It was as much as the audience could do to keep up with everything being said.
“I didn’t make it public because if someone had pointed it out, it would’ve been an issue for me,” Marcus said.
Selene frowned, not sure what Marcus was trying to say, but Layne noticed where he was going and suddenly went pale. Meanwhile, Cesia swore to herself that she would hit Marcus after this for letting her know about everything way too late.
“Cesia can no longer be called a criminal, but the reason you say that she isn’t fit to be the princess consort is because she’s marrying me.”
He was right. If Cesia had been getting married to a commoner, it wouldn’t have been an issue, so long as the man she was marrying didn’t care about her history.
“Do you get it? There’s no reason to attack Cesia anymore, which means I’m the reason we can’t get married.”
Both Cesia and the audience realized with a start what he was saying. If Layne hadn’t been silenced, he would have undoubtedly tried to prevent Marcus from continuing.
“If the fact that I’m a prince is in the way of me marrying Cesia, then I’ll just step down.”
“You can’t!” Cesia shouted without thinking and grabbed Marcus’s arm, urging him to stop. “Look, you just can’t! And His Majesty and His Royal Highness, the crown prince, will never accept it.”
Marcus raised an eyebrow. “But I’ve heard that if I don’t, I can’t marry you,” he said sarcastically.
Cesia wanted to slap that good-looking face of his as soon as she could.
“Or, are you going to give up on marrying me?”
“I’ll marry you,” Cesia said with certainty, shaking her head. “I love you.”
“That’s good to hear. I love you, too. I want to get married, even if it means resigning from my position.”
Marcus was speaking passionately, but Cesia went pale at the suggestion. He wasn’t the type of person to make mean-spirited jokes to test people at a time like this—which meant that he was serious. He had put so much of himself and his life into being a prince, but he was ready to give all of it up because of what she had done in her past.
“Anyway, you just can’t…” Cesia said. “Let’s look for another way. Maybe I can accept a harsher punishment, or—”
“Cesia, calm down. My resignation won’t affect things one bit. I might lose my authority as a prince, but I’ll still do everything in my power for the country.”
“But surely there are things you can only do as a prince, right?” Cesia said beside herself, trying to convince Marcus.
Marcus smiled. “A great number of people protect this country, and none of them are princes. The knights here, most nobles, and many of the people play a part. I’ve been a prince all this time, so I’ve done what I could in that role, but there are plenty of things I can’t do because I’m a prince. I just have to be of service in a different way from now on.”
His words made Cesia remember visiting the orphanage on the outskirts of the capital with Maria. Whatever pressure he exerted as a prince, the conditions at the orphanage never improved much. However, if he could, as a noble, bring up the topic of supporting the orphanage in parliament, something might change. That was what he must have been referring to.
Even so, Cesia shook her head. She still wanted him to change his mind. Without her noticing it, her desperate attempts to convince him to rethink things made the people around her want to root for her.
Every prince of Emeroade received a knighthood for ceremonial reasons, but Marcus wasn’t just a knight on paper. He participated in their training, and many knights in attendance had even shared a friendly conversation with him. In fact, every citizen of Emeroade was proud of their second prince, and they knew he would represent them well wherever he was. Some were so intensely proud of him that, like Layne, they took things too far to protect him sometimes. And now, he was saying that he would quit to marry the woman he loved. She had already atoned for her sins, and what she had done was hardly severe in the first place. So, they thought losing the prince they loved for that would be a waste.
Representing the crowd, Sir Norwood spoke. “Your Royal Highness.”
Marcus looked at him. “What could it be, Sir Norwood?” he said pompously.
Cesia looked pleadingly at the nobleman. She didn’t care what it was as long as he could tell her some way to keep Marcus from stepping down.
Sir Norwood nodded, recognizing her fervent wish. Everyone there was on Marcus’s side—not necessarily on Cesia’s side, but at the very least, at that moment, their goals were the same. “We people of Emeroade don’t think that Baroness Wallen, who has already been punished for what she did, is a criminal,” Sir Norwood said. He spread out both arms, and to show their collective agreement, the nobles around them nodded.
Seeing that, Marcus purposely tilted his head as if confused. “Really? To me, it looked like all of you were supporting Lady Selene a moment ago.”
“We value freedom and equality above anything, and we believe that someone trying to reform after doing wrong is wonderful.”
“It’s reassuring to hear you say that,” Marcus said, smiling.
In a show of allegiance, Sir Norwood knelt, and the other knights followed suit. The noblewomen did the same.
“As the commander of the knights of Emeroade, I, Gran Norwood, do declare that I believe Baroness Wallen to be an appropriate partner to Your Royal Highness.”
The scene made Cesia’s heart leap in her chest. Everyone there wanted Marcus to remain prince, and in accordance with his wishes, they had decided not to pursue the issue of Cesia’s crime any further. “Your Royal Highness…” Cesia said to Marcus, dumbfounded, and he smiled at her.
Felix, Rosary, and Ada were among those who were kneeling. Most of the people there hadn’t approved of Cesia, but they had accepted her for Marcus’s sake. They were showing their support because Marcus had declared he wouldn’t abandon her.
Cesia could feel her eyes burn with tears. She remembered what Rosary had said that night. She may have disliked using her authority, but depending on how she used it, it could be either a shield or a weapon to protect herself. Marcus smiled his usual, unwavering smile. Her authority could also be a weapon to protect him.
“Cesia,” Marcus said, and she gingerly raised her face.
With her purple eyes, Cesia gazed into his jade-green eyes. He was strong, kind, and graceful. She wanted to be someone who could stand next to him, as his equal. She nodded once, then looked at Felix and Ada and, with the most dignity she could muster, said, “Burns, Aiden, please restrain Selene Diane.” They sprung into action and did as she asked. “Selene Diane,” Cesia continued, “for throwing this place into chaos, the Security Bureau will take you into their custody.”
“You… Rat!” Selene howled. She tried to leap at Cesia, but Felix and Ada stopped her.
Cesia stood proudly, without flinching, and proclaimed, “I am Cesia Kathrin, Baroness Wallen. I won’t run away, and I won’t hide. Your actions against me will be judged fairly under the law.”
A weapon, different from magic or martial arts, had protected Cesia and made her stronger.
As Selene screamed about something or other, Felix and Ada took her away. Cesia looked around and saw that Layne was being led away by Keith and Roy in much the same way. She reflexively tried to approach them, but she stopped herself. If Layne had caused all this commotion because he didn’t think Cesia was fit to be Marcus’s partner, then it was thanks to Marcus that the situation had been resolved. Whatever she said to Layne would be meaningless. She had to prove with her future actions that she was worthy to be by Marcus’s side, not just to Layne but to the other nobles and the entire country.
“Bring it on,” she said to herself and clenched her fist. Just then, Marcus’s large hand enveloped her fist, and when she turned to look at him, he was awkwardly smiling at her.
Marcus had conclusively parted ways with Layne and was no doubt hurt by that. But she couldn’t come up with the right words to say to him, as he once had when she was having a hard time. She could only quietly swear to him, above anyone else, that she would continually prove that he was right to choose her.