Fiancée No More: The Forsaken Lady, the Prince, and Their Make-Believe Love Volume 3 E-Book

Mari Morikawa

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Heart
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: Fiancée No More: The Forsaken Lady, the Prince, and Their Make-Believe Love
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 230

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Following the hunting contest, Duke Marwick bides his time before making his next move. His previous scheme was intended to prop up Prince Liedis’s position, but it only resulted in reinforcing that of his opponent. This time, the power-hungry duke will have to resort to bolder strategies—ones that will shake the Palace of Albion to its core. An ancient device lying deep under the palace will be key in thwarting his plans...

Meanwhile, Estelle and Arcrayne are developing a mutual misunderstanding, even as their feelings for each other continue to grow. Where will the new predicament take their relationship?

Leseprobe

Prologue

Clad in an evening dress, Estelle was riding in a coach with Arcrayne to the embassy of the neighboring Franciel. A soiree was to be held there this evening to mark the occasion of the ambassador’s departure from office, and Estelle was attending as Arcrayne’s partner.

“Are you nervous, Estelle?” asked the prince.

“I am. This is my first diplomatic event since becoming your fiancée,” replied Estelle.

Since the soiree would be held in the Francien embassy, it was only natural to expect Francien to be used frequently at the venue. An extensive vocabulary was necessary for diplomatic and business events.

At present, Estelle could speak Francien just fluently enough for everyday conversation. She was still making efforts to correct her pronunciation and expand her vocabulary, so she couldn’t help flinching at the thought of what was to come.

“Per the wishes of the ambassador’s wife, the dancing will be the main event of this soiree. You need only accompany me for the opening quadrille,” said Arcrayne.

“I understand.” Estelle nodded, then was overcome with emotion.

In most balls, the quadrille was danced by four of the highest-status couples in attendance. Today, this would inevitably include the ambassador and his wife, as well as Estelle and Arcrayne.

Before she’d met the prince, Estelle had never imagined she would dance the opening quadrille at a high society soiree.

“I would like to dance with you after the quadrille too. Would that be all right?” asked Estelle.

She had practiced dancing with Arcrayne many times up to this point and wanted to use the opportunity to dance in public.

“By all means. We can dance together as much as you like,” replied the prince.

“I doubt I could keep up for that long,” said Estelle with an awkward smile.

Her injury from the hunting contest still affected her. It no longer hindered her in her daily life, but the stamina she’d lost while recuperating had yet to fully return. She would likely need to take regular breaks during the upcoming soiree.

In his usual overprotective manner, Arcrayne treasured Estelle as though keeping her in a cocoon, which was why he’d suggested she sit out the event. However, since there was going to be a ball, if Estelle didn’t attend, Arcrayne would’ve had to take another woman as his partner for the night. He’d intended to make a choice that absolutely wouldn’t lead to any misunderstandings, but Estelle still wasn’t satisfied with that, so she’d decided to go.

“I’ll do my best to stay by your side, so all you need to do is stand next to me and smile,” Arcrayne said kindly. “If someone starts talking about complicated matters or makes an annoyance of themselves, I’ll handle it.”

“Please do,” replied Estelle with a smile.

He would surely do his absolute best to protect Estelle as promised. This slightly pricked Estelle’s conscience, and she lowered her eyes to her lap, where her gloved hand rested.

While the wound on her hand from the pistol’s explosion had almost fully healed, it still cramped from time to time. But what bothered her more was how light her ring finger felt. The engagement ring Estelle had received from Arcrayne and worn on that finger all the time was still being remade. Feeling uneasy at its absence, she placed the fingers of her right hand over her left.

Chapter 1: At the Embassy

When Estelle stepped into the ballroom of the embassy with Arcrayne, she was subjected to stares from every direction.

When she’d brought down the dragon, she’d earned the valiant nickname of Princess Dragon Exterminator—this was probably the reason for the looks she now got. Estelle shook at the sight of the various emotions in the mana all around her, like curiosity and malice.

Estelle felt Arcrayne place his large hand over her hand where it rested on his arm. When she looked up at the prince beside her, he gazed back down at her encouragingly with his deep blue eyes. On top of that, his bright, voluminous mana enveloped her.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

Estelle was happy for how he showed with his whole body that he intended to protect her. No matter what emotions other people directed at her, she need not be intimidated as long as the prince was by her side.

Regardless of the terrible gossip, she had unconditional allies with her. It wasn’t only Arcrayne protecting her today, but also members of the Royal Guard from the Libra Palace, as well as May.

They can say whatever they please, Estelle told herself and straightened her back. She then looked around the ballroom, endeavoring to carry herself with the confidence befitting the fiancée of this country’s first prince.

That was when she saw the host of the soiree coming their way with his wife. It was Count Giscard, the Francien ambassador.

In many countries located in the western part of the Heredian continent, including Rosalia, it was considered a breach of etiquette to start a conversation with someone of higher status than you. This was why Arcrayne was the one to start a conversation with them.

He addressed the ambassador in fluent Francien, with clear pronunciation. “I am pleased to meet you on this fine night, Lord Giscard.”

“Allow me to extend my greetings, Your Highness, the young sun of Rosalia,” intoned the ambassador. “I am Gérard Giscard, and this is my wife, Marie.”

“Marie Giscard, at your service. It is a pleasure to meet you on this fine night, Your Highness.”

The ambassador and his wife replied in Rosalian. As he was a diplomat, it was no surprise that the count’s Rosalian was on the level of a native speaker.

Estelle had heard that his wife wasn’t very good at it, and indeed, hers was somewhat awkward.

The two bowed, then looked at Estelle, at which point Arcrayne introduced her, speaking Francien.

“This is my fiancée, Estelle. I believe this is your first time seeing each other?”

“Pleased to meet you. My name is Estelle Flozeth.”

Arcrayne was probably speaking Francien out of consideration for the ambassador’s wife, so Estelle had followed his example.

At that point, the two’s mana slightly clouded over. Was it because of Estelle’s reputation? However, as they were a diplomat and his wife, they showed no outward sign of discomfort and directed friendly smiles at her instead.

“It is an honor to meet you, Lady Estelle.”

“It truly is. I only wish we’d gotten to meet you sooner, as we shall be returning to Franciel next week.”

Everybody wore a mask in high society. It wasn’t the slightest bit unusual for people to hide their true feelings behind a smile. So Estelle put a mask on too. Standing by Arcrayne’s side, she presented them with a sociable smile and bowed gracefully.

Estelle was here today to fulfill the role of Arcrayne’s dance partner. And if any difficult topics came up, she would take a step back to avoid spoiling the mood and become merely a beautiful flower. A smile was a weapon wielded for that purpose.

***

The opening quadrille was a square dance, which involved four pairs of dancers. Eight people made a square and swapped their partners while dancing in tune with the calm music.

“Would you like to accompany me for the next dance?” asked Arcrayne once the quadrille was over.

Estelle nodded. “If that would be all right with you, then by all means.”

According to the program handed out beforehand, the next dance was to be a waltz.

The ambassador and his wife seemed intent on continuing to dance too. With Arcrayne leading her by the hand, Estelle came close to them.

When they were locked in a hold, Estelle’s heart pounded from the close proximity. Arcrayne gazed at her from up close with his handsome face.

Long ago, it had been frowned upon for men and women to come too close during a dance. Estelle felt like she understood why. Merely imagining Arcrayne dancing with another woman made jealousy well up in her.

But despite being his fiancée, she couldn’t monopolize him. Since he was the first prince, there would surely be plenty of situations in high society where he wouldn’t be able to refuse a dance. Estelle couldn’t tell him not to dance with others, no matter how much she wished to do so. Her pride wouldn’t allow it.

All she could do was attend events as his partner as frequently as possible and reduce the number of opportunities for other women to dance with him.

A popular piece of dance music began. Estelle adjusted to Arcrayne’s pace as she danced.

Ever since she’d moved to the Libra Palace, she’d practiced dancing with skilled male employees of the palace, like the guards and Haoran, but it was exceptionally easy to dance with the prince.

This was Estelle’s first time dancing in public like this since the ball at Marquess Rogell’s mansion, which had led to her engagement. But her mental state was completely different now.

Back then, she’d been too awed and nervous to enjoy it from the bottom of her heart. But now...

With his sweet gaze directed at her, it felt like she was in a dream.

Frankly, Estelle couldn’t tell if Arcrayne was acting or being genuine, but there was no doubt that they were special to each other as members of the opposite sex, especially after they’d slept together so many times.

As she entrusted herself to Arcrayne’s lead, Estelle felt as though they were the only people in the world, dancing as one.

Ever since she’d gotten a fever due to her injury, Arcrayne hadn’t laid a finger on her, despite sleeping in the same shared bedroom. It was probably out of consideration for her health, but as a result, Estelle hadn’t been this close to him in a really long time. She loved the heat where their bodies touched.

Their eyes met. Estelle wasn’t the only one who felt differently from before—Arcrayne’s attitude had changed too.

When they’d first danced at the ball at Marquess Rogell’s mansion, he must’ve found it bothersome. His mana had been dark. Now, it was radiating silver light, which further enhanced his dazzling looks.

The music is about to end... Estelle reluctantly realized, growing sad. She’d wanted to dance some more.

As the orchestra played the final note, Arcrayne pulled away from Estelle.

She bowed, suppressing the pain she felt on the inside.

“Do you want to go on?” asked the prince, for the orchestra was about to start up again.

Estelle shook her head. “I wish I could, but I am out of breath.”

She was bitter about having significantly less stamina than she used to.

“Let’s take a moment to rest,” said Arcrayne with a gentle smile, and he held out his hand to her once again.

***

The prince took Estelle to the retiring room. Since their attendants came with them, they naturally ended up moving as a large group.

Arcrayne led her to an open couch, then sat next to her.

There were a decent number of people in the room. Estelle felt them looking at her with all kinds of emotions.

She really was bad with high society. It was depressing to see such a mix of emotions when she didn’t even want to.

Also, there were canapés and drinks in the room, but outside of banquets, Arcrayne didn’t eat anything lest it be poisoned. Estelle felt conflicted seeing him like that.

When Estelle took a long breath, Arcrayne looked intently at her.

“Are you feeling well?” he asked.

“I think I shall be able to dance again after a brief rest.” She smiled, happy for the prince’s consideration.

But then...

“It’s her—the one who slew that dragon...”

“For all her heroic reputation, she certainly looks meek.”

Estelle overheard a quiet conversation.

“They say that in the north, even women learn to shoot.”

“That’s certainly unimaginable in these parts.”

“How brave of her. Why, she’s like a man.”

“I heard she got a wound on her left hand...”

“Doesn’t she also have a scar on her arm? And she’s so young too...”

Estelle casually looked in the direction of the voices. There, she found two women who seemed to be in their forties, chatting joyfully with their mana dark. They spoke just loudly enough that Estelle could hear them. While they didn’t use malicious words, it was clear from the looks on their faces and the tone of their voices that they were looking down on her.

Married noblewomen excelled at choosing their words. They never said anything outright contemptuous.

They probably didn’t openly speak ill of Estelle because Arcrayne was by her side. His position might have been threatened by the second prince’s faction, but he was still the first prince of this country. A direct attack on Estelle—his fiancée—incurred the risk of a counterattack.

Seeing Arcrayne’s mana begin to darken, Estelle looked over and saw that the prince had a blank look on his face.

“I am all right, so please do not make such a face,” she said, smiling at him.

“They’re from the second prince’s faction. One of them was at the hunting contest. You saved her, and look at the way she talks now,” Arcrayne spat.

Estelle shook her head. “Their goal is to wear us out mentally. The best thing we can do is pretend we do not hear it,” she said quietly, making sure to maintain her smile.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve, you know that?”

“How rude.”

“Sorry, I meant that as a compliment. You’ve become strong.”

Estelle giggled, then resolved herself and laid her head on Arcrayne’s shoulder.

“Estelle...?”

“Rather than react to such gossip, would you humor me for a moment?”

“Humor you? How so?”

“Let us pretend we are so immersed in each other that we do not even hear them. I do believe indifference is the most effective strategy against people of that sort.”

“You may be right.”

Arcrayne relaxed his expression, and Estelle felt the comforting weight of his arm around her shoulder. Entrusting herself to the prince, she could smell his familiar scent.

Estelle felt his lips brush her forehead. It was a little embarrassing to be so demonstratively intimate in public.

Asking the prince to put on an act as a way of dealing with the gossip had been little more than an excuse.

I just want him to be sweet with me and to look at me with tender eyes, thought Estelle, resenting her own wretchedness.

“I don’t mind. I have allies.” She might have told herself those things, but it wasn’t as though their malice didn’t hurt her.

Still, it felt like leaning into the prince’s embrace healed her frayed heart.

***

After briefly resting on the couch, Estelle and Arcrayne returned to the ballroom together and made the rounds, greeting people.

Among those invited to this ball were not only diplomats, but also nobles, capitalists, and people of culture with whom the ambassador and his wife were friends.

It annoyed Estelle to have people direct negative emotions at her and stare at her left hand no matter where she went. But she told herself that worrying about it would only upset her.

Arcrayne pretty much only went to speak to people whose influence would benefit Estelle when she became crown princess in the future. She felt that she was being protected even here.

Over half of the guests at the soiree were Rosalians. Estelle was relieved that there wasn’t as much complex Francien being thrown around as she’d prepared herself for.

She would say a few words after Arcrayne, and should a complicated topic appear, she would take a step back. After repeating that over and over, putting on yet another smile for each new encounter, it felt like her face was about to cramp.

Meanwhile, as perhaps should’ve been expected, the prince looked completely natural with his calm smile and his gentle demeanor. It was amazing; he always seemed to know exactly what to say no matter what topic the other party brought up, and he never made a single slipup.

Politics, the economy, things going on in society, who was involved in what business enterprise—Arcrayne’s head was tightly packed with highly diverse information.

Also, Estelle had heard that he spoke five languages fluently, and that his vocabulary was even more extensive in the realm of everyday conversation. She couldn’t fathom how his head was organized.

“Estelle, are you tired?” asked the prince.

“I am all right,” Estelle replied with a smile.

She could do her best at socializing in high society despite not being all that good at it because he showed consideration for her like this every now and then. And most importantly, because she loved him.

Estelle gazed furtively at Arcrayne’s profile as he spoke to some capitalist about things she didn’t quite understand.

She was happy to be allowed by his side. And when he was nice to her, it made her want to do anything he might want. But that wasn’t a pure emotion that sought nothing in return.

Look at me more. And return my feelings in full, Estelle thought. She hated how greedy she became when thinking about Arcrayne. Sighing internally, she casually averted her eyes from the prince.

Which was when she sensed with her power that a strongly negative emotion was approaching from behind.

Estelle and Arcrayne had a prior agreement on what to do in such situations. She nonchalantly touched the ring on the middle finger of her left hand and directed mana into it. This ring was connected to the prince’s cuff link.

Arcrayne twitched, then instantly shoved himself in the direction Estelle had casually indicated with her eyes.

Immediately afterward, the sound of breaking glass resonated through the room.

“Your Highness?”

A commotion began. Red drops spilled from Arcrayne’s frock coat. The scent of wine drifted from nearby. The floor was covered in the broken shards of a wine glass and splattered with a deep crimson liquid.

Estelle had been told that Arcrayne always had a barrier around himself thanks to his power, but apparently it didn’t extend to his clothes.

A maid stood nearby with a tray in hand, trembling and looking terribly pale.

“Are you all right, Your Highness?!” exclaimed May, who’d come running faster than anyone, with a small towel in hand.

May had come here as both a bodyguard and Estelle’s personal attendant. She pressed the towel against Arcrayne’s sleeve to try and mitigate the stain.

“Your Highness!” exclaimed the ambassador, Count Giscard, who’d rushed into the retiring room with his wife moments later. “Please accept my apologies! I cannot believe how careless the servants of this embassy can be...” He spoke in fluent Rosalian.

“It is not her fault. I saw somebody push her back,” said Estelle on an impulse, fearing the maid would get the blame.

“Did you see who it was?” asked Arcrayne.

Estelle nodded. The malice she’d sensed with her power had come not from this maid but from a noblewoman who’d been behind her—one who’d seemed to be a guest here.

“It was a woman in a moss green dress, with brown hair,” said Estelle.

“Would you recognize her if you saw her again?” the prince asked.

“I cannot say with confidence that I would... I only caught a glimpse of her back.”

The ballroom was full of people, and plenty of women had brown hair.

Arcrayne looked dejected, but then the ambassador’s wife spoke to him. She used Francien and spoke rather quickly, so Estelle could only make out roughly half of it, but she seemed to be offering to do something about his clothes for the time being.

“Forgive us, but we shall take our leave now,” Arcrayne replied courteously in Francien.

“But Your Highness, does the sensation of your cuff not bother you? It may be warmer now, but nights are still cold...”

Lady Giscard slowed down her speech—perhaps she’d regained some presence of mind. Now Estelle could just barely make out everything she said.

“No need to worry,” Arcrayne replied. “Some of the wine splashed on Estelle’s dress too, and we would rather not be seen in an unseemly state any further...”

Due to diplomatic immunity, Rosalian law didn’t apply within the embassy. Arcrayne must’ve started talking about leaving because he was being cautious.

“It pains me to leave in this way, but I suspect that someone may have been targeting Estelle. So forgive me, but please understand,” he went on in Francien.

“But how can we let you go in such a state...?” Lady Giscard wasn’t backing down so easily.

“Lord Arc, why not borrow a change of clothes from them?” Estelle said quietly to the prince.

She thought that if they left like this, it might cause a rift in Arcrayne’s relationship with the Francien embassy.

Sighing, the prince turned his head back to Lady Giscard.

“Very well, I shall take you up on your kind offer and borrow a coat.”

When the prince gave in, the wife looked relieved. Estelle glanced at Count Giscard, who stood next to her, and saw him with a similar expression.

***

They went to another room, where Arcrayne started changing into the clothes of an embassy employee with a similar build. In the meantime, May was doing whatever she could about the wine stain on Estelle’s dress.

It wasn’t just the prince’s coat that was stained, but also the sleeve of his shirt. Glancing a little to the side, Estelle could see his muscular body as he changed. She’d seen it so many times, but it still made her heart pound, so she looked away.

“I’m glad it was just wine,” said Arcrayne as he buttoned up his borrowed shirt.

“Indeed. Good thing it was not acid or poison,” replied Estelle. Now that the prince had put on a shirt, she could turn her eyes back to him.

He was just in the middle of putting on the coat he’d borrowed. It was a simple frock coat of noticeably lower quality than the one he’d worn to the ball, but anything looked good on him. That was just how finely chiseled his face was.

Arcrayne looked at Estelle all of a sudden. Somehow she was embarrassed to look him in the eye, so she casually lowered her eyes and spoke up to May, who was busy wrestling with the stain on Estelle’s dress.

“Will it come out?” asked Estelle.

“If we deal with it right after we come back to the palace, I believe it can at least be made rather difficult to notice,” replied May.

“If it remains, we can hide it with a decoration.”

“Yes. Perhaps by sewing tulle lace over it.”

May’s suggestion put a smile on Estelle’s face.

“You really treasure it, I see,” said Arcrayne.

“This dress was a gift from you, after all.”

Estelle’s reply brightened the prince’s mana.

“I hope what happened today does not lead to any strange rumors...” she added.

“Even if someone does say something to you, there’s no need to worry about it. You haven’t done anything wrong,” replied Arcrayne.

At that point, a knock came at the door. Neil, who was next to Estelle and Arcrayne, exchanged glances with the latter. Seeing the prince nod, he went to open the door.

Huh...? Estelle’s eyes widened when she saw the visitor across from Neil.

***

Standing outside the door was a noblewoman in a moss green dress with brown hair. Since she looked the same as the woman who’d pushed the maid, her appearance at the door put everyone in the room on guard.

Estelle, on the other hand, was surprised. Because the woman’s face looked familiar to her.

“Lady Cecilia...?”

Arcrayne’s eyes widened at Estelle’s words. And he wasn’t the only one—Neil and May too had surprised looks on their faces.

“Lady Wyntia...” uttered the prince.

Her name was Cecilia Wyntia. She was the wife of Earl Cedric Wyntia, and the mother of Lyle, Estelle’s old fiancé. As the wife of a feudal lord, she appeared at New Year’s dinner parties held at the palace every year, so naturally, Arcrayne and his close aides knew her.

Having recovered from his stupefaction, the prince glared at Cecilia, warily.

“I wasn’t aware you were invited to this soiree, Lady Cecilia. I remember now that you were on good terms with Lady Giscard,” he said.

She’s friends with the ambassador’s wife? The news took Estelle by surprise. She’d known Cecilia for as long as she could remember, and this was her first time hearing about it.

Arcrayne had a comprehensive list of people’s faces, names, and relationships in his head, so it must’ve been just as he said.

“Marie Giscard is a distant relative of mine. She helped me with this.”

“With what...?” asked Estelle.

Cecilia began her explanation, an apologetic look on her face. “I wanted to be alone with you no matter what, Lady Estelle, so I asked for Marie’s cooperation and pushed the maid’s back. I wanted to only slightly stain the bottom of your dress, take you to another room, and work on that stain myself... I never imagined it would cause such a large disturbance. I am so sorry, Your Highness and Lady Estelle.” With that, she bowed deeply.

“Why would you do such a thing...?” asked Estelle in a blank amazement.

“This was my only way of getting a chance to talk to you. Though it is only natural, given what we have done to you...”

Estelle had an idea of what she was talking about. Ever since Estelle had told Arcrayne she wouldn’t see Lyle, several requests for a meeting with Estelle had come to the Libra Palace from House Wyntia. She’d had to write a polite rejection every time.

She was concerned about Lyle, but now that she was Arcrayne’s fiancée, she couldn’t act rashly. If she carelessly visited her former betrothed just because he had become a drug addict and kept saying her name, it could cause a scandal if it were to become public.

“Please, Lady Estelle, go see Lyle! I am well aware it is beyond my position to make such a request of you. But as his mother...”

As Cecilia pleaded desperately, Arcrayne moved between her and Estelle, protecting the latter.

“Lyle has been calling your name all this time, Lady Estelle. We were such fools. How could we have canceled your engagement...?”

Seeing Cecilia earnestly plead with a sorrowful look on her face actually served to calm Estelle.

“Lord Wyntia chose House Pautrier, not House Flozeth, yes? And as a result, you broke off my engagement with Sir Lyle without giving me a say in the matter. Supposing you had wanted to keep the engagement—does it matter?” Estelle didn’t look away from Cecilia’s pleading eyes and replied calmly. “I am aware of Sir Lyle’s current state, and I can understand how you feel, Lady Wyntia. But I cannot visit him. I am the fiancée of His Highness Prince Arcrayne, who stands here before you, and so I would rather not do anything that could cause trouble for him. I ask for your understanding in the matter.”

She wouldn’t call her “Cecilia” anymore; to Estelle, she was no longer the mother of her childhood friend.

“Seeing Lyle...would cause trouble...?” uttered Cecilia in a daze.

Arcrayne cut into the conversation. “I’m painfully aware of how you feel, Lady Wyntia, but I must ask that you let go of the matter now. I sympathize with Sir Lyle’s situation too. That’s why I sent him to a sanatorium on Parama which specializes in treating drug addicts.”

Cecilia was clearly shaken up by his words.

“Please, don’t ask Estelle and the rest of us for anything more,” the prince went on. “The things people said about her in high society when her engagement with Sir Lyle was broken off... Are you not aware of the fact that Baron Pautrier spread rumors about her to justify what he did?”

Huh...? This time, it wasn’t only Cecilia who had a look of surprise on her face, but Estelle too.