"Lady Fatima, may I join—"

"No," Fatima coldly cut off as she replied to 2nd Prince Armano.

"Ah, please don't be like that milady." Armano replied with his usual das.h.i.+ng smile. Maybe to other girls, that smile might seem refres.h.i.+ng and handsome, but to Fatima, it was disgusting to look at.

Nothing was more repulsive to her than this depraved human being currently standing in front of her. If this man was not the prince of the kingdom she was currently in, Fatima would no doubt have put this creature in its place.

Armano was just about to continue insisting, but the person a couple of feet beside him interrupted. "Brother, you should stop bothering her, do remember that she's my—"

"Alright, alright~ and here I can't have a casual conversation with my future sister-in-law~"

Rowan widened his eyes when he heard his brother say that out loud and Fatima's countenance also darkened.

Clara who was next to her couldn't help but reel in shock at the 2nd Prince's words. She pulled Fatima back and questioned her, "Did I hear that right just now?! You're Prince Rowan's fiancée?"

It was only in-name and Rowan did it so that Armano would stop hara.s.sing her, although it still didn't deter the fool from making advances on her.

Fatima gnashed her teeth silently and apathetically replied, "...yes..."

Since this status was false and there was actually nothing going on between the Prince and her, she wanted to make sure that the news stayed inside the castle and had asked Rowan to help her out with it.

Rowan of course agreed, though he was a little reluctant to do so. He made sure that the news about his 'fiancée' was kept only within the castle grounds and only between the people who were present during Fatima's audience with the royal family.

There were only rumors about the Third Prince having a fiancée, but nothing could truly be confirmed. However, now that his brother had deliberately announced the two's relations.h.i.+p to everyone around, the students began to burst out in discussion.

"That peasant...is the Prince's betrothed?"

"N-no way! That ice cube...they're totally not a match for each other, she may be beautiful, but with her cold personality...the prince couldn't be that shallow, right?"

When Fatima overheard the discussions of the students around her, normally, she wouldn't have given a care for whatever nonsense the aristocratic students were talking about behind her back, but currently she was not in the right mindset and was stressed out.

Fatima was irritated at the fact that she couldn't find any news about her brother despite having spent a couple of months in the lands outside of her family's domain. And right now, she wanted to vent.

She was close to smas.h.i.+ng the 2nd Prince in the face, but her rationality kept her from doing so. She reined in her anger and her usual indifference returned.

However, Clara who was right in front of her couldn't help but notice that for a moment, Fatima's face had turned awfully scary.

"Fatima, w-what's wrong?"

"...It's nothing... you can let Rowan in the team, since you now know he's my fiancé, as for that other insect...you better keep him away from me or I'll crush his face in." Fatima responded coldly. So cold in fact, that even the obliviously stupid prince couldn't help but s.h.i.+ver.

"Huuuh... why did I feel a chill all of a sudden?" Armano asked while looking around. The skies were clear and it wasn't all that windy. He only laughed it off and once more turned to Fatima, but couldn't help but frown a little when he saw his brother close to her.

Rowan had approached her from behind to ask if everything was okay, but he had overheard her quiet threat. While Clara immediately tried to persuade her friend from attacking the 2nd Prince, Rowan paled at her words.

He knew how exactly this 'fiancée' of his was like. After many months of interacting with her, Rowan had long since noticed that behind the cold indifference she wore, there was also an air of majesty and n.o.bility concealed underneath. The girl mostly expressed this in the way she carried herself and in her mannerism.

Rowan believed that Fatima was in fact a Princess of another Kingdom who was currently out adventuring and traveling the continent. This was what he deduced, and a big giveaway was also the men who were following her. They treated her as if she was royalty, though their way of expressing it was a little peculiar in his eyes.

Also, from what he deduced, those men and women under her should be her guards, not that she needed them for that matter.

Rowan had already witnessed how powerful Fatima was and it could be said that he was smitten by her because of that. It was a bit underhanded at the time, but he did thank his brother in his heart for s.e.xually hara.s.sing the girl and giving him the chance to step up onto the starting line to pursue her heart.

He still hadn't progress significantly on that part, but he had interacted enough with the girl to know that once she said she would do something, she would do it. Smas.h.i.+ng her fist or foot into his brother's face was the least he had to worry about. The problem was how to make sure it was only his brother's face that was smashed and not anything else.

"F-Fatima...please pardon my brother, I know this isn't the first time he's offended you, but please...for my sake," Rowan walked around to face her and quickly grabbed onto her hand and pleaded.

Fatima only eyed him coldly before nodding.

Rowan released a relieved sigh, but immediately began to pale once again. There was another thing that he knew about the young woman, she didn't like it when people she wasn't familiar with approached her and tried touching or grabbing onto her as if they were close.

And that was what Armano had just done. He placed a hand on Fatima's shoulder while calling out to her in his usual frivolous voice. He was clearly trying to grab her attention away from his brother.

Rowan was just about to smack that hand away, but he was a little too late.

"Hey~ you let Rowan onto the team so why not—CRACK"

Fatima had reflexively grabbed onto the hand that had touched her shoulder, pulled on it and smashed her elbow into Armano's ribs.

The impact of her elbow strike had mostly likely fractured a rib or two and had sent the poor prince flying backwards.

He immediately fainted when he landed on the ground on his back and the students around couldn't help but gasp in horror.

"Sh-she...she just attacked...the prince..."

Fatima looked back apathetically and scoffed before turning her head away while mumbling quietly, "Insect."

Rowan only smacked his forehead helplessly at the sight. He motioned to some people from his cla.s.s and they immediately broke out of the crowd and approached the fallen prince. They quickly picked him up and brought him in the direction of the academy's infirmary.

"Fatima...that was a little..." Rowan said while turning towards the apathetic girl.

"A little what?"

"...nothing..."

Rowan couldn't argue back at Fatima's cold response. He too had also experienced something just as painful when he had done something similar in the past.

"I know he's been hara.s.sing you and making advances on you despite knowing that you're my fiancée, but...did you have to do that?"

"...it was reflexive. And remember, that's in-name only..."

"...it doesn't have to be..."

Fatima looked back at him indifferently and remained silent. Rowan already knew what she meant by that and he couldn't help but sink his shoulders in dejection.

Clara who was close to the two couldn't help but overhear that and she immediately began asking for an explanation from Fatima and the Prince.

Fatima remained silent, but Rowan had begun explaining to her when he got the girl's silent consent.

"S-so, you're only doing this to keep Prince Armano from making moves on Fatima?"

"Yes..."

"It doesn't seem to be working out that well."

"I know..."

"It's probably because he knows that you two aren't actually an item~"

"Uhh..."

When Fatima heard Clara's words, she couldn't help but think that there were some truths in her words. Maybe Armano had somehow found out that they were only putting on an act and nothing was going on between the two.

Fatima turned to look at Rowan and began judging him. 'He's handsome...I guess. Smart, well at least smarter than his brother...has a good personality and it's pretty obvious he has feelings for me... he also seems to be the loyal type.'

She decided upon something and immediately spoke up, "I can consider removing that 'in-name' if you help me look for my brother..."

Rowan widened his eyes when he heard this. "R-Really?! But...are you okay with this? I feel like...I'm just taking advantage of your circ.u.mstances to force you into this..."

Fatima smiled a little at his words, "Shouldn't you be taking every advantage that you can? If you really were serious with me, then shouldn't this be your big break?"

"Eh...but..."

"Enough, you decide whether you want to do this...just remember, after I've finished learning here, I'll be continuing my travels to look for my broth—"

"I'll do it! If that'll make you stay..." Rowan immediately replied.

Fatima only shrugged and Clara squealed in delight at the unfolding romance happening in front of her.

"Oh yeah, you're going to have to get my father's permission, if you are to wed me." Fatima added with a sly smirk.

Even though it was a smirk, in a way, it was still a smile, and that completely charmed Rowan. "Y-yes! Of course!"

'Sorry to do this to you, Rowan, but if you can beat my old man then I'll seriously think about marrying you'

Fatima had decided to only consider marrying someone who was stronger than her. Since her father was much stronger than her, anyone who could beat him was qualified to court her.

But with how Rowan was, he'd lose by a long shot.

"Just a heads up, Rowan, but that last monster wave that took all of us to wipe out, my father could do that easily with one hand tied behind his back while fighting barehanded."

Rowan immediately turned nervous, but he wasn't going to back down now. "I-I'll train!"

"Sure~, but no amount of 'training' could bring you to his power level...you're not as strong as me probably..."

"Ugh...then I'll train 10—no, 100 times as hard!"

"Heh, you do that...just don't forget our agreement, you help me find my brother first."