Your Highness, The Lady You’ve Abandoned IS the Saintess!

Around the time while Aileen was receiving her scolding from Selma.

‘….noisy.’

The vice-captain of the Second Regiment of the Knight Order, the second son of Duke Jenner, raised his face from the book he was reading and pitilessly hurled abuse towards his crestfallen friend.

The friend in question was none other than the first prince, the next in line to the throne, Maynard, who raised his face from his arms sprawled at the table.

‘So cruel, Berland! Shouldn’t you be comforting me here?’

Since yesterday, Maynard has continuously gone to his former fiancée, Lady Aileen Conrad, in his attempts to curry her favor, but today’s ventures ended in tragic failure too.

Maynard is currently staying at the royal family’s villa within the Conrad duchy.

He used to often go to the duchy to spend the off-seasons together with Aileen, being her fiancée since her birth, and the abovementioned royal villa was built for his sojourns. 

If you ask Berland, up until this moronic prince broke her engagement with the ducal lady, the two looked to be harmonious pairs—although they appeared to be more like friends than lovers—at any rate, they were getting along well.

‘Why should I console you? Even Orphe was considerably angry, and I was rather appalled too.’

Berland indifferently replied, making Maynard prostate on the table’s surface anew.

Orphe, which is short Orpheus, is Aileen’s second older brother. Orpheus, Berland, and Maynard are all twenty-two years of age, and having the same age, the three of them have gotten along well in the past one way or another. ‘In the past’, because Maynard’s recent transgression had severely earned Orpheus’s fury. 

Berland even sympathized with the young lord when Orpheus refused to hear the prince’s explanation and only openly warned him not to show his face for a while or fists will fly. Berland thought that if his younger sister were likewise to be put through the same ordeal, he would mercilessly pummel the perpetrator’s face with his fists. He believes that Orpheus must have exercised severe patience to not have jumped at the prince.

‘Well, I didn’t have any choice…’

Maynard peevishly said, this time earning his sympathy. 

There was a particular reason why Maynard broke off his engagement with the ducal lady.

‘If only Lady Sania passed on after the wedding instead…’

Sania was the name of late wife of the king’s younger brother; the aforementioned departed saintess. If she had died much later, Maynard wouldn’t have been caught in the royal mess.

‘Couldn’t you have just told Aileen the truth?’

Maynard’s face rose from his arms.

‘…I’d rather she hate me for being a scoundrel instead. If I told her beforehand, she’ll just accept it and say that ‘it couldn’t be helped’. I didn’t want to hear that from her. If it comes to that, I’d rather she begrudge me instead..’

‘Well, I’m sorry to say, but I don’t quite follow the logic.’

But then again, Berland couldn’t fault him for this, Maynard’s personality considered. This friend of his right here, has always been a dreadfully awkward individual.

‘It’s not too late. Just tell her.’

‘…No thanks.’

‘Why?’

‘If I tell her the reason now, she’ll likewise say that I couldn’t have done any better. I don’t want her to get back with me by compromise.’

‘Are you stupid?’

‘Shut up! I don’t like it so I won’t.’

Berland deeply sighs.

‘So you say, but can you really do with being earnest right now? You were thrown to the bottom of the ocean. If you keep being mindful with appearances, she might just get seized away.’

‘…she already was.’

‘What!?’

‘The name’s Firman Adler. The holy knight who is apparently, her new lover.’

‘A holy knight!? …That’s the worst possible outcome.’

Berland caressed his forehead and turned his eyes to the ceiling.

‘I won’t accept it.’

‘Your acceptance can only do so much, Aileen will still do as she pleases.’

‘…Aileen was mine just a while ago!’

‘But you are now both unrelated to one another.’

‘I hate you so much.’

Maynard has completely become sullen and turned to the table’s surface for a friend.

After calling out his now growing more irresolute friend for being an annoyance, Berland rose from his seat.

‘I don’t really care for your reconciliation with Aileen, but it’s a different story if the man in question is a holy knight.’

Berland’s shoulders droop low and he wondered just how did things develop in the most tedious direction. He exits the room leaving his timid friend behind.