-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: A Marriage Proposal
-----------------------------------------------------------------

After coughing and sputtering several times, I finally managed to form a proper sentence.

“……What, what did you say?”

I thought I’d just heard him say something about marr-something, but no matter how I thought about it, I had to be mistaken.

It was a word that simply had no business coming up in this situation.

Raynerd blinked, looking a little surprised.

“Oh dear, are you alright? It seems to have gone down the wrong pipe.”

Belatedly realizing I had made a scene in front of the Crown Prince, I frantically searched for my handkerchief.

“My apologies. I will clean it up right away.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. It was just an accident.”

“Oh, how gracious of you.”

As I dabbed at the moisture with my handkerchief, I glanced at the man who was acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

“Your Highness, about that.”

“Yes?”

“Could you please repeat what you just said? I believe I must have misheard you.”

“Ah. I asked if you would marry me.”

“Right. Marry His Highness…”

My hand, clutching the handkerchief, tightened.

*I didn't mishear him!*

His tone was so utterly ordinary, as if he were commenting on the fine weather, that it took my brain a moment to process the information.

“M-Marriage… What do you mean by that…?”

“Do you perhaps not know what marriage is?”

“No, of course I do.”

*What do you take me for, you jerk.*

“As it stands, marriage is the answer. If we get married, we can sleep in the same bed every day. It would also look quite natural to others.”

My jaw dropped.

“Ah, I see. I understand.”

“Right? Then let’s proceed with getting married as soon as possible. First, I’ll have to persuade His Majesty, my father…”

“Wait, wait a minute!”

He looked ready to leap out the terrace window that very instant, so I grabbed the hem of his clothes.

“Why?”

“Marriage is a bit sudden.”

“Didn’t you just say you understood?”

“I meant I understood the meaning behind your words, not that I was agreeing to marry you.”

“What’s the problem?”

Raynerd asked in a dissatisfied tone.

“Are you worried His Majesty won’t permit it? Don’t worry. The House of Marquis Lindsi is not so lacking that it cannot become in-laws with the imperial family. Or is it because the young lady was originally a commoner? I’ll take care of it.”

“That’s not the problem.”

“Then?”

“Your Highness, are you really okay with marrying me?”

“I’m fine.”

“No, please don’t answer so quickly. It’s just that… you don’t love me or anything.”

Raynerd’s eyes widened for a moment before he burst into laughter.

It was a laugh of genuine amusement.

“Why are you laughing?”

“You are a peculiar one, Young Lady. How many among the royalty do you think marry for love?”

He shrugged with a nonchalant air.

“I believe that with a moderate amount of consideration and respect, one can be a good partner even without a fickle emotion like love.”

*Of course you would,* I thought, convinced.

The more I spoke directly with Raynerd, the more I recalled the minor details from the novel I had forgotten.

To put it in a nutshell, Raynerd was the type of character who would casually utter lines like, ‘Love means nothing to me.’

*And as is typical for such characters, he later goes against his own values.*

He ended up falling head over heels for the female lead, Aila, whom he had initially approached merely to find a weakness in Cedric.

From Raynerd’s perspective, this was an event as shocking as the world turning upside down.

His original goal was a strategic marriage with a woman from a family that would aid his succession to the throne; he had no intention of being swayed by love.

Once he realized his true feelings, Raynerd immediately went straight for Aila, but…

It was always going to be Cedric. After all, Cedric was the male lead of .

Raynerd could only blame himself for looking down on love, but by then, the past was irreversible.

He ended up calling off all his marriage talks and dedicating himself solely to his work, meeting a bachelor’s end.

And what about a Crown Prince who needs to produce an heir?

*My point exactly.*

That part bothered me too, but it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.

An ending where the second male lead immediately finds another woman after being rejected by the heroine would be a bit…

As a reader of romance novels, I’d feel a little betrayed.

Well, I assume that after many years, Raynerd would have met someone nice and gotten married.

*Though I’m not sure if it would be someone he could love as passionately as he loved Aila.*

I pulled myself from my reminiscence of the novel's plot and looked at Raynerd, who was still talking.

“If we hurry things along, we can hold the ceremony within three months. Besides, if we are recognized as a couple to be married, it wouldn’t be strange at all for me to stay the night at the Lindsi estate, or for you to be invited to the Imperial Palace.”

He seemed to have taken my silence as an agreement to his proposal and was getting way ahead of himself.

At this rate, he’d be picking out wedding gifts by himself, so I cut him off.

“I recommend you give your parents a heads-up. They might faint from shock if they suddenly receive a marriage proposal from the Imperial family…”

“Your Highness, I apologize, but I cannot do that. I will not marry you.”

Raynerd arched an eyebrow.

“Why? Because there’s no love?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Since I’ve been isekai’d into a romance fantasy world, I want to enjoy a sweet romance if possible.

“But didn’t you say you’ve given up hope of being with Grand Duke Hiklrid?”

“Once I’ve completely forgotten him, I plan to find another love.”

“And if you can’t?”

“Then there’s nothing to be done about it. Living as a bachelorette is fine too.”

“Couldn’t this thing called love blossom after you marry me?”

“Pardon?”

“You never know what the future holds.”

“Ah, well, that’s not impossible, but to just get married on that belief is…”

“Or we can just get a divorce.”

“A divorce?”

“I wasn’t asking you to marry me and live happily ever after for a hundred years. This symbiotic relationship of ours will disappear once the curse is broken, won’t it?”

He had a point, so I found myself inadvertently listening to his smooth talk.

“It’s uncertain when that will be, but I hope you’ll stay with me until then. Afterward, I’ll let you go without any lingering attachments.”

“However.”

“Of course! Since I’ll be the one putting a mark on your marital history, I’ll make sure to provide you with a generous alimony.”

“Alimony…”

“Furthermore, the reason for the divorce will be announced as a problem on my part, and I will spare no expense in helping you immigrate to a foreign country as soon as we divorce.”

“A foreign country…”

“To be honest, it would be a bit burdensome for me if my ex-wife remained in the country. In many ways, that would be more beneficial for both of us, wouldn’t it? Didn’t you say you originally planned to live abroad?”

“W-Well, I certainly did.”

“If you marry me, not only can we share a bed comfortably, but others will no longer be able to speak ill of you regarding your history with Grand Duke Hiklrid.”

Raynerd, standing with his back to the window, extended a hand toward me.

The morning sunlight streaming in transformed into a halo, making his already statuesque features look like a masterpiece of the century.

He had literally just woken up with me and hadn't even washed his face, yet he looked nothing short of divine.

“Your Highness…”

As if mesmerized, I started to place my hand in his, only to snap back from the illusion.

“Thank you for the offer, but I cannot accept it!”

When I withdrew my hand, the Crown Prince clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“Drat. I thought you were almost convinced.”

“I was not convinced at all.”

In truth, I was halfway there. Phew, I almost got married without even realizing it.

I shook my head to clear it.

*What’s the point of getting married? Raynerd isn’t the only one who’s cursed.*

That was one of the decisive reasons I couldn’t accept this proposal.

I had three other rabbit-like men who needed to be put to sleep in my bed.

Marrying Raynerd would make putting him to sleep easier, but the difficulty of putting the other three to sleep would skyrocket.

*The Crown Princess bringing other men into her bedchamber? Or visiting other men’s bedchambers?*

Just imagining it was a nightmare.

It wouldn’t be a simple matter of getting divorced and moving on; at best, I’d be deposed, and if I was unlucky, I could be executed.

And I wasn’t cold-hearted enough to abandon the other three for the sake of a temporary position as Crown Princess.

Even if I did abandon them, I doubted the remaining three would meekly give up something as crucial as sleep.

I resolved firmly that I had to refuse this marriage, no matter what.

This wasn’t a matter to be accepted with a lighthearted thought like, *‘Oh, this is like the contract marriage cliché you see in romance novels!’*

“What on earth is your reason for refusing?”

Raynerd frowned, as my choice seemed utterly incomprehensible to him.

“Is it really about love? How many couples in high society marry without love?”

“It’s not just about love.”

The conversation would likely drag on if I brought up love, so I gave another reason.

“My goal is to live a long and quiet life, so I have no desire to enter the Imperial Palace, which is rife with power struggles.”

To this, Raynerd seemed to have no counter-argument, and his demeanor softened.

“...True, I can’t say it’s safe.”

Raynerd was currently competing for the throne with his stepmother and his half-siblings.

A fight to the death, where they smiled gracefully to each other’s faces and then tried to kill each other behind their backs.

No matter how carefully I conducted myself, the position of Crown Princess was one that required me to risk my life.

Absolutely not. I’d rather be a shut-in.

“Becoming Your Highness’s wife would be the greatest honor, but please give that honor to a woman who is worthy of you.”

“…”

At my polite yet firm refusal, Raynerd remained silent for a moment before speaking.

“Alright. I understand your intentions.”

What a relief that he underst—

“Then how about we just announce that we’re dating?”

He didn’t understand at all