Chapter 36

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: This Marriage Will Definitely Succeed (36)

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Erich's clenched fist had long since turned deathly pale.

His rigid shoulders trembled faintly with every breath he drew in and let out.

Iona peered into his tense face before finally opening her mouth after a moment's hesitation.

"All right, I'll tell you."

Only then did Erich's stony expression soften a little.

She urged him earnestly.

"It's a secret. You have to keep it, even if His Majesty the Emperor asks."

"Yes, I understand. I won't tell a soul—not even the Commander. So go ahead and tell me honestly. You're even abandoning the job you devoted your life to—what is it you really want?"

Erich spat the words out as he approached Iona.

Iona took a small, deep breath, as if she were about to say something she shouldn't.

It was the first time Erich had ever seen Iona looking so tense.

With her long lashes lowered, Iona finally spoke.

"A happy married life."

Iona paused for a split second after uttering those words.

Now that she'd said it aloud, it felt a bit lacking.

This was a chance she'd earned by dying and coming back to life—she could afford to be a little greedier, couldn't she?

With that thought, Iona added a touch more to her secret wish.

"Romance."

Love...

That might be asking a bit too much. It would be hard for a husband to truly fall for a wife thrust upon him by circumstance.

She'd be grateful enough if he at least saw her as a somewhat appealing member of the opposite sex.

Even in a lukewarm relationship, a bit of light romantic feeling could still blossom.

"...Well, I get the picture. Truth be told, I wasn't exactly the kind of superior you'd miss after saying goodbye."

Iona looked up at Erich, feeling a touch awkward now that she'd wrapped it up neatly.

It was embarrassing to say such things in front of a subordinate.

She'd expected a poor reaction, but Erich's expression was even worse than anticipated.

His face wasn't just flushed with anger—it was utterly contorted.

He glared at Iona with murderous eyes and demanded,

"Are you... joking right now?"

"Hm?"

"I was genuinely worried about you, and even now, you're..."

Erich squeezed his eyes shut, as if forcing down his rage.

Yet his fury hadn't fully subsided; he turned his back on Iona coldly and stormed off. His heavy footsteps echoed his emotions.

Just before leaving the terrace, he glanced back at her with an icy stare and snapped,

"Fine, whatever. Do whatever you want. I hope you have a happy honeymoon."

With that, he yanked the curtain shut roughly.

Iona stared blankly at the spot where he'd vanished.

'Why is he mad?'

Did her attitude come off as playful? But she meant it sincerely.

She had no idea.

The people closest to her were always angry at her for one reason or another.

That's why she tried not to talk much around others. Listening attentively was enough to fit in.

Even when buttering someone up, silence was usually the safest bet.

But spend enough time with someone, and inevitably, traces of her differently raised past would slip through.

It was like a deeply ingrained habit—something she couldn't control just by being aware of it.

That must have been what happened just now.

Iona let her head loll back loosely. In a weary murmur, she said,

"I wonder if this marriage can succeed..."

"In the short time I was away, you've turned into a pessimist."

Iona snapped her head up at the voice from the doorway.

Had the dance already ended? Leroy was pushing the curtain aside with the back of his hand as he stepped inside. In his other hand, he held two tall, slender champagne flutes stacked together.

His face was faintly flushed, likely from the alcohol.

Leroy approached Iona swiftly and offered her a glass as he asked,

"Did something happen?"

Hadn't he seen Erich storming out in a rage?

There was no need to explain that she'd been with Erich, but answering what had happened would complicate things.

She absolutely didn't want to reveal the conversation she'd just had with Erich to Leroy.

Iona took the glass from him and changed the subject.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I saw Knight Erich leaving with a terrifying look on his face."

Leroy answered plainly. Realizing her evasion had been pointless, Iona let out a short groan inwardly.

Pretending to be nonchalant, Iona replied,

"I had something to discuss with Erich. You know what a rotten temper he has. It was nothing serious."

Instead of pressing about Erich, Leroy came to stand beside Iona.

He leaned against the railing just like her and peered intently into her face.

Iona tried to ignore his gaze, but after a few minutes, the silence grew even more uncomfortable.

In the end, Iona surrendered first.

"Why are you staring like that?"

"I just can't figure out what you're thinking."

He gave an enigmatic answer and wet his throat with a sip of champagne.

He set his half-empty glass on the railing and lightly scratched near his neck, as if debating whether to speak his mind.

Only after a moment did he finally speak, tossing out an unexpected topic.

"I heard something like this when I was a kid: If you don't marry someone you truly like, you'll be unhappy."

'Marry someone you like, or you'll be unhappy.'

Iona vaguely recalled thinking something similar when she was young—not from her own judgment, but from picking up her old master's habitual sayings.

When he saw young Iona enduring what was called 'training' but was really abuse, he'd often say things like,

"Blame your parents. Irresponsible people get together and do irresponsible things, and that's how you end up."

He'd rant about arranged marriages being the problem, how nobles kept mistresses and wasted their lives as a result.

Too young to understand even half of it, Iona had still held onto the plea that followed for a long time.

"If you ever grow up and get married... do it with someone you really like. Eat good food, wear nice clothes—that sort of thing."

That way, even if happiness came late, he'd feel a bit better about it...

Whether it was the alcohol talking or not, he'd passed out after those words.

It was hollow self-satisfaction. Even if Hayden had ordered it, he'd been the one to drive Iona to the brink of death.

He'd even dragged her back when she barely escaped and presented her to Hayden himself.

It was pathetic to think she'd lived by such a person's words as truth.

Swallowing a self-mocking laugh, Iona asked,

"Do you believe that too, Your Grace?"

"No. But that's why I'm left wondering: Does that person still think the same?"

"Can't you just ask them directly?"

"It's complicated. I'm way past the age of being that frank."

Leroy dodged the question. Was that story about his past even true?

Iona swallowed a sigh and said,

"Well, I wouldn't know... but one thing's clear. Did you overhear my conversation with Erich?"

Launching into marriage and love out of nowhere? Even she couldn't miss that.

She and Erich had just been talking about exactly that.

Leroy's eyes widened slightly at her question before he broke into an innocent smile.

"You're a bit slow on the uptake. Only noticing now?"