Chapter 6: The Prince Who Won’t Let Go.

Why was the old me so utterly obsessed with His Highness the Crown Prince?

Certainly, he always placed his duties as Crown Prince first—working tirelessly for the people and the kingdom.
A truly admirable man.
And on top of that, his face was outrageously handsome.

I had let myself get swept away by that gentle smile of his, mistakenly believing I was loved.
But now I understand.

That smile was absolutely nothing more than polite courtesy.

No matter how much I think back on it, his eyes never truly smiled.
It was the exact same expression he wore when surrounded by squealing noble girls fawning over him.

How pathetic I was—trying to eliminate every single woman who approached him.

And when my classmate received the blessing of the Light Spirit King and was recognized as the Saintess…
Even now, remembering how I behaved afterward makes me cringe.

Bullying the Saintess.
Attempting to poison her, no less.

Of course a woman like that was utterly unfit to become the future queen.

I vaguely recall that His Highness showed his natural, genuine smile only toward the Saintess.
With me, our interactions were limited to the bare minimum of fiancé obligations: one thirty-minute tea party per week.

Yet with the Saintess—with Ernest and Cyril joining them as well—he often spent cheerful time together in the central courtyard.

That was precisely why jealousy drove me mad.
I was convinced that I alone was His Highness’s special woman.

This time, however, my body is in this sorry state, and I’ve completely cast aside any lingering romantic feelings for him.

Good. Let’s end the engagement amicably.

If I—the one who secretly resented him—am the one to propose breaking it off, His Highness will surely be delighted.
He’ll be free to grow closer to the Saintess.

────Knock, knock.

Just as I renew my resolve, the door opens and Father peeks inside.

“Ah, Rachel, you’re awake. His Highness, along with Ernest and Cyril, have come to pay their respects.”

Sara helps prop me up, sliding a large cushion behind my back.
From behind Father appear His Highness—wearing that same ever-present smile—followed by Ernest and Cyril.

…Huh? It’s exactly the same as always.
Haven’t they heard about my condition?

The thought crosses my mind, but then I notice Ernest’s and Cyril’s faces are stiff and tense.

Ah. They have heard.
And yet His Highness is keeping his usual composure.
As expected of the future king.

I can’t help but feel a flicker of admiration.

“Are you all right sitting up?”

“Yes… though I don’t have much strength. Please forgive me for receiving you from the bed.”

“No need to worry. I only wanted to see your face—I won’t stay long.”

“I’m terribly sorry for taking up your valuable time when you’re so busy.”

I tried implying Please leave soon, but His Highness remains perfectly unruffled.
Worse—he actually says to the others, “You can wait downstairs,” and sends Father, Ernest, and Cyril out of the room.

To Sara as well: “If anything happens I’ll call. Please wait just outside the door.”

Sara casts me one worried glance, but she has no choice but to obey the Crown Prince’s words.

Now the room holds only me and His Highness.

…This feels incredibly awkward.

He pulls a nearby chair right up beside the bed and sits down.

I’ve seen your face now—you can leave anytime!
But of course I can’t actually say that.
All I can manage is a weak, powerless smile.

“The Marquis told me about your condition.
It must be very hard on you, Rachel. Such a regrettable turn of events.”

“No… actually, I even think this is for the best.”

My response is apparently so unexpected that His Highness—the man who always smiles—widens his eyes in genuine surprise.

Oh? A rare expression.
So he can make normal faces too.

The fact that I can observe him this calmly proves it: my feelings for him really are gone.

“Why is that?”

“After becoming like this, I realized something.
I had been overconfident in my own power.”

“Overconfident? Even without mana, you still have status and a sharp mind.”

“No, it’s not about those things.
It’s that I was sorely lacking as a person.”

“Hmm.”

His Highness lets the smile fade.
He narrows his eyes slightly, studying me with a probing look.
Crossing his long legs, he shifts in his seat and silently urges me to continue.

“I was your fiancée.
But all I ever saw was the surface of you.
The same goes for the kingdom itself.
I never once tried to understand what kind of people live here, or what they truly want.”

“You’re regretting that now?”

“Yes.
I’ve lost my mana, and my body no longer moves as I wish… but in exchange, I’ve come to notice people’s kindness.”

“You’re accepting this awfully quickly.”

“I noticed the mana depletion immediately, and I have my own suspicions about the cause.
Though I’m truly sorry to my parents and everyone who helps me.”

“You won’t tell me the cause?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“I see.
Then whenever you feel like talking about it, tell me.”

His Highness gives a single nod, as though something about my vague answers has satisfied him.
I lift my gaze, stare directly into his eyes, steel myself, and speak.

“Your Highness, I believe there is no need for you to keep someone like me as your fiancée.

Therefore… I would like to propose that we—”

“Understood.
In that case, from now on I shall visit you frequently.”

“…Huh? No, what I’m saying is, the engagement—”

“It’s unfortunate that we can’t attend the academy together anymore.
Still, between student council duties and my responsibilities as Crown Prince, I won’t be able to come every day, but—”

“Um, Your Highness—”

“I’ll tell you all about what’s happening at the academy too.
You said earlier that you only saw the surface of me.
Well, the same was true for me.
From now on, let’s talk more—truly get to know each other.”

The way he keeps interrupting me doesn’t match the old him at all—the one who used to smile politely while half-listening, half-tuning out my boring chatter.
I almost wonder if this really is the same person.

Ignoring my growing confusion, His Highness stands as though the conversation has concluded.
He strides quickly toward the door.

Then, hand on the knob, he turns back—and for the first time, I see a bright, genuine, delighted smile on his face.

“Ah, one more thing.
You spoke in the past tense just now—’I was your fiancée.’
But you are still my one and only fiancée.

I have no intention of listening to any talk of breaking it off anytime soon, so keep that in mind.”

With a casual “See you later,” he leaves the room just like that.

Left behind, I can only sit frozen on the bed in stunned silence.

…Huh?

He’s not breaking off the engagement?

…Haaaaaaa—?!