My Fiancée Hates Me
Chapter 34: Scavenger Hunt

"The scavenger hunt was created by me after all," His Majesty said. Is he really going to reveal his identity to a stranger he just met? I remained quiet as I let him continue speaking. "The scavenger hunt for the Blue Tear Jewel was my idea."

How do I respond to this?

"...I see."

"1

"You do not think I may be lying?"

"You do not seem to be the type to lie to me, kind Sir," I said as I drank my second cup of tea. "Even if I asked for a hint, I doubt that you would hand it over to me so easily."

"You are quite interesting. How about I give you a hint if you are able to accurately guess my occupation?"

I already know where the jewel is and His Majesty being a King...

"You are a Noble..."

"Why do you say that?"

"Your clothes are of high quality from how the thickness of the fabric that they do not belong to a simple merchant..."

"I would not say that you are wrong... Now, what do I do as a Noble?"

"Order people around?"

"... The way you phrase it makes me sound like a tyrant. I am actually the King."

He revealed it...

"You are King as much as I am a Duke's Daughter..."

His Majesty chuckled softly.

He really does not look his age. Some might suspect that he is in his early twenties with his looks and demeanor. If only he would make gentle looks like this more often, maybe he would not be misunderstood so often.

"Your Majes...Sir Arun!" Father called out.

I quickly tried to hide under my hat.

"Oh, Triton..."

Triton is my father? His name is Triston Fire Maddox...my father being called Triton must be a nickname then. They seem very close. Even His Majesty seems relaxed in front of my father.

"Your Majes... Sir Arun, please call me by my name."

My father fumbled twice.

"We have known each other for a long time."

"That is no reason to... May I ask who this individual is?" Father asked.

I quickly bowed my head towards my father. I felt his hard stare bore a hole through me.

"A conversation companion," His Majesty replied.

"... You cannot keep leaving the premises like this."

"I created the scavenger hunt in order to have some leisure time. With everyone out and about, most seats are free."

Devious King...

"You and your whims..."

My father sighed.

"I will follow you if you let me borrow some money," His Majesty said. He placed down some money onto the table. "Thank you for accommodating me."

When they left, my father looked back once.

I am really sorry...

I went home for a bit and left before dawn broke. I wore a short brown wig and had my climbing equipment on me before I left in a hurry.

Just in case anyone would see me, I wore a half face mask.

I secured a climbing route with the grappling hook and rope and began climbing the statue. After climbing to the top of the base, I reached my hand out towards the little bird statue and rubbed one of its eyes.

A natural sparkle came from the beautiful jewel. I tied my waist to the statue and began picking at it with the tools I had available. The jewel into my hand and was placed into a pouch I made earlier. I undid the rope and slid down the base of the statue.

The climb was rather exhausting, so I went back home to rest.

In the morning, I wiped myself with a washcloth and dressed myself in a long light pink and dress with a white ruffled neckline, circular flounce sleeves, and an A-line skirt with ruffles in the back. I added a white lace choker and half parted my hair back with a large white ribbon.

Stella had called me down for breakfast with my family. Seeing my father eat in the morning was a rare sight. He usually set off for the castle early in the morning.

"Good morning, Father and Mother," I said as I delivered a light curtsy.

I joined my father and my mother at a very quiet table.

"...Arielle," Father called.

"Yes, Father?" I answered him.

"...Do you have hobbies like that?" he asked with a worried expression.

He did notice...

"What do you mean by that, Father?" I asked him while playing innocent.

"Never mind..."

It is better that we both forget about it.

"I have business to attend to later today," I told my father. "I will be back before dinner."

"Be careful then," Father said.

"Yes, Father."

I had Stella my maid accompanies me to the castle in a horse drawn carriage. She handed a guard my letter. We were both brought in immediately and sent to a comfortable waiting room with tea and snacks. Within a few minutes, we were greeted by His Majesty. His usual clothes were of a higher upgrade than when he snuck out of the castle.

I quickly did a curtsy and greeted him. His Majesty remained silent.

When I took a peek at him, he seemed to look very surprised. I wondered if I did anything to offend him. His expression soon changed to a gentler tone.

"Welcome, Lady Arielle. It is a beautiful day outside. Would you care to join me in the garden?" His Majesty asked.

"I would be honored to join you, Your Majesty."

We sat underneath a large tree in the center of the garden.

"It has been a while since I have seen you..."

"Yes...I have not come to visit you to for some time due to my studies."

"...You have become much like your mother."

Mother?

"Do you know of my mother?" I asked His Majesty.

His Majesty's gaze followed a blue butterfly that flew across the table.

"Your father and mother are good friends of mine," His Majesty said with a melancholic expression.

"I see..."

It feels like a topic I should not delve into too much.

"I hear that you have something?"

I took out the pouch in my pocket and revealed the light blue tear drop jewel.

"I found the jewel in the eye of a bird at the Statue of Gisela."

"Gisela was a Saint who blessed the land with bountiful fresh water through praying for three days straight. Whenever she prayed, a flock of beautiful doves would always gather in front of the church...It served a rather good purpose as a good hiding spot."

"...Is it alright to desecrate such a monument?" I asked worriedly.

"I only carved out one of the bird's eyes. It was not like I harmed the saint herself."

I think that still counts...

"Your Majesty used several hints from the past few years in order to point it towards one location. In reality, Your Majesty never intended it to be found until there were enough hints gathered. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to replace."

"I wanted just a few days to be free from obligation of a King...When I was young, it was expected that the oldest sibling would become King."

"Your Majesty was the oldest then?"

He shook his head.

"No, I was third in line to the throne. Not many people thought that I would ascend to this position, so I was left to my own free reigns without much attention by my parents nor my attendees. I was allowed to go wherever I wanted, eat whatever I desired, play to my heart's content, associate with whoever I wanted to, and fall in love with whoever I wanted. My peace eventually ended when my eldest brother died from a chronic illness and my second eldest brother let his greed lead to his own downfall."

"I see..."

"I do not think I was particularly very close to them because our mothers were all different people, but I remember our conversations always being pleasant when were together."

"Was it difficult becoming King?" I asked His Majesty.

"I had to give up a lot of things such as my freedom, my time, and my love for my duty. The previous King forced an engagement on me with a young lady of a powerful family. At the time, I was already in love with a girl my age. I was unable to love her because I needed the use of that other young lady's help since I grew up without making connections with anyone. I never knew how important such a thing was until I suddenly became first in line for the throne... It was due to my incompetence that I had to rely on my own wife to get people to gain power and watch the one I loved the most walk into the arms of another man."

"Did you not love your wife, Your Majesty?"

"I eventually grew to care about her...Our simple feelings for each other evolved and our son was born because of that."

Just like in the case with His Majesty's marriage, he eventually fell in love with his marriage partner. I also fell for Prince Erik until much later in our engagement.

I want to support Prince Erik like the late Queen and His Majesty. However, I want to save Prince Erik even if it means I have to save him from me.

"What would you like to wish for?" His Majesty asked.

I felt as though my throat narrowed as I tried to release the words from my mouth.

I looked deeply into the eyes of His Majesty.

"I wish to end my engagement with Prince Erik. It is fine to reduce me back to a marriage candidate in order to appease those around us. I just wish to not be engaged any further to Prince Erik," I said as I went on my knees.

"Off your knees, Child..."

His Majesty helped me up back into my seat.

"I apologize if this seems rude. I just wish not to be engaged to Prince Erik. He is a wonderful individual indeed, but I would like to decide my own husband for myself."

"I suppose that asking you if you would change your mind later on would be an insult...It is rather unfortunate to let you go. If you do not mind me asking, say that you were to fall in love with my son, would you give him another chance?"

"I think considering his personal feelings is the most important matter..."

His Majesty handed me back the blue jewel.

"I hope that you will accept it," he said.

His Majesty is a strange King.

"I am very grateful, Your Majesty," I said with a smile.

This time, my heart felt relieved. I no longer felt the need to run away or hide anymore from Erik. Now, I can protect him from the sidelines.

The old Erik told me to abandon him. There is just no way that I could possibly do that. Just like how he gave everything to save me, I will do the same.

I was led out by an escort. Behind us, Prince Erik had come out of a corridor with a group of officials. He was discussing various budget issues while turning towards the direction of His Majesty.

I turned towards him once, bowed my head, and did a curtsy in his direction.

He probably did not see me, but that is fine...We are officially strangers now.

When I returned home, my tears naturally fell from my face. I was sad how my engagement ended so easily by my own hands.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐