CH 47

Seeing Renato's anger up close, Mariabelle trembled at the fierceness she had never seen in Renato before.

It wasn't that she was afraid.

The crown prince of a country is not a man who is only gentle, and although he had always been gentle in front of Mariabelle, she had expected that he would have this side of him as well.

I am so happy that Renato's anger is for my sake, Mariabelle thought.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that the two of them have been in the same boat for a long time.

Renato will take good care of me and protect me.

He would take me by the hand when I am confused, not knowing what to do, and show me the way to go.

But I didn't want that to be the only thing.

I want to stand side by side with...

It's not possible to stand shoulder to shoulder, but it's possible to follow without being held back...

Mariabelle strongly thought so.

Mariabelle regained her composure and read the delivered letter again.

There was a note that said...

Mariabelle Berkeley is already engaged to Simon Lent, and her engagement to Renato, Crown Prince of the Gallerian Empire, is invalid.

This engagement was concluded one month after the previous engagement was broken off, and there is a written oath in the church to prove it.

In the unlikely event that Mariabelle Berkeley unilaterally cancels this engagement, James Berkeley, who confirmed the engagement, will be charged with forging the documents of the engagement contract.

Furthermore, as compensation for breaking off the engagement, Simon Lent shall be given a portion of the mines and part of the territory mentioned in the engagement agreement.

The contract is an official document signed by the king of the kingdom and stamped with the kingdom's royal seal.

However, everything written on the document was a lie.

There was no way that Mariabelle was engaged to Simon, and there was no way that James would have signed the engagement contract between Mariabelle and Simon.

It was clearly the kingdom that forged the document.

Moreover, it's too much to ask him to give up part of his mine and territory as compensation.

But...

Mariabelle felt an unspeakable sense of discomfort.

As Edward's fiancée, Mariabelle knew the king well.

The king looked so much like Edward that she wondered what he would be like when he got older.

He has a strict sense of etiquette, but she remembered that he was always happy that Mariabelle's education as queen was progressing smoothly.

He adored his only son, Edward, and was fond of saying, "I am very happy to have a diligent daughter-in-law like you as my son's queen."

Even though he was the king of a country, he was not a man full of high spirits like the emperor of the Gallerian Empire, and his reign seemed to be neither good nor bad.

In normal times, he is a good enough king.

Would such a king go out of his way to send a letter to the empire to pick a fight with it?

Moreover, it was more like a formal document than a letter.

Then, Mariabelle suddenly realised.

In the case of a formal document, the wax seal on the envelope would be special.

She had been shown this special seal, which was known only to the king, only once.

She had questioned the mark, which at first glance appeared to be just a scratch, and had asked the king directly.

The king said, "You know very well. You mustn't tell anyone," and he told her the difference.

"Master Carlo, may I see that envelope?"

Carlo, who was discussing what he and Renato were going to do, noticed the tension in Mariabelle's voice. Of course, Renato also noticed.

"Here you go."

Mariabelle, who was handed both envelopes, looked carefully at the wax seals.

They were different after all.

"This was not written by the king."

"Dear Renato, this letter is a fake."

"How do you know it is a fake?"

"I cannot give you the details, but I can assure you that it was not written by His Majesty the King."

Two unicorns holding up a crown, stamped with sealing wax.

If you looked closely, it was clearly different from what Mariabelle knew.

However, it was a matter of great importance involving the kingdom's secrets.

No matter how engaged she was, she wondered if she could reveal it to Renato, the Crown Prince of the Empire...

Mariabelle hesitated, but it was certain that something was happening in the kingdom.

Otherwise, both the Imperial Seal, so precisely forged, and the King's signature, which looked just like the real thing, would be too big a deal to just bring down the Marquess of Berkeley.

Mariabelle was determined to uncover the truth, not only for her own sake, but also to protect her family.