I Will Break Off the Engagement Because I'm Jealous - The Untalented Villainess Who Rejected the Prince Searches for a Safe Haven with the Cheat Heroine - Chapter 2.1

I can’t believe he’s the same person—Emilia always felt that way whenever she met “him.” Though she never imagined she’d be experiencing it in the palace corridors after the whole ordeal of her broken engagement with Prince Sieg.

“Ugh… ngh.”

Averting her eyes from his imposing approach, Emilia groaned and scanned her surroundings. She quickly shielded Iris, who had just slipped in through the window, hiding the petite girl behind her back… Even as anxiety burned in her chest at the futility of it all, she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

(He’s seen through me. How careless. Depending on his intentions, there may be nothing left to do.)

In the depths of her heart, she felt like collapsing to her knees.

But.

(No. For Iris’s sake, for the girl who reached out to help someone like me! This is—!)

“So, this girl is the ‘Maiden of Ten Thousand Talents.’ Emilia Cramens.”

Before she knew it, the rugged man’s face was right beside her. A shiver ran down her spine, but she couldn’t move. Glancing sideways, she saw him—King Aed of Oren—staring at Iris behind her as if appraising her worth.

“Your Majesty, this girl has done nothing—”

“Answer the king’s question, Emilia. I did not educate you to behave this way.”

Emilia flinched at the rebuke, trembling as she cautiously turned her head. Standing nearby, as if she’d appeared out of thin air, was a slender, elegant woman of a certain age. Queen Camerina.

“Enough. I recognize her. The daughter of that inventor and former adventurer, Fran, isn’t she? Poorly raised… too full of herself, over-trained.”

(Raised…? Her manners? Her physique? Or both, I wonder…)

As her thoughts drifted to trivialities, the king stepped back from Emilia. She desperately suppressed the urge to gasp for breath, straightened her posture, and composed her expression. It might be too late for decorum, but she couldn’t afford to appear utterly pathetic.

“Well? Have you come to assassinate me, perhaps?”

“Your Majesty jests. I’ve come to request my leave.”

Stunned by his outrageous remark, Emilia swiftly countered.

“I thought as much. I heard you accepted after he broke off the engagement. Very well.”

“Th-thank you, Your Majesty.”

Though the king’s face wore a smile, his blue eyes seemed disinterested. Beaten to the punch, Emilia forced out her words.

(It seems he knows the circumstances. Then there should be no issue.)

Emilia reflected. She had been engaged to the second prince, Sieg. Recently, after falling into Emilia’s trap, Sieg had publicly declared the engagement null and void. Naturally, the king would have heard. Emilia had come to the palace to “confirm” this. Uneasy about the prince’s desperate demeanor at the end, she’d come to ensure with the king himself that “Sieg had indeed broken off the engagement,” to prevent any revival of the matter.

She hadn’t come through official channels simply to save time. Using one of the palace infiltration routes Sieg had once told her about, she’d made it right outside the king’s study. She’d intended to burst in, state her business, and leave—yet here she was, being received like this.

The result.

(My business is don but what else is there to say?)

Thrown off balance, Emilia had completely lost the initiative. She couldn’t steer the conversation effectively.

“Your Majesty, and Her Highness the Queen, I humbly request your response.”

(What!?)

Emilia, already bewildered, grew even more flustered. From beside her, Iris stepped forward smoothly.

“Iris, was it? Speak.”

Somehow, the king’s eyes seemed to smile, startling Emilia further. As she stood speechless, the exchange between the two began.

“Yes. With all due respect, the second prince’s arrogance has become intolerable. To publicly break off an engagement with the daughter of a duke over a misunderstanding—his judgment itself is questionable. I wish to hear how Your Majesty and Her Highness view this matter.”

(Iris, how can you say that so boldly!? At least lead into it! Phrase it more diplomatically!?)

While Emilia panicked beside her, Iris spoke clearly and confidently. King Aed grinned.

“And what of it?”

“How can you—!?”

(What!?)

Emilia was so shocked she nearly jumped. To steal others’ achievements, even causing casualties in his pursuit of treasure. Did the royal family know about such actions from Sieg and simply let it slide?

“He is the second prince. Sieg struggled to outdo the flawless first prince… Woreenz, and made a blunder. As king, where exactly do you see a problem?”

As Emilia and Iris stared wide-eyed, the king pressed on mercilessly. The corners of his mouth twisted in apparent amusement.

“But he’s causing harm to the people!”

“Hmm… Harm, you say.”

In response to Iris’s protest, King Aed fixed his gaze intently on her and Emilia. On what they were wearing… the brooches on their chests.

“‘Tears of the Dragonbird,’ I see. The subjugation team brought them back, and Sieg extorted them… then bestowed them upon you, I assume? The subjugation was planned under my name, primarily to prevent that monster’s territory from expanding. Any damages to the knight order or villages were compensated under my responsibility. Did you truly think that clever son of mine mobilized the knights? This king is not so senile yet.”

“We’re also aware of the minor corruptions Sieg engages in. The clever ones noticed and left him, siding with Woreenz instead. The incompetent and ill-behaved gather under Sieg, drifting away from the nation’s mainstream. As queen, I too would say his actions are ‘not a problem.’ Sieg’s personal downfall is of little consequence to the kingdom.”

Pressed by both king and queen, Emilia was thrown into disarray. Especially about the Dragonbird subjugation. Of course, since the knight order was involved, it must have been a national command but Emilia had unconsciously assumed “the prince moved them with his own authority”… She hadn’t considered the deeper layers.

(So His Highness, was left to his own devices, with their full knowledge. In the grand scheme, that might be the right approach, but…)

Deep in her chest.

Something.

Stirred.

“Of course, had Sieg become a good supporter to his elder brother, that would have been ideal for us. But no matter how many educators we provided, no matter how much effort we poured into him, that child drifted toward the lower path. In that case, it’s more useful to let him run wild as a standard-bearer for his ilk—it even benefits him in a way. If he goes too far, the kingdom will restrain him, but for now, it’s still within the realm of a child’s games.”

“B-but what about relations with the duke’s family!? Are you willing to let cracks form!?”

Iris persisted against Queen Camerina’s explanation, but Emilia listened as if it were a distant affair. Even though it concerned her, her own family… it felt like someone else’s problem.

“That is a political matter. The duke will likely use this broken engagement as an opportunity to seek independence for his duchy. But that would have happened eventually, even if Emilia had married Sieg. More than that…”

The queen peered intently into Emilia’s eyes. Always stern, her gaze now tinged with sorrow.

“You were the only one we were concerned about. It seems you’ve awakened on your own and left Sieg’s side, haven’t you? Emilia.”

“Woreenz’s only flaw. Had he chosen Emilia, the balance would have been maintained. As it is, he has no suitable match, and remains unmarried to this day.”

“Your Highness… Your Majesty…”

Their words, almost caring, left Emilia deeply confused. It sounded as if they were saying she—the “talentless” one—was more useful to the kingdom than Sieg. As if they wished she hadn’t been blinded by love.

It was true Emilia had worked hard, overcoming rigorous queen consort training to become worthy. But that was for Sieg’s sake not because she desired the throne itself.

The mismatch in expectations made her feel as if darkness had fallen before her eyes.

Emilia.

Muttered.

Faintly.

“As his parents… how do you feel about him?”

With lifeless eyes and a monotone voice, Emilia pleaded. Having been away from the capital for so long, Emilia had received much attention from the king and queen. The queen herself had personally overseen her education. Somewhere along the way, she’d come to see them as parental figures. That’s why.

She simply couldn’t believe.

That these two would cast their son aside.