"I'm..."
His voice got stuck in his throat.
Edward stammered, faced with the ultimate choice.
"Ed..."
A shy voice came from behind.
When Edward turned around, there was Annette with trembling eyes.
Unlike when they first met, her reddish-brown hair was neatly put together and her face with make-up was completely sophisticated and showed an aristocratic appearance.
However, the carefree smile that Edward loved, the white teeth that showed when she smiled, and the cute dimples on her cheeks were all absent from Annette now.
Edward vaguely wondered when Annette, who had looked like an ordinary commoner's daughter, had become like this.
Then he looked at Mariabelle, who was being held in the arms of the imperial prince as if she were being protected.
She was a perfect lady.
If they were to be compared as nobles, there was no woman better than Mariabelle.
Edward wondered if Mariabelle still had feelings for him as she looked at him with concern, he had faint hopes.
However, perhaps sensing Edward's selfishness, Renato put his hands on Mariabelle's shoulders.
Mariabelle's white hand was superimposed on that hand.
Edward suddenly averted his eyes, feeling as if the two of them were showing off their feelings.
Ahead of him was Frederick III, who was looking at Edward with a cold gaze that he had never seen before.
Edward involuntarily cleared his throat.
His father, the king, had always had a soft spot for him.
He looked a little sad when he had to resign his teachers and aides, but that never stopped him from fulfilling Edward's wishes.
He had never been so selfish in the first place.
He had done all of the required tasks, both in classroom learning and in swordsmanship.
Yet, Frederick III was currently looking at Edward as if he were looking at someone else.
Even his subjects around him would not make eye contact with Edward.
Why is this?
Even though he is the crown prince of the kingdom, a descendant of the ancient kingdom people, with noble blood...
Finally, he made eye contact with Cedric.
My poor cousin who lost his father before he could remember.
I have always loved him like a little brother, but I had no idea he was so knowledgeable.
When I saw the teachers I dismissed at the royal palace, I heard that they were now teaching Cedric, but I wonder if those teachers gave him that much knowledge.
If so, I wish they had taught it to me.
If I had known about the Black Death Wheat, if I had known how my grandmother died ten years ago, I would not be trapped like this now.
Then, I would not have chosen the Duke of Danzel as the person to adopt Annette, and I would not be relying on him.
If I had known, I would not have chosen a close associate of Danzel's faction.
I met Annette because Brian Chester, a member of Danzel's faction, invited me to go on a social tour of the castle.
If he had not chosen Brian as his aide, he would never have met Annette and would have married Mariabelle.
And it would have been Edward, not Cedric, who would have denounced Danzel with Frederick III.
So why is he so cornered?
Why...
"Your Highness, true love is precious..."
Mariabelle called out to the hesitant Edward.
"...for the sake of the many people who blessed His Highness and Annette's engagement."
In Edward's mind, the image of the people after the announcement of his betrothal to Annette came to mind.
When they passed through the castle town in a carriage, they found out that the crest on the carriage belonged to the crown prince, so they all celebrated in such a loud voice that even Edward, who was in the carriage, could hear it.
Edward has lived as the Crown Prince for eighteen years.
He had promised himself that he would be the heir to the throne, that he would be a wise and just king, and that he would lead his people to peace and happiness.
However, if he were to break off his engagement with Annette again after breaking off his engagement with Mariabelle, it would become an ugly story, and the people's trust in the royal family would disappear at once.
The Danzel family had lost their position and the aristocracy was in turmoil. If the people became dissatisfied with the royal family, a revolt could break out anywhere at any time.
We must avoid that.
Edward looked again at Mariabelle, who was looking at him with concern.
Once she goes to the empire, he would probably never see her again.
But they had spent ten long years together as fiancés.
The memories will never fade.
So please make her happy.
Though I can no longer hold her hand, I want her to be happy.
With this in mind, Edward smiled at Mariabelle and took Annette's hand.
"Your Majesty, I choose... true love."
Edward declared and bowed deeply with Annette.