I’m sure that on the inside, he’s shocked about this as well! But he’s showing no hint of it. Classic Lord Claus! Jeanette thought, impressed. She then hardened her expression. I have to do the same!
Meltia visually inspected Claus from head to toe, and smiled in satisfaction.
“You’re as perfect as they say.”
“As they say”? So she’s heard about him.
“You’re a nobleman from House Guivarch and a person of excellent character, from what I’ve been told.”
“It’s an honor to receive your praise,” he responded, unperturbed.
Meltia’s smile widened.
“In that case, Lord Claus,” she said in a sweet, coaxing voice, “marry me.”
There was a long pause.
“Excuse me?” Claus asked. Even his smile faltered at this point.
Jeanette almost made a sound, but managed to suppress it by quickly clapping her hands over her mouth. Marry?! The princess wants to...marry Lord Claus?! she screamed inwardly.
Meltia reiterated her request, firmly pronouncing each syllable.
“Marry. Yes, mar-ry. I want you as my husband,” she said, her cheeks flushing. She was the picture of a young maiden, and her adorableness startled Jeanette all over again. The maids inside the room all let out sighs of admiration. However, there was one person unmoved by the princess’s cuteness: Claus.
“I must refuse,” he immediately responded with a forced smile.
Meltia was taken aback.
“Huh?!” Her eyes grew wide, and her mouth hung open. She probably hadn’t even considered the possibility of Claus rejecting her. Her previous composure flew out of the window and she hurriedly leaned forward. “Wh-Why?! I’m the one asking you! Me!” she said, beating her own chest.
Claus remained calm.
“As I’ve already told you, I am engaged. Unfortunately, I cannot marry you, Your Highness.”
But the princess didn’t back down.
“You’re engaged? So what?! You can just call it off—”
“I won’t,” Claus interjected, his voice loud and clear. “I will not cancel my engagement. I’m going to marry Jeanette.”
L-L-Lord Claus! Should you really be saying that to her?! Jeanette panicked.
Usually, interrupting a member of the royal family was seen as the height of disrespect. Yet Claus didn’t look even slightly intimidated. He simply stood there smiling, while a powerful pressure silently emanated from him, seemingly saying, “I ab-so-lu-te-ly re-fuse.” His well-defined features dramatically heightened the effect when he chose to look serious.
The princess shrank back, unable to find her words.
“Wh-Why...!” she mumbled, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish’s.
The head maid stepped forward and threw the princess a lifeline.
“Do you even realize who you’re talking to?!” she called out loudly. “This is the first princess of our country! How dare you refuse her request?!”
“I still refuse,” Claus answered dismissively, his voice painfully nonchalant.
It was the maid’s turn to shudder and gasp.
“But why? What about me do you find dissatisfying?” While Claus and the maid spoke, Meltia had regained some composure. Her clear blue eyes glared at Claus harshly. “By marrying me, you’d be bringing your family great prestige! You’d get the royal family’s patronage and a dowry large enough to last a lifetime! Not to mention, I’m beautiful!”
“Princess Meltia,” Claus said slowly. His voice was low yet resonant. Though he’d only said her name, his voice sounded strangely pleasant. It shocked Jeanette a little. The same seemed true for Meltia, as her glimmering eyes looked at Claus with a note of passion. “I’m not marrying Jeanette because I want prestige, fortune, or anything else. I’m marrying her because I love her.”
“Wah!” Jeanette squeaked when Claus reached out for her. His long arm wrapped around her, and he placed a kiss on the top of her head. H-He’s doing this in front of the princess...!
Meltia’s cheeks turned red at the sight. She looked both angry and embarrassed.
“I-I can’t believe you’re flirting with another woman in front of me!!!”
“She is my fiancée, after all.” Claus chuckled, as if asking, “Is there a problem?” Even in this kind of situation, his unruffled demeanor and elegant smile were as beautiful as if he were a painting.
The blushing Meltia was at a loss for words. But soon enough, she clenched her fists and trembled in fury.
“What’s wrong with you?! I’m a princess! Not once has a wish of mine ever gone unfulfilled!”
“Well, that’s...” Claus began, then trailed off. Jeanette could almost hear him finishing that sentence with “because you were spoiled all your life.” She glanced at him.
“Gracious! Not only do you refuse me, but you’re even flirting with someone in front of me! I’m so annoyed! I hope you realize I’m going to tell papa about this!”
“Go right ahead,” Claus replied with a smile, enraging the princess further.
“You’re awful! I don’t even want to look at your face anymore! Get out of here!”
“I shall take you up on that.” As if he’d been waiting for this, Claus bowed once, then turned on his heel and walked away with Jeanette.
They could hear the maids pacifying the princess behind them as they exited the room.
“Your Highness, you might feel dizzy again if you get too agitated! Please calm down...!”
Jeanette quickly walked down the hallway with Claus.
“Um, are you sure it’s fine if we just leave?” she asked, worried.
“Yes. In fact, we’d best leave as soon as possible. Overstaying our welcome would be problematic right now.” Claus was smiling bitterly as he replied.
“I-Is that so...?” Jeanette wasn’t sure what he meant, but if he said it, then she believed him. After all, people had tried to woo him more times than she could count. He might’ve gone through something similar in the past...
This was the first time someone had tried to steal Claus right in front of Jeanette, but she had heard that women always swarmed him whenever she wasn’t around. However, he always swiftly rejected them.
“Oh...” Jeanette muttered, realizing something. “Do you think she only asked for the play as a pretext to speak with you?”
“If that’s the case, then I suppose I wasn’t imagining it when I thought she kept looking at me during the performance.”
So Claus had noticed it too. The princess really must’ve used the play as an excuse to see him.
Claus sighed.
“I hope she’ll give up...”
“Hmm? You clearly told her no, right? Would someone keep trying even after that?” Jeanette inquired. If she had confessed to someone and they responded to her the way Claus just had, she would’ve certainly called it quits. Then again, if the person she would’ve been interested in already had a fiancée, she would’ve never dreamed of confessing to them in the first place.
Claus groaned at her question.
“Who knows... She was bold enough to ask me to marry her right in front of you, my fiancée.”
“Tr-True...” That brazen act alone showed just how far beyond Jeanette’s common sense the princess was.
“I hope no trouble comes from this...” Claus muttered. Unbeknownst to him, his worries would soon turn to reality.