I needed to discuss matters with the Corajes, the only family loyal to the crown. My intention is to enhance their knights' training and strength by incorporating Mana skills. Despite their inherent strength, mastering Mana is crucial for them, just as it was for their predecessors. However, due to the wariness of the other four Ducal houses, they were pushed to a barren territory far from the capital. It's frustrating dealing with these houses; Good grief! What's with their utter incompetence?

"Esteban, what's on my schedule?"

Esteban hesitated for a moment.

"A meeting with Alfonso Adinerado, Your Highness."

"Ha! Another trash!" Oops, I said it aloud.

"Pft," Esteban seemed on the verge of laughter. "I apologize, Your Highness. Shall I help you prepare before his arrival?"

"No need. I don't want to waste my energy on him. What time is he arriving?"

"He's already at the training ground. He'll be here in a few minutes."

Knock knock "I'll get it, Your Highness," Esteban said as he stood by the door.

I sat in my black gothic leatherette chair, custom-made by my slaves—I mean, knights.

The four Ducal families despised the black and purple color, a reminder of their inferior bloodline. The darker your mana, the more powerful it is. Those families were probably still in shock about the coronation events, but they are useless to me.

The door opened. Finally, the OG male lead, walking gracefully like a crown prince, smiling at me as if genuinely. He brought a bouquet of flowers. If I were the original owner of this body, I might have appreciated the gesture. He looked at me with a gentle smile and handed me the flowers.

Hmmm. So, this is what he looks like in reality—brown short hair, citrine eyes, pretty, with controlled expressions. People in this parallel universe were blessed with beautiful faces, whether nobles or commoners.

Behind the gentle smile, I sensed a two-faced demeanor. Living in the modern world taught us to discern genuine people from those with fake gestures. I received the bouquet politely.

"So? Why are you here?"

"Is there a problem with me visiting my fiance?"

"Not really. I mean, you were just doing your task."

"Task?"

"Nevermind. So, how are Aunt and Uncle? Are they doing fine?"

"They're all good and healthy. Gonzi, I came here to discuss the date of our wedding."

"Interesting. Weren't you supposed to be my escort during Gavino's coronation? But you didn't come."

I'm sure the original Gonzi would have overlooked it due to his love for him. I'm annoyed by the original Gonzi's perspective, but I'm more pitiful that those around him manipulated him. 

In the novel, he invited Alfonso to be his escort, and Alfonso, being trash, went on a vacation with Isabella, my brother's fiance. They always met whenever they wanted to hook up. After the revolution, when Alfonso fell in love with Mariana (the OG female lead), he changed, and Isabella vowed to support the Saint (Mariana). Trash, trash, trash! It's like they're recycling nonsense here. Why hurt both princes? Why brutally execute the family? They could have just been exiled. Why kill them?

My head is boiling.

"It was an urgent matter. I needed to check..."

"So messing with my brother's fiance was part of what you needed to check?"

I can see the shock in Esteban's eyes after hearing that.

"What are you talking about?"

"Someone from the palace saw both of you kissing and holding hands." I just made that up.

He's good at hiding things, still composed and smiling.

"I'm innocent. I understand you're upset because I didn't attend the coronation, but I have many meetings with merchants from Europe, especially France."

"Oh, I'm not mad."

Need to drop the bomb.

"Oh, by the way, I'm calling off our engagement."

The smile vanished, and his eyes widened in sheer surprise. Hah! Asshole.