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Chapter : 22
The voice belonged to Kaiden.
Jenaida opened her eyes in surprise at his voice.
The Pope, flustered, was confronting Kaiden.
“W-what is the meaning of this, Your Highness?”
The Duke replied nonchalantly.
“I am stopping someone who intended to harm my wife.”
As soon as he pointed out the perpetrator, the Pope’s face twisted in shock.
“Even if no blood was shed, Jenaida and I are parent and child! There was only a brief misunderstanding between us, yet you treat me like a criminal?!”
The Pope protested, but it did not affect Kaiden. On the contrary, he sent her behind him and kept a wary eye on the Pope.
Jenaida, who unexpectedly came under Kaiden’s protection, stared blankly at his back.
‘Why on earth is he doing this to me?’
It could have been ignored.
As the Pope had said, there was no one in this mansion who would take her side.
At least, Laura silently attended to her needs. But even that was only out of duty as her personal maid.
Meanwhile, Kaiden refuted the Pope’s words.
“Is threatening to place a binding spell on someone what a parent does?”
He gripped Jenaida’s hand even tighter.
“She is my wife. Do not touch her carelessly.”
Kaiden’s firm words left the Pope speechless.
When the opponent fell silent, Kaiden drew the sword at his waist and shattered the veil surrounding the room. The fragments of the barrier scattered like glass and evaporated over time.
“Maurice!”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Escort His Holiness the Pope separately. Do not allow anyone in without my permission.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Though he said “escort,” it was effectively imprisonment. The Pope protested, but the Duke did not yield.
After the commotion ended, Kaiden turned to look at Jenaida.
She had been staring at him intently. Biting her lip, she finally spoke.
“Why are you doing this?”
He was foolish.
Rescuing a woman who wanted to kill him—
It made him waver.
“Do you not know what consequences you might face if you incur the Pope’s wrath?”
At her tearful question, Kaiden countered.
“…Would you withhold blessings from the land of Niveus?”
Until just a moment ago, she had been speaking well, but now she fell silent.
Then he began to grow agitated.
“If that’s the case, why didn’t you just kill me? At least then you wouldn’t have had to face this!”
Kaiden let out a deflated laugh, seemingly trying to calm his anger.
Then came a thunderous question:
“Do you want me dead, even now?”
Tears welled in his eyes.
“You said you wanted to be by the Emperor’s side. If it’s a widowhood, your brother would understand.”
Fear surged like a tidal wave at Kaiden’s words.
“No. I won’t allow it.”
“Why not? Didn’t you say you’d divorce someday?”
“….”
“Are you suddenly trying to act like a wife now?”
At his sarcasm, Jenaida turned her head. She could not meet his gaze.
Her heart ached, torn in a thousand ways.
He could say such things easily. She might seem foolish or weak to him, but she had dealt with the situation alone.
But she had to stay away from him.
If she asked him for help… she feared that she might develop unnecessary feelings, or that he might forgive her for the mistakes before her reincarnation.
Regret is tenacious, seeping into the tiniest gaps and splitting walls like water.
Finally, Jenaida let a single tear fall.
Not wanting to cry pathetically in front of Kaiden, she bit the inside of her mouth and barely managed to speak.
“…If you’re done, I will take my leave.”
She bowed like the servants and left the room.
Kaiden headed straight for the room where the Pope was confined.
The Pope still approached the Duke with a tone of indignation.
“This is unjust, Your Highness.”
“Are you saying I made this up?”
But it had no effect on Kaiden.
This was not the capital—it was Niveus.
Here, the Duke’s word was law.
To the west of the castle lay snowy mountains inhabited by monsters, to the east the Witch Forest, and near the border, the Elven lands of Salimor.
Knights, trapped between strong enemies, inevitably grew stronger. Thanks to this, the Duke’s knights were unmatched.
Yet the Pope was not intimidated.
“I merely spoke with my daughter.”
“What did you discuss?”
In the Aden Empire, which revered the gods, the Pope was praised as their representative. He knew the land desperately needed blessings amid monsters and demons.
“That is a private matter between Jenaida and me. I have no obligation to tell you.”
The Pope continued shamelessly, so Kaiden smiled dryly.
“Did you threaten not to bless this land?”
“So you placed a watcher on me.”
“Answer me first.”
Each spoke only their own words, continuing the tension.
The Pope refused to answer further.
Kaiden, unwilling to argue with someone unreasonable, turned to Maurice and ordered:
“Gather all the priests in the monastery. Have them give the blessings.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As Maurice left, the Pope chuckled softly.
Even though it could be done in a week, he insisted on using the priests. Truly stubborn and ungrateful, he thought.
“Even combined, those priests won’t have as much effect as my power.”
Kaiden retorted without hesitation.
“I do not wish to receive blessings from one who insulted my wife.”
“….”
“I wanted to show mercy since you are my wife’s parent, but once again, you have disappointed me.”
Kaiden then called for his steward, Fern.
After a bow, Fern looked up, and Kaiden handed him a blank sheet of paper from the desk.
“Niveus will no longer receive the Pope’s blessings. Only the priests within Niveus will provide blessings, and the Pope’s visits are forbidden.”
“….”
“Draft a document regarding this and present it to the Pope. I entrust all authority regarding this matter to you, Fern.”
“I will carry out your orders.”
Fern calmly took the paper and gestured to lead the Pope away.
The Pope followed silently.
With the office door closed, Kaiden was left alone.
He exhaled deeply, rubbing his tense face.
The Pope’s matter faded from his mind, but the argument with Jenaida just now resurfaced, twisting his expression.
‘Damn it…’
He muttered self-deprecatingly and squeezed his eyes shut.
Though the room was dark, her voice echoed endlessly in his mind.
‘Why did I do that?’
Her helpless figure. The resigned, silent girl who neither cried nor screamed.
‘She reminds me of myself…’
The image of Jenaida beyond the door mirrored his younger self, forced to watch his dying mother.
It was a memory he wished he could erase, but could not.
He only wanted to find the reason.
Judging from her reactions, the Pope had clearly exploited Jenaida’s weakness.
Yet, unnecessarily, emotions surged.
What on earth was it?
What exactly made her a puppet of the Pope?
‘If I only knew…’
Perhaps then he could free her sooner.
Even if their relationship could not be reversed, even if there was a reason, it would not change the fact that she had been hurt.
‘Damn it.’
He muttered a curse quietly, feeling worthless, while convincing himself it was okay.
‘Even if she stays by my side, she won’t be happy.’
Until death, she would be under her brother’s watch, and he could not kill him.
Thus, it was better to flee far from such misfortune.
The further this thought sank in, the more distant they became.
After that day, the Pope left.
The relationship between Kaiden and Jenaida grew cold, tense as if walking on thin ice.
The servants said only what was necessary, anxiously watching the Duke and his wife.
Days passed.
Kaiden summoned Laura.
Fearing she might bear the brunt, Laura bowed her head.
In a monotone, he ordered:
“Tell them to dine with me at today’s luncheon.”
