Chapter 100
Taking a Step Forward ※Marcus’s Perspective
Finally, I found an opportunity to talk to Sibel alone.
The two guards were having fun in the dining hall, Sibel’s maid was helping clean up after the meal, and my brother had gone to the bath with the younger guard. Taking that chance, I called out to Sibel.
It had been a while since I last saw her, but she was smiling.
She spoke cheerfully with my brother and the knights, looking genuinely happy.
I had never seen her laugh so joyfully in front of me.
Sibel had been constantly busy with her princess education—it must have been exhausting for her.
But I thought that if we were alone, Sibel would open up to me and speak her true feelings.
No matter how much my brother was a “knight” she liked, I had been with Sibel for far longer.
We hadn’t deepened our relationship as an engaged couple, but seven years is by no means a short time.
Compared to the less-than-a-year she spent with my brother, it was a very long period.
So perhaps I could still win back her heart.
With that thought, I tried to talk to Sibel…
But as soon as I started, I understood.
No, I had actually known all along.
Sibel had never been interested in me.
Because I am a prince. Because she is a saint.
She had been forced into engagement with me out of duty. She didn’t love me—she was just my fiancée.
To Sibel, I was nothing more, nothing less than that.
But when she was with my brother, she looked truly happy.
Even when talking to Rick or the other knights, she seemed happier than when she was with me.
And when she said, “I’m happy!” thinking of my brother, the smile on her face overflowed with joy like I had never seen before.
Sibel really loved my brother.
It was obvious from that smile.
There was not the slightest opening for me to insert myself.
I had been completely rejected… no, Sibel probably didn’t even think of it as rejecting me.
I was the one who had let her go.
She had only accepted it.
“I’m such a fool…”
I couldn’t make the woman I was engaged to happy, I had saddened my beloved mother, and in the end, everything I wanted was taken by my brother.
Even the throne for the next king—it wasn’t as if my brother had forcibly taken it.
I had simply given it up myself.
“Marcus-sama~!”
Just as I was quietly sinking into my melancholic thoughts, Anika’s shrill voice rang in my ears.
“You’re here! I’ve been looking for you!”
“…Do you need something?”
After parting with Sibel, I had been wandering alone in the garden, and Anika spoke to me.
“This is something I made with my older sister earlier today. Please try it!”
“With Sibel?”
I peeked into her hands and saw some oddly-shaped cookies.
Honestly, they didn’t look very appetizing, but hearing that she had made them with Sibel sparked my interest a little.
“…”
“They may not look perfect, but the taste is fine!”
Sibel was good at cooking, so if she made them, maybe they would taste fine…
“I’m not feeling well right now. I’ll try them later.”
“Eat them now!!”
“Mm!?”
What a forceful girl…!
Even though I said I didn’t feel well, she shoved a cookie into my mouth!
That’s just like her!!
I thought that in my heart, but the soft aroma of butter made me chew it instinctively.
It broke with a light crunch, and the faint sweetness of melted chocolate chips brought a comforting satisfaction.
I usually don’t like sweets, but right now, that sweetness filled the emptiness in my heart.
“How is it?”
“…It’s good.”
“Yay~~! Please eat all of them!”
“Ah… thank you.”
Anika looked relieved and very happy as she handed me the cookies.
She had always been cheerful and honest in front of me, a sweet and genuine girl.
After being cast out by Sibel and losing her chance to become the “true saint,” she had often cried, but…
“…Don’t you feel frustrated that you can’t become the true saint?”
I asked, and Anika looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“I’m not frustrated. I thought that if I became the saint, I could marry Marcus-sama, but now I can marry him without being a saint.”
“Eh—”
“As long as I can marry Marcus-sama, it doesn’t matter whether I’m a saint or not!”
“…!”
Her cheerful, familiar smile made my heart skip a beat.
“Besides, being a saint seems like it’s really tough. If I can marry Marcus-sama without being a saint, that’s the best.”
“…I see.”
She was steadfast. She had truly cared for me all along.
She probably felt quietly relieved that she wasn’t the true saint.
She probably didn’t want to stay in this remote place either.
“I want Marcus-sama to always be smiling.”
“Huh?”
“I think Marcus-sama looks amazing when he’s confident and proud!”
Had she been listening to my conversation with Sibel…?
For a moment I thought so, but when I saw her grab another cookie from my hand as if she couldn’t wait, I realized it probably wasn’t about that.
“…Maybe we should try a little harder here as well.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
I sighed at Anika as she happily chewed her cookie, but she had always admired me.
Even now, when I could not inherit the throne, she continued to care for me.
“…Maybe we should stop here for today.”
Her lively energy made me smile despite myself.
“Yes, but your sister’s cookies are so good that I couldn’t stop.”
“Almost all of them were made by Sibel, though.”
“I did the shaping!!”
“…I thought so.”
I smiled along with Anika’s smile.
Perhaps her presence was slowly saving my heart.
Maybe even someone like me could take this small step forward—letting go of the past with Sibel and moving on.
The knight-loving saint finally reaches Chapter 100…!
I’ve made it this far thanks to all the readers supporting me!! ;_;
Thank you always for your wonderful comments—I’ve laughed at all your reactions, too.
And yet, this milestone 100th chapter is told from Marcus’s perspective…
He’s had a lot happen, but I hope he can gradually take steps forward. Go Marcus!!
You can also see Marcus and Anika in the official comic adaptation…!!
They’re beautiful and cute, so definitely check it out!
For now, the first 7 chapters are free to read without registration! (They will probably become paid later, so read them now while you can…!!)
