Chapter 1 - Volume 01; Act 01 – Part 01 (1/2)

Volume 01; Act 01 – Part 01

Act 01: Fake Fiancée

When I heard the sounds of familiar laughter, I nearly missed my step on the ladder.

I looked down in surprise and saw two figures outside in the royal palace’s inner garden through the window that had been opened for ventilation. I know one of them well.

He is His Highness Christopher, the first heir to the throne of the Southlynd Kingdom.

He is 21. The wise and great Crown Prince who is entrusted with the future of this kingdom.

His Highness makes the most of his outstanding features and attracts young girls to ladies of marriageable age. Cunning nobles with clear judgement and foresight also follow him. He is also famous for carrying himself with the majesty of a king even though he is young.

I can’t believe that the Crown Prince, who carries himself as the Crown Prince and doesn’t let his guard down, would laugh lightly like this.

He’s defenceless ―――.

I’m stunned by this sight because I have stayed by his side and served him for four years, so I know his personality well.

Even His Highness is the son of man. Sometimes he would laugh, and he also joked and looked his age. But that is only when he is with his inner circle.

The royal palace is a place where people scheme against others, and although this was the inner garden, he was acting defenceless in a place where others could see him, and seeing this made my heart pierce with a sharp pain.

I sighed quietly.

The time has come.

◊♦◊♦◊♦◊

My name is Elianna Bernstein.

The daughter of a noble house which was granted the title of Marquis, but I have a title that the other ladies don’t.

That title is ‘fiancée of His Highness Christopher, first heir to the throne of Southlynd Kingdom’.

Four years ago at the age of 14, I stepped out of our remote fief and came to the glamorous royal capital for my high society debut. For some reason, Prince Christopher proposed that I stay by his side as his fiancée while I was overwhelmed by the dazzling ladies.

The Bernstein House is a Marquis House, but they were the lowest and even more inferior than Earls who hold power. Why was a daughter from such a House chosen as the fiancée of the Crown Prince―――?

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the type of romance that would make women around the world happy. It also wasn’t because he wanted me by his side because I was gorgeous ――― nor did he fall in love with his dream girl.

I have light wavy blonde hair, and faint grey eyes. Even if my family and relatives tell me that my appearance is cute, my appearance isn’t generally liked by people because they give me shameful nicknames.

Prince Christopher has dazzling blonde hair, eyes like the clear blue sky and handsome features. He is the exact opposite of me, and the room lights up just from him being there.

The reason why such a girl had been chosen as the fiancée for the Crown Prince who marriageable ladies long for… is simply because I was convenient.

My family doesn’t belong to any factions in the palace, so there are no nasty power struggles within my family. And neither my father nor brother are interested in political power (――― in a sense, they might fail as nobles in court).

And, because I didn’t have a special someone who reciprocated my love, my house was singled out as a way to alter the recent faction power struggles in court.

When we had first met, Prince Christopher said with his dazzling appearance, “… Miss Elianna, all you have to do is stay by my side and read books.”

For generations, my family has been famous for our love of books. The regional library at our fief, which was built by my ancestors, is opened to the public. Our library contains books of various topics and treasured rare books collected by the generations of Marquises, and is said to rival the royal palace library.

People of the Bernstein family are said to be eccentric people who prefer books over three meals a day, and I am no exception. I grew up being buried in books even before I could read or write.

The nickname which was given to me, who loves unknown books more than the dresses and jewellery that women like, is… not bookworm, but 『Princess Bibliophile』. Usually, it is a nickname that would make people grieve in shame.