The Son-In-Law Of A Prestigious Family Wants A Divorce

A quiet park in the middle of a tranquil town. Two people sit side by side on an old bench.

At a glance, they might look like an ordinary couple out on a date, but in truth, they are a prince and a princess, each wielding tremendous influence over their respective kingdoms.

Clarice finishes eating the chicken skewer she’s been holding. It’s already gone cold and doesn’t taste very good, and she feels slightly embarrassed because Prince Raphael is watching her eat.

“……Quite unexpected.”

Seeing her like this, Prince Raphael feels a bit conflicted.

Of course, he had already received a certain amount of information about Clarice.

When he heard she herself had proposed such a marriage, he thought she was no ordinary woman.

‘Looking at her now, she doesn’t seem all that different from other women…’

Feeling ashamed of his preconceived notions, Prince Raphael clears his throat in a roundabout way.

But he was, after all, sneaking out of the palace at this very moment.

He didn’t have time to spare, and more than anything, he wanted to hurry and go to the bakery to see her.

“Could I hear more about what you mentioned earlier? That, well, you’re also not fully satisfied with this marriage—”

“Ah, yes.”

Clarice, who had just hurriedly popped the last bit of skewer into her mouth, begins explaining calmly.

“I understand how you feel, Prince Raphael. You must not like being told to marry a woman you’ve never met before.”

“…….”

“I feel the same. I’ve heard people say I’m rather unemotional, but even so, I’d like to marry someone who shares my feelings.”

“In that case—”

“But Prince Raphael, we are royalty. We bear a responsibility to our subjects.”

“…….”

Prince Raphael has no rebuttal to that. As she says, if it’s for the sake of the kingdom, marriage is the right choice.

Seeing the complicated look on his face, Clarice offers a small smile.

“I think I pushed too hard.”

“……Not at all.”

“You should go. Your beloved must be waiting for you.”

“Ah.”

Clarice ends the conversation by turning her gaze to the flower bed in the park.

Thanks to her consideration, Prince Raphael hesitates for a moment before bowing his head and leaving.

Once Prince Raphael completely disappears from sight—

“You’ve worked hard.”

Isaac, who had been hiding outside the park, quietly steps in.

He takes the finished skewer from Clarice’s hand and smiles in satisfaction.

“Well done.”

“Are you sure? I just tried to be kind and say what I was thinking.”

“That’s enough. Even just sharing the feeling that neither of you truly wants this marriage will make Prince Raphael much more comfortable around you than he was before.”

“Well, if you say so, I’ll believe it. So, what’s the next plan?”

“Coincidental meetings won’t work anymore. We already used our most powerful opening move. If we ‘coincidentally’ meet again, he’ll grow suspicious.”

“Hmm.”

“Luckily, there are still plenty of natural excuses for you two to meet, so there’s no need to worry too much—”

“Hey, Isaac.”

“Yes?”

Still seated on the bench, Clarice looks up at him with a strangely thoughtful expression.

“Could you possibly seduce me?”

“…I beg your pardon?”

“Well, I don’t know much about love. Watching you plan everything out in such detail made me wonder if I could learn something from it.”

“I’m only doing this because it’s my duty. I’ve never approached my own romances this meticulously.”

“Really?”

“Truly.”

In those days, Isaac had been a man who simply loved life’s pleasures.

He believed love between a man and a woman followed the flow of fate, so he only waited by the riverside, hoping his red-haired lover and he would be joined.

“In any case, there’s quite a bit we need you to practice.”

“Practice? Really?”

“Of course. From what I see, Prince Raphael is quite a man of emotions.”

The situation, the dialogue, the mood— If even one of these aspects strikes him deeply, it wouldn’t be strange for him to mistake it for love.

“Let’s go.”

Isaac offers his hand, and Clarice rises from the bench, taking it with a smile.

*****

Naturally, there weren’t many suitable places to practice.

With so many eyes and ears in the royal palace, getting caught rehearsing for such a scheme would ruin everything.

In that sense, the only possible place was the princess’ private room, which wasn’t exposed to outsiders.

“There’s a garden stroll scheduled for tomorrow, right?”

“Well, only if Prince Raphael shows up.”

“He’ll come.”

That was the whole point of meeting him ‘by chance’ today—so he’d see her as someone he could talk to. Now that he knows she’s someone who understands him, he isn’t likely to stand her up again.

“The most important thing is conversation. Have you thought of any topics you’d like to discuss?”

“Like the state of our kingdoms? The meaning behind our political marriage and how beneficial it could be?”

“He’ll run off the moment you start.”

“…….”

Isaac nods, as if he expected that answer.

“As you might guess, lighter, more ordinary topics are better. Don’t you often chat casually when you visit my estate?”

Honestly, Isaac isn’t too worried.

Clarice can be quite talkative.

She often comes by his estate and chatters away about all sorts of things.

“That’s because it was you.”

But Clarice furrows her brow.

“I’m not sure if that kind of casual talk is possible with Prince Raphael.”

“Hmm.”

It might be hard for Clarice to speak as freely with him as she does with someone she’s completely comfortable around.

“In that case, let me craft the situation for you.”

Conversing in a free-flowing atmosphere does require some degree of skill.

If that’s difficult, you can simply narrow the conversation by setting the mood and circumstances.

“I’ll accompany you as a royal guard. I’ll play the role of someone pressuring you to marry at all costs.”

“Huh?”

“From now on, I’ll be the one giving you that nagging gaze, Princess. Naturally, you’ll have to move closer to Prince Raphael and talk to him to avoid my pressure.”

“Ah!”

The ‘push-them-closer’ plan.

Under Isaac’s scrutiny, Clarice will have no choice but to lean on Prince Raphael—close enough to spark more conversation, or even subtle physical contact.

It doesn’t sound like a bad idea.

He can also justify it by saying he’s a subordinate of Princess Adeline, so it won’t seem out of place.

“Let’s practice. It needs to look completely natural.”

“Yes! I’m ready!”

****

The next day, in the garden of the Kingdom of Brentarion.

Prince Raphael and Princess Clarice were out for a stroll together.

They admired the surrounding flowers with their eyes and noses, but Prince Raphael was, of course, not pleased.

‘I’m sorry, Dell.’

He silently apologized to the bakery girl he held in his heart.

At that moment, Prince Raphael felt a chilly sensation, a prickling on his back that made him shiver.

“……?!”

Startled, he turned around. Standing at the garden entrance was a man with a sword at his waist.

He had his long black hair tied in a ponytail, and his appearance was striking enough to surprise even Prince Raphael.

Yet the aura he exuded was so menacing, it made one’s heart shrink in fear.

‘W-What kind of person is that…?’

Aura?

No, it felt like something else was stirring around him, a tangible menace that inspired dread.

Just then, Princess Clarice gently took Prince Raphael’s hand in a soothing gesture.

“He’s my guard. Isaac Logan. He’s from my sister’s side.”

“Isaac Logan… Logan? Could he be Baron Logan, the one rumored to have committed the Bolten Massacre?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right. I see the story’s spread all the way here.”

“It was a shocking incident, so that’s hardly surprising.”

Prince Raphael could understand why the man had such an unsettling presence.

How many people must he have killed to radiate an aura so intimidating?

He seemed like a veteran warrior who had crossed the line between life and death countless times.

“He’s determined to see this marriage through—since he’s on my sister’s side.”

“Ah…”

Seeing his expression, Princess Clarice did not let go of Prince Raphael’s hand. Instead, she broke into a light jog.

“Shall we run away? From Baron Logan?”

With a mischievous smile, she tugged Prince Raphael along.

Burdened by Baron Logan’s piercing gaze, Prince Raphael had no reason to refuse.

They strolled through the fragrant flower beds together.

Princess Clarice, a beauty wearing a soft smile.

Bound by a political marriage neither of them wanted, they shared an unspoken bond of sympathy.

“Hehe.”

After they had run a fair distance, Princess Clarice let out a gentle laugh and was the first to release his hand.

If she keeps holding hands, it’ll look like she was doing it on purpose.

‘Let go first.’

‘Good thing we practiced, Isaac.’

She had worried that Prince Raphael might pull away first, but it seemed he was too spellbound by the flowers and by Clarice herself.

Prince Raphael flinched, then awkwardly withdrew his hand.

“How forceful is Baron Logan, exactly—”

“That’s how he is.”

Use me as your talking point. The prince will empathize.

Have confidence. You are more than charming enough, Princess.

Just as Isaac had instructed, everything was progressing step by step.

Princess Clarice allowed herself a sly smile on the inside.

‘This is so much easier.’

When she practiced with Isaac yesterday, her words got jumbled and her palms got sweaty for some reason.

But dealing with Prince Raphael in person turned out to be far simpler.

‘I guess I’m just better in real situations!’

****

Once the garden outing with Prince Raphael and Princess Clarice ended, Isaac set out alone for the city.

“What’s going on?!”

Sharen, who had been bored lately, hopped over excitedly and stood next to him.

“I have somewhere to go, and I thought you’d enjoy it.”

Besides, having Sharen around would make it all look more natural.

“Where to? Where?”

“A bakery.”

“Braaad!”

Naturally, there was one more key player in this plan—

The woman who held Prince Raphael’s heart:

Dell, the baker’s daughter.

– – The End of The Chapter – –

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