Chapter 45

Chapter 45

However, as a child of the imperial family, he had a fiancee betrothed to him for a long time. She was the daughter of a very powerful family, and they were planning to get married as soon as she had her coming-of-age ceremony.

Since the coming-of-age ceremony was less than a month away, Romain’s unrequited love was a ridiculous feeling.

This feeling shouldn’t have formed and he shouldn’t have realized what it meant. Romain knew that, but it wasn’t easy to stop them.

Even though he knew it wouldn’t work, he suppressed his feelings with reason and tried to love his fiancée whom he occasionally met.

Nevertheless, love is not something that can be achieved through effort.

Romain was embarrassed by the fact that his heart would always grow cold in front of his fiancée. It wasn’t easy even if he tried to like her.

Even before his marriage, Romain had failed to like his fiancée, but the royal family’s order was absolute to him. He had no choice but to give up.

Suppressing his unrequited love, he respected his fiancée as if he loved her.

Of course, this feeling was bound to cause problems. According to Escass tradition, his fiancée stayed with the royal family for a while before their marriage.

Romain spent the night with her for a few days at his father’s suggestion, but he did not hug her. Rather, his fiancée seemed deeply hurt by his distance.

On the last day of her stay at the palace, she asked Romain.

<Your Highness, do you already have someone in your heart?>

<……>

Romain couldn’t help but hesitate for a moment at the sharp question. However, he eventually confessed after seeing her clear gaze.

<Yes.>

A very long silence flowed between him and his fiancée after hearing the answer. The two sat across the table from each other, spending an awkward moment.

How long will this frustration last?

When Romain was overcome with the urge to just leave, his fiancée opened her mouth again.

<If you really love her, you should go after her.>

<What……?>

Romain couldn’t believe what was coming out of her mouth. Go after her? Who? The girl he has a crush on?

In the strict atmosphere of the palace, he couldn’t have two wives. That said, Romain had no intention of keeping her as a concubine or a mistress.

However, his fiancée nonchalantly dug into his thoughts.

<You never know. That person might like you too. Maybe she loves you so much that she wants to be together, even if it means becoming your concubine.>

<How could that be…? That person….>

She’s a noble.

Romain was about to say something like that, but he kept his mouth shut. Since she was the person he had a crush on, he didn’t want to reveal too much information.

The fact that he liked her could be burdensome, and if his fiancée found out who she was, she might be bullied.

So he didn’t continue his story, and his fiancée just smiled quietly as if she knew everything.

He had felt this way before, but she was a very perceptive woman. He liked that about her. If she was going to be the crown princess, it was much better than not having any perceptiveness.

Since it was a politically motivated marriage anyway, it wouldn’t matter as long as it was a good deal for the royal family.

However, the fact that she was more clever than Romain expected was somewhat of a problem.

<I believe Your Highness knows why I came here.>

<……>

<I remember that the Emperor called me as soon as I entered the palace. He said this to me on the spot. If I get pregnant with the Crown Prince’s son in the next few days, he will feel more at ease.>

<That’s what he said…?>

Romain was somewhat embarrassed by her words. It was true that the Emperor had called her in right away and had a private meeting with her.

Moreover, it was the Emperor who had suggested that they quickly proceed with the marriage in time for her coming of age ceremony.

Romain’s father was certainly sensitive to the bloodline of the Imperial Family. Since the Imperial Family itself was a dominant Alpha family, there was no major problem in continuing the bloodline. Yet he was careful to quickly create a successor. There was a reason for that. 

Romain’s father was not the initial crown prince. Rather, he was the sixth prince, who was far from the imperial power.

As one can see from the number six, there were more than one or two princes and princesses at that time. 

The problem was that most of their ages were similar. The age difference between the eldest and youngest was only 6 years.

A dominant alpha could almost always impregnate an omega if he knotted. The emperor at the time impregn*ted many omegas and had children from many women.

The royal genealogy was no different than a dog.

There was constant conflict between them made it common for brothers to kill each other.

In the process, the eldest through fifth died young or violently. The causes of death were all different. There were cases where it was assumed that it was not an assassination, but that was not the important point.

The sixth prince, who had just finished organizing the conflict and ascended to the throne, is said to have thought at that time.

He thought that if he was going to have one child or have several, he should choose a crown prince very early so that he could settle down before the other children were born.

It was a very strange idea to Romain, but it was a realization from his father’s life. He had no intention of denying it.