“How dare a mere noble dare to do this to a member of the royal family!”

The Emperor was in a hurry. His heart was extremely rushed. The longer the Empress remained unconscious, the more impatient he became.

During that extended period, all sorts of rumors were circulating, and those rumors were bringing up past issues between him and the Empress again.

This marriage needed to proceed flawlessly to show that the Emperor was the head of a perfectly normal household.

So he wanted to use his niece Kaella to incorporate Duke Lucenford more deeply into this family, and to announce the fact that the Empress’s son had also become his son.

It was incomprehensible to Peiron, but the Emperor was always an incomprehensible being.

‘He was like this before too.’

Peiron knew. The Emperor had been just as impatient when he was desperately trying to have a child with the Empress, even becoming jealous of Peiron, and finally started meddling with other women.

Eager to prove there was no problem with his fertility, countless illegitimate children were born.

When the number exceeded ten in a single year, he seemed to become aware of public opinion and stopped briefly, but soon after, when those illegitimate children sickened and died before even a year had passed, the Emperor pathologically sought out women.

Even with all that fuss, he couldn’t avoid the talk that ‘there was a problem with his seed.’

It’s the same now. He tried to attribute the reason for the Empress’s collapse to a myriad of causes, struggling to avoid the talk that the imperial family was abnormal.

The more whispers he heard from here and there, the more the Emperor obsessively clung to the ‘form of a normal family’ as if having a fit. Fearing his wife might die, he repented for his wrongdoings against her in his own way.

So as soon as he heard that Duchess Monde had dared to commit a rude act against Kaella, he banned her from entering the imperial palace. This was despite the fact that Duchess Monde was the Empress’s close friend and chief lady-in-waiting.

“Lucenford and Ostein will become the pillars supporting this empire.”

The Emperor muttered like a madman. But that crazed mind of his worked rationally and cunningly in his own favor. Everyone feared him.

Before the regression, Peiron had strongly resisted, so the Emperor had crushed him. This time, Duchess Monde had stood out relatively more, so the Emperor was not going to leave her alone.

“The two pillars should help the Crown Prince well. This is all for the Empress, Hyperion. Wouldn’t the Empress of Crania worry whether Crania is running properly or not?”

Mother is someone who wouldn’t care whether Crania prospers or falls. But Peiron quietly answered that it was so.

“It’s a cause for celebration and an honor. I won’t forgive anyone who ruins this. Your marriage must proceed without any hitches.”

The Emperor muttered with bloodshot eyes. At this point, what would happen if the news that Kaella had refused the marriage and run away reached the Emperor’s ears?

‘Then the House of Ostein would be ruined.’

Kaella would have paid a far more terrible price than marrying Peiron. It was clear she would have been forced to marry a man of much lower status and much older age, and lose the title of Duchess Ostein.

The Emperor never forgave those who tarnished his reputation.

Although the range of who he recognized as imperial family members changed erratically, he considered it an insult to himself if anyone treated those within that range carelessly. Now, the range had widened to include even Duke Ostein, who wasn’t even considered part of the imperial family before.

“To have things go awry before such a joyous occasion, tsk.”

The Emperor clicked his tongue, displeased with Duchess Monde.

“Marriage should be befitting of one’s status. Even if the heart is elsewhere, the blood flowing through the veins must be noble.”

That tiresome talk of blood again. Peiron just responded with “Yes, yes,” without meaning it.

“The poor child who’s so frail that she fainted in shock at the mere mention of marriage, how difficult must it be for her to prepare for the wedding?”

“I understand the Princess is very busy with wedding preparations, following the recent reception for the Keruzhan envoys.”

But he couldn’t just respond with a simple “Yes” when it came to Kaella.

If proceeding with the marriage now, removing the Emperor, and then guaranteeing her status while cleanly divorcing her was the best option, then he needed to protect Kaella now. Even so, he couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

How could it be that these were the only options for Kaella, the noble Princess of Ostein? He had to work to give her more choices. Whether that was atonement or self-satisfaction, he wasn’t sure.

In that sense, Peiron thought that he and that crazy Emperor were similar. They each sacrificed an innocent wife and atoned in their own way.

“The Princess was very upset, wasn’t she?”

“She was composed.”

Kaella never lost her dignity, even up to the last moment when she was falsely accused and confined in the tower. But in the end, she died without even closing her eyes. How much must have been pent up in her heart?

“Well, that child has a good character. She’s calm, polite, and knows her place. Tell her I’ll take care of Duchess Monde, so she should focus on her health.”

“Your Majesty should take care of your health as well. You’re looking after the Empress and worrying about this marriage too.”

“You’ve been very considerate of me lately.”

The Emperor laughed, finding it amusing.

“I must be getting older.”

Peiron brushed it off as if it were nothing, hiding his anxiety about finding a way to quietly cancel the marriage with Kaella. Who could have known Duchess Monde would end up like that? The status of the Princess of Ostein was skyrocketing endlessly.

“The Crown Prince should be like that too.”

“I’m the one who’s late. The Crown Prince must be quick.”

“Well, we’ll have to see about that. Anyway, the conversation has gone astray, but you should take good care of the Princess.”

To this, Peiron responded with utmost sincerity.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

*

After attending to the Emperor who summoned him at all hours, Peiron returned and looked down at the box containing diamonds placed on his desk.

No diamond surpassing these twelve diamonds, named the Kerban series, will be discovered in the future. The rightful owner of such precious gems that will long remain in history should have been the Duchess of Lucenford, where the Kerban series was discovered.

The foolish husband who, due to their extreme rarity, naturally gave the three largest raw stones to the Emperor, and even two to the nagging Beatrice, and pushed the rest into the war chest, did not want to repeat the same mistake.

However, it seems that he, not understanding a woman’s heart well, continues to make mistakes.

“You took that whole thing to the Princess of Ostein?”

Lord Renard, who alone was in charge of reading the atmosphere among the gruff northern knights, knew that the Duke of Lucenford was now very dejected. Even for the Duke, whose expressions rarely changed, Lord Renard, who had served him closely for a long time, could roughly tell.

“I should have given her the finished product, Your Highness……”

“So that was the problem, wasn’t it?”

Peiron finally sighed. He had made another mistake, not having properly learned the sophisticated Kraine etiquette or the manners of dealing with ladies.

It was also a mistake to always send a knight to take care of Kaella, which ended up upsetting her, and he had done it again. How pathetic.

The only noble ladies he knew were the fussy Duchess Monde, Beatrice who only had ulterior motives, and his mother who loved him unconditionally while maintaining her dignity, so Kaella, who was raised preciously, was too difficult for him.

He should have at least spoken to her before the regression. He didn’t know well what she liked or what kind of person she was. Not knowing well, he avoided her, fearing she might take a place in his heart. It was also laughable, given that he was under a taboo.

Being afraid meant that, in the end, she was already lodged in his heart.

“What did she say?”

“She said it was excessive. That His Majesty the Emperor would be displeased.”

How much must Kaella fear the Emperor to say that first? Since that day when Duke Ostein was almost killed by the Emperor’s gun, Kaella had been terribly afraid of the Emperor.

Peiron, who had met her in front of the monster’s garden that day when she had rushed out in the clothes she was wearing at home without even dressing properly, had been constantly questioning. Doesn’t she seem like someone who came knowing what would happen to her father?

Perhaps…

“Ah, is that so. Then give her one finished product at a time, starting with the smallest.”

At Lord Renard’s words that cut off his thoughts, Peiron’s gaze went to the smallest raw stone. Even the smallest was close to 6 carats, good for a ring or pendant.

What did Beatrice do? He didn’t know. The next time he saw her was right before she died. At least for Kaella, he wanted to do something different from what she had done. He wanted to give her a special, more special and new and beautiful gift.

Even if they would part someday, and even if she was someone he should never see again.

“Send it back to the jeweler. As you said, we’ll start with the smallest.”

“Yes, Your Highness. What shall I have them make?”

No matter how much Peiron critiqued himself for knowing little about women, he had been observing what jewels his mother, whom he saw only a few times a year since childhood, wore.

The discerning eye and knowledge accumulated over a long time cannot be obtained even with vast wealth.

“Start with a ring. For the rest, let’s hear the jeweler’s opinion too. Whatever suits the Duchess…”

The long-used title slipped out again out of habit. Kaella was gradually erased in the countless days of referring to her not as ‘Kaella’, but as ‘Duchess’. Would that title have been pleasing to Kaella?

Seeing the Duke calling the Princess of Ostein, who wasn’t even a Duchess yet, ‘Duchess’, Lord Renard wore a slightly bewildered expression. It seems our Duke thinks of the Princess more than expected.

“No, something that especially suits the Princess.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

It’s not something to be passed down for generations to the future Duchess of Lucenford. He hoped it would be property for Kaella to take with her after the divorce.

He wanted there to be at least one proper thing she could take from Lucenford. It wouldn’t even come close to compensating for the time and reputation she was losing, but he wanted to make it up to her even a little.

He had to send her away quickly. So the Emperor too would have to be dealt with faster. Peiron’s mind became more complicated.

“I will handle it as you ordered. And Your Highness, news just came in that Duchess Monde has been banned from entering the imperial palace for three months. It hasn’t been officially announced yet, they say.”

So this is what the Emperor meant by ‘resolving it’. Peiron rubbed his lips with his fingertips, originally long and delicate but now thickened from holding a sword.

Lord Renard took out a thin piece of paper from his breast and placed it on Peiron’s desk. Peiron unfolded and read the copy of the official document written by the Emperor’s secretaries.

“…a member of the imperial family who will soon become the Duchess of Lucenford.”

The status of the Duke of Lucenford had risen quite a bit. When was it that they were treated as mere human shields and mercenaries, desperately holding the frontlines despite being called a Duke?

“While everyone is trying to raise the rank of their titles, isn’t it good that His Majesty the Emperor officially says so?”

The people of Lucenford were desperate for recognition even while hating the Emperor. The discriminated northern region couldn’t help it. They say their pride is strong and they don’t need recognition from outsiders, but they get angry if they’re not recognized.

“It is a good thing.”

Peiron muttered after a long while. Whether it’s good or not to rise when the Emperor raises you, and then plummet when he strikes you down, he wasn’t sure.

Anyway, Duchess Monde was now banned from entering the imperial palace by imperial order. For three months, which meant she was not to attend the upcoming wedding of the Duke of Lucenford and the Princess of Ostein.

“All sorts of people will be talking about this.”

It was clear that the social circles would immediately pounce on this with excitement, as Duchess Monde, who was thought to become the mother-in-law of the Duke of Lucenford, received such a punishment for ignoring the greeting of Kaella, who had taken Beatrice’s place.

What a delicious and enjoyable gossip this was. For Duchess Monde, who had no wealth, her only lifeline was her social face, and now that it was cut off, it was a fatal blow.

It would have been better if Peiron had regressed to when he was thirteen or fourteen, or even earlier.

If that had happened, he might not have inflicted such humiliation on Kaella with the tag of Beatrice attached. He felt regretful even while knowing full well how enormous a sacrifice he had made to turn back time.

“This will soon pass.”

Lord Renard hesitated before speaking as if to comfort him.

“There’s no need to comfort me.”

It was just fate, or a fated connection. Peiron was a man far too inadequate and flawed for Kaella, and Kaella, despite her noble birth, was pitifully entangled with him, making it a connection where only she suffered one-sidedly.

“How could I presume to comfort Your Highness? It’s just, I heard somewhere. They say all sorts of rumors fly before a wedding. If the bride cries a little, they say she’s being sold off, and if the groom squints a bit because of the bright sunlight, they whisper that it’s because the bride is ugly. That’s what weddings are like.”

Peiron couldn’t even laugh, expecting to hear that it was a marriage where the bride was being dragged to the north.

“But they say once a child is born, all those words disappear, so it’s not worth worrying about. Yes, that’s what I heard.”

“Who said such things?”

“My grandmother.”

It’s similar in the upper class. Whatever happens, if the marriage succeeds in its purpose of producing an heir, that marriage was righteous and sacred.

But this was far from Peiron’s situation. An heir, of all things. As a full-grown adult, he couldn’t even properly protect his mother and wife, how could he protect a child? He couldn’t even be a proper husband, let alone a father.

Peiron, who hadn’t even thought of mentioning an heir to Kaella, decided to accept the fact that at this point, his marriage would be successful if it quietly ended in divorce.

But no matter how doomed a marriage might be, it should only be him who’s ruined, not the bride as well. That’s why he sought out the mine early, for the happiness of just one person.

For a wedding where only the bride needs to be beautiful, money was the most necessary thing.