RR 21

Chapter : 21

Meanwhile, Idella was putting on her dress with eyes swollen from crying. She wasn’t the only one—Duchess Marie’s eyes were swollen as well. Once the snow stopped and the blocked roads were cleared, people came from Count Lorem’s estate to fetch her. Originally, Count Lorem was supposed to come here himself, marry her in the cathedral, and consummate the marriage immediately. After proving the bride’s virginity that way, it was customary to take her back to the estate.

But this time was different. Count Lorem had become unable to move due to a sudden attack of gout in his legs. As a result, he had no choice but to send people to collect Idella instead. For Duke Aike, this was rather welcome news. It meant he could send Idella away without clashing with Tris.

Duchess Marie tightened and loosened the laces of the dress again and again. She wanted to buy time, even if only like this. Selling Idella for the sake of power—she resented Duke Aike endlessly for it, yet she was too afraid to show it. She had already once dared to oppose him and had been harshly taught a lesson. Since then, she had not been able to speak her mind aloud.

Bang.
Suddenly, the door flew open. Both Idella and Duchess Marie flinched in shock.

Duke Aike spoke with a frown.

“Is it still not done?”

His gaze lingered on the dress laces that had not yet been fully tied. Afraid that he might explode in anger, Duchess Marie hurriedly grabbed the laces and said,

“It’ll be finished soon. Please give us just a little more time.”

“Hurry up. The people from Count Lorem should be arriving soon.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Once the door closed, Idella murmured,

“What am I to Father?”

Duchess Marie said nothing. What could she say? She herself had married Duke Aike by her father’s decision. She had slept with him out of duty, borne him four children—and now she was pregnant again.

What she hated most was the marital bed. The act of undressing and having sex solely to conceive children always made her feel humiliated. Duke Aike knew this well. When he wanted to punish her most severely, he would deliberately force himself on her. That was why she came to hate it even more.

Duchess Marie spoke.

“The only child I truly love is you, Idella.”

Tris had carried the image of an heir from the moment he was born, which somehow made him difficult to approach. Aden and Tommy, born one after another, were somewhat better, but she never grew attached to them. Idella, however, had been lovable from the moment she was born. Instead of leaving her entirely to the nanny like before, she had even cared for her with her own hands from time to time.

As she tightened the laces one by one, Duchess Marie said,

“I’m sorry. I’m too weak.”

Marriage was a symbiotic relationship. The only person who married out of mad love was King Ackers. That was why people pointed fingers at and despised Maser, the king’s illegitimate child, and his mother, Yohas. They had broken a long-standing convention. Love, faith, trust—those were nothing but illusions. This was a world where everything was decided by power.

Idella said through streaming tears,

“How am I supposed to live from now on?”

Swallowing her own tears, Duchess Marie replied,

“If you want to survive… you must bear a son. And you must make Count Lorem your ally. Only then will things be even a little easier.”

She had only just turned fourteen, yet she had to become a countess. She had heard that everyone in Count Lorem’s household had once served his deceased wife. No matter that she was a duke’s daughter—there, she would be nothing more than the countess. Idella would likely be ostracized and ignored. Even so, Duchess Marie advised her,

“Always hold your head high and be confident. You are the mistress of the house. You are the countess.”

Idella closed her eyes. Tris came to mind on his own. She missed him desperately. The feeling slipped past her lips without her realizing it.

“I miss my big brother.”

Swallowing her tears, Duchess Marie said,

“You always liked Tris especially.”

Idella let out a small, unconscious smile.

“If it were Brother Tris, I think he’d get angry for my sake. No one ever stands up to Father—but he does. He’s the only one.”

“That’s not a good thing. Tris is spoiled.”

She said that, but deep down, Duchess Marie thought the same. If Tris had been here, Idella’s marriage wouldn’t have been rushed through so messily and swiftly. At the very least, he would have ensured a splendid wedding in the Aike territory.

Just as the dress was perfectly fitted and they were finishing her hair, a noise suddenly seemed to come from outside.

“What’s that?”

Duchess Marie stood up and opened the door. At once, a loud shout pierced her ears.

“Father!”

It was Tris. Idella’s face crumpled. Tears burst forth on their own. Tris had come.

Tris’s expression was completely different from usual. All traces of laughter were gone, and with icy eyes blazing sharply, he pressed Duke Aike.

“So you’re really sending Idella to that old man Lorem? Have you lost your mind?”

Aden frowned and spoke to Tris.

“What are you saying?! How dare you talk to Father like that!”

“Shut up!”

The dangerous edge in his voice made Aden step back without realizing it. Tommy merely darted his eyes around, anxiously reading the room.

“Say something!”

When Tris shouted again, this time Peta stepped in to stop him.

“Please, Tris…”

When Tris appeared in the kitchen holding wolf pelts, everyone had been shocked. Tris, who hadn’t once returned to the main estate during his period of confinement, had suddenly appeared at that very moment. Everyone had simply stared at him as if they were seeing a ghost.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen? Didn’t you all miss me?”

He said it with a smile, but Runi burst into tears. That was the signal. The news of Idella’s marriage had enraged Tris—especially since the groom was Count Lorem. He slammed the wolf pelts onto the floor and immediately went to find Duke Aike in his study.

Duke Aike couldn’t help being surprised either. Irritated by Tris’s appearance, he spoke coolly.

“What brings you here? Who told you?”

Tris shot back at him aggressively.

“How far does Father’s greed go?”

“What? What did you just say?”

“Have you gone blind with lust for power? Is sending Idella to an old man really the only way you can strengthen your position?”

“Watch your mouth!”

“I won’t! Lower taxes to stimulate growth, increase the population, recruit commoners as soldiers, and settle wandering migrants who want to stay outside the walls. What we need are people!”

“So you think ruling Delo Castle for a while makes you something special. Now you dare lecture me?”

“Idella is only fourteen! How is a fourteen-year-old supposed to survive in a place like that? Does this make any sense at all?!”

“And does it make sense to defy me? You’ve truly gone mad.”

From that point on, the argument between father and son began. Peta fidgeted nervously and tried to restrain Tris.

“They’ve already arrived. No matter what you do, nothing will change.”

“Let go.”

“Tris!”

“I said let go.”

His tone was so threatening that this time Peta instinctively stepped back. Tris’s dark blue eyes turned pitch-black. The icy aura pouring from his entire body seemed to freeze the air itself.

Peta’s expression stiffened. In ten years together, she had never seen Tris this angry. Aden and Tommy faltered. Even Duke Aike’s expression changed.

Tris spoke calmly.

“In any case, I cannot accept this. Find another way.”

That was even more chilling. It felt like standing in the eye of a storm.

“So you really want to challenge me?!”

“I cannot accept it.”

“Who do you think you are?! Without me, you are nothing!”

Tris stared silently at Duke Aike. Duke Aike was a noble to his very bones—armored in the sense of privilege and exclusive arrogance that only nobles possessed. To him, children were tools, nothing more and nothing less.

But Tris was different. Whether it was something innate, he had grown up within noble privilege as well, yet he understood what it meant to cherish someone. And when he did something while cherishing someone, it brought him joy. At some point, he had realized it: he and his father only looked similar on the surface—in reality, they were complete opposites. That was why they always clashed whenever they were together.

“Father.”

A low voice that seemed to press against the ground. Duke Aike met those black eyes, swirling with a violent storm. Tris asked,

“What will you do if Idella cannot bear Count Lorem a son?”

Count Lorem had only ever had one daughter. He had no sons.

“Then Father’s plan will fail. What do you intend to do then?”

Marrying Idella to prevent an illegitimate child from inheriting a title—he had never heard such nonsense before. Who was it that created the illegitimate child in the first place? Above all, was a child some kind of object? He could not understand how anyone could treat their own flesh and blood that way. By now, traditions and customs alike all looked like garbage to him.