TLDS

¤ 15 ¤

“Please let me annul the engagement with the prince.”

“.….!”

Duke Thorn had an unexpected face.

“With the prince?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”
Duke Thorn clouded the end of his words.

“You see that's not a simple matter, right? Moreover, this engagement, Juwell, did you forget you wanted it?”

That is a fact I didn't know.

'You say Juwell first wanted this engagement? Why did Juwell try to marry the prince?'

Duke Thorn then said,
“Of course, annulling the engagement with the prince is not difficult. We, Garnet, don't need to be mindful at the imperial family. But I need to know why. Is there any reason you changed your mind?”

This was important. Juwell looked straight at the Duke Thorn. Not with the eyes of a cute granddaughter like she usually had. But with a strong will. Like when she was Estelle.

“I want to be a Garnet of 'loyalty'.”

“.….!”

“I don't want to be a little empress, but I want to be a proud Garnet that brightens the family.”

'Loyalty'

It was a symbol of Garnet. But that loyalty was not towards the imperial family nor the people. But just for the family. That is why the members of the Garnet family place the most importance on the loyalty towards the family.

"....Are you serious?"

The Duke Thorn was really surprised, and Juwell said, still looking straight at him.

“Yes, I want to be a part of our family by being a person like esteemed grandfather whom I admire. That’s why I want to break marriage with the prince.”

Duke Thorn was a specimen of Garnet of 'Loyalty'. Because he destroyed the imperial family only for his family.

“.….”

Duke Thorn looked at Juwell's eyes for a moment. There are not an eyes filled with affection like before. It was the look that looked at the lord of the house as a person bellow him. She didn't avoid that look. Silently caught the gaze of the Duke Thorn.

And then.

“Hahahahaha.”

Duke Thorn burst into laughter. It was a big smile, but she felt a sense of pressure rather than being pleasant.

“I've been thinking of you wrong so far. Or have you changed without me knowing it?”

Duke Thorn said in a more smooth voice.

“Yes, there was an accident a while ago, and I decided to live a new life with the risk of dying.”

“Oh. There was an accident. How surprised our princess must have been?”

When Duke Thorn shown his image as a good grandfather, Juwell also shown her image as a cute granddaughter to him.

“Grandfather, I really want to imitate you, grandfather. Can you please listen to me? Okay?”

“Alright, alright. I know. Then let me just ask one thing. What is the first thing you want to do as a Garnet of ‘loyalty’?”

This snake.

It was another test.

“I have to catch and kill the guy who tried to poison my grandfather.”