Chapter 13

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: Chapter 13

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“What a fine pair you two make. A truly splendid sight.”

Count Modroff let out a hearty laugh, perhaps trying to dispel the earlier commotion. He then attempted to take charge of the situation.

“Well then, shall we head inside...”

“Then shall we step outside now?”

Iona cut the count off with her clear, ringing voice.

The count's eyes widened for a moment, as if this hadn't been discussed beforehand.

Duke Leroy, who had planned to talk in the count's drawing room, was a bit flustered too.

He couldn't deny that her entrance had left him momentarily entranced, embarrassing as it was.

She had been wearing an outing hat from the moment she first appeared.

“The weather's lovely, so an outing wouldn't be bad. Yonas, have the carriage prepared again.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Considering the recent uproar, Leroy could roughly guess why she wanted to go outside.

He decided to quietly go along with her suggestion.

Having only just arrived at the entrance, the carriage was still waiting right outside the door.

Leroy offered Iona his escort and guided her out.

Count Modroff hurried after them in a fluster, but it only looked like he was seeing them off.

“We'll be back before sunset. See you this evening.”

After bidding the count farewell, Leroy gracefully boarded the carriage after Iona.

Yonas locked the door from outside and took a seat beside the coachman, and preparations to depart were quickly complete.

As the wheels picked up speed, the carriage swiftly moved away from the count's residence in the opposite direction.

A brief silence fell within the enclosed space.

Since Iona showed no sign of explaining the situation, Leroy spoke first.

“Is there somewhere you'd like to go?”

At Leroy's question, Iona blinked as if suddenly coming back to her senses.

She replied.

“A popular dating spot outside the city would be good.”

Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—before Leroy could harbor any stern misconceptions, Iona added the reason for her request.

“There might be watching eyes, so somewhere open-air and as flat as possible would be best.”

It was a voice so businesslike that no one would imagine she was here to be courted.

Then again, given the nature of their relationship, that might be the appropriate attitude.

Iona and Leroy had been paired for marriage against their wills.

There was no room for personal feelings in this arrangement. Especially not when the other party was the Crown Prince's sworn loyalist.

So why did he keep trying to read hidden intentions in her words?

“Is there a reason you insist on going outside?”

Leroy stared straight at Iona as he asked. Her response remained cautious.

“Because it's a story that mustn't leak out.”

“A message from the Crown Prince, I presume.”

“No, a personal matter.”

“...Are we playing twenty questions now?”

Leroy asked, sounding incredulous.

No matter how he pieced together the fragments of information in his mind, grasping her true intentions was difficult.

And having to follow her lead like this only added to his frustration.

As if understanding his position, the woman apologized with a serious expression.

“I'm sorry. It's the kind of topic where the atmosphere matters too.”

Leroy swallowed an inward sigh, at a loss for words.

He rapped on the window to the coachman's seat and said.

“...To the lake south of the old town.”

Even as he spoke to the coachman, Leroy's gaze remained fixed on Iona.

She showed no displeasure with the choice of location, calmly gazing out the window.

With her head slightly turned to the side, her slender left cheek stood out prominently in his view.

The makeup had perfectly concealed the bruise, but Leroy remembered the mark hidden beneath in vivid detail.

'She said it was her siblings' doing.'

Jealousy toward their adopted daughter's talents, leading to rejection. It wasn't uncommon.

It had probably started in her early childhood, too young to even remember.

One lingering question was why she still endured them, even now as a full-fledged Imperial Knight.

Perhaps to her, it was merely an annoying nuisance.

Just as she had borne the unfair treatment with composure, she now sat rigidly like a wooden doll amid this awkward air.

Even the maid seated beside her was deathly quiet, giving the impression of inanimate objects.

By the time they arrived at their destination, Leroy felt a strange sense of novelty watching them step out of the carriage—as if their movement itself was unfamiliar.

“If it wouldn't be rude, could we two go on ahead alone? I have something important to discuss.”

Iona, adjusting her attire with the maid's help, posed an unexpected question.

Dismissing his subordinate, no less.

For a moment, he wondered if she planned to attempt an assassination once they were alone. Her voluminous skirt seemed to offer ample space to conceal a sword.

“Very well.”

Dismissing the absurd thought with a hollow chuckle, Leroy offered her his arm.

Iona accepted his escort with a relieved expression.

The two slowly began walking toward the lake.

Though she was of a class more accustomed to providing escorts herself, she accepted the situation with surprising naturalness.

This made Leroy inevitably think of the one man shadowing her like a ghost.

“Let me be direct. I treasure that girl.”

When the Crown Prince had said that during their private audience, Leroy had instantly understood the implication but deliberately played dumb and changed the subject.

“Who doesn't know that Your Highness cherishes Lady Iona?”

“Of course, she's a loyal subject. But she's also a woman I keep close and hold dear.”

“To give away a cherished woman to another man—what a cruel joke, or perhaps simply vile taste.”

Leroy sneered without hiding his thorns at Richardt's bold declaration.

He was already troubled by this marriage arranged on the Crown Prince's whim, and now this insufferable rudeness on top of it.

“Emperors typically keep mistresses like this.”

“The Duchess position is far too lofty for a mere mistress.”

Leroy retorted coldly. Richardt reassured him.

“I have no desire to publicize my relationship with her. So the prestige of your ducal house that you worry about will remain quite secure. For you, who wishes to restore your family's glory as before, isn't this a fine deal? You'd gain the backing of the future emperor.”

In other words, in exchange for offering the duchess seat to the Crown Prince's lover, Leroy would secure the imperial family's protection.

Richardt presented it as an enticing proposal, but it still felt like a repulsive bargain.

“How you treat her in the ducal house is none of my concern. But after marriage, she'll live exactly as before. No different from her days as a mistress.”

Leroy didn't respond. He suddenly wondered if this was a plan the Crown Prince's lover had even agreed to.

Taking advantage of the silence, Richardt picked up a cigar with his slender fingers. Lighting the tip, smoke soon billowed everywhere.

Gazing at Leroy through the haze, Richardt said.

“I'm the possessive type... So if she marries, I want it to be someone she could never be with.”

“...”

“You're not the sort with the stomach to embrace my woman, are you?”

The man's eyes gleamed with raw jealousy.

Leroy instinctively realized he had glimpsed the Crown Prince's deepest hidden secret.

This wasn't a reward or gift to a beloved mistress.

The Crown Prince was trying to shackle his lover so she couldn't run away.

Since he himself could never marry her, he intended to block her path to marriage beforehand.

To select the most suitable husband, he had even factored in Leroy's resentment toward the imperial family.

Reflecting on that conversation, Leroy began to guess what the woman before him wanted to say.

Probably something about the kisses they'd have to exchange going forward, or coordinating their post-marriage life.

The thought made the situation feel exhaustingly tedious.

Thus, when Iona suddenly stopped in her tracks and looked at him, saying this, Leroy thought he must be dreaming—or that he'd gone mad without realizing it.

“Duke Leroy, I formally propose to you. Please marry me. I will definitely make you happy.”

Anyone would have reacted the same way.