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. 16 - A New Fiancée

"Her body was getting stronger, and she said she could handle some of the queen's education, but I was told that if she had a child, either she or the child would lose their lives," Renato continued. "My cousin still regretted that her selfishness as a child had bound her to me, and she was willing to give birth to my child in exchange for her life. However, it would be unreasonable to ask her to risk her life to give birth to a child of a man she doesn't love. We were in the process of breaking off our engagement when I happened to hear that my cousin and her doctor were in love with each other."

Carlo nodded behind him as Renato explained.

"That doctor, I believe, was at least twenty years older than me. I heard that he was devoted to his research and that's why he had been single all his life. His devotion and support were the reason she fell in love with him, I think. I was prepared for her to cry that she still wanted to marry me when it was decided that her engagement with me would be called off, but on the contrary, she was pleased. I stood there with an open mouth like an idiot."

"It was quite the sight, Your Highness," Carlo said.

"Well, I guess crying about our engagement being called off was all in my head."

The content of the conversation was supposed to be serious, but since the two were conversing in a light tone, Mariabelle and James were taken aback.

The conversation between Renato and Carlo progressed before they could even say a word.

"However, now that we had broken off the engagement, she still would not be able to marry that doctor because their status was too different. Even if they were to live on the outskirts of the estate under the guise of recuperation, they could never be husband and wife..." Renato said. "It's a good thing she didn't socialize that much. If she changes her name, no one would think that the wife of a mere doctor is the daughter of a grand duke."

"I hope she will be happy..."

"Yeah, me too."

There was no sound of regret for his fiancé in Renato's voice.

Mariabelle was a little relieved by that.

"Well, that's why we decided to say that His Highness' fiancée had passed away. We were about to decide on a new fiancée during the year, but we heard at that moment that Sir Barclay was looking for a new wheat trader," Carlo said, putting the documents on the table. "Berkeley's wheat has a very good reputation. Even when bread is baked in the same way, the dough is smooth and fluffy. The quality is stable, so we thought we would definitely like to do business with them."

Beside Mariabelle, James relaxed his body a little.

It seems that one of the objectives of our visit to the empire has been accomplished. The problem is the other one.

"By the way, rats are a common sight in warehouses where wheat is stored, but recently the number of rats has been increasing in the kingdom, as if the cats that used to drive them away have disappeared. The ruckus over the crown prince's broken engagement was also immediately reported to us," Carlo said, implying that the number of agents from other countries was increasing in the kingdom.

"Wasn't that after the turmoil of His Highness breaking his engagement?" James asked.

Carlo shook his head at James' question.

"No," he said. "It started about ten years ago."

"After the epidemic raged, it was difficult for most countries to rebuild its system. I thought the kingdom had also managed to rebuild itself, but I guess not..." Renato said.

Mariabelle was educated as a queen, but she was not taught about espionage.

That was because it was the jurisdiction of the king and the crown prince.

"The Berkeley territory, it's in a very important place in the kingdom, adjacent to our empire. It would be fine if Miss Berkeley were to marry someone from the kingdom, but in the unlikely event that she was to marry someone from the Republic of Morvia, it wouldn't be good for our country," Renato said. "The border between the Galleria Empire and the Republic of Morvia is adjacent to the northwest. If the Berkeley territory were to become connected to Morvia through the marriage of Mariabelle, then Galleria would have to be on the lookout for two areas, one to the northwest and the other to the northeast."

"Besides, if His Highness were to decide on a new fiancée within the empire, the domestic situation, which had just settled down, would become hectic again," Carlo said. "On the other hand, it would be outrageous if Miss Berkeley were to become the second princess of the Republic of Morvia. The head of the family changes frequently there because of their system. Even if she is a princess, she is no different from a daughter of a low-ranking noble in the empire."

"However, even if that weren't the case, she wouldn't want to be a princess who could be killed in her sleep at any moment," Renato added with disgust to Carlo's explanation.

"Of course, a princess from Morvia is out of the question right from the start. Then, there are the princesses of other countries... However, there is no advantage for our country to marry a princess from a small country in the central group of states, and there are no princesses of the right age in the kingdom---" Carlo cut off his words for a moment, and looked around with his hands outstretched exaggeratedly. "At that moment, we heard a rumor... No, we thought it was fate. The beautiful daughter of the Marquisate of Berkeley---who is from a royal bloodline, has completed her education as a queen, and is even called a perfect lady---is looking for a new fiancée. The only one who can match her now would be His Highness!"

The tone was theatrical, but everything Carlo said was true.

Certainly, the benefits of this matchmaking are great for both the empire and the Marquisate of Berkeley.

However, James only wanted to be present in the heart of his wounded daughter.

And just by talking to him for a while, he was able to guess how broad was Renato's capacity. Even if he declines here, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

That was probably the reason for the informal meeting.

"Mariabelle," her father called.

"Yes, Father."

"What do you want?"

"I-I..."

Mariabelle, who thought she was going to be asked to marry Renato, was stunned at James' unexpected words.

She wasn't sure what to think.

A marriage with Renato would be mutually beneficial. And yet, is it okay to tell them how I feel...?

"Don't be afraid to tell me how are you feeling right now," James said.

Her father's kind words warmed Mariabelle's heart.

I see, this is love.

This is love for the family, but it is also the love of a father who wishes for his daughter's happiness.

Mariabelle opened her cherry-red lips to respond to her father's thoughts.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.