The Story of a Modest Young Lady Who Formed a New Engagement the Day After Her Engagement Was Annulled - Chapter 4

—Lord Fels Lotus, heir to the Frontier Count.

The one credited with bringing the recent Twenty-Year War to an end. His long silver hair was tied back in a single bundle, and his high-collared military uniform, tailored to fit his well-trained frame was adorned with numerous medals. On the battlefield, he was hailed as a god of war, playing a key role in boosting the morale of his allies. I had sometimes caught sight of him from afar, astride his bay warhorse, skillfully wielding both sword and magic, and thought he looked like a painting come to life.

He stood about half a head taller than Lord Caius, and his body, clearly well-trained, had a sturdy build. We had never interacted on the battlefield, and he had no connection to me whatsoever. Yet here he was, stepping into the conversation to shield a complete stranger. I couldn’t comprehend why a man hailed as a hero of the kingdom was now standing beside me, but I knew I ought to bow to him first. As I moved to do so, the heir to the Lotus Frontier Count stopped me with a gesture.

“…You must be the heir to the Lotus Frontier Count. This is the first time we’ve met outside the battlefield. I am Caius, eldest son of the Hydrangia Marquis family.”

Lord Caius and the Lotus Frontier Count heir faced each other, and Lord Caius, setting aside his usual demeanor, offered a respectful greeting.

In this war-torn kingdom, the status of a Frontier Count family was considerably high. The Lotus Frontier Count heir, being the one who led the war to its conclusion, was not someone even a Marquis family could treat lightly. I knew both were military men and thus well-built. Lord Caius was quite muscular himself, but the Lotus Frontier Count heir, true to his title of ‘god of war,’ carried his muscles with a firm solidity, and his posture was strikingly elegant.

“I am Fels, eldest son of the Lotus Frontier Count family. My apologies for interrupting your conversation, but I couldn’t stand by and watch, so I took the liberty of interfering.”

Had he stepped in because our exchange was unsightly, or out of mere curiosity? He had definitely stuck his nose into a situation where simply ignoring it would have been fine. I couldn’t tell if he was being meddlesome, kind, or had some ulterior motive. The Lotus Frontier Count heir spoke with little emotion lighting his voice or expression. It was entirely different from the fierce, wild battle cries I’d heard from him on the battlefield.

“Indeed, this matter has nothing to do with you.”

Lord Caius dismissed the Lotus Frontier Count heir with a wave of the arm that wasn’t holding Lady Anabella. I noticed that Lady Anabella hadn’t spoken a word all this time. When I glanced at her, wondering what was wrong, she was looking up at him standing beside me. Her face was flushed—apparently, the Lotus Frontier Count heir was her type.

Lord Caius was a handsome man himself, but the Lotus Frontier Count heir, perhaps because he was older, possessed a masculine allure within his beauty.

Someone like him must surely have a fiancée, I thought with a touch of envy, even as I keenly felt the wretchedness of my own broken engagement. Seeing Lord Caius’s attitude, the Lotus Frontier Count heir let out a soft breath and spoke.

“You’re right, it’s none of my business. But you have no ties to her anymore either, do you?”

It seemed the Lotus Frontier Count heir knew that Lord Caius and I had called off our engagement. There was no connection between the Lotus Frontier Count family and the Narcissus Count family, and ties with the Hydrangia Marquis family were likely tenuous at best.

Lord Caius was twenty-two, a year older than me. I’d heard the Lotus Frontier Count heir was twenty-five. If their families were of similar status and their ages close, it wouldn’t be strange for them to be acquainted, but from what I could gather, there didn’t seem to be any connection between Lord Caius and the Lotus Frontier Count heir.

“Eleanora is my former fiancée. You have no right to criticize our relationship.”

Lord Caius snorted lightly and stated it flatly. If possible, wouldn’t it be better for both of us to have no further ties?

For the sake of the future, I needed to clearly state my intentions here. Hanging my head would bring shame upon my father and family as a member of the Narcissus Count house. I straightened my back.

“But—”

It might be disrespectful to interrupt the Lotus Frontier Count heir, but this was something I had to convey properly to Lord Caius.

“—I apologize for interrupting. Lord Caius. Since we’ve annulled our engagement, we no longer have any ties. I believe we should each seek new paths.”

Yes. It was over. If we were commoners living in the royal capital, perhaps we could have remained friends even after breaking off the engagement. But we were nobles.

Maintaining a good relationship would have been ideal, but for Lord Caius and me, it was impossible. Before he went off to war, he hadn’t been this arrogant. It seemed the long, drawn-out conflict had changed him.

“Eleanora, you…! A woman like you should just shut up and obey her man!”

Lord Caius ground his teeth and shouted loudly. We were now drawing attention from everyone gathered in the venue.

If this continued, bad rumors would spread about the Lotus Frontier Count heir, Lord Caius, Lady Anabella, and me—a terrible situation for all. I took half a step forward to stop Lord Caius, but the Lotus Frontier Count heir’s arm blocked me, and he turned his gaze toward me.

“I can’t stand to watch this. —My apologies for the abruptness, Lady Narcissus. Would you consider forming an engagement with me? We may be strangers, but for nobles, it wouldn’t be a bad arrangement, would it?”

Why was the conversation veering toward an engagement? I couldn’t make sense of it. My mind reeled, unable to process this sudden turn. I never would have imagined receiving a marriage proposal from the man hailed as a god of war.

“Huh?”

A dumbfounded sound escaped my lips. Lord Caius and Lady Anabella were also left behind by this rapid development. Only the Lotus Frontier Count heir, who had unleashed this verbal magic, wore a soft smile while his eyes pierced straight through mine.

“Hah!?”

“Why…?”

Leaving behind a bewildered Lord Caius and Lady Anabella, who seemed to want to say they didn’t understand, I felt as if I’d been thrown into a massive whirlpool.