The Credentials of a Couple (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
“You filthy bastard.”
Cheshire roughly swept his hair back.
There was nothing more to hear. The thin walls of the cheap inn faithfully carried every sound from the next room without any effort.
They were coupling like beasts—worse than beasts.
Cheshire couldn’t bear the moans ringing in his ears and drew his sword.
From the moment they betrayed Liviana, they had become lower than beasts.
He couldn’t allow such creatures to breathe the same air or walk the same soil as Liviana.
He would tear them apart, stab them beyond recognition—obliterate every trace so thoroughly that no one would ever find them.
But the man’s irritated footsteps halted after only a few paces.
The merchant’s son, who had never properly held a sword, had soft hands, and the clumsy noblewoman wasn’t much different. Killing them would be effortless if he truly set his mind to it.
If only that one face hadn’t surfaced in his mind.
Cheshire irritably thrust his sword into the floor.
Though fury burned within him, the thought of the mother and daughter—so strikingly alike—made him hesitate.
In the end, Cheshire rummaged through his pocket.
On the small tin case, mismatched with his large hands, was an amateurish flower sketch resembling a childish scribble.
Cheshire opened the case, took out a candy, popped it into his mouth, and chewed noisily.
It was sickeningly sweet—so sweet it stung his tongue—but without it, he feared he’d relapse and smoke again after having just quit.
Of course, even if he quit smoking, old habits from his back-alley days lingered, and inevitably, he’d find himself muttering foul curses too vulgar to speak aloud.
Cheshire drew his sword and shoved it back into its scabbard.
Despite the cloying sweetness coating his tongue, his mouth tasted strangely bitter.
“I see.”
“…….”
“It’s all right. I was already prepared for this.”
Half of it was genuine; the other half, a lie.
He had anticipated this situation, yet that didn’t stop the ache in his gut.
Still, he forced a smile onto his lips as if nothing were wrong.
“……I’ll handle it myself.”
“How exactly do you plan to handle it?”
“Well, obviously…….”
Cheshire clamped his mouth shut, unable to continue.
Watching Cheshire’s fist, knuckles white with tension, I opened the tea caddy.
My stomach churned, yet my mind felt clearer than ever.
“Just leave it be.”
“Leave it be, you say?”
“We have no choice. There’s nothing we can do for now.”
“……Are you really going to let this go?”
Despite Cheshire’s anxious gaze fixed on me, I steadily measured the tea leaves and poured hot water over them.
Through the transparent teapot, the steeping liquid slowly turned a deep, beautiful red.
I closed my eyes briefly, breathing in the spreading bitterness, then opened them again.
Normally, I disliked teas with a heavy body, so I rarely chose Tashan Mountain leaves—but sometimes, I missed this taste.
This was the tea my late father favored.
And the very tea I turned to whenever I needed to make a difficult decision.
I watched the steam curling from the cup, then finally picked up my teacup.
The overwhelming bitterness flooding my mouth still wasn’t to my taste—but it steeled my resolve.
Only after draining the entire cup did I look back at Cheshire.
“Sorry, but on your way out, could you deliver one letter for me?”
“I never expected Marchioness Crayton to contact me first. Truly surprising.”
“I have something to say to Your Majesty.”
“If it’s about falling for me at first sight, I’m afraid that won’t do.”
The Emperor grinned with feigned innocence and took a seat.
I interlaced my fingers to hide my tension.
“It’s not me you’re interested in—it’s Crayton.”
“Caught me already?”
“I have eyes and ears of my own.”
I took a slow breath.
I’d sworn never to step forward again, yet here I was.
But no matter how I thought about it, this was the best course.
I possessed Bake’s handwritten affidavit, but that alone wasn’t enough.
Though it could serve as evidence that Bake admitted his wrongdoing, it held no further authority.
After all, Bake had already broken his promise within a mere week—he’d never willingly abide by the affidavit’s terms.
For Meriel to become Crayton’s rightful heir as stipulated, a long battle lay ahead—and if necessary, even a trial.
But that would draw public attention, placing all eyes on the matter.
And inevitably, Meriel would be branded.
That was precisely what I wished to avoid.
Meriel deserved a life entirely different from mine.
Her life had to shine brighter than anyone else’s.
And so, I resolved to bury everything.
“I understand what Your Majesty desires from me.”
“You think I desire something from you, my lady?”
“More accurately, it’s Crayton you desire—not me.”
My grandfather, then my father, had built immense wealth through generations of business—and under Bake’s leadership, Crayton had grown even larger.
Having accompanied his merchant father in business since childhood, Bake possessed exceptional commercial acumen—especially as the son of the Empire’s most powerful trade syndicate.
The jest that “every coin in the Empire passed through Crayton at least once” wasn’t made without reason.
Currently, Crayton was the wealthiest house in the Empire.
“There are many who desire Crayton besides me.”
“And that, precisely, is the problem.”
The Emperor’s eyes widened slightly, then softened into a gentle curve.
I stared steadily at him.
Though he feigned composure, rumors suggested his position was far from secure.
He bore an ever-present label.
Posthumous child. Premature birth. And, illegitimate offspring.
Born to the elderly Late Emperor’s young Empress Dowager long after his father’s death, the Emperor was the Late Emperor’s sole legitimate heir—but his father had already been laid to rest when he first saw the light of day.
Thus, he was born a posthumous child, raised under the public’s suspicion.
People doubted how an aged emperor could father a child—and moreover, though born two months premature, he was unnaturally healthy.
Yet it remained mere rumor; no one dared speak it aloud.
If the Emperor wasn’t premature, it would imply he was conceived while the Late Emperor lay gravely ill—which would cast doubt upon his bloodline.
I slowly exhaled and released my hands.
Thankfully, I’d worn gloves.
Otherwise, the nail marks on my knuckles would have been plainly visible.
“I have no interest in court gossip, nor do I care to hear it spread.”
“So?”
“If you grant my request, Crayton will do nothing further.”
“Nothing at all?”
“Yes. Absolutely nothing.”
“Hmm. I hadn’t considered that possibility at all.”
The Emperor tapped his chin and nodded thoughtfully.
“I don’t think it’s a bad offer.”
“Do you truly believe that?”
“Your Majesty surely has reasons for pushing the courtiers’ hands.”
Despite his easy smile, I knew he wasn’t genuinely amused.
I understood exactly how he’d ascended to that seat.
He wasn’t a man driven by idle curiosity.
Vulgar rumors spread quickly—but this one had moved far too fast.
It was hard to believe the gossip swirling around me and Duke Pierne hadn’t been propelled by deliberate pressure.
“I don’t know who my husband is aiding.”
“Or are you merely pretending ignorance?”
“Didn’t I already say? I have no interest in rumors.”
The rumors about the Emperor didn’t end there.
The Late Emperor had more than one son.
Though the Empress bore only the current Emperor, his concubines had given him five more children.
Three daughters married into suitable houses, but the two sons posed a different threat.
They deemed their half-brother—with his questionable lineage—a worthy rival and ignited a bloody conflict.
“I knew you were extraordinary, but this exceeds my imagination.”
The Emperor threw back his head and laughed loudly.
Above his straight forehead, his crimson hair fluttered softly—
like the blood he’d already shed to claim the title of Emperor, and the blood he’d yet spill.
‘Judging by that reaction, he must still be alive.’
The Emperor had won—but he still lived within rumors.
It was said he’d let one of his two elder brothers escape, and that fugitive possessed the Late Emperor’s true will.
Yet the truth of those rumors mattered little.
From the start, I cared nothing for who sat upon the throne.
I wanted only one thing.
“Very well. Marchioness Crayton. You’ve succeeded in capturing my interest.”
“I’m honored by your favorable regard.”
“Whether I truly regard you favorably depends on your proposal. So—what is it you want from me?”
“I ask only that you help me reclaim what is mine.”
The traitor’s brand marked upon my father had passed to me.
Since marrying Bake, I’d been forced to relinquish all involvement in my family’s affairs—allowed to keep nothing but the Crayton name.
But that arrangement had been made with the Late Emperor.
He was gone—and before me stood a new Emperor.
It was time to pour new wine into new wineskins.
“So you intend to divorce him?”
“…….”
“Is it because you dislike him keeping another woman, so you’ll take what you need and discard him?”
Just how much did the Emperor truly know about me?
I closed my eyes, ignoring the smug man who acted as if he knew everything.
“I will not divorce him.”
“That answer disappoints me greatly. Honestly, I’d hoped for it—a reunion of legendary lovers, perhaps.”
The Emperor placed a hand over his heart with an expression of tender longing—but I knew he didn’t genuinely wish for reconciliation.
His true aim was to bring Crayton under his control through a marriage alliance with his own confidant.
Marriage was a perfect union—and an excellent business deal.
He, standing at the pinnacle of nobility, couldn’t possibly be ignorant of what every noble already knew.
“Though separate from that, I am curious—why cling to a husband who’s had his limbs severed and bled dry of all value?”
“I have no particular reason.”
“No reason? If you won’t divorce him, then simply eliminating his mistress would end this.”
The Emperor was right.
Dealing with Margaret now would be the simplest, easiest solution.
Yet staring at Bake—who’d broken his promise to me without a second thought—doubt crept in.
I swallowed slowly.
“Would that truly be the end?”
“…….”
Would eliminating Margaret really end it?
No. It wouldn’t. There would always be another woman—and this would happen again.
And someday, Meriel, growing ever older, might discover the truth.
I pictured my young daughter’s face and took a slow, deep breath.
I’d lost my husband—but I had to preserve the father my child loved.
And to do that, I needed to strip Bake of everything he possessed.
Because I’d learned long ago:
To make someone choose the option you desire, take everything from them—then offer only one choice.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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