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

“Isn’t this a coincidence? Right, Prince Raphael?”

“Y-yes, indeed, Princess Clarice. Haha… You should be resting for tomorrow’s hunt—are you sure you’re alright?”

“I became deeply interested in the history and traditions of Brentarion you showed me at the museum today. I wanted to come into town and feel the living, breathing Brentarion for myself.”

“I see. If you had told me in advance, I would have gladly escorted you.”

“…….”

“…….”

Isaac and Dell watch as the prince and princess speak to each other with exaggerated enthusiasm, almost like they’re putting on a play.

‘All that practice we did on acting…’

But here Clarice fails to put it to proper use, and Isaac can only sigh. No matter how disgraceful someone’s behavior might have been, as a noble and subject, there are times he needs to smooth things over for the royal family’s sake.

At Isaac’s words, all three of them look at him in surprise. Moments ago, he had been siding with Dell, but ultimately, his role is that of a bodyguard trying to see the marriage through.

“Ah…”

Clarice seems taken aback, realizing Isaac is using even this situation as an opportunity.

“My apologies…”

On the other hand, Raphael steps forward, fist clenched, inch by inch. His eyes speak of a resolve to protect the woman he loves.

“I came here to talk to Dell. More importantly, I’m the one who’s curious—why were you talking to her in the first place?”

“Do you really want to hear me say it out loud?”

“…….”

“I believe no one here is unaware of the reason, but saying it aloud carries a different weight.”

Raphael, while engaged in an official schedule meant to arrange a marriage with Clarice, is in love with another woman. Isaac is pointing this out.

“Are you really planning on spending your time with her?”

As Isaac presses him, Raphael squeezes his eyes shut and grabs Dell by the wrist, bolting away as if fleeing.

“Dell! This way!”

“P-Prince Raphael—!”

Those watching them run might imagine some grand chase scene, but Isaac simply stands there, quietly watching the two dash off into the distance.

Once they’re gone:

“What a romantic,” Clarice sneers, shrugging her shoulders.

“Does Prince Raphael realize just how much of a diplomatic faux pas he’s making right now?”

“He’s not clueless. He’s not incompetent, after all.”

They had assumed from the start that Clarice wouldn’t be able to sway Raphael’s heart so easily at this stage anyway. More pressing to Isaac at the moment is:

“So why exactly did you come all the way out here?”

At his weary question, Clarice flinches, then grumbles,

“I-I just wanted to look around outside for a while.”

“You followed us.”

“I’ve never met that ‘Dell’ woman in person. I wanted to see her for myself.”

Her voice grows stronger, as though convincing even herself. In other words, she’s adding more weight to her explanation as she speaks.

“I was curious how extraordinary she must be, for Raphael to hold back even though I’ve been trying so hard to seduce him with everything I’ve got!”

Clarice laughs as she tousles her hair with her hand.

“What do you think, Isaac?”

“She is a good person. I can see why Prince Raphael has feelings for her.”

“Reeeally?”

That answer doesn’t please Clarice at all; her expression instantly sours.

“But you needn’t worry. Compared to how long you two have actually known each other, Princess Clarice, you’ve already made quite a deep impression on Prince Raphael.”

“…….”

It doesn’t seem like the sort of reassurance she was hoping for; her mood stays unchanged.

“So, Isaac, if you had to pick—between me and Dell, who would you choose?”

“Is my opinion that important?”

“You’re a man, aren’t you?”

“Then let me ask you something instead.”

Isaac speaks calmly in return.

“What do you think of Prince Raphael, Princess Clarice?”

“…He’s an idiot?”

It’s a better response than Isaac expected. Sighing, he reminds her of their goal.

“Princess Clarice, you haven’t forgotten why we’re going through all this trouble, have you?”

“To win over Prince Raphael’s heart and make our political marriage a success, right?”

“That’s part of it. But you also said you wanted to show Princess Adeline and Heyrad what it looks like to live a happy life—remember?”

“Oh.”

She had indeed forgotten.

“You have to try to love Prince Raphael for real. The more sincere your feelings become, the higher our plan’s chances of succeeding. Keep that in mind.”

Pouting her lips, Clarice answers that she understands, then spins on her heel to leave.

She doesn’t say another word the entire way back.

About thirty minutes after returning to the palace…

“Red Flames!”

Sharen, who had been abandoned at the bakery, charges straight at Isaac, launching a flurry of attacks the moment she sees him.

* * *

The Next Day

Clarice sat in a chair placed in a nearby field. Today’s schedule, prepared by the Kingdom of Brentarion, involved horseback riding and hunting.

As Isaac had advised, she didn’t need to think too deeply about any of it—just offer a polite round of applause for Raphael’s performance. Putting effort into hunting herself would only steal the spotlight that was meant to be his.

‘Tsk, they’re not even trying to hide it.’

Even from her seat, it was hard to pretend not to notice how the knights serving as escorts and the professional hunters were deliberately driving the game toward Raphael. Whenever he fired an arrow, he struck his target with unerring accuracy.

“Prince Raphael, you’re amazing!”

“That was incredible!”

“Truly a master of the bow!”

Praises poured in from all around. Clarice also clapped and smiled, though her mind was somewhere else.

‘I’m supposed to fall for him…right?’

Isaac had told her she needed to truly love Raphael. But though she knew he was a good person, for some reason she felt even more resistance to him than she had before.

‘It’s not like he’s bad-looking.’

Even without the royal title, Raphael was certainly handsome—a fine example of the distinctly chiseled looks common in Brentarion.

‘Well, he’s no Isaac, though.’

Was she setting her standards too high? Next to Isaac, even Raphael paled somewhat in comparison. Perhaps that was why he seemed wary yesterday, seeing Dell talking with Isaac.

‘Raphael’s personality isn’t so bad either.’

He was earnest in following his emotions, but that might complement her own nature. They could balance each other out, which was a genuine plus.

‘…Of course, still not on the same level as Isaac.’

With Isaac, she was comfortable enough to share even the silliest thoughts. They’d developed a sort of camaraderie after being embroiled in all sorts of incidents involving Helmut and the Transcendent.

“…….”

Clarice sneaked a glance to the side, where Isaac stood with an unreadable expression. In this kingdom, he’d taken Heyrad’s place as her escort knight.

Smack!

“Ugh?!”

Suddenly, Isaac gasped in shock as Clarice jabbed him in the side.

“Wh-why would you do that?”

“I think it’s your fault.”

“Pardon?”

“You’ve made my standards too high.”

She didn’t get the chance to say more; at that moment, Raphael rode up and addressed her.

“Princess Clarice, would you care to join me in the hunt?”

Still on horseback, he offered his hand. With quick intuition, Isaac moved between them, lowered himself on one knee, and formed a step for her to mount more easily.

Just like that, she found herself riding with Raphael.

His voice low, Raphael spoke as he took the reins.

“I apologize for yesterday. For fussing over Dell right in front of you, Princess Clarice.”

“Oh… it’s fine. I understand.”

“I wanted to offer you my apology, which is why I asked you to ride with me.”

She remembered Isaac’s advice: show genuine praise and don’t hide the hint of attraction if she felt it. So Clarice spoke the first words that came to mind.

“You’re quite the romantic. Honestly, as a woman, I admire that.”

“Y-you do?”

“Yes.”

Her hair whipped around in the wind, forcing her to briefly turn her head. She noticed the retinue of escorts following close behind. Leading them was Isaac, whose gaze she met for just a moment.

“It’s wonderful to see someone move forward for the sake of love alone—it’s really impressive.”

She faced forward again, hoping her words would blow away in the wind.

“Yes, I truly find it admirable.”

“I…never expected you to see it in such a positive light.”

Until now, Raphael had never doubted the sincerity of his conversations with Clarice. But something about the unmistakable honesty in her tone left him flustered.

Believing the mood was right, Raphael tightened his hold on the reins and spoke carefully.

“Princess Clarice, truth be told, Dell made me a suggestion yesterday—”

“Prince Raphael!”

A sudden shout from the escort knights behind them interrupted him. Caught off guard by Clarice’s genuine words, Raphael had let his attention drift from their path.

The horse abruptly raised its front legs with a loud neigh.

They should have steered clear of a rock ahead, but the reins didn’t move in time. Startled, the horse reared back and came to a halt.

“Ah!”

Both Clarice and Raphael were thrown backward. For a moment, her world spun, and she braced herself for a hard crash onto the ground.

But instead, she landed in familiar warmth—Isaac, who had leapt off his own horse, caught her mid-fall, faint traces of his eerie aura flickering around him.

****

Fortunately, Clarice wasn’t hurt. She was trembling too much to walk, though, so she ended up riding piggyback on Isaac’s back.

“Allow me to carry you—I caused this mishap,”

Raphael offered, meaning to atone for his mistake. Isaac thought it might be a good chance to improve the mood and started to hand Clarice over, but—

“Not today…”

Clarice, still on Isaac’s back, whispered quietly.

“Not today. I can’t manage it right now.”

“…….”

Isaac glanced over his shoulder at her, then dipped his head respectfully toward Raphael, stating that he would carry her the rest of the way himself.

– – The End of The Chapter – –

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