Duke Ashillean’s Contractual Marriage - Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Her eyes also turned at her. For some reason, he was also looking towards her direction.
“Ugh.”
As soon as Rubiana met his eyes, she turned her head away as if she saw something she shouldn’t see.
“What’s the matter?”
“No, nothing.”
‘Why is he looking at me like that?’
His eyes were desperate as if an inmate in an unjust death row.
‘I don’t know but for some reason, I think that he wants to get my attention, but he went in the wrong direction.’
The only thing that bothered her was that it was disgusting.
“Why is he still alive?”
But still, she had to confirm it.
“Didn’t we capture and kill all of the tyrant’s bloodline of the Ainus Imperial Family during the Battle at Dawn? Everyone, including the newborn baby.”
“That’s right.”
“But his illegitimate son was alive? Aside from being alive, he was even attending a banquet inside the Imperial Palace?”
This couldn’t unless both the Emperor and the Northern Duke went crazy as a group during the few years they stayed up North. Rubiana looked at Cadric as if he was crazy.
“It hasn’t been that long. He was born from a scholar’s house.”
Cadric made a hasty excuse.
“A scholar’s house?”
“Yeah, and don’t tell me you forgot about that?”
“I know, I know it well.”
The problem is that there was no connection between the crazily beautiful man and the crazy study group.
Rubiana’s expression darkened.
A scholar’s house – they were a group of crazy scholars who built a wall high like a tower and locked themselves in it while studying for the rest of their lives. To enter there, they had to give up their family and name, and vow to God that they would die after studying without getting married for the rest of their lives.
It was a place where you could only get out once you die, so it was more like a monastery rather than a scholar’s house in a sense. Because they had always maintained their neutrality when it came to politics and respected by people, the tyrant and even Callena, who besieged the capital to kill the tyrant, dared not touch the scholar’s house.
‘There was the tyrant’s illegitimate son in such a place?’
If that was the case, then it was understandable that he wasn’t found and killed during the Battle at Dawn – I’ll stop at that.
“But why is he here?”
Why would a member of the scholar’s house come out of that high wall and attend the Imperial Palace’s banquet?
“Ah, didn’t I get in touch with you while you were in the North?”
“Hmm.”
Rubiana was proud that she hadn’t been contacted.
“That’s impossible….”
Cadric was a little flustered, “…That’s right, that’s impossible because I sent you people regularly. You must’ve heard reports summarizing about the overall situation.”
He looked at Rubiana as if she had to explain.
“Have you not seen the documents I sent you every month?”
“….”
She thought that she was deliberately not contacted. Thinking of it, it reminded her of her subordinate chasing after something from the capital again this month.
[‘Did Her Majesty send that?’
‘I don’t think it was. Something like Duke Felt– or something was written.’
‘Then it’s not urgent. Leave it there and I’ll check later when I have time.’]
(T/N: Texts inside the [] and italicized is said/happened in the past)
And did she check?
‘I don’t think I’ve once looked at it.’
She felt a sense of crisis that she couldn’t tell the truth.
“I saw it.”
“You saw it?”
“I must’ve seen it.”
“You didn’t.”
“I saw it.”
“Don’t tell me you never even opened it?”
“… No way.”
“I’m sure you didn’t look at it.”
Urgh, Cadric groaned.
“Do you think I waste a lot of time and paper just for nothing?”
“….”
She actually thought so.
‘You reserved time for each Duke? Why do you keep on sending this? Isn’t the capital pretty quiet?’ she thought. ‘Isn’t it?’
Rubiana gently turned her head to avoid his eyes.
“I deliberately sent letters there so that you don’t get isolated there in the North and know how things were going in the capital.”
“But you haven’t even read it. I did something pointless,” Cadric clenched his teeth and said.
“No, I saw it. I really saw it. I was always grateful for that.”
“Then tell me what I sent you last month.”
“….”
She can’t say anything.
“Well, I didn’t really think that you’d look into it when I sent it, so I’ll stop here,” Cadric laughed bitterly.
Even if he said that, he downed his glass of wine because he felt sick. Hooh – a long sigh followed. Rubiana felt sorry towards him so she took a glass of wine from a passing attendant and offered it to Cadric. It was a gift in it’s own sense.
“I’m such a fool to be coaxed like this.”
Cadric confessed again that he was a fool and received the glass of wine.
“While you were in the North, being in the capital wasn’t as comfortable as it was. Do you know how hard it took me and Rudante to stabilize the Empire?”
He wasn’t that angry, but his voice was back to normal. Rubiana thought it was such a relief.
“But what does that have to do with that illegitimate child running around in the Imperial Palace?”
“Because there was a shortage of manpower to create a new administrative system, Her Majesty ordered it. A study that ignores reality has no value, so she destroyed the scholar’s house and brought in the scholars to work.”
Hmm, Rubiana felt silent.
‘That’s all that was left, if it was Lena.’
She wanted it.
“All of them were hired as Imperial Officials. Of course, their names and families were also given back to them as well as being paid.”
“And?”
“And that was how he was discovered – that he was the tyrant’s illegitimate son.”
Cadric tilted his head towards Louismond.
“You kept him alive even though you found out?”
“It was Her Majesty’s will.”
“Why… would Her Majesty?”
Rubiana stopped talking. Something shook her heart. She looked at Cadric and hoped that it wasn’t that, but it was worse than seeing it.
“Yes, perhaps it is.”
“This – ”
“It’s too late to realize.”
“It’s because you’re not being straightforward.”
Rubiana elbowed Cadric’s side.
“Urgh!”
It was very nice to hear his scream.
‘I heard that there was a small fry trying to follow the tyrant’s steps and rebuild the kingdom. Is she planning to wipe them out by giving them a center? Was that the reason why she continued being close to Count Graham?’
Rubiana looked up at Cadric and Cadric looked down at her with his remaining one eye.
“You are annoying.”
“You are annoying.”
They said almost at the same time. Rubiana clicked her tongue.
‘Are you going to collect and play with them because it was bothersome to find each one of them?’
It was really Callena-like not to worry that the power would be united and grow.
“Anyway, we have the same thought that it would be annoying.”
Cadric seems to have a different opinion.
“What did I do? Don’t time me and Her Majesty together. I’m not that reckless.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Ha, Duke Dominent should have heard this.”
“Don’t talk to him when he has low-alcohol tolerance.”
Rubiana turned her head and looked at the dazzling beauty that served as the light of the banquet hall.
Upon hearing Cadric’s words, people were swarming again next to him. Most of them were women but there were also quite men too. All the nobles around him were the loyal families from the previous dynasty. It was said that they were the families who put honey on the feet of the dead tyrant. Just by looking at them, it was obvious that they would get into troublesome things if they touched something wrongly.
‘It was good to avoid back then.’
Rubiana felt proud of herself and turned her head quickly before meeting his eyes. But, why was he staring at me with such desperate eyes? After listening to Cadric’s words, it was something she had to think over even if it was bothersome.
‘Do you know that you are being used as bait to catch rebels?’
It was time to think about it a bit.
“Her Majesty is entering!” the servant standing at the entrance announced loudly.
“Let’s go,” Cadric tapped her shoulder.
“Ah, yes.”
Rubiana put off her long-awaited thoughts and walked to the entrance of the banquet hall with Cadric.
The door of the Golden Forest was opened. The music ceased in the banquet hall, and the nobles retreated while bowing their heads.
Clad in purple satin, Emperor Callena appeared with her escort Duke Rudante of Dominent. Cadric and Rubiana waited for them to come down from the stairs before following behind them. The cloaks of the three Dukes fluttered in the wind. On the arm of their coats was the emblem of their respective families embroidered with gold and silver threads. The Emperor who overthrew the kingdom and established the Empire in just a short period of time, along with her three Dukes who supported her.
The nobles looked up to them with eyes full of fear, respect, and envy. Amongst those gazes was the mournful eyes of a man named Louismond. Rubiana felt a sharp tingling on the back of her head but she tried to ignore it.
‘Because it’s just disgusting to be bothered.’
Rubiana’s heart had not changed at all.
‘Her Majesty and the others will take care of it. Let’s go back to the north to find a suitable husband.’
She absolutely doesn’t want to be associated with the beautiful and troublesome bait that the Emperor had worked hard on.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
-Was what she thought of earlier.
“Whatever you do, we’re going to get married anyway!”
She heard it again.
“What ‘kyaaah’? You think I’d fall again? You’re welcome!”
She saw it again.
The Emperor’s rebel fishing bait ‘Louismond something’, was caught by a woman and forced him to marry her.
She was guarding the seat next to the Emperor but she sneaked out to get some fresh air. Apparently, the man and the polite woman were having a fight again at the garden where she was taking a walk.
‘I shouldn’t have gone out to get some air.’
It was a sin to get used to the cold northern weather. Rubiana let out a small sigh.
‘Let’s go back. Let’s never think that we’re bored again.’
She was going to turn around quietly, politely letting the pair of man and woman, who was fighting even when they were inside the Imperial Palace,
“I will make you mine today!”
The woman suddenly clung to Louismond. She seemed upset that she was just pushed down in vain and missed Louismond at Marquess Rivadur’s banquet. Will she clench those hands into tight fists which had rings on each of her ten fingers and punch Louismond’s stomach? Then there was the sound of a punch.
‘Wow.’
It was a perfect method of suppression that Rubiana admired.
“Ugh.”
Louismond lost his focus and stumbled. The woman quickly pushed him down and knocked him down.
‘Oooh.’
Rubiana almost clapped her hands without realizing it.
(T/N: Hey Rubiana, help your man over there )
