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Chapter 31
“Did you plan this from the beginning?”
Sitting on the horse in front of and behind Averkyn, Bellaksina asked without turning around. For some reason, it had felt awkward to ask while looking at his face, so she had been putting it off.
“You mean the date?”
“No, not that.”
Bellaksina cleared her throat softly.
“I mean our marriage. The part about being able to do it without the Emperor’s approval.”
Averkyn gave a faint chuckle, as if she were asking something trivial.
“Unfortunately, I don’t memorize every clause of imperial law. I appreciate the high opinion, though.”
“So you did look into it.”
“I did, right after I purchased you. I stopped by the library on the way to pick you up.”
“You’re quite thorough.”
“Not particularly.”
Averkyn lifted his gaze toward the distance.
“Ishken’s winter is approaching, so we need to hold the wedding quickly. I assume you remember me saying that.”
Bellaksina nodded.
“You said that marriages are forbidden once the polar night begins. Because childbirth would be dangerous for both mother and child.”
“If that were the only reason, we could simply marry next spring.”
“Well…”
Bellaksina unconsciously glanced toward Averkyn’s lower body, then quickly stopped herself and coughed again.
“I just assumed it was because you were… at that age where you’d be in a hurry.”
“How rude.”
Though he scolded her bluntly, Averkyn let out a small laugh.
“For the record, I am not in any physical hurry. My prime may be behind me, but I still have plenty of strength left.”
“Yes, yes. Of course.”
“……”
Averkyn briefly considered snapping back at her openly mocking tone, but decided against it. No matter what, it was unbecoming of a knight to comment on a woman’s age.
‘I’ll get my revenge someday.’
He resolved to repay her later and continued.
“The reason I’m rushing the marriage is because of the spring social season. When all those nobles gather and start gossiping, it will be impossible to keep your presence here hidden. It would also disrupt the wedding plans.”
“But you said there’s no legal problem.”
Averkyn shook his head.
“Regardless of imperial law, the Emperor will definitely interfere.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because no man in this world would happily accept a woman he once considered his own falling into another man’s arms.”
At his firm declaration, Bellaksina scoffed as if it were absurd.
“You don’t know, but our engagement was basically a formality. Lord Rudiger actually detests me. I’m not exactly someone he’d feel possessive over.”
“You’re the one who doesn’t understand. It doesn’t matter from a man’s perspective. He’d rather see her dead or locked away alone than married to someone else. He might even lock her in a convent.”
“Are you serious? What kind of nonsense is that…?”
As Bellaksina tried to protest—
“Shh. Be careful what you say from here on.”
Averkyn gestured toward the front.
Beyond a bridge wide enough for two carriages to pass, the village area of Ishken’s domain began.
“If the villagers see you, I suggest acting familiar with me. If you don’t want them to realize you were sold like property.”
“I know that.”
Bellaksina disliked how he kept bringing it up whenever he remembered.
‘Then he shouldn’t have called it a date.’
It wasn’t like she had expected anything romantic, so she wasn’t particularly disappointed.
Soon, they entered the village.
“Attention! We greet the Lord Commander!”
Four guards stationed at the entrance spotted Averkyn and immediately raised their spears in salute.
“Any issues during patrol?”
“None, sir!”
“Good. Keep it that way.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Oh, and—”
After finishing the brief exchange, Averkyn jumped down from his horse.
“Could you take care of the horses? One of them won’t be ridden anyway, so you may return it directly to the cavalry stables.”
“Of course, Lord Commander.”
“Mm.”
Averkyn handed over the reins and then reached out toward Bellaksina.
A gesture telling her to jump down into his arms.
‘This is a bit embarrassing.’
It wasn’t particularly strange. Anyone could tell that someone wearing a long dress that covered the ankles would struggle to dismount a horse alone.
Still, usually a servant would assist, and she would step down herself.
“You seem shy.”
“W-what… I haven’t been held like this since I was a child…”
As she spoke, it accidentally made it sound like she truly was shy. She then noticed the guards staring at her.
They looked at her with warm, almost amused expressions, as if watching a noble young lady’s innocent first love.
“Eek!”
The realization made her face flush red.
‘I have to endure this kind of look from mere soldiers?’
If they knew who she was, they would be bowing in fear right now. The humiliation made her want to lash out—but before she could—
“I’ll help you.”
“Daddy!”
Averkyn grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her off the saddle, catching her smoothly in his arms.
“Usually people say ‘mommy,’ don’t they?”
Averkyn smiled faintly, amused.
Bellaksina trembled with suppressed rage.
“‘Daddy’ was something she would blurt out when she was genuinely startled. It was a childhood habit from being raised primarily by her father, Duke Awtbayan, and she found it extremely embarrassing.
“You—!”
“I apologize for startling you.”
The sudden use of honorific speech made Bellaksina’s eyes widen.
She quickly understood why.
‘So you’re acting respectful in front of others.’
Her teeth ground together.
When they were alone, he treated her like a slave—but in front of others, he played the courteous lord protecting his future lady of the house?
“How considerate,” she muttered through clenched teeth.
Averkyn only smiled slightly.
And in that moment, she realized—
‘He’s getting revenge.’
This was payback for her earlier remark about his age.
She leaned in and whispered so only he could hear:
“You’re quite petty, aren’t you?”
“I prefer to call it persistence.”
“Another word for it is grudges.”
“Ahem.”
At that moment, one of the guards cleared his throat.
“Um… it’s good that you two get along, but there are people watching…”
Only then did they realize they were still in a princess carry.
They had been bickering so intensely that they had stayed in that position far longer than appropriate.
“Right. I’ll put you down.”
“P-please do!”
What an embarrassment this was.
Bellaksina felt her face burning as she glanced at Averkyn. His expression was as stern as ever—but his ears were bright red.
‘Hmph. So even this stoic man gets embarrassed.’
The awkward silence spread. Even the guards grew uncomfortable.
Trying to ease the tension, one of them spoke.
“By the way, are you both heading to Ostrava Square?”
“…We are?”
“Oh, earlier Sir Redek and Lady Margareta passed through here as well. It’s market day, so they said they were going to buy supplies from the inner estate.”
At that, Averkyn frowned slightly.
‘Margareta usually handles the household affairs… why was Redek with her?’
It wasn’t necessary for him to accompany her. Most supplies were ordered and delivered.
A thought crossed his mind.
‘Redek… could he possibly be interested in Margareta?’
No, that couldn’t be. Redek had no reason to desire her. And yet—
A memory surfaced.
‘Sir Redek even came to my window last night to read poetry… Ahh! It’s a lie!’
‘Redek Libodukan! I’ll kill him! How could he do that to my friend!’
‘Who is that scoundrel Redek who toyed with Anna?!’
Redek was infamous in Ishken as a notorious womanizer.
That made the thought all the more unsettling.
“Let’s hurry.”
“Why suddenly?”
“A serious political crisis may be unfolding in Ishken.”
Bellaksina, completely unaware, nodded solemnly.
In one swift motion, Averkyn lifted her and placed her on his white horse, then mounted in front of her.
“The positions are reversed…”
“This is correct.”
He kicked the horse’s side, and it bolted forward.
“Daddy!”
“Hold on tight.”
Bellaksina grabbed his waist tightly for survival.
As they sped away, the guards watched them leave.
“No need to worry about them.”
“Yeah. They really do get along well.”
“Yeah… their relationship is too good.”
“Yeah… way too good…”
