The engagement party is held in the grand hall of the castle.
Although it is called an engagement party, the two main children are still very young, so they are only shown briefly’s face before leaving immediately.
While drinking drinks with Klaus at the edge of the venue, waiting for George and Henrietta to arrive, George enters the hall, guided by the king, and Henrietta follows, hand-in-hand with their father, Count Solfeasia.
George seems nervous, his orange eyes wide and his cheeks flushed bright red.
Meanwhile, Henrietta appears calm, with a shy, smiling face.
(How adorable…).
Both of them are so cute, like dolls, and sighs of admiration escape from various people. Lena, too, gazes at them with a sigh of “Haa,” just like everyone else.
When they arrive in front of the hall, George and Henrietta hold hands and bow politely to the guests.
When King George III announces their engagement to the crowd, a thunderous applause erupts throughout the hall.
The loud noise makes George flinch, and he suddenly starts to cry.
Henrietta takes a handkerchief from her father and diligently wipes George’ tears, which is unbearably adorable.
(There’s an angel, an angel…!).
Since George continues to cry endlessly, the children have to leave the hall earlier than planned, and Klaus sighs with relief.
“Honestly, Henrietta is so composed, but George…,”
Perhaps because he’s their uncle, Klaus’s eyes seem to become especially strict when looking at George.
“He’s still so young, it can’t be helped.”
“Still, Henrietta was calm the entire time, wasn’t she?”
“At that age, girls tend to be more responsible.”
“Is that really so?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Even so, I think George is spoiled too much.”
“If he’s spoiled even when he’s grown, that’s a problem, but he’s still too young for scolding.”
“Richard was already quite responsible at that age.”
It’s sad for George to be compared with Richard, who was considered suitable to become king from a young age. Richard must have been truly extraordinary.
(Hmm, probably—just maybe—Klaus-sama has no children, so maybe everything is judged based on His Royal Highness Prince Richard).
Even Lena, who hasn’t known Klaus for long, feels that Richard is exceptional. Honestly, compared to Alex, who is two years older than Richard, Richard is more mature and overwhelmingly smarter. Being compared to him makes all other children seem inferior. They’re using the wrong standard.
Once the main children leave, the party becomes an adults-only affair, and alcohol begins to be served. Klaus finishes his non-alcoholic drink and receives two glasses of sparkling wine from the server. When one is offered to him, Lena accepts it willingly. She’s not much of a drinker—neither strong nor weak—so having one or two glasses won’t make her lose control or do anything embarrassing.
As she tilts her glass, Klaus looks across the hall and lets out a tired sigh.
“Strangely, Aunt Isabelle is here. Well, it’s not surprising since it’s her granddaughter’s engagement party,” he mutters.
“Aunt… Lady Isabelle?”
Lena follows his gaze and notices the figure of Isabelle, the sister of former King Ernesto.
Dressed in a composed green gown, Isabelle has recently rarely appeared in public, but her overwhelming aura remains. Even as she ages, she’s stunningly beautiful. Lena has heard that Henrietta resembles Isabelle as a child, and it’s true—she also has golden hair and blue eyes, much like Henrietta. Their facial features are similar too.
If Isabelle has come, there’s no way Lena can avoid greeting her. She quickly bows and greets.
“I’m Lena Cramoran. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Isabelle.”
“Oh, Countess Cramoran. I see… so you’re the daughter of the Cramoran family. I’ve heard no strange rumors about your family. So… you’ve finally decided to settle down too?”
(What? Settle down?)
Lena realizes that Isabelle has said something she was not told.
Puzzled, Klaus hurriedly shakes his head.
“Aunt, please don’t jump to conclusions. I—”
“Royalty shouldn’t remain single forever. Moreover, you’ve been granted the ducal title. To preserve the family, you should marry soon and have children. That’s the duty of royalty, no, of nobility. And since His Majesty has only George, you should have children quickly. Clarence insists that his children won’t learn imperial studies, so your children will be George’s backup,” Isabelle says firmly.
“Backup? Aunt…”
“Even though George is still young, I’m worried about him behaving like that. Honestly, if you had children, I would have wanted Henrietta to be engaged to your children,” she adds.
“Aunt, perhaps we shouldn’t discuss such things here…”
“I understand. I won’t say more. Just marry soon, alright?”
Klaus looks utterly helpless, and Lena inwardly mutters, “As expected of a heroine…”
Isabelle, with her fierce personality, is known as the heroine of Charlotte Kingdom. Rumor has it that if she’s displeased, even the king can’t get away unscathed. She is truly formidable—at least, that’s what people say. The truth, she’s probably even more formidable than that.
Then, Isabelle says she will take Henrietta home, as her own clothes are probably ready by now, and turns to leave.
“I’m sorry for saying strange things, Aunt…”
Once Isabelle is out of sight, Klaus, looking drained, speaks.
“N-No, don’t worry about it…”
It’s surprising, and I know it’s unlikely, but for a moment I felt as if I was sitting at the table with Klaus’s future bride, and my heart fluttered. But I didn’t feel uncomfortable about it.
“Let’s have another drink. I’m a bit tired,” Klaus says, guiding Lena to a quiet corner of the hall.
While receiving a new drink and resting with Klaus, Lena suddenly spots a familiar man in her line of sight.
(Huh…?)
The man she sees with wide eyes is Damian, her former fiancé whom her engagement was broken six years ago.
~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~
Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉
Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
~~~Next Chapter~~~
Next week I will take a little rest so there won’t be any new release. Sorry for the trouble this may cause ^^,
Next chapter will be released on January, 3.
See you then!!
