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Chapter 65
The party was in full swing.
I took my place as Eshed’s partner.
So it’s true what they said—that Duke Mertiel is the Crown Prince’s lover.
That reaction was only natural.
Right now, it was good for me to solidify my position in any way, so even that reaction wasn’t unwelcome.
The problem was…
It came after the party, in Eshed’s response.
He was still smiling beautifully, skillfully interacting with others in the fluent, elegant Lyman Imperial language.
Because of that, there was a natural moment when it was just the two of us alone.
It happened during dance time, but neither of us danced. We stood near the curtains, facing a brief silence.
He looked at the lavish dance hall without glancing at me and said,
“Even when you’ve tamed a beast, you shouldn’t trust it too much—I just momentarily forgot that fact.”
A chill ran through his voice, and I tightened my stomach.
“I couldn’t accept it. There’s no way I could have a choice to marry anyone but you, Eshed.”
He tilted his head slowly.
In the slanted gaze he gave me, there wasn’t even a trace of kindness.
“Inera.”
“Speak.”
Today, I was ready to respond no matter what he said.
“You never had a choice in the first place. Did you really think it was plausible for you and me to marry?”
“But…”
“You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
I didn’t avoid his outstretched hand.
The hand, unable to convey any warmth through the glove, lifted my chin.
The breath that spilled over my face was unbearably hot.
“You said you’d do anything if I let you live.”
“Ah…”
“Even if you’ve come to love me, you can’t ignore that promise.”
“You also refused my request. So I have the right to make a choice like this… just as much as you do.”
Those blue eyes, pulling me in completely, held a thrilling intensity, but deep within them was a coldness that drove me insane.
He curved the corner of his eyes.
I decided not to give him time to think.
I wrapped my arms around Eshed’s neck and closed the distance, lowering my voice so he could hear clearly.
“You want to get rid of the Second Prince because it’s bad if he becomes Emperor, right? From the standpoint of the Livedro Empire… it’s better for the slightly more foolish First Prince to lead the country.”
Of course, there were probably other reasons as well.
There were behind-the-scenes matters I didn’t know about. Whatever they were, Eshed wanted the First Prince to become Crown Prince and eventually Emperor.
“So then… you just need to make sure the Second Prince doesn’t inherit the throne.”
“Haha.”
“I promised I’d grant everything you wish. I will definitely keep that promise.”
Eshed wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Quite disappointing.”
The ‘me’ he looked at now wasn’t Inera Mertiel or Ina—it was just the ‘dog’ he had tamed.
“You’re still beautiful, and I don’t want to do anything harsh to you… what a dilemma.”
If necessary… I would become the faithful dog he wanted me to be.
“Should I just pretend I don’t know and go along with it?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Ah, boring.”
“I don’t get why they invited both of us at once.”
“And Lyman Empire considers twins unlucky.”
“But as long as no one ignores them because of their family, it’s fine.”
“If someone had ignored them, they wouldn’t have gotten away with it.”
The two men trudged out of the ballroom and walked through a garden decorated very differently from the Empire.
The flowers, clearly maintained by magic, seemed to wither instantly when they plucked the petals, as if stolen moments of time had returned in full.
They dropped the shriveled petals to the ground.
“Ah, I’m tired. Let’s go inside.”
“Better to sleep quickly anyway. Lyman Empire alcohol doesn’t even taste good.”
They headed toward their rooms.
Or rather, they were about to.
If they hadn’t noticed a woman staring down at the artificially arranged lakeshore…
“Inera?”
“What are you doing there?”
The woman leaned precariously on the railing, looking down at the lake. Her hair melted into the darkness as she lifted her head.
Seeing her empty eyes, Hian and His hurried over.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“Don’t lean like that. The railing is low—it’s dangerous.”
Her small body fell helplessly into their arms.
They thought they had last seen her with the Crown Prince.
Why was she here like this?
“Hian…”
A faint breath escaped her, spreading softly in their embrace.
Hian adjusted her carefully, bending to meet her eye level.
“Yeah. It’s me, Inera. Why are you here alone like this?”
At his gentle voice, her eyelashes trembled and she tightly closed her eyes.
She held her head with both hands, murmuring in pain.
“I… I mean…”
“Speak. I’m listening.”
Every time she did this, the ground seemed to drop beneath them and anxiety gripped their bodies.
They knew how beautifully she could smile and didn’t want to see her face twisted in such pain.
“No… no, I can’t say it.”
Her hands, trying weakly to push away the hands holding her, were so feeble they barely made an impact—but they let her go.
Seeing her trembling shoulders, His hurriedly hugged her.
“If you can’t tell us, who are you going to tell?”
“Inera, it’s okay. We’re on your side.”
Her gray eyes, swallowed by dark black, slowly returned to clarity, focusing on them.
She looked exhausted, yet resigned, her expression empty.
Only now did she look like a girl of her age.
“What… what should I do?”
Inera clung to His’s clothing, burying herself in his arms.
“I might have to marry the Second Prince of Lyman Empire. Sob.”
“What?”
“No. Do I really have to marry like I’m being sold off?”
Her green eyes, which everyone often called mysterious, shrank drastically.
Hian and His looked at each other.
By seeing each other’s faces, they could tell the expression they were making.
“What should I do? Hian, His… what am I supposed to do?”
His held her tightly.
Thump thump—her heartbeat echoed loudly.
“What are you talking about? You marrying the Second Prince of Lyman Empire?”
“Who is forcing you to do that? You… you’re a Duke.”
They had never felt such emotions for anyone in their lives.
They felt a need to protect her—as if she would collapse if it weren’t for them.
The resigned look on her slightly lifted face told them she had already accepted the situation.
“The Second Prince wants to marry me… I… I can’t refuse.”
“Why can’t you refuse?! Who could ever force you?!”
“…Who could I refuse?”
“You’re a Duke.”
Inera shook her lowered head.
“A Duke? Everyone ignores female dukes. Do you think I have the power my father or your father has?”
“Who says anyone’s ignoring you?”
“No! Everyone’s desperate to get something from me! They’re so busy watching me closely to see if I mess up even a little!”
“Inera.”
“If I marry, people will line up to force my husband to take my title! If I get pregnant, distant relatives will try to take my title… every… single… day!”
“Inera, it’s okay. It’s just us here, so calm down, okay?”
Hian gently wiped her reddened eyes.
The pitiful image of a girl who couldn’t even cry left a strong impression on them.
“Do I have any choice? Do I have to marry someone from another country… someone I don’t love?”
It was like an unbreakable shackle.
An invisible emotion crept up and wrapped around their necks.
Inera wrapped her arms around His.
“Rather… rather than that, I’d marry you!”
In that moment, even they didn’t know what they felt.
They knew she was showing this side of herself only to them.
They knew it was the side she had been hiding inside.
They were shaken and tempted.
“Don’t worry about anything, Inera.”
“Nothing like that will happen.”
“Inera… we have no choice but to protect you.”
“I’ll protect you. Whatever you want, I’ll make it happen.”
A fire ignited in the hearts of the two men.
