TCTR 16

Chapter 16

She was brimming with confidence, exuding a calmness far too natural for someone debuting in high society for the first time.

She looked nothing like the worthless noblewoman described in the rumors.

The Emperor descended the stairs and took the sword handed to him by a knight.

I knelt on one knee before him, and the blade gently rested on my shoulder.

“It’s time our Empire sheds its worn-out shackles. Lady Mertiel.”

Today,

“I hold your spirit and ability in higher regard than anyone else’s.”

I will seize power with both hands and abandon the life I had spent groveling on the floor.

“You not only successfully commanded the containment of two devastating plagues but have also aided the Duke in protecting the Empire’s borders to this day.”

Kistchel, who had been observing the entire situation, lowered his chin and glanced around at the nobles exchanging confused looks.

“You alone stopped the collapse of the Mage Tower—one of the Empire’s pillars and pride—and earned the people’s praise.”

He was likely referring to the time I prevented the collapse of the Mage Tower right before returning to the capital.

The two plagues mentioned by the Emperor had ravaged the entire continent and were a major crisis.

Yet the Empire alone was able to avoid the worst.

Why? Because an unknown noble had spent a fortune setting up medical clinics throughout the Empire.

They also distributed essential sanitation supplies across the nation—for free.

Thanks to that, the mysterious noble became a hero… and it turned out that hero was our Lady Mertiel.

The Duke had dumped the task on her because he didn’t want to do it himself, but she still did her utmost.

Kistchel, who had watched the process from the sidelines, licked his lips bitterly.

“She became a hero, but the Duke despised her even more.”

Even knowing he could exploit the daughter who made his house famous, the Duke kept it all hidden.

He hated her so deeply that he did everything he could to keep her out of the public eye.

And the bit about aiding the Duke in guarding the borders?

It was half-true and half-lie.

She did guard the borders, yes—but not as the “Duke’s assistant.”

Rather, as the “slave he exploited without mercy.”

What else?

“Moreover, seeing that you are the master of the Asra Merchant Guild, it is clear you are more than capable of governing the duchy.”

I blinked and looked up at the Emperor before me.

That’s exactly why I returned the Duke’s assets to the Imperial family—to win the Emperor over.

The Asra Merchant Guild, owned by the Mertiel family…

The very guild that had made the Duke’s house unimaginably wealthy… was mine.

It was almost laughable how things ended up this way.

Father gave me all the tedious work he didn’t want to handle.

He dismissed the guild as a petty business and handed it to me carelessly. But I worked hard to prove myself—and made it into what it is now.

Of course, before the regression, he took it from me too.

I remembered the way he gently coaxed me to change the guild’s ownership, just before I was framed as a criminal.

He had never been so kind, and like a fool, I fell for it.

I was young, naïve.

Back then, being acknowledged by my father was everything to me.

Ah, my shoulder hurts.

Surely the Emperor isn’t pressing the sword down that hard?

I had flattered the Emperor, told him I would be his loyal servant if he gave me the duchy. Of course, he knew I didn’t mean a word of it.

He’s not the type to fall for sweet talk.

Every time I met him, it felt like I was caged with a starving beast.

Dangerous.
Truly.

The only reason he gave me this now is because returning the Mertiel wealth to the Imperial family was more convenient than letting another noble house absorb it and cause chaos.

But soon, he will cast me aside.

He would never want the Mertiel family to grow stronger.

Even now, look at him—he narrowed his eyes as he listed my accomplishments: the plague, the borders, the merchant guild. The future is obvious.

But it’s fine.

“To the only remaining bloodline of the late Duke, I hereby bestow the title of Duke of Mertiel.”

Things were unfolding exactly as promised.

“From this moment forth, I declare Inerra Mertiel to be the new Duke, in the name of Libedro.”

The nobles, looking dazed, began clapping one by one.

Even those who had prepared to pounce were now left dumbfounded and sighing in defeat.

What must it feel like to applaud a woman whose face they couldn’t even see?

“As a noble who now bears the Empire’s highest honor, the Duke must fulfill her duties and show compassion to her people.”

“I, Inerra Mertiel, accept His Majesty’s command and swear to carry out these duties.”

An attendant took the sword from the Emperor and presented it to me.

It was a splendid blade worthy of a Duke—razor-sharp, glossy, and smooth without a single blemish.

The hilt, coated in black, bore the Mertiel family crest.

A perfect sword for a Duke.

I stood as I received it.

My robe fluttered like rippling water.

A thunderous round of applause exploded among the nobles.

But the applause came to a sudden halt, as if puppet strings had been severed, when one man rose from his seat.

“Inerra.”

A sweet voice filled the hall, one that no amount of money could buy.

Everyone’s necks creaked as they turned to focus on one spot.

“Congratulations.”

The man descended the stairs in long strides.

“I know you’ll make a fine Duke.”

So familiar.

He spoke to me—the woman who was the center of today’s ceremony.

Everyone froze, blinking, unsure if this was really happening.

The man came close, gently took my gloved fingertips, and placed a kiss on them.

With his other hand, he held my waist and smiled more beautifully than anyone else in the world.

Not his usual soft, kind smile—but one overflowing with deep affection.

The crowd could only gape at the sight.

“Esh.”

The one no one dared to meet eyes with.

I called him.

A man known not just for his devastating beauty—which enchanted both men and women—but also for his authority and icy intellect…

The man every noble in the Empire desperately wanted but could never have.

Crown Prince Eshdeuá Pol Libedro gently kissed my cheek.

Under countless scorching gazes, I thought:

Duke.
I have become a Duke.

I now held the position of the man I loathed most—my father.

I barely suppressed the dizzying rush that surged through my body and turned around.

Now, lower your knee just slightly…

Thankfully, the training I’d done with Kistchel in recent days paid off. It looked convincing enough.

A beautiful singing voice swept over me like a wave, covering my whole being.

“What could my Duke be thinking about, standing there with me?”

His arm wrapped around my waist, and I sharply turned to look up.

At the end of my gaze stood the man whose unearthly looks lit up the room.

His soft voice, even if I didn’t like it, naturally calmed my nerves.

“Nothing much… I just liked the song.”

“Did you?”

Eshdeuá brushed my loose hair behind my ear.

His open display of affection was so blatant, people audibly sighed from afar.

“It’s not really my style… but if you like it, then I don’t mind it.”

The song reached its climax.

Oops… I nearly stepped on his foot.

Eshdeuá tilted my chin upward with a stroke of his finger.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

“Ah, nothing…”

“It’s fine if you don’t tell me. But whatever you’re thinking, if you’re with me, your thoughts should be on me.”

The music was nearing its end.

A pleasant fragrance tickled my senses like fluttering butterfly wings.

What was I thinking?

“Because I’m your lover.”

Yes.
That’s exactly what I was thinking.

My ash-gray eyes rolled inside my wide, round gaze.

To explain everything from the beginning…

I’d have to go back in time just a little.