Intermission: What Happened to the Prince?
A lot of effort had gone into preparing for this day.
The ballroom had been redecorated, and they had sent for several well-known foreign chefs and music troupes. The ingredients they used for the food were also nothing less than rich, quality produce. The tables were full of lavish delicacies that usually only royalty would get to taste.
A full moon shone high in the night sky with not a cloud in sight. Rufus gave a satisfied smile.
This is a most wonderful ball, he thought.
“I sincerely hope you all enjoy the evening,” he announced in the middle of the room. Ladies wearing glorious gowns nodded politely, with elegant smiles on their faces.
Rufus had only invited women to the ball, but there were several men dotted around the room. When he asked, he found out that they were all the ladies’ butlers there as chaperones.
How unnecessary.
He wasn’t at all pleased about them being there, but if he kicked them out for such a petty reason, it was possible the atmosphere would be ruined, and some of the ladies would have to leave. Besides, they weren’t like the barbaric civilians of the kingdom, nor the half-witted soldiers. They understood their place in society and carried out their duties to the utmost of their capabilities. In reality, there was little to protest.
“Your Highness,” a woman called out. “Thank you ever so much for inviting me to the ball this evening.”
“Ah, Liza! I didn’t realize you were here. I should be the one thanking you, though,” he smiled smoothly. “That dress suits you wonderfully.”
“I’m glad to hear that! My mother chose it for me,” she explained.
The way she carried herself with such tranquility, and the way she didn’t show even a glimpse of excitement or anxiety very clearly set her apart from the other young women. Her lips turned up into a well-mannered smile, completely immune to any emotional disturbance.
Her pale blue mermaid dress emitted an air of intelligence that matched her manner of speaking, and a bejeweled ornament in her hair reflected the light from the chandelier a million times over, creating the illusion that she was twinkling like starlight.
Her name was Liza, and she was the only daughter of Lord Rayford. She was mild-mannered, a passionate academic, and even well-versed in the arts. She was a woman of many talents.
Not to mention, her house was inferior to only the royal family in terms of political power. Although Lord Rayford was a very stern man, he claimed that his strict nature was for the sake of those weaker than him. That was his philosophy.
Unlike many other high-ranked individuals, he had not lost himself to greed, and he had an intense hatred for injustice and wrongdoing. Many aristocrats weren’t too fond of his ideology, but the commoners, at least, trusted him deeply.
And, as part of the royal family, it was in Rufus’ best interests to curry favor with him by any means necessary.
By emphasizing his friendship with Lord Rayford, his popularity among the commoners would increase, but there was another reason he wanted to keep him close—there was nothing more troublesome than a capable enemy.
“Between you and me…” Rufus began, leaning over to whisper into Liza’s ear. The other ladies were looking at the pair, but he pretended not to notice, intentionally keeping his voice low and seductive. “I was eagerly anticipating your visit this evening.”
Those words weren’t just flattery; they were his true feelings. He’d invited noble ladies from many different countries, but if he were to officially make one of these women his crown princess, he wanted to choose Liza.
“Don’t choose her based on looks alone.” That was what His Majesty the King—his father—had told him.
Rufus already knew that.
Although he didn’t necessarily have to, he’d broken off his engagement to the saint. Due to the gravity of his decision, there was a lot of pressure on him to choose a woman who was even more suited to being queen than Marialite. Liza filled those requirements perfectly. And, if the new queen was to be a well-liked noble lady, he was certain the commoners wouldn’t complain, either.
“…Your Highness, I happened to hear a rumor about town…” she murmured in reply, putting a little more distance between them. “That your true intention for holding this ball is to find a new fiancée.”
“Where in the realm did such gossip come from?”
“I think you know that better than anyone else, Your Highness,” she smiled, an accusatory look in her eyes. Rufus didn’t reply; he simply smiled back.
True enough, Rufus was the one who spread the rumor. Thanks to that, the attendees were making an extraordinary effort to be liked by the prince. A fierce battle had unfolded before him, with beautiful women scrambling for his attention on all sides. Rufus had no idea how many of them genuinely harbored feelings of love, but it was clear that most of them had their eyes on the throne.
Frankly, Rufus didn’t care why they were toadying up for him; he could have Liza as his queen, and select some of the other women as his concubines. That was his plan.
He ordered the balcony to be cleared of people before taking her out into the fresh air alone.
“I apologize to the other ladies, but you’re the one I believe would be most fit to be our future queen,” he admitted.
“Oh, thank you,” she smiled, pleased. There was no exaggerated outburst of joy; she reacted with simple, calm delight.
Almost like Marialite.
“……”
He fell silent, surprised at himself. He never thought his previous fiancée would cross his mind like that, even for a second—despite the fact that she was carted off to the palace the moment her status as a saint became known, and she had lived there as his future wife for years.
He thought they were too far apart in age, but the king wanted to make a saint his princess, and it wasn’t as though she was unattractive. Plus, she was the sort of person who did whatever she was told, and Rufus had actually quite liked her. However, the more time passed, the more he gradually began to resent her.
While she always had that gentle smile on her face, he was convinced that secretly, she looked down on him for being younger than her. Besides, he’d always found the rule of not sleeping together with his betrothed until the day they were married infuriating.
No matter how beautiful she was, as the years passed, her skin would age. And then, he would have to procreate with her. He really wanted to avoid that.
“Me as your future queen, you say…? I think you could choose far better,” Liza said.
“Now, there’s no need to be humble,” he assured her. “Even among the other royals, a lot of people agree that you would be a wonderful choice. Surely, you must have noticed that.”
“I don’t think I could ever replace Lady Marialite, though,” she said gently. Although, with the moon illuminating her polite smile, it was clear that something wasn’t quite right. She was still stunningly beautiful, but her expression faltered ever so slightly.
“I’m not intending to make you Marialite’s replacement,” Rufus huffed. “This country no longer requires the power of a saint.”
“Ah, yes… I remember,” she said with a bitter smile. “With magic items at our disposal, there won’t be quite so many opportunities for a saint to offer their assistance.”
The introduction of magic items to their society had changed people’s way of living even more than Rufus had expected.
By embedding a certain crystal—a stone called an enchanted gem—into any tool or device, they could power anything by magic alone. With one of those stones, anyone could make fire or bring forth gushes of water and so much more. Of course, the same went for speeding up the growth process of plants.
Now, they could compete with the demon kingdom on equal footing.
In addition, thanks to the magic items, Rufus finally found an excuse to get rid of Marialite. In his mind, there was nothing for Liza to be worried about.
“Have faith, Liza.”
“Just give me a little while to think about it,” she sighed. “Putting that aside—I’d like to speak some more to the other guests, so if you don’t mind, I’ll excuse myself.”
“O-Of course,” he nodded. “…I truly mean what I just said. Please, think with the future in mind.”
“I will. Oh, by the way… There’s just one other thing I wanted to say to you, Your Highness.”
Quite frankly, Rufus was panicking. Contrary to his expectations, she hadn’t simply nodded and accepted his proposition with delight. Far from it.
“Y-Yes?” he replied gingerly.
Liza smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“You’d best not look down on women the way you do.”
“No, you misunderstand,” he floundered. “I think very highly of you.”
“I’m not just talking about myself,” she hinted, that same polite smile plastered on her face. “Well, then, I shall speak to you later.”
She walked away, and her slow-paced footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
Even if she was the daughter of a lord, she was still two years younger than Rufus. And yet, despite their difference in power and position, her words sent a shiver up his spine.