Princess Sherry’s Tale - Chapter 12-1

Tol’s father’s first wife died long ago, and his second wife was much older than him, so his mother was two years younger than his oldest brother. Even if the mother were to be recognized as the right of succession through private circumstances, Tol would be far behind in ranks. Therefore, there was no hesitation in him giving up.

I will permanently give up all my future inheritance and right to succession. Thank you for all you’ve done. Please take good care of Mother, Father…

Of course, if his mother became a countess he could receive a part of his inheritance. However, to the sixteen-year-old Tol, all he wanted to do was disappear out of sight from his five brothers and everyone else.

Just like that, he had left his family mansion and officially began his training as a knight. And, luckily, he was now in his sixth year as a knight, due to the marquis having taken notice of his remarkable skills.

At that time, it was the expectations from the public for his successor that made the marquis famous rather than the position of the prestigious family of the founding fathers and the second-to-none wealth in the empire. Despite being only 14 years old, he had a clear brain, quick and bold judgment, and the noble blood of a saint, but he was not arrogant; he was a fine young man.

On top of that, it was already open to the public that a daughter, who resembled the marchioness who had died shortly after her birth, was expected to succeed her as the finest flower in the empire.

“There she is… It’s your first time to see a princess, huh?”

“Uh…”

Tol clearly remembered the days when he was a knight trainee who used to glance at his future. How could he forget it?

From the very first encounter, he had kept the girl in his eyes for as long as possible, even when he didn’t notice when his colleagues poked him on his side. It was obvious that he had fallen in love at first sight, but he was unconsciously reluctant to admit it. This was because he thought that he would not be a very suitable groom even for a common woman, let alone dare to covet a noblewoman in his current situation. Tol, at that time, was a young boy with no confidence.

From then he thought he would see her at least once a year, but it was enough to think about only the moments and get excited alone. But he swore to God he could never be overly greedy for her. It was because Sherri, given her status, had already had someone she planned to marry for a long time.

“You said she’s coming with Prince Edwin this time.”

“So when are those two getting married?”

Prince Edwin, who was the same age as him, was the heir to the famous Lindekire family. The only son of the emperor’s most beloved younger sister. Sherri, who had inherited the middle name of a woman saint in the past, was also treated the same as an empress, so except for the royal family it was a combination of the two most noble children.

Was she 16, or was she 17? Tol had never once seen the two together.

He’d heard that the prince had a cold and stern personality with no mercy, but he looked gentle when he was next to the princess. So, Tol thought that she would marry him once she reached the proper age.

His love, which Sherri had not even properly acknowledged, was trampled on and bleeding, but Tol tried to ignore the screams of his heart even then.

Apart from the one-sided love of a poor, broken boy who couldn’t even start his own love story, everyone in the empire believed in the happy ending between the prince and princess. That is until the girl suddenly broke their engagement the year she turned 18.

“Did you hear? About the Lindekire family and the Miharshelles?”

“Did they really break up? I wondered if they did…”

The destruction of the most anticipated couple in the empire was enough to shock not only him but also the entire empire. The reason for the broken engagement of the prince, who had been scheduled to be acknowledged as the duke’s son, was that he, an only child, couldn’t become the Marquis Miharshell’s son-in-law.

The marquis was so determined not to remarry after sending his wife first that Sherri was in a situation where she had to take over the title herself as daughter-in-law. In the end, the broken engagement proceeded quickly, and everyone felt sorry but took it as something inevitable.

And for a while, it had been said that she was not feeling well and went to a quiet place in the Duchy of her mother’s family. As she had been with her fiance for a long time, she must have gone there to soothe her heartbreak caused by the breakup. But in less than six months she returned to her family’s mansion and regained her lively former self, they said.