It Seems that My Fiancé Has Fallen in Love at First Sight - Chapter 5

“Alice was looking forward to dancing with you, Louis. As her fiancé, she should have been your first dance partner.”

“…Colin…”

“…Sorry… I thought she was still eating…”

Louis apologized awkwardly, but Alice refused to meet his gaze.

“He wasn’t looking at me… He was looking at Lady Caroline instead. Even earlier, he didn’t notice me standing by the table, too caught up in enjoying himself with her…”

Alice had been excited about tonight’s banquet, but Louis had spent the evening focused on Caroline, leaving no room for their own special moments.

“Oh… I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention…”

“It’s fine. You have nothing to apologize for.”

“…Louis?”

Alice was taken aback by the way he instinctively defended Caroline.

“…Let’s call off our engagement.”

“What!?”

The sudden declaration from Louis shocked not only Alice but also Colin and Caroline.

Meanwhile, across the banquet hall, a group of noblewomen whispered among themselves.

“Who is that nobleman? He’s quite charming…”

“Yes… But he’s been eating cake after cake for a while now…”

The subject of their conversation was a black-haired man, standing at a distance and indulging in yet another slice of cake.

“There you are, Sion.”

The man turned as Prince Camille approached him.

“Congratulations on your engagement. Shouldn’t the guest of honor be mingling? Where’s your fiancée?”

“She’s chatting with the other ladies. You haven’t changed at all—still drawn to sweets, just like during our academy days.”

Camille chuckled as Sion took another bite of cake.

“Royal palace desserts are a rare treat, only served at banquets like these. Earlier, I even shared one with a lady over at that table.”

“Shared?”

“There was only one piece left. I’ll make it up to her by bringing another later.”

Sion gestured casually toward a nearby table—Alice’s table.

“…Wait, something’s wrong. Is that woman… crying?”

“Hm?”

Camille’s tone grew serious as he noticed Alice’s tearful expression.

“…W-what are you saying, Louis…?”

Alice’s body trembled as she stared at Louis, tears welling in her eyes. His face remained devoid of emotion.

“We’ve been together since childhood… but even though we’re the same age, I’ve always thought of you like a younger sister.”

“A sister…? Then why did you agree to our engagement?”

“Because I liked you. I enjoyed being with you, and I thought marrying you wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

“…You liked me, yet now you want to break off our engagement?”

“…”

Without answering, Louis took Caroline’s hand and, with a bright smile, confessed:

“I love her. Meeting her made me realize what true love is for the first time.”

Caroline’s eyes widened in shock, unable to respond.

“…”

“I’m sorry for bringing this up so suddenly… I’ll speak to our parents and apologize. But even if we’re no longer engaged, we can still be childhood friends—”

“Louis, that’s awful! Alice only has you!” Colin cut in, furious.

“I’m really sorry…”

Louis lowered his head, asking Alice to agree to the engagement’s annulment.

“…Fine. I’ll annul the engagement.”

“A-Alice!?”

“…Thank you. I truly am sorry… It’s not because I dislike you.”

“…”

Even as he spoke, Louis hesitated, but then he turned toward Caroline with a hopeful expression.

“Lady Caroline, will you be my girlfriend?”

“I’m sorry.”

“…What?”

Louis froze in disbelief as Caroline lowered her head in apology.