Chapter 1: Breaking Off The Engagement

Beside my fiancee was a beautiful woman, who he was waiting upon.

‘Huh, what about escorting me?' As I thought that, the first prince of this country who was my fiancee, Clark-sama, came in front of me with his arm entwined with the lady's.

“Leticia, this is Lady Brianna.”

The lady came near me, and further clung onto Clark-sama's arm.

“I can't be your partner today.”

Thanks to the people who chattered about this situation between me and Clark-sama, I was calm. His words clearly reached me in the plaza.

“That is, this lady will be your partner then?”

“Sorry…”

“Then that would mean the engagement…”

“…That's right.”

‘That's right.'

I repeated those words many times.

That's right, that's right, that's right, that's right.

So this means that then!

I clenched my hands.

“Finally–!”

“Huh?”

I jumped up and down with both my hands raised, certainly unbefitting of a Duke's daughter. But I don't care about that. I don't have to act like a lady anymore.

I ran to my disappointed brother, who was behind Clark-sama.

“Nii-sama, did you hear it? Did you hear it? Of course you did!”

“Yeah, I heard it.”

“Ah, finally, it happened!”

I crossed my hands in front of my chest, and looked up to the sky. Ah, thank you God. Although I never gave much attention to praying in church up til now, I'll diligently pray from here on out!

“Ten years of hardship. Ever since I became the next king's fiancee at the age of seven, every day was just study, study, study, study, study, dance, dance, dance, dance! And for some reason, I had to frequently go to tea parties! None of them! Were! Fun!”

“L-Leticia…?”

“Everything I did was nitpicked. ‘Don't let out a boisterous laugh.' If I laughed out loud with an open mouth, would I inconvenience anyone? No I wouldn't! It'd be shameful if I ran away, so in the meantime, I put up with the nitpicking!”

“Letty…?”

“I gave up, there was nothing else I could do about it, but now I don't have to deal with it anymore! Ah, this is the best. It's all thanks to you! …What was it again, uhm, Bri…Bri… Burikko*?”

“It's Brianna!”

Her face became red with anger.

“I'm sorry. That's because you're shaking in anger*.”

“Are you making fun of me!?”

“I am, but I'm thanking you! Thank you for taking over my debt!”

“D…Debt…”

“Everyday, you'll be confined to the castle for 10 hours — studying, dancing, putting up with the pestering of those nobles at tea parties. You'll be my substitute in doing my penance! Good luck! I'm rooting for you!”

“Eh…”

Burikko's complexion changed, but I told her ‘It's fine, it's fine'. It's as the visiting bard said the other day, ‘If there's love, you'll be able to overcome anything.' Since I don't have an ounce of affection, it was impossible.

“For forcing a fiance on me, too bad, nii-sama! Please make your connections with the Royal Family somewhere else!”

“Understood.”

“Nii-sama, you'll keep your promise of letting me be free if Clark-sama finds a good woman, right!?”

“Yes.”

My brother's face looked resigned.

“Hehe, with this, I'm free. From now on, I'm not a lady anymore! I'll go back to the countryside and I'll spend my time fishing, climbing trees, playing with the town kids, plowing the fields, and laughing out loud with an open mouth–!”

“Letty.”

“Ah, Clark-sama, thank you for everything up until now. Farewell, since high nobles like yourself rarely visit remote regions, don't mind me. Please feel free to make out as much as you want, to make a lot of babies, and to bring wealth to this country. Really, don't mind me, I'm really happy right now. Although I wanna get back the days that I endured, since it's going to be annulled faster like this, don't worry about it!”

I swung my hand in a wave at the dumbfounded Clark-sama. Ah, I don't have to wave in that tiny way that ladies do. Ah, this is happiness!

I left them behind, as they stood stock still, got on the carriage that came, and went back. Ah, I have to prepare quickly. From here on out is my time to be happy. You did great, Leticia.

I praised myself, and with thoughts of what's to come, I set for home.

*If you read Otoburi, you know what burikko means. If not, it means someone who pretends to be cute, sometimes being too much. And also, her name in katakana is buriana, which is where the buri came from.

*To be exact, the word she used is ブリブリした which means angrily, or in a huff. It also has the first two syllables of her name (buri).

Just something I found on syosetu. It seemed interesting, and chapters are short (shorter and has less of a poetic style than Kuroneko Ouji), so I might post random stories like these in between updates for Kuroneko and Konyaku-sha. Maybe.

This series also got published, I believe, so it must be good lol. It wasn't, but it looks good though. Also, you guys are fast on the uptake on NU wth.