Chapter 18: Breakfast with Royalty.

The princes gradually excused themselves one by one, each pulled away by pressing duties.
Before Amelia realized it, only Sarju remained.

Yet he showed no sign of concern, continuing to pore over the data with unwavering focus.

“Amelia—what was the rainfall amount this month?”

“Yes—here. I’ve also noted the temperatures.”

She had always loved organizing data like this.

But her father disliked dealing with precise figures, so the records she had secretly kept since childhood had simply gathered dust in the manor warehouse.
To have them actually used like this filled her with quiet joy.

“Ah—so last year’s slightly lower temperatures are why the new wheat variety yielded more.”

“Yes. The Renia territory lies quite far north. In the past, cold damage occasionally wiped out entire harvests. We’ve always taken some precautions, but with this new variety…”

A knock at the reception room door interrupted them both.

Sarju called out, and Est entered.

When he saw the papers scattered around Amelia and Sarju, he gave a helpless laugh.

“You’ve been at it since then? It’s already dark outside.”

“Eh?”

Startled, Amelia glanced toward the window.
Sure enough—the sky had turned completely black.

“It’s already this late… I’m so sorry. I got completely carried away.”

She was staying in the academy dormitory.
She couldn’t afford to stay out overnight without permission.

“Julius already contacted the dormitory for you, so don’t worry. Dinner is ready—both of you need to eat properly.”

“…Later.”

Sarju muttered without lifting his eyes from the documents.
Est turned his gaze to Amelia.

“With Lady Amelia here, that isn’t an option.”

At those words, Sarju looked up as though suddenly remembering her presence and began tidying the papers.

“I understand. Amelia—shall we go?”

“…Yes. Thank you.”

To dine in the royal palace felt far too presumptuous.

She had intended to refuse at first.
But if she declined, Sarju likely would too.

“Lady Amelia is an honored guest.”

Est smiled, clearly pleased with her acceptance.

But—

(To think they would all be here…)

In the dining room they were led to, Crown Prince Alexis waited—along with his wife, Crown Princess Sophia.
Julius was also present, the three of them clearly having waited for Sarju and Amelia to arrive.

Alexis’s wife, Sophia—daughter of Duke Pirea—had married him last year.

She was a refined beauty with silver hair and blue eyes.
Noticing Amelia’s obvious bewilderment, she gently beckoned her closer.

“I’m sorry. When I heard Sarju had brought such a lovely girl, I simply had to meet you.”

“N-no—Your Highness Crown Princess Sophia, it is my honor to meet you.”

“Fufu. Please call me Sophia. There’s no need to be so tense. This is just a family dinner.”

To Sophia, perhaps it was merely a meal with her husband and brothers-in-law.
But to Amelia, everyone present was royalty.
The food was undoubtedly exquisite—yet tension robbed her of any sense of taste.

After the meal, as dessert and tea were served, Julius reported that he had begun proceedings to dissolve his engagement.
When he explained the reasons, both Alexis and Est visibly darkened with anger.

“So the daughter of Marquis Kiedari was that sort of person.”

Alexis’s expression grew stern.
Est nodded in agreement.

“They had been engaged for a long time, but there was hardly any real interaction. Still—in Julius’s case, he’ll need to settle on a new fiancée quickly, or it will become troublesome.”

“Father said the same. He hasn’t made any formal announcement yet. It’s a hassle, but it must be done soon.”

“…Um.”

Amelia spoke up hesitantly.

Was it really safe to discuss royal family matters so openly in front of an outsider like her?
Julius turned to her with a bright smile.

“Would you like to volunteer, Amelia?”

“Absolutely not!”

She denied it frantically—such a jest, even in play, was far too presumptuous.

For some reason Sarju looked distinctly displeased.
His brothers watched with fond, amused expressions.

But Amelia—suddenly thrust alone into the midst of royalty—was far too overwhelmed to even wonder why.

Moreover, she was urged to stay the night at the palace.
Sophia invited her to her own chambers, saying she wanted to speak more with her.

Amelia tried to remain perfectly courteous, but tension kept her face stiff.

Sophia treated her with gentle warmth.

“I’m sorry. You must be exhausted.”

Unable to admit she was still terribly nervous, Amelia managed only a vague smile.

Sophia’s chambers were vast, adorned everywhere with fresh flowers.

Apparently Alexis picked them himself every morning from the gardens.
Though theirs had been a political marriage, the trust and affection between them was unmistakable.

How different from her own relationship with Reese.
The thought nearly drew a sigh from her.

“You’ve had quite a day. Here—herbal tea. It’s supposed to help with fatigue.”

“Thank you.”

Reflecting on everything since morning, she truly had endured a great deal.

She sipped the tea Sophia’s personal maid had prepared.
The clean, refreshing taste gradually eased the knot of tension in her chest.

“Still—I’m honestly shocked by Lady Kiedari’s behavior. Not only what she did to you, but threatening girls in the same year and forcing them to obey her.”

Sophia spoke without hiding her indignation.
Worried about what would become of those girls, Amelia asked.

“Hmm. They can’t escape punishment entirely. Suspension, most likely?”

“…I see.”

Their futures would surely bear scars, but at least it wasn’t expulsion.

“Julius has it rough too. He’ll need to find a new fiancée quickly.”

“So soon?”

She couldn’t help asking.
She had assumed royal engagements would be chosen with far greater care.

Sophia gave a slightly sad smile.

“Our princes—all four of them—possess the precious light attribute. Because of that, there have always been… complications.”

That was why the brothers were so tightly bonded, she explained.

Crown Prince Alexis had possessed overwhelmingly powerful magic since childhood.
Unable to control it, he had unconsciously released mana and been isolated in a detached palace while growing up.
That was why he cherished his family—his brothers—above all else.

Second Prince Est had always been frail and unable to attend the academy regularly.
Though he had recovered enough for daily life, he still could not overexert himself.

Third Prince Julius had long been bombarded with marriage proposals from foreign nations.

With four princes, surely one could be sent abroad as a groom.

For that reason—coveting their light magic—proposals had come not only from neighboring countries but even distant empires, sometimes in the form of threats or ultimatums.
They targeted Julius rather than Sarju because Sarju was the legitimate queen’s son.

That was also why Julius’s engagement had been arranged earlier than the others.
Now that it had fallen apart, once it became public, proposals would flood in again from abroad.
They were hurrying to prevent that.

“Even knowing all that, a woman like her cannot become a royal wife. And His Majesty has clearly declared he has no intention of sending any of his sons abroad as grooms—so there’s no need to worry.”

Sophia smiled reassuringly.

Hearing the full circumstances, Amelia finally felt relief wash over her.

She had wondered—given everything—if it might have been better to keep an engagement even to someone like Emira.

But now she understood her fears had been needless.

“Um… and Sarju-sama as well?”

Each brother had his own circumstances.
Did Sarju have something similar?
When she asked, Sophia nodded.

“Sarju has always been deeply interested in botany. Whenever he saw a rare plant, he would rush off alone without thinking.”

About ten years ago, while out, Sarju had gone missing.
His brothers had searched desperately using light magic and rescued him from captivity.

“The culprits were rumored to be agents of the empire, after light magic.”

The captured perpetrators had all taken their own lives, so the truth remained unclear.
Even after such an incident, Sarju still wandered without guards—small wonder his brothers worried.

Sarju had promised to always bring guards when meeting her.

If she spent more time with him, perhaps Julius and the others would worry less—and Sarju himself would be safer.

Such thoughts drifted through Amelia’s mind.

“I’m sorry—I’ve kept you talking when you must be exhausted. Rest well.”

After a while, a maid escorted her to the guest room.

Though she should have been tired, the opulent room and soft bed made sleep impossible.
She lay staring at the ceiling, lost in thought about everything that had happened.

The next morning.

Sophia had invited her to breakfast in the same dining room as yesterday.
When she arrived, Sarju was absent.

Apparently he had stayed up all night poring over her restored materials—completely absorbed until morning.
She had wanted to greet him, but she needed to return to the dormitory early to prepare for the day.

Riding back in the carriage prepared for her, she wondered briefly what had happened in the classroom after she left.
How was Emira, who had been so utterly devastated?
Would the atmosphere in class change from now on?