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Chapter 08
“Are you crazy? Were you trying to fall to your death?”
A sharp voice rang out.
When Yurita turned her head, she saw Zachary standing there with a deep frown, gripping her arm tightly.
That really was dangerous just now.
She had almost lost her footing and rolled right off the roof.
Zachary had caught her.
Acting like a good person doesn’t suit him.
Maybe because she still harbored resentment over him skipping the wedding, Yurita couldn’t simply appreciate his actions—even if he had saved her.
At that moment, Zachary quickly let go of the arm he had grabbed.
Huh?
“…Please don’t touch me carelessly, my lord. It’s unpleasant.”
Was he still bothered by what Yurita had said when she read his tarot fortune before?
There’s no way that jerk is actually that sensitive….
Then Zachary spoke.
“What suspicious thing are you muttering about? There’s no way anyone’s out there beyond the top-floor window to talk to.”
“Who knows? I was just talking to myself. Maybe I was singing.”
Zachary looked dumbfounded, but Yurita merely shrugged shamelessly.
She decided not to mention the ghost.
Zachary probably can’t even see ghosts anyway.
Zachary looked at her suspiciously.
As expected, he doesn’t believe me?
“But why are you suddenly talking casually to me?”
Ah, so that’s what bothered him.
“Because I want to.”
“Hey, I’m a duke.”
“Married couples usually speak casually to each other. I’m not just some noble lady anymore—I’m your wife. The duchess. Ah, does it not feel real since you didn’t even show up to the wedding?”
“So you’re going to keep bringing that up? Fine, you’re trying to get revenge on me? What are you going to do?”
“I’m not telling you.”
“Why not? Go ahead and tell me. You’re the first person who’s ever directly said they wanted revenge on me.”
Zachary was simply enjoying the situation.
Meanwhile, someone else came here crying inside just to pay off debt.
Yurita glared at him sharply.
“Why are you glaring?”
“You. Why did you agree to this marriage?”
“What?”
“You’re a duke. You could’ve refused the emperor’s political marriage proposal. So why did you accept it when you hate me enough to skip the wedding?”
“……”
Zachary looked like he was about to say something, hesitated, then finally spoke again.
“That’s none of your business.”
Of course. There was no way Zachary would reveal his true feelings.
“I see.”
Yurita answered coldly and turned away, walking down the corridor. She didn’t want to spend another second with him.
“Wait.”
She heard Zachary’s voice behind her, but she kept walking.
Then came the sound of running footsteps.
“I said wait!”
“Why, you bastard?!”
“What, bas—what?”
At Yurita’s furious shout, the approaching Zachary snapped alert and raised his eyebrows.
He wasn’t the only surprised one.
“Hic!”
The butler Toby, who had just climbed the stairs, hiccupped after hearing Yurita yell. Apparently he had swallowed wrong.
“Toby?”
“Ah, um… Master, Madam. Forgive me for interrupting your conversation.”
Though it was questionable whether that could be called a conversation.
“His Majesty the Emperor has invited both of you to a tea gathering this afternoon.”
At those words, both Yurita and Zachary froze in shock.
“Both of us?”
The Imperial Palace.
“Duke Killerster! It’s been a long time. Was your journey pleasant?”
The emperor greeted Zachary with a warm smile and open arms.
When Zachary merely scoffed instead of bowing, Yurita jumped in surprise and tugged down on his sleeve.
“What?”
“P-please just bow politely….”
Yurita whispered through clenched teeth. Since she kept tugging at him, Zachary awkwardly ended up bowing to the emperor.
“Haha, seeing you bow respectfully to me—now that’s something worth living long enough to witness.”
The young emperor replied teasingly.
So he’d never bowed before at all?! Yurita mentally smacked her forehead.
There probably wasn’t another person alive as fearless before the emperor as Zachary.
Then the emperor turned to Yurita with a smile. She instantly switched to a radiant expression and gracefully bowed.
“It is an honor to behold Your Majesty.”
“My, the Killerster family has brought home a peerless beauty as their duchess. Her elegance should serve as an excellent example for Duke Killerster.”
The emperor laughed heartily.
Maybe because it was the first time seeing Yurita behave so politely, Zachary looked full of dissatisfaction. His face clearly said: Why don’t you act like that toward me?
So what?
Keeping a perfect poker face, Yurita exchanged pleasant greetings with the emperor.
Emperor Rikard appeared generous on the surface, but inside he was a cunning schemer. Even if he treated people kindly outwardly, there was no knowing what plots he was weaving behind the scenes.
If the Killerster family fell out of favor with the emperor, Yurita’s life would collapse as well.
Though it was an unwanted marriage, now that she had become the duchess, she intended to completely improve the Killerster family’s image.
…But that idiot is too busy acting cool to help at all!
Yurita glared at Zachary while the emperor wasn’t looking.
Zachary merely stared back at the emperor with the expression of a delinquent.
“I’ve prepared tea, so please come this way. This is your first time in the imperial greenhouse, isn’t it?”
This time it was the empress standing beside the emperor who spoke. Apparently, today’s tea gathering being held in the greenhouse had been her idea.
“I heard the imperial family gathers and cultivates exotic plants here. The shapes of the leaves and stems are beautiful and unique.”
“Oh ho, Duchess, you have an excellent eye for beauty. Soon we’ll also be holding a tea party here exclusively for the noble ladies of the capital, so I hope you’ll attend then as well.”
Nice. She earned one point with the empress.
“Looks like you used an awful lot of water to keep the humidity up. The nation is suffering from drought, yet the imperial family seems to have no shortage of water?”
The moment Zachary interrupted, the empress sipped her tea with clear displeasure.
That useless idiot just threw away the empress points I barely earned!
And on top of that, he was making some righteous, loyal-subject type of criticism that totally didn’t suit him! Save that kind of advice for later, not now!
Furious, Yurita laughed sweetly while secretly smacking Zachary hard on the back.
This time Zachary seemed irritated too, quickly turning his head to snap at her.
But when Yurita glared back at him with fierce eyes, Zachary flinched and leaned back against his chair.
“It seems Duke Killerster married very well. I believe the duchess’s wisdom will play a major role in leading the family.”
“You flatter me, Your Majesty.”
“But even so, the wedding was rushed. Since it was a marriage arranged by me personally, I would’ve preferred a grander venue and more guests.”
No, Your Majesty. If that had happened, I would’ve been humiliated in front of even more people in an even more extravagant setting.
Even if the emperor had chosen the venue himself, Yurita doubted Zachary would have shown up that day.
Fortunately, judging by the emperor’s expression, it seemed he still hadn’t heard the news that the groom himself never appeared at the wedding.
Still….
Yurita quietly observed the emperor and Zachary while sipping her tea.
Those two clearly don’t get along.
In the original story, Emperor Rikard was only a supporting character. It was true Zachary had attempted to assassinate the emperor and failed, but the story never explained what personal grudge existed between them.
But now she could see it. The subtle tension flowing between them. If anyone tried to interfere, they’d lose a hand.
The attempted assassination was the key incident that led both Zachary and the Killerster family to ruin.
Zachary’s attempt to kill the emperor would happen about one year from now.
I absolutely have to stop it.
The downfall of the Killerster family would mean Yurita’s downfall too. She had wanted nothing to do with any of this, but now she and Zachary were bound together in life and death.
Yurita glanced sideways at Zachary.
He looked utterly unconcerned with the conversation, focused only on devouring the cake in front of him.
Does that carefree idiot even realize how serious this situation is?
Probably not.
Maybe Zachary hadn’t even decided yet that he would kill the emperor.
Maybe I can stop things from escalating before Zachary fully turns into a villain.
After all, Yurita already knew the major events of the original story.
“What do you think, Duchess Killerster?”
“Yes?”
The emperor’s question snapped Yurita out of her thoughts. She quickly regained her composure and smiled politely at him.
“Since the wedding was incomplete, I would like to personally hold a grand banquet to celebrate your marriage. What do you think?”
“Ah, a banquet.”
“A banquet would be a bad idea, since the duke dislikes them.”
At that moment, the passing butler Toby’s voice rang out.
A faint smile spread across Yurita’s lips.
“Your Majesty, that is a wonderful idea. However, I have one wish.”
“What is it? I’ll grant any request for my new bride.”
Yurita slowly turned her head toward Zachary.
“I would like to hold the wedding celebration banquet at our Killerster estate.”
