Breaking Off the Engagement with the Demon King - Chapter 9

“Haaah…”

Shou let out a long sigh and shook his head in exasperation.

It was a gesture he rarely—if ever—made.
And when his expression turned to one of genuine, deep disappointment, even Kiara couldn’t help but feel a flicker of guilt.

Her heart now belonged to Strey. That much was true.
But Shou was still the man she had once loved sincerely, the one she had believed she’d spend her life with.

Seeing that same man now wearing such a pained, twisted expression—
Kiara felt a faint voice whisper inside her:
Is this really the right thing to do?

“…”

Beside Shou, Soa stood silent.
She said nothing, but her cool gaze was fixed squarely on Kiara.

It was a look full of scorn.

A face Kiara had known since childhood now stared at her with open disdain—and the sting of that silent judgment hit harder than Kiara expected.

But she couldn’t turn back now.

Today wasn’t just about ending her engagement with Shou.
She had more to do—more to say.

“Shou. I’m not ending our engagement just because of your infidelity. I’ve chosen to sever our ties because I’ve become deeply disappointed in you.”

“…Huh?”

Shou wanted to retort, “That’s my line,”
but instead, he kept quiet and waited to hear what nonsense would come next.

“I’ve heard everything. Shou, you’ve been bullying Strey, haven’t you?”

“…What?”

Shou blinked in disbelief.

“How disgraceful. I never thought you capable of something so petty.”

“W-wait, hold on. I never did anything like—”

“Mmrgh… Could it be… You mean that time, milord?”

A large man approached, holding a heaping plate of turkey.
It was Arviga Hartman—Shou’s childhood friend, and the second son of a neighboring viscount family.
He was expected to serve as Shou’s personal guard in the future, much like Soa, and he casually referred to Shou as “milord.”

Chomping on a mouthful of turkey, Arviga continued speaking, half-chewing as he talked—
a habit everyone knew was terrible, but in the current situation, no one bothered to scold him.

“Mmph… You remember, don’t you? That time you grabbed that string bean by the collar and yelled at him? Maybe they’re talking about that… chomp…”

“…String bean?”

Strey’s expression twisted in quiet offense.

A few members of the audience couldn’t help but stifle their laughter.

It was true—compared to Shou, or even the average man, Strey was slender and delicate. With his pale skin and graceful features, he gave off a fragile impression. That frailty, in fact, was part of his appeal.

Though he was brilliant in academics and magical studies, when it came to physical strength or swordsmanship, Strey was completely hopeless.

“Ahh… You mean that time I warned him off ’cause he kept trying to get too close to Kiara? That counts as bullying now?”

Shou muttered in disbelief.

Then, for the first time since the whole ordeal began, Soa spoke.

“To be fair, milord, issuing a warning to someone attempting to court your betrothed is entirely justified. However…”
“In that particular incident, the young Duke Bohring was so frightened… that he wet himself on the spot.”

“PFFT—!!”

That line hit like a bomb.

Wet himself = an accident.

Soa delivered the revelation in a completely neutral tone, but the effect on the audience was immediate.
Laughter erupted in pockets across the room, and then came the awkward, half-sympathetic stares directed at Strey.

Even Kiara, apparently unaware of that detail until now, froze mid-sentence.

“W-what…?”