Breaking Off the Engagement with the Demon King - Chapter 1

“Shou Rudel! Before all present here today, I hereby declare the annulment of our engagement!”

It was the day of the graduation ceremony at the Royal Academy for Nobles, located in the capital of the Kingdom of Randall.

Princess Kiara, the kingdom’s First Princess, had suddenly stepped forward with the words, “There is something I wish for everyone here today to hear.” With that, she sharply unfolded and thrust her fan outward—pointing it straight at her fiancé, Shou Rudel, heir to the Marquess of the Frontier—and boldly proclaimed the end of their engagement.

Silence.

The once-splendid atmosphere of the party was immediately drowned in a hush.

A few seconds passed—then came the reactions.
Some smiled with interest, their curiosity piqued: “Well now, this could be entertaining.”
Some remained dumbfounded, their minds still struggling to catch up.
And then, there were those who had already sensed not just the implications of the current situation, but the disaster that was yet to unfold—their faces pale as they quietly slipped out of the hall.

“…Huh?”

At the banquet table, where he had been sinking his teeth into a hearty meat dish, sat the very man just publicly cast aside—Shou Rudel. He chewed for a moment longer, a slightly puzzled look on his face, then swallowed the bite and turned to face Princess Kiara.

Jet-black hair, crimson eyes, and a strikingly well-defined face gave Shou an aura far more mature than his mere eighteen years.
Beside him stood Kiara, a vision of beauty with flowing blonde hair and deep blue eyes, almost doll-like in her grace.

They were a stunning pair—perfectly picturesque.
If only it weren’t for the current circumstances.

“I’m gonna need you to say that again,” Shou said, locking eyes with her and smiling faintly. “I was a little too focused on my food and didn’t quite catch what you said.”

Of course, that wasn’t what he meant.

His words carried an unspoken message: “If you’re going to take it back, now’s your last chance.”
Because what Kiara had just declared… it would carry weighty consequences.

But then again, a person who would go so far as to make such a declaration in public is not the kind to suddenly backtrack with a timid, “Forgive me, I misspoke out of emotion.”

“Very well, I shall say it again… Shou Rudel! Before all present here today, I hereby declare the annulment of our engagement!!”

One couldn’t help but wonder—Did she rehearse this beforehand?
Her words, her stance, her delivery—everything was executed with the same precision as before, making it seem as though it had all been practiced to perfection.

This time, there would be no feigning ignorance. The words had been said twice. Clearly. Loudly. There was no turning back.

The hall, until then enveloped in stunned silence, began to stir.

Though many maintained a mask of calm while watching the situation unfold with barely hidden excitement, a handful of guests quietly made their exit, their faces drained of color.

They had understood.

Ah… this country is doomed.