I Will Not Accept It — Since He Said He Would Demote Me to Second Queen for the Sake of His Own Love, I Will Break the Engagement - Episode 16

To think they’d confine me, the former Crown Prince, to this shabby mansion in such a remote location.

Every single day, I chew on the humiliation of being confined to this countryside mansion that takes half a day to reach by carriage from the royal capital. I used to live in a magnificent room surrounded by the finest furnishings in the palace, but now I’m stuck in a simple, dimly lit room in a rural house.

The paintings hanging on the walls are all second-rate, and the furniture is crude compared to what was in the palace. The view from the window isn’t the beautifully maintained palace gardens either, just fields and forests.

Spend the rest of my life in a place like this? What an outrageous joke.

And what infuriates me most of all is how clearly the servants’ attitudes have changed.

“Good morning, Lord Cariotte.”

The butler’s morning greeting lacks the deference it once had. It’s formal, devoid of sincerity. I can clearly feel they’re looking down on me.

“Breakfast is ready.”

The maid’s expression as she announces this shows not a trace of the reverence she once had. Her attitude is purely businesslike, as if dealing with a nuisance.

I can’t forgive them for treating me like this—me, who was the Crown Prince.

I will definitely reclaim the throne someday. Murina and Aldian will get what they deserve. I’ll return this humiliation a hundredfold.

That determination alone has never left me. It continues to burn fiercely in my heart even now.

I’ve been spending more time alone with my thoughts. When I was at the palace, I was too busy with political affairs and social engagements to think deeply about anything, but now I have more time than I know what to do with.

And when I really think about it, I’ve noticed something.

Isn’t the current situation just too convenient for Aldian?

My father’s worsening illness, the cancellation of my engagement to Murina, and the stripping of my right to inherit the throne—all these things combined to raise his position. Aldian, who was second in line to the throne, is now positioned to become the next king.

He’s going to become king in my place.

Even though he always acted like he had no interest in the public stage, now that he’s directly involved, he’s suddenly become active. I hear he’s enthusiastically engaging in political affairs and building good relationships with the nobility.

“Was he aiming for this from the very beginning?”

The moment that suspicion surfaced in my mind, everything seemed to connect.

It’s just too perfect to be coincidence.

Even my father’s illness is suspicious. He was healthy before, so why did he suddenly fall ill? Aldian was the one who selected the doctors treating him.

“Don’t tell me…”

A terrifying possibility crossed my mind.

Could my father’s illness also be something Aldian orchestrated?

Once that suspicion took root, it kept growing. What if he’s not receiving proper treatment? To get my father—an obstacle—out of the way quickly so he can seize power as soon as possible.

He might even be poisoning him.

“That’s right! Sending me away from the capital was also to keep me from interfering!”

My thoughts accelerated rapidly. I felt like I could see Aldian’s cunning plan. But that’s not all.

Could Murina, who came to tell me about the broken engagement, actually be connected to Aldian behind the scenes? Those two must have known each other before. They might have been meeting secretly even while she was engaged to me.

She came to me to break off the engagement. She refused the proposal to become Second Queen. And now she’s changed her position to become Aldian’s fiancée. Everything is indeed working out conveniently for them.

“Were they having an affair?”

Considering that possibility made me so angry I almost saw white.

If that’s true, it’s an unbelievable betrayal. It would mean everything was planned to deceive me and bring me down.

The broken engagement was orchestrated from the beginning. Everything was meticulously calculated to bring about my downfall.

“I can’t forgive this. I absolutely cannot forgive this!”

I clenched my fists.

Once caught up in these suspicions, even those close to me started to seem questionable. I’d been concerned about Carla too.

When we were leaving the capital, I thought I noticed some suspicious behavior from her. I saw her secretly organizing her luggage, and I also witnessed her writing some kind of letter.

“Was she contacting her family, or…?”

There were moments when she seemed flustered or when her expression darkened. What was that all about?

“Could she be on Aldian’s side too?”

Surely not. Carla loves me. She’s the woman who decided to become queen for my sake.

But watching her recent behavior, I can’t help but feel she’s acting with some purpose.

I do feel sorry for making her leave the capital with me. This country life must be boring and dissatisfying for her. I can understand that.

But she’s my partner. I’ve treated her so well until now. I can’t allow her to abandon me at this critical moment.

I ordered the mansion’s butler to keep watch on Carla.

“Don’t let her escape. Report all her movements to me. Cut off her external communications too.”

“Understood.”

The butler answered expressionlessly, but I thought I saw a hint of contempt in his eyes. But that doesn’t matter right now.

If Carla runs away from me, I’ll truly have nothing left. She’s all I have remaining now. I genuinely love her. I’m sure I’ve conveyed that feeling many times before.

She’s the one person I absolutely cannot lose. If she betrays me too, I’ll…

I was alone in the study, organizing everything that had happened.

“I haven’t done anything wrong.”

That’s right, it’s all because of others’ conspiracies. What’s wrong with wanting to make the woman I love my official queen? What’s wrong with deciding my own life?

Once the truth comes out, everyone will surely understand. They’ll understand how unfairly I’ve been treated. They’ll understand that everything up until now has been wrong.

“That’s right, I know exactly what I need to do now.”

I need to destroy Aldian’s evil schemes.

To do that, I’ll need allies. To reveal the truth and restore me to my rightful throne.

There must be nobles who are dissatisfied with Aldian. There must be those who don’t look favorably upon the second prince suddenly appearing on the public stage. There might even be doctors who question my father’s illness.

“That’s right, there are definitely people who will side with me.”

I haven’t given up yet. I have no intention of silently accepting this unjust and unreasonable treatment.

I will definitely reveal the truth and reclaim my rightful throne. The path I should take has finally become clear.

To do that, I’ll start by gathering information. I’ll expose everything. Aldian and Murina’s movements, the truth about my father’s illness.

My counterattack has only just begun.