Adeline was shocked by Casius’s words.

At this moment, Adeline couldn’t say anything.

‘I said I would think about it. I never said I would do it!’

What kind of situation was this? Adeline was sending a resentful gaze towards Casius.

As if not wanting her gaze to be noticed, he shielded her from Hailo.

Casius, completely hiding Adeline behind his back, spoke to Hailo.

“We’ll continue to provide you with a guest room. Feel free to stay longer.”

As if provoking Hailo, or mocking him, the corners of his mouth slowly turned upward.

“How fortunate to have a suitable witness for our wedding.”

Casius suddenly pulled Adeline’s waist in front of Hailo.

As if emphasizing that Adeline had already promised to marry him, and that she was his alone, not to be shared with anyone else.

Hailo’s expression distorted at Casius’s words and actions.

Hailo, who had been staring at Casius with a distorted expression, soon turned his gaze to look at Adeline.

It was a pitiful gaze, as if demanding an explanation.

But Casius wouldn’t allow that gaze to reach Adeline.

Casius left the reception room without releasing his arm around Adeline.

Adeline, who hadn’t finished talking with Hailo, opened and closed her mouth in confusion, but she couldn’t move her body freely due to his tight grip.

“Adeline!”

Hailo called out to her desperately from behind, but she couldn’t even turn her head.

Casius quickened his pace even more.

Casius absolutely couldn’t bear the sight of Adeline and Hailo being close, especially alone together.

Thud. The reception room door closed, and Adeline looked up at Casius as if she had a lot to say.

As if knowing what she wanted to say, he quickly spoke to her.

“Let’s talk elsewhere. There are too many ears here.”

The waist he had held so tightly, as if it would never be released, was quickly let go.

Casius strode towards the bedroom as if telling her to follow.

Adeline also knew she couldn’t argue in the middle of the hallway where there were many servants.

She suppressed her boiling feelings and followed him.

Upon reaching the bedroom, Adeline poured out her pent-up anger.

“Are you playing with me right now?”

As her voice rose, he closed the bedroom door even tighter.

Despite Adeline’s raised voice, Casius didn’t flinch at all and his eyes flashed.

Rather, he began to push her towards the sofa placed on one side of the bedroom.

His red eyes were shining even more vividly.

Adeline was unconsciously backing away from him.

Like prey before being hunted.

Just as Casius intended, Adeline was gradually pushed back towards the sofa.

“Then, will you go and honestly tell him? That you’re not pregnant?”

“That’s…”

Adeline knew. If Hailo found out it wasn’t true, he would forcibly take her out of the duke’s residence immediately.

“Do you think that Levrance, who dared to intrude into this duke’s residence to find you, would just sit still?”

The sofa touched Adeline’s legs. She lost her balance and collapsed onto the sofa.

Adeline’s dress, spread haphazardly on the sofa, began to crumple against Casius’s knees.

Adeline’s eyes darted about wildly.

As if not allowing Adeline to escape, he placed both hands on the sofa’s headrest.

It became a position where he trapped Adeline with his arms and knees.

“I’m tolerating Levrance’s cute actions for your sake.”

Casius’s face drew closer and closer to Adeline.

His large hand caressed Adeline’s face.

“Go ahead and try to speak honestly. If you want to be dragged away to Viscount Credion right away, that is.”

It was a clear threat. Adeline’s eyes shook even more violently.

It was as if she was seeing again the piercing gaze that had bound her when she first came to the duke’s residence.

Adeline’s body began to tremble.

They say even a cornered mouse will bite a cat. Casius, noticing her trembling helplessly, stopped pushing her.

Soon, taking a step back, he put on a gentle smile as if hiding the noose he was extending to Adeline.

“Think carefully, Adeline.”

His hand that had touched Adeline’s cheek was now slowly stroking her hair.

“Levrance, knowing everything, will try to marry you.”

He carefully kissed her hair.

“There’s no need to get entangled with Levrance and cause trouble for the Levrance family.”

With his lips still on her hair, he fixed his gaze on her.

Adeline also couldn’t take her eyes off him.

“I’m the only one who can hide you as the commoner Del.”

Casius extended his hand to Adeline.

“Take my hand, Adeline.”

As if enchanted by something, she grasped Casius’s hand.

She couldn’t escape from his gaze. It even felt as if he really was the only person who could save her.

Adeline didn’t understand why things were flowing this way. But there wasn’t any other apparent option besides taking Casius’s hand.

“Good girl.”

Casius raised her up, holding her hand. He gently led her and guided her to the bed.

“Rest for a while.”

After lightly kissing Adeline’s cheek as she obediently leaned on the bed, Casius left the bedroom, leaving her behind.

Although he seemed to have gained the upper hand in the bedroom, Casius’s inner thoughts were different.

He now set out to find the head butler, dragging along his extremely impatient heart.

Before her mind changed, he had to make her his person.

He had to hurry the marriage with Adeline. So that no one could reverse their relationship.

He had to rush their wedding ceremony immediately.

His woman, disguised as the commoner Del, hidden even from the Crown Prince.

He couldn’t lose such an Adeline to a mere Count Levrance.

Typically, noble weddings in the Soltarius Empire take place over three days.

For central nobles who value ostentation, breaking this custom was even more unthinkable.

The first day consists of a banquet attended only by immediate family and a small number of subordinate houses, in a format similar to a large-scale meeting of the families.

The second day is when various nobles are invited. This is the general wedding ceremony as commonly known.

It’s the day when the couple walks down the wedding aisle amidst everyone’s blessings and receives the temple’s permission for marriage in front of the priest.

On the last day, after purifying their bodies in the Purification Spring in the temple, they vow to be together for life before the goddess Helena.

But Casius couldn’t care less about such wedding schedules right now.

He would hold the wedding ceremony as soon as possible.

He also decided to use Adeline’s externally pregnant state as an excuse to reduce the wedding schedule to just one day.

The imperial family would welcome this news. They would think she was the commoner Del.

Just imagining it made the corners of Casius’s mouth curl up crookedly.

Entering his office, Casius, with even his collar feeling stuffy despite not wearing a cravat, unbuttoned a couple of shirt buttons and urgently called for the head butler.

“Head butler. We need to prepare for a wedding.”

“A wedding? It will take quite some time to prepare from now. Are you thinking of next spring?”

At his words, the head butler wore an expression that said, ‘It’s finally happening.’ The marriage with Lady Del was something even the imperial family desired. But the duke’s following words left the head butler in shock.

“We’ll proceed within this week.”

“Your Grace. Even next spring would be rushing it. Invitations, guest seating, table production – it takes at least half a year even at the minimum!”

“Ah. Then we won’t need guest seating and tables.”

“Pardon? That’s too rash!”

At these unexpected words, the head butler could only stamp his feet in frustration. The head butler felt a headache coming on.

While nobles might extend the period to compete in extravagance, none ever reduced the wedding procedures.

Casius intended to not only reduce the wedding procedures but also not invite any other nobles at all.

His impatient heart couldn’t even wait for the time it would take nobles to visit the duchy.

“Would the imperial family wait for that? What’s important about formalities?”

Ignoring the head butler’s attempts to dissuade him, Casius continued speaking.

Just then, a brilliant idea crossed his mind.

“What’s needed for a wedding is a witness, isn’t it? Fortunately, we have Levrance.”

“B-but, Your Grace. We should also inquire with the temple…”

The head butler couldn’t finish his sentence. Casius flung open the office door and called for Eric.

“Go to the temple immediately and find a priest to conduct the wedding.”

Eric, who had been listening to the argument leaking from the office, simply bowed his head and set out to find a priest. Eric knew best that once the duke made up his mind, there was no way to persuade him.

After sending Eric away, Casius turned back to the head butler.

“Eric will arrange the schedule with the priest.”

“This is impossible, Your Grace!”

The duke gave a cold look to the head butler who kept trying to dissuade him.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion, head butler. Have the head maid find a dress.”

At Casius’s firm words, the head butler could no longer object.

Towards the butler who was silently bowing his head, the duke continued speaking as if to placate him.

“We can’t see an heir before the wedding, can we?”

Although he had commanded firmly, he couldn’t completely ignore the head butler who had managed the duchy for a long time.

“For now, we’re just getting the temple’s approval first. A proper wedding ceremony can be held later without being too late.”

The head butler had served the duke’s family in the duchy for a long time.

That look in the duke’s eyes and his tone of voice. It was the appearance that showed when there wasn’t even a speck of room for compromise.

The head butler couldn’t make any rebuttal to the duke who mentioned an heir and talked about wedding procedures.

The head butler could only quietly let out a groan.