The graduation ceremony and the school’s graduation party had passed and thus the day of the royal graduation ceremony was finally upon them.

Charlotte had been depressed for days—even before those ceremonies—and the mental toll hadn’t subsided.

“It suits you well.”

The maid complimented her as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Charlotte didn’t feel particularly happy.

She wore a pastel yellow dress. The layered fabric created volume, while the hem was lavishly decorated with frills.

The dress suited her. Even she thought it was beautiful. Still, it was neither her style nor preference, but Juliet’s. The dress was chosen by her after having consulted with the designer for this day.

The maid put diamond earrings on her ears and a diamond hair ornament in her hair.

The jewelry box on the dresser had her magic bracelet. Nevertheless, she planned to leave it behind this time. She wouldn’t be using it at the party. At any rate, the color didn’t match with the other pieces of jewelry she wore.

Once, she had thought of the bracelet as a charm, but not anymore. It only served as a reminder of Ethelbert, so she didn’t want to wear it very often.

“Perfect.”

The maid seemed satisfied, having fulfilled her duty.

Charlotte looked at herself in the mirror again and stood up.

***

“First of all, I’d like to offer my congratulations to all of you who have graduated from the Royal Academy of Chester…”

The party venue, the royal castle’s grand hall, was lavishly decorated to welcome and congratulate the graduates on their new beginnings.

As Frederick delivered his grandiose speech, Charlotte—along with her escort, Quentin, and the other guests—looked up at him. However, she wasn’t paying attention.

After Frederick finished his speech, the orchestra started to play.

Just like at the school’s graduation party, the highest-ranking graduates—Charlotte and her partner, Quentin—took the lead.

Naturally, they had danced with each other many times as they were engaged. Despite that, they barely conversed. They simply performed the obligatory task of dancing in silence.

Since the purpose of the event was for the university and high school graduates to interact to others, there was no need for her to engage in a lively conversation with Quentin.

As soon as the dance was over, Quentin headed straight for Juliet.

Such an exemplary fiancé—cold and tactless to the core.

As she watched him leave with a cold gaze, she heard a chattering voice and turned her attention in that direction.

As people made way, she saw Ethelbert heading straight toward her.

His hair was a bit different than usual, he had used something on it. His dark blue eyes accentuated his dark blue formal attire. He attracted the attention of the attendees, both men and women. The gazes of the women were particularly intense, especially once they noticed he wasn’t escorting anyone.

Ethelbert seemed to be attending the event without a partner.

Amidst all the attention, he calmly arrived in front of Charlotte.

The lapel pin on the collar of his coat shone. Charlotte had given it to him as a thank-you for the bracelet. She had chosen something universal, something made of silver and a jewel of the same color as Ethelbert’s eyes.

Noticing that Charlotte was transfixed on it, Ethelbert smiled proudly, as if to say he liked it.

“I give my greetings to His Imperial Highness the Imperial Brother.”

“Yes, congratulations on your graduation.”

“Thank you. I’m very glad to hear that Your Highness Ethelbert has completed his studies without incident.”

It was a public occasion, so their exchange was somewhat stiff. Nevertheless, Ethelbert didn’t seem to mind. Instead of making his usual remarks, he sized Charlotte up with great interest.

Normally, this would’ve been considered rude, but there wasn’t even a trace of an ulterior motive in Ethelbert’s eyes. It was clear that he was simply observing.

“It suits you rather well.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means there’s something else that’d suit you better.”

“I’d be grateful if you could tell that to His Majesty or Juliet.”

“…You’re so oppressed.”

His voice and expression showed a glimpse of anger rather than pity.

“I am shown once again that your family, people who are supposed to be your allies, are nothing more than shackles.”

“That’s what it means to be of royalty and nobility.”

Since Frederick became the king of Lymore, the number of marriages based on love had increased among the upper classes. In reality, however, political marriages were still the majority, and it was up to the people themselves to develop romantic feelings or not. It was also up to them to love the children they had with someone they didn’t love. Even if there was no love, they usually respected each other. The notion that marriage and heirs were a means to preserve status and wealth remained at the core of their beings.

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