“Wh-what does that mean?”
An unexpected marriage proposal from the Dragona Empire.
Upon hearing it, shock and confusion began to settle on Estelle’s face.
“It’s true. They sent a formal letter proposing the marriage. They want to strengthen the alliance by marrying a princess of Imperial blood to me.”
“W-wait, that… that doesn’t make any sense…”
Santana spoke of something utterly unimaginable.
The moment Estelle heard this, she couldn’t believe it.
Of course, the Dragona Empire must have figured out that Santana was not an ordinary man through recent events.
But still… the idea that they would disregard her, his perfectly fine fiancée, and discuss a marriage proposal was something she never expected.
However…
Estelle’s doubts and anxieties were instantly flipped into despair with a single letter that Santana presented before her.
“…This… can’t be… How… how could this happen…”
Her motive for pushing for a connection with the Dragona Empire was solely to capture Santana’s heart and clear her debt to ensure a strong bond with him.
But at this moment… she realized that what she thought was a brilliant scheme had instead turned into a colossal blunder.
The connection she forged between Bohemia and the Dragona Empire was not just a small detail; it was turning into a dreadful marriage proposal between two powers, the worst outcome imaginable for her.
As a mere noble of a small fief, Estelle had no chance of resisting the marriage proposal that the Dragona Empire put forth.
Moreover, in a cold hard light, with a marriage proposal from that vast empire on the table, there was hardly any reason to maintain a relationship that was merely an engagement with someone like her.
Decisively, Estelle had argued vehemently to Santana not long ago about the benefits of their marriage, claiming it would benefit the Heretic Alliance and Bohemia.
She was now trapped in a snare of her own making, a situation with no escape.
Having never experienced such a monumental failure since birth, Estelle felt like her mind was half-destroyed, plunging into deep chaos.
‘This can’t be happening… My plan… can’t end up like this… With all that’s happened until now, how could it lead to this outcome…’
The worst consequence of an affair started by none other than herself.
Normally, she would have found a way to compose herself and strategize in the face of failure.
However… at this moment, Estelle had no capacity left to think that way.
Something completely unexpected had turned everything she believed upside down.
All the words and actions she thought would help her achieve her goal suddenly turned into daggers aimed at her.
As her carefully constructed tower crumbled completely, causing the very ground beneath it to shatter…
She didn’t even know where to begin.
At that moment…
In the midst of her confusion, there he was…
Santana spoke to her with an oddly calm voice tinged with pity.
“…I truly never expected this… How could it come to such a situation with the Dragona Empire…?”
“…”
Santana bowed his head, displaying a look of despair.
Seeing him like that, Estelle could easily infer what kind of feelings the man standing before her must be experiencing.
Though it now seemed likely that her engagement with him would vanish, it certainly didn’t mean anything good for Santana either.
What he desired was not a princess of the Dragona Empire, but to be with the person he truly loved… Polena.
However, unlike Estelle, who shared a somewhat similar status and was bound by a contractual engagement he could still manage, his new counterpart was a princess in a position that offered no such engagement.
Naturally, most of the rights regarding the situation belonged to her, and any slight misstep might put Polena in danger.
In other words, with things turning out this way, the option for him to be with the person he genuinely loved was becoming increasingly remote.
‘…As much as I might be in peril, surely she too has to be out of her mind… Everything we both thought has been wrecked…’
Watching the man drop into despair over the current situation, Estelle felt her own sorrow deepen even further.
In that moment, Santana, with a voice full of sorrow, quietly spoke to her.
“…I’m truly sorry. I can’t believe things ended up like this.”
In that troubling circumstance, with him offering his apology, Estelle began to feel a deep affection rising again towards the man standing before her, mixed with guilt.
“…You needn’t apologize. It’s all due to my foolish actions… If only I had never started this…”
“You need not blame yourself for that.. In fact, if we really look at it, it was something that had to happen for the sake of our alliance’s survival. Just like this.”
“Kugh…”
As he comforted her while at the same time hitting the final nail in the coffin, Estelle found herself facing a reality she was unwilling to accept.
‘The truth is, it’s not just about the benefits, but rejecting the proposal from the Dragona Empire itself would carry too great a risk… No matter how extraordinary Santana might be, there simply isn’t another way in this situation…’
As she sank deeper into despair, stripped of any hope or dreams, it was at that very moment.
“…But… even so, it wouldn’t be right to abandon you like this.”
“What?”
In the next breath, Santana’s calm voice reached Estelle, stirring a profound sense of curiosity within her.
And…
He spoke again in that same composed tone, and a look of astonishment began to form on Estelle’s face.
*
“…Have you made your decision?”
“Yes, I’ve made my decision, Father.”
Looking at his son, Santana, the Count Turun spoke with a hint of sorrow in his voice.
Ultimately, Santana decided to break off his engagement with Estelle and accept the one with the Dragona Empire’s princess.
At that moment, Count Turun could easily predict how much pain this decision would cause his son.
Though he didn’t know all the details, to his eyes, Santana and Estelle had always seemed a well-matched couple.
Additionally, the Count was well aware that Santana had been working alongside Estelle through all these recent events.
Hence, although they weren’t formally married, the Count had already accepted Estelle in his heart as his daughter-in-law…
And yet, even with all that, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse the marriage proposal with the Dragona Empire.
While personal love was important, what truly mattered in a time of such peril was something else entirely—power.
To gain that power, Santana had no choice but to sacrifice his love, a truth that Count Turun felt deeply sorrowful about.
“I’m truly sorry… Had the strength of our Bohemia been just a little stronger, this wouldn’t have happened…”
“Please don’t say that, Father. Everything is ultimately for the family and the people… I’m ready to sacrifice anything for that.”
“…My son…”
Watching his son, who wore a smile even while making such a difficult decision, Count Turun began to feel the depth of his sorrow.
At that moment, he had no idea that the smile on his son’s face was completely devoid of sincerity.
