𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟔: (𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬)
I was born as the third prince of the country of Kokodia,
But my appearance was of the same hue as my mother’s family, who was the queen consort.
Blonde hair, green eyes, and a face as well-groomed as a doll.
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Since my elder brother and elder sister resembled our father, who is the king, I was the only one with a different color.
Perhaps because of that, my mother dotes on me the most.
Being the third prince, the royal education was not very strict,
I was able to live freely despite being a member of the royal family, with few restrictions.
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Two years ago, my elder brother, the first prince, was designated as the crown prince,
And it was decided that the second prince, born to a concubine, would remain in the royal family.
Even though I’m the son of the queen, I, the third prince, cannot remain in the royal family.
There are no Duke families available for me to marry into,
I thought I would only become a Duke in name.
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Well, I thought that was fine since I could live playing around.
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One day, my elder sister, who had been having tea with my mother and Idia-sama,
Burst into my room in an excited state.
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“Heines, you must become the king of Eugenis.”
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“Huh? What are you saying all of a sudden?”
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“You remember that Idia-sama was married to Eugenis, right?
The crown prince’s child in Eugenis is an only daughter, and she’s the princess that Idia-sama gave birth to.
Moreover, the crown prince is convalescing, and the king is elderly.
If you marry that princess, Heines, you can become the king!”
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“Idia-sama’s daughter? If I marry that princess, I can become the king?”
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“Yes! Let’s propose the engagement quickly.
I’ll go talk to Onii-sama!”
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Having said that, my elder sister left the room.
She said she was going to my elder brother. . .to propose the engagement?
I thought I had no choice but to become a Duke in name, but me, a king?
That’s right. If my elder brother, born from the same queen, can become the king of Kokodia,
It wouldn’t be strange for me to become the king of Eugenis.
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I was delighted by the thought, but the engagement proposal was refused.
My elder sister, who couldn’t accept that, handed me a ring and said this.
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“Since it has come to this, go meet the princess directly and propose the engagement.
I think it’ll be fine with Heines’ beauty,
But the princess of the other country is also Idia-sama’s daughter.
There’s a possibility she might not choose you just for your beauty.
Take this ring with you.”
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What my elder sister handed me was a ring of charm.
When you put the ring on, the first person you talk to becomes the target.
You can only choose the target once. In other words, it’s a precious item that can only be used on one person.
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. . .I’m not keen on going to a school in another country,
But it might not be bad to know about the school of the country where I will become king.
Thus, as my elder sister told me, I ended up going to school in Eugenis.
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She’s not here. Five days since I started attending the academy.
Every day I look, but I can’t find Princess Sofia.
She should stand out with her silver hair and blue eyes, but I haven’t met a young lady like that.
Because our grades are different and class times are staggered, it seemed useless to search during break time.
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Helplessly, I decided to continue wandering around the cafeteria looking for her after lunch break was over.
Lunch break for the first grade will be over soon.
Just as I was about to give up for today, I saw a group of silver-haired individuals coming out of a private room.
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Four out of five have silver hair. A silver-haired young lady, walking as if surrounded by three silver-haired men.
That must be Princess Sofia.
Smaller than I thought, and hard to see when surrounded by three big men.
The other young lady has brown hair, so she must be a school friend or a maid.
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I took out the ring I had prepared, and approached the group.
I put the ring on when I got close enough for them to notice me.
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“Could you be Princess Sofia?”
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Princess Sofia, who turned around at my voice, looked just like Idia-sama.
Quiet, rarely smiling, but beautiful, Idia-sama, who was even called a doll-like young lady.
Her face, where expressions were hardly visible, looked just like Lady Idia.
Even her manufactured smile was identical.
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But, she’s too young. Short, and slender.
Should I say delicate or thin? Flat-chested. I can’t sense any charm.
Even though she’s a beautiful princess, there’s absolutely no sex appeal.
She’s still in the first grade, I wonder if she’ll grow.
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Perhaps because lunch break was about to end, we didn’t talk much.
But, I managed to target her with the ring, so there’s no need to rush.
If we meet a few times, she’ll probably come to see me eventually.
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“Heines-sama, shall we return to the classroom?”
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“Nah, I’m too bothered today. Let’s go home.”
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“How about it, did you like the princess?”
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Since he’s a chamberlain who has been with me since childhood, he doesn’t hold back.
He knows I’m making a displeased face and is asking about it.
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“. . .She’s certainly beautiful, being my aunt’s daughter, but she’s very young.
I prefer them with a chest and a good figure. . .There’s none at all.”
“Pfft. There’s nothing you can do about her chest.
Well, please endure.”
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“Endure, huh. . .”
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She was a beautiful princess, and it wasn’t bad.
But when she’s that young, it’s hard to make a move, or rather, I don’t feel like it. . .
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My older sister told me that if I lay a hand on the princess, they would have no choice but to get engaged.
The power of the ring alone is weak, so it seems that the effect will eventually wear off.
So, I must create a fait accompli while I’m at the academy.
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It was a miscalculation that I couldn’t stay at the palace.
I have to somehow get the princess to come to the villa.
