Breaking Off the Engagement with the Demon King - Chapter 3

“A broken engagement, huh… that’s not exactly a peaceful way to go about things. Mind if I ask your reason?”

Shou Rudel asked the question with a smile that didn’t falter—but some of the guests present noticed something.

Yes, he was smiling.
But his eyes weren’t.

Although Shou was technically a noble, he’d spent most of his life among the knights of the frontier, and as such, his rough tone was simply part of who he was—it didn’t necessarily reflect his mood.

Whether Kiara noticed or not, she closed her eyes in a theatrical gesture and began to speak.

“The reason is your infidelity. I waited for you, believing in you… and yet you betrayed me.”

“…Infidelity? Me?”

Shou’s brows furrowed in confusion at her words.

“I’ve already had it investigated. It’s clear that you’ve become intimately involved with the young lady standing beside you—Miss Soa Marseille, daughter of the Viscount Marseille.”

“…Huh?”

Shou turned his gaze to the woman beside him.

There stood the one Kiara had accused by name—Soa Marseille, his aide-in-training.

With her red-black hair, sharply defined features, and slightly upturned eyes, Soa gave off a strong-willed impression. Her beauty was of a very different kind than Kiara’s, but no less striking.

She and Shou were childhood friends. After entering the academy, she had been formally selected as a candidate for his personal retainer, and the two had spent a great deal of time together. The “candidate” title was mostly formality—during the stampede, she had charged alongside him on the battlefield. In truth, she was already serving as his right hand.

They had indeed spent a lot of time together. They knew each other well.
But there was nothing between them as man and woman—only the bond of lord and vassal.

“There’s nothing like that between me and Soa.”

Shou flatly denied it. The accusation was baseless to the point of absurdity.

“I’m afraid your words won’t change the truth. My shadow informants have confirmed everything—your affair has been reported in detail.”

With her gaze lowered, Kiara held her fan up to her lips, feigning a look of heartbreak. The gesture was so overly dramatic it bordered on comical, and several onlookers couldn’t help but force an awkward smile, murmuring, “She’s really laying it on thick…”

“Sounds like that shadow of yours is a real idiot, huh…”

With a deep sigh, Shou ran a hand through his bangs.

The frustration showing clearly on his face made a few spectators finally realize—“Wait… this is bad.”
They were only just now grasping how serious the situation had become.

And yet, Kiara either remained oblivious, or chose to ignore the shift in atmosphere, continuing to speak.

“My shadow is highly competent, I’ll have you know. Denying it now is pointless, Shou. Furthermore, while you were away at war, I wrote to you many times—but not once did you send a reply. I suppose you used the distance and my lack of supervision to indulge yourself with Lady Soa Marseille, didn’t you?”

“I told you, nothing like that happened. And letters? I never got a single one. On the contrary, whenever I had time, I made sure to write and send letters myself. You were the one who never replied.”

“How disappointing, Shou. Even now, you continue to lie… I truly didn’t believe you were that kind of man.”

Kiara shook her head, as if in deep, heartfelt sorrow.

It was at this point that most of the audience finally realized—

Something wasn’t right.
A misunderstanding, perhaps?

Everyone began to sense it.