Chapter 390: Immaturity
“Wha…!?”
He must have expected nothing but acceptance.
The king let out a startled cry, then fell silent, at a loss for words.
Then, in disbelief, he spoke.
“W-what did you just say?”
“I said that I must decline Your Majesty’s request for cooperation.”
“W-what are you saying! You would reject me, the king, the ruler of this nation!?”
“It seems you were mistaken, but that was my intention from the beginning.”
“I-I properly reward those who possess both rank and ability! Of course, as I said earlier, I hold you in very high regard as well… If you stand with me, you, a capable daughter of the Duke Florence family, will surely live a happy life!”
“I see… a happy life, you say. Then, if I were to say that I wish to be with the man I love, would you accept that?”
“O-of course. In fact, if there is a man you wish to be with, I would gladly assist you.”
Favoritism toward those with rank and ability.
And the belief that he could secure the power of the Duke Florence family through a single man.
From the king’s words and expression, Florence perceived as much, but since she could already foresee what would follow, she continued without concern.
“In that case, I currently wish to become engaged to a certain man. If he were to accept my proposal, may I take it that Your Majesty would also approve of our engagement?”
“Y-yes, of course. What sort of man is he? Someone from a ducal house like yourself? Or perhaps a marquis… no, considering your birth, your abilities, and even your appearance, it could even be someone from the royal family…”
“No. The man I wish to be engaged to is from a count’s family.”
“Wha…!?”
For his own benefit, the king had been prepared to accept whatever Florence said from this point on.
However, just as she expected,
The moment she spoke those words, his expression changed completely.
“A-a count’s family, you say!?”
“Yes.”
“D-don’t be ridiculous! Why would someone as noble and capable as you need to become engaged to a man from a mere count’s house!? Someone like you could very well marry into the royal family!”
“…As I thought, someone who can only judge others by rank has no place remaining on the throne of this country.”
Having confirmed this, Florence saw no reason to continue the conversation.
And having already had her beloved indirectly insulted, and now seeing him rejected again simply for being from a count’s family, her heart grew colder still.
In a chilled tone, she spoke.
“I have nothing further to discuss. Please leave.”
“To make an enemy of the king… does your father approve of such behavior!?”
“My father trusts my judgment. If I determine something to be in the best interest of the Duke Florence family, he allows me to act freely.”
“Th-this is absurd to begin with! That such an important meeting would be conducted with a child like you… I will return another time…”
“When I informed you of that earlier, Your Majesty said, ‘Very well.’ To withdraw your acceptance simply because things did not go your way… would that not itself be immature?”
Felisiana and Elizalina, with whom she had been at odds until now, differed in their approaches, but were united in that they cared for Lux.
And as for Felisiana, through their long involvement, Florence had begun to glimpse the kindness at her core.
However, the king before her was someone who would bring nothing but harm to Lux, so along with her anger at his indirect insults, she spoke without the slightest restraint, her voice cold.
“Grr…! You dare call me, the king, immature!? No matter if you are from the Duke Florence family, I will not tolerate this any further!”
As the king rose from the sofa with a shout,
Florence placed her hand on the hilt of the rapier at her waist and said,
“You will not tolerate it, you say… then there are swords in another room of this estate… shall we test that right now?”