“Huh?”
Whipke looked bewildered.
“She can’t move her arms? She can’t speak…?”
Prince Gied tilted his head.
“Marlene, accompanied by her father, Duke Eiraus, came to me, the headmaster, half a year ago. She had been cursed by someone, rendering her hands immobile and unable to speak. Still, she had the desire to learn, so she asked to attend the academy despite the inconvenience… Remember, this was half a year ago.”
I nodded quietly at the words of the school principal Eduard.
“Thanks to the appeal from Marlene’s classmates, I’ve been watching your actions for a while now. Aiming to break off the engagement by blaming Marlene, and raising a girl from a mere baron’s family to be the Second Prince’s wife… That’s the scheme you’ve been working on. I’ve already reported your deeds to my brother… His Majesty the King.”
“What?! Uncle!”
Headmaster Eduard looked around at everyone, not just the prince.
“Let everyone hear this. The formal announcement will be made by His Majesty the King at a later date, but the engagement between Second Prince Gied Waldemar Gapehart and Marlene Benedicta Eiraus, the daughter of Duke Eiraus, is canceled. And Gied, you will lose your right to the throne and live in Miss Whipke’s baronial home. You should be happy, Gied. You’ve been allowed to marry the woman you love.”
“Lose the right to the throne… and live in a baron’s home? That’s a joke, right, uncle?”
“It’s no joke. Oh, and Miss Whipke has an older brother who has already inherited the barony. So, Gied will not gain the position of a baron. Instead, he’ll be the husband of the sister of a baron, with no position or status. Just a freeloader. Ah, I’ve already given some money to Miss Whipke’s brother as compensation and to cover Gied’s living expenses. You two can rely on their support. If you don’t like that, take the civil or knight exams and make a living that way. The exams are open to both commoners and nobles. If you can demonstrate your ability, you can succeed. Well, you won’t have the support of the royal family, though.”
“That’s… absurd… If I’m not there, the throne will…”
“First Prince Ernest is already the Crown Prince, and Crown Princess Elise is currently pregnant. A new life will be born next year, making the Second Prince, who served as a backup to the Crown Prince, unnecessary. Even if something were to happen to the Crown Prince and his wife, there are many siblings of His Majesty the King with rights to the throne. I’ve long given up my rights, though… Anyway, our country won’t suffer from the exile of just one royal like Gied.”
There are indeed many people with rights to the throne. His Majesty the King has many siblings, and there’s a limit to how many duchies can be granted… So when Headmaster Eduard publicly abandoned his claim to the throne to focus on his magical research, it was rumoured that he was granted the position of headmaster as a reward.
Gied, the Second Prince, had been a backup for the Crown Prince, but someone who would cause a public engagement scandal like this is certainly not needed in the royal family.
“Oh, by the way, Gied. Your belongings have already been moved from the royal palace to Miss Whipke’s family home. There’s no room for you at the palace anymore.”
The school principal Edouard clapped his hands and called for the security guards. “These two are in the way. Put them on a carriage or something and quickly send them to Miss Whipke’s family home.” As Prince Gied and Miss Whipke were dragged away, Eduard waved his hand goodbye. …Um, without my knowledge, for some reason, the school principal Eduard worked behind the scenes and our engagement was dissolved. Moreover, Prince Gied will be staying with Miss Whipke’s family, who are barons… Oh dear, my efforts in writing notes were all in vain. Well, it’s fine…
