The Engagement of the Baron of Flowers and the Withered Tree Lady.

Chapter 36 The People Surrounding the Withered Tree Lady

Why am I considered equal to the princess of this country? Why am I being protected by such a noble person who will become the future crown prince’s fiancée, no, queen? Julia couldn’t understand it at all.

However, shortly thereafter, she thought it would be greatly appreciated if she could at least be helped by the Duchess today, even if just for today. The reason being that she desperately wanted to protect the dress she was wearing.

“Everlotte-sama, Julia has no understanding of the social world at all. It would be of great help if you could guide Julia in the future. Thank you very much in advance.”

Romand bowed deeply to Everlotte, and Julia hastily followed suit.

“Yes, of course. Lord-senpai has helped me in various ways in the student council. I must repay that favor. Besides, Julia-sama is very lovely and honest. I would love to be friends with her. I look forward to getting to know you.”

And so, Julia, with the backing of being a duke’s daughter and the crown prince’s fiancée, entered the social world for the first time.

It was also the moment when Julia gained not only Viola but another lifelong friend.

As Julia and Everlotte started their conversation, the crown prince discreetly distanced himself from his fiancée. Approaching his dear friend, he whispered in his ear.

“You got me there, my dear friend!

My father and Count Woodcliff are in on it too. I can’t believe I wasn’t informed about any of this.”

“Everyone, it’s all for His Highness’s sake. He should be united with the one he truly desires, rather than for political reasons.

Regarding defense, once the Earl retires, I will take over and work with Julia on our missions, so please rest assured.

And Your Highness, together with the Princess, ensure the safety of this country on the diplomatic front.

However, please make sure to reform the special forces. Strengthen the knight order and the diplomatic department to alleviate our burden. And do it as quickly as possible.

Your close aides are all incredibly talented individuals. If it is something you genuinely wish to achieve, they will spare no effort to support you, just like your fiancée.

You don’t have to bear all the responsibilities alone, you know. Let’s share them among us from now on. It seems Everlotte-sama has already made that commitment.

Furthermore, if the reforms are not implemented promptly, I will seriously consider rebelling. The Earl has already declared this to His Majesty the King.”

The Crown Prince was stunned by Romand’s words. Then he relaxed and showed his true smile to his dear friend.

“So, you were the one who prepared Ever for me. The determination of the Crown Prince’s fiancée. I was too scared to do that.”

“The Crown Prince mentioned that I am overly protective of Julia, but wouldn’t the same apply to you?

Because you considered her important, you were planning to part ways with Everlotte without expressing your feelings.

But you underestimated her resolve and underestimated me as well.

The Crown Prince has secretly been searching for a female ‘Green Spirit User’ as a substitute for Everlotte, to take on the responsibility of national defense, hasn’t he?

Knowing that, the Earl and I concealed Julia’s true identity. Until the formal announcement of your engagement.

We couldn’t bear the thought of replacing dear Julia with Everlotte. Naturally, the Earl and I would interfere. We love Julia more than anything. But not because she is a ‘Green Spirit User’.”

Romand’s green eyes gleamed with coldness.

If I had made the wrong judgment, the entire palace might have been blown away, the Crown Prince thought, his face tensing.

And furthermore, if the Defense Commander had joined, the entire castle might have been destroyed. The Crown Prince trembled, lost in distant thoughts.

* * * * *

Today, Ruffie thought he had witnessed various interesting things.

It was amusing to see the normally composed Baron act a bit foolish when it came to Julia, behaving his age.

While Ruffie understood his determination to protect Julia more than enough, his enthusiasm was so intense that it seemed to be going in circles.

The two individuals speaking with them were probably comrades of the “Green Spirit User.”

Ruffie was slightly wary when he first saw the man approaching them. He knew he was a noble, but his demeanor was different from that of a commoner, yet he didn’t quite resemble a knight or a guard either.

What was particularly peculiar was the way he constantly observed his surroundings, not just with his eyes but as if he felt everything with his entire body.

Since there were similar men scattered throughout the venue, Ruffie assumed they were likely members of a special organization in the country.

Moreover, if they were acquaintances of the Baron, there was no doubt they were comrades of the “Green Spirit User.”

Ruffie had been observing from a distance, but suddenly, no matter how much he focused, he couldn’t make out the conversation between Julia and the Baron. He couldn’t even read their lips. Some special power must have been at work.

Nevertheless, as he strained his eyes to watch, the Baron occasionally displayed an exquisitely carved face that seemed somewhat irritated, as if he had received various criticisms from his seniors.

It was quite rare to see him with such an expression.

Presumably, he had been advised on how to protect Julia in high society. There were situations where partners and escorts couldn’t do much when surrounded by ladies.

Dealing with interactions between women was something that had to be learned through experience, but unfortunately, Julia had no one to guide her in that regard.

The women of the Woodcliff family were utterly useless in that aspect.

“However, I believe that the responsibility lies more with the Earl than the Baron.

Even if the young lady is being kept in a semi-captive state by the former Countess, the Earl did nothing to intervene.”

Ruffie had always thought this way, but today he finally learned the reason why the Earl didn’t introduce Julia to high society.

The Earl probably never imagined that his own daughter would be treated as less than a servant, but he never intended to expose Julia to the nobility from the start.

If Julia’s identity as the “Green Spirit User” became known to the public, there was no guarantee that people wouldn’t emerge trying to exploit her powers.

In fact, even the Crown Prince seemed to have plans of making Julia, or rather the “Green Spirit User,” his Princess Consort, to serve the country.

With the arrival of the Crown Prince and his betrothed, the surrounding of Julia and the Baron by the Royal Guards prevented Ruffie from approaching them.

However, it seemed that the earlier special power had disappeared. With his exceptional eyesight and hearing, Ruffie managed to catch fragments of their conversation and even decipher their lip movements.

As a result, Ruffie could vaguely speculate on the exchange between the Crown Prince and the Baron.

Nevertheless, the fact that the Crown Prince was willing to consider the country’s defense even if it meant parting ways with the woman he loved showed his admirable attitude as the future king.

However, it should be noted that if there was a woman with the qualifications and determination to become the next queen, it would have been more appropriate to choose her from the beginning.

The fact that he didn’t do so was simply due to his own indulgence and arrogance, stemming from his love for her and his desire to spare her unnecessary hardships.

In other words, it meant that he didn’t mind subjecting women who were not the objects of his affection to such difficulties.

Did he seriously believe that a mere decorative queen, who wasn’t even loved, could fulfill such a challenging role? He had an incredibly poor understanding of human emotions, especially those of women. Something was seriously wrong. Ruffie was utterly astounded by it, considering he could easily imagine such things himself.

Did they really think that the “Green Spirit User” would protect the country unconditionally, even without love from her husband?

Despite being called the “Green Spirit User,” she is merely a familiar and not the spirit herself.

Looking at Julia, it becomes clear. Julia does possess kindness and strength, capable of caring for others, even while being oppressed by many.

But that’s because she had memories of being loved in the past. If we show her affection, she will respond in kind.

Not just Julia, but humans in general are neither angels nor spirits. Nothing comes from nothing.

It is wrong to demand something when we haven’t given anything from the beginning.

Serve the country, you say? What has the country done for Julia? Provided food? Clothing? Shelter? Familial love? Friendship?

Apart from her parents, only the Baron and his mother have given her those things.

The country and the Crown Prince haven’t given her anything. If anything, they have taken away her father.

How many days do you think she has been able to see her father since she was born? Even looking back on the past two and a half years, they have only met for a mere three days.

Yet, the Crown Prince had the audacity, even for the sake of this country’s peace, to make immeasurable demands of her. He is truly a heartless and shameless monster.

Well, perhaps what he desired was not Julia as an individual but rather a woman who was the “Green Spirit User.”

Even so, he completely disregards the personhood of the woman he intends to make his wife.

If it’s a woman who can properly wield the abilities of the “Green Spirit User,” then anyone will do.

But if the Crown Prince was searching for such a person with that kind of mindset, how did he intend to marry her?

Did he plan to completely disregard the other person’s feelings and use his power to make them obey? Or did he intend to manipulate them emotionally, stirring up patriotism and a sense of chivalry?

Or perhaps he planned to approach them with a gentle and kind facade, skillfully appeasing them so they wouldn’t realize they were being coerced.