The Youngest Son of the Northern Grand Duke Wants to Break Off the Engagement

Alter barely managed to persuade Brillie and eventually joined the social gathering.
As a noble, he could not ignore the social scene, so he had to make an appearance from time to time.
He thought that if he built some suitable connections along the way, it might be useful later.

"... Are you sure you're all right?"

Lang maintained a silence for a while before belatedly opening his mouth.
He had already heard several times about Alter's situation from other nobles.
After coughing up blood and lying in bed for three days, it was no exaggeration to say he had barely survived after hovering between life and death.

"Yes. I'm fine."

"Shouldn't you rest a bit more?"

"I've rested enough, so now I should start acting like a proper person."

"I think you've already proven yourself and then some."

"... Because I used magic?"

"I heard you exterminated the monsters alone. Most nobles couldn't pull that off; wouldn't you say you've shown you're more than capable?"

Lang replied gravely, meeting Alter's gaze.
As the Sword Saint's successor and the current captain of the knights, he could closely examine the scene of the incident.
He had realized that powerful magic had been performed and that the enemies were instantly annihilated.
Even most skilled mages couldn't have handled it so quickly.

"I was just lucky. I collapsed in the end, didn't I?"

"Didn't you trust Brillie and use the magic? You must have thought that even if something went wrong, Brillie would be able to handle it... or am I mistaken?"

"... I can't say you're wrong."

Alter nodded slowly and recalled what had happened then.
It was undoubtedly a choice that had invited danger, but at least he had achieved a certain result.
Maybe, if Brillie had ended up getting hurt, he might have had some regrets.

"Brillie probably believes her fiancé collapsed because of her. Isn't that why she's looking so down?"

"In the Knight Order, you mean?"

"She did her work properly... but she barely said a word for a while. It must have been weighing on her mind."

"Ah... that makes sense."

"You should take care of yourself for Brillie's sake. If I saw my fiancé collapse, I doubt I'd be able to focus on work."

"Yes. I'll make sure nothing like that happens again."

Alter listened faithfully, without even a hint of resistance.
He had acted recklessly and also caused a stir in the Illenat duchy in various ways.
More than anything, since Brillie was by his side back then, perhaps he felt at least a little responsible.

'That's just what he's saying; in reality, it's because he's worried about Brillie.'

Even so, Alter saw right through Lang's mind.
Lang was in love with Brillie, so he couldn't simply ignore seeing her in a depressed state.
Besides, since his own actions had influenced Brillie's emotions, it was only natural that Lang would show some subtle discomfort.

'Isn't it typical for the male lead to nag like this? Is he just trying to put the blame on me?'

Although Brillie had been involved in this incident, in the end, Alter had taken on everything himself.
After much deliberation, he had finally killed the vampire, and as payment for using magic, he had been unconscious for three days.
Brillie had returned safely in the end, so why was Lang criticizing his actions like this?

'No way he's jealous just because of this...'

Alter vaguely suspected it but didn't take it too seriously.

After all, as the male lead, Lang couldn't treat Brillie's fiancé like just any other person.
As Brillie's superior and the next Sword Saint, he might simply be observing the necessary decorum out of obligation.

'No, that's not it. He could be jealous because I did something he couldn't do.'

Reflecting calmly, Alter furtively glanced over.
Lang couldn't stay by Brillie's side as he could, and hadn't been involved in the recent incident at all.
In those circumstances, if Brillie only had eyes for her fiancé, it might unsettle him a bit.

'Does that mean Hilise, too? As for the crown prince... not yet, I suppose.'

Of course, Hilise could observe Brillie at the manor, so probably wouldn't overreact.
The crown prince had only recently shown interest in Brillie, so he would probably see this as just another incident.
In other words, in some ways, Lang was in a rather ambiguous position, which could make his reaction more excessive.

'They're going to break off the engagement anyway. He could just wait; if he's patient, his chance will come...'

* * *

Lang remained by Alter's side but occasionally turned his gaze.
Each time, he caught sight of Brillie's face, and his own heart wavered subtly.
Brillie was moving around, greeting other nobles, but even then, she was sensitive to what was happening on this side.

'... Is she thinking about her fiancé?'

While exchanging glances with Brillie, Lang realized her gaze never lingered on him.
She seemed only to be checking whether her fiancé was all right, and whether he was being well cared for.
As always, Brillie was treating him as a superior she had to surpass, and as her direct commanding officer.

'I warned her so much, but she's grown attached anyway.'

Lang could perceive that emotion from Brillie's actions.
She was clearly uncomfortable with marrying, yet couldn't bring herself to ignore her fiancé.
Though it was a marriage of convenience orchestrated by their families, Brillie was slowly adapting.
Perhaps, the person he cherished was gradually getting closer to her fiancé.

'Duke Illenat must be aiming for a broken engagement. If nothing else, I'm sure of that.'

Lang glanced sidelong at Alter and recalled the words he had heard back then.
My body isn't normal; I can't pretend to be strong; goodwill and trust are meaningless; I'll end up breaking off the engagement.
It was Alter himself who had said it—no one else.
He had already perceived Duke Illenat's intentions and predicted his own future.

'He doesn't love Brillie. It's just a marriage of convenience, so he can only treat her as his fiancé.'

Of course, any noble's lineage would ultimately link back to arranged marriages.
With no genuine feelings, it was merely a tool to pursue the mutual interests of their houses.
As a result, wouldn't they be sacrificing their entire lives without ever sharing real love?

'But I'm different. I can love and cherish Brillie. Am I not good enough?'

Swept up in strong emotions, Lang gazed at Brillie.
The feelings Alter couldn't offer her—Lang could give all of them.
And if he earned the title of Sword Saint, he'd have a reputation equal to that of a grand duke's house.
Yet, even without doing anything, Alter had gained an opportunity to marry Brillie.

'If I'd been there, I'd have finished it faster. I wouldn't have collapsed like him.'

Gripped by conviction, Lang clenched his fist tightly.
Rather than as a weak, soon-to-be-former fiancé, he should have stepped forward himself.
All he had to do was protect Brillie with his own strength and show overwhelming prowess.
Yet Alter had claimed that position first and, in the end, monopolized Brillie's attention.

'I'm stronger. I'm neither weak nor frail like him. Even so... Brillie...'

Only then did Lang truly face the feelings he harbored.
He had been fixated solely on Brillie and couldn't bear to lose her to anyone else, so his heart shook all the more.
Who would have thought that someone called the next Sword Saint would harbor such emotions?

'Am I... jealous of Alter Radiant?'

Lang lowered his gaze, now lost in self-reproach.
Simply because he couldn't shine in front of Brillie, he found Alter's presence unsatisfactory.
Because Brillie's attention was fixed only on Alter, and because she was always at his side, Lang had inadvertently exposed his own inner thoughts.

'... It shouldn't be this way. He did it for Brillie. He simply did his duty as her fiancé.'

Coming to his senses at last, Lang subdued his shallow emotions.
Alter had done nothing wrong, and Lang was now firmly aware of his own position.
If anything, as the fiancé, he shouldn't have left Brillie to fight alone.

'His body was simply weak; at least he's responsible, I suppose.'

While respecting Alter's judgment, Lang still couldn't completely dispel his feelings of jealousy.
In any case, things would have ended more smoothly if he had stepped up.
But Alter was granted special privileges solely because he was the fiancé.

'But there's no avoiding the breakup. Surely, he knows that himself.'

Barely regaining control over his restless heart, Lang steeled his resolve once again.
Once the engagement was broken, an opportunity would come.
If he approached Duke Illenat bearing the title of Sword Saint, wouldn't he get the answer he wanted?

'It's not over yet. I'll win Brillie with my strength alone. I won't... let anyone else take her.'

* * *

Alter sipped his tea while scanning the letter sent by his father.
The letter stated that they had accepted the proposal from the Great Mage Alraune and would actively cooperate.
It seemed that since the Great Mage himself promised to directly cure the illness, his father readily agreed.

'He actually got permission from Father.'

Alter let out a dry chuckle and carefully folded the letter.
If his father consented, he had to comply as well.
Of course, there was no guarantee of a cure, but if it was the Great Mage, perhaps he could alleviate the symptoms.

'That's all good... but why isn't anyone mentioning breaking off the engagement?'

Even Duke Illenat hadn't brought up breaking the engagement at all.
Moreover, his own father, in the letter, had even hinted that he was all right with letting the marriage proceed as planned.
Neither of them was making a fuss about it, so why weren't they trying to break the engagement?

'I can understand Father, since it's because of my illness, but Duke Illenat— I don't get him at all.'

Unable to even guess the reason, Alter shook his head.
For the most part, he hadn't shown his full self while staying at the mansion.
He had only wandered around the estate, caught a cold, then was unconscious for three days and only barely recovered.
Anyone would have been disappointed, so why were they just watching all this silently?

'I'm sure they have it all figured out. First, I need to recover from my illness.'

Accepting this for now, Alter became deep in thought.
His illness was essentially incurable, so he couldn't depend solely on the Great Mage.
That's why he needed multiple avenues lined up and pursued in succession.

'I made an appointment with that holy apostle and arranged everything... but of all people, it had to be him.'

Alter clearly remembered that holy apostle.
In the original story, he'd thought of the man as just another high-level cleric with skill, but in reality, there was a connection to Brillie.
That made Alter suspect he might be another male lead, but with their vague relationship, he'd only ever treated him as a somewhat important side character.

'Hapnen Lagnis. Is he a male lead or not? Doesn't really seem like one... I guess I'll have to meet him first and decide then?'

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
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