Fiancé

A big sister-like smile graced her face as she said, “So you’ve already met the Prince of Britannia?”

A mortified expression on my face, I involuntarily recoiled half a step.

‘Could everything he said truly be real…?’

“It’s true, you know~”

Uwaah!

Marry the Prince of Britannia, another boy?

If I had known this, I would have rather remained unconscious!

“Why would Imperial Father do this to me!? Isn’t this just pushing me into a terrible predicament?” I cried out, my hands clenched into fists and pressed against my chest in desperation.

“What kind of talk is that, Your Highness? That prince is the sole heir to the throne of Britannia! In the future, you’ll be queen!”

Stop talking! My face was already burning with embarrassment!

It certainly sounded wonderful! But ‘queen’ or whatever… I just couldn’t handle it!

She, however, clearly had no idea what was troubling me.

With a smile, she only added fuel to the fire. “So you two must get along well~”

How could we possibly get along well?

Were we supposed to bond like… ‘bros’?

I stammered awkwardly, “I can’t get along with him!”

“It’s alright, feelings can be nurtured slowly.”

“Pfft~~~ Who wants to nurture feelings with him?”

How would two boys nurture feelings? Through wrestling?

She merely smiled, likely assuming I was just throwing a tantrum, unable to accept the engagement news all at once!

That’s not it at all!

“Oh, and he’s not frail, you know. Rumor has it he’s quite strong!”

Upon hearing this, I grew even more agitated. “W-what aspect of ‘strong’ are you referring to?”

…

…

Just like that, I slunk out of the Imperial Palace without even getting to see Imperial Father.

The Emperor was my biological father, and there was no way my father didn’t know that I, this ‘Princess,’ was male, right?

To knowingly betroth me to a foreign prince—what kind of suffocating maneuver was this?

Was I truly his biological child?

Lost in thought as I walked, I suddenly paused.

‘Huh?’ I stared blankly at the verdant garden.

How had I unknowingly walked all the way back here?

I couldn’t help but shiver.

How was that supposedly ‘frail’ fellow still standing there!?

Eeek~ He was looking at me!

He didn’t say a word, just glanced at me sideways!

How incredibly awkward!

There was no way I could pretend not to see him and sneak away now!

To break the tension, I approached him, feigning a cough, and asked irritably, “Didn’t I tell you not to wait?”

With an equally haughty tone, he challenged me, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t come back?”

Hey? You!

I earnestly explained, “That’s because this is the only way out!”

I conveniently omitted the fact that I had amnesia and didn’t know the way at all!

“So? Did you ask your Imperial Father?”

That tone, coupled with the slight upturn of his lips! He was clearly provoking me!

“Yes, I asked. So what?” I retorted, unwilling to show weakness.

“Then face reality.”

“Face the fact that you, this shorty, are my fiancé?”

I charged at him!

If he couldn’t handle my sharp tongue, he could just take a boat back home early!

Then this marriage wouldn’t even have to happen.

He stared coldly at me. “So you like muscular tough guys? My apologies, but you don’t have a choice.”

“Pah, pah, pah! You’re the one who likes muscular tough guys!”

‘No matter what, this Princess prefers girls,’ I thought to myself.

And that mysterious confidence of his, as if he was certain I was his fiancée, truly infuriated me!

I pointed at him, just as he had pointed at me earlier. “Who says I don’t have a choice? I refuse to believe you’re the only prince in the entire world!”

To my surprise, he stated righteously, “Indeed, I am the only prince.”

Huh?

“Because your Imperial Father annihilated all the other nations years ago, unifying the six clans.”

“…” I was momentarily speechless.

Was I supposed to praise him for a job well done?