My Fiance Told Me He Had Found His True Love and Broke off Our Engagement. It’s Too Late To Ask Me To Get Back Together Now!
Ch. 11 - At the Estate

After leaving the royal palace, Mariabelle asked her father to expedite her departure to her estate, in order to avoid being summoned again by the royal family.

Since she had already completed the majority of the preparations, her departure was smoother than she had anticipated; the journey to the estate was both brief and lengthy.

Since she had nothing to do while riding in the carriage, Mariabelle's heart alternated between sadness and anger.

She was angry by Edward's self-righteous behavior.

However, what was it that made her feel so offended?

Edward had most likely recommended Simon to her out of the kindness of his heart, but she saw no reason to marry him. Not even her father had ordered her to do so.

Edward asked her to find someone to love, but why would he choose that person?

If she were to marry Simon, Mariabelle would be by Edward and Annette's side the whole time, since Simon was Edward's confidant and his foster younger brother.

Perhaps Edward thinks that he can hire me as a nanny for his and Annette's child.

At this thought, Mariabelle hugged herself tightly, horrified.

If she had no other choice but to pursue that future, she would rather join the most rigorous convent she could find.

It's not that she despises Simon. She isn't familiar enough with him to dislike him.

Also, she doesn't like the fact that Edward is trying to decide everything about her life.

So far, as crown princess, Mariabelle had been with Edward at all times, but from now on, she is free.

The shackles of being the future queen have been lifted, and she can decide her own future as she pleases.

Because of this broken engagement, James, Mariabelle's father, has agreed to allow her to do as she pleases to some extent.

"Go back to the estate and rest your tired mind and body for a while," he had said to Mariabelle.

Since becoming Edward's fiancée, she has never been to the estate.

It has been a long time since she saw the golden wheat fields as a child, but she would like to see them again.

Mariabelle gently closed her eyes in the carriage on the way to the estate, with the nostalgic scenery in her mind.

Six months have passed since Mariabelle returned to her estate.

She'd spent the entire winter there before she realized it.

When she arrived, her mother, who was often in the estate, knew everything that had happened in the royal capital, but she hugged Mariabelle without saying a word.

Just that alone seemed to soothe Mariabelle's heart.

Thanks to her mother, father, and brother, who took time out of their busy schedules to visit her, Mariabelle smiled again.

During winter, there was no socializing, and many nobles returned to their estates.

Since Berkeley's territory is located in the south, where it is warm and snow-free, her father and brother would normally spend winter in the estate. However, prior to the engagement breakup, they had been taking turns between the royal capital and the estate for Mariabelle, who cannot leave the royal capital due to the crown princess' education.

This year, her family was finally supposed to be able to spend time together at the estate, but her father was busy cleaning up the mess after the broken engagement, and it seemed that he would not be able to return to the state.

According to the news, Annette's education as a crown princess was not progressing well, and recently Mrs. Dudley had been dismissed from her role as a tutor.

However, neither her father nor her brother wanted to share the details with Mariabelle, so she was able to spend winter on her estate.

Sometimes she would suddenly feel sad and cry, or spend a day in a daze because she didn't feel like doing anything. Lately, however, she was beginning to enjoy her peaceful life.

Soon, she would be able to see the golden wheat fields.

Right now, the ears of wheat were still growing toward the sky, but in a little while, she will be able to see the golden ears of wheat hanging down and swaying in the wind.

In the grain-producing Berkeley territory, harvest festivals are held on a large scale.

Mariabelle was looking forward to participating in what she was sure would be an enjoyable festival.

That's when Mariabelle received a letter from her father.

"Imperial Flower Festival...?"

The Empire of Galleria is a large country to the south of Berkeley's territory.

Since the kingdom has a friendly relationship with the empire, people come and go between the two countries.

The Empire of Galleria celebrates the birth of its first emperor and holds a festival called the Flower Festival everywhere in the spring.

The letter from James was an invitation to visit that festival in a city near the Berkeley territory--- instead of the grand flower festival held in the imperial capital---and to tell Mariabelle that he would be returning with her brother to the state.

Mariabelle, who had been in the royal capital all this time, has never been to another country.

So, delighted by her father's invitation, she hurriedly wrote a reply to the letter.