The crowd cried out, but it was of no concern to me. My heart felt like it was about to burst.
All this time, the two of us were never actually engaged.
Engagements between nobles were contractual obligations entered into by both families. But Siraiya’s father and brothers—no matter who had ended up with the title—would have complicated the matter. Because of this, we’d been discussing getting engaged only once Siraiya inherited the title.
The urge to get engaged as soon as possible must have been what made him rush straight to the school.
“Yes, I will happily marry you. May the two of us share a wonderful life together, Siraiya.”
“Cynthia!”
He stood up and pulled me into a tight embrace. It was hard to breathe, but I wouldn’t think of breaking the hug.
We would have to fill out paperwork before the engagement was official. But a proposal in front of so many witnesses would be as binding as any legal contract in proving our relationship.
“…Huh? Hang on, what’s going on…? What the hell?! This isn’t right! I’m Cynthia’s fia—”
“Seize him.” Siraiya barked that command in a deep tone, still holding me in his arms.
This was an order from the newly appointed Duke Brooke. The school security guard wasted no time in seizing Eddie’s arms. This guard was the one who worked for His Royal Highness. He was probably the only guard at school who already knew of Siraiya’s new title and was therefore the only one who would spring to action at his orders.
Eddie made a noise like a squashed bug as the guard pressed him into the ground. I looked around and saw the fear on the other students’ faces. A single order from Siraiya had resulted in an arrest. Now they finally understood—they would never get to mock Siraiya again.
I was almost grateful for Eddie’s part in that.
“Mr. Eddie, who no longer has a family name. I ask that you please stop addressing me by my first name immediately,” I demanded. “The two of us are nothing more than strangers.”
“That’s not…! Damn it! How did this happen…?!”
“How strange. Didn’t you make the first accusations? You said the Rhuddlan family held our money over your head to force you into an engagement with me. You claimed I treated you like a slave, and you were desperate to be free. Well, your wish came true, didn’t it? Our money isn’t in the picture now, and all that’s left to do is pay us back. Our engagement is over. I know Earl Dorris removed you from the family register, but doesn’t that grant you the opportunity to do as you please, without the weight of your family’s honor to hold you back?”
“Y-You’ve got it all wrong! I never wanted this! I just wanted a little freedom to have fun!”
“Then why don’t you have your fun? You can fall in love with whoever you like. Miss Elly…doesn’t seem to be available, but… Ah, yes. You young ladies over there were very close to him, weren’t you? Why don’t you grow even closer now that he’s without a fiancée?”
With Siraiya still clinging to my arm, refusing to let me go, I called out to the girls who used to follow Eddie around all over campus. They gasped and struggled to respond, flustered over being called out.
“N-No, thank you! I’m already engaged! Oh, why don’t you take him, then?”
“No way! Don’t try to force him on me! I’d never settle for a commoner!”
I couldn’t believe she’d been flirting with Eddie all this time despite being engaged. But rejecting him for being a commoner was just downright amusing. After all, if they’d succeeded in stealing Eddie from me, they’d have been marrying a man without a title, becoming commoners themselves.
Female students tended to develop fixations on their beautiful male classmates. Thus, they became unable to consider their futures.
“What…? You don’t…want me? B-But…you said I was so handsome…” Eddie was still pinned to the ground. He looked astonished once he realized the girls weren’t interested.
His popularity with the opposite sex was probably why he was such a confident person in the first place. I could imagine this was all a huge shock.
“Enough! Take him away! I don’t want to look at him anymore!”
The security guard brought Eddie up to his feet at Siraiya’s irate command.
“No! Stop it! Wait a minute! Cynthia! I don’t care if you chain me up! I don’t want to be free if this is what it’s like! I want to go back! I want to go back to what we had! NOOOOOO!”
Eddie’s deranged scream made the other students shudder.
Those same girls who tried to shirk their responsibilities, unable to bear it any longer, fled down the hall in an unladylike dash.
“Are you angry, Siraiya?” I asked.
“Of course. How dare he speak that way about himself when he has no idea what it’s like to be a slave? He had your love and all that affection from Viscount and Viscountess Rhuddlan, but he still accused you of threatening him. It’s unforgivable. He couldn’t even begin to comprehend how much joy he’s been blessed with. He willingly chose to throw it away.”
Siraiya knew what it was like to be worked like a slave and live without freedom. Eddie used to be doted on like one of our own. Now, the Rhuddlans gave all of our affection to Siraiya.
It seemed our family had an incessant need to spoil anyone we cared about. My parents certainly spoiled me as a child, but I hoped to do the same for them as an adult—and for the man who would become our family’s newest member.
In the back of my mind, I realized that perhaps all of that behavior had been a bad influence on Eddie. But I wasn’t going to concern myself with him any longer. Siraiya was never going to end up like him.
“You could have avoided so much heartache if only I’d chosen you instead of Eddie from the start. Forgive me, Siraiya.” I stroked his hair to console him. Siraiya looked at me like he was about to start crying.
“No, Cynthia. You’re the one who found me when all I could do was hide behind the schoolhouse. Thank you for finding me.”
“…You’re so adorable, my love.”
When I murmured that to him, Siraiya pulled me even closer.
“Let’s go home. I want to hear…even more sweet nothings from my beloved fiancée.”
“Hehe! Yes, please let me spoil you, Siraiya.”
We rushed down the hall toward my carriage. The other students timidly moved aside for us to pass.
There’s nothing to fear anymore. No one’s ever going to hurt Siraiya again.
It was the most joyous realization in the world.