Chapter 46 – It’s not OK

The king of this country is named Rahardt-Edelheid, and is Celes-san’ father.

Actually, I had met him four years ago, and I remember how father called him “you” and Layla called him “uncle,” which made me nervous as I watched.
The people around him, who seemed to be his subordinates, turned wide eyes, while the king himself, who seemed to be a tolerant person, didn’t seem to be particularly concerned.

That King Rahardt was now giving a speech in front of a large crowd of people gathered in the square in front of the royal palace.

It seemed that the King’s speech was held periodically, but all of us students of the Royal Academy were forced to participate in it.

Apparently, it was decided in a hurry, and the teachers told all the students just before the event.
It seemed that there was going to be a big announcement in this speech, and probably there would be a “just in case” situation.

I wasn’t told what the content of the speech, but I was told,

“No matter what the content was, you should listen to it until the end in a manner befitting a student of the Royal Academy.”

We had no choice but to obey, even though we were a little skeptical.

“When I asked seniors, it seems like this is their first time. We’re allowed to carry equipment, so what kind of announcement it’ll be?” (Lanta)
“Even if you ask me…” (Ark)

Lanta said to me with a nervous look, since I was not being familiar with this country, so I had no idea at all.
However, since we had been strictly ordered to cooperate with the Knight Orders in case of unlikely event, I guess they’re expecting us academy students as forces to be reckoned with.

Does this mean that if we’re not careful, it could turn into a riot?

I looked around and saw that everyone’s faces were as tense as Lanta’s. But despite their nervousness, the speech that started seemed to be quite normal.

However, despite the tension, the speech that started seemed to be quite normal.
The audience was listening quietly.

“What does it mean?”
“Nothing is going to happen?”

The students of the Royal Academy were tilting their heads.

“Last but not least…. Actually, there is a good news to announce to you all!”

A good news?
We tilted our heads further.

It looked like we wouldn’t be in as much danger as we thought we would be.
Most of the students loosened up and relieved.

Then at the King’s next words, the venue instantly fell silent.

“My daughter, Celestia, is now engaged!”

Eeh!?

At first, I couldn’t understand what it was.

Celes-san… Aren’t you, still fifteen years old…?

After all, I had always felt that marriage would not come into the picture until after someone was eighteen at the earliest.
Of course, this was influenced by my previous life.
In Japan, it was normal to get married later than eighteen.

But I wasn’t the only one who was surprised.
The venue was filled with noise.

“Lie, that’s a lie… Her Highness is…?”
“Seriously…”
“But if she’s happy, it’s OK.”
“It’s not OK at all!”

But what surprised us even more was the person who engaged to her was showing up.

“To the crown prince of our friendly country, Hambarada Empire, Afdol-dono!”
“””What?”””

He was an old man no matter how you looked at.
His age was about forty at the very least.
He was petite but generously fat, and his hair had receded considerably.

Eeh……?
Celes-san, are you going to marry that thing…?

“I’m Afdol, thanks for the introduction! The first time I met Princess Celestia was when she was still a child, but I remember that even then she was so beautiful that I could hardly believe she was a child! And now, she has become a beauty that no one on the continent can match! It is a great honor for me to have her as my wife!” (Afdol)

The crown prince, whose name was Afdol, spoke proudly about Celes-san.
On the other hand, Celes-san, who appeared on the stage after Afdol, stood behind him with a sorrowful expression.

The word “political marriage” came to my mind.

In all likelihood, it was.
Due to some circumstances between the countries, Celes-san was forced to marry that crown prince even though she didn’t like him.

But even if I was convinced of that, there was nothing I could do about it.
In Japan, this would be a clear violation of human rights, but this is a different world.
So I suppose political marriages are not that uncommon.

Still, judging from the upset and indignant looks of the people around me, it seemed that not many people were convinced by this disproportional engagement.
I believe it’s also because Celes-san is popular and loved.

But with all the knights were glaring around with menacing eyes, no one could raise their voice.
If you show even the slightest sign of opposition, you may be hauled immediately, there was such an atmosphere.

“Wait a damn minuteeeeeeeee!” (Layla)

Suddenly, a loud voice roared out.
Everyone’s eyes turned to the source of the voice.

……That is, Layla!?

“I knew it, that something was wrong there!” (Layla)

It was Layla who raised her voice.
The knights were a little confused by the fact that the culprit was a student of the academy, but they moved quickly.

But Layla didn’t even care about that, she then pointed her fingertips at the crown prince on the stage.

“Cause, being forced to marry such an unsightly disgusting bald old man…. it’s worse than death!” (Layla)

She was dissing so much.

……It was a statement that could to turn bald old men from all over the world into enemies.