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Chapter 7
Shioden was dressed in formal black northern attire.
Seeing him approach me with a stunned expression, I parted my lips.
Have you been well? I thought you had already returned to the North. You were still in the Imperial Palace. I’m sorry I could only return your brooch like that before.
Several words crossed my mind, but I had no idea which one I should say.
At that moment, the chief chamberlain of the Imperial Palace approached.
“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived in the audience chamber.”
In other words, we were to enter without delay.
Before that, I almost told Shioden to make time for me later somehow, but then I remembered Damian—who had raised absolute chaos just because I had spoken with him before—and I closed my mouth.
I desperately searched for another way, but the chamberlain urged us again.
“Your Grace, My Lady. His Majesty is waiting for both of you.”
Only then did I realize that we had both been summoned by the Emperor.
Startled, I looked at Shioden, and his lips moved as though he, too, had something to say.
But there was no time for conversation.
If we delayed any longer, it would appear as disloyalty to the Emperor.
The current Emperor despised even the slightest damage to his authority.
At the same time, he liked to act generous, tricking others into misunderstanding him and placing themselves in difficult situations.
The Emperor was not alone in the audience chamber.
Father was already seated just below the head seat at the long oval table.
He turned toward us, and as he always did when others were watching, he smiled warmly.
That gentle smile—soft enough to make him look like a loving father—made me flinch without realizing it.
Even Shioden hesitated slightly.
The moment I remembered what my father had done to his father, shame burned across my face.
It wasn’t my crime, yet I still felt embarrassed and sorry.
The Emperor, with bright golden hair like Aiden’s and pale sky-blue eyes, spoke with a pleasant expression.
“Everyone is here. Take your seats.”
My seat was directly beneath Father’s.
Shioden’s was across from Father.
Once we were seated, the Emperor turned his gaze to me.
“Lady Rowen. You are aware that your father is my close friend, are you not?”
“I consider it an honor to my family.”
“Yes. Though I have not openly shown it, I have always thought of you as a daughter. I have daughters of my own, of course, but that child hardly feels like one, so whenever I see you, that loneliness vanishes.”
For someone saying that, the Emperor had never shown me much personal interest.
He was always far more invested in the deals that could be made around me than in me myself.
“Sometimes, when I look at you, I wonder how delightful it would be if Rowen’s joy entered the Imperial Family and became my joy as well.”
Joy?
At those absurd words, I nearly lost the smile I had carefully maintained.
I had never once been anyone’s joy.
Only one being—Apple—had always welcomed me.
But even to that child, I had probably been more sorrow than joy.
Apple loved me, but the me Apple loved was someone dragged around helplessly by my entire household.
The more Apple loved me, the more it hurt.
“Still, while I have much joy, there are those who do not.”
After saying something no one could sincerely sympathize with, the Emperor turned his head toward Shioden.
“Duke of the North.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You recently lost your father.”
At those words, the man’s composed lips twitched.
Shioden answered only with a brief bow.
It was obvious he had no desire to discuss the subject further.
Unlike how he had spoken to me, the Emperor’s tone changed entirely.
“Your father was once a very close friend of mine.”
Once.
That single word contained the entire source of the rift between the Imperial Family and Raslet.
When the current Emperor had still been Crown Prince, the Imperial Family and Raslet had been closely connected.
Their relationship shattered when Shioden’s father—the former Duke Raslet—fell in love with the Crown Prince’s fiancée.
The Crown Prince had cursed both the fiancée who abandoned a long-standing promise for a new lover and the close friend who had betrayed his friendship.
Even after ascending the throne, he continued to do so.
“Though our relationship soured over unfortunate matters, the generations have changed. It is time to cast aside old emotions.”
“It is also not a pleasant sight for a man to remain alone too long.”
Murmuring that, the Emperor extended his hand into the air.
It was the very gesture he always made when declaring an imperial decree.
“Therefore, today, in this very place, I shall grant the Duke a new joy.”
His voice turned solemn.
“In the name of Ritelin, I decree the marriage of Iela Rowen and Shioden Raslet.”
The moment those words ended, silence fell.
I could not believe what I had just heard.
Judging by his expression, Shioden felt the same.
The same disbelief that gripped me crossed his face.
Father, seated beside me, finally spoke.
“Your Majesty.”
“Kaphren, I do apologize. It is nearly as though I am stealing your family’s joy.”
Then the Emperor’s lips curved upward.
“But was it not you who said Lady Rowen was particularly fond of the new Duke of the North?”
I had never said such a thing to Father.
And in that instant, I understood.
This was a trap Father and the Emperor had arranged in advance.
The one they intended to bring down was Shioden—
Or more precisely, House Raslet.
At last, I understood why Father had said nothing all throughout the banquet period, even when I stayed in my room.
My wicked father, despite being the architect of this entire snare, feigned innocence.
“I did not say it expecting matters to unfold this way.”
“Of course, I understand your feelings. You cherish your daughter dearly. But in memory of old friendship, I thought I ought at least to see Lerox’s son matched with a worthy bride.”
If he truly cared about friendship, he would never have spoken so shamelessly.
Yet the Emperor merely lifted his chin.
Looking down at us from above, he smiled with satisfaction.
“From up here, the two of them look remarkably well suited.”
As expected, the moment Father returned to the Rowen estate in the capital, he revealed his true thoughts.
“It’s unfortunate to give up a marriage into the Imperial Family, but Raslet will do well enough as prey.”
At dinner, seated before his children who sat below him, Father looked around and asked,
“How much longer do you think that young Raslet pup will last?”
Iswen answered first.
“Not even three years.”
“So you’re saying big brother plans to make sure of that?”
Damian suddenly cut in with a mocking tone.
“For someone going after a boy that much younger than himself, brother really is vicious. Still, impressive.”
The atmosphere at the table instantly turned icy.
Father narrowed his eyes as though measuring something.
Iswen’s brow furrowed sharply.
I stared at Damian in surprise.
For once, he was saying something true.
Come to think of it, his face was slightly flushed.
He must have been drinking before dinner.
That explained his behavior.
From my perspective, the two of them were fundamentally alike, but Damian occasionally lost his temper and challenged Iswen anyway.
He often picked fights over Iswen’s clothes or even the meals prepared to suit his tastes.
And sometimes, like now, he outright disregarded his brother’s intentions.
Iswen usually ignored him.
But whenever Damian crossed what Iswen considered an acceptable line, he crushed him mercilessly.
Usually by dragging him to the training grounds and beating him senseless under the guise of sparring.
“If you keep acting so venomous, is someone going to hand you an award? Sometimes when I look at you, I don’t see a person, I see—”
Silently glaring at Damian, Iswen rose from his seat.
“Damian Rowen. Come outside.”
“Hah. Like anyone would be scared just because you say that.”
But everyone in House Rowen knew Damian was, in fact, afraid of Iswen.
Sometimes he even deliberately avoided him.
Though when enough time passed, he would inevitably snap and provoke him again.
Father glanced at the two empty seats after his sons left, then turned to me.
“Conduct yourself properly. I have arranged matters so it appears you desired this marriage, despite my reluctance to give you away. Behave accordingly.”
To put it crudely and simply—
He meant I should act expensive.
Father added,
“Behave as though everything depends on your fleeting emotions.”
As though Shioden would actually care deeply about my feelings.
“If Raslet showed any interest in you, it was shallow curiosity for a single night. Under the name of Rowen, even that trace will disappear.”
After all, Iswen’s words were likely true.
When my silence dragged on, Father twitched one eye.
Before that signal could turn into punishment, I answered.
“I will keep your words in mind.”
“Your brothers will extract what they need from Raslet. During that time, all you need to do is avoid behaving foolishly.”
Then Father looked me up and down as though I were pathetic.
“If you maintain your appearance well enough, that alone will do half the work. He’s just a young man, after all.”
“Who knows? He may become so enamored with you that he’d even cut off his own hound for your sake.”
But Father would never wait for such a possibility.
He did not invest in uncertain outcomes.
“You know what your father requires, do you not? If you are truly my daughter, then you should understand what you must strive for.”
A man who had never once known how to pity or love another invoked blood ties—the very bond that should have been the strongest form of love.
More laughable still—
I could not disagree.
“Yes, Father.”
Only then did my contradiction of a father finally smile in satisfaction.
