In the end, I found this false confession as the only way to get out of such a delicate situation.

In order to force Philip to give up on me once and for all, I had to provide him with a «worthy rival».

However, I could not ask any student of the academy to pretend to be my boyfriend. That's because there simply wasn't a person ready to stand up to him on equal terms.

Philip, being the crown prince, could get rid of his male competitors for once or twice. No one will dare to openly oppose the heir to the throne, and it will not be difficult for him to scare off any guy who will hang around me.

So, I rejected this losing option in advance. After all, in the end, when Philip and Razor defeat the third opponent, there will be two of them again, and I will definitely not be able to avoid a deadly love triangle.

I had to come to terms with the fact that no guy in the academy could beat these two.

So, as strange as it may sound, I came up with an incredible backup plan.

The only noble family that could openly compete with the imperial family was… Cassius. Despite the fact that they were feared by the entire empire, the Cassians had great power among the aristocrats.

Their financial and military contribution to the empire seemed simply invaluable. For centuries, mercenaries were raised in the Duchy of Cassius, one warrior of which could cost hundreds of people from the imperial army. Without them, the kingdom of Azeroth would have become an ordinary weak country that was easily captured by foreign invaders.

The Cassius family was a powerful support of the imperial family, and that is why the current ruler tried so hard to avoid conflicts with them.

And it so happened that I studied with the only heiress of this family, Rachel Cassius.

Even if he wants to, Prince Philip will not be able to openly start a war against them, without his father's permission. After all, this family could be compared to a minefield that cannot be stepped on.

Based on this, Rachel remained the most «profitable» option that could be found.

Aside from her powerful background, she was also the only person the princes' threats wouldn't work on. Knowing her character, Philip and Razor will only get themselves into trouble if they contact her.

After all, anything could be expected from the man who forced the Archduke's daughter to kneel in front of her. When Rachel found herself in anger, she absolutely did not care about the status of the person who was in front of her.

But all these advantages were also only secondary. After all, the main reason why I chose Rachel was that she was… A girl.

Considering that the original novel did not provide for such a genre, it turned out to be a rather unexpected turn of events.

This will be the surest way to put these two in a dead end. After all, no matter how selflessly they fought, the Crown Prince and his brother will never be able to defeat Rachel.

That's because they initially won't have any chance.

When I said these words in front of Philip, for a couple of seconds, he seemed speechless.

Naturally, the prince was shocked. After all, the noble lady, with whom he had already mentally made plans for a future together, turned out to be on the other side of the barricades.

Finally, when Philip digested this information in his head, which took a certain amount of time, he asked perplexedly:

«Are you… talking about Rachel Cassius?»

— Exactly, Your Highness.

Philippe Blanche opened and closed his mouth.

«But…» he stammered, «But how is…?»

— That's it.

The prince looked at me strangely, as if trying to figure out if I was serious or not.

But my expression remained completely impenetrable.

— Listen… — Philip hesitantly chose his words, hoping that this was all a joke, — You're not serious right now, are you? I mean, how is that possible…

«Your Highness! — I pretended to be offended, — Do you think I'm going to lie to you? Of course, I say this sincerely.

The guy's pupils widened even more.

«So you really like Duke Cassius' daughter…?»

— It was love at first sight, Your Highness, » I said calmly, «As soon as I saw her, I immediately realized that she was my destiny.

Philip remained shaken. But he could be understood. After all, despite the fantasy genre, we were still in the Middle Ages, and at the time of the lady's refusal, anything could be expected, but not this.

The prince didn't even know whether to be angry or not. Because this situation, as I expected, completely knocked him out of his rut.

«Is that why you asked me about her…?»

I remembered one of the very first episodes after we met, when I didn't even know which goat to drive up to Rachel. It turned out so well that now these events were forming a logical chain of relationships invented by me.

— That's right, Your Highness.

In the end, Philip realized and even digested the idea that I like girls. But it seemed that after that came something that shocked him even more.

— Leriana, I understand that you are a girl with progressive views, but… — fear crept into his expression, — Why Cassius…?! You know she's cursed! Aren't you afraid you're going to die?

I sighed.

«Your Highness, this legend is hundreds of years old. Do you really still believe in her?

— How can I not believe when so many people die because of Cassias every year!

— That is, you want to say that not a single person was injured by the imperial army? I asked logically.

The prince was not ready for such an opposition.

— Well… it's… This is completely different! — in order not to get lost, he decided to turn the conversation in another direction, — But what about her red eyes …? Only the devil has them! You can't disagree with the fact that normal people don't have such eyes, can you?

I wrinkled my forehead. Philippe Blanche was one of those who had been brainwashed since childhood about the dangers of the Cassius family. Trying to convince him right now will be useless. So I decided to just accept his words.

— Even if this curse really exists, I'm not afraid of it, — I said, — If that's the price for the opportunity to be with my beloved, I'll accept it.

Philip was taken aback.

— But why? Why are you doing this…?

«Your Highness, we cannot control our feelings. You know that yourself. If Rachel is meant for me by heaven, there's nothing I can do about it.

The guy was still standing in a stupor when I, having told him everything necessary, was about to leave.

Finally, just throwing:

— I hope, Your Highness, that you will accept this and wish us happiness.

As I walked away, I didn't see the expression on Philip's face at that moment.

***

The next morning, the first thing I did was not even go to class, but immediately turned into the library.

After the scandalous banquet, as I expected, the whole academy looked at me strangely. Many even froze or shuddered in fright, as if Rachel had already passed on her curse to me and now I had become contagious.

In response to this, I could only take a deep breath. These stupid children believed only what their parents said, and never looked at the situation with their own eyes. With such an attitude of others, it was no wonder why Rachel and Robert grew up so aggressive.

Although, to be honest, my situation hasn't changed too much. If before, people did not dare to talk to me because of my high status, now the reason has smoothly flowed into a connection with the daughter of a cursed family. Anyway, for the sake of my goal, I was ready to go through all this.

I found Rachel in her usual place.

But this time she wasn't reading a book, but turned away and looked out the window. As usual, the girl's expression remained coldly impenetrable, which made it impossible to guess even close to her thoughts.

Without saying a word, I walked over and slapped the paper on the table.

Rachel, who had already noticed my presence before, stared at me piercingly.

«And what does that mean?»

— Contract, — I said, — Let's make a contract!

— What?

The girl frowned, as if trying to figure out what kind of crazy idea I came up with this time.

And she really was.

I eagerly spread out the document in front of her, which I had drawn up myself that night.

«… And what is this nonsense?» Rachel waved him off irritably, as if I was trying to slip her a long—term loan agreement.

— I'm telling you, let's make a contract!

— What the hell are you talking about?!

«I want to date you, Rachel Cassius.»