This took place shortly before the start of the academy term.
Deep within the heart of the Aiwood Kingdom's capital, a young woman sat in the Royal Castle, her head cradled in her hands.
"Gods... Prince Rodel is truly a trial..."
Celestine Crocus sat scowling at her desk. As the daughter of the Duke Crocus House, she was the fiancé of the Aiwood Kingdom’s third prince, Rodel Aiwood.
A daunting mountain of paperwork loomed before her. These were documents that Rodel should have handled himself, but because he had shirked his duties as usual, the burden had fallen to his fiancée.
"If only he would pass these along in an organized fashion... Why does he insist on letting them pile up like this?"
If there were one phrase that perfectly encapsulated Rodel Aiwood, it was the "Idiot Prince."
He was arrogant to a fault. He demanded every royal privilege while refusing to perform a single royal duty. He was a lecher who did nothing but chase skirts, having caused numerous scandals by accosting maids and female civil officials.
His only saving grace was his talent as a mage, though even that was hard to view as a benefit. More often than not, he simply used his magic to lash out whenever he threw one of his frequent tantrums.
"I seem to recall him being much kinder when we were children..."
Celestine pressed a hand to her chest and let out a heavy sigh. She, too, had once been the target of Rodel’s unwanted advances. He had torn her dress and tried to pin her down; she had only been spared by the timely intervention of the nearby royal guards. The memory of nearly being trampled by his violence remained a bitter trauma.
Celestine owed her current predicament to the late Queen Dowager. That woman had wielded immense power during her life and continued to be worshipped by several influential figures even after her death. It was she who had semi-forcibly established this engagement. To make matters worse, the union had been sealed via a magic contract—a specialized bond that made it impossible for Celestine’s side to break the engagement.
"Even if Father did everything in his power, he might not be able to dissolve it... and even if he could, the country would undoubtedly be torn apart," she mused.
The Queen Dowager’s devotees included powerful nobles like Marquis Eiger. If the Duke Crocus House were to forcibly annul an engagement established by the late Queen Dowager herself, Marquis Eiger would certainly use it as a pretext for conflict.
"Pardon the intrusion, Lady Celestine. A letter has arrived from the Royal Academy."
"Thank you for the delivery. Please leave it there."
"At once... Excuse me."
A chamberlain entered the office, placed a single envelope on her desk, and promptly withdrew. The letter was from the Royal Academy—the institution Celestine was set to attend starting this spring. Upon reviewing the contents, she found an invitation to deliver a speech as the Representative of the New Students during the entrance ceremony.
"I don’t mind giving the address, but... I suspect Prince Rodel will be difficult about this as well."
She let out yet another sigh, losing track of how many that made for the day. Rodel was possessive and prideful; he would likely fly into a rage, demanding to know why she had been chosen as the representative instead of him. While he probably wouldn't cause a scene during the ceremony itself, he would undoubtedly find some way to harass her afterward.
"I don't suppose he would go as far as to throw mud... he isn't a child, after all."
Celestine offered a wry, pained smile. However, she knew all too well that a fool was defined by their inability to realize they were being foolish.
As she went to return the letter to its envelope, a stray document slid off her desk and fluttered to the floor.
"Oh, dear."
Celestine leaned down to retrieve the paper, but she paused, tilting her head as she read the contents.
"Wait... Is this from Marquis Rosemary?"
It wasn't a standard official document, but a formal notice from the Marquis Rosemary House. It stated that the Marquis’s daughters, Viola and Primula, had both become engaged. The Marquis had gone out of his way to ensure this reached Rodel through official channels.
"Ah... I see. Shrewd as always, Marquis Rosemary."
It was a clear warning. By announcing that Viola and Primula already had a fiancé, the Marquis was drawing a line in the sand for the lecherous prince. Celestine had met the Rosemary sisters before; both were exceptionally beautiful. If they caught Rodel’s eye, he would almost certainly try to interfere with them.
"But now that he’s sent this as an official document, the prince can’t claim he didn’t know they were spoken for. That’s the point, isn't it?"
Though the notice likely hadn't reached Rodel’s eyes personally yet, it was now part of the formal record. If Rodel ever attempted to lay a hand on the sisters, the Rosemary family would be within their rights to retaliate. They could strike back with full force, justified by the fact that they had provided fair warning in advance.
"The fiancé’s name is... Rest, apparently."
It was an unfamiliar name. Since no surname was listed, he was likely a commoner. For Marquis Rosemary to entrust both of his precious daughters to him, the boy had to be remarkably dependable.
"For a doting father like the Marquis to entrust him with both the elder and younger sister... I wonder what sort of person he is. Surely he is kind and exceptionally talented in magic..."
As Celestine spoke those words, a look of longing crossed her face. If only her own fiancé were a kind, reliable man, her life would be so much easier.
"Rest... I think I should like to meet him and speak with him someday."
Imagining the face of this unknown youth, Celestine felt the tension in her features soften, the fatigue of her endless work momentarily forgotten.