Duke Ashillean’s Contractual Marriage - Chapter 30
Chapter 30
Cadric was even angrier.
“Why can’t I but the tyrant’s illegitimate son can? Didn’t he come into Your Majesty’s way of your plans?”
Cadric’s eye looked too bad, considering the fact that he only had one. He doesn’t look like the person who swore his allegiance to his master. Rather, it could be said that his eye looked like gritting his teeth for revenge and beheading the head of a certain someone.
Even so, Callena didn’t find fault in him.
“Because I can kill him. But I can’t kill you.”
He is one of the three pillars that supports the Empire, the foundation of the nation. He is an absolutely loyal and capable servant. Killing him would be a great loss to the newly founded empire.
Compared to him, the tyrant’s illegitimate son, a son who failed in the last years of the House of Scholars, a handsome man who had nothing but his face, was perfect to be used and thrown away.
“Don’t tell me, you’re asking because you don’t know?” Rather, Callena asked Cadric.
“But!”
“What but? And even if it wasn’t because of that, you can’t marry my sister. Of the only three Dukes in the Empire, two got married. What? Are you going to commit treason against me?”
Callena leaned her arm against her vanity table, putting her chin on it and smiling softly. She looked more beautiful and defenseless. Doesn’t she look like those angels who work as God’s aids? If a demon who dares to oppose God really exists, wouldn’t they look like that? Callena’s appearance now was enough to make one feel the two opposing entities.
Cadric took a deep breath. His body trembled, and the sword on his waist rattled, making a sound. Callena’s eyes turned to his sword.
“…!”
Cadric had a wretched look on his face.
The Emperor placed great trust upon the three Dukes, allowing them to wear their swords anywhere inside the Imperial Palace. Even so, the three Dukes showed great respect to the Emperor and would only have an attendance with the Emperor after giving their swords to the Grand Chamberlain. But it wasn’t the case now.
Cadric, who ran frantically, was wearing his sword. Callena sitting in front of him was wearing a thin dress. There were no maids or guards around. In a moment, he could stretch his hand to wield his sword and decapitate Callena in the blink of an eye. Callena and Cadric knew that very well. And that Cadric would never do that.
Cadric clenched his fists, holding back his fury, and hit the floor with a loud bang. His fingers dug into the palms of his hand and blood dripped down. But what’s impossible is still impossible.
“All this time, I’ve been trying to find distant relatives so as not to create a situation that would worry Your Majesty.”
“Oh, I heard about that. I thought you couldn’t find them, but you did. You still have relatives.”
“… Distant relative.”
“But didn’t you look for them because they are your relatives?”
“I did. I was planning to hand over my title to my relative. I will give up everything in order to court Duke Ashillean with nothing on me.”
“You. Did you think of that?”
“But Your Majesty didn’t even give me permission.”
“Did I?”
“Yes, Your Majesty did.”
“Ahh, I guess I didn’t want to lose a servant as powerful as you.” Callena spoke lightly as if she was talking about another person.
“…”
Cadric looked at Callena with a burning eye. Even with only one eye, he could still look at her with words in his eye, ‘That’s a cowardly lie.’
Callena scrutinized Cadric. He has good looks, his body is an inverted triangle, and his legs are long too. Even when he was on his knees, he was on the same eye level as her sitting in her chair. The intense pressure he emanated from his body was so strong that an average person wouldn’t be able to withstand it. The blood of their Margrave family, who had been loyal to the Ainus royal family for hundreds of years and protected the western frontier, is flowing inside his body.
In spite of the fact that his parents and younger siblings were all killed by the tyrant, the Young Margrave fought by defending the border to the end to protect his family and the people inside his territory.
He didn’t bow down his head to Callena, Count of Luxen, who carried the flag of rebellion. He didn’t bow down his head to the end even after he lost his one eye to Rubiana. He only surrendered after seeing Callena for himself, convinced that she was a ‘true traitor’ capable of defeating the tyrant and bringing down the tyrant’s kingdom.
[‘Promise me that you’d protect my people. That you will never compromise with the tyrant.’]
He cared for his people until the very end. When he joined hands with the rebels, he feared that the people of the west might face the bloody retaliation any time if Callena compromised to a treaty with the tyrant, in case that the rebellion didn’t end with the establishment of a new dynasty. He was an upright man. For this reason, the western part of the former Aden Kingdom still respected and followed him although he was no longer a part of the western border. That’s why Callena didn’t grant him the title of the west.
If in the case he marries Rubiana, Cadric will remain faithful to Rubiana for the rest of his life. He won’t even spare a glance to other women and won’t let Rubiana get tired of mundane things. Since she’s strong, Rubiana will be able to give birth to several children, one which would be to fulfill Rubiana’s oath to God, and the rest would be passed on the titles of Duke Ashillean or Feltharg. Or they can also incorporate both Duke Ashillean and Feltharg.
It wouldn’t be a big problem if there were three or two pillars of the Empire. If it was too bad, then it would be alright to find a suitable family. How rewarding and enjoyable would it be to extort the loyalty of the nobles using victory as bait?
Callena looked at this loyal, faithful, unmarried Duke, kneeling on his knees at her feet. Even if she makes considerations here and there, he was a man worthy of Rubiana’s husband. However, it is impossible.
“What is the real reason?”
“I told you. You are an extremely precious liege to me….”
“Your Majesty.”
“…”
“…”
Haa, Callena let out a sigh and stretched. “If sister had been here now, you would have been really scolded. How dare you ask the Emperor for a reason?”
“Your Majesty!”
“You only have one eye.”
“… Yes?”
“My lord, you don’t have your other eye.”
“What does that…?”
Cadric’s eye, which had been blazing in fire, instantly cooled down. It was so ridiculous that he stammered in his words.
“You’re joking, right?”
“Why do you think it’s a joke?”
“…”
“I hate you for being one-eyed. To think that my brother-in-law lost his other eye. What was that!”
Callena said that she really hated it, frowning and shaking her head.
“Ha?”
Cadric let out a howl. He then immediately burst into anger. It was more intense than earlier.
“Doesn’t Your Majesty know why I lost one eye?”
“Because you were hit by my sister’s arrow?”
“How could Your Majesty say such a thing when you knew that!”
He could understand if he had been crippled by an arrow in his groin, so she would tell him that she couldn’t give a eunuch as her sister’s husband. Cadric wouldn’t also dare to become Rubiana’s husband as a eunuch.
Right now, she was telling him that he couldn’t be Rubiana’s husband because he only has one eye because of Rubiana herself. It was unreasonable. At least that’s what Cadric thought. Rather, it was more convincing to hear that the union of the two Dukes would be politically burdensome.
“Is Your Majesty insulting me?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then why on earth….”
“Hmm, it seems like you don’t understand. Do you want me to tell you in an easier way to understand?” Callena rolled up the papers she was holding and tapped Cadric on his shoulder. “She was hurt here. Did you know how my sister fought?”
“I remember.”
How can he forget? He had already fallen in love with her, but he fell for her even harder.
“You know, my sister is very lazy and really hates getting dirty even more. She really hates getting blood on her hands, but she got hurt here and here.” Tuk, tuk. Callena slammed Cadric’s shoulder twice. “She couldn’t shoot a bow with her other hand, so she ran through the dangerous battlefields with her sword.”
“I was there too.”
“Right. You remember. While my sister was doing her best and covered in blood, weren’t you smiling widely next to her?”
“It wasn’t that wide.”
“Anyway.”
“…”
“Then when she saw a guy who she had to shoot with a bow, she put a thimble on her teeth and pulled the bowstring. Because of that, my sister’s teeth were damaged so badly.”
Cadric’s face hardened.
“With the subject of leaving indelible scars on my sister’s body, you come at me to marry my sister?” Tuk, Callena pushed Cadric’s shoulder with the tip of the rolled paper. “That’s why you can’t.”
“… It was a fair duel.” Cadric immediately responded. He felt that it was pathetic that his voice wasn’t that loud when he spoke.
“It was.”
“I also suffered a similar injury. Didn’t I lose my other eye!”
“Yes, you did.”
“If I hadn’t counterattacked back then, Duke Ashillean would have shot me again or stabbed me with a dagger and died.”
“That’s only natural.” There was a burst of pride in her voice this time. That kind of thing is only basic to my sister.
“That’s only self-defense….” Cadric stopped talking. A thought suddenly flashed in his head. And that thought felt extremely plausible. “… You want me to die then?”
Impossible. How can it be? That wouldn’t be. He looked up at Callena as he thought of that.
“No way. Why would I when you’re so capable and respected by people?”
Callena said it wasn’t like that. Then what could it be? Her face doesn’t look like that. and his doubts are only becoming certain.
“If I hadn’t done that at that time, I would have died.”
“I know, I know that.”
“But because of that, Your Majesty is not allowing me to become Duke Ashillean’s husband?”
“Mm.”
“Then, what was I supposed to do that time?”
“You should have died.” Callena spoke kindly as if he didn’t know that.
“…”
“Got it? That’s why you can’t.”
Callena’s voice was still gentle. Cadric frowned when he felt the rush of headache. It feels like he was going crazy the more he continued to talk with Callena. So he did something he wouldn’t normally do.
“Then, what about the tyrant’s illegitimate son?”
Biting at his rival. Though he never really thought of the tyrant’s illegitimate child as a rival.
“Lord, were you always this kind of person? Or was it only today that you can’t understand? I already told you.”
“Does Your Majesty think I am in my right mind now?”
“If you’re not in your right mind then what else?” Callena sternly tilted her head.
“Ha?” Cadric pressed his throbbing head and said in a low voice, “Do you think that guy really loved and courted Duke Ashillean? That guy’s the worst and most insignificant flying flies around Duke Ashillean. How dare he use Duke Ashillean to save his own life….”
“Well, it seemed like that.”
Callena simply cut off Cadric’s words and nodded her head. She looked bored. It’s like she was explaining everything he already knew.
(T/N: ‘The worst and most insignificant flying flies around Duke Ashillean’ hahahaha this made me laugh lol)
