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Chapter 13
I shook free of the hem of my skirt and stood up, but Melissa, having cried out every last tear and sniffle, clung to me again.
“Waaah! Please help me, Your Highness!”
I staggered under her weight, and Killian stepped back while pulling me into his arms from behind.
“Take her out.”
Killian gestured coldly.
Melissa, her face a mess of tears, was dragged out by the knights without even having the chance to straighten her now-filthy skirt.
Still held in Killian’s arms, I watched until she completely disappeared, then slipped out of his embrace.
And then I slapped his thick arm.
“Are you insane? How could you make a count’s daughter kneel? Do you have any idea how startled I was?!”
“Ow.”
It couldn’t have hurt much, but Killian rubbed his arm and exaggerated his pain shamelessly.
It was impossible to believe this was the same man who, just moments ago, had radiated such overwhelming pressure that it felt like my lungs were shrinking.
So he wasn’t actually angry—even though he scolded her for challenging the authority of the imperial family.
Threatening Melissa while claiming he trusted me was obviously just a smokescreen to make it look like we were on good terms.
Yeah. That must be it…
After all, pushing a count’s household into crisis over me alone would be the perfect way to cover up rumors of an affair.
Seeing Melissa cornered did make me feel a little relieved, but at the same time, I couldn’t help feeling conflicted and uneasy.
Melissa had spread nasty rumors about me, but it all started from a misunderstanding… and Killian’s affair wasn’t exactly false either.
The Count of Frey’s family won’t actually collapse, right?
There were so many people depending on that household. If it fell, it would be a disaster.
“Can’t you cancel it?”
“Cancel what?”
“Cutting off all business with the Count of Frey.”
“…You’re too soft-hearted. That’s your problem.”
Soft-hearted? Me? In what way?
I really ought to ask the court physician to check Killian’s condition. There had to be something wrong with his head.
As I stared at him seriously, Killian shrugged.
“I can’t take it back. I already ordered it sent to Argos, so by now it’s probably spread to every branch by magic.”
“What? Seriously? That fast? What are we going to do?!”
When I fired off words in shock, Killian lowered his head and chuckled lightly.
“…Were you just joking?”
“Yes. But I really won’t back down. I’ll issue the official notice right away.”
He was firm—there was no sign he would change his mind. Had the Frey family somehow offended him without my knowing?
“No matter how much you want to suppress rumors, this is excessive. Why go this far?”
“This far?”
“Ruining a count’s household. And dragging me into it so blatantly—so blatantly…!”
My words suddenly got stuck, and Killian tilted his head at me.
“Eleanor?”
“Ah—cough. I mean, you—!”
You hugging me and acting so close, too!
That’s what I wanted to say—so why wouldn’t the words come out?
I’d been fine when he was actually holding me, so why did I suddenly feel embarrassed now?
I flailed my hands awkwardly and continued,
“I mean, why did you even feed me cake and all that?”
As I muttered that he was doing unnecessary things, Killian replied casually,
“Because I wanted to.”
“…What?”
My mind went blank at the unexpected answer.
He grinned smoothly.
“If it looked like rumor control, then I guess I’ll have to be even bolder next time.”
His smile sent a chill down my spine.
The world is peaceful.
Despite the chill I’d felt from Killian’s smile, nothing happened to me afterward.
Killian, who had to squeeze time out of an impossibly busy schedule, did come to eat every meal with me—but that was all.
No poisoning. I didn’t even get an upset stomach.
I wasn’t questioned about my visit to the Mage Guild either. I’d tested Killian several times during meals, but he didn’t seem to be pretending ignorance.
I hadn’t expected much when I asked Randel to keep it a secret, so this was surprising.
Anna was still friendly toward me as well.
Still, I couldn’t completely relax, so I kept using the artifacts I’d bought from the magic shop—except for the all-purpose poison detector, which had only two uses left.
After the incident with Melissa, the servants stopped acting needlessly defiant.
It’s a little nerve-wracking, and it feels like I’m throwing my emergency funds into thin air—but it’s not bad.
This was the first peace I’d experienced since my first month at Marquis Ramirez’s castle.
I closed my eyes and leaned back until the front legs of my chair lifted into the air. The scent of tea was sweet, the sunlight pouring into the glass greenhouse was warm—and suffocating.
There’s nothing in Killian’s room.
Killian was busy beyond measure, but I was hardly less so. As Grand Duchess, I had to manage the castle’s internal affairs and take part in governing the territory.
Originally, these were Killian’s duties, but since he was so busy, he’d delegated part of them to me after we married.
For the past few days, though, I’d shamelessly slacked off under the excuse of feeling unwell. My plan was to search Killian’s room thoroughly while he worked—but I’d only managed to get inside.
I’d combed through it over several days, down to the last speck of dust, and found nothing.
Well—except one place.
A safe that clearly looked like it held something important.
I couldn’t crack that.
The lock was unusual. Where did he keep the key? On his person?
“Hmmm.”
Eyes still closed, I rocked the floating chair back and forth.
Then Anna, who had been sitting at the table with me under my semi-forced hospitality, urgently called out,
“Your Highness! Your Highness! The Grand Duke is coming!”
“What? Killian?”
Even though I hadn’t done anything wrong, my heart raced. As I hurriedly tried to set the chair down properly, I immediately lost my balance.
“Ahh!”
“Careful!”
Randel caught me as I tipped backward. He’d been sitting at the table for the same reason as Anna and quickly steadied the chair.
“Wow…”
I looked up at Randel with mild admiration. He winked playfully with one eye, then stood and bowed.
“Greetings, Your Grace.”
Killian, who had been at the greenhouse entrance, was suddenly right beside me. The distance wasn’t that short, but he’d crossed it incredibly fast.
Was it because his legs were long?
Then why was he reaching his hand out?
As I tilted my head, Killian looked down coldly at Randel and me.
“You seem to be getting along well.”
Since I had been slacking off while he worked, my conscience pricked sharply.
“Getting along? Me? I was just taking a short break.”
“For a ‘short break,’ it looks quite involved.”
Killian’s gaze shifted to the tea and desserts on the table. I shook my head vigorously.
“It’s your imagination. Anyway, why are you here? Aren’t you busy?”
“I am. I’m busy, but…”
Killian hesitated—uncharacteristically so. Scratching his cheek, he seemed to have something difficult to say.
He cleared his throat and gestured for Anna and Randel to leave.
They didn’t go immediately, instead looking to me for permission. Seeing them act like my own hands and feet gave me a quiet sense of pride.
“It’s fine. Go ahead.”
Only then did Anna and Randel leave the greenhouse.
Before sitting down, Killian poured tea into my cup and into another cup—one I couldn’t tell whether Anna or Randel had used. Then he downed it in one go, as if it were alcohol.
“Wait, Killian! That’s—!”
“Cough—!”
Killian spat the tea straight onto the floor, unable to close his mouth in time.
“…It’s extremely hot.”
I finished my sentence and handed him a handkerchief.
His face bright red, Killian carefully folded the handkerchief instead of using it and tucked it into his pocket, then turned away and coughed repeatedly.
Is he protesting on purpose to make a point at me?
In noble households, teapots being magically kept warm was standard.
And in the North, people didn’t drink cold beverages. After suffering through the cold from autumn onward, that was only natural.
Ever since coming north, I’d only drunk warm drinks unless I was furious and needed to cool down.
Killian, who had lived in the North his entire life, couldn’t possibly not know that.
What is he doing?
I blinked, unsure how to interpret his strange behavior.
After finally stopping his coughing, Killian adjusted his clothes from collar to cuffs. He cleared his throat repeatedly, as if about to say something momentous.
“We…”
He pressed his lips together briefly, then spoke.
“Let’s consummate our marriage.”
“…What did you say we should do?”
Had I really heard those words from Killian?
He must have cracked his voice mid-sentence and slurred his pronunciation.
“I think I heard you wrong.”
“You heard me correctly.”
“Oh, really? You said ‘merge,’ right?”
“No. Consummate.”
…Seriously? This suddenly?
Despite my shock, Killian was utterly serious.
“We can’t keep living apart forever. And this is the best way to prevent another incident like the one with Count Frey.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Even if it might look like we were just covering things up after rumors of an affair had already spread, time solved everything. If we lived together like a normal married couple, the rumors would fade away as if they’d never existed.
Still, my mood sank to the floor.
“So now that your feet are on fire, you finally say something like this? You didn’t care how I was treated before.”
“That’s—”
Killian’s face twisted sharply, as if he were about to say something but couldn’t.
He shut his lips tightly, lowered his head, and fell silent, as if enduring sudden pain.
It was a familiar sight.
Lately, he’d smiled often while playing the role of a loving husband, but normally he was expressionless.
Ever since the affair rumors spread, he’d frequently frowned like this openly.
Does having to consummate the marriage with someone like me, while the woman he loves exists elsewhere, drive him that crazy?
The knuckles of the fist on the table and the fingers covering his face were white with tension.
He hugged me just to feed me cake—does he really have to hate this that much?
My mood plummeted.
To avoid looking at him, I propped my chin at an angle and organized my thoughts.
The reason northern nobles looked down on me wasn’t just my background—it was because I hadn’t been acknowledged by Killian.
In the North, where monsters ran rampant, Killian’s word was sometimes more absolute than even the Emperor’s.
No matter how I felt about Killian, staying close to him wasn’t a bad thing.
It’ll make things easier for me to move, too.
I addressed the most important issue regarding our consummation.
“What about my belongings? Are you moving everything?”
Killian slowly steadied his breathing and nodded.
The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess each had separate bedrooms and offices, apart from the shared marital bedroom. Normally, personal rooms stored unused items from before marriage, while the shared bedroom was used most often.
Killian and I had completely reversed that arrangement, ignoring precedent.
Fixing it would spare me the trouble of sneaking into his room whenever the knights and servants weren’t around.
And naturally, it would give me a chance to find the key to the safe.
There’s definitely something in there.
Once I found proof, there’d be no need to sit here with Killian anymore—no need to anxiously share meals with him either.
“Fine.”
“…You’re agreeing?”
Apparently he hadn’t expected such an easy acceptance. Killian lifted his head sharply, his surprised eyes fixed on me as if trying to determine whether I meant it.
“Yeah. Fine—”
I paused mid-sentence.
I’d thought the aftereffects of the hot tea were long gone, but Killian’s cheeks and ears were still red.
It looked like embarrassment—or maybe happiness.
No. That’s impossible. I must be imagining it.
Feeling awkward, I deliberately added sharply,
“What? Consummation isn’t a big deal, is it?”
It wasn’t like Killian and I were going to sleep together. Between us, consummation was… more like academy dorm life.
I’d never been to an academy, but whatever. Might as well try it once.
Looking straight into Killian’s eyes, I declared firmly,
“Let’s consummate the marriage.”
