Rene was with her, but there was a craving that something was missing. Surely, she thought, it would be fulfilled if she had friends or a lover. But that didn’t happen.

After this banquet, Leefe might escape from the Tarrant Duke’s house before being forced into such intense marriage proposals. However, what awaits her is probably a similar life.

A faint sound reached Leaf’s ears as she stared into the distance.

It wasn’t until she directed her gaze down, following Oliver’s formal words, that she realized the sound was a part of his elaborate attire brushing against the floor.

“Miss Leaf Quin Tarrant.”

Oliver, who had just been giving Easton a stern look moments ago, was now inexplicably kneeling. Moreover, Leefe’s right hand was somehow being held.

“I, Oliver Luke Sinfield, Crown Prince of the Shinwood Empire, vow to make you happy for the rest of our lives. Will you please come with me?”

—Crown Prince? Vow to make me happy for the rest of our lives?

Leefe’s mouth hung open in shock.

not just Leefe. Easton, her parents, and everyone else present in the room were taken aback. The silence was broken by the airy and elusive voice of Aria.

“Sister Leefe, you’re going to marry the Crown Prince of the Shinwood Empire?”

“Crown Prince… Shinwood Empire… This can’t be.”

Leefe froze, chewing over Aria’s words.

(That’s right, was Oliver-sama such a noble person?)

Surprised, Leefe looked again at Oliver. While everyone around was enveloped in confusion, Oliver was earnestly directing his amethyst eyes only at Leefe.

Performing a gesture akin to kissing the tips of Leefe’s held fingers, he whispered in a voice audible only to the two of them.

“I want you to come with me.”

“I-I…”

Despite the circumstances making it seem impossible, for some reason, this proposal felt real, and her heartbeat accelerated. Leefe tried to negate these feelings in her mind.

(I did say I wanted a lover, but a proposal from such a perfect person feels like I might faint!? There must be something hidden, for sure!)

Meanwhile, at the edge of the room, Aria, with tears in her eyes, began pleading, and Leefe’s parents were trying to console her.

“No! I hate it! Sister going so far away… I don’t want that! Father, please do something.”

“But it’s quite challenging to find marriage proposals for Leefe, who had her engagement broken with Prince Easton. There might not be any more suitable matches. Aria, if you wish for Leefe’s happiness, it might be better to let her go.”

“No…! I want Sister to marry someone from the Distoria Kingdom. Even if their family is terrible, Sister can just immerse herself in the Tarrant Duke’s house. There must be many ladies like that…”

Undoubtedly, there weren’t that many.

Aria seemed averse to being separated from Leefe, but Leefe, who had just shattered the illusion of being a “cute sister,” could only sigh.

Although it was a relief that her father was expressing a sensible opinion for once, the situation took a turn with just one word from Aria’s tearful mother, who was crying along.

“You. Aria is so against it and is crying. It would be pitiful to separate the sisters.”

“Indeed, that’s true… Leefe doesn’t seem enthusiastic either. In this case, perhaps your father should handle the marriage proposals.”

I think they’re insane.

(Trouble! At this rate, there’s a possibility that the prospective husband’s home might burn down because of me.)