Abandoned talented woman decides to live a leisurely life with her family

It all unfolded at an 18-year-old aristocratic school graduation party.

“Anneliese Baden, daughter of Countess Baden! I have discovered my ‘true love’ with Sarasa Kagami. Moreover, she is carrying my child. Do you grasp the significance? This means we have an heir for our country! Hence, I shall take her as my wife. Consequently, I hereby announce the termination of our engagement!”

“What…? True love? A child?”

The one addressing me was His Royal Highness Cain Baumgarden, the crown prince of our nation. The Anneliese Baden he mentioned was me.

At the age of 18, my wedding ceremony would have been imminent. So, what did it signify for the engagement to be abruptly dissolved?

I was taken aback by the sudden declaration.

“Anneliese. You envied Sarasa, who was at my side, so you berated her harshly, ripped her uniform, and ultimately pushed her down the stairs!”

He pointed at me, his voice resounding through the hushed, opulent hall.

And, rallying behind him and Sarasa, were individuals from the school—such as the son of the knight commander, the school teacher, the priest’s son, and if memory serves me correctly, the son of the noble family who had become Sarasa’s guardian. Eminent figures encircled His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Sarasa.

Undoubtedly, they were expressing their support for the budding romance between His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Sarasa.

Indeed, I had once cautioned her, “Do not cozy up to a gentleman who already has a fiancée.” This was because Sarasa was sending flirtatious gestures to the son of the knight commander—who already had a fiancée—the priest’s son, the school teacher, and Sarasa’s agent’s elder brother.

However, I should have merely offered gentle advice, thinking, “Since she’s new to this world, she might lack such common sense.”

Moreover, I wasn’t the one who tore the uniform. It was other women whose fiancés were ridiculing them. I listened to their grievances, empathized with their plight, cautioned against excessive reactions, and provided Sarasa with a new uniform to alleviate her worries.

I don’t even recall pushing her down the stairs. Frankly, she had just passed by me on the staircase at school when she stumbled and fell.

Hence, I am dumbfounded.

—Hmm? I have no recollection of it.

Furthermore, weren’t we engaged by Her Majesty the Queen?

As I mentioned earlier, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is also my betrothed. I am the young lady whom he accuses of being his fiancée. Our engagement was sanctioned by Her Majesty Queen Alexandra Baumgarden, the nation’s paramount authority, and his mother.

She occupies the pinnacle of this absolute monarchy. Despite being a woman, she ascended to the throne without hesitation to purify the tainted bloodline within her family. There are few who dare oppose her—barely enough to count on one hand. If I were to gauge, she would likely be on par with her husband, His Royal Highness Prince Edward.

Well, that’s a tangent. Let’s return to the matter at hand.

Yes, this pertains to the phenomenon of “true love.”

Despite being an unprecedented trend, even I am familiar with “true love.” No matter the turmoil it sows within aristocratic society, it remains predominantly popular among commoners and aristocrats alike.

An aristocratic man with a fiancée falls for a commoner woman from a merchant family, forsaking his societal status to elope with her.

An aristocratic man engaged to one woman falls in love with another—his sister, instead of his original betrothed—and somehow reconciles with his wife.

Such rumors have become increasingly commonplace.

Eventually, even high-ranking aristocrats became aware, and I found myself consoling a friend—a fellow aristocratic daughter—who wept over her dissolved engagement more than once.

Even if the woman hailed from a higher-ranking family and refused to accept the engagement’s annulment, it meant a frigid, loveless marriage awaited her. Moreover, there were distressing instances of men turning a blind eye to extramarital affairs under the guise of “true love.”

However, there is no precedent for “true love” in royal marriages or engagements, save for the occasional concubine or mistress. At least, in our nation, the Kingdom of Baumgarden, I have never encountered such a notion.

For the royal family, marriage serves as a link between families, bloodlines, and sometimes even countries. Since it is intended to determine the nation’s future, it should remain detached from the “true love” trend…