Recently, rumors that the Crown Prince would not honor the engagement spread throughout the entire empire, beyond high society. The rumors reached Serena’s ears as well.

“Everyone seems to think the same.”

“Miss… Even if it’s just a rumor, those words are too harsh.”

“So what?”

But unlike Anna’s serious expression, Serena’s reaction was nothing but cool.

“Anna, breaking off the engagement is better than divorce.”

Anna had nothing more to say as she watched Serena shrug her shoulders and smile. After what they had been through over the years, there was no longer any energy left to be surprised at Serena’s actions.

“It would be more strange if this engagement were honored.”

“What? The holy engagement overseen by His Holiness the Pope…!”

“It’s the parties involved that matter.”

Serena knew a little about this strange world where that had happened.

The story of a woman who lived a life that wasn’t worth living, with a Crown Prince who dumped his fiancée and lived freely, only to return after six years and hold a loveless wedding, eventually becoming a powerless empress.

“I have not seen or exchanged a single letter with His Highness the Crown Prince since the engagement ceremony. Can this engagement be considered normal?”

No matter if it was an arranged marriage decided by the parents, the fact that there had been no letters in the six years since Serena left the capital revealed Lucas’s feelings.

“That’s… Miss also…”

Of course, Serena hadn’t done the foolish thing of sending a letter first or inquiring about his wellbeing.

[The Empress of the Empire was of noble origin, but she had no other merits.]

In the original work, Serena’s life was indeed useless.

[Not only could she not control the social and inner palace, but she also spent her time locked in her room, unable to bear any fruit with the Emperor, and it would continue to be so.]

It was unclear exactly how many years later this would happen, but it was certain to occur if she married Lucas when he became the emperor.

Moreover, there was a very vivid description that she was on the verge of being pushed out even from the position of empress.

[Elize decided to use the new Duke’s wife’s ambition to make her only daughter the Empress.]

Elize was originally the protagonist of this story. She didn’t even know where or what she was doing now, but she would appear when the time was right.

The problem was that the time when Elize came into action was precisely when Lucas’s original empress, Serena, was driven to the brink, beyond being treated like an unworthy rag.

“I don’t fit into the royal family. I don’t want to beg for affection from someone who dislikes my appearance, and there’s no need to.”

After the engagement ceremony, Serena had done her best to change her life.

She didn’t want to leave behind regrets of living in vain if an unjust death suddenly found her, as before. Now, every day, new hope arose, and she looked forward to tomorrow.

“I like it here… where my life has meaning.”

Serena still vividly remembered the cold eyes looking at her, slightly different from the ordinary. It was a look she had often experienced in her past life.

A woman growing like that.

What can a woman do with such strength? Can a woman like that even marry?

That annoying standard didn’t disappear just because this was a different world. No, it might have been worse. Perhaps it was intensified by jealousy over the title of prospective Crown Princess.

But before she could think long about the capital, a troubled noise came from outside the window.

“Oh dear.”

A young maid had climbed a tree and was now helplessly dangling from it.

“Just leave her, the servants will soon…”

Before Anna could hurriedly stop her, half of Serena’s body was already out of the window.

“Miss, be careful!”

Even though it was on the first floor, jumping out of the window was no easy task. Especially when the window reached the height of an average person’s chest.

“…Huh.”

As graceful as a gallant knight, Serena leaped out of the window in one bound and caught the young maid hanging from the tree. Watching the agile Serena, Anna sighed today as well.

“Our Miss really does look best as she is now.”

Serena, holding the child who had been hanging from the tree, looked radiant. At first, everyone was surprised, but now, the strong and spirited young Grace was everyone’s pride and love in Astel.
Not far from the Astel domain, Saekaman with black eyes was watching the setting sun.

“It seems the time has finally come.”

The figure of the man turning around was handsome and very robust. The sword on his waist and his broad shoulders made him look quite heavily armed.

“What do you think, Cedric?”

A man with tousled hair, who was stroking it with a large hand, asked with a slightly tense face. Then, a brownhaired man standing beside him looked at him with serious eyes.

“I agree with you.”

“……Are you sure?”

Despite the muscular physique, the man’s face still had a youthful aspect. It was Lucas, the Crown Prince, who had just turned twenty.