The Talentless Wicked Prince Wants To Survive ~ The Only Way For Me, Reincarnated As The Punching Bag Third Prince In A Romance Smartphone RPG, To Live Is To Not Break Off My Engagement With The Duke’s Yandere Daughter Who’s Stronger Than The Heroine~

“…Then why don’t we just have the Chevalier family declare independence from the kingdom…?”

“What!?”

The casual comment I made sent chills down everyone’s spine, except for Cass.

“A-ah, of course, I didn’t mean that seriously!”

“R-right. That would be far too extreme, no matter how you look at it.”

Realizing the tension I’d accidentally caused, I scrambled to smooth things over, and Sandra quickly followed my lead.

What was I even thinking? If that really happened, we’d be heading straight for the same disastrous ending as Engage Hazard.

“Hmm… looking at it objectively, with the Chevalier family’s lands and military strength, I suppose it’s not impossible.”

“True, but the Chevaliers have supported the royal family since the founding of the kingdom. We’d never actually do such a thing.”

Duke Chevalier sighed deeply, and Cedric agreed, his voice rising slightly.

Their words told me everything… the thought had crossed everyone’s mind, even if just for an instant.

But I knew what would happen if that path was taken.

Because I’d seen it before. Even if a rebellion began, it would only end in one thing: ruin.

“Well, enough of that now. Let’s have dinner. Today, our head chef has done his best to prepare a special meal for Prince Harold’s visit.”

With Lady Norma’s words, the atmosphere instantly became more harmonious.

This family was truly held together by Lady Norma’s grace…

And so, we all collected ourselves and headed toward the dining hall… but…

“Sandra?”

“…About what Father said earlier, something doesn’t add up.”

Sandra tugged lightly on my sleeve, her expression solemn. Truth be told, the same thought had been gnawing at me too.

If the purpose of our engagement was to strengthen ties between the royal family and the Chevaliers, then all the king had to do was approve it as it was. Instead, he’d shown reluctance, attaching strange conditions that made it easy to dissolve our engagement at any time.

And not just that, he’d included a clause ensuring Sandra would be engaged to another prince afterward.

That could only mean one thing. There was a specific prince King Eival wanted Sandra to marry.

But who could it be?

Cardis already had a fiancée, which left only Raphael and Wilfred.

By all appearances, Raphael would be the more suitable choice, but…

“…No way.”

“Did you think of something, Haru-sama?”

“A-ah, well, it’s just a theory…”

I took a breath, then told Sandra the possibility that had come to mind.

That King Eival might have intended for Sandra to become Wilfred’s fiancée.

“Haru-sama, please don’t even joke about something so vile.”

“I wish I were joking. But as far as possibilities go, it makes the most sense.”

I remembered that dinner with Cardis, shortly after our engagement had been announced, the one he’d hosted to celebrate.

During that meal, I’d overheard a conversation between him and Raphael:

“Hmph… I heard about it. You went through His Majesty and Queen Rosemary to propose to Duke Chevalier, didn’t you?
Only to be politely rejected.”

“Haha, yeah… I really should’ve moved faster when I had the chance.”

In other words, Raphael had proposed to Sandra once, but the Chevaliers had turned him down.

If King Eival truly wanted Sandra and Raphael to be engaged, he would’ve pushed for it directly. There’d be no need for these convoluted conditions.

That hence left only one conclusion.

The prince the king wanted Sandra to marry… was Wilfred.

“What nonsense! Why would His Majesty ever wish to bind me to that worthless piece of trash!? And through such roundabout means, no less!”

“P-please calm down!”

Sandra’s voice rose in outrage, and I hurried to soothe her.

She was right, it was indeed absurd.

Why go through such a complicated scheme just to make Sandra and Wilfred fiancés?

If that was the goal, he could’ve simply arranged it from the start, without involving me at all…

…Ah.

“I-I mean… obviously, you’d never want to marry Wilfred, right, Sandra?”

“Of course not! The only one I could ever stand beside is you, Haru-sama!”

Sandra stepped closer, eyes blazing with conviction.

I already knew her feelings, but I needed to be sure because this next part mattered.

“That’s exactly it… His Majesty made it look as though he was respecting House Chevalier and your wishes, but really, he boxed us in. By allowing our engagement on those terms, he created a trap. If we ever break it off, there’s nothing to stop him from binding you to Wilfred instead.”

“Ah…”

Her eyes widened as she realized it too.

From the king’s perspective, it all fit perfectly. He must have assumed I’d eventually break it off just like the useless ‘problem prince’ everyone believed me to be.

After all, in Engage Hazard, that was exactly what had happened. Under King Eival’s ridiculous declaration, Harold had coldly annulled his engagement to Sandra.

But this time, things were different.

“…In reality, however, Sandra and I get along perfectly. So if His Majesty thought we’d fall apart, he’s made a huge miscalculation.”

To lighten the tense atmosphere, I tried to act a little playful to dispel the anxiety Sandra must be feeling right now.

“That’s right. There’s no force in this world that could ever separate me from Haru-sama, not even the end of the world itself!”

“No matter what happens, I’ll never let our engagement be broken… Not by anyone.”

Sandra threw herself into my arms, sapphire eyes blazing with fierce resolve. Not to be outdone, I poured my heart and determination into her and embraced my beloved fiancée.