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 22

The afternoon sunlight streaming through the office window illuminated Lord Aldian’s weary face.

I sat facing him, listening to his report. The execution of Cariotte was complete. All the nobles who had participated in the rebellion had been punished. And all the details of the entire affair.

“So that’s what happened.”

When I finished hearing the story, what spread through my chest wasn’t surprise or relief. It was a deep, indescribable pity.

I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. I tried to calm my heart. But no matter what, the depths of my chest remained unsettled.

“I’m sorry it came to that. They should have had a way to live.”

Though they were people with various thoughts, I didn’t feel refreshed or relieved that they were gone. There was only the emptiness of their deaths.

“Ah, yes. It’s truly regrettable when I think they could have just remained quiet.”

Saying this, Lord Aldian gently took my hand. A very gentle hand.

“But Lord Aldian made a stern judgment as king. You’ve worked hard.”

He must be suffering more than I am. Having given the order to execute his own blood brother. Yet he’s still concerned about me.

While deepening my understanding of the situation, my heart had already begun looking forward. I must never let this sad event go to waste. Rather, I must make it nourishment for the future.

“Lord Aldian, I want to work on reforming the education system.”

“The education system?”

“Yes.”

With determination, I looked straight into Lord Aldian’s eyes and said.

“In light of recent events, I feel we need to fundamentally review the education content for royalty and nobility.”

Looking back on the queen’s education I’ve received until now – certainly I’ve thoroughly studied knowledge, etiquette, and the basics of governance. But that alone wasn’t enough.

“The education I received wasn’t wrong. But I felt it was insufficient.”

What’s most important is proper judgment and deep sense of responsibility. And above all, cultivating awareness not as “those with privileges” but as “those who bear responsibilities.”

“While royalty and nobility are important pillars supporting the nation, we must re-educate that they are not to be specially treated.”

Specific reform ideas kept coming to mind. Fundamentally review the education curriculum for royal and noble children, refreshing it with content emphasizing “responsibility to the nation” and “duty to the people.” Not just classroom learning, but incorporating actual governance experience and territory management practice to provide practical learning, not just theoretical.

And most importantly, we must incorporate this recent incident as a “case study of failure” in history education, making it a lesson for future generations.

We must record the truth as it is, never letting it fade as a warning against repeating the same mistakes.

“So that no one who creates such tragedies emerges in the future, I will change education from its foundation.”

Aldian nodded deeply.

“I think that’s a wonderful proposal. Let’s work on it together.”

“Yes.”

Our determination didn’t come from personal revenge or emotions. It was born from a deep sense of responsibility for the entire kingdom’s future.

And I had one more important mission.

“We must provide proper education to our own children too.”

Our unborn children – precious treasures who will eventually bear the heavy responsibility of royal succession. Especially for those children, they must deeply understand not “the appeal of power” but “the weight of responsibility.”

“I want to ensure that incident doesn’t fade, but is passed down as an important lesson.”

Several years passed after that.

We established an education reform committee gathering experts, and I devoted myself to developing new curricula while incorporating my own experiences. Though it took a long time for all reforms to complete, the results were definitely beginning to show.

Lord Aldian accumulated numerous excellent achievements as king, earning trust both domestically and internationally. I also successfully guided the education reform as queen, greatly contributing to changing noble society’s consciousness.

And most happily, we had three children.

Our eldest son Edwin, eldest daughter Celestia, and second son Felix. They were all growing up healthily under the new education system.

Great changes appeared throughout the kingdom too. A culture valuing education took root, with talented people possessing both intelligence and character emerging one after another. Public trust grew strong, achieving stable and peaceful national governance.

The laughter of townspeople heard from afar, children’s energetic voices, the sounds of peaceful daily life.

Surrounded by my warm family’s smiling faces, I was certain.

Our choices weren’t wrong. This hopeful future itself, this is true happiness.

As stars began twinkling in the night sky, our family was wrapped in quiet happiness. And to ensure this happiness continues forever, we will continue walking forward with responsibility.

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