CH 79

The road heading north from the royal castle was overflowing with people seeing them off.

Everyone was waiting with flowers to catch a glimpse of the main characters of the play that was shown in every theater in the kingdom.

As they waited, the first group of knights appeared, dressed in navy blue knightley attire and with stern expressions on their faces.

Dressed in navy blue knight uniforms, they marched down the road with a stern look, and they weren't the brilliant guards in white uniforms who followed Edward up until now, but they were strong knights working to maintain public order in the north by the king's orders.

Soon, the carriage in which Edward rode slowly made its appearance, and the waiting crowd erupted in loud cheers.

With his shining golden hair and sky-blue eyes, he smiled kindly and waved his hand, just as the people imagined a prince to be.

Next to him, waving her hand in a shy, primitive manner, was Annette, the daughter of a commoner for whom the crown prince had chosen to renounce his throne.

The series of turmoil that followed Duke Danzel's assassination of the royal family ten years ago was a surprise to the people.

No one had imagined that Duke Danzel, who had brought a cure for the plague to the kingdom, had used the plague as a cover to plot the murder of the Queen Mother and her son.

With the downfall of the Duke of Danzel, Annette, the new fiancée of Edward, had her adoption with the duke's family dissolved and lost her nobility.

Royalty can only marry those of noble birth.

Therefore, if Edward were to choose true love, he would have to renounce his throne.

The people watched to see what would happen.

"Prince Edward had a fiancée who was worthy of his position in the first place, and there was no way he would abandon the lady he had chosen again."

"Indeed,"

"If it were me, I would give her some money and ask her to leave and find someone else."

"Maybe it would be easier that way."

"You could say that."

People exchanged such conversations and gossiped about Edward's future.

Then it was announced that Edward would relinquish his right of succession to the throne, and that he would be named Grand Duke of the North Realm after receiving the lands ruled by the Duke of Danzel in the north.

At the same time, a play called "True Love and Destined Love" was unveiled in the Kingdom.

In the first act, the crown prince meets a commoner's daughter and finds true love, and in the second act, the crown prince's fiancée, who is his partner in a political marriage, steps down before true love and goes to the empire, where she develops a fated love with the crown prince of the empire.

While both crown princes are played by different actors, the two leading female roles are played by one popular actress, Alexandra Fatal, who has also become a topic of conversation.

Alexandra's reputation as a single actress playing a simple, pretty town girl and a noble, dignified daughter of a nobleman quickly grew.

People soon realized that the play was modeled on Edward, Annette, and Mariabelle.

And when Edward's popularity with the people reached its peak, Edward, who chose love and abandoned the throne, was given a northern territory that had lost its lord due to the discontinuation of the Danzel family, which had been tyrannical, and left immediately.

On the day of his exit, people gathered on the streets with flowers in their hands to celebrate the departure of Edward, who had chosen true love over the crown.

In the play supposedly modeled on Edward, both lovers gave each other bright red roses when they pledged their love, and so it is red roses that they held in their hands.

As Edward and Annette rode in their carriage down the street, people held up congratulatory flowers with cheers.

It was like a scene from a fairy tale, with the carriage riding on a red carpet.

Seeing the happy lovers waving as they rode in the carriage, people felt as if they were one of the characters in the story, and they became even more enthusiastic about the departure of the former crown prince, which marked the end of a series of tumultuous events.

But those close to him would have seen that Edward's smile was like a pasted-on smile, and that the faces of the entourage behind him, with the exception of Percy's, were tense.

Simon Lent confessed to all his connections to the Duke of Danzel and the Republic, and was to be chained up in jail.

But he spends most of the day in a state of insanity from which it is said he will never recover.

Vladimir Danzel was hanged for the assassination of the royal family and attempted assassination of the king.

His body was left to rot, hanging from the northern wall as a symbol of his crimes.

Danzel's son, who should have been given death for his role in the plot, lay dead next to him because of evidence that he had been in contact with the Republic, just as his father had been.

As for his second wife and young daughter, however, they were pardoned by Cedric and sent to a monastery in the north, which was said to be severe.

As Edward and the others passed through the north gate, the cheers grew louder.

"Was it okay not to see them off?"

Mariabelle looked out the window at the distant cheers, and Renato, who had his hand on her shoulder, asked.

"Yes."

"I already greeted them when I left the palace."

Despite the people's congratulations, Edward's path ahead would bring many hardships.

The former Duke of Danzel was neither a good nor bad lord for his people, but he did not starve them.

But with trade with the Republic cut off, the northern territories, which are not expected to produce any crops, will face hard times.

No matter how much the former Duke of Danzel was a great criminal, the daily life of the people was more important.

The more difficult their lives become from now on, the more dissatisfied they will become with Edward.

Cedric had given them a plant called sugar beet as a parting gift, saying that it would grow even in the north.

If cultivation went well, the territory would eventually become wealthy.

Until then, Mariabelle hoped everyone would help each other.

Although Mariabelle's feelings for Edward were like those of a family member, he was still an important person.

'So, please support each other with Annette, who is bound by true love, and do your best for the people.'

With this thought in mind, Mariabelle said goodbye to her former fiancé, who was now far away.

"Farewell, Mr. Edward. I wish you happiness."

The soldiers of the Republic, who had repeatedly skirmished on the border, retreated as soon as the former Duke of Danzel's crimes were exposed.

The Republic of Morvia was probably trying to take over the kingdom and pincer the empire from the east and west.

The first thing that prevented this attempt was Edward's breaking off the engagement.

Although she had despaired when Edward suddenly broke off the engagement, she was able to foil the Republic's plot, and above all, Mariabelle was able to meet the man she loved with all her heart.

"Mister Renato, let us return to the empire."

Mariabelle looked up at Renato.

His deep ocean-blue eyes looked at Mariabelle with affection.

The place where Mariabelle returns to is where Renato is.

In sickness and in health, in joy and in pain, in riches and in poverty, let us love each other, respect each other, help each other, and give our whole hearts to each other for as long as we live.

'With Renato, I believe we can do this.'

"Of course, Belle."

Mariabelle took Renato's hand and turned away from the distant cheers.

Someone was listening to the same cheers while looking up at the north wall where Danzel and his son were hung.

"Danzel, you failed. You're useless.... It's a hassle to have to deal with something that can be easily attacked, such as the kingdom, if it's not for the purpose of obtaining the kingdom's mechanisms... ...But I am the true heir to the ancient kingdom."

With these words, the man turned himself around and disappeared into the crowd.