Duke Ashillean’s Contractual Marriage - Chapter 3.1

Chapter 3 part 1

Since then, Rubiana has been a little depressed by the thought that she has blown off one eye of the man that might become her brother-in-law.

It’s alright if she doesn’t have a husband, but it irks her that he might be her younger sister’s husband. It didn’t feel good that she had blown off his other eye.

Unable to know her older sister’s heart that was in turmoil, Callena immediately advanced to the capital, driven with the momentum she gained from the south, east and west.

The north didn’t care that much, because the dragon that was patrolling the northern mountain has long been free, even from the Royal Family. It was an abandoned land rumored to be a city made by escaped criminals.

The capital that suffered from the tyranny of a tyrant, could not handle the revolt of the Count Luxen. Callena broke through the seven gates without much difficulty, and the people of the capital welcomed her and her troops with flowers.

It was then that the King and his servants firmly locked the palace and prepared for the final battle. When the King saw Callena from afar, he fell in love with her radiant appearance so he immediately sent an envoy to negotiate. His plan was to make Callena his Queen then make the child born from her the next king. There was no need for Callena to answer as Rubiana beheaded the envoy at once. The Margrave Feltharg sent the head of the envoy parted from its body back to the King, beautifully tied to a white horse.

That night, the last battle took place – one night was enough. When Callena finally cut the horrified tyrant’s throat, the dawn rose from the distant sky, that’s why people call this last battle as ‘The Battle at Dawn’.

When the new day dawned with dew, the owner of the kingdom changed – Callena.

Rubiana’s only younger sister became the king of the kingdom – even before all these had to sink into her mind, it was over.

“Sister, help me.”

Callena reached out her hand. Rubiana was also washing her blood-soaked hands from killing all those people who were loyal to the tyrant – every head of each one of them. She was just going to talk to her after washing up, but she came to her like this.

‘Don’t tell me, she was going to say the crown is heavy so I should wear it instead. Just ask me to go up north and defeat the dragon.’

Rubiana thought lightly and asked back in a grim voice, “What now?”

“I want to make my kingdom an empire. Will you help me?”

Callena wanted to be an emperor, not a king.

“Ahh, let’s go catch the dragon after that.”

And not just an emperor, but an emperor who was adorned with dragon skin while sitting on the throne.

“Do I really have to”?

“Yup.”

“Aren’t you tired?”

“It’s not that tiring.”

“Do you really have to do that?””

“Hmm.”

She seemed to have already made up her mind seeing that she answered without hesitation.

“Okay. What should I do?””

She swore allegiance to Callena, so she will follow her and help her achieve what she wants. Rubiana didn’t have a choice or anything. Rubiana then went on an expedition with Callena. Rudante and Margrave Feltharg also joined them.

The four occupied all of the nearby kingdoms. Most of them were destroyed and merged, while other several kingdoms on the edge of the continent were left out as they swore to be loyal to the Empire.

They hunted the dragon their way back from the expedition. With the troops on standby, only the four of them went to the northern mountain ranges – Callena, Rubiana, Rudante, and Margrave Feltharg. Callena usually watched on the sidelines while Rudante was running rampant. Rubiana and Margrave Feltharg assisted at an appropriate level.

“We have to preserve the skin when you kill it so it doesn’t go bad.”

Callena was worried that the swords of the three people would damage the dragon’s skin.

“Didn’t you see that I almost died from being stepped on?””

“Yeah, be careful sis.”

“…….”

Rubiana made an expression that she was very moved by her burning sisterly love and focused on the dragon again.

When Callena yawned, saying she was bored, Rudante stabbed the dragon in the eyes and split his heart. The dragon died, leaving behind a heart split into two and a clean leather.

Callena sat on a throne covered with dragon skin, wearing a crown with studded dragon hearts, and became the first emperor of the empire. The three knights that devoted themselves to her who always stood by her, became Dukes.

Duke Ashillean, Rubiana.

The Duke of Dominent, Rudante.

The Duke of Feltharg, Cadric.

They were always tied with flowers on their names, so people call them according to the flower drawn on their crest.

Ashillean of the silver lily. 

Feltharg of the Iron Cross Rose. 

Dominent of the Black Tulip.

Emperor Callena entrusted the three dukes with the north, south, and west, respectively.

The West to the Duke Dominent, who was originally in charge of the East; Duke Feltharg who was also taking care of the West, the South; and Duke Ashillean was to the North.

The eastern part of the vast plain was made a direct decree of the emperor.

Rubiana has just become the Lord of the North where the dragon died, the desolate land with steep mountain ranges and hidden criminals. Not only were there criminals living in the north, but there were also those kinds of evil born from the dragon’s blood. Rubiana had to fight those beasts to protect the empire.

“I left the North to you because I trust you sister. Protect my empire, I ask you, sister.” Her younger sister who became the emperor said this at a party between the two of them, “if you don’t have any more to say.”

Rubiana shook her head excitedly, went to the north, built a barrier, and pushed the beasts towards the barrier. At the same time, she received a blood pledge to catch the criminals hiding in the north, turn them into good people, and collect taxes. Men with healthy bodies were made soldiers. It was more difficult to make criminals good people than to fight beasts.

Although the beasts were not completely wiped out, Rubiana was about to turn 30 by the time the North was stabilized to some extent.

One day when she was 29, a year before turning 30.

A letter stamped with the emperor’s seal arrived. It was an order to return to the capital.

Rubiana returned to the capital, sweeping the cold wind of the north.

The empire was stabilized by the outstanding governance of the first emperor, and the capital flourished like the capital of the empire. It was also unbelievable how the capital’s social community became incredibly colorful, as if it didn’t suffer from the bloody tyranny of a tyrant until just a few years ago.

There, Rubiana, the cold Duke of the North, became the epitome of fear. A brutal killer who bursts the beasts’ heads with one hand. A wild and fierce warrior who summarily executes soldiers who disobeyed orders. A cruel and savage who wears a cape made from beasts skin and eats raw flesh of the beasts.

The nobles in the capital looked at Rubiana with mixed admiration and fear.