MHWS 02

Chapter 2

After Cedric left, Isabel burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. Even so, Father didn’t budge in the slightest.

‘He suddenly summoned us, so I wondered what it was about… It was about marriage.’

I sat there stiffly, absentmindedly listening to the conversation between the two of them.

In truth, none of it was reaching my ears.

How could it, after I had run away like a lunatic after meeting him like that?

The more I thought about it, the more embarrassed I felt.

‘Please… just marry him as it is.’

I clasped my hands together and prayed.

If only that happened, how wonderful it would be. According to the novel, she was supposed to refuse the marriage and openly defy the Emperor.

Glancing at Isabel, I saw her gripping the hem of her dress tightly.

Bracing myself, I focused on her voice.

But what came out of her mouth was completely unexpected.

My eyes widened as I stared at the two of them.

“I understand. If that’s what you want, Father, then I’ll accept it.”

Despite the tears streaming down her face, her voice never wavered.

Only then did I finally let out a sigh of relief.

“But, Father… Isn’t it about time Claire got married too?”

“…Claire’s marriage will take a little longer.”

The sudden mention of my name snapped me back to reality.

Of course.

There was no way this would end so simply.

“I’ll do my best to help. I want my sister to marry into a good family.”

“I’m really fine…”

At my words, Isabel grabbed my hand and smiled.

“I’m just worried. What if some strange man sees my sister as an easy target?”

“No, I can handle that myself…”

“What a thoughtful child. Very well, I’ll leave it to you.”

Father’s words made my mouth fall open.

Wait.

I keep saying I’m fine, so why is everyone suddenly so concerned about me?

They used to treat me like unwanted baggage.

Why were they suddenly worrying about my marriage?

It felt incredibly strange.

Several days passed.

Isabel came running toward me with an excited smile and handed me a note.

Written on it was the profile of a man.

Just as I was about to read it, Isabel snatched it away from my hands and looked me straight in the eyes.

She stared at me so intently that I couldn’t even read the profile, leaving me looking utterly bewildered.

“Sister, this man is handsome, young, and rich.”

“…I-Is that so?”

“He doesn’t care who he marries. Neither does this gentleman.”

Well… that part was similar to me.

But I hadn’t even had a chance to check.

Without waiting for my response, Isabel continued.

“Sister, I overheard Father talking. I think he’s planning to arrange your marriage with Count Gerbon soon.”

“…Gerbon?”

That fat old man?

I stared at her in disbelief.

No matter what, sending me off to someone that old was far too cruel.

‘He said he’d leave it to Isabel, and now he’s suddenly doing this?!’

Unlike what I knew from the novel, the Emperor’s promise seemed to carry almost no weight at all.

“We don’t have much time.”

To be honest, Isabel’s urgency did sway me.

“Once Father’s attention shifts elsewhere later, you can do whatever you want.”

“Well… that’s true.”

“It’s uncomfortable staying here anyway, isn’t it?”

As Isabel continued speaking without pause, I slowly nodded.

She was right.

As long as it wasn’t Cedric, I didn’t care who I married.

I had only planned to maintain the marriage for a while before getting a divorce anyway.

“Fine. I guess it doesn’t matter who it is.”

“If Father finds out, there’ll be chaos. So I thought we should keep everything quiet for now.”

And for that reason…

I ended up getting married in secret, without even holding a wedding ceremony.

And now…

This was my second meeting with him.

The wedding night didn’t count.

I hadn’t even seen his face then.

I take back what I said before about taking him if he was offered to me.

What I meant was that if I had been Isabel, I would’ve gladly accepted him.

Not… like this.

Returning to the present, I blankly moved my spoon.

I couldn’t even tell whether the food was going into my mouth or my nose.

I simply kept moving the utensils mechanically.

“Don’t you have an appetite?”

“Hm? Ah… I’m just a little tired.”

“How about taking a walk after you eat?”

I nodded.

The food suited my taste quite well.

But the moment I realized the man sitting across from me was Cedric, my thoughts became so tangled that my appetite disappeared.

‘I need to send Isabel a letter.’

Even if questioning her wouldn’t change anything…

Sneaking a glance at Cedric, I saw him silently cutting his meat with his usual expressionless face.

Broad, well-built shoulders.

Flowing black hair.

Eyes as blue as a cloudless sky.

His posture was perfectly straight, without the slightest hint of sloppiness.

Unable to take my eyes off him, I finally asked,

“So… you knew from the beginning that I was the one who would marry Your Grace?”

Cedric gave a small nod.

Although he had every reason to question me, he hadn’t asked me a single thing.

“This isn’t what the Emperor promised. As you know, I’m only an illegitimate daughter.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“It has everything to do with it! Even after all your achievements, you kept being sent back to war because you were promised a marriage with Isabel.”

He had every right.

He could have objected to the marriage partner.

But he hadn’t.

Which meant…

I was the one who would end up suffering because of it.

I clenched my fists.

“This isn’t a proper marriage.”

“Not proper?”

“Yes. To tell the truth, I was supposed to marry a count living on the frontier, not Your Grace.”

“Do you know his name?”

“Kader Taylor…”

I had no idea whether a man with that name even existed.

But Isabel had told me the frontier count’s name was Kader Taylor.

Lowering my head like a scolded puppy, I avoided Cedric’s gaze.

I already knew what kind of expression he must be wearing.

He’s probably wondering what nonsense I’m talking about.

I knew I sounded ridiculous.

But I didn’t want to live with a husband who would eventually have an affair!

“I don’t know who that man is.”

Cedric’s calm voice reached me.

“But one thing is certain.”

“It seems… you don’t like me.”

“Th-That’s not it.”

“Then how long do you intend to keep speaking to me so formally? It makes us feel distant.”

“…Wouldn’t a certain amount of distance be good for a married couple?”

“If that’s what you prefer, then I’ll use formal speech with you as well. Though I don’t particularly like it.”

There was no need for him to match the way I spoke.

Cedric himself felt like someone far beyond my reach, so I simply couldn’t bring myself to speak casually.

That was the only reason I kept using formal speech.

But apparently, he had interpreted it differently.

Reluctantly, I nodded.

Perhaps noticing that my expression still hadn’t changed, he asked seriously,

“Do you dislike my face?”

“No.”

“Then… do you dislike my body? That shouldn’t be the case. You seem like the type who would like this sort of body.”

“…Excuse me?”

What…

What did I just hear?

Wondering if I had misheard him, I stared at him blankly.

Without changing his expression in the slightest, Cedric looked back at me.

“I simply thought that might be the case. If it’s not my body… then do you dislike the Grand Duke’s residence?”

“No! The Grand Duke’s residence is wonderful! The endless snowy scenery is breathtaking, and the sunlight pouring through the windows is beautiful.”

It was much bigger and prettier than my old room.

Even the trees in the garden were lovely.

I had expected the North to be unbearably cold, but it was surprisingly warm.

The compliments poured out of me without hesitation.

Cedric’s eyebrow twitched.

I wasn’t good at lying, so I answered honestly.

After wiping his mouth with a napkin, he fell into deep thought.

I swallowed nervously as I watched him.

What if he gets angry and says I’m making fun of him?

What if he buries me somewhere in the snowy fields of the North?

Rumors claimed he could be just as rough and cold as he was indifferent toward others.

Of course, they were only rumors.

But perhaps there was some truth to them.

Just look at those massive arms.

They looked strong enough to throw a grown person across a room.

Yet, contrary to my worries, the words that came out of his mouth were completely unexpected.

“Were you dissatisfied with sleeping with me last night?”

“…What?”

I blinked slowly.

What in the world was this man talking about?

It felt as though I were being interrogated.

Yet judging from his serious expression, he genuinely seemed concerned.

Without question…

Anyone who shared a bed with him would have been utterly captivated.

But I kept my lips tightly sealed.

How could I possibly say something so shameless out loud?

Just having him look at me with those burning blue eyes was enough to make my face turn bright red.

“It seems I wasn’t good enough.”

He sighed quietly.

“I suspected as much from the moment you said you liked having your eyes covered and your hands tied…”

“What are you talking about?!”

His words suddenly veered somewhere completely unexpected, jolting me back to reality.

When had I ever said I liked that?!

As he watched my eyes widen in shock, Cedric narrowed his own.

“I’ll ask you one more time.”

He stood up from his seat and walked over to where I was sitting.

Leaning down until our eyes met, he asked,

“Were you disappointed because sleeping with me wasn’t satisfying?”

“N-No, that’s not…”

I shook my head.

He didn’t understand why I was acting like this.

But from my perspective…

I was so miserable I wanted to disappear.

If he tempted me like this with words and kindness…

Only to later have an affair with Isabel…

How pitiful would I become?

No.

I couldn’t allow myself to fall for him.

At the very least, I needed to keep my distance until I was certain he would never fall for Isabel.

Only then would it be safe to enjoy any of this.

As I cautiously averted my gaze, Cedric cupped my face with both hands, gently holding me in place.

“Claire.”

Gulp.

A strange light flickered in his blue eyes.

Like turbulent waves crashing against one another.

My palms became damp with sweat.

“When you’re talking to someone…”

His voice was low.

“You should look them in the eyes.”

“I-I wasn’t disappointed!”

I blurted it out purely for the sake of survival.

“That’s a relief.”

A faint smile touched his lips.

“So you weren’t disappointed.”

“Now that we’re husband and wife, if there’s anything that makes you uncomfortable, tell me anytime.”

I nodded rapidly and tried to slip free from his hands.

But before I could—

“If you had been disappointed…”

His large hand gently stroked my cheek before slowly pulling away.

“I was going to tell you I’d keep trying for as many days and nights as it took… until you were satisfied.”

I froze completely.

All I could do was stare blankly at Cedric’s back as he returned to his seat.

‘As many days and nights as it took…’

Those words kept echoing over and over in my ears.