Chapter 2
Chapter: The Return of Selena Rommel
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone was tapping their fingers on the desk, the sound ticking like a clock. Anyone could have spoken up to stop the noise, but everyone kept their mouths shut.
They all kept glancing nervously at the door.
“…Even so, ordering a single unit to capture a city right next to the capital was far too much.”
Once one person spoke, the dam broke.“You’ve seen that team’s success rate. There was no better candidate.”“But they’re unstable! Especially their commander—”“There’s been no word from them. Something must have gone wrong. We should prepare a backup—”
Right then, the door burst open.
“Huff… Huff…! V–Victory news!”
“!”“Maiern has surrendered!”
At the joyous announcement, the officers broke into broad smiles.“Hah! Thank heavens. Looks like we worried for nothing.”“Indeed. They’re feared even among the enemy ranks.”“Remarkable. I never thought Lady Rommel could—”Someone made the mistake of speaking too freely, earning an elbow in the ribs from the person beside him.
A pointed glance toward the Crown Prince was all it took to remind him to hold his tongue.
“Ah—
”“Haha… Your Highness must be pleased.”
Several began speaking with cautious flattery.
“Your fiancée returning with such great achievements—it’s an unparalleled honor, is it not?”
It sounded like praise, but there was a hint of mockery hidden within.
But for Crown Prince Johannes, such things were no matter at all.
“There is nothing more joyful than the end of a long war.”
He smiled faintly.
“Lady Rommel has set a noble example for all nobles to follow. Let her be a model to you all.”
A man who had spoken earlier coughed awkwardly—everyone here knew his only son had evaded conscription during the war.
And now to be told to follow Selena Rommel’s example… what an insult.
Johannes’s unusually sharp retort surprised the room. Normally, he would not rise to such petty bait. Unfortunately, he was already in a foul mood.
This wasn’t part of the plan…
Tap, tap. He drummed his fingers on the desk again.
The Troika War had come to an end.
A war that had dragged on for over thirty years ended just three years after the Adelhite Empire joined.
The Maiern Kingdom, which had started it, fell as the defeated nation, while the Valeri Kingdom and Roche Republic achieved a hard-fought victory.
Only the Adelhite Empire could raise a cheerful toast.
And everyone knew the hero behind that victory.
Selena Rommel.
The so-called “degenerate noblewoman” everyone mocked had returned as a war hero.
Thud, thud.
Johannes strode down the hallway, his displeasure clear in every step.
His aide followed, sighing quietly.
“You really must go now.”
“I know.”
“But, Your Highness, there’s little time left! If you’re late—”
Johannes stopped abruptly.
The aide almost walked straight into his back.
The Crown Prince turned, his eyes cold.
“If I’m late?”
“…Pardon?”
“Are you saying the Crown Prince of this Empire should worry about offending the Rommel household?”
“That’s not what I—”
The aide rushed to explain.
“She is also Your Highness’s fiancée, and having just ended a long war, if you were late it might—”
He trailed off, but Johannes understood the implication.
“You mean I should be careful not to offend Rommel.”
“…Forgive me, Your Highness.”
Johannes clicked his tongue.
“Even as a puppet Crown Prince, now I must mind the temper of a so-called degenerate noblewoman.”
He glanced out the window at the glittering court scenery.
Beautiful, but meaningless.
No matter how splendid, what use was it if it wasn’t truly his?
He smirked bitterly and turned on his heel, heading in the opposite direction from before.
“Where are you going, Your Highness?”
“To the ballroom,” he replied with a bite in his tone.
“It’s a celebration for my one and only fiancée’s return, isn’t it?”
“May the Empire’s history and prosperity endure.”
“May the Empire’s history and prosperity endure.”
Every time someone met Johannes’s eyes, they repeated the stale greeting. He nodded vaguely, scanning the room.
A seat awaited him right next to the Emperor’s throne, with the Empress’s chair beside it.
Johannes forced his expression to remain neutral. He offered the proper bow to Emperor and Empress before taking his place.
“You must be pleased,” the Empress said at once.
“I’m not sure what you mean…”
“Who could have predicted Lady Rommel’s success? When everyone opposed your engagement to her, you were so resolute. Your judgment of character is remarkable.”
Her sarcasm nearly made Johannes swear aloud.
It was she, Empress Rozelia, who had arranged this engagement in the first place—no doubt because she thought the match of a “degenerate noblewoman” and a “puppet Crown Prince” amusing.
“I couldn’t possibly have such insight. I was merely fortunate.”
The truth was, when his fiancée announced she would go to war, he had been baffled. She was an Esper, yes, but with no real military training—how could she make such a reckless decision?
Society’s reaction was no different: everyone assumed the spoiled young lady would last days, weeks, perhaps months at best, before returning in disgust at the squalor of camp life.
But the outcome had been the exact opposite.
The grand celebration tonight was proof enough.
She had led Adelhite to victory, ending a war that had dragged for over thirty years.
“Where is the Lady?” Johannes asked his aide quietly. There was something urgent he needed to do before his plans unraveled further.
“Likely surrounded by ladies somewhere—”
The aide didn’t finish.
Bang!
The door swung open so hard that everyone turned to look.
Ladies fanned themselves rapidly, covering their surprise.
“At last, the guest of honor,” someone murmured.
“She hasn’t changed a bit in three years.”
“How rude—she hasn’t even let the herald announce her name!”
Whispers—half curious, half scolding—swept the ballroom.
Johannes recognized her instantly.
Her silver hair, once pinned high, now tumbled in waves over her shoulders. Her dress was fine and elegant, but the military boots peeking from beneath it made for a strange sight.
She smiled with mischief, scanning the room—her gaze brushing over Johannes briefly.
In one hand, she carried an entire bottle of wine, striding forward without hesitation.
Those who knew her reputation stepped back instinctively.
Johannes rose to meet his fiancée, the crowd parting to let them through.
He waited for her to greet him first, but she simply stared at him.
In the end, he gave in.
“Lady Rommel. I sincerely congratulate you on your return after such long service.”
He gestured for a servant to pour her a glass.
Selena handed the empty bottle to the servant without ceremony and accepted the new glass.
“If you have the time, I’d like to speak with you,” Johannes said.
Dealing with Selena Rommel was like handling a wild animal—unpredictable and potentially dangerous.
So when she nodded calmly, he felt a flicker of relief… that lasted only moments.
“Did I have a fiancé?”
Her words on the terrace hit like a bomb.
Johannes bit back all the retorts that came to mind.
“You did. You still do.”
“Since when?”
“Since ten years ago. When you were fourteen and I was sixteen. I trust you know I’m the Crown Prince?”
“Ah~.”
Selena guessed the rest—this must have been her father’s doing, not hers.
“And?”
“Why the constant informal speech—never mind.”
Even a puppet Crown Prince wasn’t used to being addressed so casually. But he focused on the real issue.
“Thanks to you becoming a war hero, I’m in trouble.”
“That’s a fresh take. Since when did ‘thanks for saving the country’ turn into that?”
“Strange as it sounds, it’s true.”
Johannes bit his lip.
“Your fame has boosted my position.”
“Hmm?”
“And the Empress doesn’t like it.”
“Ah.”
That explained everything. A puppet Crown Prince, a powerful Empress, and her own son—there could be only one heir.
“So?”
“I want just one thing.”
He looked her in the eye.
“Break off our engagement.”
Bang! Bang!
Fireworks exploded beyond the terrace, lighting the night sky in brilliant color.
A wonderfully romantic way to ask for a breakup.
