Chapter 4

Rebecca Valencia.

The only daughter of the Valencia Duchy, one of the two ducal families in the Empire. A genius girl who has been praised for her exceptional talent since childhood.

Whether it’s swordsmanship or magic, she has shown outstanding talent in all kinds of fields. So much so that she even surpassed her own tutors.

It was no wonder that others envied or praised her.

But right now, the mood of the otherwise perfect Princess Rebecca was far from good.

In fact, she was trembling with irritation, her body shaking uncontrollably.

“……Albert Zernias.”

The reason was her fiancé, Albert Zernias, whom she had just met today.

“Rebecca, your fiancé will be visiting today.”

“……”

When she first heard from her mother that her fiancé, whom she had never even seen before, was coming, her mood had already soured.

After all, her opinion had not been included in this arranged engagement that had been decided for her since childhood.

She had known that she had a fiancé since she was young, but knowing about misfortune and actually facing it were two very different things.

It’s like knowing there are strange rumors about you and actually overhearing people gossiping behind your back—it’s not the same.

In any case, for these reasons, her mood was already bad before meeting her fiancé. And after actually seeing him, it only got worse. There was no way it could have gotten better.

The reason she was trembling right now was because of her fiancé, Albert.

“Greetings, I am Albert Zernias from the Zernias Count Family.”

The first impression of her fiancé, who introduced himself simply and greeted her and her mother, wasn’t bad. His neatly combed black hair, and his clear, black eyes that seemed to reflect her when he looked at her.

He wasn’t drop-dead handsome, but he was above average in looks.

“……Why are you staring at me like that? It’s annoying.”

“……”

Despite that, she coldly asked him why he was staring at her, thinking it was the best way to get out of the engagement. By making Albert think she hated him, she hoped he would initiate the annulment himself.

It did feel a bit guilty to say something hurtful to someone she had just met, but she thought that dragging out this engagement would only hurt her fiancé, not her. So she held back her guilt and said something harsh.

……But now that she thought about it, there was no reason to feel sorry.

“Duchess, may I have a moment alone with the Princess?”

“……?”

Her fiancé turned out to be much more of a lunatic than she had expected.

When Albert first asked her mother to leave the room, Rebecca looked at him in confusion.

There was nothing to gain from her mother leaving the room. In fact, her mother, the Duchess of Valencia, was more on Albert’s side than hers.

So why would he ask her to leave? It seemed like a situation that would benefit her more.

But after seeing the determined look in Albert’s eyes, she realized she had been wrong.

His fierce gaze was filled with a competitive spirit, as if he was ready to fight to the death.

“……Mother?”

That’s why she grabbed her mother’s sleeve.

If her mother left the reception room now, she could easily imagine what would happen to her.

“Rebecca, if you cause any more trouble for the Prince, you’ll be grounded.”

“……”

But her mother’s response was as cold as the words she had said to her fiancé.

“Take care of our Rebecca, Prince.”

“It won’t take long.”

With those words, her mother left the reception room, leaving Rebecca alone with Albert.

Now that her mother was gone, and only she and her fiancé remained in the reception room, Rebecca, fearing what Albert might do, blurted out angrily.

“I don’t know why you sent my mother away, but if you try anything weird, I’ll cut your hand off.”

“……”

At first, Albert looked taken aback by her sharp words, but he quickly composed himself and replied.

“Weird? I would never think of such a thing, Princess Rebecca.”

Her fiancé claimed he had no such thoughts.

Of course, she didn’t believe him. If he hadn’t thought of anything, why would he send her mother away?

And then came Albert’s proposal.

“How about we make a bet? If you win, I’ll leave this room and annul the engagement immediately.”

Annulment. That was exactly what she wanted, but the fact that the word came from her fiancé’s mouth and the suspicious nature of the bet made her hesitate.

“……And why should I accept that proposal? If I ask my father, it might take some time, but we’ll eventually annul the engagement.”

Her judgment was very rational.

Her father, the Duke of Valencia, was a very noble man, but he wasn’t so cold as to force his daughter into an engagement she didn’t want. If she asked him, he would surely agree, even if it took some time.

Just as she was feeling satisfied with her rational decision, Albert’s words began to get under her skin.

“Is the great Princess Rebecca of Valencia scared of a mere Count’s son like me? That’s disappointing.”

With a look of great disappointment, Albert asked if she was scared.

“……Are you looking down on me? Fine, I’ll take your bet.”

She knew it was a trap, but she couldn’t help but take the bait.

Even though her first impression of Albert wasn’t bad, she still thought he was beneath her.

The thought of someone she considered inferior looking down on her made her blood boil.

“It’s simple. If you win a staring contest against me, I’ll admit defeat and request the annulment from the Duke.”

“……A staring contest?”

“Yes, a staring contest.”

“You mean that game commoners play?”

Hearing Albert’s proposal, Rebecca inwardly laughed at him.

At first, she thought she had misheard. When he said he wanted to make a bet, she expected something grand, but it turned out to be a childish staring contest.

“Are you seriously proposing a commoner’s game as a bet? How far are you willing to humiliate me?”

“So, are you not going to do it?”

“No, I’ll do it.”

As soon as she accepted the proposal, Albert revealed his true intentions.

“If I win, you’ll have to sincerely apologize for what you said earlier.”

“……So that’s your goal.”

She had suspected there was something else behind his childish proposal, but she didn’t expect him to still be holding onto her earlier words. Her fiancé was not only a lunatic but also petty.

“So, are you not going to do it?”

“Let’s just get it over with.”

She couldn’t pass up the chance to annul the engagement so easily. Besides, she didn’t think she could lose a staring contest to Albert.

So she accepted his proposal and the staring contest began.

“……I win, Princess.”

“There’s no way……”

And she lost.

Of course, she was furious.

She had been winning the entire time, but then Albert blew air into her eyes.

Her eyes, which had been open for so long, couldn’t withstand the sudden attack.

She glared at Albert, as if to ask what kind of trick this was, but Albert shamelessly replied.

“Did I ever say blowing air was against the rules?”

He acted as if such a rule didn’t exist, showing no intention of giving her any leeway.

“Are you not going to apologize?”

“Ha, you want an apology after winning with such a cheap trick?”

Thinking this outcome was unacceptable, Rebecca refused to apologize.

“If you say so, then I’ll spread the rumor that you attacked me.”

“……Wait, what did you say?”

She couldn’t believe her ears.

What kind of nonsense was this?

“That’s ridiculous… That’s a lie!”

She couldn’t understand Albert’s threat to spread false rumors.

“What does it matter? Only you and I know what happened in this room.”

“……”

Unfortunately, her fiancé wasn’t someone who followed common sense.

In the end, she had no choice but to surrender.

“……What do I have to do?”

“I already told you. Apologize sincerely for what you said earlier.”

Apologizing was the last thing she wanted to do, but she couldn’t let such a scandalous rumor spread among the gossip-loving nobles.

“……Fine.”

She apologized in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

“The person who was shouting at me earlier is now speaking softer than an ant’s footsteps.”

“……”

“If you don’t apologize properly, I’ll have the newspapers connected to our Count Family publish that you attacked me.”

Of course, her fiancé wasn’t going to let it go so easily.

“I’m sorry for saying you were annoying when I first saw you!”

In the end, Rebecca had to apologize with tears in her eyes.

It was humiliating. She had never felt so humiliated in her life.

“Princess, I accept your apology. Out of consideration for my fiancée, Princess Rebecca, I will forgive you this time.”

“……”

As if that wasn’t enough, Albert continued to rub salt in the wound.

“……Just you wait.”

All she could do was tremble with anger and mutter a cliché villain line.

“You want to see me again? I’m touched, Princess.”

“……”

After one last jab, her fiancé left the reception room.

Thud! Thud!

She began punching the innocent sofa cushions.

“……Albert Zernias.”

She vowed never to forget this humiliation.