Verdi, Arai, and Elliana talked for a while until it was the royal family's turn to extend their congratulations and present their gift.
King Lanovel stepped forward, holding the hand of the third princess, Lilith.
Arai suddenly felt uncomfortable, as though something unpleasant was about to happen.
"I first want to congratulate you on your glorious birthday."
"As we always say in our kingdom:"
"Let the sun of Rolan illuminate the land!"
'Let the sun of Rolan illuminate the land?" Why does that sound like some sort of religious mantra? Oh no... Aren't we supposed to be the ones saying such lines to the royal family?'
'Tsk tsk, as expected of a kingdom that revolves around a single family for survival.' Arai finished his thoughts and bowed politely, like a well-behaved child.
"It was meant to be announced later, but..." Lanovel suddenly grabbed Arai's hand and placed it over Princess Lilith's.
He clasped their hands together and smiled.
"A happy engagement to you both."
"Engagement...?" Arai looked at his hand and then at the princess.
His mind froze, his thoughts scattered for a moment.
"Engaged to the princess? This is natural."
"Yes, it's the Roland family, after all. Ah, but it's unfortunate; my daughter lost her chance to be his wife."
"Tsk, who would even consider your daughter?"
"Hah? Are you looking for a fight?"
The guests murmured among themselves. For some reason, they didn't seem too surprised by the sudden announcement of the engagement. They only showed a bit of regret before extending their congratulations to the future couple.
Standing near Verdi, Arai's previously calm face turned dark, as though he'd just received the worst news imaginable.
'Engaged? The princess as my fiancée?' Looking at the shy and delicate girl next to him, Arai almost wanted to jump out of the castle to escape.
The princess, on the other hand, seemed completely submissive and accepting of the situation.
To Arai, having a fiancée wasn't the issue, he was a noble, after all. He had expected this for a long time. But the problem was that she was a princess!
This realization alone led him to conclude several things:
His dream of running away to start his adventure was now impossible. For some reason, the royal family wanted to bind him to them. Verdi knew about this and didn't seem to mind. His responsibilities had just significantly increased. And again, he could no longer run away to begin his adventure!
Arai glared at Verdi with deep resentment, his eyes nearly burning holes into him.
Years ago, when Verdi escaped from the castle, he had been engaged to Countess Elliana. Because of his disappearance, the engagement had been indefinitely postponed. Eventually, Verdi's father canceled the engagement, compensating the Masayk Duchy with some lands and other reparations since Verdi's fate—life or death—was unknown.
But now!
Arai couldn't do the same. This involved the royal family's reputation! The consequences of his escape would be something even his family would pay a heavy price to rectify.
'Ah, why me?'Arai cursed his wretched luck.
Why him, of all people?
Ignoring Arai's misery, Verdi raised his glass high and laughed: "A toast to my son's birthday! And to his engagement!"
Duke Gustav also raised his glass and declared, "Let the sun of Rolan illuminate the land!"
"Let the sun of Rolan illuminate the land!"
King Lanovel didn't remain silent either, echoing, "Let the sun of Rolan illuminate the land!"
"Let the sun of Rolan illuminate the land!"
"Let the sun of Rolan illuminate the land!"
The guests repeated the chant loudly, followed by the clinking of glasses.
'Glory? Future general? Sun? I wonder what they would think if they knew I was planning to run away...' Arai left the area, unwilling to dwell on the subject. He quickly brushed the matter aside.
Looking at the drinks on the table, he felt a pang of sadness.
'No coffee!' Arai almost cried when he discovered this for the first time.
Coffee? Such a drink didn't exist in the Kingdom of Loculfer!
"Hmm? What is our little star thinking about?"
"What do you think? Did you like the wonderful gift? Hahaha."
At some point, Mizuki approached Arai, holding the hand of a small girl.
The small girl was none other than Princess Lilith!
"Don't call me by such an embarrassing title!" Arai frowned and turned to look at Mizuki. However, upon seeing the princess, his calm expression turned to anger.
"Oh? Could it be you're shy about having a fiancée? My goodness! To think you could feel such emotions!" Seeing Arai's dark expression, Mizuki seized the chance to mock him.
Arai, who always buried his nose in books and rarely showed any reaction over the past five years, was a perfect target for Mizuki's teasing. She wanted to shatter her brother's cold facade!
Ignoring Mizuki's taunts, Arai forced a wry smile.
He placed his hand on his chest and said, "Arai Roland greets the Third Princess. How may I assist Your Highness?"
If he could, Arai wouldn't interact with her at all. Harsh as it might seem, it was for both their sakes.
Arai still had no intention of being tied down within the kingdom for his reasons. Moreover, sooner or later, he would have to venture out to search for the fabled "Nine Lives Cat." Therefore, he needed to establish a clear boundary.
And most importantly, he simply wasn't interested in a seven-year-old girl. He was a respectable man! Unlike some reincarnators who would spend their lives chasing after elf girls with silver hair or crazy noblewomen with red hair.
At most, he'd treat Lilith as a younger sister, if he even interacted with her at all.
"I-I came to...greet you."
'Why is she so shy?' Arai wondered, suppressing his urge to ask.
'Wait! If she were to die, wouldn't this all be resolved?' Arai glanced at the princess with a dark look but ultimately dismissed the thought. It would be too risky!
Unable to contain herself, Mizuki pinched Lilith's cheeks.
"Kyaa! Lilith, you're so cute!"
"P-Please don't pinch my cheeks!" Lilith tried to resist, but it was futile.
Lilith was a year younger than Mizuki, yet she was completely helpless before her! The sight was somewhat amusing.
"Oh, how did it go? Did those nobles bully you?"
"Don't even mention it!" Mizuki fumed every time she recalled her conversations with the ladies.
"Huh? What happened?" Arai asked, confused.
"They wanted me to get married!" Mizuki snapped. "Hmph! Can you believe it? They wanted to marry me off to a bunch of spoiled nobles!"
'Isn't the girl next to you also a spoiled noble?' Arai said, "Does it matter? Just hit them. If anyone dares to chase after you, just hit them."
Arai wanted to say, "Kill them," but refrained since they were still kids.
He had been of that mindset!
Are you annoying? Die.
Of course, Arai had never personally killed anyone. But in his previous life, he always had subordinates who were more than willing to get their hands dirty. He for sure, was a spoiled young master.
"Hit them? You're right!" Mizuki nodded with a smile. "I should just do that!"
"Woosh!"
The blue bracelet on Mizuki's arm transformed into a beautifully adorned double-edged sword.
"Ooh?" Both Arai and Lilith's eyes lit up.
"This is a gift from Big Sister Elliana!" Mizuki's voice was full of pride. "This bracelet is a magical artifact of the upper 4 rank."
"Big Sister El...Elliana? Do you mean Countess Masayk?" Lilith asked softly.
"That's right."
"Mm, such a tool suits you." Arai nodded in approval.' 2 Artifacts? Such a good family...'
A small part of him had considered giving Mizuki his "Embrace of Luya" so she could protect herself since she couldn't use mana, but his selfishness ultimately prevailed, and he didn't - anyway, who dared to do anything to her?