The people of the Ostein family townhouse were surprised to see a noble lady in a terrible state return with the Grand Duke of Lysenford. When had she even left?

Given the circumstances, it was clear she had run away because she didn’t want to marry. She had even stolen a maid’s clothes, her face was hastily smeared with dirt and ash, and she had quite a bit of jewelry and money with her.

But the Grand Duke of Lysenford silenced the butler first.

“Today’s events never happened.”

His weighty words and resolute gaze were enough.

The townhouse people, who only wished for the health of the lady they served, also understood that keeping quiet was the top priority, so they put locks on their tongues. However, this story had to reach the ears of the master of the Ostein family.

After the Grand Duke of Lysenford left, Kaella, who had quietly received a bath without a word and returned to bed, also took bitter medicine.

She didn’t repent, but she didn’t cause any more trouble either. She just seemed to be quietly waiting for some terrible end to approach.

Or it seemed like she was waiting, prepared for her father to scold her.

“Kaella.”

It was a time closer to sunrise than sunset. Just before dawn, when pitch-black darkness covered everything, Adeo de Chasseur, the Duke of Ostein, visited his daughter’s bedroom with a candle. His calling voice was just affectionate, without a trace of anger.

“Did Father wake you?”

Father sat beside the bed of his daughter, who shook her head. The daughter who had run away for the first time in her life had been brought back by the man who was the reason for her escape.

Adeo looked at his daughter, whose face had been in pain for days, and asked.

“What can I do for you?”

Kaella, who had no strength to even move a finger after overexerting herself with a body that hadn’t woken up for three days, shook her head. She didn’t want anything from her father.

“Do you dislike getting married?”

Adeo asked very carefully.

“Or do you dislike the Grand Duke of Lysenford? Should I go find a new groom for you?”

Kaella laughed dejectedly at those words, as if hearing a joke.

“It’s alright.”

Her hoarse voice whispered, mixed with wheezing breaths.

“I’m sorry for causing worry. I won’t do it again.”

“Kaella.”

Adeo closed his eyes for a moment.

“You must have really disliked it to do such a thing. You’ve never rebelled or said anything unpleasant before.”

Kaella suddenly had the odd thought that she was able to run away because her father was still alive.

Yes. Having done something she had never done before dying, this new life was meaningful just for that. She didn’t ask for much.

“Like any parent, I wanted to find the best groom for you. But I was too picky, and you seemed to have no thoughts on it, so we’ve come this far while being indecisive.”

Kaella, who had never had a conversation with her father about marriage, barely raised her hazy eyes to look at her father again.

“He may not be the best groom, but he’s the best option. I’m sorry I have to say it like this.”

Kaella shook her head.

“But if you still don’t want to get married, I’ll try my best. I can make any excuse.”

“No.”

Kaella shook her head.

“I was wrong. I won’t do it again.”

In front of his daughter who kept saying she was wrong with her head bowed, Adeo sighed deeply instead of feeling relieved.

“I’m sorry, Kaella. I was too complacent.”

He had complacently trusted his brother, and complacently respected his daughter’s wishes regarding her marriage, deciding nothing.

How bad must it have been for his daughter to collapse? A vague regret washed over him that he should have prepared some measures in advance. No, he shouldn’t have expected the Emperor to have human aspects and common sense.

The Emperor seems to believe that if he does good deeds and so-called ‘good things’ for the Empress, who is currently in a prolonged comatose state, she will wake up. That’s why he keeps pushing the Grand Duke of Lysenford and Kaella together.

“Because I had a love marriage, I believed you could too. I was so naive. I’m sorry.”

Adeo blamed himself over and over.

“I hate to say this, but the Grand Duke of Lysenford is a decent person, as you said. To be honest, I was relieved. The Grand Duke is a man of faith and honesty. And he’s strong.”

There was no expression on his daughter’s face as she heard those words. Adeo muttered bitterly.

“That’s enough to trust and rely on for a lifetime. And you have me, Kaella.”

She reached out and took her father’s hand. Adeo held that hand tightly and covered it with his other hand.

“I’ll be more alert. Don’t forget that you have a strong family to return to. You always have a place to come back to.”

“Father.”

Kaella, who had been blankly looking down, lowered her head even more.

“I’m sorry for doing something stupid. I… I’m very stupid and can’t do anything properly.”

“No, why are you saying such things?”

“Really, I can’t do anything. Someone as stupid as me won’t be able to be the Grand Duchess of Lysenford.”

“Kaella, Kaella. You’re my daughter, but you’re a very smart girl. Why are you suddenly like this?”

A flustered Adeo patted Kaella’s shoulder, but she thought she knew her place well.

“So, if you hear that I’m not doing well there, just ignore your incompetent daughter.”

That way, at least Father could survive.

“What nonsense you’re talking!”

But Father, I’ve experienced how stupid I am over the past 4 years.

*

Is there no way to avoid this marriage somehow? More precisely, is there no way for the marriage to be smoothly annulled, without Kaella’s honor being tarnished, and furthermore, for both Ostein and Lysenford to avoid anger?

Peon forgot sleep and devoted himself to finding that method, but he kept coming to the conclusion that it was impossible. Kaella, who had slumped after her obvious escape attempt failed, probably knew this too. That precious Ostein noble lady had no choice.

And the Duke of Ostein knew this as well.

“You’ve come.”

“Greetings, Your Grace.”

In this situation, Peon could absolutely not refuse when the Duke of Ostein summoned him. No matter how busy he was, if the Ostein family called for him, Peon had to make time even if he had none.

“Thank you for handling the matter quietly. And at the same time, I’m sorry. We showed an unsightly appearance.”

When he heard that Peon had brought back Kaella who had run away, Adeo felt dizzy, though he didn’t show it to his daughter. Of all people, Peon knew that Kaella had run away. It was as good as having a weakness exposed before the marriage even began.

“Not at all. I think it was an honor for me to be there.”

Adeo looked at Peon, somewhat surprised by the word ‘honor’. This inflexible, stiff Grand Duke never speaks carelessly.

“Are you sincere?”

“I am sincere.”

Even though Adeo was soft and ordinary, he had some eye for people. Peon was now sincerely saying that it was an honor to serve a lady as a knight. A laugh of disbelief escaped Adeo’s lips.

“It seems you quite like my daughter?”

The man who wouldn’t dare attach the expression ‘like’ to Kaella hesitated for a moment.

“I am not worthy to say such a thing. The lady is such an excellent noblewoman that I dare not even look up at her.”

“You can’t even look up at her? My goodness. Your modesty is too severe.”

“It’s the truth.”

Kaella was a person who carried light. Even if ignored, or buried in darkness, she shone beautifully, inevitably making one turn their head and look at her.

“…Honestly, when His Majesty decided on the marriage, as a father with a daughter, I worried about you. But that worry has become meaningless, and I am left without face.”

Adeo, who had never imagined that Kaella would attempt to run away, sighed deeply.

“Your Grace and the lady had sufficient reason to do so. I apologize.”

“They say it’s natural for a woman to follow an excellent man.”

Peon detected a subtly uncomfortable tone in Adeo’s words. It was as if others said so, but Adeo didn’t think that way.

Indeed, Adeo was famous for marrying his first love and not remarrying even after his wife’s death. How must he feel sending his precious only daughter, whom he raised so carefully, to a man who had long been rumored to be with another woman?

Peon thought Adeo was an extremely polite and courteous person. If he had been Kaella’s father, he would have already drawn his sword.

“I am not so excellent, Your Grace. And there will be no cause for concern.”

“Today, His Majesty said he would personally announce the marriage tomorrow.”

Peon wanted to squeeze his eyes shut, but he dared not do so in front of Adeo. A marriage announced by imperial decree cannot be revoked unless the Emperor’s head is cut off.

“Now we and you are one body. We must cover each other’s past and move forward harmoniously together.”

He meant to cover up Kaella’s escape attempt, as well as Peon’s relationship with Beatrice Lavallee, and only look forward. Given how things had turned out, that was all he could say.

“Your Grace.”

Peon spoke, trying his best to maintain his vision properly. His sight was blurry. No, it was pitch black.

“I do not dare have the qualifications to become Your Grace’s son-in-law.”

He had no face to show this father and daughter, having allowed his own father’s death while struggling to survive alone, and having coldly treated his daughter, leading to her miserable death. It wasn’t a matter of qualifications; he was a sinner who dared not even sit face to face with them.

“I could not dare to have this excessive marriage. It was not only the lady who avoided the marriage.”

Peon barely moved his parched lips, saying not to think they had been caught.

“But if it is a marriage that must be done, I will do my best to protect Ostein, and to the lady, as a husband…”

The words wouldn’t come out. As if stuck in his throat, they wouldn’t come out. The word ‘husband’ was very difficult. How could he say such words again, being a husband who had killed his wife? But he had to say it. In front of the anxious father of the daughter, he had to say it.

“I will do my best. The Ostein lady will receive the treatment she deserves.”

That should have been the case no matter who Kaella married. If Kaella married another man and wasn’t happy, Peon was more than willing to grasp his sword as a knight serving a lady. So he willingly laid out his cards.

“I, if the lady wishes, can also divorce.”

Adeo, who had been listening without much hope, thinking it was just formal talk, opened his eyes wide.

Divorce? In Crania, getting a divorce is an event that greatly damages one’s honor. Rather than having an affair, divorce is unthinkable.

The Emperor, who was persistently holding onto the Empress, had such a reason too. So it was surprising to hear the word divorce come first from the Grand Duke of Lysenford’s mouth.

“When time passes and His Majesty loses interest.”

Or when he has gathered enough power to behead the Emperor.

“If the lady wishes for a divorce, I will make it so. The conditions will also be as the lady wishes. I will include this promise in the prenuptial agreement.”

He said so even though it was obvious that if this leaked out, Peon would immediately be ridiculed as a man controlled by a woman, an Ostein son-in-law.

“That’s quite an unexpected but irrefusable offer.”

Adeo, as the lord of Ostein where commerce flourished, knew how beneficial this was.

Even if his daughter were to have a divorce that society would point fingers at, he would warmly welcome her back and put her forward as the next Duchess of Ostein. If anything was lacking, couldn’t her father just fill in the gaps?

“Thank you. I have only one daughter, so I worry greatly, but to go to such lengths, I’m truly grateful.”

So he did not refuse and eagerly grasped the promise of divorce if his daughter wished it.

“I apologize that Lysenford is cold and harsh, and that is all I can offer.”

“No, you’ve done something tremendously significant. Don’t worry about the wedding preparations. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Lysenford will also do its best.”

Peon shook his head, saying that couldn’t be. He didn’t even want to think about what would happen if this marriage, which the Emperor was pushing for, fell apart. What more was there to think about when he knew well how Adeo, Kaella, and he himself would end up?

But before long, Peon would once again properly witness how the Emperor dealt with troublemakers who interfered with this marriage.

*

A marriage announcement with the Emperor’s name and seal was posted at the main gate of the Kraine Imperial Palace. Everyone was greatly surprised by this sudden marriage at a time when the Empress had fallen into a coma.

But the surprise was brief, and various reactions poured out. Some were shocked, some were intrigued, and others were enraged.

“The Grand Duke of Lysenford before His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Isn’t this a good marriage only for Lysenford? My goodness, it seems all of Ostein’s gold will go to that northern region.”

“No, Ostein will also have its forces reinforced in its own way. No matter what anyone says, isn’t Lysenford a place where elite soldiers who fight on the frontlines gather?”

“The Duchess of Monde will be disappointed. We thought the Grand Duke of Lysenford would marry Lady Lavallee.”

“Ha, one must speak correctly. Isn’t the Ostein lady of higher status and a much better match than Lady Lavallee? Moreover, the Grand Duke of Lysenford is, after all, a Grand Duke. He can’t marry just anyone. Yes, indeed.”

The social circles, which had been quiet due to the Empress’s health, reacted enthusiastically to this rare interesting event. And the Duchess of Monde’s reaction was not just enthusiastic, but at the level of explosive heat gathering.

“How could he do this after touching our daughter!”

The Grand Duke of Lysenford had never actually ‘touched’ Beatrice due to his obsessive part in maintaining his principles, but to the Duchess of Monde, it was all the same.

The position of Grand Duchess of Lysenford was supposed to be Beatrice’s! It was the highest status after the Empress and the Crown Princess, and they’re giving it to that Ostein lady who already has everything? This was unforgivable.

So the Duchess of Monde rushed to the townhouse where the Grand Duke of Lysenford was staying, with the same speed she used to avoid creditors. She was a mother who could do anything for her children.