The Virtually Exiled Duke’s Daughter Is Troubled When Her Fiancé in a Neighboring Country Says, "I Will Never Love You" - Episode 5

When Deborah returned from the party, she was even more surprised when she got back to the duke’s mansion.
My parents already knew about this story.

“Deborah, you must not meet anyone from now on.”

“Father!?”

“Why didn’t you boldly reject the broken engagement? You believe you are innocent, but if you accept the broken engagement, everyone will inevitably suspect that you are at fault.”

“No, this is a loss cut.”

“Cutting losses?”

Deborah explains everything to her parents.

“The guests who attended the party witnessed everything. You can’t close people’s mouths. In time, everyone will know my innocence.”

“I see… Just now, a messenger from the crown prince arrived on horseback, and all I was told was that your engagement was broken off because you bullied that baron’s daughter.”

“Wow!”

Deborah raised her eyebrows and let out an even louder voice. Despite all the warnings, Prince Aaron foolishly tried to lie to the Duke, saying, “Deborah bullied me.” Did he not realize that making such a blatant defamatory statement would be an act of throwing away his own position as the crown prince?

The duke lets out a sigh of relief, but immediately furrows his brow again.

“…No, but still, this is bad… Do you understand the position of our ducal family?”

Deborah nodded.

When the previous war was initiated, General Palm vigorously urged the royal family. The Prime Minister, though hesitant, agreed. However, Duke Mauzy, Deborah’s father, led the opposition.

Originally, Duke Mauzy traces his lineage back to the royal family four generations ago. Although his claim to the throne is virtually non-existent, he was an undeniable presence for the current king. While not quite a thorn in his side, he likely felt like a bothersome wart that occasionally itched.

The reason King Mammut ultimately chose war might have been that Duke Mauzy switched to the anti-war faction, providing a justification to treat the duke coldly.

In fact, the duke and his sons, that is, Deborah’s brothers, were treated coldly, albeit secretly, from that point on.

There was even a time when it was rumored that the engagement between Deborah and Prince Aaron, which had been arranged since they were little, would be annulled. However, because Deborah had been meticulously taking care of Aaron, who had many behavioral issues, and because the situation with the Volks Kingdom was not favorable, the engagement was ultimately not annulled.

“Although it will be tough to push through Prince Aaron’s demands, there is a possibility that the royal family will make unreasonable demands on you. It’s better to take the initiative before that happens. Leave the rest to me and Leroy, and you should return to the duchy.”

“Yes”

“Listen up. Don’t step out of the mansion room until I say it’s okay. You’re not allowed to contact anyone either.”

Leroy is Deborah’s second older brother. He is a man far superior to the candidates for the crown prince’s aides.

The duke had planned to secure him a position in the future, regardless of parental favoritism, but he had been relegated to a position of little importance due to the cold treatment following his opposition to the recent war.

Deborah believed that her brother and father would surely turn the situation around.

Understood.

And so, Deborah immediately got into the carriage and, after a journey of several days, returned to the main residence of the duchy. Even at the main residence, she diligently followed her father’s orders and secluded herself in her room for about three weeks. During that time, she did not neglect her own studies, seriously delving into history books and engaging in moderate physical activities to stave off boredom.

“Have you not heard from your father yet?”

I asked the maid about the situation, but I was given vague answers, as if the duke and my brother had imposed a gag order, or perhaps accurate information from the royal capital hadn’t reached the territory.

(It’s better than immediate exile, but… what am I supposed to do now?)

About three weeks later, the duke finally came to Deborah, who was at her wit’s end, and said something outrageous.

“Finally, it’s settled. Deborah, you will marry into the neighboring country.”

“To the neighboring country?”

“That’s right. The new wife of the Marquis of Volks.”

Originally, the engagement with Prince Aaron was a political marriage. It was Deborah’s fate to accept the order of her family head to marry someone whose face she didn’t even know. However.

“Rejoice. All your bad reputation will be washed away, and you will be praised by the people as a saint who dedicated her life for the country.”

“Yes?”

Deborah was hurriedly pushed into the carriage without much of a farewell. It seemed that her belongings had been neatly packed in advance, and the carriage immediately set off south towards the neighboring country.

On the way, she received an explanation from the maid who had accompanied her as per their promise until the border. Even Deborah, who had been strictly trained not to show intense emotions as a lady, couldn’t help but be left speechless by the content of the explanation.

“A terminal illness!? Then what happened to His Highness Aaron?”

The maid lowered her eyes and did not meet Deborah’s gaze. She answered in a flat, emotionless voice.

“His Highness has moved to the villa for rest and recuperation. It may be difficult for him to come out again.”