CH 49

"The emperor's seal is kept in a locked cabinet, the key of which is to be worn by the king at all times."

Edward had once told her that when he became king, he would like to have a thinner chain instead of such a martial chain, and they had jokingly thought together about what kind of design they would like to have.

"If the king had died, Edward would have inherited the key. If that were the case, he would have used the real Imperial Seal instead of going through the trouble of using a fake one."

"Besides, the name signed on this letter is not Edward."

So, Mariabelle believes the king is safe.

"But what if this was the crown prince's plan? No matter how many troops you go with, it will be no good if the kingdom's army overwhelms you with numbers. It would be like sneaking off to be captured."

Renato did not think Edward was that sharp, but there was always a chance.

The most important thing is that you should not underestimate your opponent and lose the one you love more than anyone else.

"There is no reason for His Royal Highness the crown prince to play such tricks on me. If he had wanted my dowry in the first place, as he wrote in his letter, he should have made me a full wife and his beloved one a concubine from the beginning."

"Perhaps he changed his mind and regretted it."

"No, it can't be."

The breaking of his engagement to Mariabelle was another sign of Edward's seriousness.

It would have been fine to have Annette as a concubine, but he was particular about having a loved one as his wife.

Just because his sincerity wasn't directed at Mariabelle doesn't mean Edward wasn't originally a good person.

"But then, why such a letter... If the purpose is not territorial, then..."

Renato, who had been pondering with a difficult look on his face, looked at Mariabelle as if a thought had suddenly occurred to him.

"Could this Simon be the man the ambassador was referring to?"

When Carlo saw the letter and asked the ambassador, his reply was, "A man of no particular prominence, except that he is the crown prince's younger brother."

The Simon in Mariabelle's memory has the same impression.

"His long bangs made it difficult to tell much about his facial expression, and he had a somewhat gloomy air about him."

"I see," he said.

"He is a member of the crown prince's entourage, but he didn't come forward much and tended to stay in the background."

"Do you know why he went through the trouble of writing Simon as Mariabelle's fiancé?"

Mariabelle thought for a moment before answering.

She said, "Actually, the crown prince's new fiancée was not making much progress in her education, and he asked me if I would be her teacher. Of course, I refused, but perhaps he wanted to make me Simon's wife so that I would not be able to refuse the position."

Mariabelle had not told Renato about it.

She didn't keep it a secret, but Edward's proposal was so dismissive of Mariabelle's feelings that it was likely to make Renato's already bad impression of Edward even worse if she talked about it.

"I don't understand how on earth he could make such a suggestion."

As expected, Renato was dumbfounded, and Mariabelle smiled wryly.

"He was sure I could teach her perfectly after completing my education as a queen."

"I'm sure there were many educators in the royal court."

"It seems that they did not get along very well."

"After I left the Kingdom, I have only heard rumours about Annette."

"The only thing I had heard was that several educators quit in a row."

"The girl is a commoner, she probably doesn't even know the manners of the nobility. It must be hard to teach her."

It is not at all impossible to say that commoners do not become the wives of nobles.

However, many of them often get tired of the unfamiliar life of the nobility and break down either physically or mentally.

"Even the nobles do so. If you are married to a royal... especially to the crown prince, the manners and knowledge required of you are considerable."

"It is too much for a mere commoner to handle."

If it had been Carlo, he would have risked his life to stop Renato.

"Was their meeting a coincidence, or was it...?"

"Or perhaps he wanted me to be a nanny for the crown prince's son."

"Even his own marriage has not yet been formalized, but he is still in high spirits. But if that was the case, another aide would have been fine. Why this man, who is only the third son of a countess?"

Mariabelle was raised as the next queen and is the daughter of the Berkeley Marquess family, which is one of the most powerful families in the kingdom.

"The other man, 'Simon,' never had a fiancée..."

"This man didn't have one?"

"'I'm afraid he couldn't find a good match."

Mariabelle didn't know much about Simon.

So she had never thought about why he had never had a fiancée before.

"Although he is a close associate of Edward, Simon, the third son of a count, does not have a title to inherit."

"A knight could receive knighthood for a lifetime, but Simon is a civilian."

"If Edward had no other trusted aides, he would have Percy Coleridge, the son of the Prime Minister, and Brian Chester, the son of the Knight Commander."

"Most of the nobles probably thought that if they were going to make a connection, it would be with one of them."

"So, this Simon man has no connection to the Republic?"

"The Republic, is that right? No, I have never heard of him having a connection there."

"Both of Simon's parents are nobles of the kingdom."

"The Count of Lent's estate is in the north, far from the Republic."

"Well, I thought for sure that they were agents of the Republic.  We should gather information for now and head there immediately."

"Where are you headed?"

"To rescue Belle's father, of course."