The Princess Who Was Married Off To The Prince of Slaughter In Place of Her Sister. While She Was Growing Fairies and Potatoes in The Garden of The Detached Palace, His Highness's Infatuation Began - Episode 25

Eventually, the sound of my sister’s voice faded away, and silence fell over the room.

“Lord Leonis, even though I was coerced by my sister, I made statements that deceived you and the high-ranking officials. Please, annul our marriage.”

I can’t blame everything on my sister and run away.

If we pretend this incident never happened, it will affect Your Highness Leonis’s dignity as the crown prince.

“Ali hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Fel is protecting me.

Thank you, Fel. But I can’t rely on you.

“Ariaberta, I will never let you go.”

That’s right, I have Fel’s blessing, so it would be a problem if I were gone, wouldn’t it?

But for that reason, we can’t keep Lord Leonis bound.

“If it’s about the fairy’s blessing, please ask Fel to continue it…”

If Fel and I stay in this country, it should continue to receive Fel’s protection.

Somewhere in the countryside, leisurely…

“I’m not talking about protection! I love you!”

“……!”

Staring straight at me, Leonis-sama makes it hard to breathe.

Lord Leonis… loves me? Am I hearing things, or is this really happening?

“I love you, Ariaberta! Please don’t go anywhere!”

Lord Leonis took my hand and held it tightly.

“I’m… not as beautiful as my sister. I’m the child of a mistress, and I’ve been confined to the detached palace for so long that I haven’t received proper education as a lady. My hobby is digging potatoes…”

“You are such a lovely person. You have such clear eyes. You have the kindness to take up a plow and till the fields for the people suffering from hunger. Who could possibly blame you for that?”

The flattery from Lord Leonis has begun…!

If you whisper with such a wonderful voice, my ears will get pregnant!

“Even if Lord Leonis is good, what will the high-ranking officials say…?”

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince, please allow me to speak.”

At that moment, one of the high-ranking officials stood up.

“Forgive me, speak.”

That’s right, this is the conference room!

Since Lord Leonis whispered sweet nothings to me, we were transported to a dimension where it was just the two of us!

I can’t believe someone saw our earlier conversation…!

The sense of shame is finally creeping up on me…!

Surely, my face is now redder than an apple.

“Your Highness, the Crown Princess, it was the potatoes you cultivated that saved my subjects and the people of my domain. Who could possibly speak ill of you?”

“In my territory, we were suffering from the damage caused by monsters and carnivorous animals. How much we were saved by the healing potions and antidote potion materials distributed by Her Highness the Crown Princess.”

“That is the same in my territory!”

“It’s my territory too!”

The high-ranking officials stood up and raised their voices.

“We all appreciate Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess. Please, do not say you will divorce His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and stay in this country forever!”

The high-ranking officials knelt down and paid their respects.

“Everyone…”

Tears spill from my eyes.

I never thought the day would come when someone would need me this much…

Tears flowed endlessly, and I couldn’t stop them.

“You heard me, right? This country needs you. Don’t even think about divorcing me.”

Lord Leonis is looking at me with kind eyes.

“Yes… I also want to stay in this country… by Lord Leonis’s side… forever.”

“Great!”

Lord Leonis hugged me tightly, and applause erupted from those watching.

Two weeks later, the day came when my sister was forcibly repatriated to her homeland.

It was my older brother who came to pick up my sister.

I was worried that it might cause trouble with my home country, but…

“My younger sister Charlotte has caused you great trouble. We will strip her of her title as a princess and her right to the throne, and confine her for life in a remote monastery. We will judge her crimes here with severity, so please forgive her for the offenses she committed against the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess.”

It seems that rather than you, your homeland wants to avoid trouble with our country.

“Princess Charlotte acted on her own. We have no intention of holding the Noble Grant Kingdom accountable. The neighboring country is my wife’s homeland, and we wish to continue our friendly relations as before.”

Neither His Majesty nor Lord Leonis questioned the sins of the neighboring country.

“I didn’t expect you to come to pick up Charlotte, big brother.”

The day my older brother returns home.

I had come to the castle gate with my brother to see off my sister, who was being forcibly repatriated.

“If I leave it to my subordinate, I don’t know what he’ll do.”

Indeed, if it were my younger sister, she might complain or throw a tantrum at the soldier who came to pick her up.

“Planning to kidnap a fairy? Charlotte must be out of her mind. There’s no way a fairy would grant protection to a human who harms them through kidnapping or confinement… How could she not understand such a simple thing…”

My brother let out a deep sigh and shook his head.

“Moreover, the fairy is claiming that she was originally attached to him and is pressuring Prince Leonis into marriage… I can only think that she’s completely lost her mind.”

Brother, you’re surprisingly harsh.

“Even if the Crown Prince and Ariaberta were at odds, we had received reports that they were living together harmoniously. If they were getting along well, it would have been conceivable that information about the fairies was being conveyed to the Crown Prince through Ariaberta. Who would believe it if someone later came out and said, ‘The fairies actually belonged to me’…?”

When my brother pointed it out, it felt like my chest was being gouged out with pain.

I was completely taken in by my sister’s plan full of holes.

Perhaps because I haven’t interacted with anyone other than my mother and Fel for many years, I’m not good at seeing through people’s schemes and lies.

If I’m going to live as the Crown Princess, I need to cultivate the ability to see through people… that’s the challenge ahead.

“Charlotte will be placed in a strict convent and will never be allowed outside again. Those who followed Charlotte will also be severely punished, so rest assured.”

Is it okay to trust what my brother says?

“Also, I wanted to let you know this. My father will soon abdicate the throne and retire, passing it on to me.”

“Is your father unwell or something?”

You seemed fine when I saw you a few months ago.

“It’s a matter of our country taking responsibility for you. After your mother passed away, your father neglected to take care of you…”

I thought the servants were just slacking off until now.

It seems that your father’s indifference towards me was the root cause.

“My father said, ‘A king who has abused a daughter blessed by fairies for many years cannot set an example for neighboring countries’… He is reflecting on what he did to you in his own way.”

“Sigh…”

For that father to be reflecting, it seems the state of the economy back home must be quite dire.

“Even though I’m guilty too…”

“Huh…?”

“I didn’t come to this country just to take Charlotte. I wanted to apologize to you in person. I’m sorry.”

My brother bowed his head slowly.

“I knew that after your mother passed away, your father was neglecting you. I knew it, but… I did nothing. I’m really sorry!”

I never thought the day would come when my brother would apologize.

I feel like my sister just apologized to me in a similar way not too long ago.

My sister’s act was to distract me so she could kidnap Fer, but what about you, big brother?

Just bowing my head for the sake of the country, huh?

“Brother, please lift your head.”

Even so, since I don’t feel bad when I’m apologized to, I must be quite the softy.

“If asked whether I can forgive everything that was done to me in my homeland, I cannot say ‘yes’ right now. However, the neighboring country is the one my mother loved and the one she decided to stay in. So, I entrust this to you, brother.”

I handed the burlap sack to my older brother.

“What is this?”

“It’s seeds of plants that grow well even in poor soil. I think the Noble Grant Kingdom, now without the fairies’ protection, will face tough times ahead. However, it is not my intention for the people to suffer from hunger. So, I entrust this to you, brother. Whether you use it or not is up to you.”

I tried to give it to Charlotte, but she refused to accept it, saying, “I won’t accept your charity, sister!”

“Even after treating you so horribly, you… thank you! I will never forget this kindness for the rest of my life!”

My brother said that and burst into tears.

I couldn’t believe it was fake crying.

If we had met differently, we might have gotten along well.

Even if I say it now, it won’t change anything.

My brother bowed repeatedly and then left.