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

Chapter 39 The Withered Tree Lady and the Succession Issue

“I truly owe Lord-sama a great deal of gratitude. I would like to discuss the details at a later time, but…

As I mentioned earlier, I actually wanted to talk before my debut. I was worried that if any unpleasant rumors reached your ears, it might lead to misunderstandings and hurt you.”

Everlotte’s face showed a hint of distress.

“Misunderstandings?” Julia asked.

“Yes. During the time when Lord-sama was still attending the academy, false rumors spread about us being in a relationship. It caused us to face a difficult situation for a while,” Everlotte explained.

Julia couldn’t hide her surprise at Everlotte’s words. Just moments ago, she had doubted the same thing herself.

“That’s all because of the Crown Prince. It’s truly infuriating.

Despite supposedly liking me, he intentionally pushed me away, thinking that making me his consort would only cause me trouble.

Yet he would stare at me longingly, giving the impression to others as if I had rejected the Crown Prince and chosen Lord-sama instead.

Because I confided in Lord-sama about various things, it only fueled the misunderstandings even more.

I truly apologize to Lord-sama. I received various harassments and ended up isolated and helpless within the academy.”

As Everlotte’s face showed genuine remorse, Julia understood why Romand always had a complicated expression whenever he spoke about the Crown Prince.

Robert had proudly talked about Romand’s closeness to the Crown Prince, but he was likely unaware of the difficult situation Romand had faced. Well, Julia thought, even the most trusted confidant might not be able to share such circumstances. It would be impossible to vent her frustration and reveal royal family matters to the outside world.

Though she wondered if it was appropriate for her to hear all this now.

“Despite being in such a difficult position, you helped me prepare to become a respectable consort. While fulfilling your duties in the student council.

I’ve been hearing about you from Lord-sama since then.

If Lord-sama had someone he loved, I was worried it would be troublesome for them to learn about the rumors surrounding me.

However, Lord-sama mentioned that the person he has always cherished is far away from the capital, so it wouldn’t be an issue.

That’s why, when I heard six months ago that Lord-sama became engaged to his first love, I felt overjoyed as if it were my own happiness and eagerly wanted to meet Lady Julia. Yet, I haven’t been given the chance to meet you at all.”

Julia had expected the young lady to be somewhat harsh, but she was relieved to find her elegant, unpretentious, and charming. And then…

“It’s not Romand-sama’s fault. There are circumstances on my side. I apologize,” Julia said.

Just as Julia said these words, someone called her name.

“Julia, Julia!”

When Julia turned her head, her cousins Linda and Cathy waved their hands. Right behind them stood her aunt and cousin with complicated expressions.

Noticing the slight furrow in Julia’s brows, Everlotte asked in a hushed voice.

“Could it be that those people you mentioned are the ones you’re referring to?”

Surprised by her astuteness, Julia nodded. It wouldn’t be good to expose her family’s shame, but she had a feeling she couldn’t deceive this person anyway.

“They are members of the Earl Woodcliff Count’s family. However, I don’t get along well with them. It’s embarrassing to admit. Everlotte-sama, it would be troublesome if you had any involvement with them, so let’s discuss it later…”

Julia had mentally prepared herself to encounter them at this party, but she never expected to come across them while being in the presence of royal family members.

She couldn’t allow those who lacked not only nobility but basic common sense to come into contact with the Crown Prince’s fiancée.

Julia lowered her head and tried to distance herself from Everlotte. However, she noticed that Everlotte was attempting to follow her. So, in a hushed voice, she conveyed the following message:

“Today is a significant and special day, isn’t it? I’ll request your guidance on another occasion.”

Everlotte’s breath caught for a moment. Then she watched as the timid girl, whom she thought was fragile and submissive, straightened her back and confidently walked towards the enemy(?).

Well, the Duchess’s daughter felt a little relieved knowing that her knight, who she thought was the strongest and could protect her loved one until the end, was following closely behind.

He had shielded her, even though she was nothing more than a mere underclassman, in any difficult situation.

To be honest, if her senior didn’t have someone he loved, Everlotte thought she might have completely given up on that pathetic Crown Prince.

Today, the engagement with the Crown Prince would be announced. Before that, she was truly glad to have had the opportunity to meet and talk with Lord-sama and his beloved fiancée.

Now she had made her final resolution as well. Nonetheless… Everlotte chuckled as she recalled something amusing.

“Why didn’t you honestly tell me?

I love you. Without realizing it, you became someone very important to me.

That’s why, if it means you’ll be happy, even though it would make me sad, I intend to quietly step aside…”

Julia’s words, misunderstanding the relationship between Romand and Everlotte, were spoken with genuine feelings. Everlotte regrets having spoken such words that could easily create misunderstandings.

However, strangely enough, those words were the same as the ones she had uttered to the Crown Prince a year and a half ago. It reminded her of the emotions she had felt at that time.

“If you had feelings for me, why didn’t you honestly express them?

I love you. I’m willing to make any effort for your sake.

But why did you selfishly assume that I would suffer without even confirming my determination? Before I knew it, Your Highness had become someone incredibly important to me. I believed that supporting you by your side would be my happiness.

Furthermore, if you had decided to give up on me, you should have cut ties cleanly. Instead, you pursued me with lingering looks, and now I’m being rumored as a seductive woman who manipulates two men. How do you plan to take responsibility for this? Do you expect the royal family to find you another fiancée?”

At that time, the Crown Prince had already realized (or been made aware) that he was the cause of the rumors, and he had apologized to Romand. He went as far as nominating him as the head of the Plant Baron family, a royal appointment, and deliberately engaged in conversations in public to show that there were no lingering conflicts between them.

However, Romand was not pleased by this, but rather perplexed.

Nevertheless, the Crown Prince’s attitude towards Everlotte didn’t change much. No, it was different. When she distanced herself from the Crown Prince, he inexplicably became jealous and started interfering with unrelated people, becoming more of a nuisance. He still didn’t attempt to initiate conversations.

That’s why Everlotte decided it was time to settle things and spoke those lines.

If he didn’t change his attitude even after that, she felt sorry for Lord, who had been supporting her, but she had already made up her mind to completely sever ties with the Crown Prince and ask her father to find her a new fiancé.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, the Crown Prince kneeled before Everlotte in the presence of all the student council members, crying and begging. Instead of reaching out to take her hand, he remained on his knees.

“Everlotte, I want you to be my fiancée. I can only love you. Without you, I cannot become a worthy king. Without you, I cannot live…”

Well, the people present at that moment voluntarily kept it a secret, so only the council members were aware of it.

Yes, thanks to their friendship, pity, and loyalty, the Crown Prince, who was revered as a perfect superhuman, remained known as such to only a small number of people, despite the fact that he was actually quite disappointing as a person.

* * * * *

When Everlotte glanced at the Crown Prince, he nodded reassuringly.

When she became engaged to the Crown Prince, she was informed of several secrets within the royal family. One of them involved the Woodcliff Earldom.

Although officially an earl, the Woodcliff family held a prestigious and ancient status on par with the royal family. The heads of the marquis and duke families pledged their loyalty to the Woodcliff Earldom.

This was because the head of the earldom was the overseer of the “Green Spirit User,” responsible for the defense of the kingdom.

Everlotte, on the other hand, belonged to the Zachard Ducal family. Throughout generations, her family had held the position of the commander of the Royal Guard, but her father was also a subordinate of the Woodcliff Earldom.

When she heard this, Everlotte was truly surprised. She had always assumed her father stood at the pinnacle of the kingdom’s defense. However, upon reflection, she strangely understood that her father’s lack of arrogance despite being the commander of the Royal Guard was due to this revelation.

At that moment, she was informed that the fiancée of the Plant Baron was one of the daughters of the Woodcliff Earldom, leaving her in a state of shock. It was unheard of for an earl’s daughter to marry into a baron’s family, especially considering the earldom’s higher status than the marquis and duke families.

However, it turned out that the Woodcliff Earldom was a unique family, and it was not necessarily bound by the rule of direct inheritance for generations.

It seemed that it was only due to the coincidence that the direct line had been maintained for three generations, leading to the fact that no one was aware of this condition.

The prerequisite for becoming the head of the Woodcliff family was to be a “Green Spirit User.” Although direct descendants were naturally given priority, if there were no suitable candidates among them, the successor would be chosen from the relatives with the strongest power as a “Green Spirit User.”

Therefore, it was permissible for Julia, as one of the earl’s daughters, to marry into the baron’s family.

However, ideally, the Plant Baron, who was a “Green Spirit User,” would have been the perfect candidate for marriage. Unfortunately, as the only heir to the baron’s family, Romand, marriage was not an option. That’s why the earl reluctantly decided to marry off his daughter.

Given the hardships the two had endured since childhood, it was unthinkable to separate them and finally allow them to find happiness.

At that time, apart from the king and the covert operatives, Julia was unaware that she was a “Green Spirit User.”