Duke Ashillean’s Contractual Marriage - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Everyone frozen was awoken with that laughter. The first one to come back to his senses was Count Graham.

“This, this, this! Husband?! What do you mean?! I’ve never received a proper courtship from the Duke, and mo, moreover, I can’t believe you intruded in my mansion without sending prior notice! This is severely punishable under the strict laws of the country!”

“Right!”

Lisana also stared at Rubiana fiercely.

“Ah….”

It was only then that Louismond had realized he didn’t take Rubiana’s outstretched hand.

‘No!’

He screamed internally and tried to grab Rubiana’s hand even though it was late but Count Graham’s roar was faster.

“This mansion belongs to me. Why did Duke Ashillean break in without my permission? I will now exercise my due rights and respectfully ask the Duke to please get out of my mansion this instant. Right now!”

The Count roared as he glared at Louismond, “Louis, what are you doing?!”

He was glaring at Louismond as if this situation was all because of him, and urged the servants.

“Take Louis to his room immediately. Move, move! Right now!”

Before Rubiana could grab Louismond from her, she felt Lisana’s determination to have him and force to marry her.

‘How could I come here alone thinking about Louismond? How can I handle 15 people alone?’

Count Graham was mistaken to think that he had the upper hand in this situation. In the past, he surrendered and fled before the Battle at Dawn began. He was in charge of the supply distribution in the rear during the conquest war, and when Rubiana was busy with wiping out beasts at the North, he stuck on the Emperor’s side.

So he had never, ever seen or experienced Rubiana’s power properly. That’s why, he dared to think that the atrocious rumors floating about Rubiana was nothing but an urban legend. it was just a typical knightly attitude. A snout knight was a noble knighted with the backing of his family but had never participated in even a small battle.

‘She must have studied some strategies. She was just being treated as the Emperor’s older sister, isn’t she?’

This was what Count Graham was thinking.

Rubiana curiously looked at Count Graham who lifted his head stiffly and cut his stomach.

It has only been a month since she arrived in the capital. She had seen a lot of nobles openly ignoring her and talking behind her back every time she attends a social gathering. This was the first time she had seen someone openly reaching out to her. It was an unfamiliar situation, so it was even pleasant.

There was no one left in the North who was capable of doing something like this to this extent. Rubiana even wondered how far he would go. Fortunately, Count Graham pushed them endlessly.

“Hurry and move!”

“Ex, excuse me….”

“Yo, Young Master….”

The servants flinched as they approached Rubiana and Louismond.

[‘They say that you’re going to bleed to death just by touching her!’

‘It was said that she tore beasts with her bare hands.’

‘I heard she threw people of the north over the walls and have them fed to the beasts.’]

The servants looked at Rubiana with frightened eyes and surrounded her as if they were driving out a wild beast.

‘What should I do?’

Rubiana was slightly at a loss. She didn’t know to what extent of power she had to use against these ordinary people who couldn’t fight. She had only been dealing with beasts until recently, so she was wondering how much power she had to use against these ordinary humans.

‘They won’t die if they touch me slightly.’

Anyhow, I have to deal with them so I have to turn around.

‘N, no!’

Louismond looked at Rubiana who was turning her back on him, and his face went pale.

“N, no!” Louismond cried out late, but desperately, before grabbing her hand.

“…?”

Rubiana was slightly perplexed.

‘Don’t kill the servants? I had no intention of killing them though.’

Who do you see as a blood-crazy tyrant? It almost made me speechless.

“It’s not that I won’t hold it. I will, I will hold it now, so don’t go.”

She unknowingly clicked her tongue when she heard Louismond’s words.

Tsk, Louismond turned pale at that sound. She could feel his fingertips trembling.

‘How much have they been horrible to you to be like this?’

She almost clicked her tongue again. She held it in for fear that Louismond would be surprised again. Instead, she exhaled a long sigh and swept away his stray hairs.

“Sir Louismond.”

Sha called his name as she knelt down in front of him. She tried to sound as sweet as she could, but she couldn’t.

“… Yes.”

“I will not withhold the hand I have reached to you just because you didn’t hold it.”

“…”

“I told you already, that I am here to save you.”

Rubiana untied her cloak and wrapped it around Louismond. The black cape didn’t have the Ashillean on it. Rubiana thought that it was a bit unfortunate.

Louismond hesitated and clasped the cloak. He was only wearing a coat, but his cold body felt warm. The warmth came from Rubiana’s cloak. He burst into tears. He shed [tnote keyword=”large drops of tears”] The literal translation was ‘tears like chicken dung’ lol[/tnote].

‘It’s alright to cry. It’s good that I didn’t cry until now.’

“Cry as much as you want to cry.”

Rubiana rubbed Louismond’s shoulder as a means of comforting him. Then Louismond began to cry in earnest.

“Hic, hic, th, thank… thank you….” Louismond nodded and clung to Rubiana.

‘No, I didn’t mean to cry like this.’

Rubiana froze when Louismond embraced her, raising her eyebrows to his arms. I am at a loss. I thought you’d hold back your tears and say you’re alright. You didn’t.

Rubiana gently lifted her hand she had placed on Louismond’s shoulder.

‘If you appease a crying person, he will cry louder.’

Even I think that I was the culprit.

‘I didn’t appease him though. I was just encouraging him to cry as much as he wants.’

That was unfair. It is the human heart that cries more if you tell someone not to cry, so shouldn’t he stop crying instead if I encourage him to cry? Even though the crying Louismond was reduced to rather bewilderment.

“Please… let go… of the Young Master.”

“Young Master, w, we will take care of you.”

Count Graham’s servants started to attack without knowing the subject. But how dare they attack the ruthless Duke of the North without fear?

Slightly annoyed, the ruthless Duke of the North gave the servants a cold warning without sparing them any glance.

“I will cut off his hand and make it food for the beasts whoever touches my fiancé.”

It was just something she said out of annoyance. It turned out well so it was even better.

“Th, the rumors were indeed true.”

“Goodness gracious! Why would you want to throw us to the devil’s mouth?!

The servants screamed and retreated. They tripped and fell, bumped into each other and fell. It was a mess.

“…!”

Hearing Rubiana’s threats from in front of him, Louismond also stopped crying. He looked scared at one glance.

Scaring a crying man? Even if it was a bother, I will just turn around and be annoyed with the servants. Rubiana felt a little guilty.

“Hiccup.”

His sudden hiccup fueled her guilt.

“Ah, sorry… hiccup.”

“…”

“No, not this, hiccup.”

“…”

“Eup.”

Louismond just covered his mouth with his hands. Hic, though he couldn’t hide the sound of his hiccups. Rubiana made up her mind that she would be satisfied with him just stopping crying.

“Can you get up?”

She stood up first and held out her hand to Louismond. This time, Louismond quickly grabbed her hand.

“Yes, hic.”

“Stand up slowly.”

Rubina supported Louismond as he stood up. As he got up, Louismond stepped on his cloak, lost balance and stumbled.

“That is dangerous.”

Rubiana leisurely reached out her hand and grabbed him.

“Huh?”

She almost staggered at the same time. She was able to avoid looking unsightly because she gave strength to her legs with a moment’s judgment.

The two people’s bodies quickly stuck together as their composure disappeared. Their lips almost touched… but not to that extent. Their noses brushed slightly. Louismond was unexpectedly heavy and surprisingly large.

‘I didn’t know when I measured his body with my eyes, but he has a pretty good body.’

Rubiana whistled inwardly and inadvertently looked at Louismond’s lips. It looks very red and appetizing….

“Oh, sorry.”

He was really good at apologizing. Louismond hurriedly pulled himself up and stepped back.

“… It’s okay.”

Rubiana clenched her fist, which still had a heavy feeling when she opened it. She somehow felt that it was a pity.

‘It’s a pity.’ Rubiana laughed softly.

“Louismond, which way should we go?”

“Yes?”

“To get out.”

“Yes?”

She broke the window when she came in, so she had to go through the front door properly when she went out. And she wasn’t alone either. She asked with that in mind.

Louismond couldn’t quite understand her words.

“Who says you can?! Louismond can’t take a single step out of this place without my permission. Let go of my grandson right now!”

Instead, it was Count Graham who understood her words and blocked the way.

“Permission? A man who had just had his coming-of-age ceremony leaving the house on his own, does he need someone’s permission?”

“Exactly! Because that child belongs to the House of Graham and to me!”

Count Graham’s words wiped out the color on Louismond’s face. The hand that was holding the cape trembled. He was shocked that he was being treated as an object right in front of him. Louismond unconsciously leaned on Rubiana’s back.

“Is your grandchild your property?”

Rubiana was in admiration of Count Graham’s way of thinking. She then asked back his way of thinking, “Sir Louismond is the Imperial Family’s official, so shouldn’t he belong to His Majesty Emperor, technically speaking?”

Whether it was the land or people, the Empire belongs to the Emperor. The nobles were only borrowing some of the Emperor’s and managed it in his stead. Strictly speaking, Louismond wasn’t Count Graham’s but the Emperor’s, and likewise Count Graham.

“What nonsense are you spouting?!”

She told the truth, but she was told that it was nonsense. With a scratch on her heart, Rubiana didn’t hide her sadness but showed it.

“I think you’re the one talking nonsense. Count Graham, how dare you covet what is Her Majesty’s?”

If I were the Emperor’s older sister and one of the only three Dukes of the Empire, then I can do that. What? It doesn’t make sense?

“In, in that case, isn’t it the Du, Duke who is coveting what is the Emperor’s?!”

“So, there’s nothing wrong for me to take Sir Louismond, right Count?”

The land where Count Graham built the mansion belongs to the Emperor. The Emperor’s official, Louismond, also belonged to the Emperor. That’s why, the Emperor’s sister is innocent of destroying the Count’s mansion and taking away Louismond as she pleases. Rubiana pressed on Count Graham with the Emperor’s favor on her back.