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 6

I was a chosen person.

Born as the daughter of the Mayfield Trading Company, until just a few months ago I had only been thinking about modest, practical futures—helping with the family business while looking for a marriage partner, either marrying into another merchant family or bringing in a capable man to take over the company.

A middle-class merchant’s daughter. Not nobility, but certainly not poor. A decent life, a decent marriage, a decent life to live. That was normal, and wanting anything beyond that seemed like getting above my station.

The luxurious lives of nobles and stories of their dazzling social circles felt like events from another world. I had yearnings, but they were like tales from unreachable heights.

But I was special. I was a person chosen by fate.

Meeting Lord Cariotte and being chosen by him changed my life dramatically. It felt like I’d become the heroine of a fairy tale.

That meeting was accidental.

Lord Cariotte came to the shop incognito. At the time, I thought he was some noble’s son. Tall with refined features, it was clear he was someone of high status, but I never imagined he was a prince.

As a merchant’s daughter, I politely guided him and explained the products. Our shop dealt in high-quality silk fabrics and imported jewelry, so we had many noble customers. I was used to serving such people.

Being attentive, but not fawning. Accurately conveying the merits of the products, but not being pushy. I practiced the merchant’s principles my father had drilled into me.

That, it seemed, captured his heart.

“You’re different from other noble daughters,” he said, smiling at me. My heart leaped at that smile.

I still can’t forget the shock when I learned he was a prince.

When he visited the shop a second time, the moment I heard one of his attendants call him “Your Highness,” my mind went blank. Your Highness? Could it be, this person?

When I confirmed it, he nodded with a wry smile.

“Surprised? But I never intended to keep my identity hidden from you.”

Surprised doesn’t even cover it. A prince, interested in someone like me? I couldn’t believe it.

After that, our relationship properly began.

I was determined not to lose this special relationship, so I strained myself to make sure my interactions with him went smoothly. I had to be careful not to let other merchants steal or ruin this fortunate, special connection.

He was a valuable customer. No, he’s beyond just a customer. He’s a prince. If I could maintain this relationship, think of the immense benefits for our trading company.

So, I was desperate. I probed his preferences, prepared topics that would please him, anticipated what he wanted and acted ahead of time. I mobilized all my merchant skills to capture his heart.

At this point, I still didn’t think of myself as special. I was just trying hard as the trading company’s daughter not to lose an important customer.

But my awareness changed when he confessed to me.

“Carla, I love you.”

I had no idea he liked me that much.

But this was a huge opportunity. No, “opportunity” is too light a word. It was a once-in-a-lifetime, life-changing moment.

Though I’d only been thinking about an ordinary future, this was absolutely a situation where I couldn’t make the wrong choice. I racked my brains, thinking about how to respond to his confession.

The answer was obvious.

“I love you too, Lord Cariotte!”

Of course, I said that. This was an important choice for my own future and for the trading company. He was someone who could bring us enormous profits. As a merchant family, we couldn’t let such a person slip away.

And above all, I was chosen.

For a commoner like me to be chosen by a prince even in fairy tales that rarely happens. I absolutely couldn’t let this fate go to waste. Failure was unthinkable.

The days that followed were like a dream.

He gave me so many things. Jewelry, dresses, he bought me anything I wanted. Beautiful items I’d never seen before. Luxurious, elegant things like what noble daughters wore.

Every time I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I was enchanted. Me, dressed up so beautifully. Just like a real noble lady.

I told him “I love you” many times, this man who gave me presents and happiness. I gave him the words he wanted at just the right moments. I’d gaze at his face and put on a loving expression.

Just with words, he’d be so happy. Princes are surprisingly easy to handle, I thought.

Around the time I started feeling that confident, I began making various requests. Things I wanted, things I wanted him to do. When I coyly asked for them, he kept granting them.

What a wonderful man.

In return, I worked hard to make him feel good. I played the role of his ideal lover, said things that tickled his ego, acted in ways that made him feel “I am loved.”

And so, our relationship became very solid and strong.