WHCTA 09

Chapter: 09

At the Emperor’s question, the duke opened his mouth with that same expressionless face.

“I apologize for causing a disturbance.”

That was all he said, without any explanation.

His indifferent attitude was so detached that it made even onlookers feel awkward.

“Haha, there’s no need to apologize. If anything, I was about to apologize to the two of you.”

A look of confusion appeared on the duke’s face at the Emperor’s words.

I felt exactly the same.

“I nearly separated two people whose hearts already belonged to each other.”

“…Pardon?”

My eyes widened as I stared at the duke sitting across from me, wondering what on earth the Emperor meant.

But judging by the duke’s furrowed brows, he was just as confused.

“I had no idea the two of you felt that way, so I was trying to arrange a marriage between the duke and the daughter of Count Brien.”

The Emperor added that he felt sorry for the both of us.

I barely had time to process those words before he dropped another bombshell.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll personally choose the wedding date. A union between two families I cherish so much—I couldn’t be happier!”

After saying that, the Emperor looked back and forth between the duke and me before bursting into hearty laughter.

His words made his intentions painfully obvious.

He expected the marriage between our two families to strengthen the influence of the imperial faction even further.

Just then, while the Emperor was still laughing merrily, a servant approached from behind and whispered something into his ear.

A moment later, the Emperor sprang to his feet with an apologetic smile.

“Oh! I completely forgot I have an engagement this afternoon. I’ll have the wedding date delivered to your families. Until then, I’ll see you both again on your wedding day.”

“Your Majesty, wait—!”

Ignoring my attempt to stop him, the Emperor said everything he wanted to say before quickly leaving the greenhouse.

After our brief audience ended, the duke and I walked out of the greenhouse together.

Step.

Step.

“…”

On the way to the carriage, neither of us spoke.

The Emperor personally ordered us to get married…

He had probably calculated that a marriage between the Feldrorang Ducal House and the imperial family would benefit the Empire more than one with the Brien County.

It was fortunate that I had managed to stop his marriage to Lady Brien…

But…

“Are you satisfied now?”

The duke, who had been silently walking ahead, suddenly turned around and fixed me with an unwavering stare.

His sharp gaze landed on my face, and my body stiffened instinctively.

“Because of one little prank, you’re about to marry a complete stranger. I’m curious what you intend to do now.”

So he really thought it was all just a joke.

The bitterness in my mouth deepened because my feelings had never been that frivolous.

At the same time, I remembered what Cezar had told me before, making my heart feel even heavier.

Keeping my expression as calm as possible, I answered,

“What else can I do? I’ll get married.”

“I have no desire to marry you, Lady.”

“I’ll return to His Majesty right now and ask him to withdraw the order. There will never be a marriage between you and me.”

His blunt rejection left me speechless.

I hadn’t expected him to dislike the idea so openly, and I couldn’t hide my shock.

But when he married Lady Brien in the original story, he accepted the imperial decree without complaint…

“Do you… perhaps like Lady Brien?”

Unable to help myself, I asked.

The duke’s expression twisted into an even deeper frown.

“I don’t even know what Lady Brien looks like. And even if I did, that would never be the reason.”

“Then why?”

Until then, he had answered every question without resistance.

But the moment I asked that last one, his lips sealed shut.

His cold eyes remained fixed on me in silence, and with every passing second, my anxiety grew.

Does he simply not want to marry anyone? But if he refuses me now, he’ll end up marrying Lady Brien as planned.

Knowing how that marriage would ultimately end, I had to prevent it no matter what.

“Then I’ll be leaving.”

While I was lost in thought, the duke acted as though he had said everything he wanted and prepared to leave.

After being turned away countless times over the past several days, I had a strong feeling that if I let him go now, I would never get another chance to see him.

I hurriedly stepped in front of him and blocked his path.

“Wait! If you don’t like marriage, then just think of it as a contract.”

At the word contract, I saw him frown.

“If you marry me, those nobles who look down on you behind your back will disappear. And both our families will gain plenty of benefits in the future.”

I listed every advantage this marriage could offer him.

At this point, it was my only option.

After listening to me quietly for quite some time, the duke finally met my eyes.

“Lady Feldrorang.”

At last, he called my name in a low, rough voice.

For some reason, he looked thoroughly displeased.

Then he slowly began walking toward me.

His completely expressionless face looked so cold that I found myself retreating one step after another as he approached.

Thud.

Before I realized it, my back hit the wall.

With nowhere left to retreat, I had no choice but to look up at him.

“You were following me just fine a moment ago. Why are you running away now?”

Our eyes met.

His cold, ash-gray eyes overwhelmed me so completely that I couldn’t even part my lips.

Then—

He suddenly leaned closer.

“Gah…”

His terrifying gaze drew so near that it looked capable of dropping several grown men on the spot.

Without thinking, I shrank my neck and squeezed my eyes tightly shut.

But no matter how long I waited, nothing happened.

When I cautiously opened my eyes again, I found the duke staring directly at my face with one eyebrow raised.

“You get scared just because I come a little closer…”

“…”

“So why are you throwing around words like marriage so casually?”

“…”

“What if I turned out to be some terrible bastard? How can you so carelessly offer to marry someone when you’re the type who’d be taken advantage of so easily?”

His rough way of speaking reminded me of a thug from the back alleys.

I could only stand there opening and closing my mouth without saying a word.

“Dahlia!”

A sharp voice suddenly shattered the silence.

Turning toward the sound, I saw Delos charging toward us like an enraged bull.

He stopped right in front of us, caught his breath, then glared fiercely.

“What the hell is this supposed to mean? Marriage?!”

Staring at the fuming Delos, I barely managed to swallow the curse that almost escaped my lips.

When has this idiot ever been helpful in my life?

As I let out a weary sigh instead, Delos crossed the line completely.

“Don’t tell me… you came up with this ridiculous scheme because of me?”

“What?”

“No matter how upset you’ve been with me all this time, how could you decide to marry another man?”

His absurd accusation left me utterly speechless.

But he wasn’t finished.

“And of all people, why did you have to choose someone like…”

He shot a glance at the duke before scowling deeply and muttering loud enough for everyone to hear.

His contempt for the duke was unmistakable.

At that moment, my eyes drifted to Delos’s hand.

He was slowly rolling the ring on his index finger with his thumb.

Having stayed by his side for so many years, I immediately recognized the habit.

Whenever something bothered him, he would unconsciously play with the ring on his index finger.

A moment later, Delos turned back toward me.

In an instant, he smoothed over his expression and put on a gentle smile.

“I’ve already been more than patient with you. That’s enough. Besides, if you leave me, you won’t even be able to get married.”

“Who would want to marry a woman who’s spent more than ten years doing nothing but trailing after me?”