Engagement Annulment - Edmond's Side
"What? What do you mean by that?"
Am I losing my mind? I can't help but be shocked by something so unbelievable.
"I understand why Ed is surprised. But when you think about it, it makes sense. Anna's appearance didn't seem like it belonged to that family. And her personality is too different. That's what I liked about her, but it's a shame."
"I can't believe they'd switch out a fairy child. Are you sure they aren't planning to use a relative's child to disinherit Anna?"
The Senette family wouldn't hesitate to discard their own child.
"I thought about that too. But when I looked into it, it turned out to be true. And if they were planning to disinherit her, wouldn't they have done it before her debut at thirteen?"
"That's... Well, how is Anna doing now? Isn't she feeling uncomfortable in that house..."
My father looks at me with a disdainful expression as I fret.
"Do you think they'd leave a complete stranger, once they knew she was a commoner, in their house? The Senette family thinks differently from us. Even if they've lived together for fourteen years, if there's no blood relation, they'd easily turn their backs."
"T-That's... I-I should go and fetch her!"
"No, you can't. That girl is no longer the daughter of the Senette Marquis. She's just a commoner now."
My father's words are not wrong. But Anna is my fiancée. What's wrong with going to help her?
"By abandoning her now, aren't we no different from the Senette family? Anna is my fiancée."
"In any case, it's annulled. I arranged the engagement between the daughter of a noble and my son, Edmond, not with a commoner. It's fine if it's not the Senette Marquis family, but I can't approve of marrying a non-noble girl. Do you understand?"
Since I was raised as a noble myself, I understand my father's words. But just because I understand doesn't mean I can abandon Anna.
"But Anna is innocent. If she's abandoned by the Senette family, she might die, or worse, be deceived and sold to some strange person."
"No need to worry about that. Reports say she's living with her real family."
"Real family? Father, this isn't something that just happened overnight, is it? When exactly did this happen? And why didn't you tell me?"
"There was no need to tell you. Engagements between noble children are decided by their parents. I didn't tell you until you settled down because I knew you'd make a fuss."
My father's calm voice carries an air of authority. It's something I don't possess yet. The dignity of a head of the family.
Sometimes, it's necessary to handle things coldly. I knew that. But I only understood it, I didn't fully comprehend it.
Can't I even save my only woman?
"So is Anna alright then?"
"Hmm. She seems to be managing somehow. Normally, it takes time to adjust when going from a noble to a commoner, but she seems to be doing quite well. It must be because of her original lineage."
I wonder about that. Even though she originally came from commoners, she was raised as a noble from birth. I can't imagine her suddenly getting used to being a commoner.
Anna changed about a year ago. She always had a gentle atmosphere that didn't seem like that of a noble's daughter, but a year ago, she started mastering cooking that no noble's daughter would do, and she gave up on Senette family-specific magic in favor of domestic magic.
It's as if she knew this would happen. Both domestic magic and body-enhancing magic, as well as cooking, are useful for living as a commoner. Maybe Anna knew she was from commoner stock.
Her attitude towards me changed a year ago too. Perhaps she stopped being nervous because she knew we would be never be married.
If that's the case, it's ironic.
I liked her from the moment we met, but now I've truly fallen for Anna.
Her cooking was amazing. And she no longer was afraid of me.
I thought that when she graduated from the academy, we'd probably get married.
But Anna seems to have had a different idea.
I want to see her badly.
And I want to eat Anna's homemade cooking. What makes her cooking so delicious? Of course, the chef at the Lucas estate is better at cooking. But Anna's cooking is different because it was made for me. I felt her love in her cooking. A love that the chef's cooking doesn't have. That's why it tasted especially delicious.
"Looks like she'll be attending the academy too, but you mustn't talk to her. Her presence causes enough chatter, and stirring up trouble would only hurt her more. Understand?"
My father probably wanted to say this when he brought up Anna's situation. All I could do was nod silently.
T.N: Ed is a true tsundere cutie. I'd really waited for this chapter. We finally know how he feels TTATT
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