About thirty days after I began living in the royal castle of the Rofeus Kingdom, two letters arrived for me.

The first was from my sister, expressing her desire to meet me before Lady Edith and I held our engagement party.

Perhaps fearing censorship, she didn’t write in detail, but I suspect she wants to somehow prevent my marriage to Lady Edith.

Or maybe she intends to blame everything on me to restore her own reputation, since hers within the kingdom is quite poor.

Though I think only those with pure hearts can be trusted.

“Are you planning to meet her?”

Lady Edith’s expression as she asked seemed somewhat worried.

Perhaps she’s anxious because I once chose death.

“I don’t intend to meet her, but if it’s about the engagement party, I thought if my father and sister say they want to attend, I’d have no choice but to invite them.”

My mother is under confession, so she can’t even leave the detention center, let alone come to the Rofeus Kingdom. My sister and the others are certainly under surveillance, but if they clarify their destination and act together with the knights, they can move.

“Technically, they’ll become my in-laws, but I don’t think you need to force yourself to invite them.”

“I’d rather not invite them either. But I have a feeling they’ll show up anyway.”

I handed the other letter to Lady Edith.

It was from my father.

The letter contained a stunningly complete about-face.

He wrote things like: “I regret treating you coldly. I want to make amends. Originally, it was your mother’s fault for making me suspect her of infidelity. I truly feel terrible for taking it out on you, who did nothing wrong. Please let me meet you in person to apologize.”

He also apparently sent a letter to His Majesty the King of the Rofeus Kingdom saying, “I absolutely wish to attend my daughter’s celebratory engagement party.”

After reading the letter, Lady Edith asked, “Do you think he’s really sorry? Or rather, do you think he’s reflecting?”

“No. I think he probably intends to order me and my sister to make statements that protect them, to improve their own standing.”

“That’s highly likely.”

Lady Edith nodded, then changed the subject with a sad expression.

“…Would you mind if I brought up something unpleasant?”

“What is it?”

I didn’t want to hear anything unpleasant, but my curiosity about what it could be won out. Lady Edith hesitated slightly before beginning.

“Your ex-fiancé contacted me.”

“…To you, Lady Edith? What did he say?”

“Not in direct words, but he wrote that he regrets hurting Dahlia, and that having experienced these feelings himself, he could definitely make Dahlia happy.”

“After making someone feel miserable, he’s still saying things like that!? And to you, Lady Edith, of all people!”

When I raised my voice, Lady Edith gave a wry smile.

“As I said, it wasn’t in direct words. He wasn’t saying I couldn’t do it, but more like… if it were Lord Zerath…”

“…So Loin really feels no guilt over having relations with my sister.”

About taking my sister’s virginity, since it was a royal command, I might reluctantly have to accept that.

But according to what Nana told me, passionate sounds could be heard from late at night until early morning, meaning they continued for hours. At that point, to me, it’s betrayal.

How could I ever be happy with someone like that!?

“Right. In his mind, the king who gave the order is at fault. And Princess Ramula who seduced him is to blame.”

“Those two are also at fault. But it’s too cruel that he feels no guilt toward me.”

If this is how he is, it’s obvious he’d cheat someday. To claim he can make me happier than Lady Edith is proof he doesn’t understand himself.

“What do you think, Dahlia?”

“About what?”

“I intend to make you happy. But he thinks I can’t. Well, his opinion doesn’t matter. I want to know how you feel.”

Loin knows my personality well. Since he wrote that in the letter, maybe he thought I was just enduring.

I placed both my hands over Lady Edith’s where she sat beside me and declared.

“I have no desire to get back together with Lord Zerath. Marrying you, Lady Edith, is my happiness.”

“…Thank you.”

Lady Edith gently grasped my hands and smiled.

My emotional wounds haven’t healed. But being able to move forward is thanks to Lady Edith.

“Thank you, too.”

I’m truly glad you extended a helping hand to me.

When I tried to say it out loud, I nearly cried, so I clenched my teeth, and Lady Edith laughed aloud.

“Dahlia, you’re still such a crybaby.”

“Even so, I’m getting better at holding back!”

As my tears receded and I retorted with a laugh, His Majesty the King himself visited my room.

“Sorry for the sudden visit. To expose the misdeeds of the King of the Yusers Kingdom, we’ll host a pre-party the day before your engagement party, inviting various prime ministers or royalty, and them. That acceptable?”

“Understood.”

When Lady Edith and I replied in unison, the King urged Lady Edith.

“Tell Dahlia first why the engagement discussion came up two years ago.”

“Understood.”

As Lady Edith nodded, the King smiled and left.

That’s the first time I’ve seen His Majesty the King look so genuinely happy.

…Now that I think of it, what was the reason the Rofeus Kingdom sought a fiancé from the Yusers Kingdom?

I’d assumed it was because my sister is a renowned beauty, but maybe that’s not actually the case.

Chapter 26 The Reason I Chose My Sister as My Fiancée ②             03/14/26          4

As if exchanging places with His Majesty the King, a maid entered to prepare tea. Seeing us, she smiled happily.

“My apologies for the intrusion. I’ll just refresh the tea and be on my way immediately.”

That’s when I understood the maid’s cheerful expression. Lady Edith and I were still holding hands.

So that’s why His Majesty had been smiling!

When I flusteredly let go, Lady Edith gave a wry smile.

“Sorry. I feel so at ease when touching Dahlia that I ended up holding on without thinking.”

“Please don’t apologize. It’s not that I minded – I was just worried if I was being a bother to Lady Edith. I apologize for my rude behavior.”

“You don’t need to apologize either, Dahlia. But would it be alright if we held hands occasionally?”

I placed my left hand over Lady Edith’s smiling right hand.

“Of course.”

“Thank you.”

After Lady Edith’s pale cheeks turned slightly pink, she showed me such a gentle smile that I thought my sister might faint if she saw it.

Suppressing my pounding heart while keeping our hands joined, I returned to our previous conversation.

“Um, about what His Majesty mentioned earlier.”

“Ah, yes. Let me explain in order, but it all began three years ago when a letter arrived under your grandmother’s name.”

“To Lady Edith?”

“No. There’s a king who doesn’t have good relations with your father. It seems it was sent to him.”

“Since my grandmother passed away three years ago, it must have been before that then.”

My grandmother lived in the detached palace, so I don’t remember ever meeting her. She passed away before I could meet her.

“No. It was after your grandmother’s death. The reason it couldn’t be dismissed as a prank was because it bore your country’s royal seal.”

The people who can use the royal seal are limited. Only members of the royal family or your father’s close aides who work with royal affairs can use or even touch it, so I thought it needed to be read.

“After investigating, we learned the sender was a former close aide to His Majesty the King of Yusers Kingdom. He didn’t admit it was him, but they say it’s definitely him.”

Come to think of it, I remember one of father’s close aides resigned shortly after my bedridden grandmother passed away three years ago. That person might have been the one who sent the letter.

But why would unrelated parties like Lady Edith know about this?

“The reason for their poor relationship is because your father forced himself on his consort. However, he compelled the consort to claim it was consensual, and she was a kind person who said she didn’t want to cause sadness for your family or the people of Yusers Kingdom by exposing it, so she didn’t make it a big issue. And I suppose he didn’t think your father would honestly admit it either. So, whether it was revenge or not is unclear, but after requesting confidentiality to protect the informant’s life, he apparently went around showing the letter to various kings.”

While showing it around seems questionable, he probably thought he was only showing it to people of status who would keep the secret. The sender might have anticipated this when sending it.

…Before that, what father did was truly despicable behavior.

“What was written in the letter?”

“It requested the abdication of the current King of Yusers Kingdom.”

“Was there any reason given why he should abdicate?”

“Yes. It said because he’s someone who casually does things no human being should do.”

“Things no human being should do…”

Don’t tell me father committed a crime?

When I stared at Lady Edith silently, she nodded and answered.

“It said His Majesty and Princess Ramula are not blood-related.”

“…What?”

As my hand trembled with shock, Lady Edith tightened her grip and told me about father’s past.

When father was young, he fell in love with his tutor. She was already married, so it was an impossible love. Even after father married mother, at father’s request, that woman worked as his close aide, and coincidentally became pregnant around the same time as mother.

When she requested leave as her due date approached, father made unreasonable demands, making her work until just before her due date. This was because he intended for her to give birth in the royal castle.

As father wished, she went into labor one day before her due date in the royal castle and gave birth to a girl. The next day, mother gave birth to a girl. By this point, you can guess what father did.

Using plausible excuses, father had both babies sleep in the same room, with maids looking after them. Then late at night, he went to that room, sent the attending maids on errands to be alone with the children, and switched them during that time. The person who kept watch to ensure no one saw this was the letter’s sender.

“Why did he report this story after so much time had passed?”

“The fact that it was immediately after your grandmother’s death means…”

“…That he no longer needed to show loyalty to the current royal family, so he sought help from other countries?”

“That’s what people say. Though we can’t confirm it since that much wasn’t written in the letter, and the presumed writer denies it was him.”

When they learned about the child switching, the various kings decided not to make it public since it was a story over ten years old with no concrete proof, the children were innocent, and the true princess was living happily.

However, what father did was viewed as problematic, and to prevent him from committing further crimes, it was decided that my sister would marry Lady Edith, the crown princess of Rofeus Kingdom which holds a strong position over Yusers Kingdom. Though my sister doesn’t carry royal blood, she carries noble blood so it was deemed acceptable. They apparently intended to use sister as something like a hostage for restraint, but with your brother’s appearance, they were considering whether to cancel the engagement.

“My sister looks exactly like mother, and I thought her personality was inherited from father too.”

“Since there’s no way to investigate blood relations, I can’t say for certain, but I don’t think it’s wrong that they’re not blood-related. However, since it can’t be proven absolutely, everyone keeps quiet about it.”

“After doing something so terrible, father made statements suspecting mother of infidelity?”

“In your father’s mind, the child switching probably never happened.”

Lady Edith said with furrowed brows.

Father has probably convinced himself his past crime never occurred and now believes sister is his real daughter. No, he has no choice but to think that way. In society’s eyes, she is his daughter. If he made advances on her, that would truly be social ruin.

Right now, father is desperate to cling to the throne. He probably can’t afford to think about his daughter.

When Princess Ramula learns she’s not his daughter and that her husband betrayed her, will mother still protect father then?

Even if it’s called a dirty trick, I’ll use it to sever these connections.