With The Fifth Loop, The Third Prince Has Been Added To The Cast. - Chapter 4.2

It was after school on a cloudy day, one that looked like it might rain any moment. I had been called to the rooftop by Lord Franz.

“What is it you wanted to talk about? ”

Calling me to the rooftop, where there was no shelter from the rain—it might start pouring any moment.
Still, as he was my fiancé and a Marquis’ son, I couldn’t refuse.

“I wanted to give you a piece of advice.”
“Advice?

“No matter what you do, the fact that I’m your fiancé won’t change.”

What on earth is he talking about?

Isn’t he the one who’s been considering breaking off the engagement?

That’s what I initially thought, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“Unlike Claire, you’re plain, boring, and completely uninteresting. I have no desire to be with you—Claire is obviously the better choice.”

I already knew that, even without him saying it.

But hearing it directly, so bluntly, made it feel like a sharp knife pierced through my chest and twisted.

“I understand. So please, just leave me—”

“But! It has to be you as my fiancée! “What…”?“To inherit the Marquis family, I need you to be my wife.”

“You’re the only son”. You can inherit the title no matter whom you marry.”

What nonsense is he spouting? It’s utterly ridiculous. I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm firmly, stopping me.

“You’re hurting me, Lord Franz…”

“I have a cousin. He’s more talented, more capable, and my parents adore him…”

My plea fell on deaf ears.

His grip on my arm didn’t weaken, and he launched into a monologue I didn’t even ask for.

“They said Claire wasn’t suitable. That she couldn’t support me as a Marquis. If that’s the case, they’d rather pass the title to my cousin.”

How I wished I could just say, “That’s none of my concern.”

But I was still his fiancée, whether I liked it or not. That made me a direct stakeholder in all this nonsense.

“So? “If you support me as my wife, I’ll inherit the title as planned.” That means I can become a Marquis and live happily with Claire—but only if you become the marchioness! ”

What an utterly selfish thing to say. He wants to marry me just so he can fulfill the family requirements and then enjoy his life with Claire.

But what hurt the most wasn’t his words—it was my own helplessness, the fact that I couldn’t do anything about it.

“No matter what you try, this engagement will never be broken. I’ll never agree to it. And even if you request it, your Count family can’t force our Marquis house to call it off.”

Yes, Franz’s family is of higher status—Marquis, while mine is merely a Count.

If he refuses to break the engagement, there’s nothing I can do.

How did it come to this?

In all my previous lives, Franz never looked my way, never welcomed our engagement.

And now, in this life—when I finally stopped caring—he suddenly clings to the engagement, and I can’t escape.

What cruel irony.

If this were my first or second life, I would have been overjoyed to hear him say he would never break off the engagement, even if there was no love between us.

“So don’t do anything foolish. I won’t allow you to get any closer to His Highness.”

With that, Franz left the rooftop.

I was left alone, unable to move.

Ah, that’s right… even in my first life, there were rumors about Franz and Claire.

People whispered that he preferred the lively, adorable younger sister over the plain older one.

That it was only a matter of time before the engagement shifted from sister to sister.

Maybe there are also rumors now—about me and Prince Camus.

The neglected daughter of a count is hovering around the Third Prince.

It wouldn’t be surprising if both sets of rumors were spreading for people’s amusement.

Franz may not care about me, but rumors of his fiancée fawning over another man might have been an embarrassment to his pride.

If so, then I’ve caused trouble for Prince Camus… and that’s the only thing I feel truly sorry about.

“Ah… the rain…”

It had finally started to fall. Even so, my feet felt glued to the ground—I couldn’t move.

Looking ahead, I saw only despair. It felt like the world was going dark.

The rain grew heavier. Everything around me blurred.

It wasn’t just the rain—I realized that I, too, was crying.

And for some reason, only the view beyond the rooftop fence remained oddly clear.

“That’s right… It was all supposed to have ended already…”

Back in my first life, when I chose to die—that was supposed to be the end.

There was no need to wish for happiness anymore.

If I ended it all here, now, maybe this time, it would truly be over.

I felt myself drawn, as if by some invisible force, and I stepped toward the other side of the rooftop fence.

All that was left… was to let gravity take over.

Believing it would end everything, I threw myself from the rooftop.