Breaking Off the Engagement with the Demon King - Chapter 2

Shou Rudel, heir to the Marquess of the Frontier, and Princess Kiara had been engaged since the age of ten.

It was a political marriage arranged by the King himself—a means of strengthening the bond between the royal family and the House of Rudel, guardians of the frontier and the kingdom’s primary line of defense. By having a royal princess marry into the frontier marquess’s household, the King sought to secure a powerful alliance for the future.

Though the engagement was born of strategy, Shou and Kiara’s relationship had always been a warm and genuine one.

Shou, raised in the rugged lands of the frontier, had a wild demeanor and a blunt way of speaking, having grown up among knights and taken part in monster subjugation from a young age.
Kiara, on the other hand, possessed a beauty so striking that even neighboring countries referred to her as a “peerless maiden.”

They were opposites in many ways, but the respect they held for one another was sincere. Their bond was strong, and those around them were certain they would become a truly happy couple.

But everything changed in their second year at the academy—just one year before graduation.

A stampede had broken out in the frontier. A massive and violent uprising of monsters.

The Rudel family had quelled many stampedes over the years, but this one was different. It was far larger than any before it—so much so that even Shou, still a student at the time, was recalled from the royal capital to aid in the defense of his homeland.

As the next Marquess, Shou could not stand idly by. He told Kiara he had to return to the frontier to take up arms. Kiara agreed without protest, and thus, Shou departed to face the battlefield—leaving her behind.

Shou fought with his life on the line, driven by a future he wished to share with the one he loved, and for the sake of the kingdom.
Kiara waited, praying for his safe return, believing in him with all her heart.

And then, a year passed.

Thanks to the efforts of the frontier army, the stampede was finally suppressed.

On top of that, news arrived that the Demon King—the greatest threat among the demonic tribes—had been slain in a distant land by a hero. The Kingdom of Randall rejoiced in the double blessing.

At the same time, the Royal Academy’s graduation approached.

Shou and Kiara were set to marry upon graduation. Joy piled upon joy, and the people of the kingdom celebrated, believing their union to be a symbol of peace and prosperity.

Though Shou had spent the year away from the capital and could not attend classes, he was granted special permission to graduate with only a few assignments and supplementary lessons, given the extraordinary circumstances.

The nation’s crisis had passed.
The hero of the frontier and the beloved princess were to be wed.

All was supposed to go well.

And yet—

One year. A single year.

Not long by most standards. Not long to wait for the one you love.

And yet, during that short span of time, Kiara’s heart had shifted… toward another man.

She had betrayed Shou.