Today’s Goal Is A Safe Divorce! - CH 65

Of course, Elysia thought that he was talking about seeing a successor in someone else. After all, the Grand Duchy needed a successor, that was the rule of the Grand Duchy. So, even though he had put the fire out for a while now with the marriage, Damon’s ultimate goal was to have a baby.

But now, he was saying that he would not have children….

“I don’t plan on having children anywhere else, so don’t worry about that.”

She had an idea, but she didn’t worry too much because it was Damon. Elysia hoped she would be cut off, and oddly enough, he didn’t seem to have contact with anyone but her. More than anyone else, she knew what would happen if a man were to have a child with another woman.

…The living proof was her and Edward. The illegitimate child would not be treated properly, especially if it was a girl.

“I will not.”

No matter how he said it was okay, Elysia was afraid. She feared there would be a second Elysia Caitlyn, and she feared that she would become the second Countess.

…She was scared. Not wanting to be like the countess she hated the most.

Elysia knew best what the countess, who couldn’t bear children, had said.

Fortunately, the countess was able to keep her position because she had money. If she didn’t, the wife would be abandoned because she can’t have children. Or, she kept her place in name only.

There were even men who sometimes brought a mistress into their homes. Then, of course, the wife’s position in the household would be shifted to the mistress that bore the child. It was obvious that Elysia, who had no power, would be disrespected.

“You knew.”

“What do you mean?”

Elysia noticed that he was speaking with her plight in mind. He already knew the reason for Edward’s illness, and he couldn’t have not known that she was an illegitimate child.

“The fact that I am an illegitimate child.”

It would be strange that he didn’t know since it was an open secret within the county. It was just not known to the social world. It was something everyone knew because it was impossible to deceive the employees.

“Yes, I know.”

“But why… Did you choose me?”

“Is that a problem?”

If he had to have a bride, there would have been many girls from other families. If he wanted to get married, women would line up enough to circle the Grand Duke’s castle as Damon Raphael was the groom everyone wanted.

At the same time, the miraculous timing that he had accepted her marriage proposal was a bit strange. Even if Damon threatened that he wouldn’t get married, the greedy people wouldn’t stop.

…So, there should be talks of marriage not only with Elysia but also with other families.

‘Why did you choose me?’

Because they had to follow the flow of the original story? Was it really because of such a crazy coincidence?

“I don’t think it’s a problem for our marriage that the wife is an illegitimate child.”

Illegitimate children were not a problem…?

Even among the nobility, illegitimate children were a nuisance. They couldn’t be put in the same league as nobles though they couldn’t be excluded altogether. The situation would be better for an illegitimate child of a noble family, but the treatment of an illegitimate child of a lowly family was beyond words.

The women would be married off as if they were being sold through an arranged marriage, and men became cannon fodder if they had an heir beforehand. It was true that the woman would be married off as if she had been sold.

However, illegitimate children usually went to be second wives or married very old men, so Elysia tried to run away even more.

…Because that was the fate of all illegitimate children.

“Did you know that and still chose me?”

In fact, she only thought that he didn’t know because he wasn’t interested in her. She later wondered if he could handle the aftermath if he found out that she was an illegitimate child. Still, knowing that she was an illegitimate child beforehand, there was no reason to deliberately choose him.

Damon should have avoided it if he could.

“Right.”

“Why not…”

If he wanted to choose from the Caitlyn family, there was Rowena besides Elysia. Rowena was not treated like an illegitimate child, so there won’t be much talk. Of course, she was not a legitimate daughter either, although it was better than her.

Although there were plenty of other options, his choice was dubious. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that she had been chosen deliberately. It was nonsense to even think about it, but she thought so.

“If you look at it that way, am I not an illegitimate child?”

Oh, she forgot the biggest fact.

Damon Raphael was also an illegitimate child. Why did she forget? It was something everyone had forgotten because they were concentrating on his strength.

“I don’t even know who my mother is.”

The former Grand Duke Raphael was an unusual person. He believed that the man at the top of the pyramid ruled everything. Therefore, the Grand Duke did not abandon the idea that the stronger should rule.

As a result, he did what no one else did.

He boldly overturned the proposition that there should be only one successor. He slept with many women, and as a result, the number of children of the Grand Duke increased.

And, the Grand Duke never loved his children.

He thought they were only chess pieces. It was only natural that brotherly fraternity did not exist because children were not raised. Besides, it was Damon who was victorious after a fierce battle among them.

“If I were to marry an illegitimate child too, who would throw a stone at you? I am not as noble as you thought.”

“….”

“I’m uglier.”

Obviously, the noble could not welcome the madness of the previous Grand Duke. Some of the children were born of noble blood, but most of them were children of lowly women, as the whereabouts of the women who gave birth to the Grand Duke’s children were always unknown.

That was the rumor circulating in the dark. If they had the Grand Duke’s child, they would lose their life. Even after hearing the rumors, there were many nobles who sent their daughters.

“Elysia, you are a much nobler person than I am. So don’t think like that.”

Because she had memories of her past life, Elysia didn’t think it would be too hard to be born illegitimate.

Aside from life being a little uncomfortable, it was not that bad. She could run away anyway, so she worked hard to comfort herself. However, the fact that she was born as an illegitimate child bothered her more than she thought.

Hearing his words melt away her anxiety.

“And, when I said that I would never have children with the wife…”

As soon as he talked about the child, Damon’s face wrinkled sternly. He seemed to really hate children.

“I’m not going to do something crazy like the previous Grand Duke. I will cut this cursed blood from my hands. Absolutely.”

His words about severing the blood seemed resolute. She knew Damon didn’t want the Grand Duchy to go on, but she wasn’t so sure.

“If you were born into this cursed house in the first place, no one would welcome you.”

Damon’s expression looked particularly sad. Seeing his self-mocking smile, Elysia did not say anything. It was the first time he looked like that. His image in Elysia’s head was so firm that he would openly ridicule anyone who saw Damon Raphael with pity.

However, his face was sad enough to blow away her prejudice at once.

“Because this is a place where being born is painful. Here.”

“Your Grace…”

There was no detailed description of what kind of life Damon led in the original story. The story started when he became an adult and ascended as the Grand Duke. Still, just by looking at his setting, she could tell that Damon had not led an easy life.

“You asked me what it meant.”

She couldn’t fall for him for this reason… No matter how pitiful he was, the person in front of her was Damon.

It was as if the rabbit was worried about the lion.

“It makes no sense. I want to share the same room with the wife. That is my reason.”

* * *

The reason was that he just wanted to share the same room with her. What more could she say?

In the end, Elysia had no choice but to follow his opinion. When she came to her senses, she found herself lying on the bed with him. It seemed that she had fallen for him.

She should have noticed that it was all calculated. Even if she regretted it, it was already too late. Elysia realized that the expressions were all high-level acting. After she agreed, Damon’s expression changed immediately.

“I…”

“Yes?”

Then, this was no different from yesterday. As soon as Elysia lay on the bed, she was sweaty at Damon’s action as he grabbed her hand.

Had she known that sleeping holding hands was equivalent to every day, she would never have allowed it. As she thought it was only for one day under the name of the first night, she never imagined she would be in contact with him every day like this.

“Can you let go of my hand?”

Yesterday too, she fell asleep holding his hand, so her fatigue could not be fully relieved. She had no intention of having trouble sleeping even today. Elysia’s stamina was already at its limit as her whole body was screaming. She didn’t know if she could not sleep anymore, she might collapse.

“Why?”

Because he, of course, had to let go of her hand if she wanted to sleep.

There was hardly anyone who could sleep in this state. In particular, Elysia was sensitive. While she could sleep anywhere, she couldn’t stand sleeping in bed with anyone.

“Aren’t we supposed to be sleeping, holding hands every day?”

“Yes?”

…When did she allow that?

Elysia raised her forehead at Damon’s actions, which she interpreted purely at his own will. She couldn’t handle it when someone would be this unexpectedly stubborn. Who would have known she was going to argue with Damon over this matter. she wouldn’t have known.

“I thought it was only for yesterday.”

At that, she showed that she didn’t like it on purpose.

To sleep like this, holding his hand every day…! It was really a terrible story. She never knew when she was going to divorce Damon, and she couldn’t sleep like this every night. Her minimal right to good sleep had to be guaranteed.

“I want to sleep hand in hand with the wife every day.”