I Broke Off My Engagement and Got a Job at the Academy

2 – 2. Engagement

After my birthday party ended, I went to my father and asked about Ariel Cielin, whom he had brought.

“…Father, that Ariel Cielin you brought, she was saying strange things.”

My father turned around to face me.

“Strange things? What are you talking about?”

“That girl and… she said I’m engaged to her.”

Father made a sound of acknowledgment and nodded.

Seeing my father’s reaction, I could confirm my suspicions were true.

“… Is it true?”

“Alright. You and that child will be engaged. It’s a natural step to unite the power of the noble families. Without cooperation from Cielline, even if Kainus were to stand above Cielline, the noble families wouldn’t be able to exert their strength properly. So, for that cooperation, you and Ariel… that child will eventually marry. Your partner will be Kainus, and that child’s partner will be Cielline.”

I sighed as I listened to my father’s words. In response to my apparent unease, he spoke again.

“Don’t worry. Judging by the child’s appearance, she’ll grow up to be so beautiful that you’ll be thankful to me as you go through married life. Just looking at the face of your late mother used to ease my anger.”

Despite feeling a slight relaxation in response to my father’s words, I couldn’t help but exhale.

“…No, that’s not what I mean. Weren’t you originally planning to marry me off to someone else?”

“Hmm, well, originally Ceris Derin was a top candidate. However, forming a union through an engagement with Cielline is more crucial.”

Ceris Derin, the illegitimate daughter of the Count Derin, boasted the largest scale among Kainus’s subordinates.

We were of the same age, and I remember her seeming quite fond of me.

She was the one I thought had the highest probability of becoming my future wife.

But… the situation had turned out like this.

To form a marital alliance with Cielline, Derin had to be sacrificed.

Marriage to Ceris would have solidified our internal bonds, but in the end, it wouldn’t have increased our absolute strength.

In the current escalating conflict with the emperor, my father judged that confronting the emperor and the imperial faction head-on required more power than internal cohesion.

After hearing my father’s thoughts, I sighed.

“…I understand. If that’s the case, there’s no other choice but to engage with that child.”

My father looked at me with a compassionate gaze and asked, “Why, don’t you like the child?”

I averted my gaze from him, took a moment to think, and replied, “Well, honestly, we don’t seem to get along very well.”

At my response, my father gently stroked my head and said, “You’ve inherited even that aspect from me and your mother. Your mother and I didn’t get along well at first either. But, it’s unavoidable. Wanting everything to fit perfectly from the beginning is just greed. There’s a process where both parties adjust to each other.”

I remained silent in response to my father’s words. Leaning against the chair, he continued, “But if you’re still worried, there’s nothing you can do. Just offer some advice on how to get along well with that child who will be your fiancée. It might be better for you to get along with your future partner.”

His words captured my attention, and I couldn’t help but listen.

…

Finally, the day arrived.

I checked my tightly fitting ceremonial attire one last time, surveying my appearance.

A boy with blond hair dressed in white ceremonial robes. I seemed decent enough, not hearing any comments about being inferior to my peers.

“Do you like it?”

The maid asked me. I nodded in response and said,

“Yeah. I like it. Thanks for your hard work.”

The maid lowered her head at my words and left the waiting room.

I continued to examine myself in the mirror.

Today, there could be no flaws.

Because today was the day of my engagement ceremony with Ariel.

Ariel and I hadn’t met once since that day.

Father and Cieline agreed, and the engagement ceremony was hastily arranged.

Was seeing each other’s faces once enough, I wondered?

Come to think of it, this would be at most our second meeting.

Yet Ariel and I were supposed to become essential halves in each other’s lives. How difficult a task that was.

But it couldn’t be helped.

Since it had come to this, all I could do was give it my best.

After confirming there was no fault, I slumped into my seat.

Engagements at a young age were not uncommon among nobles.

Ariel and I were just one example. Rather, it could be considered fortunate that we were given the chance to become familiar with each other.

After the engagement ceremony, I would have to spend more time with Ariel.

That meant less time with others.

Father did give some advice on how to get closer to Ariel, but even so, it was uncertain how close we could become.

And while pondering such thoughts, someone suddenly knocked on the door of the room I was in.

“Who is it?”

I headed towards the door and opened it. The person in front of me was… Ceris Derrin.

She was the girl with the highest probability of becoming my wife before the promise to marry Ariel was made.

With a sweep of her orange hair, she smiled, revealing the complexity of her emotions.

With sad eyes, I extended my hand to her, and she, smiling, handed me a neatly wrapped box.

“Hello. Why did you come here?” I asked.

Ceris extended a beautifully wrapped box to me and spoke with an effortful smile, “Congratulations on the engagement… it’s a gift.”

I accepted it and, after a moment of contemplation, finally expressed my gratitude.

“Thank you.”

This marked the end of my closest relationship with the girl I had been closest to.

Ceris and I stared at each other in silence for a while.

…

Finally, all preparations were complete, and the engagement ceremony began.

Grand Priest Ganes, responsible for the rituals and blessings, conducted our engagement ceremony in front of numerous nobles.

“Eden Kainus, come forward,” he said.

I headed toward the center of the banquet hall where he was.

Grand Priest Ganes took my hand and spoke words of blessing.

“May the path before the man be smooth throughout his life.”

I bowed, and Grand Priest Ganes bestowed his sacred blessing upon my head.

Next, he called Ariel.

“Ariel Cielaine, come forward.”

Ariel, dressed in white, walked towards him.

Grand Priest Ganes took Ariel’s hand and spoke.

“I hope that the woman can walk alongside the man on his path.”

Originally, it should have been expressed as a hope that the woman could follow the man’s path, but Ariel was also destined to become the Duchess Cielaine.

Perhaps unable to tell a person of equal standing, like the man she was engaged to, to follow her, Archbishop Gaines slightly altered his words.

Ariel seemed a bit displeased for some reason, but she too bowed her head, and the archbishop bestowed his blessings upon her.

“Now, please exchange the engagement gifts.”

I took out the engagement ring and, one by one, placed them on Ariel’s finger. Finally, the moment of the engagement ceremony was complete.

Archbishop Gaines smiled and spoke, “May there be blessings upon these two who have tied the knot of the future couple!”

Everyone applauded. As countless claps and cheers echoed through the spacious hall, my ears felt stuffed, and my head began to ache.

I glanced at Ariel standing beside me.

What could she be thinking?

Joy? Sorrow? Tension? Anger? Her rapidly changing facial expressions concealed her emotions completely, and I couldn’t find any clues about her feelings.

And so, entangled in convention, Ariel and I became engaged.

…

“Sigh…”

As Ariel entered the space where only the two of us were present, she instantly slumped down, just like when we first met.

Even if her dress was wrinkled, she didn’t seem to care.

“It’s tough…”

Looking at her, I asked, “Why did you have such a bad expression earlier?”

Ariel looked at me and said, “I didn’t like the idea of walking your path. I am the successor of Cielaine. I will become the Duchess in the future, and I take pride in that fact. Whether it’s called companionship or dependence, it’s the same when it comes to you. I don’t like that.”

I nodded slightly upon hearing her words. Ariel looked at me and said, “Why? Don’t you like the personality of the person who will be your wife?” I stared at Ariel for a moment, shook my head, and said.

“No, it’s okay. Certainly, you’re walking your own path, not following someone else. Marriage, in a way, is just overlapping parts of the journey towards individual destinations.”

Ariel burst into laughter and said to me, “You speak well.”

I shrugged my shoulders once and replied, “Well, you too.”

With that, Ariel extended her greetings to me. “Then, well. Let’s do well together during the overlapping parts of our paths, future groom.”

I smiled slightly and said, “You more than anyone else.”